Monster/ Beyond Evil 괴물 [2021]

[40somethingahjumma]

I would really like to see this one. There are aspects of it that remind me of The Good Detective. I'm also attracted to the darkish tones.

Shin Ha-kyun is always good value as well.

Please tag me when it starts.

[abs-oluteM]

8 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I would really like to see this one. There are aspects of it that remind me of The Good Detective. I'm also attracted to the darkish tones.

Shin Ha-kyun is always good value as well.

Please tag me when it starts.

Yay! I am glad you will watch this. I do hope it will be as well paced as The Good Detective ( I actually rewatch bits of it again recently. ) I miss having a good procedural!

Also I prefer YJG in serious roles like this. 

 

Article for the New stills

 

Translated from Sports Donga

 

Psychological chase thriller 'Monster' tells the story of two men like monsters unfolding in Manyang. 'Who is the monster! Is it you, me, or us?"  Director Shim Na-yeon, who showed sensuous and detailed directing in 'Eighteen Moments' and 'Midsummer Memories', and author, Kim Soo-jin, who has been well-received for his detailed and structured writing skills through 'Mad Dog', will work together to ensure completeness.

 

In the photos released on this day, Shin Ha-gyun and Yeo Jin-gu closely captured the subtle relationship and change of Lee Dong-sik and Han Ju-won. First, it is interesting to see Lee Dong-sik's secretly unknown face whispering something to Han Joo-won. Han Joo-won's eyes, who caught his power by Lee Dong-sik's provocation, are also daunting.

 

In the following photos, the changed atmosphere arouses curiosity. The two people exchange confused eyes in the pouring rain, suggesting that an unusual event has occurred. The change of the two who set the day from the first meeting, and the people who feel like they have a public goal, even a treasure trove, arouses curiosity. Indeed, it raises the tension and curiosity about what the two men faced.

 

Along with the transfer of elite detective Han Joo-won, who was walking along Tantan Street, an incident similar to the ancient serial murder that changed Lee Dong-sik's life 20 years ago occurs, and the two are swept in a huge whirlpool of events. Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won start a dangerous cooperation though they cannot trust each other in order to pursue the truth. We are already looking forward to seeing how the two people with different values and methods will pursue the case and what awaits beyond the truth.

 

Shin Ha-gyun exquisitely crosses the complex emotions of'Lee Dong-sik' to trace the truth through cold tenacity and madness, and enhances the attraction. Yeo Jin Goo  delicately depicts the big emotional change of 'Han Ju-won' caught in an unexpected event and shows an intense acting transformation.

 

Shin Ha-gyun explained, “Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won are like water and oil, but they have a strangely resembling corner, a relationship that resembles.” He said, “We are pulling this subtle relationship with Yeo Jin-gu tightly.” Jin-gu Yeo said, “Senior Ha-gyun Shin's molar input is great. Thanks to that, I was able to focus more on 'Han Ju-won',” he said.
 

 

[Tofu]

I agreed that it does give you the same vibe as The Good Detective! 

 

These new posters look pretty awesome!

[abs-oluteM]

Script reading 

 

[Tofu]

New teasers!

 

 

[Tofu]

Another new teaser! Tagging you, @40somethingahjumma, because it is a much longer clip. 

 

Why is YJG's father the evil director from Dr. Romantic?! 

[SilverMoonTea]

 

[abs-oluteM]

Someone translated some parts of the character chart

credit to: https://twitter.com/knngminah/status/1360140142254559234?s=20

[Tofu]

He plays the villain in almost every drama I've seen him in. 

 

New teaser:

 

[abs-oluteM]

Viu is going all out . They are subbing a lot of the dramas this season

 

[JenL]

I wanted to take a long live-watch drama break, but may have to watch this as it looks good. Also LDH to make a cameo...

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by JenL

[abs-oluteM]

Press con! 

