The Game: Towards Zero
| The Game: Towards Zero | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 더 게임: 0시를 향하여 |
| Revised Romanization | Deo Geim: 0sireul Hyanghayeo |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Lee Ji-hyo |
| Directed by | Jang Joon-ho |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Jeong Se-rin |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 32[a] |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 35 minutes[a] |
| Production companies | Mong-jak-so Co., Ltd. |
| Original release | |
| Network | MBC TV |
| Release | January 22 – March 12, 2020 |
The Game: Towards Zero (Korean: 더 게임: 0시를 향하여) is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Ok Taec-yeon, Lee Yeon-hee and Lim Ju-hwan. It aired on MBC TV from January 22 to March 12, 2020.[2][3][4]
Synopsis[edit]
Tae-Pyeong (Ok Taec-yeon) has a prophet like ability. When he looks into someone's eye, he can see the exact moment when they die. Tae-Pyeong lives in a mansion with Teacher Baek (Jung Dong-hwan) and Attorney Lee Yeon-Hwa (Ryu Hye-rin).
A girl is kidnapped and her disappearance may involve the notorious Midnight Killer. While Tae-Pyeong helps the police with the investigation, he is stunned when he meets Detective Joon-Young (Lee Yeon-hee). She is the first person that he can't foresee their death. Tae-Pyeong and Detective Joon-Young frantically work together to stop the Midnight Killer.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
- Ok Taec-yeon as Kim Tae-pyeong[5][6]
- A prophet who can foresee anyone's death just by looking into their eyes. This changes when he meets Joon-yeong whose death he cannot see.
- Lee Yeon-hee as Seo Joon-yeong[7][8]
- Joo Ye-rim as Young Seo Joon-yeong
- A detective who works at Yongsan Police Station. She partners with a prophet to solve a mysterious murder case.
- Lim Ju-hwan as Gu Do-kyung[9]
- A forensic expert. He is a perfectionist who digs through every case.
Supporting[edit]
- Park Ji-il as Nam Woo-hyeon
- Choi Jae-woong as Han Dong-woo
- Shin Sung-min as Yoon Kang-jae
- Lee Seung-woo as Go Bong-soo
- Lee Bom as Ji Soo-hyeon
- Park Won-sang as Lee Joon-hee
- Yoo Se-hyung as Sung Min-jae
- Hong In as Park Han-gyoo
- Yoon Ji-won as Oh Ye-ji
- Jung Dong-hwan as Teacher Baek
- Ryu Hye-rin as Lee Yeon-hwa
- Jang So-yeon as Yoo Ji-won
- Choi Da-in as Lee Mi-jin
- Kim Yong-joon as Jo Pil-doo
- Ye Soo-jung as Mrs. Jeong
- Yang Hyeong-min as Oh Seong-min
- Kim Hak-sun as Seo Dong-cheol
Special appearances[edit]
- Jang Gwang as Retired medical examiner (Ep.17-18)
Original soundtrack[edit]
| The Game : Towards Zero OST | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | 2020 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Language | |
| Label | Dreamus, Donuts Music And |
Part 1[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Where You Are" | Nuvocity | Nuvocity | A.C.E[b] | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Where You Are" (Inst.) | Nuvocity | 3:33 | ||
| Total length: | 7:06 | ||||
Part 2[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Heart Is Yours" (내맘이 그대맘에) | Gentile Division (이방원사단) · Lee An | Gentile Division (이방원사단) · Lee An | Hickee | 3:53 |
| 2. | "My Heart Is Yours" (Inst.) | Gentile Division (이방원사단) · Lee An | 3:53 | ||
| Total length: | 7:46 | ||||
Part 3[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tunnel" (터널) | Shoulder Thug (어깨깡패) | Shoulder Thug (어깨깡패) | Harryan | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Tunnel" (Inst.) | Shoulder Thug (어깨깡패) | 4:05 | ||
| Total length: | 8:10 | ||||
Part 4[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Day Always Come On Time" | Gogang | Gogang · Choi Young-hoon | Gogang | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Day Always Come On Time" (Inst.) | Gogang · Choi Young-hoon | 3:13 | ||
| Total length: | 6:26 | ||||
Part 5[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Day" (하루) | Jung Young-ah | Gentile Division (이방원사단) · Lee An | Floody | 3:58 |
| 2. | "A Day" (Inst.) | Gentile Division (이방원사단) · Lee An | 3:58 | ||
| Total length: | 7:56 | ||||
Part 6[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Poem" (그 사랑) | Jo Yu-ma | Jo Yu-ma · Jung Jae-pil | Yoonsoan | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Love Poem" (Inst.) | Jo Yu-ma · Jung Jae-pil | 4:20 | ||
