In Cold Blood (2024)

A bold, unpredictable makjang drama with complex characters and unique flair.

I know rating it a 10 is crazy (perhaps fitting after all) - but this review is a big hear me out. While I watched Elegant Empire as my first daily drama and would rate it a 9 at most (objectively), I have multiple reasons to rate this so high. I prefer to not set my expectations too high for daily dramas despite them being addictive, but I was sort of actually blown away. The cast and characters can easily evelate a drama to an objective 10 in my eyes, along with the production quality. I loved that this was such a unique family melodrama at heart, and I certainly did not expect such epic classical soundtracks which matched the tragic and dramatic tone. For example, Happy Sugar Life is one of my favorite animes, and the only OST that I found to be close is from The Escape of the Seven (Boku no Tenshi / ボクの天使 on Spotify is my favorite track from HSL). I love the organ the most in it, and of course how modernized the music is. I have always been loving theater plays too. Theater plays can feel very absurd, insane, unreal, mind-blowing, out-of-this-world, you name it, so I'm not too surprised by my taste in dramas. For me, most international soap operas do not even come close to the Koreans. Plus, they never end so I don't bother. Another example, https://youtu.be/3iOPFd65A_I - This is just a preview of the most unhinged play my favorite Korean actor did lol.

The Two Sisters, aka. "In Cold Blood" (previous English title) or "Without Blood or Tears" (Korean title), was an unpredictable and fascinating drama that hooked me from its epic opening in episode 1. The narration was well thought-out, and the story began with a deep misunderstanding that led to Bae Do Eun’s mental breakdown before spiraling into total mayhem. Around episodes 30 to 40, a noticeable shift—possibly due to the change of writer—added even more unpredictability, making it unlike anything I’ve seen before. Whether this was the new writer’s idea or not, it worked to keep things interesting and engaging throughout the 104 episodes. In fact, there was no character that looked typically good, past some point. I always thought that the actress of Lee Hye Won had the perfect antihero face in this role, and it seems that the writers agreed. Actually, her vindicative nature was already foreshadowed in Episode 1, which is also a consequence of her past and how she grew up. Her true colors were then revealed through her later interactions with Bae Do Eun.

https://mydramalist.com/photos/RBZorz_3 / https://mydramalist.com/photos/Z83YRL_3 - I was also very much drawn to these two posters aside from the main. And the trailer (without actual content) but I already linked it below.

I was initially drawn to the tragedy of the sisters’ story, their complex characters, and the impressive cast. While some viewers criticized their acting or struggled to connect with the sisters, I disagreed. I loved both Bae Do Eun and Lee Hye Won, whose character defied the typical archetypes, as shown in this clip: https://youtu.be/bVGzwOkaiak. Their performances were layered and compelling, and the drama’s creative filming techniques and self-aware dark humor elevated it further. The outfits and styling also stood out, adding flair to the drama's overall appeal.

While I'm at it, I might as well share the teasers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep5sQy77qHY / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepfvHgNTuM / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e41qZ3OR4as.

"According to a recent study, brothers and sisters can be genetically much closer to each other than their parents." (makjang science btw) followed by the tragic news of sibling murders, "Either exactly the same... Or completely different. Which one were we? She and I had different appearances and personalities. But we did everything together", followed by the rest. The narration at the beginning lingered in my mind and I had to rewatch it more than once during the drama.

The drama embraced its makjang tendencies, and I found it consistently interesting and entertaining, no matter how crazy or toxic things got. It offered the level of intensity I was looking for, especially after being let down by "A Man in a Veil." Though the drama has a surprisingly large number of songs on Spotify, it’s frustrating that some of the best tracks, which were crucial to the drama’s emotional impact, remain unreleased—something I’ve also noticed with other daily dramas like Gold Mask.

There was criticism on the sisters for not changing, but this is integral to their character arc and the tragedy of the story. Meanwhile, I was always secretly rooting for the sisters' happy ending and Bae Do Eun's redemption, because their story always made me sad. It was actually painful that their relationship went from love to hatred. Bae Do Eun completely lost her mind, while Lee Hye Won was not turning good either. They were both selfish but you gotta look back at what happened, and somehow both are understandable. Because their personality was like that, it seemed to be a doomed relationship. I also love tragic endings, but I'm not gonna spoil it for you. I always perceive the ending as the writers' choice, but what I would dislike is a happy ending to not disgust the audience into watching another daily drama. Of course, there would be no way for me to know. "Happy" also could be too simple of a term. However, I don't think that a happy ending for them would necessarily be what the viewers wanted. Thanks to that, you can believe that no matter what the ending is, no influence comes into play.

Overall, The Two Sisters was a bold and unique story that stayed fresh and creative despite its melodramatic and serious nature. I could tell the cast and crew had fun, and I certainly did too. It’s a shame the drama didn’t get more love from viewers, but for me, it delivered exactly what I wanted: complexity, creativity, and a gripping story full of twists.

P.S: Please writers and directors, make "The Two Brothers" next time. And cast Jeon Sung Woo... But I can only wish. 😭 I know he would take it tho if he was offered an interesting role. The daily, weekend, prime-time main leads are always separate. 😔

Side note:

I was disheartened by the change of writer because I was so passionate about this drama and loved what the writer was doing. The story in itself, and the characters, were already very unique.

