Master: God of Noodles

마스터-국수의 신 / Maseuteo - Guksuui Sin

Formerly known as -  Time of the Beast
Aka -  The Master of Revenge
Based on cartoon series "Kooksooui Sin”, pub 2011 to 2013 in Joongang Newspaper
Genre -  Suspense
Writer -  Park In kwon (cartoon), Chae Seung dae
Episodes -  20
Network -  KBS2
Broadcast -  2016, Apr to Jun

CAST

Kim Jae young   Lee Sang yeob   Jung Yoo mi         Cho Jae hyun    Kong Seong yeon       Chun Jyung myun     

PLOT

Since childhood, Kim Gil do knows how to steal and imitate other people. To hide his secret life, he kills, lies, and blackmails his way into a prestigious family known for their Korean noodles restaurant.

Moo Myung makes three friends in an orphanage, and he and two others are affected by Kim Gil do's ruthless actions. The three have their own way to avenge Kim Gil do, but Moo Myung is determined to become the master of noodles. ~~yours truly

REVIEW

Anymore, when I see 20 episodes for a Korean drama, it is a dead giveaway that the extra 4 won't be necessary to the plot.

20 instead of 16 tells me that the Producer and writer(s) have caved by allowing the viewers to decide what comes next . . . or they assume that their interest must be piqued four more times.

So they drag out what could be a terrific thriller -- beating to death not just the story itself but the viewer as well.

It wasn't necessary, but I still found myself riveted to each episode and overly curious to find out what lay ahead for our intrepid avengers.

I thought this would be one in which I would/could skip every odd or even episode just to get it over and done with, but that didn't happen.

This could have wrapped up nicely at 16, leaving the writer(s) to devise a better ending and the viewer less time spent waiting for them to conclude with the obvious -- which occurred for me after episode 10.

So, instead of going into excessive detail about this one, let me tell you what was good (and bad) about God of Noodles.

THE CAST

Superb.

Everyone worked well together and gave the impression of wanting to be there, wanting to get into their parts, and liking one another off-camera.

My only gripe was Kong Seung yeon's Kim Da hae -- too bitchy, bull-headed, and annoying even if she had her reasons.

Kong Seung yeon as Kim Da hae

Hell, a majority of the characters in this story had their reasons, believe me!

She was the only one who behaved childish, rebellious, and immature throughout and, of course, the only one to receive a majority of the attention, love, and romance -- not fair.

THE PRODUCTION

A big miss.

The writer(s) and probably the Director, if not the Producer, tended to skim over what should have been dwelt upon and then over-killed the unnecessary.

Why was the wife of the wicked Master as caustic, vindictive, and shrewish as she behaved?

Sure, we know what he was like prior to his barging into their lives, and yes, it is a given that the marriage would suffer on some level, but it would have been nice to at least be given a glimpse of what that marital angst included.

Because, if Master was such a terrific quick-change artist, someone capable of worming his way into this prestigious family without batting a lash, then it stands to reason he is capable of pulling the wool over not just the old man's eyes but his wife's as well.

Were they ever happy together? How had she truly felt about this arranged marriage that culminated in 'the winner of a noodle making contest also becoming the husband of fair maiden'.

Jinjja?

THE SUB-PLOT

C'mon.

Buckwheat Noodles?

A 'god' of buckwheat noodles.

This is a product you can buy in any grocery store for less than $3, yet I'm supposed to believe that in Korea it is world-class cuisine.

SCENE STEALER'S

There were two.

Jo Hee bong as Dokku

Lee Sang yeob as Park Tae ha

Both men deserve much of the credit if this received rave reviews over there because both men anchored this story and made it worth watching for 20 episodes.

But again, there were issues even with these two -- but only because of their characters as written.

Dokku is a downtrodden hard ass who's motto is never to kill, only hurt or maim.

And, speaking of maiming, if we are to believe that Dokku intercepted Kim Gil do's hit on his former chauffeur/bodyguard, then what was the cause of his eventual limp?

Dokku came to the rescue of these grown kids a number of times, and it was always a pleasure to see him enter the picture.

Park Tae ha lived in the shadow of his drug-addicted father who ended up being executed for his involvement in a double homicide.

Tae ha knew who his father had murdered, befriended their daughter in the orphanage, and when she ends up on the wrong side of the law, Tae ha takes the fall as a way of exonerating the past -- even if it never worked out that way.

He was puppy-dog cute, mild-mannered to a fault, and just as determined to be there for his three orphanage buddies, which cost him dearly in the end.

If you are able to suspend belief when watching something besides romantic fluff, then this will be right up your alley.

If you are like me and expect a lot more credibility in a power-driven suspense story that surrounds things like murder, plotting to murder, psychotic personalities, politics, and food then you will be disappointed.

LOOK-ALIKES

SPELL CHECK

It is defenSe, people.