[K-DRAMA] Two Weeks (2013)

warning: may contain spoilers

“Everyone has at least one story that they can’t tell others.”

Jang Tae San is a gangster and lived a meaningless life. He fell in love with Seo In Hye and she got pregnant. He was preparing to leave the gang, but he was blackmailed by his boss, Moon Il Suk. He needs to claim Moon Il Suk’s charge and go to jail instead of his boss. If not, Moon Il Suk will kill In Hye. Having no choice, Tae San broke up with In Hye and told her to abort the child. Eight years have passed and he got out of jail. One day, In Hye paid him a visit and told him about their child, Soo Jin, that she didn’t abort Soo Jin after all and she is suffering from leukaemia. She needed a donor for bone marrow transplant. Tae San agreed to take a blood test and found out that he is a match. The surgery is scheduled to take place in two weeks. That same day, Tae San was framed by Moon Il Suk again and he was falsely charged for murder. Seeing that the jail is not a safe place to stay, he determines to save his life, as well as his daughter’s life by escaping and go into hiding. Two Weeks is a drama that takes place in two weeks. Will he survive two weeks of hiding in order to save his and his daughter’s life?

The plot is very simple and the story is easy to follow. I can’t say that the script is perfect; I know there are loopholes as well. Furthermore, I find many scenes really ridiculous. During the first few episodes when Tae San was on the run. There were many instances that the police already saw him. Tae San was even right in front of Detective Im’s eyes yet he couldn’t catch him. Like many action dramas, the police are really nothing and they’re always one step behind. One funny scene for me was when Tae San hid in a sand truck, covering himself with sand. But how could he breathe? Yes, by using a straw. A bright coloured straw. I think it was funny, cool and at the same time stupid. How could the police not see the straw? When Tae San was also escaping, he rode a motorcycle with his hands handcuffed. That’s similar to riding a motorcycle with one hand. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, but is it possible to technically use one hand only? Also, all throughout the time, they were looking for the camera which has the secrets of Moon Il Suk. When Tae San was finally able to obtain the camera, it ended up being in the killer’s hands. And poof!, the camera became useless and nothing. Also, it’s quite impossible for Tae San to avoid getting infection for the surgery. After all those running, jumping, bumping, and he even got hit by a bullet, I’m sure he’ll end up with bruises and scratches in real life. Complaints aside, I loved the scenes when Soo Jin and Tae San met, especially during the time when she greeted him a happy birthday. I was deeply moved and found that scene especially touching. I also liked the fact that this drama doesn’t focus on romance and comedy, but it’s really action. There’s no cheesy scenes between couples, but more of a father-daughter relationship. Overall, it was very entertaining for me. Despite of all my rants, I didn’t feel bored with this drama but I kept on going on as I was curious on how will it end. The last few episodes were really intense, especially when Soo Jin and Moon Il Suk were playing hide and seek. You’ll never be disappointed with the ending too. ^^

Characters:

Lee Jun Ki as Jang Tae San — The last time I’ve watched Lee Jun Ki was in My Girl and that was ages ago. I can definitely say that he suits action genre dramas the best. His portrayal of Jang Tae San was beyond my expectations. He can do well in action/running scenes, and also emotional/crying scenes. Not exactly your best and cunning fugitive around, but hey, at least he managed to survive! I surely missed Lee Jun Ki in my list of best Korean actors, but I’m confident he’ll reach there in time. I’m definitely going to make some time to watch his past dramas like Time Between Dog and Wolf, and Arang and the Magistrate.

Kim So Yeon as Park Jae Kyung — I’m not sure whether she should be the female lead, since she had no love interest with Jang Tae San. I loved Kim So Yeon in IRIS, but I have doubts in her in this drama. I noticed that she was a little overacting in the first few episodes, or is it just me? Regardless of this, I’m still happy to see her take a role similar to IRIS. A tomboyish kind of role; I can’t think of another actress who could do better like her, and she suits short hair as well.

Ryu Soo Young as Im Seung Woo — Last time I saw Ryu Soo Young was in My Princess where he portrayed a cute college professor. I kind of got annoyed with him in that drama, but definitely not in Two Weeks! I’m sure it has something to do with his hairstyle, clothes, and his role as a detective. I just find him super attractive in this drama as Im Seung Woo. I also liked his interactions with Soo Jin; he really showed his father figure. Thumbs up for his performance in this drama!

