We are used to seeing South Korea’s unique style of in-drama product placement, during which stories pause so that characters can eat, drink or douse themselves with whatever that week’s sponsors are.
My Demon took this to this nth degree, to the point that it felt like the story was unfolding in little snatches between the ads, rather than the other way around.
Commerce aside, the Christmas climax also felt fitting, as it highlighted the sheer overkill of My Demon’s trite tropes. By January we are all so thoroughly burned out on Christmas that the last thing we want are more carols and Christmas trees.
Fantasy romcoms are a staple of Korean dramas and they have been especially prominent of late. My Demon boils down the familiar elements of the genre into its most aggressively unoriginal essence. It force-feeds us lukewarm leftovers even though we are still full to bursting from the holiday feasts.
In the obligatory period flashbacks to the past lives of Do-hee (Kim) and Gu-won (Song) – when they were courtesan Wolsim and dashing nobleman Seo Yi-sun in the Joseon era (1392-1910) in Korea – we learn that they bonded over their Christian faith, which at the time was anathema to the rank and file.oseon.
Believers are beheaded by the government and Wolsim is found out partly thanks to the cross necklace given to her by Yi-sun – the same symbol that forms the tattoo that gives Gu-won his powers. Do-hee is executed and a heartbroken Gu-won kills himself.
Meanwhile, in the present My Demon introduces us to God, played by Cha Chung-hwa, who disguises herself as a homeless woman and spends a lot of her time drinking and gambling.
12 of the best new Korean drama series to watch in January 2024
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Narratively, the show progressed in a predictable line. Gu-won and Do-hee get together, their union eventually providing the catalyst for Gu-won to regain his powers.
Then we go back to the flashback of the tragic romance of their past selves, while back in the present the thwarted corporate villain – Mirae Group’s Noh Suk-min (Kim Tae-soon) – poses the final obstacle, and both leads make the ultimate sacrifice out of love.
Do-hee does so first, needlessly taking a bullet for the immortal Gu-won. Gu-won saves her, which triggers his own demise. But after only a few scenes featuring a morbidly depressed Do-hee, God takes pity on them and brings Gu-won back.
With Do-hee and Gu-won reunited the story ends on a perfunctory happily-ever-after note. Only how could it? Gu-won is still an immortal being and, relative to his viewpoint, Do-hee will age and die in the blink of an eye.
The show chose not to invent a way for Gu-won to become mortal, but rather than embrace the implicit tragedy of their circumstances, it plods on and bows out with a disingenuous smile.
These are all predictable beats that we have seen a thousand times before in K-dramas. In effect, writer Choi Ah-il is giving the audience all the elements that they want, but without bothering to thread them together into a coherent story.
Of course, the story is largely an excuse to thrust two handsome leads together for long periods of time, and on that count it succeeds.
Even worse were the legions of truly horrible supporting characters that made up this mass-produced mess.
My Demon is streaming on Netflix.