Wow wow wow, it feels so weird to be back on here! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve last updated on this blog as there was a lot going on and I needed to take a break to focus on other aspects of my life. I also felt like I needed to take a break from K-dramaland and K-entertainment in general (as crazy, weird, and odd as that sounds). Upon finishing my recaps for ‘Record of Youth’ and ‘Do You Like Brahms?’, I thought of continuing to update this blog with recaps and other posts. Instead, I went on a break and pressed forward by watching tons of American movies and TV shows and fell into the trap of streaming services. It’s been a wild roller coaster ride the last few months since my hiatus from this blog, but it was for the best. Now that I’m back to writing a post on this blog, I gotta admit that I’ve sort of missed doing all of this. Though I can’t promise that I’ll go back to updating as frequently as I did, I’m back this time for a good reason.
Anddddd that reason is none other than tvN’s currently airing drama ‘Vincenzo’ starring Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-bin, and Taecyeon. As sad as this is, I just could not get into any of the Korean dramas after I finished ‘Record of Youth.’ There were some dramas that initially captured my interest and attention (‘Start-Up’ and ‘Search’ just to name a few.. I even wanted to check out ‘Cheat On Me If You Can’ starring Go Joon and Cho Yeo-jeong). However, I just could not get into them and ended up watching more American movies and TV shows instead. Now I’m sort of easing my way back into K-dramaland thanks to ‘Vincenzo’ which just aired two weeks ago. The most I had heard about this drama prior to its airing was of the casting news with Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-bin, and Taecyeon and that was about it. I knew I wanted to tune into this drama for Song Joong-ki (who, despite all the news he’s been involved with the past few years, I still love and support) as well as Jeon Yeo-bin who I absolutely loved in ‘Be Melodramatic.’ I found her character arc, BY FAR, the most interesting, captivating, and enticing out of everyone in that drama and I loved the way Jeon Yeo-bin beautifully portrayed her character. I knew from then on that I was a fan and that she was definitely someone to look out for.
I never thought in a thousand years that I would get to see both Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin grace my screen in a drama together. As much as I love Jeon Yeo-bin, casting news about her playing the female lead in ‘Vincenzo’ opposite Hallyu star Song Joong-ki came as a huge surprise given that she’s still quite new in K-dramaland. She doesn’t have as grand of a resume (yet) that you would expect an actress playing opposite Song Joong-ki to have. I think that’s why I was even happier when I heard that she was confirmed for the role of lawyer Hong Cha-young in ‘Vincenzo.’ Jeon Yeo-bin’s a talented actress and she gets to showcase that talent in a drama with two male co-stars who we’ve seen play male leads in many of their past projects.
With that being said, I went into ‘Vincenzo’ with no expectations or prior knowledge and just lots of excitement. Episodes one and two definitely did not disappoint. I understand that some people didn’t really find it as exciting to watch, but I think I was on the opposite spectrum where the first two episodes was enough for me to keep watching. Things definitely picked up in episodes 3 and 4 though and I can understand why some folks were on the edge with the first two episodes and then ultimately chose to stay after watching episodes 3 and 4. Maybe it’s my residual love for Song Joong-ki and my excitement towards Jeon Yeo-bin that I love this drama a little bit more than others would. That’s nothing against dear Taecyeon who I’ve known about dating back to his 2PM debut days, but let’s just say (and if it isn’t obvious already), Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin was what sold me with this drama in the first place.
‘Vincenzo’ isn’t anything that we haven’t seen before. Song Joong-ki plays the character that the drama is named after and he returns to Korea after working for the Mafia in Italy. He has a personal mission that he needs to accomplish which involves a building with tenants including Hong Cha-young’s father, Hong Yu-chan (played by the brilliant Yoo Jae-Myung). Vincenzo ends up working with feisty and confident Hong Cha-young to fight against big corporation, Babel, who’s intent on taking over the building. A battle between Babel versus Vincenzo and Cha-young ensues and our power couple teams up to fight against the power corporation.
The protagonists working together to take down the big and powerful bad guy is a general premise that we’ve seen and heard of many times before in K-dramaland. The story isn’t anything new and it can even get boring sometimes with all the politics and whatnot, but what’s refreshing about ‘Vincenzo’ is its execution. Having worked for the Mafia back in Itality, Vincenzo knows how to play dirty but he also know hows to play smart and he definitely has many tricks up his sleeves to do what he needs to get done. Cha-young is so feisty and impulsive and confident which is such a contrast to the careful and subtle and meticulous Vincenzo which is why they make such great partners. The drama goes big, but I like how simple the writing is. Given the premise of the drama, there’s bound to be moments that are action-packed, intense, and enormous, but the drama manages to balance all of that out with some comedy and humor in between. I actually was not expecting there to be so much humor so it came as a pleasant surprise when I was laughing out loud as much as I did while watching the first 2 episodes. However, after some more research and digging, it all sort of made sense given that this writer is the same one who penned popular ‘The Fiery Priest.’
