South Korean heartthrob Ji Chang Wook continues to captivate audiences with his versatile performances, and his portrayal of morally complex characters is always a treat. Following his standout role in The Worst of Evil and the recent Queen Woo, expectations were high for his next project. Enter Gangnam B-Side, a gritty crime thriller that pushes the envelope, starring Ji Chang Wook as a morally grey character in a tale of pimps, cops, and missing escorts. Premiering on November 6, 2024, the series has generated considerable buzz, with fans eager to see Ji Chang Wook, alongside Jo Woo Jin, BIBI, and Ha Yun Kyeong, in this dark and compelling new role. The drama’s premise, combining crime, mystery, and intrigue, has raised plenty of curiosity as viewers await how Ji Chang Wook navigates this complex narrative.
The drama follows detective Kang Dong Woo (played by Jo Woo Jin) and a pimp named Yun Gil Ho (played by Ji Chang Wook) who set out to find Jae Hee aka Jenny (played by BIBI), a missing escort. Kang Dong Woo was demoted after he blew the whistle on his colleagues' illegal activities a few years ago. He is reassigned to find Jae Hee and uncover a drug cartel in the bustling area of Gangnam in Seoul. Prosecutor Min Seo Jin (played by Ha Yun Kyeong) is also after the case with an agenda of her own.
The drama was launched with the promise of an intense thriller that would keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. But the launch was rather lukewarm. What we knew from the trailer has simply expanded into the first two episodes, with a few added details. As expected, the frames are darker and grittier. There is a lot of graphic violence and an unfiltered showcase of what goes on behind closed doors in seemingly ‘reputed’ nightclubs.
Watching Gangnam B-side feels a little underwhelming after having experienced The Worst of Evil. The teasers raised anticipation for some nail-biting drama but the first two episodes seem like a dragged-out plot that could be covered in just half the time. The progress in the story is slow, and there are more curse words than actual dialogue. Some events in Gangnam B-side feel highly exaggerated to the point where it feels like the scenes were added to fill up the run time.
Overall, Gangnam B-side has the potential to grow into the intense thriller drama that we were promised in the trailer. Characters facing moral dilemmas, characters forced to choose between two evils, and characters going through a development arc are some plot points that seem missing from the story so far. There is an absence of challenge to the story that makes the viewing experience less exciting. When there is a story about gangsters, drugs, escorts, and the law, there needs to be a complicated web.
Ji Chang-wook’s portrayal of Gil-ho, though intriguing, is muddled by a script that struggles to reconcile the character’s moral ambiguity with the typical hero’s journey. Instead of exploring the complexities of its characters and themes, the drama leans too heavily into a formulaic approach, offering little more than surface-level thrills. We know that Jae Hee is absconding with some important video evidence on her phone. Perhaps the unraveling of that video content will lead to a thrilling chase that the audience is waiting for. Hopefully, the makers will make up for all that in the remaining six episodes.
What do you think of Ji Chang Wook-starrer Gangnam B-Side? Watch the trailer for Gangnam B-side here:
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