| Total length: | 8:42 | ||||
Production[edit]
Ok Taec-yeon and Lee Yeon-hee previously starred together in Marriage Blue (2013).[11]
Ratings[edit]
In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Ep. | Broadcast date | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nielsen Korea (Nationwide)[12] | |||
| 1 | January 22, 2020 | Tae Pyung and Joon Young's First Encounter | 2.7% |
| 2 | Mi Jin's Eyes | 3.8% | |
| 3 | January 23, 2020 | Tae Pyung Tells the Truth | 2.5% |
| 4 | Mi Jin's Location | 3.7% | |
| 5 | January 29, 2020 | A Miracle | 3.1% |
| 6 | Tae Pyung's Concern | 4.2% | |
| 7 | January 30, 2020 | Do Kyung's Past | 3.3% |
| 8 | Warning From a Murderer | 4.5% | |
| 9 | February 5, 2020 | Tae Pyung's Old Memory | 3.2% |
| 10 | Do Kyung is Arrested | 4.6% | |
| 11 | February 6, 2020 | Ill-Fated Relationship | 3.2% |
| 12 | Who Is the Real Culprit? | 3.8% | |
| 13 | February 12, 2020 | Do Kyung’s Grief of Losing His Father | 2.8% |
| 14 | Woo Hyun Apologizing to Do Kyung | 4.0% | |
| 15 | February 13, 2020 | Hyun Woo's Basement | 3.0% |
| 16 | Hyun Woo's Tracking Device | 4.5% | |
| 17 | February 19, 2020 | Seong Woon's Death | 2.5% |
| 18 | Is It Homicide or Suicide? | 3.4% | |
| 19 | February 20, 2020 | Woo Hyun's Confession | 3.2% |
| 20 | Dong Chul's Death Anniversary | 3.7% | |
| 21 | February 26, 2020 | Turn Yourself In | 2.6% |
| 22 | Looking for Jun Hee And Hyung Soo | 3.8% | |
| 23 | February 27, 2020 | Sorry for Leaving You Alone | 3.2% |
| 24 | The Funeral | 3.9% | |
| 25 | March 4, 2020 | The Letter | 3.0% |
| 26 | Catch the Bombmaker | 4.0% | |
| 27 | March 5, 2020 | Tae Pyung Can’t See Jun Hee’s Death | 3.3% |
| 28 | Joon Young’s Plan to Find Hyun Woo | 3.4% | |
| 29 | March 11, 2020 | Hyun Woo’s Changed Plan | 2.8% |
| 30 | Tae Pyung’s Choice | 3.9% | |
| 31 | March 12, 2020 | A Refrigerator Truck | 2.9% |
| 32 | Tae Pyung Can See Joon Young’s Death | 3.5% | |
| Average | 3.4% | ||
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 39th MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries | Ok Taec-yeon | Nominated |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries | Lee Yeon-hee | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries | Lim Ju-hwan[c] | Won |
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[1]
- ^ Performed by A.C.E members Jun and Chan.
- ^ Lim won the award for his roles in The Game: Towards Zero and The Spies Who Loved Me.
References[edit]
- ^ Park, Jin-hai (May 16, 2017). "Drama viewers angry over commercial breaks". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via PressReader.
- ^ Jang, Ji-min (August 2, 2019). "이연희·옥택연 '더 게임'으로 6년만 재회". Hankyung (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Jo, Yoon-seok (August 2, 2019). "[공식] 옥택연X이연희, MBC '더 게임' 출연 확정…6년 만의 재회". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Hwang, So-young (December 30, 2019). "Ok Taecyeon, Lee Yeon Hee to attend "2019 MBC Drama Awards"". JTBC PLUS. VLIVE. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
- ^ Lee, Da-won (July 8, 2019). "[단독] 옥택연, '더 게임' 남자주인공 확정…제대 후 복귀작". Sports Khan (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Jung, Hee-yeon (July 8, 2019). "옥택연, 복귀작 결정…MBC 수목 '더 게임:0시를 향하여' 확정 [공식]". Sports Donga (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Kim, Myung-mi (August 2, 2019). "이연희 측 "MBC '더게임' 출연확정" 옥택연과 호흡(공식입장)". Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Woo, Bin (August 2, 2019). "'더 게임:0시를 향하여', 옥택연X이연희 캐스팅…'결혼전야' 이후 6년만 재회". Hankyung (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Jo, Yoon-sun (September 19, 2019). "[공식] 임주환, MBC '더 게임:0시를 향하여' 캐스팅 확정…옥택연X이연희와 호흡". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Park, Ahreum. "에이스 준X찬 "'더 게임' OST 참여 영광, 감정이입했다"". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). newsen. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ Kim, Jin-seok (August 2, 2019). "[단독]이연희, 옥택연과 드라마 '더 게임' 주인공 확정". Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Nielsen Korea" (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
External links[edit]
- Official website (in Korean)
- The Game: Towards Zero at IMDb
- The Game: Towards Zero at HanCinema
