Spoiler Alert: This includes spoilers for the plot and Episode 1.
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| 'The Escape of the Seven' Episode 1 Recap and Review |
September 2018. Everything starts when a birth mother comes looking for her daughter. Bang Dami (Jeong La-el), who grew up under her adoptive parents' care, sees her life take a twisted turn as her birth mother returns. Initially, Dami dreams of a happy life under her wealthy birth mother's care, but reality takes a different course from the very beginning, hinting at the dual nature of her birth mother Geum Ra-hee (Hwang Jung-eum).
In reality, there's a reason why Ra-hee, the CEO of the drama production company, sought out Dami again. She needed substantial funds for her new drama production, and she hoped to get investment from Chairman Bang Chil-sung through her estranged daughter Ra-hee who is his granddaughter. However, standing next to Chairman Bang is his girlfriend, Cha Ju-ran (Eun-kyung), who has no intention of letting Ra-hee take away the assets from Chairman Bang.
Meanwhile, at a welcome party for the new actor Cho Su-ji, Yang Jin-mo (Yoon Jong-hoon), the CEO of Cherry Entertainment, is attacked by a knife by gangsters. In truth, it was all a setup orchestrated by Jin-mo with Min Do-hyuk(Lee Jun) to frame it as the work of Kang Ki-tak (Yoon Tae-young), the CEO of Taebaek Entertainment. Ki-tak is subsequently arrested in an emergency. However, Do-hyuk, who hasn't received his money, goes to find Jin-mo. Summary below omitted.
From a perspective of the law of conservation of energy, the initial episode of 'The Escape of the Seven' is filled with antagonists' roars that overflow with scenes that could tire and push away the audience. Combined with the exaggerated and overly emotional acting of the cast, along with the enthusiastic sound effects, it feels like the drama jumps right into the story without much initial buildup. It's a situation where it seems like troublesome drama queens from various dramas have been brought together in one work. And these arrows of antagonism are particularly directed at one person, Dami.
At the beginning of the drama, 'The Escape of the Seven' portrays the desperate escape process of people gathered on an island. They are seven villains related to the disappearance of a young girl. Will they be able to escape as the title suggests? The sudden thought that came to mind was that it was like the Korean version of 'Lost,' a survival drama. What kind of survival drama will it be from Kim Soon-ok, the master of Makjang dramas? Since it's still in the early episode, the focus is currently on Dami, who is going through hardships before her disappearance. But the survival process on the island, especially after the disappearance, is a particularly intriguing element. Season 1 has a substantial length with 17 episodes, and Season 2 is also planned, so there is a lot of anticipation for what story will unfold.
Behind the TV show
'The Escape of the Seven,' an SBS crime thriller drama, premiered on Friday, September 15, 2023, at 10:00 PM. It airs every Friday and Saturday and is also available for streaming on Wavve (South Korea OTT) and Coupangplay (South Korea OTT). This series consists of a total of 17 episodes and is directed by Joo Dong-min and Oh Jun-hyuk, with the screenplay written by Kim Soon-ok, known for 'Penthouse.' The viewership rating started at 6.0% for the first episode, which aired on September 15th, according to Nielsen Korea's nationwide calculations.
Cast
Um Ki-jun (tvN's Little Women) plays the role of Matthew Lee. Hwang Jung-eum (KBS2's Men Are Men) portrays Geum Ra-hee. Lee Joon (KBS2's Bloody Heart) takes on the character of Min Do-hyuk. Lee Yu-bi (tvN's Yumi's Cells) is cast as Han Mo-ne. Shin Eun-kyung (SBS's Penthouse) plays Cha Ju-ran. Yoon Jong-hoon (tvN's Shooting Stars) portrays Yang Jin-mo. Jo Yun-hee (KBS's Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life) takes on the role of Go Myung-ji. Jo Jae-yoon (ENA's Unlock My Boss) plays Nam Chul-woo. Lee Deok-hwa (Stealer: The Treasure Keeper) portrays Bang Chil-sung. Yoon Tae-young (MBC's Diary of a Night Watchman) is cast as Kang Ki-tak. Jung Ra-el (Disney's Kiss Six Sense) plays the character of Bang Da-mi.
