Mask is a melodrama about a woman named Byun Ji Sook (Soo Ae) whose family was deeply in debt and being threatened by loan sharks. A man named Min Seok Hoon (Yeon Jung Hoon) who is desperate for more wealth and power then orchestrates a series of events that allows Ji Sook to take the place of a rich woman named Seo Eun Ha who looks exactly like her. By marrying a rich heir, Choi Min Woo (Joo Ji Hoon), and assuming the identity of Seo Eun Ha, Ji Sook is given the opportunity to help her family. But she is not prepared for what Seok Hoon has in store for her.
I was actually a bit underwhelmed by Mask. There was a lot of hype surrounding it, and I was ready for some over the top melodrama. It was certainly an interesting drama, but for me, it didn’t quite live up to the excitement that the rest of the fandom seemed to be experiencing.
SPOILERS BELOW
It took about six episodes for me to even get into the drama. It took about that long for Ji Sook to get set in place in her new role as Eun Ha. We get to watch as Ji Sook navigates this world of the wealthy. Honestly, she is pretty terrible at lying. When caught in an awkward situation, she bumbles through, completely unconvincing. But maybe that is to be expected, after all, she was just a normal girl thrown in to this crazy situation.
Things get more complicated as people start to catch on that Ji Sook is not Eun Ha. Seok Hoon continues to do what he must to cover his tracks and protect his plan. His wife Choi Mi Yeon (Yu In Young), who is Min Woo’s sister, also starts to cause trouble because of her jealousy. And Seok Hoon and Mi Yeon have one complicated relationship. He uses her for whatever he needs, and she is so in love and obsessed with him that she is willingly to do anything he says and believes all of his lies.
Slowly but surely, Ji Sook and her husband Min Woo start to bond. She shows her loyalty to him by believing in him on multiple occasions, and this is what ultimately softens his heart towards her.
This drama was unusual for me in that my interest built excrutiatingly slow, but build it did. I really enjoyed the last six episodes or so. We solidified our couple, and Ji Sook finally took matters in toher own hands to stand up to Seok Hoon.
Of course, Seok Hoon had one final trick up his sleeves in a final grab for power. Things got pretty crazy, but in the end, Seok Hoon pushed Mi Yeon to her breaking point with tragic consequences. Luckily, our main couple survived everything, and although it took a few years, they finally got their happy ending.
All in all, Mask was interesting, but despite enjoying our couple later in the show, I failed to connect with any of the characters on a deep level. It always felt like this drama should be amazing, but it seemed to lack something. So overall, it was a decent watch, but something I probably will not be revisiting.
My Rating: 6.5/10
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