 

Oh looks like I’ll need to stay alert ! 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Preview for eps 1

 

 Looks like LDH may have quite a few scenes 

Article from PinkVilla

On February 17, it was revealed that rising actor Lee Do Hyun will be making an appearance in JTBC's upcoming drama Beyond Evil which will begin airing on February 20, 2021. Beyond Evil will tell the story of two fearless men who go to extreme lengths in pursuit of a serial killer that has shaken up their quiet town. The multifaceted nature of the people involved will play a major role in building up the thrill of the series. The drama production team has stated that Lee Do Hyun will be playing Shin Ha Kyun's character in his 20s. The first few episodes will show the early life of Shin Ha Kyun's character at Manyang Police station, including the events that changed his life. 

 

Article fr Soompi

Yeo Jin Goo And Shin Ha Kyun Share Admiration For “Beyond Evil” Script And Discuss Their Characters
On February 18, JTBC’s new drama “Beyond Evil” held an online press conference with producing director (PD) Shim Na Yeon and lead actors Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo.

The psychological thriller is about two men who are willing to break rules and the law in their pursuit of a serial killer. As they attempt to track down the murderer, they must repeatedly ask themselves, “Who is the monster? Is it you? Is it me? Is it us?”

 

Yeo Jin Goo will star in the drama as Han Joo Won, a highly capable detective who seems to have everything going for him but harbors a hidden secret. He ends up transferring to the local police station in Manyang, where he becomes the partner of former violent crimes detective Lee Dong Shik (played by Shin Ha Kyun), who has been demoted to doing menial work. Lee Dong Shik’s life changes when he reencounters an old serial killer case that shook up his world 20 years ago.

 

Shim Na Yeon described this drama as a “thriller with Korean sentiments.” She explained, “It’s a drama where all the characters stand out. The two actors worked hard to express the feeling of watching a thriller novel, and it will be fun to see their acting.”

 

When asked about how different “Beyond Evil” is compared to other thrillers, she said, “It contains retro sensibility, like the movie ‘Memories of Murder.’ It will be a drama filled by the two actors Shin ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo who will play their respective characters, and it will be a work with a genre that has a unique tone.”

 

The director shared it was an honor to work with Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo, saying, “I think I’m blessed. It is a drama that contains the vortex of life that takes place by a small human error before the narrative that punishes evil. This will be the key point.”

 

Shin Ha Kyun said, “It was a script that made me curious about every episode. I liked the way the story was played out. That’s why I’m so curious about the role. As I act, I keep thinking about the character and getting to know him. I am thinking a lot about how to express his inner torment and pain and sadness differently.”

 

Yeo Jin Goo talked about the script as well. He commented, “I was curious and interested about many things while reading the script. Since my character is not the usual detective who is familiar to everyone, I continued to study him so that I would not lose his image. I am making a lot of effort to be called a good thriller actor through this drama.”

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

D-day @Tofu @40somethingahjumma @JenL  @Darkarcana

Are you planning to watch @SilverMoonTea?

YJG becomes SHK's boss in this small town

 

Article from

 https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/02/398_304290.html

 

Yeo Jin-gu, Shin Ha-kyun team up for 'Beyond Evil,' reminiscent of retro thriller 'Memories of Murder'

By Lee Gyu-lee

 

Actors Yeo Jin-gu and Shin Ha-kyun are set to show off their intense chemistry in the new crime thriller series, "Beyond Evil."

 

Led by director Shim Na-yeon, whose work includes the teen series, "At Eighteen," the new series revolves around two detectives ― Yeo and Shin ― trying to solve a serial murder case in a small town. It was written by Kim Soo-jin, who also scripted the crime thriller series, "Mad Dog."

 

"There are a lot of thriller genre works, so the audiences now have a higher standard (on that genre)…What makes this series different is that it has local feelings…a retro sensibility, as in the style of 'Memories of Murder' (by director Bong Joon-ho)," the director said during an online media conference for the series, Thursday.

