Monster (2021)

Deeply Thrilling Subversion of Expecations: A Must Watch Drama

In the Midst of Corruption and Death, a small town suffers from the unsolved cold case of missing women. Two policemen, one the brother of an unsolved murder victim and the other a rookie cop with rooted morals. Throughout the drama, Lee Dong‑sik and Han Joo‑won, the main protagonist police officers, have a juxtaposed methods of handling crime: one stuck in a logically strict mindset (where everything must follow a code) and the other a more open-minded emotional standpoint. One of the beauties of the show is the way they handle these two differing policing mindsets, they are not framing either protagonist as wrong or right, instead we the audience get a deeper understanding of the different methodologies and come to our own understanding of solving the mysteries.

PLOT
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This is a show that needs to be watched at least twice. In the first watch, we are taken from a perspective that audiences are able to relate to, that of Han Joo-won, who just like the viewer has entered a new town and is unaware of its rooted history and the characters within it. In this perspective, we're left just as confused, if not more confused, than Joo-won. We are made to question everyone, including the protagonist Lee Dong-sik. One of my favourite experiences in watching this drama was going through the process of literally suspecting everyone, it made me question who I could trust and who I couldn't. Everyone could be guilty and everyone could be innocent, which amped up the suspense in trying to solve the case. Both the audience and Joo-won get parts of the puzzle unfolded to them at the same time, therefore the audience is like Joo-won themselves.

Not only is this a captivating storytelling method, of making the audience question every character including the protagonists, but it creates a plot that never disappoints and continually increases its suspense. I remember a point in the drama where I was sure that Joo-Won was right about Dong-sik, being the murderer, only to find out later on that, what the audience had thought was Dong-sik being suspicious, was actually an understandable emotional reaction to the situation (such as the scene when Joo-won interviews Kang Jin-Mook, and Dong-sik has to leave his house). The drama wanted the audience to feel confused so that they could understand that one can never be 100% certain about anything--without evidence. This drama really put into perspective how, when a murder occurs in Korea, it really does not matter if everyone is certain who the murderer is, if there is no body found. Just as Joo-Won was certain of his hypotheses, many times they were from hunches and logical deductions that lacked physical evidence. This realistic portal of crime, and the need for physical evidence, made the plot even more captivating to watch.

ACTING
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It would be an understatement to say that the acting in Beyond Evil was truly astonishing. This was by far one of the best, if not the best, acting I have seen in a drama. One of the main reasons why, we as the viewers, question Dong-sik initially is due to Shin Ha-Kyun's phenomenal acting. He gets everything perfect--the crazy sadness of an induvial who has been through more pain than many of us will ever see. He embodies his character so well that it really feels that Dong-sik is a real human being. Shin Ha-Kyun is able to captivate both Dong-Sik's desperation and his mental instability, especially in the way he smiles. Dong-Sik has a very crimal-esc smile that is both creepy and captivating. It is the smile where his eyes crinkle, but instead of happy emotion, he displays sadness and emptiness.

Alongside Shin Ha-kyun is Yeo Jin-goo, who is especially skilled in portraying an individual slowly breaking down their outer shell. Initially, Joo-Won is a closed-off individual who does not let his emotions seep through, however as he gets more invested in the cold case, he begins to also display mental instability and craziness (rubbing off from Dong-sik because let's be honest anyone would go crazy in that town), he also has a crazy smile that perfectly captivates Joo-Won's confusion and impatience in solving the cases. Shin Ha-Kyun and Yeo Jin-goo performances go hand-in-hand to create a powerful performance of grief, confusion, and desperation.

One last thing I wanted to point out in terms of the relationship, and acting, of the protagonists, is the ability to switch from serious to playful moments. What makes a good show different from a great show, is its ability to switch from serious to comedic smoothly. There were many interactions between Dong-sik and Joo-won that had me audibly laughing. The writers knew that the major personality differences between the characters would create room for situational irony, so they used that to their advantage and has many funny-awkward moments. Using their differing personalities added comedic relief to a show that could go from 0-100 in a few seconds.

FINAL THOUGHTS
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One of my favourite elements to see in dark thrillers is when the audience is made to believe that the plot is solely a local one, but ends up being linked to a more national-wide issue. This is something that Beyond Evil uses very well, one of my gripes with mystery shows, that I have, is that many times the audience does not find out who the killer is until the last episodes. Having a reveal in episode sixteen tends to drag out the plot. However, this is not the case with Beyond Evil, the audience finds out who the main killer is about halfway through the show. The second half of the show is when the case, which we thought was only local-wide, becomes nationwide. When dramas skillfully write this local-nation shift it creates newfound suspense and more areas to enhance and upgrade the plot--this is exactly what Beyond Evil does, it amps up the suspense and grows the case so that the plot reaches even greater heights.

This is a drama that I will continue to go back to for years to come. Beyond Evil is one of those shows where the more you watch the more you unravel.

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