A dark and layered tale about love, lies, and legacy – with just a bit too much story for its own good

TV Drama Name: Flower Of Evil

Where To Watch: Netflix OR Rakuten Viki ← *Click for direct link*

Average Rating: 9.1/10 (My Drama List)

My Rating: 7.0/10

One Sentence Description: Between fake identities, serial killers, and buried traumas, this drama delivers a packed plot — just not always at the right pace.

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Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

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*Want a more detailed description? click here!*

Simple Description

This is the story of a man married to a detective who keeps investigating crimes that always seem to point back to him — all while he hides his true identity and runs from a dark past.

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The Review

The Good

Suspense On Suspense On Suspense

This show was thriller galore! Every time the story jumped to a new case, it was so engaging. First, we had the little boy’s case, then the taxi driver, and finally, the serial killer. Usually, when dramas juggle multiple storylines like this, it turns into a messy disaster. But Flower of Evil? Pulled it off flawlessly.

I think the key was that, aside from the little boy’s arc, all the cases ended up being connected, making every twist feel intentional rather than random. The pacing was so well thought out — every moment kept us hooked while gradually transitioning into the next big reveal.

Real Hee Sung… A Menace

Let’s talk about the real Hee Sung — because his acting was insane. He was intimidating, ruthless, and so calculating. His ability to pin the blame on Hyun Soo with the housekeeper? Genius.
The moment he stabbed Hae Soo? Completely unhinged. And with the child there?! That whole scene had me on edge. Every actor did a fantastic job, but he really stole the show for me.

A surprisingly wholesome love story (minus, you know… the crime)

I loved that Hyun Soo and Ji Won were genuinely in love. Their family dynamic was so sweet, and it was refreshing to see a K-drama couple that wasn’t secretly miserable or hiding petty resentment (outside the whole serial killer thing, obviously).

Watching Ji Won battle her feelings as a detective vs. her love for Hyun Soo was so compelling. And the fact that they kind of worked together to uncover his true emotions? Heartwarming. I liked seeing him realize he did love her — it gave their relationship more emotional weight.

The portrayal of antisocial personality disorder was really solid

Okay, I’m no psychologist, but I think they handled the antisocial personality aspect really well. His subtle shifts in facial expressions when people looked away? Chilling. The performance was so good, I found myself fascinated just watching him exist. I love stories that explore the complexity of the mind, and seeing a layer of mental health representation woven into this thriller made it even better. It added a layer of complexity that made the story even more gripping, and honestly, it made his journey feel way more human.

The Bad

Dragged Out — Especially Towards the End

As much as I loved the suspense, there were definitely some dull moments, particularly near the end. If a show could function perfectly fine without a full hour-long finale, did it really need to be there?

Don’t get me wrong — the last episode tied everything up, but honestly? They could’ve easily folded those scenes into the previous episode instead of stretching things out. I watched this a while ago, and I remember having to force myself to finish it — not because it was bad, but because it was dragging. A little cutting here and there definitely wouldn’t have hurt, and in my opinion, would’ve made for a tighter, more engaging ending.

I think my biggest issue was just expectations. When a show is highly rated/recommended, I tend to hype it up too much, expecting flawless storytelling — but this made me realize maybe I set the bar too high. It was good, but there were definitely noticeable slow parts too. Maybe it was the whole Hyun Soo and Hee Sung accomplice thing dragging on way longer than necessary — I’m still not totally sure.

Also, fun fact: Despite Flower of Evil being 16 episodes long, my description of the show is noticeably shorter than my other reviews (or maybe you didn’t even notice, haha). Why? Not because I forgot anything, but because a lot of scenes felt irrelevant to the main plot. The fact that — even with cutting parts out — I still covered the entire premise of the drama says a lot. So while the show had solid suspense, some of the supposedly thrilling moments didn’t actually contribute much to the overall story. That’s what brought my review down a bunch.

They Made Him Seem Like the Bad Guy — But He Wasn’t

Look, I love a good fake-out — the kind where the story has us side-eyeing someone only to flip the script. But here? It felt excessive. Hyun Soo didn’t just look like the bad guy — he acted like one. I mean, tying someone up in your basement and trying to force pills down their throat when they ask a question you don’t like, isn’t exactly giving “wrongly accused soft boy.” The show wasn’t hinting at him being guilty — it was straight-up telling us he was the killer, only to swerve at the last second and say, “Surprise, he’s completely innocent!” It was frustrating because they made it seem like he had to be the culprit. So when it turned out he was totally innocent, it felt more like a letdown than a twist.

Like — If he truly didn’t hurt anyone, why did he act like a full-on villain for half the show? If the drama was going to frame him as guilty, they should’ve at least made him guilty of something — otherwise, his actions don’t really make sense in hindsight.

She Burned. The. Cassette

Not gonna lie, this was the moment Ji Won lost me. I get she was heartbroken, betrayed, spiraling — all of it. But burning the cassette? That wasn’t some memento of their relationship. That was the only recording of his mother’s voice. His dead mother. And she just threw it in the fire out of spite. I kept waiting for her to yank it back out at the last second, but nope — she really said, “Let me destroy the one thing that gave you comfort in this world.”

