Cyan5tarlight
First review on this site! \^^/ Thought it best to start with the series I just finished so that it’s fresh on my mind.
TL:DR - While Duel isn’t perfect, it’s still a hidden gem of a drama, and well-worth experiencing for yourself. I myself marathoned it in under a week, faster than I’ve ever watched any drama before, which is a testament to how gripping it is, flaws and all. Despite some nitpicks, I would wholeheartedly recommend it, especially if you’re at all into thrillers, mysteries, or sci-fi.
STORY: 8
When policeman and single father Jang Deukchun’s terminally ill daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious young man, he’s willing to tear the entire world apart to get her back. After another young man, identical in every way to the kidnapper down to his DNA and fingerprints, crosses paths with Chief Jang and is arrested in the criminal’s place, the desperate father sees the amnesiac doppelgänger as his only way to track down the true culprit of the crime, and the two unlikely protagonists join forces to find Chief Jang’s daughter and recover the young man’s missing memories. In the process, they find themselves embroiled in a web of drama and intrigue, involving organ trafficking, human clones, corrupt prosecutors, greedy CEOs, and the lengths a parent will go to for their child.
The drama markets itself as a chase thriller, though the “chase” part is only really applicable to about the first 9-10 episodes, which I think is definitely its best parts. The first episodes have this manic intensity and definite sense of danger to them that I personally found very thrilling, like the whole world is against our main characters a la The Fugitive. I found myself missing the air of mystery and peril as the show wound down as it neared its conclusion, even though there were still plot twists and turns aplenty, and the story was certainly never what I would call boring. I also realize and accept that a 16 hour series can’t be go go go 100% of the time, and that once most of the secrets have been revealed, there’s not a lot left to do but wrap things up ASAP.
However, this is, unfortunately, where the show drops the ball somewhat. The pacing in it’s latter half is by far the weakest link this show has, imho. I can’t imagine watching this show week to week; it definitely needs to be binged, because the pacing issues aren’t quite as glaring when the show is consumed as a whole instead of episodically. Even so, I do feel like the series could have been a couple episodes shorter, and nothing really would have been missed, or the time could have at least been better spent fleshing out the sci-fi aspects of the story and the relationships between the main characters. As it stands, there were a considerable handful of scenes where all the momentum of the plot just seemed to come to a screeching halt (including one baffling scene where two characters go to pick up lunch at a Subway, and the entire scene is just them getting their food, and sitting down and eating their sandwiches. Literally, that’s all that happens for like an entire minute, no plot-relevant dialogue or character moments or anything. Gotta get that sponsorship money somehow!). Thankfully, such scenes are relatively few and far between, and don’t get in the way of the plot enough for it to become unbearable.
The show is definitely at its strongest when dealing with the clone storyline, though, and while the other storylines definitely aren’t bad and kept my interest well enough, I do wish the series had spent more time delving into the clones’ past and the circumstances behind their creation than it ended up doing. As it stands, a lot of the science in this show is pseudoscience at best, which we’re just supposed to accept for the sake of Plot. While I don’t mind this on principle, I would have liked at least a little more technobabble to better handwave the things that were happening and make it more convincing rather than a simple “well, that was a thing that happened because of Reasons I guess.” I would have also liked more scenes and dialogue that actively showed the relationships between the characters growing and developing, as well, as that was the most interesting aspect of the show for me, especially the relationship between Chief Jang and the amnesiac Sungjoon. What we got was good, but I wanted more (especially more hugs, I'm a sucker for hugs). However, none of these things are deal breakers, just things that I wish the show had tackled differently. I will say that I GREATLY appreciated the fact that there was 0 romance focus in this drama, which is always a plus for me.
However, an ending is really the one thing can make or break any show for me, as it determines whether the whole journey to the conclusion was worth the time and effort to sit through hours of content. While the ending to Duel didn’t answer every single question I had, I’m pleased to report that it wrapped up most things sufficiently enough for me to consider it ultimately satisfying. I also bawled like a little baby for the last half hour, but that's neither here nor there. ;)
ACTING/CAST: 10
Getting the most obvious point out of the way first, even though I’m not sure what can I say about Yang Sejong’s stellar performance that hasn’t already been said. Just let it be known that the man deserves every single bit of praise for his stunning performance here as three entirely separate characters that he's gotten, and then some. His performances as the two clones in particular – by far the most compelling characters – are worth experiencing this drama all by themselves. When you can tell exactly which character you’re looking at just based on the actor’s expression and body language despite them having the exact same face, that’s talent right there. I feel no compunctions at all in calling his performance in this drama one of the most impressive feats of acting I’ve ever seen in any piece of media period (and I do not say this lightly). However, the rest of the cast all turn in good performances as well, and I can’t really think of anyone who turned in a truly bad one. I've seen a lot of people criticizing Kim Jungeun for her acting as Prosecutor Choi Johye, but I never had a problem with her, since her character was SUPPOSED to be cold and stoic and insufferably smug, especially near the beginning of the show. I will say that all the hysterical screaming and yelling Chief Jang did in the earlier episodes did get old pretty quick. However, it was a fully understandable reaction to his situation, so I’m not deducting points for it, but it still got kind of grating eventually. Later episodes toned it down, which I appreciated.
