bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Pierce Conran

Lead cast: Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon, Kim Sung-oh, Choi Jae-rim
Latest Nielsen rating: 1.25 per cent
Star of the Korean Wave Kim Tae-hee returns to screens three years after her last drama, Hi Bye, Mama!, in the brooding psychological mystery Lies Hidden in My Garden.
Lim Ji-yeon, hot off her role in the Netflix hit The Glory, shares top billing in this eight-part limited series, available in select international territories on Amazon Prime Video.


Kim plays Moon Joo-ran, a beautiful housewife living in a hillside manor that shares more than a little in common with the house in Parasite.
To anyone else it seems that she has everything she could want. She is married to Park Jae-ho (Kim Sung-oh), the head of a paediatric clinic who is notable enough to appear on evening news shows, and her son Seung-jae (Cha Sung-je) is a straight-A student at a prestigious school.
8 of the best new Korean drama series to look out for in June 2023
But even for the neighbours who keep coming up to her gate to say hello – their family has not socialised in the months since they first moved in – something seems off.
There is nothing wrong with the picture, but there is with the smell; something foul is coming from the garden.
Joo-ran is troubled by this smell, although her family claims not to notice it. Her attention is constantly drawn to some old lanterns and pots in the backyard. The camera creeps in on them, again and again, as they consume her waking thoughts.
There may be something buried in the garden, but whether it is something sinister – her past trauma could be fuelling her imagination – remains to be seen.

Years ago, she was the person who found her sister’s body after she suffered a violent death. Later, she had a breakdown at a school event involving masked children – one of whom haunts her nightmares – which prompted the family’s move to their current residence.
On the opposite end of the social spectrum is Chu Sang-eun (Lim Ji-yeon), a housewife in a rundown flat who is beaten black and blue by her husband, Kim Yoon-beom (Choi Jae-rim), on a nightly basis. The fact that she is five months pregnant does nothing to soften his blows.
Following the advice of a colleague, Sang-eun attempts to record her abuse in the hopes of escaping her situation through a divorce. That proves unnecessary, since, before the opening episode is up, Sang-eun receives a call from the police – her husband has met an untimely death.

Lies Hidden in My Garden takes its time putting the pieces of its story in place, lingering on the expressions of its characters and the curious details that dot the careful mise-en-scène. It is far more interested in crafting atmosphere than in unrolling the narrative.
At the heart of that atmosphere is mystery, which pervades every bit of the show. Some of that mystery is simply because the show is withholding a lot of information from us.
Joo-ran is a deeply broken individual who pops pills like Tic Tacs and cannot carry on conversations with strangers or family without looking like a deer lost in the headlights.
We learn about the death of her sister early on but little else. We do not know who she was before mysterious events turned her into the person she is now.

More mysteries pop up throughout the story as new events unfold. Chief among those early on is the death of Yoon-beom. Looking to make a quick buck, he has been trying to blackmail Jae-ho. We do not know what he has on him, but it is enough to force the doctor to meet him in the middle of the night at an out-of-the-way fishing spot.
Yoon-beom turns up dead after that meeting, but although Jae-ho is clearly a suspect, it is hard not to discount Sang-eun. She has plenty of motive to kill Yoon-beom and, despite how sympathetic she appears at first, there is a clear hint of a sinister edge to her.
Joo-ran and Sang-eun do not meet during the opening week’s episodes but they are clearly on a collision course. Given their stark social differences, perhaps Sang-eun will develop a desire to elevate herself to Joo-ran’s status after they meet. After all, the show has already shown its Parasite influence.

We do not yet know what the story of Lies Hidden in My Garden is, let alone where it is heading. This presents us with a double-edged sword – as viewers we are curious about what is to follow, but is the hook strong enough to draw us in for the whole ride?
Lies Hidden in My Garden is streaming on Amazon Prime.


K-drama The Haunted Palace: Bona, Yook Sung-jae lead spirited period drama

Netflix K-drama Weak Hero Class 2: Park Ji-hoon back for school fight drama sequel

Netflix K-drama Heavenly Ever After: Kim Hye-ja, Son Suk-ku lead afterlife fantasy romcom

K-drama Way Back Love review: Kim Min-ha, Gong Myung shine in fantasy high school drama

Korean drama reviews

Amazon Prime K-drama Lies Hidden in My Garden: Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon dig into brooding psychological mystery

Kim Sung-oh (left) and Kim Tae-hee as husband and wife Jae-ho and Joo-ran in a still from “Lies Hidden in My Garden”, an Amazon Prime K-drama.

Lim Ji-yeon is housewife Sang-eun in a still from “Lies Hidden in My Garden”.

Choi Jae-rim (left) as abusive husband Yoon-beom and Lim Ji-yeon as his wife, Sang-eun, in a still from “Lies Hidden in My Garden”.

Kim Tae-hee as main character Joo-ran in a still from “Lies Hidden in My Garden”.

Lim Ji-yeon as Sang-eun in a still from “Lies Hidden in My Garden”.

Netflix K-drama King the Land: Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah, Lee Jun-ho star in tacky, dated and unimaginative romcom

Im Yoon-ah in a still from “King the Land”.

