Reborn Rich Mid-Season Review: Song Joong Ki, Lee Sung Min indulge in a reincarnation tale of cold-blooded revenge

Reborn Rich is a series based on a hit novel of the same name starring Song Joong Ki, Lee Sung Min and Shin Hyun Been.

By Nandini Iyengar -

December 10, 2022 - 12:00 PM IST

Korean dramas like Sky Castle, The Penthouse: War In Life, Remarriages and Desires with ample themes of power politics, cat-and-mouse games, greed and betrayal have graced the screens time and again. The dramas have every spice a story can offer. There are a lot of events happening at the same time which appear to be simple but are very complicated. Then there are dramas which are heavy on the above-mentioned themes but are picturised in a stable yet convincing manner. Vincenzo is one of those dramas. There was a lot of intrigue, power play, action and also a good amount of comedy to keep the entertainment light for the viewers. The latest addition to the list would be Reborn Rich.

Reborn Rich Mid-Season Review: Song Joong Ki, Lee Sung Min indulge in a reincarnation tale of cold-blooded revenge

Song Joong Ki stunned the audiences with his anti-hero act in the crime thriller drama Vincenzo. As eclectic as the drama was, it showed the actor’s potential to take up offbeat roles and play them with ease. To mark his return, Song Joong Ki once again embraces the mulch of politics and crime, but this time from the other side of the line with Reborn Rich. With this drama, he goes the extra mile and also throws a double role in the mix.

The new K-drama tells the story of Yoon Hyun Woo, a loyal servant of the Sunyang Group, a family-owned business conglomerate of South Korea (or chaebeol) and his rebirth as Jin Do Joon in the same empire. Hyun Woo was killed by Sunyang Group after he successfully recovered the $600 million worth of hidden slush funds in the very first episode, thereby, beginning the reincarnation story. As he plunges into the sea after being pushed from a cliff, he finds himself back in time, seated at the back of a car and in the body of a young Jin Do Joon, who is the youngest member of the Jin family. Throughout his life as Jin Do Joon, he clearly remembers his life as Hyun Woo and makes use of his knowledge of future events to his benefit. He grows close to the patriarch of the family Jin Yang Cheol (Lee Sung Min) and also other members by advising them about matters regarding the law, finance and even entertainment. His claims in the drama are supported by showing real-life clips of the related incidents. Do Joon is aware of his life as Hyun Woo and what depths the Jin family had taken him to keep their hands clean. As Hyun Woo, he did the lowest of the jobs without asking any questions. But as Do Joon, he is employing the family’s greed for money and power to his benefit. He is working like a termite that empties a wood block from within and it is then too late to take any precautionary measures. The Jin family’s greed for money and power is something that would be their doom. Does Do Joon have all the cards in his favour? Will his plans to take down the family with a stunning conclusion to their tale work?

So far, nine episodes of the drama have been aired. The mid-season moments lay down some of the biggest face-offs and indicate what the audience can expect in the upcoming eight episodes of this revenge reincarnation drama. Each episode is just over an hour long and packs quite a punch. With each passing detail, there is only more left to uncover. The pacing is overall steady and it does not feel rushed as they narrate complicated themes of politics, power, business, and family with multiple storylines.

Song Joong Ki eases into the role of 20-something law student Jin Do Joon and as the employee, Yoon Hyun Woo. The charisma and the patent Song Joong Ki smirks along with his gleaming eyes and make his performance a wonderful watch. But the star power of the show doesn't end here. Lee Sung Min boasts a masterful performance as a cunning conglomerate Jin Yang Cheol, the patriarch of the Sungyang group. His sharp and strong screen presence, the dialogue delivery in South Korean dialect and his piercing gaze is one of the most enigmatic performances in the show. Interestingly, in the first two episodes, the child actor Kim Kang Hoon, who plays young Jin Do Joon, steals the show. Shin Hyun Been as Min Young is a delight to watch. After her role as a doctor in the two seasons of Hospital Playlist, watching her play another character from the service sector is refreshing. As a young Min Young, her innocence adds depth to the character both as the younger self and future self.

Writer Kim Tae Hee reunites with Song Joong Ki after the 2010 series Sungkyunkwan Scandal. With director Jung Dae Yoon on board, the series offers plenty of entertainment, intrigue and mystery. For a drama that works as a commentary on wealth, power and also humanity, Reborn Rich brings the refreshing tale of revenge with a new reincarnation story as it keeps the audience engaged and interested as mysteries unfold on who ordered to kill Yoon Hyun Woo in the present day.