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Title: Red Swan
Director: Park Hong-kyun
Cast: Rain, Kim Ha-neul, Jung Gyu-woon, Seo Yi-sook, Yoon Je-moon
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Rating: ***
The much-awaited K-drama, Red Swan, starring veteran actors Rain and Kim Ha-neul, was released earlier this month. The K-drama with just 10 episodes (eight of which are out) marks Rain’s return to television – he was last seen in the 2002 comedy Ghost Doctor. However, does it live up to the expectations? Let’s find out.
Primarily, the plot revolves around Oh Wan-soo, a former pro-golfer and current President of the Now Foundation, which is a part of the conglomerate Hwain Group. She is stuck in a loveless marriage with her husband of 10 years and heir to the Hwain Group, Kim Yong-guk. Her life takes a thrilling turn when she is attacked in Manila on her visit as a UNICEF Good Ambassador. Her saviour from the assassination attempt turns out to be Seo Do-yoon, a police officer who is in Manila to investigate his friend and partner’s death. Later, Do-yoon is hired as a bodyguard for Wan-soo.
The plot thickens when Do-yoon’s true intentions of taking on the job are revealed – his friend was murdered while investigating the death of the chairman of the Hwain Group and Wan-soo’s father-in-law, and the company’s slush funds. Interestingly, the hitman who killed Do-yoon’s friend and is trying to kill Wan-soo is the same person.
But, Do-yoon isn’t the only one with secrets. Wan-soo, too, has been holding on to classified information entrusted to her by her late father-in-law – a trump card to be used at a strategic time (which is revealed at the end of episode 8). Yong-guk is creating slush funds abroad, without the knowledge of his mother and chairwoman of Hwain Group, Park Mi-ran. Yong-guk, too, is likely to cause a major plot twist.
As the narrative progresses, the complicated family dynamics start to unfold, including the questions about the biological lineage of the two brothers – Yong-guk and Yong-min. The brothers can’t stand each other and are constantly at loggerheads. Their mother, Mi-ran, is the typical, selfish chaebol wife – more interested in her looks and securing her position as the chairwoman. Her only agenda is getting Wan-soo to resign and divorce her son. But, Wan-soo, despite Yong-guk’s wandering ways, has no intention to divorce him (and no, it’s not because of the money, but only because her late father-in-law told her to stay put).
Amid all the family drama and Wan-soo and Do-yoon’s emerging love story, two supporting characters play a crucial role in taking the plot forward. There’s Han Sang-il, Hwain Group’s legal representative, and Oh Hyun-soo, Wan-soo’s brother and one of NOW Foundation’s directors who controls its finances. These two supporting characters have, sort of, a solid grip on the Hwain Group. Even more than the chairwoman as both are involved in handling the money laundering through the NOW Foundation and the creation of the slush funds. But, with Hyun-soo’s arrest and his deal with Sang-il we realise the latter has more tricks up his sleeve.
The K-drama has reached an interesting point and with just two episodes left, there’s a lot that needs to be packed up – including the identity of the mysterious assassin and the aftermath of the revelations from the late chairman’s Will. Then there's the question of the chairman’s death, which Do-yoon feels was a murder and not a heart attack, as is claimed by the family. If he was murdered, who is the killer — my experience of K-dramas has taught me the culprit is always the least suspected, the ones hovering on the sidelines with deep-seated hatred.
The slow pace keeps you interested at the start, but you lose interest by the fourth episode – you end up fast-forwarding a few scenes. K-drama veterans will recognise the pattern that comes with such a set-up – dysfunctional chaebol family, succession war, and secrets. And, with the way things have unfolded, I won’t be surprised if the climax turns out to be a disappointment. While the performances are noteworthy, the simmering sexual tension between Wan-soo and Do-yoon adds spice to the drama, overall, it feels like an average K-drama. There are better family-centric thrillers, Graceful Family, for example, where every episode keeps you on the edge of your seat. So, if you are a newbie to K-dramas, this one might not be a good choice to pick up. If you are a veteran and don’t mind the predictable plot, watch it for Rain and Ha-neul teaming up for the first time.