Im Yoon-ah as hotel employee Chun Sa-rang in a still from “King the Land”, a tacky, dated and unimaginative K-drama romcom co-starring Lee Jun-ho of the boy band 2PM that is streaming on Netflix.

(From left) Kim Ga-eun as duty-free-shop sales agent Gang Da-eul, Im as Chun Sa-rang and Go Won-hee as flight attendant Oh Pyeong-hwa in a still from “King the Land”.

An Se-ha (left) as intern No Sang-sik and Lee Jun-ho as Gu Won in a still from “King the Land”.

Lee Jun-ho as Gu Won in a still from “King the Land”.

Im Yoon-ah as King Hotel employee Chun Sa-rang in a still from “King the Land”.

Netflix K-drama See You in My 19th Life: Shin Hye-sun, Ahn Bo-hyun lead fantastical romcom about a reincarnated woman chasing past love

Shin Hye-sun in a still from “See You in My 19th Life”. Netflix’s fantastical K-drama about a reincarnated woman pursuing an old flame is full of verve, but also chaos and tired clichés.

Ahn Bo-hyun sa Mun Seo-ha in a still from “See You in My 19th Life”.

Ahn Bo-hyun (left) as Mun Seo-ha and Shin Hye-sun, as Ban Ji-eum, in a still from “See You in My 19th Life”.

Ahn Bo-hyun as Mun Seo-ha in a still from “See You in My 19th Life”.

Shin Hye-sun as Ban Ji-eum in a still from “See You in My 19th Life”.

Disney+ K-drama review: Dr. Romantic 3 – medical drama starring Han Suk-kyu caps strong season with cathartic finale

Han Suk-kyu as top surgeon Master Kim in a still from “Dr. Romantic” season three, the end of which sees fan favourites from previous seasons return, possibly opening the door to a fourth season of the Disney+ medical K-drama series. 

Yoo Yeon-seok as returning surgeon Kang Dong-joo in a still from “Dr. Romantic” season three.

Lee Sung-kyung (right) as Master Kim protégé Cha Eun-jae and Ahn Hyo-seop as star surgeon, and Cha’s girlfriend, Seo Woo-jin in a still from “Dr. Romantic” season three.

Jin Kyung (left) as head nurse Oh Myung-sim and Han Suk-kyu as Master Kim in a still from “Dr. Romantic” season three.

Han Suk-kyu (left) and Yoo Yeon-seok as Kang Dong-joo in a still from “Dr. Romantic” season three.

Who is Han So-hee, Korean actress and star of K-dramas My Name and The World of the Married who enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of show business?

Han So-hee in a still from “My Name”. Photo: Netflix

Han So-hee is one of South Korea’s leading actresses. We take a look at her fairy-tale-like rise to stardom. Photo: Netflix

Han So-hee in a still from “My Name” (2021). Photo: Netflix

Han So-hee in a still from “The World of the Married” (2020).

Han So-hee in a still from “Nevertheless” (2021).

Han So-hee (left) and Park Hyung-sik in a still from “Soundtrack #1” (2022). Photo: Disney+

Han So-hee in a still from the film “Heavy Snow”.

Han So-hee (left) and Park Seo-joon in a still from “Gyeongseong Creature”.

K-drama review: Queen of Masks – satisfying end to soapy prime- time melodrama with Kim Sun-a

Kim Sun-a (left) and Oh Yoon-ah in a still from “Queen of Masks”.

Kim Sun-a as lawyer Do Jae-yi in a still from “Queen of Masks”. The K-drama has threaded its way to a very satisfying conclusion in its final episodes.

Shin Eun-jun (left) as Ju Yu-jeong and Yoo-sun as Yoon Hae-mi in a still from “Queen of Masks”.

Kim Sun-a (centre) as Do Jae-yi in a still from “Queen of Masks”.

Song Young-chan as conglomerate chairman Kang Il-goo in a still from “Queen of Masks”.

Kim Sun-a (left) as Do Jae-yi and Oh Yoon-ah as Go Yoo-na in a still from “Queen of Masks”.

Lifestyle

K-drama

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

K-Pop

Korean drama superstar Kim Tae-hee and The Glory’s Lim Ji-yeon lead Amazon Prime K-drama Lies Hidden in My Garden, whose story is cloaked in mystery
Kim plays a rich housewife with trauma in her past, Lim is poor and abused by her husband – and they are set on an inevitable collision course


Kim Tae-hee and Lim Ji-yeon dig into brooding psychological mystery in Lies Hidden in My Garden, an Amazon Prime K-drama whose opening episodes set up an intriguing premise.


Amazon Prime K-drama Lies Hidden in My Garden: Kim Tae-hee, Lim Ji-yeon dig into brooding psychological mystery

Korean drama superstar Kim Tae-hee and The Glory’s Lim Ji-yeon lead Amazon Prime K-drama Lies Hidden in My Garden, whose story is cloaked in mystery Kim plays a rich housewife with trauma in her past, Lim is poor and abused by her husband – and they are set on an inevitable collision course

Korean drama superstar Kim Tae-hee and The Glory’s Lim Ji-yeon lead Amazon Prime K-drama Lies Hidden in My Garden, whose story is cloaked in mystery

Kim plays a rich housewife with trauma in her past, Lim is poor and abused by her husband – and they are set on an inevitable collision course