If I had a dollar for every time I thought to myself how the show started interesting but got progressively stupid, I’d be on a Hawaiian vacation. I’m beginning to wonder why I keep watching K-dramas at this point. So many shows have similar unrealistic storylines that I’m coming to a conclusion that writers have to steer their stories to ultra absurd territory to satisfy the fans. It’s maddening because the writers have to take everything so far that it’s hard to go along with the characters’ choices. Toward the end, you’re just staring at the screen in a mixed state of unbelief, frustration, anger and amazement. Obviously, different shows fall differently in the spectrum of ridiculousness and some are better than others. Itaewon Class is definitely near the top of “What the hell just happened and/or why is this happening?” spectrum.

Good stuff
- Revenge plot. The premise was good and refreshing.
- All sorts of colorful characters. Some felt tacked on and unnecessary like Toni and his grandma but they were interesting.
- I like the message of perseverance and second chances.

Bad stuff
- Main bad guy, Jang, is so evil it’s almost comical. So they want you to believe he’s an evil businessman who’s willing to do anything for his company. But it’s done so terribly, it’s not even believable. Anytime he or his messed up son does anything wrong, he asks the victim to kneel and apologize. Every freaking time. As if it’s his MO. What?
- People that work for Jang. He is basically a criminal and people in his company know it but they still work for him. Like for years! They tried to make it sound like Su-ah was plotting her own coup but it was too late and done sloppy.
- Multiple time-skips didn’t work at all. Only things that change after time skip were people’s clothes and hairstyles, except Saeroyi. You wonder what the hell they’ve been doing for the last whatever years because there’s no character development at all. Exact same people as if there was no personal growth during the time skip.
- Transgender cook couldn’t even make simple pub dishes and almost got fired. Then within a few weeks or so, we are told to believe that trained chefs are no match for her and she wins the competition???????????
- Personally, these K-dramas are not doing Korea any favor by portraying it as a country full of violent drunk people who get into fist fights all the time. The main bad guy assaults his own son in front of his employees like it’s nothing. Why are they so proudly exporting this crap?
- Forced love story was awakened. I liked Yi-seo but she’s more of a psycho little sister material than a lover material. Saeroyi knew this and kept things that way until the end when the writer forced him to see flashbacks and “realized” he loved her. Major cringe.
- Geun Soo turns crazy evil like his dad just so he can have Yi-seo. The change is so jarring and unbelievable. It’s like Anakin Skywalker killing little Jedis all of a sudden. Another example of storyline being pulled out of thin air.
- the kidnapping plot line at the end. Just please stop. Why do they take things so far?? End the show if you have no more storyline.
- Searoyi wakes up from a head injury and gets into a car collision and then gets into a fistfight and gets hit in the face multiple times but wins the fight at the end. Is the writer delusional or are we stupid for watching this nonsense?
- At the end, my wife and I just couldn’t wait for it to end.