The Penthouse 3: War in Review

I was insanely skeptical about watching the 3rd season because of the ratings and the backlash it was receiving but, I because I am a die-hard fan of the Penthouse so I got through my fear of let down and watched it, and here is my review:

First, the pros, remarkable jobs creating such strong characters out of weak characters from seasons 1 and 2. An example of this is Bae Ro Na, who went from a person who couldn't even get anything her way to stealing Eun Byeol's spotlight completely. Another strong character was Seok-hoon who before couldn't even stop Joo Dan-Tae's abuse was now helping him receive the punishment he deserved.

Second is the incredible character development from some of the worst characters in the show such as Seok Kyung and Kang Ma-ri. Throughout seasons 1 and 2 Ma-ri treated Bae Ro Na like trash but later was able to steal the hearts of many viewers with her change of character filling in the role as Bae Ro Na's mother. Seok Hyung went from not even caring one bit about others to caring about an old man who she doesn't even know. She also became independent and worked without needing others. Her attitude towards others was a major character development that made viewers love her and her realization of all the bad things she's done.

Cons, the deaths... The deaths of major characters seemed too small. I felt like Joo Dan Tae's death was boring in a way that nobody really cared and it seemed like the death wasn't fit for his character because we all thought her would be the villain till the end. The same goes for Oh Yoon He and Yoon Cheol their deaths were made to lengthen the show but only let viewers down.

Next is the played-out deaths where they make viewers believe that characters die then bring them back to life as a way to wow the viewers or to please them. The ridiculous 'twin' trick played on for 3 people and it made it seem like the scripter writers just lost their touch. Every time a character dies viewers such as myself instantly think, "No they're not dead, It's the Penthouse after all."

Last is the ending. Such a cruel ending, Shim Su Ryeon killed herself for no good reason resulting in Logan also later killing himself. Finally they actually truly kill off a character but for the wrong reasons. Both their deaths were unnecessary, Seo-jin's cancer was also an unnecessary plot twist that didn't allow her to pay for her crimes because she was able to escape through death. The major deaths of all the parents with the exception of Kang Ma-ri and Min Hyeok's parents were all because of them wanting to leave a more peaceful living for their children and this can be seen in the way all of their children were living peacefully Bae Ro Na claimed her rightful place as a Soprano with Seok-hoon by her side, Jenny and Min Hyeok both lives peacefully by their parent's side and Seok Kyung was able to find peace in the simple life paying for all that she's done.

When Kang Ma-ri saw a figure that looked like Shim Su Ryeon I instantly went "see? She's not dead." I couldn't stop crying and was confused once the part where Bae Ro Na comes to Logan with flowers only to see a portrait and an empty chair different from the last scene. As the part played out we slowly start to figure why it was shown and this was one of the best but heart-breaking scenes from the show.

All in all this entire show as a whole was a rollercoaster with an incredible but sometimes ridiculous plot twist. I was able to watch and see such amazing actors and actresses. Sadly this is the last time we will all see them together. In my opinion, they should have ended at season 2 where all the key players get punished but I get why they sort of had to create and show what would happen once they are out of prison to ease the mind of people but all were wasted once they were killed off. The happy ending of this show was the most anticipated but we were only given 1/2 of it because of the main character's deaths. Though they die we are given a sense of peace once Logan and Shim Su Ryeon reunite with all their dead loved ones.

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