[PREVIEW] tvN TV series "Golden House"

"Golden House" - tvN TV

Written by: Jang Hang-jun, Kim Eun-hee
Directed by: Cho Hyun-taek
Starring: Shin Ha-kyun (as Oh Bok-kyu), Lee Bo-young (as Yoon Seo-lin), Baek Yoon-sik (as Park Tae-chon), Kim Chang-wan (as Kim Sang-chul), Jo Mi-ryung (as Madame Hong), Go Soo-hui (as Kim Choo-ja), Moon Hee-kyung (as No Mae-ja), Park Song-ei (as Kang Byul)
In one sentence: About a guy who inherits a small villa from his father and also meets the woman of his dreams but does not know of the huge crime that lingers in the background.
Premiere date: March 5, 2010, 11:00 PM

A shabby villa in an under-developed area holds gold bars worth 50 billion won. And this place also holds a secret that cannot be easily revealed to the petit bourgeois living in the building. This is where new tvN series "Golden House" starts its story which delves into secrets and crimes which become increasingly serious. Bok-kyu, who is a minor actor, receives ownership of apartment number 201 from his father as a way of understanding his father for leaving him when he was a young boy. However, the apartment holds a clue to where his father has hidden the vast amount of golden bars. And everyone in the building seems to have some sort of an idea about the gold bars besides Bok-kyu. Furthermore, the people are not who they seem to be on the outside. Seo-lin, the girl Bok-kyu likes, intentionally approaches him to figure out the clue to the treasure and next door neighbor Tae-chon seems to be a regular guy but is actually a hardcore gangster.

The setting of "Golden House" is bright and cheerful yet hidden behind the drama are unexpected surprises that will scare the viewer. The pre-produced 20 episode series stars Shin Ha-kyun, Baek Yoon-sik and Kim Chang-wan. The show, with its spectacular cast and unique plot, is good enough to air on a public network but catches the attention of the audience even more as it has been set to air on cable channel tvN. The press conference for "Golden House" was held at the Seong-nam CGV on Tuesday. During the conference, Park Ji-young of CJ Media group explained, "There are untypical elements to the show unlike other regular TV shows so that is why 'Golden House' will be shown on cable TV.” "Golden House" may seem small but will it be stand out to become a memorable cable TV drama?

Anticipation Quotient (1-10 points)

If you want to find out if this new Korean-style drama is worth watching: 9 points
If you want a more detailed criminal thriller drama: 7 points

The first and second episode of "House" was shown to the audience at the press conference, opening with the scene where Bok-kyu's father is murdered while holding onto a secret. But the show focuses on depicting through comic relief on how the ordinary people of Golden Villa live with their secret. Baek Yoon-sik does well in portraying the fearsome gangster who does not know what to do with his tomboyish daughter and there are also several funny parts to where Oh Bok-kyu and Yoon Seo-lin try to become closer. However, while the drama has already revealed its huge secret, the plot itself does not develop much by the second episode. And the scene where Seo-lin says "This could be used in a drama," is so mundane that it should not be used in one. It is a bit disappointing that the script and editing are more condensed. But like scenarist Jang Hang-jun said, the show is "originally a dark and gruesome story but with a comedic twist to it." Hence, "House" will continue to unravel the secrets to each character as a criminal thriller. The flash of hope may come from the fact that the second episode hinted the story would develop in its following episode. Let us keep hoping that "House" will be a story we have never seen before.

Senior Reporter : Kang Myoung-Seok two@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr