Killing off your protagonist in the first episode of a 16-part series doesn’t seem like the smartest move, but in Reborn Richit works terrifically. As the title suggests, our main character is reborn, but not in a way you would expect — he is reborn in the past. This thrilling K-drama continues down the path of playing on our expectations and pulling off clever twists on classic storylines. Featuring an inheritance battle, time-traveling, and a satisfying revenge tale, the series keeps each element fresh by interweaving them in unexpected ways. Reborn Rich is where Succession meets Back to the Futureearning itself the most-watched drama TV show spot in South Korea in 2022 and a spot on every “eat-the-rich” fan’s must-watch list.
‘Succession’ and ‘Back to the Future’ Meet in ‘Reborn Rich’
The first episode of Reborn Rich opens up on the cusp of an inheritance war, which is quickly cemented by the patriarch’s abrupt death. The Soonyang Group is a conglomerate with its fingers dipped in nearly every business, and plenty of candidates are vying for the empty spot at the helm. We are soon introduced to Yoon Hyun-woo (Song Joong-ki), who is the head of the household staff and quickly showcases an incredible amount of devotion to his employers. Between the greedy behavior of the ultrarich and the disparaging and violent way they treat their staff, the series shapes up to be a typical eat-the-rich narrative — until Hyun-woo is killed during an errand.
Joong-ki’s character is reborn in the late ’80s, but as the prepubescent boy, Jin Do-jun — the youngest grandchild of the Soongyang family. Immediately, the show rewrites what we would expect from “rebirth,” as Do-jun is able to navigate the family dynamics and the norms of that era by tapping into his memories of being Hyun-woo, who existed in the future. But surviving and making money isn’t the only thing on Do-jun’s mind: he wants revenge on the person who killed him.
‘Reborn Rich’ Uses Time-Travelling in an Unexpected Way
With the rich blacks and dark pathos of the first episode, the zany idea of time-traveling is the furthest thing on your mind when watching Reborn Rich. The sudden shift to the ’80s vintage aesthetic and ethereal faded quality of the shots is already a visually jarring experience, let alone a conceptual one. With Hyun-woo still alive in this timeline and also being played by Joong-ki, you do have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit to follow the dream-like internal logic of the show. But the payoff is worth it.
Reborn Rich throws us on a thrilling and twisty ride, with a chaotic atmosphere and dread-laden mystery, all facilitated by time-traveling. It also gives us the most skin-crawling scenes of the older Do-jun talking about investing in the movie Titanic or strategically selling U.S. investments before 9/11 occurs. The show fully takes advantage of the time-traveling concept, preventing it from becoming simply a gimmick by allowing the sudden idea to evolve in multiple ways.
Related
10 K-Dramas That Are Perfect From Start to Finish
These K-dramas are perfect from A to Z.
Song Joong-ki Is the Heart of This Twisted Revenge Tale
Having already met many of the characters, it is interesting to witness how Do-jun interacts with everyone. Interestingly, his most compelling relationship is with the only main character who died before him, the patriarch of the Soongyang family and his grandfather: Jin Yang-cheol (Lee Sung-min). Sung-min excels at imbuing heart underneath the cold, powerful, and mercurial exterior of Yang-cheol, as he overtly hates all his children but finds a soft spot for the brilliant and intelligent Do-jun. While Joong-ki’s performance remains gripping throughout the K-drama, his chemistry with Sung-min captures a unique intergenerational love that is impossible to ignore.
Their performances make the nuances within their relationship intriguing as well, as Yang-cheol controls an empire yet becomes closest to the young boy who is intimately acquainted with the struggles of the general population in Hyun-woo. Though the revenge story is vastly personal, we are constantly reminded of the context of the wealthy familywith protesters being commonplace outside the high-rises the central narrative is placed in. While returning the magnifying glass to the dubious elites, Reborn Rich gives us a delicious twist to an inheritance battle and a vengeance tale that we eagerly savor.
Reborn Rich is available to stream on Rakuten Viki in the U.S.
Reborn Rich
- Release Date
- November 18, 2022
- Cast
- Song Joong-ki , Lee Sung-min , Jo Han-chul , Kim Nam-Hee , Kim Young-jae , Park Ji-hoon , Lee Kyu-hoi , Shin Hyeon-bin
- Seasons
- 1