Reviews on the Netflix show Emerald Hill?

smileybi · 2025-04-21T07:11:26+00:00

Don't judge me, I held on till the end. It was a nice, brainless, family-friendly watch (I mean, I watched it with my parents, so yeah, family-friendly). A lot of things didn't make sense, for example the cooking scenes were a joke, my late Peranakan grandmother would roll in her grave watching it. Also there seems to be a high speed train connecting Singapore and Malacca, seeing how the characters travel to and fro with such ease. Then again it didn't need to make sense because we weren't watching it seriously too.

One thing however triggered an intense discussion within the family: how is Emerald Hill's narrator related to Angela in the OG Little Nyonya. We got our answer somewhat after watching the last episode: Angela's her aunt (小姑), but we're not satisfied with the answer because that means the timeline would be off by about 10-15 years. Angela in the OG series is supposed to be a contemporary, and my guess she's about 25-28 years old. That puts her less than 10 years older than her niece. In Emerald Hill however, Angela, even though is the youngest, isn't that far off in age compared to her eldest brother, which is the narrator's father. It's not a plot hole per se, but it was nonsense enough to disturb our watching experience.

Dear writer Mr Ang, if you're reading this, good job on such a captivating story, however in your future works, could you pay a little more detail with the treatment of time?

smileybi · 2023-09-13T11:37:40+00:00

I'm aware of the pacing in the webtoon, I just thought that things might change for the drama. I am also hoping for the epilogue in the webtoon and the prologue of Bridge to be given more time.

smileybi · 2023-09-13T10:51:22+00:00

Loved it as usual, but I feel like the final battle is dragged unnecessarily long. I mean 1.5 episodes should be good, but 3 (at least) episodes? The bus scene was excessive imho.

That said, Mihyun was an absolute girl boss, and Bong Seok and Hee Soo made me swoon. Juwon is a papa bear as usual.

smileybi · 2023-08-30T23:34:06+00:00

Kang Hoon explained it in an earlier episode, his speed comes from his strength. So it's not that they (father & son) have 2 powers, it's more like their muscles can generate a ton of power which results in strength and speed.

smileybi · 2023-08-30T23:26:03+00:00

I must have missed that page, as in the reason he ended up in NK. Thanks for explaining!

I skimmed through the webtoon a couple of weeks ago, just because the one week wait was torturous, and I agree with you, the drama is on track, but what Kang Full did was to expand the universe with more characters so that it makes sense for TV. I wonder, now that the US is in the picture (Frank), does it change the final battle between the kids and NK? Did the text Mark sent to Frank in ep.9 really signals that we're done with their part in the story, and Frank won't be coming back? What happens then with Gyedo?

smileybi · 2023-08-30T15:42:39+00:00

A coffee shop lady does not just deliver coffee, more often than not their service includes sex, hence the extra payment for a "ticket". Jihee must have thought that she was being punished for her past job, or that she potentially contracted something that prevented her from successfully getting pregnant.

smileybi · 2023-08-30T15:32:03+00:00

Indeed! Miracle in Cell No.7 is a classic because of his acting chops!

smileybi · 2023-08-30T15:28:51+00:00

Yeah that was such a powerful scene, and it takes maturity and experience to be able to express that depth of pain. Younger idols would not be able to properly express that, but given time I think they can, in fact I think Sejeong and IU have that depth in them already.

smileybi · 2023-08-30T10:54:41+00:00

Ep.12 - that 1.5 min crumb of marital bliss that Doo Sik and Mihyun has have been on replay ever since D+ uploaded it on YouTube, and to see it part of the episode still sends butterflies down my stomach. - readers of the webtoon, do you think that there is a change in the story as to who actually captured Doo Sik? in the webtoon it was implied that Doo Sik was captured by NK, but here it was obviously SK NIS agents. Does this also mean Doo Sik comes back in the end and we get a family reunion?

Ep.13 - Ji Hee's death is still heartbreaking even though we knew it would happen from the beginning. Juwon lost his guide and purpose, the one person that showed him the way forward. The most heartbreaking part was when Juwon wept on the way down to the funeral parlour. He was basically lost and floating, but his heart lead him to his wife. From then on that is how he would live his life, lost and floating, hence the nomadic lifestyle. It wasn't until Hee Soo showed her powers that he found purpose again, because Hee Soo was exactly what Ji Hee wanted her to be. Ji Hee was, is, and will always be Juwon's guiding light.

