They Don't Kiss Until Episode 16

An Intense But Tiresome Ride

Agency wasn’t a bad show. It started off with a bang but somewhere around episode 9, I started to wonder why everyone was fighting so intensely.

To review, Agency follows the rise of an ambitious advertising genius named Go Ah-in to an executive-level position within one of South Korea’s top ad agencies and her struggle to keep her position. And struggle she does. 

While the battle between Go Ah-in and Chang-soo rages in the front, behind the scenes is the battle between siblings Kang Han-su and Kang Han-na. As the older male sibling Han-su has devoted much of his life so far to the conglomerate VC Group, currently serving as a VP, but his ambition is the role of Chairman currently occupied by his father and before that, his grandfather. Even though he feels the position is his birthright, his younger sister Han-na is also gunning for the role. The grandfather as the family patriarch is encouraging the battle and favors the siblings using any means, save for murder and embarrassing the family name, and ruining the company image, to prove their right as the next chairman. So as Ah-in and Chang-soo use the siblings in their war with each other, the siblings use Ah-in and Chang-soo in their war with each other. With the CEO of VC Communications and the grandfather chairman playing referee to each respective pair. 

The show’s plot is the mayhem that ensues as Go Ah-in tries to flex some notion of power as a way of revenge for being used and Chang-soo does everything he can to crush Go Ah-in with the hopes of her leaving before her one-year tenure is up, ensuring that she is never considered for the CEO position. 

This could have been interesting and it is, for nine episodes. For example, Ah-in demotes three creative directors who aren’t worth two shakes of a cent including Woo-chul, demotes several others who are also worthless people who thrive off politicking and nepotism. Chang-soo calls her before the board hoping to fire her sooner than expected, only to have her changes in personnel approved when she presents the number of financial losses related to these people’s terrible work and promises to raise revenue by 50% in 6 months and if not she will leave. Chang-soo is thrilled but knows that Ah-in can do it. So, to ensure she fails he convinces all the subsidiaries of VC group who are also clients of VC Communications, to decrease the amount put into advertising, just for 6 months. Ah-in finds out about it and retaliates. Chang-soo retaliates. One wins the other plots, back and forth. It is attention-worthy and holds you on the edge of your seat for 9 episodes, but by episode 10 you are ready to be done with the drama but there is scheming and scamming right up until the last episode.

Ah-in tries to use Han-na, Han-na is using both Chang-soo and Ah-in. Han-su wants his father’s chief secretary to scheme for him instead of his father. Han-su tries to use Ah-in and Chang-soo. Grandfather Chairman is using the CEO and Ah-in and his grandchildren. Chang-soo usings Ah-in’s mentor and friend. There are so many people plotting at once you start to lose track of the plot and the characters’ motivations. At one point I completely forgot that Chang-soo’s long-term goal was the CEO role. During the show, I thought, “Wow, he really hates Go Ah-in, why won’t he just let her ride out her year.” It wasn’t until episode 12 or 13 did I remember that Chang-soo’s goal has been to remove any obstacle from his CEO path. 

Then there is the love subplot between Han-na and her personal secretary Park Young-woo. While you could see this coming it wasn’t the love story I cared about. I wanted to see if Ah-in get with the video game CEO. In her lowest time, he bought her sandwiches and offered her a job if she wanted one. But no, we had to go through Han-na taking the naivety goggles off to understand why her push to be with her secretary Park Young-woo can disadvantage them if she isn’t careful. It was interesting to watch but a storyline I could have done without.

Go Ah-in does have a storyline with her mother and I believe she gains some closure there. This adds to Ah-in story as a person, but doesn’t really push the plot any further or help explain why Chang-soo is so up hellbent on becoming CEO. You sit on the edge with Go Ah-in wondering what new hellscape-created courtesy of Chang-soo, is she is going to have to face but it gets tiring seeing so many people plot ways to upend the other person. 

You might argue that that is the point of the show. Angst is one thing but it needs to be paced out in a way where you can as the viewer see something coming. Sometimes it is good for the viewer to be able to predict something and watch that something unfold even if the character didn’t see it coming. But the whole time you are just as anxious as Go Ah-in and that is what makes it tiring. Some people might like to experience the angst first-hand. I would prefer to spectate. Workplace dramas are fun to watch because they usually involve an older cast, you get to see a less fantastical version of Korean culture (sometimes), but keep in mind I go to work too. I have to deal with my own schemers and scammers. I want to spectate and watch someone else win, I don’t want to feel like I’m on the ride myself. 

Let’s rate this show. Dramabeans gives the show about 8/10 and I would agree. But I’ll give it my own TDKUE16 rating.

Casting: 5/5

The casting for this show was excellent. Park Bo-young slayed as the walled-off Go Ah-in. Choi Seong-ha’s creepy “I’ve got you now” smile, makes you want to punch him right in the face. All the actors played their roles perfectly and fit. The sneaky characters looked sneaky, and the playful characters were playful. Excellent casting, including Kim Mi-kyung who has perfected playing the hardworking, life-has-beat-me-down mother role.

Costuming: 5/5

The costuming for Kang Han-na’s and Go Ah-in’s characters was perfect. Park Bo-young costuming ensured that she was always poised and in control. Her outfits let us know she was an unmarried woman with no kids and her outfits said, “I have money” but more importantly, her outfits said, I am a creative executive.

Son Na-Eun is dressed as we would assume a third-generation chaebol would be, but as she begins to take more seriously the possibility of her being the chairwoman, her outfits subtly change still keeping the whimsical flair befitting her character.

Product Placement: 3 of 5

I swear, someone please explain to me the hold that Nespresso has on the K-drama industry. In other news, the soju that replaced the typical green bottles in K-dramas was the clear-ish blue Jinro Soju bottle.

Music: 2/5

The OST wasn’t stand out and there was no music during the show that stood out. Even though this is a more serious drama, we could still have some good tracks.

Directing: 5/5

There were some stunning shots that really made you feel the tension in each scene. The director is Lee Chang-min. You might recognize his work in Welcome to Waikiki and Welcome to Waikiki 2.

Tropes: 1/5

There weren’t any tropes in this unless you count the meddling family patriarch of a conglomerate family, which is why I give this section a 1 out of 5. I love me a trope-y K-drama, but due to the more serious nature of this drama, I am not surprised I didn’t see it. 

Total: 4/5 (dropping the trope category as it is unfair for these more serious dramas)

Worth the Watch:

If You Have Time and Want to Try Something Different

The drama is strong for over half the 16 episodes but begins to drag after the first 9. While watching office intrigue can be exciting, the plot becomes confusing as you navigate who, what, and why.

Initially, I rated the show as Absolutely worth the watch but having finished the show, I will say only watch Agency if you have time and want a break from your typical cheesy dramas (which I love).