Hierarchy Review: From Promising Thriller to Plotless Disaster

Built up a mastermind plot just to hand the wheel to romance and drive straight into mediocrity.

Korean Drama Name: 하이라키 (Hierarchy)

Where To Watch: Netflix ← *Click for direct link*

Average Rating: 6.9/10 (MyDramaList)

My Rating: 1.0/10

One Sentence Description: A story about power, corruption, and secrets—except the secrets weren’t that deep, and the power struggles weren’t that intense.

Trailer:

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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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Simple Description

Hierarchy is about a guy who transfers to a school for the ultra-wealthy to get revenge for his dead brother… only for him to forget why he’s even there and fall for the girl who’s lowkey to blame. 

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⚠️Length Note: This post includes a detailed (and long) story breakdown. Want to skip straight to the review? Jump to the Review

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The Review

The Good

It was short

I genuinely struggled to find anything I truly enjoyed about this show. In the end, the main reason I finished it was simply because it only had seven episodes. At least it didn’t force unnecessary filler just to stretch the runtime. That being said, even though it was short, the pacing still felt slow—though I suspect that had less to do with episode count and more to do with the fact that I just didn’t enjoy the show overall.

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The Bad

Where do I even begin?

Plot? What Plot?

This show felt aimless. The pacing dragged because the story couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Was it about Kang Ha’s dead brother? Jae I’s unresolved trauma? Ri An’s mommy issues? Woo Jin’s weird relationship with his teacher? He Ra’s financial struggles? It kept shifting focus so many times that the main plot got completely lost in the shuffle.

Sure, it all sort of connected in the end, but the middle was a mess. Too much screen time was wasted on subplots that didn’t matter. Jae I’s storyline was especially boring. Her father issues were overdone, and her conflicts with Ri An and He Ra got boring fast. Meanwhile, the one character who should’ve been driving the story, Kang Ha, was just standing around. 

Instead of watching him put clues together or outsmart his enemies, we got emotional chaos that didn’t serve the central mystery. They should have spent more episodes developing Kang Ha’s investigation which was the actual point of the show.

A Revenge Plan With No Plan

I went into this show thinking Kang Ha was going to be this genius transfer student—someone with a master plan to expose the privileged kids and uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. I was expecting a sharp, calculated revenge plot where he infiltrates the school, plays mind games, and slowly dismantles the toxic system from the inside out.

Instead, none of that happened.

Rather than executing a clever strategy, Kang Ha spent most of the show playing boyfriend and getting lost in pointless drama. He said he was going to get under Ri An’s skin to uncover the truth and once he did, that was it. No step two. No strategy. No sense of direction. Just vibes.

To make it worse, he didn’t even discover anything himself. The only investigative move he made was getting the pills in Ri An’s locker checked, which led to zero follow-up. No sneaking around, no deep digging, nothing. Everything he should have uncovered was handed to him by Joo Won, who actually did the work.

And then, at the very end, he swoops in acting like he’s the mastermind who pieced everything together. Boy, bye.

Romantic Detour? Seriously?

How was Kang Ha so ready to throw away his mission for someone who was a bystander—a direct reason his brother suffered so much?

His whole downfall started because Jae I smiled at a dog. That was it. From that moment on, his entire reason for coming to the school started fading into the background, and suddenly, she was off-limits in his revenge plan. He was supposed to see everyone as a suspect, but she pets a dog and suddenly she’s innocent? She rides his bike a few times and he’s in love? Please. 

Even worse, when she admits to being complicit and part of the problem, he still wants to protect her. He was willing to keep her name out of everything, despite knowing full well that she let things happen.

Overhyped Villainy That Wasn’t There

Let me start by saying, bullying is terrible and In Han was treated horribly. But the show oversold how bad things actually were. I expected the main four to be actively hunting scholarship kids for sport, torturing them for fun, or at the very least, getting their hands dirty. Instead? They were mostly bystanders, never directly involved beyond standing around watching.

And then we find out In Han’s death was a total accident caused by a teacher trying to cover up her inappropriate relationship. Like… huh? I thought he was going to be chased down by bullies in a car or something dramatic. Instead, it was a clumsy cover-up gone wrong. His death felt rushed, random, and frankly lazy.

Yes, it was still tragic, and yes, he suffered. But compared to how dark the show implied it would be, it just didn’t land. Honestly, it would’ve been way more compelling if scholarship students were mysteriously disappearing and Kang Ha was the only one trying to uncover the truth. But what we got was one accidental death and a bunch of kids who weren’t as evil as advertised.

Like I thought this was Elite Korean Edition, not “Oops, he died.”

The Dead Brother? Barely a Priority.

