I am honestly in awe how refreshing and gripping Beyond Evil was - even taking into consideration how, at times, it follows rather well known scenarios and clichés. The key to its success lies in the versatile characters and dynamic relationships between them.

The plot gives us the same old story of a serial killer on the loose, detectives with personal stakes and bits of political scheming surrounding it. Does not sound that groundbreaking, does it? Thanks to the complex, amazingly written and dynamic characters, the story is not as simple as we might have initially thought.

Each character had their own story, secrets and goals. There were no noble good guys, but we did get a lot of amazingly gray characters and a variety of villains, each of them having a unique reasoning behind their actions and wrongdoings. Slowly we gathered more puzzle pieces that form a complex picture that goes beyond the actions of just one person. I am truly incapable of describing how perfect the set of characters in this show was. They were all so unique and intriguing, I could literally watch them just talk to each other, and it would be entertaining.

That said, the explanation of the big mystery felt flat. With how amazingly the tension was building, how we could not predict which of the characters were involved - the answers just didn’t do it for me. For some aspect, I just didn’t get any explanation. To avoid spoiling the show, more about it in the comment under the review :)

As for the acting, Shin Ha Kyun went beyond what’s humanly possible in delivering us the compelling character - Lee Dong Shik. There are not enough positive adjectives in the dictionary to truly describe this performance - he was simply talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before… you know what’s up. The acting gave me the best type of goosebumps - some scenes were worth rewatching countless times.

What’s more, I genuinely believe this is the best performance we have seen from Yeo Jin Goo. Just the fact he was able to keep up with Shin Ha Kyun and his performance did not feel flat at all, but rather I saw it as gripping and convincing, means a lot.

Of all the main and supporting actors, I did have a small beef with Son Sang Gyu in episode 11 and 12 - the acting was just not right. There was too much going on for my liking. Taking into consideration this was his first role, and he was surrounded by quite experienced actors, I am not mad about the end result and I am willing to let it slide.

The production value was pure perfection. Not one frame felt off, not one detail has been out of place. From camera work, to editing, up to soundtrack - everything crafted in a way to elevate the story to an artistic level. With no hint of exaggeration, Beyond Evil has one of the best soundtracks in the history of kdramas. Choi Baek Ho’s “The Night” is simply a masterpiece.

Overall, it’s a characters and relationships driven drama, with the plot serving as the background for us to understand and enjoy the ever changing dynamics between them. Beyond Evil might not seem as a masterpiece for people preferring fast paced shows, that said, with how gripping and fascinating the characters and performances are, I would highly recommend everyone to at least give it a chance.