(Also, I do want to give a shoutout to the cinematography. There were more than a few times I marveled at the framing of a shot or the creative ways the crew shot the scenes between the two clones. As someone who almost never notices things like this, I really enjoyed these moments when they came.)
MUSIC: 5.5
The soundtrack was… fine. Nothing special, aside from one or two tracks that stood out, but it did its job well enough. I did find the constant reusing of some pieces jarring and somewhat annoying, however. Oh, a sad scene with the sick daughter, HERE COMES THE EXACT SAME GUITAR PIECE AGAIN FOR THE 10th TIME OH BOY. This is an issue I have with most Kdramas in general, though, not just this one, so it’s not a deal breaker or anything.
REWATCH VALUE: 7
The initial thrill of the mystery is probably the biggest thing this drama has going for it, which, by the end, has obviously been resolved, but I definitely would say that the great acting and action set pieces are worth revisiting again at some point.
OVERALL: 8.5
Pros:
- A gripping and compelling plot that keeps you wanting to binge “just one more episode!” until you wake up to find you’ve watched the entire thing in 4 days.
- Stellar acting all around, and an Oscar worthy performance from Yang Sejong.
- Fantastic editing and cinematography.
- Ultimately satisfying ending.
- No romance, just good old-fashioned friendship, bromance, and parent-child relationships.
Cons
- The series starts to lose its momentum in the latter half, though not to the extent that it kills the suspense entirely.
- Shameless product placement that’ll have you rolling your eyes.
- Many of the sci-fi elements aren’t explored as much as they could have been, which might stretch your suspension of disbelief if you’re a stickler for such things.
- Soundtrack is average at best.
TL:DR - While Duel isn’t perfect, it’s still a hidden gem of a drama, and well-worth experiencing for yourself. I myself marathoned it in under a week, faster than I’ve ever watched any drama before, which is a testament to how gripping it is, flaws and all. Despite some nitpicks, I would wholeheartedly recommend it, especially if you’re at all into thrillers, mysteries, or sci-fi.
STORY: 8
When policeman and single father Jang Deukchun’s terminally ill daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious young man, he’s willing to tear the entire world apart to get her back. After another young man, identical in every way to the kidnapper down to his DNA and fingerprints, crosses paths with Chief Jang and is arrested in the criminal’s place, the desperate father sees the amnesiac doppelgänger as his only way to track down the true culprit of the crime, and the two unlikely protagonists join forces to find Chief Jang’s daughter and recover the young man’s missing memories. In the process, they find themselves embroiled in a web of drama and intrigue, involving organ trafficking, human clones, corrupt prosecutors, greedy CEOs, and the lengths a parent will go to for their child.
The drama markets itself as a chase thriller, though the “chase” part is only really applicable to about the first 9-10 episodes, which I think is definitely its best parts. The first episodes have this manic intensity and definite sense of danger to them that I personally found very thrilling, like the whole world is against our main characters a la The Fugitive. I found myself missing the air of mystery and peril as the show wound down as it neared its conclusion, even though there were still plot twists and turns aplenty, and the story was certainly never what I would call boring. I also realize and accept that a 16 hour series can’t be go go go 100% of the time, and that once most of the secrets have been revealed, there’s not a lot left to do but wrap things up ASAP.
However, this is, unfortunately, where the show drops the ball somewhat. The pacing in it’s latter half is by far the weakest link this show has, imho. I can’t imagine watching this show week to week; it definitely needs to be binged, because the pacing issues aren’t quite as glaring when the show is consumed as a whole instead of episodically. Even so, I do feel like the series could have been a couple episodes shorter, and nothing really would have been missed, or the time could have at least been better spent fleshing out the sci-fi aspects of the story and the relationships between the main characters. As it stands, there were a considerable handful of scenes where all the momentum of the plot just seemed to come to a screeching halt (including one baffling scene where two characters go to pick up lunch at a Subway, and the entire scene is just them getting their food, and sitting down and eating their sandwiches. Literally, that’s all that happens for like an entire minute, no plot-relevant dialogue or character moments or anything. Gotta get that sponsorship money somehow!). Thankfully, such scenes are relatively few and far between, and don’t get in the way of the plot enough for it to become unbearable.
