When I first heard about this show, I wanted to see it. That feeling died down as the weeks went on, so when it was released I didn’t really care if I watched it or not. I mean, I’m still behind on my animes and other dramas, so not watching this is fine by me. Then I heard about all of the negative feedback it’s been getting after just the first episode and I thought to myself, “It can’t be that bad, can it?”
There’s only one way to find out!
What I was expecting: An action packed drama about vampires and doctors. I do like doctor dramas and a new take on vampires is always welcomed by me, so I was looking forward to this. Since it is a kdrama, there is probably going to be a romance here. I’m not really looking forward to that aspect of the show, mainly because I’ve never seen a love story that is cute, mature, and refreshing to watch. All of them have disappointed me in some way or form, so I don’t expect that to change here.
How it really was: The first episode didn’t do anything for me. It was boring, tedious, and really didn’t fit the image that I had in mind when it came to this drama. If I didn’t plan on watching the second episode, I would have dropped the show halfway through the first one.
In order to tell a story you need to not resort to massive info dumps, especially this early on. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Blood does. Instead of gradually letting us know who Park Ji Sung is, we learn everything. His childhood, how he lost his parents, his jobs overseas, and everything in between. It didn’t work for me and I don’t understand the need for an episode like this.
There are some fight scenes too and while I appreciate the styling of it, they did seem kind of lazy and fake. Obviously, this is a drama and the fighting won’t ever be real. But at least it should feel real and the fighting here didn’t. It’s also jerky and seizure inducing at some points as well.
The thing that bothered me the most was the ending. Ji Sung is in a war zone and talking to his friend. Just then, a rocket comes and should have killed him instantly. He’s a vampire so that’s not going to happen. So we see him get up and walk away like nothing happened. That, is perfectly fine. What isn’t is the fact that his phone still worked after he got hit like that. A blast that close not wrecking the phone even a little bit is…no, just no.
Thankfully, the second episode is a lot better. This really should have been the first episodes with flashbacks sprinkled here and there. Even though the serious tone is still here, there are some lighter moments to help balance that out. Plus, we finally got to see some medical stuff and get an inside look at the some of the politics at play in the hospital.
We also meet the leading female in this episode. Dr. Yoo Ri Ta. Ri Ta is played by Goo Hye Sun, who you might remember from such dramas like Boys over Flowers. Geum Jan Di has grown up and become a doctor. Before the episode even came out, Hye Sun was getting a lot of hate for her acting choices in the preview.
Was she really that bad?
To be honest, I don’t really think so. Maybe it’s because I was expecting some really horrible acting, but I think she was fine. She seems pretty much in line with other kdrama female characters. Though, instead of being sweet and innocent, she’s short tempered, prideful, and awkward. Some may say that the awkwardness is what makes the character bad, but I think it works in her favour. The character doesn’t seem like she grew up interacting with people in a normal way, so she’s kept some of her awkwardness from her lack of social interactions and brought it with her into adulthood. Don’t worry though, I’m sure as the story progresses; she’ll regress and get a personality change once she falls in love.
If Ri Ta and Ji Sung do hook up, it would be interesting mainly because they both have money and they’re both kind of jerks to other people. I’ve never seen a kdrama romance where the two characters are similar in personality and status.
Overall: The first episode was horrible, but the second one was more in line with regular kdramas and what I was expecting. I’m still not sure if I want to watch this drama, but I will say that it isn’t that bad as some commenters have said. It’s not the best show, or best acted, but it’s decent enough to keep you interested.
And with that, I’ll leave you with a quote that was said in the second episode.
“In my opinion, medical treatments need to be like miniskirts. Treatment duration should be short, but what needs to be covered should be covered. It can’t be too short either, since things that should be covered might be revealed.”