[HanCinema's Drama Review] "My Name" Episode 7

So my speculation about a potentially interesting twist was just wishful thinking. Before long, the seventh episode of "My Name" confirms that gang leader Moo-jin of the Dongcheon Gang really is the true villain. The criminal mastermind's brilliant plan apparently hinged on cop Ki-ho stopping by Ji-woo's apartment right after her father was stabbed, and not bothering to identify himself or show any reaction to the corpse right in front of the door.

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And what did Moo-jin get out of this? A mole in the police force whose main useful contribution to the gang was to help them get out of a mess that only came up because she was recruited into the gang in the first place. Kang-jae really is the silliest sub-antagonist, single-handedly wrecking all of Moo-jin's plans by clumsy accident. Still, he's a more interesting character than Tae-joo, who just dies very anticlimatically and is easily replaced by some random woman we've never seen before.

As usual, "My Name" distinguishes itself with some cool action scenes in the process. The close encounter in the bathroom, where goons fail to subdue Ji-woo despite having a ridiculous advantage over her, stands out as a highlight. But for the most part we're just promised further action in the final episode, the implication being given that Moo-jin is facilitating Ji-woo's final strike against the entire gang. This is supposedly to head off whatever her actual plan is that hinges on him doing something else.

Continuity has never been a strong point in "My Name" although really, I.M just struck by how every character except Ji-woo herself isn't particularly competent. And even Ji-woo herself is just good at fighting and not being exposed as a mole. Her performance in the latter category is rather lacking here, and only somewhat redeemed by the fact that Ji-woo appears to have broken her cover deliberately. Nevertheless, I doubt any halfway sensible plan can or should involve someone being caught by the police.

There just isn't that much substance or depth to "My Name" as it's a drama that prides itself more on looking cool than being at all pretentious. Honestly, one out of two isn't bad. Not everyone can be "Squid Game" and manage to do both at the same time. "My Name" also continues to perform solidly on the international Netflix leaderboard. It currently stands in seventh place on FlixPatrol, and will probably maintain its position in the top ten into November.

Review by William Schwartz

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"My Name" is directed by Kim Jin-min-I, written by Kim Ba-da, and features Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Kim Sang-ho, Ahn Bo-hyun, Lee Hak-joo, Chang Ryul. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/10/15, Fri on Netflix.