And maybe that’s why ‘Vincenzo’ is the way that it is. I couldn’t really get into Cha-young’s personality at first and had a difficult time figuring out what type of character she was until I read comments comparing her to the loud, whimsical, and haughty character that Honey Lee (who was in ‘The Fiery Priest’) does such a great job at playing. That’s when I had a better understanding of what type of character the writer was trying to go for with Cha-young and while I’m not completely all the way there with Jeon Yeo-bin’s portrayal of the character per se, I can see where the writer got his influence for the character from. A character like Cha-young can be quite difficult to portray because it requires so much more comedic timing and natural ability to let loose than most actors might encompass. I still do love Jeon Yeo-bin though and I think she’s a talented actress. I hope she will find her sweet spot as Cha-young as the drama progresses and she’s doing a much better job than people might be giving her credit for. Song Joong-ki is great in anything he’s in and he’s so so good as the powerful, meticulous, and intelligent Vincenzo. He definitely doesn’t look like it, but he’s someone who you do not want to underestimate or go up against. The villains in this drama are going to learn a bunch of great lessons battling against both Vincenzo and Cha-young.
I’m caught up with all the episodes by the time this post is up (which is episode 5) and I gotta say that I haven’t felt this much exhilaration and love for a drama in quite a while. I mean, the last ten minutes of episode 5 was iconic in every single way and everything about it was great. The drama did a great job in laying out the foundation and introducing the characters and building those bridges and connections between all the characters that I think the ending of episode 5 really proved and showcased all of that. You could see how everything and everyone was connected by the time episode 5 ended and it was so much fun to watch. I usually don’t watch the previews at the end of an episode, but ‘Vincenzo’ got me breaking my rules and checking out the previews to the next episode. What has the drama done to me?!
I had to pause during this scene in episode 5 and throw my phone on the bed because I couldn’t handle it. I’m in love with them!! 
AREN’T THEY THE ABSOLUTE CUTEST?? NAME ME A MORE DYNAMIC DUO!
I also gotta say, I’m excited for where the drama is going both in general and also in terms of the romance. The drama was already exciting and captivating so far, but I love the little hints of romance that the drama has sprinkled in between. Up until episode 5, there wasn’t really anything obvious or big as it was more focused on laying out the foundation and throwing information at us, but now that we’ve been able to settle in, the drama is feeding us with romance which I was not expecting but that I’m ultimately so happy to see. I enjoy watching Vincenzo and Cha-young compliment each other as teammates working together to fight against Babel, but my goodness, I also love watching them just simply spend time together. Granted, taking down Babel requires lots of time together, but it also means exposing sides of you that you probably wouldn’t showcase to anyone else or that you have built walls up to protect. We got to see these sides of Cha-young and Vincenzo in episode 5 and I loved that the drama became a lot more obvious and bold with the romance. I love the professional and business-y side of Cha-young and Vincenzo, but I also love the romance that is starting to blossom and bloom between them both. They fall in love with each other as they work together. I love it, I love it, I love it!
I’M GOING DOWN WITH THIS SHIP ALL THE WAY 
This is Vincenzo and Cha-young’s world and we’re just living in it!
The battle against Babel isn’t going to be easy by any means and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be plenty of up’s and down’s for our power couple. I look forward to seeing what Vincenzo specifically has up his sleeves because he’s such a trickster. He’s so smart and calculative with all his plans and his every step, but I anticipate that he won’t be able to keep all of that up forever with how powerful and threatening Babel is. I can’t wait to watch our protagonists go up against evil Babel and I know it’s going to be one wild and insane journey. I’m glad to say that I’m enjoying ‘Vincenzo’ so much I’m even tempted to start recaps for it (and if I do, I’m going to be grabbing so many screenshots of Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin’s looks that they are constantly serving in this drama). ‘Vincenzo’ was exactly just what I needed as my first drama after a few months hiatus and I really hope it’ll be a rewarding watch. Please don’t disappoint, ‘Vincenzo.’
Edit: After skimming through the episodes in search of screengrabs and screenshots, I cannot get over just how beautiful Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin look together. They’re such a visually pleasing couple and they really do scream a power couple when working together or just simply being in the same frame. Also, as unpopular opinion as this is, there are moments in this drama where I think Jeon Yeo-bin definitely stands out, such as the ending scene of episode 5. Look, I love me some Song Joong-ki and it’s undeniable that he’s one fine and good-looking man, but Jeon Yeo-bin is so so beautiful. She was the ending fairy in episode 5 for me and she definitely grabbed my attention at the end of episode 5. The POWER that Jeon Yeo-bin and Song Joong-ki hold when they’re together. WE STAN!
Extra screenshots from the drama but mostly episode 5 LOL:
LOOK AT THE WAY HE’S LOOKING AT HER!! IT’S SO SOFT T_T THIS WAY THE MOMENT I KNEW HE WAS IN LOVE WITH HER 
WE LOVE OUR RICH POWER COUPLE!! 
MaryMeKpop 
One response to “[What Mary Thinks] Vincenzo”
[…] off of my ‘What Mary Thinks’ post, Song Joong-ki plays Vincenzo and returns to Korea after working for the Mafia in Italy. He […]