Park Ha Sun as Seo In Hye — I haven’t seen Park Ha Sun in any other dramas. Not really the prettiest actress around, and not with the best acting skills. I felt that she was also a little overacting in the first few episodes. There’s also a scene where she fell on her knees when she heard a bad news. Oh, it’s not a nice fall though. I think she has a lot of improvements to make. Also, I’ve noticed that her face was really really thin during the first few episodes, but then at the last episode, I remembered that her face became normal, and not that anorexic kind of face.

Kim Hye Ok as Jo Seo Hee — She was a familiar mother and then I remembered that I’ve seen her in Dr. Jin and Scent of Woman. She portrayed weak mothers back then, but in this drama, it was totally different.. I was not used in seeing her act as a strong woman, what more a senator/politician. I loved how she portrayed her character though. Jo Seo Hee was two faced; she gives sponsorships to students, a representative of the women’s group, and she smiles a lot. But nobody knows that she’s also a corrupt politician. A bit overacting though especially when she gets mad..

Jo Min Ki as Moon Il Suk — The main villain in this drama, but I couldn’t say that he’s as evil as other villain in other dramas. This villain is a little dumb, in my opinion, as he always needs to have Senator Jo and Mr. Kim (the killer) as his back-up. Couldn’t he think of a better alibi and other solutions? Anyway, acting wise, Jo Min Ki portrayed Moon Il Suk well and fine. No other comments..

Lee Chae Mi as Soo Jin — Super cute and adorable girl! I thought that she was too smart for an 8 year old child. I mean her lines were long enough, yet she could deliver her lines in a cute and natural way. Every time she meets with her father, it just melts me and I find it really touching. This child actress has potential indeed!

Music:

The soundtrack isn’t that strong for me since the songs weren’t all memorable for me. My ultimate favourite track though is the opening theme, “Run” by Nell. I first heard this song during the first episode and first scene. I instantly got hooked by this song especially on its intro. The song sounds like an idol group’s song with its catchy tune. It can fall under the genre of pop, hip-hop and rock, in my opinion. What’s best is that it suits this action drama. Another song is called “Don’t Cry, My Love” by The One. I’m sure many are familiar with The One, and I liked many of his songs in other dramas. However, sad to say, this song wasn’t as addictive and popular as his other songs. I like this song by Yoo Seung Woo entitled ‘The Day You Come”. It’s very soothing and relaxing with the guitar strums, and also the whistling part. “Turning” by TOXIC has a similar vibe to the opening theme. “Heart Hit” by Kim Bo Kyung is a nice ballad track and it’s a good background song for an emotional scene. Its acoustic version is equally beautiful to its original version.

***ENDING SPOILER***

I really liked the ending particularly the last episode since the culprits have been caught and they were all sent to jail. This made the story focus on the love triangle and Soo Jin’s relationship among Seung Woo Ajusshi and Tae San Appa. I love the fact that Soo Jin takes care of her Ajusshi in spite of seeing his father again. Both Seung Woo and Tae San were also pushing In Hye to each other. I mean, they were willing to give up their relationship with In Hye for the other person even if they ail be sad and hurt. A very open-ended ending it is, but it was really good to end it that way. They all need time after all. It kind of give hope to second male lead fans; that there’s a chance for Seung Woo to be together with In Hye right? If not, I’ll be heartbroken -_- He doesn’t deserve to be a pitiful guy and he definitely deserves to be happy since he took really great care of Soo Ji and In Hye.

***END OF SPOILER***

Two Weeks deserved higher ratings and popularity. This drama aired at the same time with Master’s Sun. Although both dramas are good in their own ways, Two Weeks is geared towards those action genre fans and it’s not a typical romantic comedy drama. As the title of the drama goes, everything happens in two weeks so it’s very fast paced. There’s no time for fun and leisure. This is one of the reason why I got hooked especially during the last few episodes; I was thrilled and was excited on what will happen by the end of two weeks. Although this isn’t my best and favourite action genre drama, I was still entertained and because I’m a bit biased on action genre dramas. If you’re really looking for a thrilling heavy action genre Korean drama, I recommend Heartless City; and I made a review of that drama too. 🙂

Rating: 8/10