Tempted's (The Great Seducer) only temptation is the cast roster, and they should be ashamed.

Tempted (The Great Seducer) has no intention of dealing with anything of substance from the 1782 French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" though it based on this very writing. All it does is take the simple base concept of the novel, male and female wealthy, beautiful, young, bored 20 somethings who want to control each other as much as screw each other decide to play a game to take down a "good" girl. Mostly everything else contained in the novel is left to die and instead we get all the tropes and story contrivances that plague kdramas. The story's kdramification is damning of the genre as a whole. Instead of giving the audience something new, or being faithful to a great work, or letting the audience decide if they like a different type of story, it seems the writers job was to specifically fit the work into the nice neat little box of kdramas and thus rape the soul of the original material while creating something broken, simplistic, repetitive, and basic. Never has the 1999 Teen film adaption of the work "Cruel Intentions" shined so brightly in comparison.

Early on, the series begins to lay groundwork for a backstory that forgives or excuses the horrible nature of our leads. Now we have comatose and dead mothers with abusive cold hearted fathers that disown and degrade their sons. For our female lead, she is psychologically unstable and suicidal with a father that brought shame upon her family and a mother who is driven by lust to be part of the wealthy elite. These parental figures end up getting entire plot lines, back stories, and central roles to the story. They are sleeping with each other, cheating on each other, backstabbing each other, and doing illegal deeds for success. So our three main protagonists are caught up in the horrors of their families. Brought up with poor role models. And lacked the love of households with two parents. Thus anything they do should be forgiven, it is not their fault. Hello Kdrama time warped mentality and story lines.

Our main protagonist Kwon Shi Hyun played by Woo Do Hwan is an echo of Vicomte de Valmont from the novel and merely a shadow of the 1999 Cruel Intention's Sebastien. Valmont, and to a lesser extend the films Sebastien, really are horrible human beings when you meet them. They use their looks, money, and status for everything. They seduce, are extremely sexual in nature, and destroy women around them of all ages. Valmont is a rapist, and while Cruel Intentions keeps Sebastien from crossing that line into nonredeemable territory, he still does extremely questionable activities with his and other peoples bodies. Woo Do Hwan is as sexy as they come, but not once does he make the screen smolder like Ryan Phillipe. He isn't allowed.

Shi Hyun is a puppy who seduces with only stares and tugging on specific pieces of clothing. Never once does he use his body, or anyone else's, for anything and in fact it becomes a running gag that our female lead wants to corrupt him to which he calls her an animal. As the series even tries to recreate some of the now iconic scenes from the 1999 film, like the pool scene where Ryan Phillipe is skinny dipping using his abs to every advantage and ultimately revealing his nether regions to our female lead causing her to falter in front of him and blush. Here that same scene is a wimpy non-effective version. Still in the swimming pool, and trying to have the same effect, but its just lustful looks at our female lead with Shi Hyuyn fully clothed and wet. It is like eating soggy noodles. Boring as it comes and nothing of the flare brought by the novel or the film. Do Hwan, I suppose, does what he can here, but everything comes off blase. Hello Kdrama purification.

Woo Do Hwan has shown he can act, and when he is forced to be emotional towards the end you can see his craft on display. However, at possibly the fault of the director, the lackluster female lead, or just how the story is told, Do Hwan even stumbles at times here. Scenes go awkward. At times he looks wooden and uncomfortable. There is even a lack of genuineness in his performance. In all, while he shows he has capabilities, this role and series is a very strong mark against him and tarnished my respect for him a bit. That he read this script and thought it a project he wanted to be a part saddens me. Maybe he was just unaware of what work this was based, but it seems he didn't take the time to research it either.

As mentioned, our female lead doesn't help matters. Eun Tae Hee is played by Joy and I did not find out she was a Kpop star until I was finished watching. So my dislike for her in this role has nothing to do with her icon status. Madame de Tourvel is the original character she is based, and that character is a MARRIED woman that is religious, pious, kind, forgiving, loyal, beloved and pure. As she gets lured into Valmont's game she fights against it. She holds on to her laurels and keeps him at bay forcing him to work harder for her than any woman previous and thus causing him to actually get to know her and in the process fall in love. Cruel Intentions updates this character as in a relationship, still part of the Christian league, but now world wise and strong willed who calls Sebastien on his games and manipulation and gives him back as much attitude as he serves. Still she holds him off for the bulk of the films run.

