Memorist (2020)

This review first appeared on: https://frommelbtoseoul.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/review-the-memorist/
(NOTE: there is a spoiler discussion at the very end of this review, but has been marked with a warning beforehand)

I am a complete sucker for crime-related dramas, seeking the thrills and shocks that come from solving a case. In comes The Memorist and the last 8 weeks has been a rollercoaster of emotions with me strapped in tight in the front seat.

What I loved most about The Memorist? The writing/plot layout and ability to explore notions of power, freedom of choice, and whether bad deeds are justifiable in the face of good intentions.

The series hooked me in quickly, choosing to start off with the crime-solving nature of the show and slowly letting us learn about the characters throughout the first few episodes. I liked that the pacing was fast from the get go, and kept it up for the majority of the drama. It meant that I was on the edge of my seat from the suspense and sudden twists that were included. In fact, what the drama did really well was build suspense in the last few minutes of every episode before leaving us on insane cliffhangers. I kept thinking my heart was going to explode from the intensity and thrill that was packed into 5 or so minutes. It also meant that I kept wanting more. It’s always hard, when you’re watching in real time along side a drama’s release schedule, to maintain interest between weekly episodes. Or at least for me anyways. If I find that week’s episode to be lacklustre or not heading in the direction I’m enjoying I will tend to not want to revisit the drama the following week. I guess maybe I’m just picky?

Another thing that I really liked, although have seen mixed reactions towards, was the inclusion of a number of plot twists. Usually, I would not advocate for numerous plot twists in a drama because I find that they can be distracting to the overall storyline and some dramas even lose the sense of direction. However, with The Memorist that didn’t happen at all. Instead, I found the plot twists created really successful shock value, which again, kept me engaged, but also served to add layers to the story. None of the plot twists, I found, were useless or absurd. I will note that for a drama that, despite being set in the real world with real life elements, has characters with somewhat abnormal or supernatural abilities, then anything becomes fair game. I wouldn’t nitpick a plot for “unrealistic” when it resolves around a character that can access memories. Bottom line, the shock factor to this drama was well delivered and really made my watching experience that much more enjoyable.

Lastly, I loved how smart the writing was in The Memorist. What I mean by this is that the complete reveal of the killer and the reason behind why the killings were happening was such an “ah-hah” moment to me. I don’t particularly care for the who the killer was, although I did notice that many weren’t sold on who it was once it was revealed. However, what I liked that the show did is use the character who was the perpetrator as a vehicle to deliver strong messages around choice and responsibility of action. I won’t say much more here, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but look further down if you want to see a quick discussion about what I mean! To me, the entire storyline was solid and made sense. I fully believe in why the perpetrator did what they did and how everything shown in the drama, character and events, were necessary to the completion of the story. Again, I experienced a lot of “ah-hah” or “ohhh” moments – moments of revelations really.

The Memorist was a solid drama. The crime-solving aspect kept me captivated and by focusing on just the one crime/criminal, it allowed for the drama to really flesh out the story and keep things distraction free. I wouldn’t watch this drama for the characters, in that I didn’t grow emotionally attached to any of them. I liked them enough but really only enjoyed the show for the story it offered. I do however, appreciate, that there was barely any romance in this. Not all scenarios in real life would result in a love story, especially when it comes to resolving a serial killer case, and if anything, liked that the bond built between the characters revolved around comradeship and loyalty between friends. So refreshing to see in a Korean drama! Give this show a watch because it is well worth your time!

SPOILER DISCUSSION:

This my warning that the next few sentences will be a spoiler filled discussion on what I really meant about how the drama utilised the killer, Eraser, as a vehicle to explore some thought-provoking ideas.

At first when Eraser was revealed as the timid maid in the evil lady’s house my reaction was “oh” until the drama explained why and how she became to be Eraser. For me, it was such an intentional move in trying to showcase the difference between individual’s choice and the consequences from that. The Eraser turns out to be Dong Baek’s sister and they both have the same ability. However, despite Dong Baek seeing all the terrible memories and actions that were committed, which caused harm to so many people including him, he never strayed from the belief of combatting evil through justice and law. On the other hand, his sister lost all faith in achieving justice through the legal system. Instead, she seeks to serve justice herself, and in that sense, starts to succumb to the terrible actions that she was trying to punish people for in the first place. Dong Baek makes a great point in that even though he could, he chooses instead to use his ability for good or to better himself. He would rather not see it as a tool anymore and instead reflect on what the ability delivers to him. This was honestly such a fascinating addition to the drama, in that it made me think on how we all have the ability to act, it’s just a matter of what we choose to do and the consequences that will come with it. Also, there is the classic question of whether bad deeds are justifiable in the face of good intentions. This is a much harder question to answer for me as not everything is black and white but props to The Memorist for really making me think instead of just consuming what is on screen.

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