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Link: Eat, Love, Kill : Spoiler-Free Mini Review

  • Jul 19
  • 4 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Title:

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (2021)

Platform:

Disney+/Hulu

MDL & IMBDRating:

8.0 & 7.3

Genre:

Contemporary Mystery/ Romance/ Fantasy

Episode Count:

16

Parental Guidance Rating:

TV-14: Stalking, Domestic Violence, Minor Swearing (no F-Words), Murder


 For more info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20869584/parentalguide/

Starring:

Yeo Jin Goo (Hotel De Luna)

Mun Ka Young (True Beauty)

Song Deok Ha (May I Help You?)

Lee Bom So Ri (Frankly Speaking)

Kim Jin Young (Typhoon Family)

Ye Soo Jung (Spooky in Love)

RBTS Rating:

3.8/5 Stars (Mwa ha ha ha)


Synopsis:

A story about a man and woman who share the same emotional state. Eun Gye Hun is a chef who sets up a restaurant in the town where his twin sister went missing 20 years ago. He finds himself randomly experiencing emotions one day, spontaneously crying and laughing, and it turns out that they are the emotions of a woman named No Da Hyeon. @MDL



Stay Tuned: Full Review Still to Come!


Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

What is the craziest, most unhinged K-Drama you've ever watched?


You're wrong. It's this. Because finally, it has happened. A K-Drama that is so bad, it's somehow good. Someone somewhere came up with a comedy about stalking, incorporated irrelevant fantasy elements, wrote a male lead that thinks the female lead is his sister, and multiple someone’s in a boardroom proclaimed, "Yes, this is a good idea. Go forth!" This show lost its plot and I'm glad it never found it. What a ride. A true cinematic experience. Not even google maps could tell you which direction the story was going in.



I was in it to win it from episode 1 through 8, and I loved every second of the metaphorical motion sickness from the twists and turns. It was crazy. It was hilarious. It kept me guessing. At my own sanity. It slowed down a bit after episode 8, but still left me baffled until the end; The genre switches, the utter insanity of the chain of events, the comedy-- What did I watch? I don't understand, but I liked it?


What I really didn't like was the repetitive hot and cold relationship between the leads. The scruples about the relationship felt like ground hog day. The leads would resolve issues and then something else would pop up in the next scene. But you know where the real scruples are: "The Suitor or Sister?" trope. The Male Lead thinks that No Da Hyeon (Female Lead) could be his sister for a hot minute. No. Get outta here. It's not a spoiler that they aren't related, because the two are sharing Spaghetti on the poster, therefore they cannot be related. Even C-Drama's are really playing fast and loose with this trope these days.



The second lead couple had insane chemistry, while the first couple was just cute. Again, the trope really rained on my shipping parade.


I loved the insanity of the Female Lead's mother and grandmother. They are as subtle as I am. Also, points to this drama for the portrayal of stalking. K-Drama's can tend to romanticize it, but Link shows it for the terrifying reality it is.


Which takes me to the obvious question...


Why didn't the Female Lead just go to the police?

I don't know exactly what year the drama is set in, but I'm guessing 2021 as it was the year the script was written in. 2021 was significant in South Korea's legal system because the Act on Punishment of Crime Of Stalking (what a mouthful) took effect October 2021. Before the Act, there was no criminal offense for "stalking" or actionable definition of the term. Instead, it was referred to as a pattern of behavior that by default fell under the Minor Offenses Act, which came with no jail time. This meant stalkers could follow victims to different locations as long as it wasn't a "trespassed" property, could send repeated messages to their hearts content if there was no proof of an "actual" threat, and police couldn't intervene until a physical assault actually took place. Police were under no obligation or ability to remove stalkers from victims, emergency restraining orders weren't an option, and repeated behavior was treated as an isolated incident.


After several prolific stalking cases with tragic ends gained media attention, the Act was put into law allowing stalking to be treated as a criminal offense, giving victims new protections, such as an emergency protective order. In the drama, even though the Female Lead was physically attacked, with the legal outlook pre- Nov 2021 (which I'm imagining the drama is set before the Act), I can understand why she'd have reservations about the police understanding the severity of her situation. And she did try to hide a body in a fridge, which isn't a good look. And this is a K-Drama. But ultimately, the FL would have been protected by Article 21 of the South Korean Criminal Act for valid self defense. So don't hide bodies in fridges.



Acting=4 (Solid but FL had too much golden retriever energy for the role), Production Quality=3 (overused same locations, but great music), Ending= 4.5 (Don't judge me), Enjoyability= 4.25 (no lies-- it was bad, but it was good?), Would I rewatch= Yeah


Trailer:


Director: #HongJonChan (Teach You A Lesson, Mr. Plankton, Her Private Life)

Screenwriter: #KwonGiYeong (Hello Monster)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



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