Warning: This article contains spoilers for the ending of When the Phone Rings.
In today’s global media landscape, many TV dramas aspire to be as realistic as possible, hoping to reach viewers through a relatable premise and recognizable human behavior. When the Phone Rings, a Korean-language romance thriller that just wrapped up its 12-episode run on Netflix, is not such a drama. At its core, the K-drama adapted from Geon Eomul-nyeo’s web novel The Number You Have Dialed is the story of two people overcoming issues of communication to be together. This may be highly relatable, but the story elements are intentionally taken to the makjang extreme. (The descriptor “makjang” is applied to a Korean drama that stretches its depiction of reality, putting its characters in increasingly extreme situations that heighten the stakes and emotions, and populating its world with toxic characters who often act contrary to any known system of logic.)
When the Phone Rings is one of the best makjang dramas we’ve gotten in a few years, with a plot driven by kidnapping, murder, contract marriages, arson, faked deaths, assumed identities, and political intrigue. What begins as the story of a seemingly loveless marriage between Paik Sa-eon (Yoo Yeon-seok), a rising politician, and Hong Hee-joo (Chae Soo-bin), a sign language interpreter, is turned on its head in the very first episode, when Hee-joo is kidnapped and speaks out loud, despite having used sign language to communicate since a traumatic event during childhood. From there, When the Phone Rings sustains its breakneck pace across 12 episodes, driven by the chemistry and performances from series leads Yoo and Chae. Let’s break down how directors Park Sang-woo and Wi Deuk-gyu and writer Kim Ji-won managed to wrap up the series’ many lingering plot threads in the show’s finale.
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