 

"And Shin and Yeo's rendezvous completes the picture, orchestrating the tone of the series to be that of a unique genre."

 

Shin plays rowdy police sergeant Lee Dong-sik, who used to be a skilled detective in Seoul. He is now stationed at a countryside police precinct in the fictional town, Manyang, where he encounters a murder linked to an unsolved case from 20 years ago that had changed his life. Describing Dong-sik as the one "who becomes the monster to take down the monsters," Shin said the complexity of the character inspired him to take the role.

 

"(When I read the script,) I became more and more curious about Dong-sik...He seems tough, but deep down he's actually not," Shin said. "I feel bad about how the direction of his life was predetermined by someone else."He added that it was especially difficult to express the storms of emotions the character has. "I have been contemplating how I could distinguish through my acting the struggles, pain, and sorrow that he keeps inside," he said. "It has and will be difficult until the end."

 

On the other hand, Yeo described his character, Han Joo-won, as a person who is trying hard "not to become one of the monsters." Joo-won is an elite detective who has been transferred to the precinct. He teams up with Dong-sik to discover the truth behind the murder cases and to reveal the secrets among the small-town residents.

 

"He fights his own battle not to cross the 'line.' He constantly faces questions whether he can stay away from that, as he digs deeper into the cases," Yeo said. "He has always been more of a brain when it comes to solving a crime. So after coming to Manyang, he faces the tough real world and gains experience."

 

Shim emphasized the importance of having Yeo and Shin as the lead actors. "When I work on a project, the most important part is the actors. And (for this series,) I thought to myself, 'it has to be the actors I want. And only then, can I pull off what I wanted to express," she said. "The writers and I agreed on these two actors and waited for their casting. So I was so happy when they came on board."

 

This is not the first time that the two actors have worked together. Their first time costarring dates back to 2006 when Yeo played the young version of Shin's character in the action comedy film, "No Mercy for the Rude."

"I was nine when I worked on that film with Shin," Yeo said, adding that he made a brief appearance. "I ran into Shin on a set. When we were talking, I told him that I want to work together with him. And after a year later, the wish came true."

 

Shin recalled working on the film together, referring to Yeo as "Little Boy."

"He has grown so much…If I knew he would grow up to be this handsome, I would have had someone else play the younger version of me," he said as he laughed. "The character, Joo-won, is very difficult because he is an observer. But I feel proud of Yeo, seeing how well he's getting into the character. We make a good ensemble."

 

Shin added, smiling: "He's so gentle, but when the camera's on, he gives me a death stare."

Shim said that the purpose of this series is to show that "everyone can be evil." "The main emphasis that I put as the director is that each character in this series can possibly be the evil," she said, adding that "selfishness" is the story's keyword. "It would be interesting (for the audiences) to watch it with this question on their mind: "How selfish can a person be?"

[abs-oluteM]

Viu is slow ...don't see it yet. No subs yet 

--------------------

Good premiere ratings.

The psychological thriller scored an average nationwide rating of 4.5 percent, marking a significant increase in viewership compared to its predecessor “Hush” (the drama that previously occupied its time slot), which ended on an average rating of 2.3 percent nationwide.

https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000403136

 

Preview for eps 2

 

So happy to see LDH's cut @mademoiselle

 

[abs-oluteM]

I caught the 1st episode & liked it a lot . 

 

In particular,  Shin Ha Kyun's portrayal as a veteran cop (Dong Shik)  who was a little rough around the edges was excellent. Dong Shik is a small town inspector who knows the law very well. He was well-liked but when provoked will enter what his colleagues call as the nut gauge where he can be rather scary. However, Dong Shik and the town's history is tainted with two cases that happened 20 years ago involving his twin sister who went missing , and murder of the owner of a cafe he frequented then. Both were young girls , probably in their early 20s. In the case of his sister, the murderer cut off all her fingers and put them outside his family home. The cafe owner's body was found dead in a field nearby. Till today he is still looking for the sister, religiously putting up a missing person's banner along the road.

