The Scandal Review
Director: Jung Ji-woo
Date Created: 2026-09-18 23:09
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The Scandal Review: Directed by Jung Ji-woo and starring Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho Yun, Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won, and Nana as An Hui-yeon. Netflix Korean drama 스캔들 is a Joseon-era romance and has eight-episode which is inspired by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, with Shin Youn-ha, Chani and Han Sun-hwa also appearing in supporting roles.
The Scandal Review
Netflix’s The Scandal starts off with Lady Cho Yun seeking comfort from her cousin, Cho Won, following her husband’s decision to marry a concubine. The two cousins have had a turbulent relationship all along, and both of them have had a secret passion for each other since childhood. However, instead of addressing this matter head-on, they transform their passions into a deadly game of sorts. Yun dares Won to seduce Hui-yeon, a pious widow who has known nothing but loss and high expectations as a woman thus far. Won accepts the challenge, believing that the victory in wooing Hui-yeon would get him closer to Yun.
The thing I liked the most about the Netflix kdrama The Scandal is that it does not stereotype the main characters. In this drama, there is no definite hero that can be put on the right side of the story. Yun is a manipulative person who plays with the emotions of Hui-yeon, but labelling her as a wicked woman overlooks the complexity of the character that the drama explores.
She is not only manipulative, but she is also a victim of a society that does not give her any options. The act of her husband having a concubine is not only a matter of relationships, but it is yet another way in which she sees how she is dictated to do certain things.
In fact, it is quite intriguing how this drama plays out in Won. In the beginning, he appears overly confident in his chances of winning the bet. However, the more time he spends with Hui-yeon, the harder it is to remain true to his intentions of seducing her without falling for her himself. This time around, Hui-yeon is not some easy target, but a woman whose sincerity and determination start to have an impact on him, which totally changes the relationship dynamics. This was the most appealing point of the evolution of Won’s character, as his attachment to Hui-yeon made him realise that he had allowed Yun to manipulate him for many years.
It leads us to one of the most powerful themes of The Scandal Korean drama: that manipulation will never cease to be manipulation even if there are emotions in the equation. Won truly cares about Hui-yeon, but at the same time he has been manipulating her from the beginning with his lies. Yun loves Won, but at the same time she sees his emotions as some sort of possession. Hui-yeon truly falls in love with Won, but at the same time she does so not knowing what his true intentions are.
Son Ye-jin brings out a unique element of Yun since she gets what it means not to make her reveal herself through words. The character is at times jealous, vulnerable, possessive and desperate at the same time. The chemistry between Yun and Won is realistic because of the fact that the two have a past, and thus their romantic chemistry does not feel as forced since it has been building up for quite some time. However, Ji Chang-Wook perfectly matches the same energy. At first, Won’s reaction to the bet is very theatrical, but later in the game, his facial expressions and decisions reflect that he has created something that he cannot control.
However, Nana also plays a significant role in ensuring that the triangle functions. It would have been easy for Hui-yeon to be just a victim of manipulation, but she has sufficient character to affect those around her. This is very important because it is not simply that Won feels guilty about hurting her. He also gets to know something about her as an individual, and this affects his perceptions of the bet. The chemistry between Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana is one of the drama’s greatest strengths.
One other aspect I enjoyed was how the Joseon period setting had relevance to the plot and not just for show. All the time, the characters are looking for some way to experience freedom in a world in which speaking about one’s desire can lead to trouble. Keeping secrets becomes a way to hold power, since telling the truth is not always an option. This means that the bet becomes more than just a salacious plot device.
The Netflix series The Scandal begins with a bet on seduction, but it evolves into a much more tragic tale about desire, domination, loneliness, and the price one pays for playing with the emotions of someone else. In addition to this, I found it interesting how the series does not render Yun, Won, and Hui-yeon totally predictable because their emotions change depending on their discoveries.
Netflix The Scandal Review: Summing Up
2026 The Scandal series is an excellent show and, most significantly, one that is far from being your regular run-of-the-mill historical romance with easily definable protagonists and antagonists. Without a doubt, the best thing about it is the fact that the characters’ moral ambiguity and ever-evolving decisions alter the meaning of the bet at hand. Perhaps the show could be made a little faster-paced, but the acting, chemistry, and uncomfortable situation helped hold my interest.
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