From Cha Joo-young's acting transformation to Ha Jiwon's femme fatale depiction of a homosexual character, Climax has been drawing viewers' attention with its shocking developments.
The ENA Monday-Tuesday drama Climax, currently airing, is a work that depicts prosecutor Bang Tae-seop (Ju Jihoon) who jumped into a cartel of power to stand at the top of Korea and the fierce survival drama of those around him. Through episode 4, which aired on the 24th, it recorded late-3% ratings and has been attracting attention.
In particular, Climax's buzz has provoked an explosive reaction centered on its female characters. It began with Lee Yang-mi, played by Cha Joo-young. Lee Yang-mi is depicted as the president of WR Hotel·Entertainment and the wife of the WR Group. She is portrayed as a figure who stood with both the power elite that holds and shakes Korea and the nightlife world, connecting their close connections and having been responsible for the nights of modern Korean history.
The beginning of interest in her was the heated debate over Cha Joo-young's acting transformation. A speech style reminiscent of Seoul dialects from the 1970s or 1980s and styling that evoked a middle-aged woman of the past. Nonetheless, attitudes and words that were not perfectly luxurious detailedly realized the strange paradox inherent in the character Lee Yang-mi.
Added to this, Cha Joo-young's distinctive precise line delivery and charisma made the character oscillate between charm and the uncanny valley and drove the early character play in Climax. Short videos compiling only Cha Joo-young's lines dominated SNS and YouTube short-form platforms, drawing viewers' attention to Climax.
Moreover, in episodes 3 and 4, the past of Chu Sang-a, played by Ha Jiwon, was revealed, and the work's tension began to explode. In the drama's first week, Chu Sang-a's appearance, seeming to be led around by Lee Yang-mi, evoked both pity and questions. The past of Chu Sang-a, revealed in detail in episode 4, was shocking in itself.
It turned out that Chu Sang-a was in a same-sex romantic relationship with Han Ji-soo (Han Dong Hee). Rookie actor Han Ji-soo was led by agency CEO Oh Gwang-jae (Seo Hyun-woo), forced to shoot coercive bed scenes, pushed into sexual entertainment, and tragically died. Ha Jiwon repeatedly transformed her performance as Chu Sang-a dreamed of avenging Han Ji-soo and arranging Oh Gwang-jae's death. In front of Lee Yang-mi, she performed as a pitiable actress who seemed to be swung and hurt; with her husband Bang Tae-seop, she became a mystery that made one expect greater desire between love and sensuality; and with Han Ji-soo, she delivered a shocking same-sex passionate performance that raised the dramatic tension.
Composed of 10 episodes in total, Climax has now finished its early developments and is expected to show a full-fledged conflict structure. Above all, since Bang Tae-seop, who is not swayed by those around him, is the protagonist, it makes viewers anticipate further developments. Added to this is intelligence source Hwang Jeong-won (Nana), who is mentioned from character descriptions as a "game changer."
That Climax's production company is HYBE Media Corp., which has woven together the era and characters' desires in films such as Inside Men and 12.12: The Day as well as the Disney+ series Made In Korea, also draws attention to Climax's future developments. Where will the vast story that traverses judicial power, the nightlife world, the entertainment industry, homosexuality and murder cases end? After a long time, I found myself chasing a drama that runs like a rampaging train of exploding desire.
[Photo] OSEN DB, ENA provided.
[OSEN]