To back up my argument, this was the planning intention of the drama:

"- On the Irony of Fate and Its Cruel Twist
Two sisters, separated by their parents' divorce and living as complete strangers, meet again more than twenty years later as the women of two men—one a father, the other a son.
Through the tangled web of their ill-fated relationships, this story aims to explore the irony of fate and showcase the human will to overcome it.

- Family: Perhaps a Grim Fairy Tale
For some, family is "a beautiful and happy facade, but upon closer inspection, a horrifying and dreadful grim fairy tale."
The protagonist, who suffers horrific acts at the hands of her family and sister, experiences an awakening and embarks on a journey of revenge, delivering intense dramatic thrills and a refreshing catharsis.

- Forbidden Desires and Their Fatal Temptations
Sometimes, humans simply want to do "bad things."
The difference lies in whether they have the brazenness or courage to act on these desires—or whether they justify their laziness and cowardice by confining themselves to the taboos they’ve created.
The characters in this drama, in their pursuit of money, love, status, and fame, will reveal their raw, unfiltered selves, unlocking the audience's suppressed desires and eliciting a sense of secret empathy."

But thankfully I was not disappointed, rather it was the opposite. It became so crazy and even more up to my taste past some point. (It doesn't have to be for everyone.) Apparently, there was a disagreement between the writer and the production team about certain provocative elements and story development, and the writer decided to leave the chance to a rookie instead of changing things herself. Nothing else was said.

Also, the original intent with the sisters was certainly kept. I do not believe the new writer did not communicate with the previous writer at all, and the ending was great.

Because daily dramas aren't pre-produced, with only up to 20 episodes filmed in advance, the conditions are even harsher. The higher-ups in KBS2 could be requesting for changes or additions because they care about the viewership ratings. However, I find it stupid and annoying. They already don't look high budget compared to other K-Dramas, and we are in 2025, most people except the older gen don't watch on TV anymore. It's the same with weekend dramas. No wonder the interest is dying if all they look at is TV viewership ratings. Well, dying isn't accurate (to an extent it is, even literally-), because even 7% is a lot. Although it does make sense that with time, the interest tones down.

But isn't it also because they are trying different things? When I watched Elegant Empire, which was amazing, there were complaints about the abuse (especially child abuse I think). Because families were watching it together during dinner. The last part of the main character's suffering in the past timeline too, for example, didn't feel good to watch. It was actually horrible. I think The Two Sisters was also criticized for being too irritating and stressful but this is so confusing, isn't it the point? I mean, it wasn't to me but you know. And whether the writer was changed or not, there was no way to get around that here because it would have been terrible, it had to get worse actually. In my opinion, it's a daily drama that suffered from trying to be too different, which is pretty sad, because I'm pretty sure that a better popularity could have given what it truly deserved. My guess with Snow White's Revenge is that maybe they stopped caring after all, and it's not like The Two Sisters showed a really noticeable improvement in ratings. Cinderella's Game, however, is better appreciated and went up to 10%... But somehow, I feel bad for these other daily dramas and it kinda puts me off.

Edit: Never mind, Scandal (SWR is too long) actually got up to almost 10% at the end. I guess that's still "low" compared to older daily dramas. I think MDL just got sick after Miss Monte-Cristo, Elegant Empire and The Two Sisters. These are all becoming become my favorites... 😭 And still the wrong audience. There are a few older ones I find interesting with cheating plots though hehe.

Makjang is meant to be provocative, so why limiting it? I feel like they are trying to evolve. Rather than catering to such audiences, they should start considering international audiences more and making them more accessible worldwide so that their popularity grows along with their potential. Besides, I know that a good amount of young people in Korea also love these. Do you think they watch them on TV? Especially live? Most often not. I had to recommend The Two Sisters and Elegant Empire to friends, because I knew they would enjoy them. The lack in popularity is evident. Also, the low ratings shouldn't scare anyone. The quality is surprisingly good in these new daily dramas and they are addictive.

Of course, makjang is a genre that allows for much more creative freedom, however, in such non-preproduced dramas, inconsistencies can also be caused because of such issues. Not to mention that sometimes, some actors or part of the crew have to leave for various reasons. (The actors are either replaced or their character is killed off/brought somewhere else. The Two Sisters had none of that though, it was just a death agenda.)

Anyway, I love that Korean soap operas have a strict format and are actually not "long." I love that they follow traditional Korean codes too. It was funny to see the same people hate-watching The Two Sisters, because meanwhile, they seemed rather hooked. They just couldn't drop it no matter what. Probably it was the same with Snow White's Revenge/Scandal, which I need to watch. The villain seems to be less my type but the main actress is so pretty and talented, I loved her in The Escape of the Seven. I also love her style in this drama, so I'll enjoy it anyway. (There are cool and handsome men too.)

I hope to see the actress of Bae Do Eun in a new drama soon, because she's clearly talented and passionate about acting, just like her co-star. Bae Do Eun was such a provocative, manipulative and villainous character, yet I really felt for her (for Lee Hye Won too, but I assume that's a given). A friend of mine who's pretty difficult when it comes to acting agreed when I showed her clips (of both her and Lee Hye Won) and said that she didn't expect that from a daily drama, who are these people on MDL from anyway? In the end, these viewers criticizing both actresses is a proof of their good acting.

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