In 2020 tvN released a psychological thriller, "Flower of Evil", a dark and moving drama, directed by Kim Chul Gyu, which was also awarded at the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2021, for its direction. It is a thriller/melodrama carried by two extraordinary actors, which combines a very well crafted scenario, a mix of genres led to perfection and carrying quite intense emotions. In short, we tell you why you absolutely must discover this drama available on Netflix and Rakuten Viki.
Synopsis
Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won have been married for several years and form a nice family with their little girl. She is a policeman, he is a metalworker, and they seem like a perfect family. It is then that Cha Ji Won finds himself investigating serial murders and we soon discover in parallel, that Baek Hee Sung is not who he claims to be for years and that he is caught up by his past. As his wife's investigation progresses, the evidence mounts and seems to point her husband as the number one suspect. Is this one really a serial killer? For 16 episodes, you will not know which foot to dance on and as much as you expect some twists, you will be surprised by others.
THE DUO OF MAIN ACTORS AND THEIR CHARACTERS
We will talk here about an important part of this drama: the two main actors and especially their characters and their psychological profiles, which are a strong point throughout the episodes and lead to reflection. 
Baek Hee Sung played by Lee Joon Gi. This actor, known and charismatic ("Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo", or more recently "Again my life") is here in one of his most striking roles. Indeed, he knew how to oscillate perfectly, between the loving and gentle family man, to his much more violent personality when he feels in danger. He touches us by making us feel his helplessness, his violence, then all his vulnerability and how he can also lose his footing during some beautiful scenes. The two facets of his character collide and upset us. Throughout the episodes, you will never really know what to think but at the same time you will want this character to be finally the good guy of the story (without knowing if this is the case), even if he has a dark part in him. The psychology of the character is advanced and leads us to many questions throughout the episodes. Thanks to regular flashbacks, we can understand or not, little by little, his way of being and his choices. And at the same time, well, in spite of ourselves, we become attached to him. Lee Joon Gi is excellent in this role and will mark you while instilling something disturbing. He was also rewarded twice in 2020 at the Asia Artist Awards. 
Cha Ji Won played by Moon Chae Won. Actress who has been retained in recent years especially in the drama "Good Doctor", she completes duo formed with Lee Joon Gi in a perfect way. She looks fragile but she is a strong policewoman, who sincerely loves her husband with all her heart. The psychology of her character and her shift during her realization that finally she may not know him at all, are bluffing. We see and understand every phase she goes through, and her strong and tortured feelings are poignant. In short, she makes us live everything with her and it is very well done. Who wouldn't wonder in front of their screen, how would we have reacted to their world that is collapsing like this?
WHAT ABOUT THE SECONDARIES?
This drama was really built around the main couple, however, it is important to talk about all the secondary characters who participate completely in the construction of the story. The secondary couple is just as tortured and touching as the main couple. It is well present on the screen, even if a little relegated to the background by the main duo. Kim Ji Hoon is excellent in his role and we find out how he was able to bring his whole family into this general manipulation. The role of his mother played by Nam Ki Ae has the merit of being highlighted: here again, the psychological profile of the character is challenging. It is also a paradox and a questioning in itself. All the other secondary characters are a support and a perfect basis for the whole story that unfolds before us but whose main couple remains the central pillar. They embody different roles that each point to different feelings: doubt, anger, humanity, etc.They perfectly flesh out the story and the emotions intertwined with each other.
IMPRESSIONS
Let yourself be carried away by this beautiful mix of melodrama and psychological thriller. Certainly this drama is dark but it also has a strong emotional part. We live from the inside what the life of serial killer children can be like and the deep scar it can leave. He leaves us with a poignant moral about the harm that prejudices can do about people without knowing them. 
The game of cat and mouse between husband and wife is well conducted, the romance in the background, is very beautiful because not at all expressed as usual in dramas. Indeed, because of the psychological aspect of the male lead, it can only be different, and it remains very touching. In addition, unlike the majority of Korean dramas, we are facing a couple married for years. This changes, and brings a different realism but more marked than in some dramas. This element plays a lot in the character of Cha Ji Won, who may find herself facing a monster she loves with all her heart, and whose child she has carried. The possible reality is all the more biting. The flashbacks of their relationship story, alternated with the present moments, embellish the suspense as much as the emotional. This leads us to live from the inside their family tumult and in fact, their marital crisis. 
All the sequences of the investigation balance very well with all the moments of complicity experienced by the main couple. Finally, we also take our hats off to the director: he managed thanks to his way of filming, the atmosphere carried all along, certain shots, and obviously the actors who carry their role perfectly, to imprint in us each scene. This builds a quality drama, without downtime. If you like psychological thrillers, we can only advise you to discover this drama if it is not yet the case. Emotionally strong, with a well-orchestrated suspense, questions full head, you will not be able to pick up until the last episode. The couple of main actors is masterful, the secondary characters well conducted, the realization is worked and magnificent, in short this drama is a nugget of 2020 to discover. Want a lighter drama? We recommend "She would never know", from 2021 on Netflix.