But Tae Hee is in love with Shi Hyun by the 3rd episode. She does not have a single character trait from the previous incarnations except that she is forgiving. She claims she doesn't believe in love once in the entire series run instead of being married or in a relationship or religious or steadfastly moral. Then ten minutes later, after spending the day with a man she promised to not even have contact with, goes weak at the knees while street lights illuminate when he asks if she has feelings for him. It is utterly ridiculous and a full assassination of the intended point of this character existing in the story. Again hello kdramaficiation where the female lead falls for the asshole guy just because, with no reason, and with neck breaking speed. He almost hit her with his car, blamed her for it, and then leaves her in the street. He made out with her friends mother at a club. He has said and done some very questionable things straight to her face and she has watched him be cruel to others. But, there she is, not believing in love, but almost fainting in his presence under moonlight by only the 3rd episode. Its infuriating to behold.

It doesn't help that Joy plays the character very one note keeping the audience at a distance and not allowing us to really feel or see this from her side. When she gets angry she pouts with the same expression every time no matter the severity. When she wants to be cute she wines and stomps her foot like a 3 year old. When she's happy she smiles. She is simply dry in her role. It isn't a failure, she isn't horrible, but she also isn't up to task either. There is something missing as if you are watching someone act as programmed without having the actual true spark of life. It becomes worse when she is in scenes with our three main leads (Do Hwan, Min Jae, and Ga Young) as they are much more effective as actors in their roles. Her performance just withers and pales in comparison.

Ga Young's portrayal of Soo Ji is nearly perfect for how it is written. Unfortunately how she is written is horrible. Marquise de Merteuil is the original and she is a force to be reckoned. She is ruthless in every aspect and is designed, in all honesty, as an unforgiving villain. Her strength comes from her beauty, how she controls men's sexuality, and commands the undying respect of the elite around her. Yes her and Valmont are male and female versions of each other. However, she still garners the respect of society. Valmont does not. He is allowed his conquests and horrific actions, and is still a part of this noble world because society is misogynistic and he is still a nobleman. However, Mereuil is revered by the people, respected, and followed while she does these incredibly horrific things in secret and thus controls everyone around her like stupid puppets. Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance in Cruel Intentions as Katherine Merteuil kept most of this character in-tact be it a teen version or not. Even those that didn't like the film, critics who panned it, couldn't help but call out the devilish delight that was Gellar's performance.

Ga Young seems up to the task, there are moments where she digs in deep and really allows the vileness to flow, but the story, just like Shi Hyung (Valmont), holds her back. She must be a victim. She must have redemption. She must be weak. Here men are in love with her and feel they need to protect her. There is always fear that she will succumb to her emotions. She is not revered by the world around her, but is always alone. The most poor of any of the wealthy elites, she is even looked down upon. Again, this is a "fuck you" to the novel as this is the exact opposite of who this character is. Hello kdrama making women weak, fragile, and in need of love and protection.

Then there is Kim Min Jae and his Lee Se Joo, a character that doesn't exist anywhere else. A character that could be argued is an amalgamation of multiple characters from both the 1999 film and even more from the novel. A character that is honestly the worst of the bunch. He just sits by watching everything delighting himself as a spectator and egging the others on in their dastardly ways. He is the one truly in love with Soo Ji thus relieving the story of the pressures of Shi Hyun having mixed emotions. He's the one that will do the final dastardly deed, because doing so by our other two would completely keep the audience from being able to forgive them. It also makes his character have purpose (because until then he has none). Finally it allows the story to introduce a triumvirate with a love triangle where there wasn't one. Hello Kdrama tropes!!!

Kim Min Jae is the strongest actor here, or at least, he falters the least at pulling off his character. However, that might be because his character is designed to fulfill the kdrama portions of the story that in any other adaptation doesn't exist. Thus, he is playing at material that is commonly handled in kdramas comparatively to the other characters. Se Joo is very problematic. He is constantly oscillating in having hurt feelings, wanting Soo Ji, being a friend to Shi Hyun, kind at times toTae Hee, being a decent guy, and being a monster. His personality and motivations switch as the plot needs them to picking up random plot points, that go even against themselves, in order to make the story work. Ultimately, he is not truly a character but a plot device designed as Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass. He gets a little bit of trauma, a little bit of backstory, a little bit of action, a little bit meat, and a little bit of kindness. His true purpose is to water down the heinousness and sexual tension of our Soo Ji and Shi Hyun main leads by carrying the burden of committing some of their crimes while creating a protective sheathe never leaving them alone in a room at night. He helps make them not so bad to set up the ultimate ending of the series.

Instead of Soo Ji and Shi Hyun betting over sex or a night between them, its marriage to keep their parents from getting together. Instead of them setting up the stupid simple side character Park Hye Jung (Cecile in both the novel and movie version) played by Oh Ha Nee they decide to befriend her. In the book and movie, Shi Hyun character should have taken Hye Jung's virginity while Soo Ji seduced her sweet tutor lover and demoralized her. But, that would have Shi Hyun character actually be sexual, and put him wanting to be with Soo Ji and willing to sexually destroy Hye Jung while also simultaneously trying to woo and seduce our female lead Tae Hee. That is just too much for this kdrama to handle or expect their audience to accept. It also would show how truly vile these characters are,and how unforgivable their deeds. So instead, here comes kdrama purification and simpleness to wipe all of this away and instead make them all friends.