That was cold. Like, next-level petty. If she had burned her ring or photos of them, fine. Cathartic breakup rage. But this? This was a punch in the gut, and I still haven’t forgiven her for it.

Why Did Hae Soo Let Him Live Like That for YEARS?

One thing I still can’t wrap my head around: why did Hae Soo let Hyun Soo live as a fugitive all those years? She clearly cared about him when they were younger, so it doesn’t make sense that she let him take the fall for something he didn’t do — especially when she knew the truth the whole time. I get that she had trauma, too. But even if she couldn’t face things for herself, why not do it for him? Instead, it felt like she chose lifelong guilt over taking any real action to protect her brother. I honestly don’t believe she would’ve spoken up if none of the whole serial killer thing came back and she wasn’t kind of put in a corner. It’s like she was ready to have him live like that for life, while he had to keep running from a past that wasn’t even his fault. (Glad she got justice, though.)

Why Was Hyun Soo Adopted? Of ALL People??

The entire “fake identity” plot only made less sense the more I thought about it. Like… why would this powerful family choose to adopt the son of a notorious serial killer to impersonate their comatose child? Mind you, he was also the boy who their real son hit with his car AND actively tried to bury alive.

And not just that, but their actual son was the accomplice to said serial killer.

They made their lives SO much harder. Hyun Soo didn’t even know Hee Sung was the accomplice, so the whole setup just felt like plot convenience at its best — and when you really think about it, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. All risk, zero reason.

He Lost His Memory at the End… Why?

I have a soft spot for drama — obviously — but Hyun Soo losing his memory at the end felt like pure filler. It didn’t add anything meaningful to the story, and in fact, it robbed us of closure. After everything he went through — clearing his name, his emotional journey with Ji Won, facing his trauma — we’re supposed to accept that he doesn’t remember any of it? That he finally earned peace, only to lose the memories that gave it meaning? Harsh. Honestly, he deserved at least one full win. And while technically he did, he didn’t even remember it. The ending just didn’t hit the same, and It only left me feeling the same kind of pity for him as I did throughout the show.

Ji Won Gave Up on Hyun Soo?! LOLL

This one made me chuckle — but like, in a sad way. Ji Won really went through everything with Hyun Soo, risked her job, almost died multiple times… and then was ready to bounce to Busan the moment he lost his memory? I get it, she was probably done emotionally, but it just felt off. Hyun Soo giving the ring back made sense — he had no memory of her. But she still remembered everything. She knew how much he suffered, how isolated he was. So to be ready to leave him behind right when he needed her most? It didn’t sit right. If there was more depth to her decision, I’d be more understanding. But the drama didn’t really sell that idea, so I’m not gonna read between the lines for hidden meaning that wasn’t there. So, yeah… it was giving “I tried” energy, but also “girl what?”

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What I Would Do

Honestly… Nothing

Don’t get me wrong — this show had its flaws. But when it comes to what I’d actually change, there’s not much I’d touch. The biggest fix? Trim the fat. A tighter 12–14 episode run would’ve done wonders. It’s one of those dramas that didn’t really need the full 16 episodes, and you could definitely feel the filler in places. I don’t know why some dramas insist on stretching things out when they don’t actually have enough content to justify the full episode count.

A lot of scenes felt like they were just there to fill time, and it was noticeable.

I’m not going too deep into this, though, because Flower of Evil wasn’t one of my favorites — or one of those shows that made me pause mid-episode just to rant to myself. It didn’t make me overly emotional or inspired a list of rewrites in my head. It was good, entertaining, a little flawed — and that’s okay.

Some dramas do that to me — but this just wasn’t one of them.

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Final Thoughts

Honestly, my “What I Would Do” section already sums up most of my feelings, but let’s piggyback off that a little.

This show was really good when it was good. The suspense, the twists, the acting — top-tier. But when it dropped from mountain-high excitement to deep-sea slow, it was painfully obvious. And what’s worse about that? It makes those boring moments feel even duller than they probably actually were. I get that shows need slower parts to give context and build up to the next big thing, but there’s a fine line between slowing down for effect and slowing down to a near-complete stop.

Unfortunately, those dragged-out moments ended up sticking with me more than the parts that had me on the edge of my seat. The emotional whiplash just didn’t balance out in the long run — which is a shame because when Flower of Evil was thrilling, it was REALLY thrilling.

At the end of the day, I get why people loved this show. If you’re into thrillers, twists, and a touch of psychological intrigue, this drama has a lot to offer.

I think the issue for me is — and this is coming from a professional reviewer (lol) — once you start analyzing things for a review, it’s hard to unsee the cracks. When I first watched it, I really liked it. But the more I thought about it, the more I noticed how imperfect it really was.

So my advice? Don’t review it. Just watch it, enjoy the ride, and let the twists twist without looking too hard at the seams.

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What did you think? Did you like it as much as everyone else or did this review make you realize things you didn’t realize before- if so, oops.

I feel like I’ve been reviewing a lot of serious dramas lately, so I think next week, I’ll review a happier drama — so stay tuned!

See you next week!💕