 

Then we were introduced to Yeo Jin Goo's character Joo Won is an elite Seoul detective. He was a graduate of the prestigious National Police University, and his father is in line to be the next Chief Police Commissioner. So he has the smarts and the right pedigree so to speak. But YJG's character seems to have a big chip on his shoulder. He wasn't exactly friendly nor did he desire to fit in. He has OCD ( is a cleanliness freak) and prefers to distance himself from people as he has always been worried about people asking him for favours given his father's position. JW will learn some hard lessons on what its like to work on the ground , and to not wear his expensive suit & leather shoes when coming for work. LOL!

 

The actual reason that Joo Won was reassigned to this small town of Mayang is unclear. From conversations with his father it seems that he had made some mistakes and he was asked to lie low here as not to affect his father's chances of being chosen as the Chief Police. But towards the end of the episode, we find out that JW had wanted to be reassigned here . He has been investigating some serial murder cases and these cases were similar to what happened in Mayang 20 years ago. We find out that he is suspicious of Dong Shik , whom we also discover was the initial suspect for the death of the cafe owner.

 

However it isn't only Dong Shik who seems to have some skeletons in the closet. I think Joo Won to has something to hide. He seems to recognise the body they found buried  at the field from the ring the on the hands. Dong Shik on the hand  seems to know it is a woman, and JW immediately called him out on it.  By the end of the episode, both men became really suspicious of each other. 

 

 

New stills for tonight 

Cr Sports Donga

 

 

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM I've yet to check this one out. Is it heavy?

 

[abs-oluteM]

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM I've yet to check this one out. Is it heavy?

 

Yes. But not hard to follow. 

[SilverMoonTea]

Well Shin Ha Kyun's dramas seldom dissapointing. So do with this Beyond Evil. Yoo Jin Goo looked so polished with nice cars. The auntie gamblers comment when he stepped in to police office : He's young 

 

He seems go to the small police station because he's curious to Dong Shik. And does he have some trauma, as he don't like to be touched? Or more to OCD tendency haha... as he kept wiping the car.

 

@abs-oluteMTotally sold off with this drama. 

Spoiler

YJG also candidate for my oppas tracker... Gosh he's handsome in police countrybumpkin uniform too hahaha....

 

[abs-oluteM]

Goodness the ending of eps 2 

Hmmm is Dong Shik really the murderer? Part of me still thinks not but heck we were shown his face at the end.  It can't get clearer than that right? He was quite shaken at the restaurant too.  ( SHK is really amazing in this role .) 

 

What's the motive if let's just say it is really him? Cause he clearly loves Min Jeong like his own.  So if say he was the killer , is it because he is schizophrenic ? Something triggers him or he gets mad & wants to teach them a lesson. If doesn't make sense even as I am typing this out. 

 

Anyhow , we got some insights to why JW asked to be reassigned.  Apart from the fact that he had wanted to be where Dong Shik was, it seems he made used of a girl to bait the murderer , and the girl went missing ( and she was the one that they found at the field). So his father wanted him to lay low so as not to get into trouble. That was at least what I understood.

 

The thing is that on surface the town seems to be peaceful & everyone gets along. But there was something unsettling in the way the station Chief wanted JW to stop digging. Then there's  Lieutenant Park who is in charge of the police records - he seems a little fishy too. 

 

Preview for eps 3

 

[JenL]

Episodes 1&2

 

-Just finished 2 eps of this and I'm enjoying it so far, but man is SHK's face super creepy when he does his soulless eyed jeers at YJG 

-I love a good small, backwater town with a close-knit surface but massively sinister undertone. The fact that "someone is always watching" also means that someone in the town did the deed and there's often a few others covering it up for some reason or another 

-It looks like LDH's cameo might be reoccurring since they seem to slip in and out of his memories of what happened in LDS's youth? 

