Genie, make a wish ? Or not

If you’re a K-drama fan, there’s no way you could have escaped Kim Eun-Sook’s (the master K-drama writer) new Netflix series, Genie, Make a Wish.
Widely known for masterpieces like Descendants of the Sun, Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, and, more recently, the infamous Netflix hit The Glory, Kim Eun-Sook has once again returned to our screens.

And while Netflix’s main content page on Instagram has clearly taken a long break since the beginning of the year and the initial TUDUM event, viewers certainly haven’t (I definitely haven’t), and thankfully, the @NetflixKorea page has kept us entertained.

Please prepare yourself for spoilers ahead, if you’d rather avoid them, take a break and come back later.
You’ve been warned.

As I finished this drama, I had thoughts, many, many thoughts.
I’ve read some of the critics, and while some make valid points, others clearly struggle to separate fiction from reality. To them I say: please, get a grip.
Some criticism is warranted, and in this article, I’ll share my own reflections

First of all, I absolutely loved and appreciated our wonderful Song Hye-Kyo’s cameo as the Jasmine-like Jinniya. The references to Kim Eun-Sook’s previous works were delightfully placed, the Goblin stationery, Choi Do-Jin from The Heirs, and even The Glory homage. As a long-time fan, these touches truly made an impact.

Now, about the acting. Yes, some performances became the target of online mockery and honestly, I understand why.
Let’s be real: as much as I like Suzy, she isn’t a Kim Go-Eun-type actress. And Kim Woo-Bin, though charming, isn’t Gong Yoo. That said, their performances weren’t bad at all. The real issue, in my opinion, wasn’t the acting but rather the missing chemistry, that special love-hate bromance that existed between the Grim Reaper and Dokkaebi in Goblin.

Unfortunately, that magic never appeared here. There were genuine moments of comedy that made me laugh, but overall, Steve Noh disappointed me. Having watched Pachinko, I know what he’s capable of, and this performance felt underwhelming — not terrible, but not memorable either. Thankfully, the flawless Ahn Eun-Jin and the seasoned supporting cast managed to carry the show and maintain an enjoyable dynamic.

Let’s be honest, this wasn’t the same level of storytelling and visual perfection we expect from writer-nim KES. The breathtaking cinematography of Goblin or Mr. Sunshine and the tightly crafted narratives simply weren’t there this time. And for once, I’ll dare to blame the OTT platforms and an overuse of AI instead of real humans working on the visuals…

I could clearly spot elements recycled from her past works like Goblin, but since those are her creations, it wasn’t inherently bad, just noticeable at times.

Now, back to the story: it was intriguing, and it raised a thought-provoking question :
What is “good,” and what if what we think is good… isn’t?

In the drama, Kim Woo-Bin plays Iblis, also known as Shaytan, the fallen genie whose sole mission is to prove to the Almighty that no human deserves his bow. Opposing him is his angelic brother Elljahel, a death angel ready to destroy him when the time comes, even if it means resorting to deceit, manipulation, and threats against his own mystic animal.

Let’s face it: this drama isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s far from the disaster some people claim it to be. It was quirky, funny at times, and honestly, I was just happy to see Kim Woo-Bin back on screen (though Our Blues was undeniably better).

What Genie, Make a Wish truly made me think about is how blurred the line between good and evil can be. Characters like Satan or Ki Ka-Young ( even as a psychopath ) often acted more humanely than the supposedly righteous Elljahel.

The “good ones” aren’t always who you think they are.
Just because someone is labelled bad doesn’t mean they’ll act badly.
If there’s one takeaway from this drama, it’s this:

Don’t judge people by appearances — trust their actions more than what others say about them.

See you on the next one and take care in the meantime 💋