tvN‘s Wednesday-Thursday series Money Game brought itself to a successful conclusion with the story that wasn’t meaningless despite of its low ratings.
The finale of Money Game, which aired on March 5, described Chae Yi Heon and Lee Hye Joon’s unstoppable fight against Bahama, the shameless foreign investment company that tries to cover up the “BIS manipulation case of Jung In Bank” until the very end and sack the local fortune again by filing a lawsuit against the Korean government with the ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement system). The drama created a warm impression by wrapping itself up with a little but definite hope called as “human” amid the widespread absurdities in Korean economy.
Highlighting the value of human beings that can’t be produced by numbers, Money Game ended with the positive reviews from the audience. Let’s summarize the results this drama has left.
1. First Economic Drama Which Is Exciting + Meaningful
Money Game, the first drama about Korean economic officials, was created by a strong rookie screenwriter Lee Young Mi. Money Game portrayed Korean economic structure and bureaucratic society in a realistic way, while even making those who are not familiar with economy immersed in the story by harmonizing the emotional lines of its characters involved in each other behind the financial war. The viewers once started a spontaneous relay of recommendations for the series, saying “I belatedly realized how important it is for people to pay attention to economy” and “wish the whole nation watch this drama.”
2. From Go Soo-Lee Sung Min-Shim Eun Kyung to ‘Dark Horse’ Yoo Teo
Money Game have reaffirmed how important actors’ acting is in the drama. Go Soo drew admiration from the viewers by portraying freely both the daily lives with detail and the explosive emotions. Lee Sung Min, who returned to the small screen in five years, dominated the drama with his excellent pace. Shim Eun Kyung, who made a comeback to the small screen in six years, also made the lead female character “Lee Hye Joon” played by another actor unimaginable with her own strengthened acting.
Yoo Teo has been highly spotlighted, too. Playing “Eugene Han” who has a U.S. nationality, Yoo Teo spoke perfectly in Korean, English and Chinese, and gave a great impression to the viewers. He imprinted his own prominent presence in their heads by freely expressing Eugene Han’s cool-headedness, cunningness, intensity, sexiness, and even innocence.
Shim Eun Kyung and Yoo Teo, who have wowed the audience with the affectionate emotional lines in the drama, sent grateful messages to fans before the end of the show. “Lee Hye Joon was like a difficult homework for me,” Shim Eun Kyung revealed her feelings. “I thought a lot how I feel about her because I wanted to show her as a person who is different from the simple characters with whom I’ve been dealing. I worked hard on the filming site every time as if I was bumping into Hye Joon,” she said.
“I really appreciate your love for Eugene Han, your understanding of the reason why he acts like that even though he’s a cold villain,” Yoo Teo said. “Thank you for giving me such a funny nickname, ‘Human Wall Street,’” he added affectionately.
3. Kim Sang Ho’s Skillful Directing of Genre Dramas
Director Kim Sang Ho, who’s been well recognized of his own directing skill regardless of the genre such as romantic comedy, melodrama and authentic historical drama, also reinforced perfection of the drama. He never lost tension of the narrative by using the dignified mise-en-scéne and the viewing angle that maximizes the emotional lines of the characters. His bold long-takes and cooperation with the musical director Kim Tae Sung also created synergy, boosting the degree of immersion by the viewer.
Meanwhile, the new series Memorist, starring Yoo Seung Ho and Lee Se Young, premieres on March 11 as a follow-up of Money Game.
