[Drama Review] 'Ddanddara' - Episode 1

'Ddaddara (also called 'Entertainer'),' starring Ji Sung, Hyeri, Minhyuk, and Chae Jung Ahn, aired its very first episode on April 20, and I'm going to be completely honest here; it wasn't the most impressive of drama premieres.

The drama revolves around the lives of three main characters: Shin Seok Ho, one of the top brass at a K-Pop agency called K Top Entertainment, who also happens to be egotistical, self-centered, and has absolutely zero qualms about stepping on the annoying little ants in the trenches and treating them like, well, lesser life forms just so that he can go home with a nice, big, fat paycheck; Jung Geu Rin, an emotional yet strong young woman who is fiercely protective and caring of the people she loves; Jo Ha Neul, the supposed brother of Geu Rin, who seems to possess the personality of a rock and stubbornly refuses to let go of his big dream to become a singer; and last but not least, Yeo Min Joo, who is friend to the insufferable Suk Ho and a department head at a smaller agency.

Why yes, I can totally treat you like dog doo doo! Why? Because I'm powerful and rich! I assure you, it's totally not abuse of power.

So how do all four very different characters end up intertwined in the hands of destiny? That, my friends, we don't yet know for certain. However, destiny seems pretty obvious right about now, especially with how predictable the plot is so far.

Devious, evil assistant is evil and devious and plotting to bite the hand that fed him.

The nitty gritty of story thus far is that Seok Ho goes from riches to rags in a heartbeat at the hands of the very people he trusted, and despite all his so-called 'friends,' he is left high and dry after an insurance scam leaves him virtually penniless. Welp, that's karma for ya. Treat people like lesser life forms and you become the lesser life form.

Aside from the unfortunate story of Seok Ho, we're also introduced to the unfortunate story Geu Rin, who goes into near hysteria when the courts rule that Ha Neul will be placed on probation for two months and that he will have to complete 30 hours of a sexual violence prevention program.

Though we're not given the full back story, it's clear that there is foul play in the works and that Ha Neul isn't actually the one who committed the crime (or may be he is??!! DUN DUN). His childhood friend Ji Young was determinedly after something, which she sought in the form of a rigged lawsuit. I guess we'll have to wait until the story progresses to find out exactly why and how Ji Young accused Ha Neul of sexual assault and find out exactly what she is after.

So angry that I was wrongfully accused...but MUST. NOT. LET. MY. EMOTIONS. SHOW.

Foul play was also at work in the dirty world of K-entertainment, specifically within K Top's walls. When the Chairman of K Top Lee Joon Seok learned of Seok Ho's intent to split from the company and leave to set up shop independently with K Top's top boy group Jackson, he wasted no time in sneaking behind Seok Ho's back and making the ultimate strike by booting him from the company and replacing Seok Ho with his weasel-like assistant Kim Joo Han. Even members of Jackson, whom Seok Ho doted on like his own sons, turned their backs on him when Seok Ho needed them the most. Jackon's leader, Jinu, whom Seok Ho was especially fond of, didn't even blink an eye that Seok Ho had gotten into an accident mainly because of him.

This is a court of law, pull yourself together for crying out loud!

So there you have it; many things happened in 'Ddanddara's first episode but the major plot points are that Seok Ho hits rock bottom and goes almost bananas, Ha Neul continues to wow us with his ability to maintain his composure even under high pressure, Hyeri loses the one person she cares about the most, and wait...I think that's it. Oh, and at the end of the episode, Ha Neul comes across Seok Ho who is lost in a sort of trance listening to an uplifting pop rock jingle which was composed by, you guessed it, Ha Neul.

Seok Ho's more levelheaded friend, Min Joo, aka Seok Ho's Voice of Reason.

My guess is that these two will sorta kinda hit it off in the next episode and sorta kinda plan to bring Ha Neul into the entertainment world and then sorta kinda set up a provisional label and bring Ha Neul's music to the masses. Of course, I could be dead wrong but I see no other path that this drama could take...eventually it will go there.

K Top's slimy CEO who plots sweet revenge as he smiles slimily at Seok Ho.

Another point I'd like to make is that I was kind of cringing at Hyeri's acting, especially during the court scene. I honestly don't know how Hyeri's acting is typically, but if this over-the-top way is how she usually does it, then I gotta say, I'm severely underwhelmed. I understand how devastated Hyeri's character Geu Rin was supposed to act in the court scene, but I just didn't like how every one of her gestures seemed too...forced and rehearsed. Everything from her faltering footsteps to her convulsive crying and begging was below par, especially when compared to Ji Sung's natural acting. I really hope that Ji Sung won't have to carry Hyeri's dead weight throughout the drama and that her acting will get better as the episodes go on.