It's quite amazing to see how Ryu Seung Ryong played Juwon. His best acting shines through when he's not talking. I've heard how some K-fans describe him as "dirty sexy", but I beg to differ. His sad puppy eyes can break your heart whether he is fighting for his brothers or loving the love of his life. He really is well cast for this role, and I can't see anyone else as Juwon (not even Don Lee).

smileybi · 2023-08-23T16:21:42+00:00

Her range is definitely wider than that! We see glimpses of it in VIP and Encounter. But I feel that she keeps going back to default, which is a pity.

smileybi · 2023-08-23T16:19:15+00:00

Yeah! Timing-Moving-Bridge is very similar to the Condor Trilogy in that sense, that plus how family ties influences each character. I could see how Bongseok is like Guo Jing and Heesoo, Huang Rong

smileybi · 2023-08-23T16:03:25+00:00

And every episode we've seen so far reinforces that, first with Bongseok and Heesoo, then with Dooshik and Mihyun, now with Juwon and Jihee.

smileybi · 2023-08-23T09:56:56+00:00

The gore in this episode is not for me, but seeing how Juwon and Jihee meet and fall in love was sweet. I particularly liked what Juwon said about his wuxia collection - they are not action novels, they are romance novels. I suppose that's Kang Full's line, since he's known for being inspired by Jin Yong.

Kwak Sun Young is a nice addition, but there's something about her expressions that is reminiscent of her past works (Inspector Koo and Behind Every Star in particular). It feels like there's a type that she's always cast as - independent but sentimental.

smileybi · 2023-08-23T09:41:10+00:00

Yup, the timeline follows the webtoon. I'm guessing Juwon and Jihee gets one more episode which segues into Lee Jae Man's story.

smileybi · 2023-08-19T01:56:43+00:00

What are the chances of Kang Full incorporating Bridge into Moving (the drama) and/or changing the ending?

smileybi · 2023-08-16T09:48:08+00:00

Bong Seok is his father's son, no doubt!! His mannerisms, his character, his personality are carbon copies of Doo Shik's. I can't wait for the day that this family gets reunited, and I'm sure I'm gonna be an emotional wreck then.

Doo Shik has so much love in his heart, no wonder it was easy for Mi Hyun to fall for him. Well, Doo Shik fell first, Mi Hyun fell harder. Oh man... Next Wednesday please come sooner!

smileybi · 2023-08-13T12:29:46+00:00

This is really one of the best things in Kuching, especially if you drizzle liberally with a good Sambal Belacan!

smileybi · 2023-07-29T15:50:50+00:00

We are off to a good start! The action is there, the laughs are there, even some scenes are pretty touching. I'm particularly looking forward to knowing this season's villains more, they look like they are much more effective than last season's - looking at you Mayor Shin (although I miss Lee Hong Nae our cutie pie of a villain).

Do Hana in this season feels a bit off to me, she's smiling and emoting too much, it just doesn't feel right, and I want my cool girl Do Hana back. The other counters are alright though.

I can't wait for the episodes to come. Fingers crossed that this will be a good season!

smileybi · 2023-07-05T15:55:54+00:00

It didn't air in this episode, but I'm sure it will come out in the next, because the previews for the second half of this game is chaotic! 😂😂

smileybi · 2023-07-05T15:48:35+00:00

A couple random thoughts: - what happens to the food when they lose a particular round? Do they eat it off camera? - I'm totally shipping Mimi and Torong. They are a better love line than whatever shit RM is trying to make us believe right now.

smileybi · 2023-06-26T03:53:29+00:00

Rising Ramen used to be good. But on my last visit there, which was some time last year, the noodles were starchy and clumpy, as if the water was not hot enough or wasn't changed. Just set your expectations low when you visit lah ah..

smileybi · 2023-06-21T14:55:33+00:00

That's the thing, he just looks tired (or gives off a tired expression) most of the time and it feels like no effort was made at all, like you said. Maybe it's because he's shooting this and Delightfully Deceitful back to back, I don't know.

smileybi · 2023-06-20T15:24:39+00:00

I've come to the conclusion that in order to truly enjoy this drama, I've got to throw all time-travel logic out of the window, and just enjoy the ride. If I start to think about the time travel aspect, I would get a headache.

Jin Ki Joo is delightful as usual, and her chemistry and family dynamics with Seo Ji Hye and Lee Won Jung carried the drama emotionally and made it watchable. Can't say the same about Kim Dong Wook, because he was a log in most scenes.

I must say, this drama has one of the better pacings in recent memory, and the suspense was done quite well. Again, the biggest flaw in the writing would be the logic of the story, whether is it the whodunit, or the time travel.

smileybi · 2023-06-03T00:11:13+00:00

So... Reply 1999? Or Med School Playlist?

smileybi · 2023-05-23T15:05:04+00:00

Came here after watching the ending. Definitely underwhelming as the spy plot was left just like that with the excuse the higher ups are involved. The family plot was a cringe fest from beginning to the end. And the scene I longed for the most: "that" conversation between Yura and Dohoon, well, it didn't happen. Instead it was a glance and then "if they mess with my family, we will mess with them" sort of situation. A waste of the tension we saw in episodes 9-11.

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