The Penthouse is a Korean drama tv series first aired in October 2020 with an average of 3.35 million viewers. This K-drama is a mixture between crime, thriller, mystery, and revenge revolving around people in an apartment called "The Hera Palace".
What seems to be drawing the viewers into this drama is the actor and actresses and the suspense of the story.
In the first season, we see the affluent families who live in the apartment and their background stories. Not only were they wealthy, but they also shared common goals, which is making their children winning the annual singing competition from Cheong-ah Arts School. Because whoever wins the contest will secure a recommendation letter to apply to SNU (South Korean National University). Things change when a humble Oh Yoon Hee, played by Eugene, and Bae Ro Na, played by Kim Hyun Soo, shared the same dreams as those affluent families.
Then one night, a murder happened in Hera palace. The season 1 premise is about finding who is the murdered and the murderer in the story. And much like other Korean dramas, their world is small. The women in this drama are connected in their past and now their future. So, viewers will get to see their past connections and how the present will affect their relationship.
The first season follows the same premise of sky castle, yet The penthouse is much more brutal. There is much seasoning in The penthouse, such as revenge stories, murder, and corrupt practices done by the affluent family to keep their wealth. As if season 1 isn't enough to satisfy the viewers, season 2 follows a similar premise now with another murder and a twist. Shim Su Ryeon, which is one of the leading female casts, has another look-alike.
In season two, we will be introduced to another premise about look-alike theory. So, when someone dies, they possibly have another look-alike. By this season, many K-drama lovers are invested in the character Logan played by Park Eun Sok. Logan is an American-Korean who is rich, dashing, and intelligent. He was the one who was helping Shim Su Ryeon and also Oh Yoon Hee, basically the savior in this series. Without Logan, this story will be a grim tale.
I was hoping that in season 2, they would end the series, and everyone got their karma, good or bad. Yet unfortunately, the story continues where the prominent family in Hera palace in prison and Logan died. That situation is the premise in season 3, where viewers are tasked to discover Logan's death and whether it was the same premise as season 2, the look-alike theory.
In season three are additional characters and more mysteries related to the first season. So, it seems this never-ending revenge will keep rolling. I hope this series will finally get into the ending.
Though, The other day, I even saw the female leads speaking Indonesian as it seems to be aired on national television. And now, even the poster has a cornetto logo which means they get more sponsorship. However, recently there is a backlash for penthouse season 3 because of alleged racism connected to the new Logan character.
I have seen until episode 6, and I did not expect he would have AAVE and acts like one of those lils. In VIU, season 3 is only available until episode 6. So, I have to wait until next week to view another episode because I am waiting for more train wreck in this series. Compared to the other two seasons, this season three has more revenge, more mysteries to solve, and more suspense. If you are into academic drama and also a mystery, this drama is for you. Though unfortunately, I can't share a screenshot from Viu due to their policy. But if you are interested, I leave you the link to the trailers by My Drama List.