I really can’t stress this enough how much the show did not turn out like it implied.

And apparently, I wasn’t the only one let down. Tons of reviews rated this under 4 stars (out of ten), and honestly? I get it. The show didn’t deliver on what it promised. Kang Ha wasn’t the strategic avenger we were led to expect. The first few episodes set up the main four as untouchable villains, yet in reality, they were just bystanders like everyone else at the school. Ri An was the most at fault, but in the end, none of them actually killed In Han.

If Kang Ha had actually investigated his brother’s death, if Jae I’s storyline hadn’t overshadowed the main plot, if they cut the filler and focused on Kang Ha’s mission, the reception would have been way better.

What’s crazy is that In Han’s death plot took a backseat, even for Kang Ha, which was supposed to be his entire reason for being at the school.

In hindsight, it makes sense that Jae I is the one front and centre on the poster while Kang Ha & Co are shoved in the back. This wasn’t his story. It was hers. And that bait-and-switch was a huge letdown.

Jae I Was Annoying

Did anyone else feel like Jae I was constantly playing the victim?

She acted like she deserved comfort over In Han’s death, as if she had no power to stop what happened. It was frustrating that she openly admitted that he was bullied because of his association with her, yet she kept pulling Kang Ha into her orbit with zero hesitation. Make it make sense.

And when she finally confessed to killing In Han, it felt less like accountability and more like “tell me it’s not my fault”. Let’s be real, the only reason she spoke up was because she was being blackmailed. Where was this righteous energy when In Han was still alive? Had she never been exposed or blackmailed, she likely would have buried the truth just like everyone else and simply sworn to do better next time.

And don’t forget, Ri An’s lackeys were the ones actively bullying In Han, and Ri An was obsessed with Jae I. If she had told him to make them stop, he would have immediately listened. She had so much influence over him but never used it to help her own friend. And yes, In Han was her actual friend, not just some random student.

It’s already bad enough when someone stands by and watches bullying happen, but when it’s your own friend getting beaten daily? And you choose not to intervene? Especially when you can stop it at any point? That’s unforgivable. She stood there, day after day, letting him get harassed, and then played the victim when it came back around. 

Jae I wasn’t just a bad friend to In Han, she was also a horrible friend to He Ra. When He Ra asked if Jae I ever considered them friends, her frustration made complete sense. Jae I ghosted her for three months, never telling her where she went or what was going on. Then, after months of silence, she suddenly shows up and starts barking orders like she never left. And somehow, she never told He Ra about her pregnancy but did tell a random guy who showed up a month ago. She really treated He Ra like a sidekick, only calling her a “friend” when it was convenient for her.

Jae I’s Emotional Plot Twist That Wasn’t

This part didn’t fit up top, but it was too annoying to leave out. Let’s talk about Jae I’s sudden 180. For most of the show, Jae I treated Ri An like an annoying ex who couldn’t take a hint  and constantly acted like she didn’t care and wanted nothing to do with him.

And then suddenly, she’ll do anything for him?

For most of the drama, she stared at him with a deadpan expression, talked to him like he was a pest, and barely tolerated his presence. But then suddenly we’re supposed to believe she cares deeply and is in pain? That she was trying to protect him the whole time? Girl, what?

The issue wasn’t just the inconsistency, but the fact that she showed little to no emotion throughout the show, making the sudden change hard to believe.  If we saw her struggling more: visibly torn or emotionally conflicted, it would’ve added some weight. But because she delivered everything with that same blank face and emotionless voice, the twist didn’t land. It just felt like another forced drama moment that expected us to feel something they didn’t bother building up.

It wasn’t a shocking reveal, it was just confusing and unearned. 

Kang Ha: The Walking Plot Device

Few things annoy me more than obvious main character energy, and Kang Ha was the prime example.

He was some random kid who showed up and single-handedly changed everything, despite having no real plan. He walked around like he owned the school, like he had everyone wrapped around his finger, but the reality? He had nothing but vibes and a vendetta. 

The most convenient moment? Flirting a little, acting smug and then magically stumbling upon a hard drive with everything he needed to take down the elites.

Okay… sure.

Then, after all of that, we get a pointless after-credits scene where a guy is dead, Kang Ha walking around smiling and acting like he just pulled off some brilliant victory like he didn’t do the bare minimum the entire time.

Please.

Plot Convenience: Activated

And real quick, how did Kang Ha even figure out Joo Won was blackmailing Jae I? He just showed up at the party fully in the know. Like… what? Did I miss a whole investigation montage? Or was that just another lazy plot convenience? I’m voting the latter.