The show is definitely at its strongest when dealing with the clone storyline, though, and while the other storylines definitely aren’t bad and kept my interest well enough, I do wish the series had spent more time delving into the clones’ past and the circumstances behind their creation than it ended up doing. As it stands, a lot of the science in this show is pseudoscience at best, which we’re just supposed to accept for the sake of Plot. While I don’t mind this on principle, I would have liked at least a little more technobabble to better handwave the things that were happening and make it more convincing rather than a simple “well, that was a thing that happened because of Reasons I guess.” I would have also liked more scenes and dialogue that actively showed the relationships between the characters growing and developing, as well, as that was the most interesting aspect of the show for me, especially the relationship between Chief Jang and the amnesiac Sungjoon. What we got was good, but I wanted more (especially more hugs, I'm a sucker for hugs). However, none of these things are deal breakers, just things that I wish the show had tackled differently. I will say that I GREATLY appreciated the fact that there was 0 romance focus in this drama, which is always a plus for me.
However, an ending is really the one thing can make or break any show for me, as it determines whether the whole journey to the conclusion was worth the time and effort to sit through hours of content. While the ending to Duel didn’t answer every single question I had, I’m pleased to report that it wrapped up most things sufficiently enough for me to consider it ultimately satisfying. I also bawled like a little baby for the last half hour, but that's neither here nor there. ;)
ACTING/CAST: 10
Getting the most obvious point out of the way first, even though I’m not sure what can I say about Yang Sejong’s stellar performance that hasn’t already been said. Just let it be known that the man deserves every single bit of praise for his stunning performance here as three entirely separate characters that he's gotten, and then some. His performances as the two clones in particular – by far the most compelling characters – are worth experiencing this drama all by themselves. When you can tell exactly which character you’re looking at just based on the actor’s expression and body language despite them having the exact same face, that’s talent right there. I feel no compunctions at all in calling his performance in this drama one of the most impressive feats of acting I’ve ever seen in any piece of media period (and I do not say this lightly). However, the rest of the cast all turn in good performances as well, and I can’t really think of anyone who turned in a truly bad one. I've seen a lot of people criticizing Kim Jungeun for her acting as Prosecutor Choi Johye, but I never had a problem with her, since her character was SUPPOSED to be cold and stoic and insufferably smug, especially near the beginning of the show. I will say that all the hysterical screaming and yelling Chief Jang did in the earlier episodes did get old pretty quick. However, it was a fully understandable reaction to his situation, so I’m not deducting points for it, but it still got kind of grating eventually. Later episodes toned it down, which I appreciated.
(Also, I do want to give a shoutout to the cinematography. There were more than a few times I marveled at the framing of a shot or the creative ways the crew shot the scenes between the two clones. As someone who almost never notices things like this, I really enjoyed these moments when they came.)
MUSIC: 5.5
The soundtrack was… fine. Nothing special, aside from one or two tracks that stood out, but it did its job well enough. I did find the constant reusing of some pieces jarring and somewhat annoying, however. Oh, a sad scene with the sick daughter, HERE COMES THE EXACT SAME GUITAR PIECE AGAIN FOR THE 10th TIME OH BOY. This is an issue I have with most Kdramas in general, though, not just this one, so it’s not a deal breaker or anything.
REWATCH VALUE: 7
The initial thrill of the mystery is probably the biggest thing this drama has going for it, which, by the end, has obviously been resolved, but I definitely would say that the great acting and action set pieces are worth revisiting again at some point.
OVERALL: 8.5
Pros:
- A gripping and compelling plot that keeps you wanting to binge “just one more episode!” until you wake up to find you’ve watched the entire thing in 4 days.
- Stellar acting all around, and an Oscar worthy performance from Yang Sejong.
- Fantastic editing and cinematography.
- Ultimately satisfying ending.
- No romance, just good old-fashioned friendship, bromance, and parent-child relationships.
Cons
- The series starts to lose its momentum in the latter half, though not to the extent that it kills the suspense entirely.
- Shameless product placement that’ll have you rolling your eyes.
- Many of the sci-fi elements aren’t explored as much as they could have been, which might stretch your suspension of disbelief if you’re a stickler for such things.
- Soundtrack is average at best.
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