Red Swan Episode 7 Review: Better Protagonists Make For Better Stories

In the last episode, Wan-soo faces the consequences of her rash decisions after she goes against her mother-in-law, who, as retaliation, sends law enforcement to NOW Foundation on charges of fraud and money laundering. Hyun-soo is arrested as a result which shocks both Wan-soo and Do-yoon. Having freshly lost her mother to her wicked in-law’s schemes, what will Wan-soo do in order to save her family from harm’s way?

The action-melodrama series is directed by Park Hong-kyun.

Red Swan Episode 7 Recap

As Hyun-soo is arrested leaving Hyun-woo scared, it turns out that Mi-ran did not plan for any of this and it sends everyone to rush to the prosecutor’s office. Do-yoon assures Hyun-woo that he will look into it and comforts her as well. Yong-kook witnesses this tender moment and is left surprised. However, Sang-il figures out that the one who tipped the authorities off is Yong-min and goes to confront him, which makes him lash out at everyone around him. Either way, Sang-il warns Yong-min to not do anything anymore, which leaves him more frustrated than ever.

In order to save Yong-min, Sang-il brings Wan-soo and Do-yoon’s names as a suspect who could’ve blown the whistle to both Mi-ran and Hyun-soo, leaving them both shocked. Mi-ran meets up with Wan-soo and questions her about her relationship with Do-yoon later on and she agrees that she had him steal the original ledgers but disagrees on the fact that they are having an affair. A frustrated Mi-ran orders for Do-yoon to be killed, realising that he can’t be fired, and although Wan-soo assures her that he is not the leak, Mi-ran refuses to have any of her words.

Later on, Do-yoon tells her everything that he learned from the ledgers and that everything goes back to Mi-ran and not her and Hyun-soo as her brother had previously stated. It leaves her confused and she implores him to give her the ledgers in order to return them and save his life. However, he refuses to do so and, instead, promises to protect her at all costs. The next day, the newspapers all come out with stories about the embezzlement charges and a possible upcoming divorce. The stories leave everyone anxious as they scramble to find a way to get out of everything.

Sang-il next suggests making Wan-soo step down from the foundation and suggests leaking the pictures of her and Do-yoon to the public to make her listen to them. The humiliating story will cover up the embezzlement fiasco in the press and pave the way for Yong-kook to ascend Hwain without a hitch. Mi-ran agrees with him and hatches a plan that Wan-soo walks right into, leaving her and Do-yoon to be pictured in intimate positions in a hotel room. In the end, Lee Jin ends up trying to murder Wan-soo, fails and then fights with Do-yoon in a cat-and-mouse chase around the property.

Red Swan Episode 7 Review

I think the problem with Red Swan is Kim Ha-neul’s Wan-soo, who is the most mellow and uninteresting character I have seen in a while. She’s either hysterical and unable to do anything without Do-yoon, or looks resolute in trying to destroy Mi-ran and others and then failing spectacularly. I am constantly blown away by how bad of a protagonist she is. However, Rain’s Do-yoon is the complete opposite and his action sequences are so well done.

I see sparks of chemistry between them but it’s hardly the burning passion that one would expect. They hardly do anything remotely romantic other than the occasional hugging and the way Do-yoon is ready to put his life in danger for her screams missing context because we are not made aware of why he is so taken with her. We are not shown when or why he fell for her, considering she has mostly been questioning his motives and hasn’t really told him that she reciprocates her feelings. I have so many questions about all this.

The drama with the foundation is mildly interesting, with there being promise of more to come with the story. Considering there’s a will as well, I am waiting to see what else comes out. Yoon Je-moon and Seo Yi-sook continue to be excellent and Ki Eun-se’s Tae-ra continues to be a forgotten character who is only there to be insulted – I am still unsure why she is here. Either way, Red Swan isn’t able to make me sit at the edge of my seat still and I wonder what else is in store for the series. There are just too many loose ends and unnecessary moments that make it such a disappointing watch till now.

Also Read: Red Swan Episode 6 Review: Bad Decisions All Around!