Review "Money Flower" (Dramapassion): when heritage dominates feelings!

As every month, discover our opinion on a K-drama. To honor the beginning of autumn, we chose Money Flower, a title that takes us to a wealthy Korean family where manipulation and revenge are commonplace.

One man lost everything when he was younger and decided to put in place a far-reaching plan to turn the situation in his favor. A real race against the clock, which will oppose him to the heirs eager for power! An entertaining drama that you might like! 

This review contains important elements of K-drama and spoilers.

Money Flower

Original title: 돈꽃 – Donkkot

Alternate title: Money Flower

Gender: Drama – Romance

Chain: MBC

First broadcast: November 11, 2017 to February 3, 2018

Broadcasting platform: Dramapassion

Episodes : 24

Director: KIM Hee-Won

Scriptwriter:  LEE Myung-Hee

Synopsis

Kang Pil-Joo is Director of the Legal Team of Cheong A Group. He is intelligent and does an exemplary job. Jealous and envied, he is considered the "Doggie" of the Jang family, at the head of the Cheong A company. In the fight for the succession of the group, he will choose to support Jang Boo-Cheon, eldest grandson of the Jang family. But only a strong political alliance can ensure victory.

Na Mo-Hyun is the daughter of a respected politician. Environmental activist and science teacher, she is smiling and always listening to others. She dreams of the great love "sent by fate". Kang Pil-Joo will then plot in the shadows so that the girl falls in love with Boo-Cheon and decides to marry him. But behind this action, hides a completely different objective and he manipulates like a puppeteer, each member of this powerful family to achieve his ends. But what are they? What is its real goal, patiently developed over the years? Isn't it said that revenge is a dish that is eaten cold?

Enter a world where fate and love are guided by greed and money and where revenge may well leave no room for happiness. (Dramapassion)

Main cast

Legitimacy of inheritance

The drama Money Flower makes us quickly enter its plot through the past of the two male protagonists, one of whom is the underling of the other. Following an altercation between young people, Jang Boo-Cheon accepts Kang Pil-Joo's offer to serve him. However, behind this agreement lie other projects. The pooch has become a powerful figure in the company who is asked to settle the majority of conflicts.Thanks to his status, Pil-Joo can manipulate colossal sums of money at will and make himself look good to the grandfather commanding the empire and Boo-Cheon's mother, Jung Mal-Ran.

Jung Mal-Ran blindly trusts his son's friend, with the sole purpose of his inheriting Cheong A. By skilfully leading the boat, nothing is impossible for these two and even less, romantic relationships serving to establish power. Na Mo-Hyun will unfortunately pay the price, letting himself be conquered by Boo-Cheon, who follows Pil-Joo's tactics. It must be said that this piece is crucial in the chances of succession, Father Na Gi-Cheol being the future president!

The story is set up rather slowly, but the situations, manipulations and reversals fascinate us. We discover a family divided into several pieces living for money and multiplying blackmail to inherit it.

A stunning quartet

After setting the story, it's time for the main protagonists. The actor playing Pil-Joo, clearly bewitched us in his way of moving and forming one with his character. The man has, therefore, several facets very well worked and he has also carved an impassive mask to avoid any superfluous emotion. Thus, his role is at the same time mysterious, aggressive and passionate !

As for Boo-Cheon, the character lacks charisma, making him very bland in the eyes of the public. The choices he makes are clearly not up to a future heir, accumulating too many weaknesses and support. This one takes on more character in the last part of the series, but it's a bit late.

So we come to our first heroine, Mo-Hyun. The actress was able to transcribe a living and confident woman, at least at first. Since subsequently, her change of personality seemed inadequate to us since she enters the closed circle of Jang. Her relationship with the two men accumulates missteps, partly due to the script leaving little room for romance.

In order to complete this trio, Mal-Ran offers us with Pil-Joo, a couple whose alchemy is palpable without doing too much and remaining in the visual. The daughter-in-law of the Jang family proves to be a great strategist and a seasoned calculator. We were charmed by their common scenes revealing themselves of great sensuality and sowing doubt in this professional relationship so ambiguous.

Immersion in a wealthy family

The universe of the story plunges us into a heavy, dark and above all oppressive atmosphere with its characters in search of their place in the family system. The scenario does not offer us two or three camps, but several stories to complicate the plot. If on the one hand the competition between Mal-Ran opposing his brother-in-law Jang Sung-Man rages, Jang KooHwan (the grandfather) is not fooled! In addition, Pil-Joo intends to take advantage of this just like Yoon Seo-Won (the ex-of Boo-Cheon) or Gi-Cheol…

The sets and especially the traditional family home of the Jang, are beautiful, the natural landscapes are so well filmed that one would believe it. In addition, the wardrobe of the characters is impressive: we feel luxury and wealth. The musical themes are well brought, playing on piano and violin sounds, both minimalist or more pronounced. Although the topic is focused on legacy, the presence of the political realm is also interesting in this quest to find voices to become powerful.

It is therefore a shame that the series stretches over so many episodes, reinforcing a feeling of length that could have gained depth. The conflict of generations is appreciable although the scheme is modeled on that of the king, having all power over his subjects. Nevertheless, it remains a good series behind the scenes of a current social phenomenon, with its share of fiction and truth cleverly concealed!

Money Flower is a Korean drama that, like a good wine, takes time to settle, but expands as events unfold. An entertaining journey that will appeal to consumers of revenge and manipulation. To be continued on Dramapassion !

Money Flower trailer:

https://youtu.be/N_sLwUdhQvY