-I agree with @abs-oluteM there's something suspicious about both of the main characters for sure. But the drama so far is framing DS as the most sinister character. I mean, he did seem to know that corpse was a woman and then the end of episode 2 where he was the one that put MJ's fingers out???  Unless it's all pretend and he suspects HJW of being the killer/ or he wants to bait the real killer? I'm so confused. But yeah, HJW definitely still has flashbacks about whatever happened to him and the lady with the ring...

- The other cops are also suss - the head cop who just dismissed LDS as a suspect and the record keeper who doesn't seem to care that reports are missing but then makes a big deal about it? But his also lingering around his yard...I think I find the record keeper really weird 

- Also agree with @SilverMoonTea, YJG looking fine and young  I see she has traded Jasper's display pic for him  I have to say he has brushed up good in this series. When I watched him in Hotel Del Luna, I thought he was a good actor, but didn't have a thing about his looks. I think his haircut looks a lot better this time around? He's pretty  Also I just realised that it's him and LDH's character being connected-but-not-connected...like they're in the same story, but not....it's just like Hotel Del Luna all over again! 

[mademoiselle]

I'm not acquanited with Shin Ha Kyun but it is evident from his screen presence that he's a veteran film actor. The first two episodes have already hooked me in, the issue now is please don't let the story be told like Gap Dong. I like that Dong Shik is painted as the suspect with the possibility that it's not him, or he's a psycho himself but not the kind that kills. We shall see... at this point I hope it isn't him but if the story is well-written enough to twist that he is, I think I can accept it too. Like Lee Seo Jin's drama, I quite like that twist.

[Tofu]

Vincenzo and Ever Night took up much of my weekend so I haven't had the chance to watch the first two episodes yet. They are on my list for tomorrow. 

 

In the meantime, enjoy some Yeo Jin Goo -- mainly for @SilverMoonTea 

 

 

 

[JenL]

Also wanted to say the dialogue is very sharp and cutting which is fun along with that oddly dramatic and ironic music at the end of the episodes...And yay, the girl Min-Jung is Kang Min Ah from True Beauty  This actress has had quite a fast jump - she's already going into a lead role next (Blue Spring from a Distance)

[40somethingahjumma]

Of all the newish dramas that I'm watching I'd say that this one is probably the most tightly written and is doing such a stellar job exploring the motivation and the foibles of being human. The fact that it's on JTBC also reminds me of The Good Detective which was a terrific police procedural that was first and foremost about the all too flawed people who carried their badges around uneasily. There's something of that in this drama. Being a police officer isn't just a job nor should it be a lifestyle but somewhere in that wrestling of moral choices and roles, there has to be a conversation about character. These first two episodes does a great job of introducing the cast of characters and where they fit into this community. In the middle of this is the protagonist Lee Dong-shik who has never been able to shake all kinds of suspicion about his role in the death of his sister.

 

Shin Ha-kyun is amazing in this as one would expect of an actor of his calibre. Everything points to Dong-shik being the culprit (his behaviour is suspicious to say the least) and yet his performance is such that I find him more likeable than Yeo Jin-goo's character Han Ju-won. YJG is doing well enough as the slightly arrogant, mysophobic cop who seemed to be going places who to everyone's great surprise, including his father's, he ends up in a regional police substation. He thinks he has his man but his man is riddled with contradictions and enjoys toying with him. I love what the show does with DS as a figure of suspicion and guilt. But also in the building his network of relationships thematically with the shadow of guilt and suspicion that has never left him since he was 20.

 

Of course there is the usual K drama web of connections including JW's father who is high up among the brass. He was involved in the initial investigation 20 years earlier and closed it quickly for some reason. Also suspicious is Park Jeong-jae, Dong-shik's friend and the manager of the archives at Munju Station. Aside from having an odd personality, there are things he say that suggest he knows more than he should.

 

If this is anywhere close to the quality of Good Detective from last year, this will be a great ride.