페이스 미
Cha Jeong Woo (Lee Min Ki) is a sought after cosmetic plastic surgeon, who finds himself caught up with the Violent Crime Unit Team when he intervenes in a case. After receiving glowing media attention, his reputation takes a knock when his name appears in a suicide note. To rebuild his reputation, his boss at KSH, Kim Seok Hoon (Jeon Bae Soo) forces him to collaborate with the police department and help victims of crime.
Jeong Woo’s new patients force him back into the world of reconstructive surgery and with it, the past rears it’s ugly head in ways that those around him would rather stay hidden.
Throughout each crime, Lee Min Hyeong (Han Ji Hyun) is the detective that works on the cases, with her partner Seo Kang Ho (Lee Seung Woo). This duo were great and the chemistry made it believable that they were partners and had been working together before the drama began. They brought in more of the police team later on in the drama, and it felt a bit awkward.
On the flip side, Jeong Woo works at KSH and all the staff there felt like they had known each other for a long time. I loved the scenes with the nurses/reception staff, especially when they were teasing the doctors or just chatting with Woo Jin (Lee Yi Kyung), as it felt really natural. The setting of the hospital was beautiful and had a great layout for some of the events that happened in this drama.
The relationship between Jeong Woo and Min Hyeong had a lot of potential, however, it felt like they never really connected or worked together. They both did their own investigating and while they called upon each other quite often, it didn’t feel like there was any substance to the relationship. I also found Min Hyeong to be combative for no reason, especially when it comes to the crime in Jeong Woo’s past – the murder of his fiancé. I loved her, don’t get me wrong, but she didn’t really seem that good at her job…
Talking of, the overarching mystery is the murder of Jeong Woo’s fiancé – Yoon Hye Jin (Ha Young) – and how Lee Jin Seok (Yoon Jeong Il) is involved and how him resurfacing brings out a lot of the past. I found his character to be one of the strongest in the drama. I would also have loved to have seen more of Chae Gyeong (Kang Da Hyun), a level-headed lawyer who becomes involved in Jin Seok’s attempt to find the truth and close friend to Jeong Woo.
The 12 episode format has become super popular in the last couple of years and I think this was a good length for Face Me. To be honest it could have been shorter, especially as some parts midway felt a bit aimless. The whole last episode felt like a non-event and was used to tie everything up, rather than to have any great impact on the characters or audience. It felt very neat and boring.
The drama feels like an ad for plastic surgery, as there is strong praise for it – obviously for the reconstructive side, but also the cosmetic as well. Due to the nature of the drama, there were quite a lot of scenes in the operating room and I, for one, found myself de-influenced (not that I ever had any intention the first place). It was good to see Jeong Woo say no to some people, due to concerns about their mental health and motivations, but the message got a bit confusing when he would change his mind or say yes to someone else who had similar concerns.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad drama, but it wasn’t good either. It was predictable, but I will say, for the last four episodes, I just decided not to take it that seriously and had more fun for it. There was even a moment that left me stunned!
my rating: ⭐⭐.5
director: Ahn Sang Hoon
screenwriter: Hwang Ye Jin
network: KBS2
images: hancinema.net
What were your thoughts on Face Me? Thanks for reading!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe 💕
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
I have to mention Woo Jin and my thoughts about his involvement because no one in my real life cares. It was so obvious. That baby boy was too nice and suss from the start. Did it make sense? No. They tried to shoe horn in explanations about why he felt inferior and how actually he just really hates Jeong Woo, but it felt rushed and so much was ‘telling not showing’. There were times when we saw Woo Jin feel rejected by others who wanted Jeong Woo’s attention more, but Jeong Woo just seemed pretty chill and like he would have been a good friend.
I think if they had started to explore the reasons for Woo Jin’s motives earlier and actually looked into this in a more psychological way, then it could have been really intriguing. I’m thinking, bring in the guys from Through the Darkness. I want profiling. But unfortunately, quite a lot of the investigation just felt like they were chasing their own tails.
I think I’m so used to Yi Kyung playing comedic characters, that this may have triggered something in my mind that felt that something was off with his character and that made it so obvious. But the acting wasn’t particular strong in the more intense moments that needed more emotional depth and the lines he was given… he says some questionably suspicious things and for the most part, they’re just glossed over by everyone.
Also, as soon as we saw him in profile at the crime scene, I was like ‘I know those cheekbones!’ 😂
DramaRambles 🌸 
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