Empty Threats and Plot Armour Galore

How were we supposed to feel intimidated when every threat in this show was completely hollow? Kang Ha spent the series acting defiant but none of the power players ever followed through on their warnings. Ri An’s minions? They literally beat In Han to the ground over a stained shirt, but somehow, Kang Ha—who made out with Jae I, constantly provoked Ri An, and walked around being smug—never got attacked once. At the very least, they could have had Kang Ha fight back in an attempted attack to justify why they never tried anything again. But no, everyone kept throwing threats around, yet nothing ever happened. 

Kang Ha was a nuisance, yet everyone seemed too afraid to put him in his place. Why?

What Character Development?

Let’s be honest: the only person who even slightly grew was He Ra and that’s mostly because she wore an H&M dress. Everyone else stayed flat. Jae I in particular was the exact same the entire time. No evolution. No visible shift.

It was especially confusing because all her flashbacks show her laughing, smiling, and acting like a whole person. But in the present, she’s just emotionally shut down 24/7? We should’ve seen more of her breaking free emotionally, especially with her strained relationship with her dad shifting. But nothing changed. Her character arc had all the movement of a parked car.

Kang Ha’s Nonexistent Outside Life

This might’ve flown under the radar, but it really bothered me: for a show that centres Kang Ha, we know absolutely nothing about him outside of school. We get full-on family drama, trauma, and background scenes for everyone else—Jae I, He Ra, Woo Jin, Ri An… even Joo Won. But Kang Ha? Nothing.

He lives with his uncle, but where are his parents? What’s his home life like? Why would any guardian let him enroll in the same school where his brother literally died? Also, how did he win a scholarship to a prestigious institution in like three months? That kind of thing would’ve been nice to know. Maybe even relevant.

The only time we see him outside of school is when he’s working at the market and that scene was only included because Jae I happened to be there. Otherwise, he doesn’t exist beyond the gates of the school. For a character with so much supposed depth, we sure got served the shallowest version of him possible.

Ri An: Discount Villain with Mommy Issues

When I found out Ri An was supposed to be the bad boy, I nearly lost it.

In what world was he a bad boy? He spent half the show whining about his mommy issues, desperate for her attention. He never actually did anything bad himself. He just barked orders at his minions while pining over Jae I. That’s not a villain, that’s a sad little prince with abandonment issues.

He Ra and Her Pointless Love Life

What was the freshman kid even doing in this show? That random one-night stand scene made it seem like he was going to matter, but he didn’t. His existence was completely pointless and never added anything to the plot.

Then there was Woo Jin, who liked He Ra but never told her. And what was the point of that? His feelings never led anywhere, and by the end of the show, they didn’t even get together. What purpose did his crush serve? Absolutely none.

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What I Would do

A Darker, More Twisted Truth

Since the show set up In Han’s death as something horrifically sinister, I’d lean fully into that. Everything else I’d change builds off this being the actual plot, so keep that in mind.

First off, In Han’s death wouldn’t have been some random accident. The car crash can stay, but the events that led to it? Way darker.

In my version, In Han was running but not from one shady teacher or vague bullying, but from the main four themselves. What was he running from?

A secret underground fighting ring.

The truth would be that the main four run a brutal fight club, where scholarship students are forced to battle each other, endure humiliating or near-impossible challenges, or if they refuse, get thrown into a 1 vs. 6 or 7 nightmare.

While the focus would be on forcing guys and (a few) girls to fight, non-fighters and the other girls wouldn’t be let off easily. They’d be turned into servants, expected to follow orders, and obey the elites without question.

After one of these fights or tasks goes too far, In Han manages to escape. Word spreads fast and instead of panicking, the main four treat it like a twisted game. They get in the car and start circling the area, half chasing him, half toying with him.

Then, one of two things happens:

• They actually hit him with the car, or
  
• While frantically trying to escape, In Han runs into traffic and gets hit by a different car — still 100% caused by them

Either way, the cover-up starts immediately.

The Main Four? Real Villains

Instead of just appearing shady, they would actually be the ones behind it all.

Woo Jin: The unhinged one. His obsession with money drives him, knowing that the ring brings in absurd amounts of cash. He’s reckless, but loyal to Ri An to a fault.

He Ra: The fixer. She always knows a guy to handle any problem. She’s the one who hides evidence, erases records, and finds people to make problems disappear. Just like she tracked down the hacker, she’d be the one who knows every wrong person in existence.

Ri An: The face of the operation. People would assume he’s the leader—the brain behind it all. Since every bad thing he does vanishes, he’s reckless, vicious, and violent, taking sadistic pleasure in the fights. The narrative would always be that he killed In Han, making him the prime suspect.

