'The Scandal' Netflix Review: Is Ji Chang-Wook and Nana’s Scandalous Chemistry Worth Your Time?

There is something strange about watching celebrities who have been “protected” from scandal go ahead and choose something worthy of said scandal themselves. While I’m using the word quite liberally, it’s important to note what a massive deal it is in a country like South Korea, for an A-list celebrity to put, for the lack of a better word, their honor on the line. This is not to say sensuous films haven’t existed there before; in fact it’s an industry that prides itself in making debauched content like no other. If they go for it, they go all out, The Handmaiden is a prime example. So why then would an actor like Ji Chang-Wook, at his prime, pick a show like The Scandal? What was the need for Son Ye-Jin to even be associated with a title like this one? Well, I think it’s to rewrite their own stories, and let it be known that their choices are their own.

Truth be told, the reason I bring any of this up is because I did wonder how a story like “Dangerous Liaisons” could be tampered with to be made less steamy and more emotionally damaging. Turns out, I didn’t have to think so much, because the show is a very “honorable” adaptation. So yes, if you were wondering if Nana and Ji Chang-Wook go all out, then let me tell you that they do, but is it worthy of their honor? I think so. The Scandal tells the story of cousins (yeah, I know, how typical) Cho Yun and Cho-Won, who are smitten with each other in teenhood. However, a separation of years turns their longing into something more, something way more dangerous. Cho Won grows up not believing in love, and turning into a gentleman of ill-repute, while Yun becomes a respected woman who is beloved by all. When she writes to him years later, Cho-Won comes back running, only to be pushed into a wager with her. Yun tells Cho-Won that he needs to get in bed with a recent widow who has taken a vow of chastity after the death of her husband, and then get her to write a carnal poem about the two of them. If he wins, Yun will leave with him, but if he loses, he must give her a child through the concubine of her husband. I know, it sounds very complicated, but such is the nature of the rich and powerful.

Son Ye-Jin leads this show as Lady Cho Yun, the manipulator-in-chief. She has a way with words and presents herself in an incredibly elegant manner, despite the very immodest things she writes and talks about. The contradiction is clear, and makes the drama very intriguing. In the meantime, Nana, a woman who is known for her “bold” nature in real life (the tattoo controversy in recent years being an example of her rebellion), must play a widow who knows nothing about love. She’s incredibly good at acting as if she’s fragile and weak-hearted. But the Nana we know has been alluding to the side she’s been on ever since she became famous enough to be a known face. It makes full sense that, at a time when the 4B movement (which has now become something much bigger) is bordering on mainstream, only a brave heart like her would be willing to put herself in a position to be ridiculed by men on a major platform like Netflix. 

Jung Ji-Woo is a director not new to the world of debauchery. Though I haven’t seen any of his work besides the thriller series Somebody, also on Netflix, I have heard of his infamous film Eungyo, because it was the debut film of beloved actress Kim Go-Eun, who was a mere 21-year-old acting opposite a much older actor, feeling almost Lolita-like. I did feel a sense of relief when I found out that the young actresses in The Scandal, are at least 25. But all that aside, the show presents women’s sexuality in a decent light, especially for a historical drama. It doesn’t stop its female characters from exploring their bodies and, for once, everything on screen is consensual! What a victory, isn’t it? 

The show is as much an adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons” as it is of the Korean film titled Untold Scandal. The film too adapts the French classic into a Joseon-era story, and I suppose one could say it’s more a loyal adaptation of the film rather than the book, though I haven’t read the book or watched the film, so don’t take my word for it. I have one major nit to pick about the show, and it has nothing to do with the story itself. This is the first time I found a historical drama looking more like CGI than it was really set in the Joseon era. This is specifically for the long shot scenes, where Ji Chang-Wook’s Cha-Won is walking around the Hanoks. I don’t know why the sky was brown. But apart from that, I know only that the subtitles made it seem like a man and woman being in bed together is punishment (why do they call it scolding?) for the woman, I’m not sure how well it translated to English though. 

At the end of the day, The Scandal isn’t just a show to traumatize yourself with scandal, but also a story that will not give you the satisfaction of a happy ending. Hey, it isn’t a spoiler if the story is centuries old. If you’re looking to watch something different, something a bit out of the box and visually pleasing (oh the colours are so wonderful), then The Scandal is the show for you. If you’re a massive fan of Ji Chang-Wook, he gives a career-best performance, yes, but also be ready to see a different side of him that you’re not used to (the backside). Is it a 5 star watch? No, there are some parts that get a little boring, but overall, it’s a fun show with a story where the protagonists are both terrible people. If you’re up for something like that, check out The Scandal. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.