Song Joong-ki is back and this time with a badass flare!

Three days after the premiere of Sisyphus, I was one of the excited K-drama fans who streamed Vincenzo when it premiered. I was all for it especially because a narrative that has a lead with conflicting morals is interesting and dynamic and knowing that Joong-ki is playing the titular role made it all the more exciting. With already two episodes aired, I must say that the series is truly off to a strong start. In South Korea alone the first episode garnered an average rating of 7.7% with a peak at 9.5%. This cemented Vincenzo as the third highest show in terms of rating of any weekend drama in TvN history.

Here’s my take on Vincenzo’s first two episodes:

First, the intro- it kind of reminded me with the intros of James Bond movies. It’s a minor detail but on the get-go I love it. It is technically in congruence with the narrative of the series and then Joong-ki came out with words, “My goal is to teardown this building” with an evil grin on his handsome face as he stares down on the crumbling building. That scene was short but intense and powerful. From that, the major motivation of his character and how the narrative will revolve was established perfectly. It gave me a sort of sinister vibe but at the same time ‘kilig’ over the charisma that he exudes.

Then the aerial shots- Episode 1 has a lot of it. The way the camera was angled from the top view of the hotel he was coming out of and how it used the geometric architectural forms of the building was lit to be followed by the scene sequence of him incinerating the vineyard of his enemy with him walking with the sequence speed sort of slowmoed a bit with a music in the background was such a beautiful scene. Moreover, it was also fun to see Joong-ki speak Italian. It certainly wasn’t perfect because I can still hear his Korean accent. 😄

From the sequences in episode 1, the series was able to introduce Vincenzo as a character that is charismatic but ruthless and cunning. However, when he returned to South Korea, a different flavor and tone was added. There are comedic moments that seemed to thwart his ruthless personality in the opening. It gave the show some emotional balance that I think was intentional; after all, it’s not a Korean Drama without those funny moments.

Furthermore, from the first two episodes alone, it is perfectly clear that Vincenzo’s character will present viewers with morals that might be questionable. It will certainly be interesting how his decisions and motivations propel the whole show added to the fact that he will constantly be in moral conflict with Mr. Hong Yu- Chan, the lawyer at Geumga Plaza who is steadfast in his passion in protecting the poor and the abused. 

Overall, Vincenzo Cassano was impressive. This will surely be a perfect combo for Sisyphus: The Myth. Joong-ki was excellent in the first two episodes. His charisma simply comes out of the screen it’s hard not to watch it. We can only hope that the strong opening will be sustained in the coming episodes and hopefully we might see more sides to the character of Vincenzo Cassano – how his years as a member of a Mafia play out in the power struggles of South Korea.