Jae I: Plot twist—she’s the worst one of all. Her sad, innocent act would be just that—an act. She would be the true manipulator, luring scholarship kids into believing she cares about them, earning their trust, only to betray them completely. And when it comes to In Han’s actual death? She would be the one who hit him with her car. The clues would have always been there, but no one would suspect her until the final reveal, when flashbacks expose her role in everything. 

This would transform the main four from rich kids wrapped in gossip into actual villains responsible for something truly horrific; making the mystery feel far more sinister and satisfying to unravel.

The Ultimate Mastermind

Kang Ha would finally be the brilliant strategist the show made him out to be. He wouldn’t be obviously clever. Instead, he’d play the role of an innocent, oblivious kid, masking his intelligence while subtly controlling every situation. Whenever something was exposed, the camera would catch his slight smile—a knowing smirk that reveals he was ahead all along.

Whenever people had hushed conversations, he’d either be listening behind a wall or have hidden recorders in place. Every move the others made? He was already ten steps ahead. So when he walked around acting like he had everyone in the palm of his hand, it wouldn’t be empty confidence, it’d be because he did.

He’d play Jae I at her own game. She’d try to manipulate him, trap him — only to realize too late that he had her pinned from the start. He’d of course learned all about her tricks through his brother (or he’d eventually find it out). Maybe at first, he believes her “sad girl” act. But then he uncovers a recording. Maybe he isolates a distorted voice and realizes it’s hers. That’s the turning point. From then on, the hunt begins — quietly, carefully, and ruthlessly.

And yes, Kang Ha wouldn’t just sit back, he’d be thrown into fights, strategically choosing when to act weak or dominate completely. He’d eventually be exempt from fighting (as he’d be no fun or he manipulated his way out).

Whether he pretends to be defenseless or beats down his opponents with ease, it would all be a calculated part of his plan.

Remember Jae I’s blackmail scheme? Well, everyone would be targeted.

Kang Ha would be working with Joo Won, who wouldn’t just steal files from his mom, he’d actually be an expert hacker, planting viruses and hacking into their phones to obtain the real footage.

Kang Ha wouldn’t just figure out step one, then wing the rest. Instead, he’d have a fully structured plan, something the audience only fully pieces together at the very end, during his grand reveal.

His Life Outside of School

We’d also see his personal life. He’d live with his uncle — a quiet, kind man who seems soft at first… but turns out to be the one who trained Kang Ha in secret. A major part of his strength, strategy, and self-control comes from this uncle.

But of course, this is a thriller. So in true genre fashion, the uncle would have to die.

Everyone at school would assume Kang Ha has no one. Even the principal might mention his “missing” guardian. And then it turns out — no, Kang Ha’s just hiding the most important person in his life. Until he can’t anymore.

And not just randomly, his death would have weight. Woo Jin would kill him after Kang Ha slips up, and it would completely shift Kang Ha’s mindset. It’d be the moment where his mission becomes personal, emotional, and even more dangerous.

No Romance, Please

Quick note: absolutely no real romance between Kang Ha and Jae I. If there’s anything between them, it’s manipulation — mutual, layered, and tense (The kind where the audience would ship them, because of chemistry, but it’s not part of the script). They’d both pretend to care, but never actually fall for each other. This isn’t the time for heart eyes and love triangles. Kang Ha came for revenge, not a girlfriend.

The Ending

I won’t spell out every detail, you already know where it’s headed. The final twist would flip everything on its head. The truth would hit hard. The “untouchables” would fall. And Kang Ha would walk away, not with peace, but with purpose — leaving behind a legacy of exposed secrets, shattered elites, and justice finally served.

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Final Thoughts

This was a huge letdown x1000000. This time, it wasn’t because I expected a good show going into this, but because the first two episodes set this show up for something huge. Especially with how Kang Ha carried himself. Him coming in like he was going to turn the school upside down was exciting. But seeing him be all about revenge for about two episodes, then fall in love and switch up? Took me way off guard.

The fact that the bad section of this review is longer than the actual description is awkward but also very telling. Watching the show gradually deteriorate was genuinely shocking. Like how do you take a goldmine of potential and actively dig your way out of it?

That being said, I did enjoy rewriting the entire plot—mostly because imagining a better version of this disaster was alarmingly easy. I won’t tear into it any more than I already have, so I’ll leave it here.

I usually avoid reading reviews before watching shows because I don’t like going in with bias, but for this one? I really should have.

The comments called it perfectly, and honestly? I should have trusted the collective suffering of previous viewers.

Lesson learned.

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Whew! This was a long one! Thank you for sticking around to the end! Did you like Hierarchy? let’s debate it!

Next I’m gonna review another short one (6 episodes) and it’s a new one that I don’t think many people know about, so stay tuned!!

See you next week! 💕

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