This is also to ensure that Lee Ki Young (Played by Lee Jae Kyoon) becomes our true villain in the end instead of any of our core characters. He is not even met in the book but just talked about as the man that broke Marquise de Merteuil or Katherine (Soo Ji's) heart. He has left the world all the characters are in for somewhere far with his new lover. But here, in this drama, he becomes an entire character that rises to be the worst of worst. Again, his whole point a plot device to make our leads more empathetic. See they aren't so bad, they could be Ki Young. Hi plotted audience manipulation.

When the plot gets to its big moment, the moment that galvanizes the watcher and readers it comes off tame and lackluster. Shi Hyun's public humiliation of Tae Hee is a short simple affair. While Do Hwan's ability to set his eyes with hatred and assholery is nothing new, (His boringly long list of ultra masculine and evil characters should make this second nature at this point). His words, though hurtful and cruel, are very soft considering the impact the scene is supposed to have, and the damage he is meant to cause. Like Tae Hee, it didn't make me hate him. But that is the point here. The story never lets you hate him, the plot and writers do everything in their power to make sure he can come back from anything he does.

No, they are going to save the biggest reveal for the penultimate episode and have it delivered by a completely made up character Se Joo with no true stakes in the whole affair. It does make this character out to be the worst of them all. In the end its the kdrama made-up love triangle that hurts Tae Hee the most and finally gives the series anything that acts like a deathblow to her relationship with Shi Hyun. While the scene is very effective and cruel, Min Jae showing the monster that hides inside him, it sucks away what little is left in the meaning of the relationships as they were originally designed between anyone else.

All the kdrama created story lines take control near the end overpowering and subduing the original story and premise of the show. Tae Hee's hit and run mystery that may have been done by Shi Hyun's dead mother on the very night she dies because she is trying to get to Tae Hee's mother who was having an affair with Shi Hyun's father while Joo Si's mother coveted the spot as the powerful wife and revealed secrets that caused the whole tragic story to begin in the first place becomes the most important story line. Seriously, this is what breaks them apart. It is so absurd and soapish and completely void of any depth or artistic integrity it becomes one of the final stab wounds of this series having anything worthy of giving praise. At least it fits the atrocious violin music that swells as if the world has come-to-an-end at the break of every episode.

All the depth, deconstruction of religion, exploration of morals, thoughts on class status, decay of wealth, psychology of sex, examples of misogynistic double standards, and politics of genders are diluted and scrubbed clean from the story so we can watch yet another tale of conglomerate succession and backhanded corrupt government dealings. (Yes this kdrama trope is forced on us yet again here as well, for some reason.)

When we reach the end, every single character that mattered gets their forever after. In what is the ultimate moment of Kdramafication. This tragic tale of horrible people doing horrible things and destroying multiple peoples lives all get off clean and clear. Everyone, before the credits role, becomes deserving of love and forgiveness. Everyone will have a happy ending. Not even the 1999 teen focused Cruel Intentions was this dirty, the evil characters in the end paid the price there too, just as they all did in the novel. But not here, oh no sir, not here.

While Woo Do Hwan never speaks of that rape filled almost softcore porn film "Let's Go To Rose Motel" from 2013 when he was in his early 20s, and when he showed ample amount of skin himself, I would consider Tempted much more a blight on his resume. At least Rose Motel took chances, went against Kdramafication, and tried to be its own story. Yes it failed too and is very bad, but it was an honest failure and not a large production network-backed empty shell creation pretending to be a great romance. It didn't lure teenage girls into falling for toxic broken men and admire the abuse they deal out. It didn't exemplify passive wet blanket female archetypes that forgive every transgression done against them by the man they love and ultimately stand by his side forever. It didn't paint over grotesque characters with false happy endings.

People say grade it for what it is and not for what it is not. As a kdrama teen romance it is confusing, long winded, overly dramatic, cheap, trope filled affair with few redeeming qualities. It will NOT replace anyone's favorite drama or likely even make it to their top 10 lists. As an adaptation of a 200 year old western novel, it is an utter monstrosity and failure that should hardly be mentioned in the same breath let alone be allowed to claim it as source material. It is a completely different tale in every way that just plagiarizes the central crux of that novels plot.

3.0/F/ 1 1/2-Stars. A complete failure and a blight on everyone involved careers. If you don't want to read the novel or sit through a period piece, watch the teenagers of the 1999 Cruel Intentions instead. It just had its 20th anniversary and is still decades ahead of this Kdrama trope trapped horrendous mess, there are even gay characters there. The horror!

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