Pandora: Beneath the Paradise (Review)
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise is the latest over-the-top Korean action thriller series from Studio Dragon aired on South Korean tvN, and released on Disney+ internationally as a part of Disney’s continuous push into K-Drama content. Studio Dragon delivered some of the most popular Korean series in the past, and their dramas usually have a high production value (not that common in Korean TV content), so I am always excited to check those out. Still, Pandora: Beneath the Paradise was a rather disappointment for me.
Summarizing the show is particularly difficult without spoiling, since unexpected plot twists happen in this series in every episode. The show is centered on Hong Tae-ra (Lee Ji-ah). She is the wife of the ambitious entrepreneur Pyo Jae-hyun (Lee Sang-yoon), who is in charge of neurotechnology company Hatch. There is more to Hong Tae-ra though: she lost her memory 15 years before the events of the show, and, as we learn later, everything she knows about her past will turn out to be false. For now, Pyo Jae-hyun, Hong Tae-ra, and their young daughter live an idyllic life of a Korean high-class. Pyo Jae-hyun sets the bar of his ambitions very high though, as he decides to run for the position of the South Korean president (and much of the show’s main plot arc revolves around his campaign).
Pyo Jae-hyun runs his company with two friends, Gu Sang-chan (Bong Tae-gyu), the head of research, and Jang Do-jin (Park Ki-woong), a member of the wealthy chaebol family, owners of Keumjo Group. Nevertheless, their relationship is a rocky one, built upon secrets and lies, and the conflict between them is brewing.
Do-jin’s wife, Go Hae-soo (Jang Hee-jin) is perhaps the only honest person in the show. She works as a TV anchor and is a close friend to Tae-ra. Her father, former president, was assassinated 15 years ago, and she is searching for the culprit since then.
The show has a plethora of other characters, who mostly act as antagonists for Hong Tae-ra. That’s the entire Jang family with chairman Jang Geum-mo (Ahn Nae-sang) in charge of Keumjo Group and his cronies. Also, a mysterious director Kim Seon-deok of Hanul Psychiatric Hospital (Shim So-young, often playing over-the-top villains, most recently in Taxi Driver Seasons 1 and 2), and her henchmen. But the main villain of the show is not revealed until later. The show also has numerous supporting characters, like the whole People’s Party, the members of which serve as a sort of comedic relief, somewhat unexpectedly in that kind of thriller.
The narrative of the show focuses heavily on Hong Tae-ra: we’re learning about characters of the show mostly through her eyes, and we’re following her as she reveals the conspiracy or conspiracies behind past and present events. This is one of the things the show does well: it doesn’t lose focus, we’re always sympathizing with Tae-ra, and hope for the best outcome for her. During the show, she’ll be betrayed many times, she’ll learn secrets hard to accept, she’ll find and lose her allies several times, but she’ll also gain new antagonists.
However, in time the events happening in the show become harder to accept. While some of that is normal for K-Dramas, which often show an exaggerated interpretation of reality, Pandora: Beneath the Paradise requires a solid suspension of disbelief. The constant unexpected plot twists become tiring at some point. When we think that all secrets were finally revealed, the show reveals yet another one, even harder to believe. For some viewers enduring up to the final episode becomes an exercise in determination and persistence (judging from online comments), and it shouldn’t be the way viewers experience TV shows.
The technology in the show is on the level of CBS’ CSI franchise: futuristic devices in the contemporary world, which I often found distracting. As the show is not advertised as near future sci-fi, or even as technology focused (unlike, for example, recent comedy Unlock My Boss, which has a lot of similar tropes), I find it gimmicky and serving no real purpose.
The show should be applauded for the production value though: it was well made, the actors are on point with very good performances, it has a suspenseful, atmospheric music, especially the main theme composed by Jin Ha-di (진하디; full album available on Spotify and other streaming platforms). Also, it seems that Disney removed some of the most obtrusive product placement sequences from its version on Disney+ (as opposed to the original which aired on tvN), what I appreciate (No more Kopiko candies on Disney+).
In sum, Pandora: Beneath the Paradise is well made action thriller, which, however, suffers from accumulation of barely believable plot twists. In the result, the experience might become tiring for some viewers.
Pandora: Beneath the Paradise on Wikipedia and MyDramaList
