‘Eve’ Episode 1: Why Some Fans Have an Issue With the K-Drama’s Sex Scene and Age Gap
The latest tvN K-drama Eve is off to a strong start, but certain plot elements have fans and netizens not too keen on watching. The K-drama has a 19+ age rating due to its themes of murder, revenge, affairs, and a sex scene within the first episode. K-drama fans are aware sex scenes are a slippery slope, and Eve also tackles a huge age gap between its leading characters.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Eve Episode 1]
Lee Ra-el spent over a decade planning the perfect revenge in ‘Eve’
The June K-drama focuses on a Ra-el who witnessed her family’s demise at the hands of one of Korea’s most powerful families. In Eve Episode 1, fans learn Ra-el was a teenager when it occurred and was roughly 15.
In the K-drama, an adult, Ra-el, is now 28-years-old. She has spent almost 13 years working in the shadows. But some fans and netizens found the age gap between Ra-el and her target Yoon-kyum to be extreme. In Ra-el’s flashbacks, Yoon-kyum is significantly older than her teen self. Even at the age of 28, Yoon-kyum is likely in his 40s.
According to allkpop, fans expressed their distaste for the age gap, with one fan commenting, “The age gap is really…I just hate that a man in his forties is in love with a woman in her twenties.”
But this is not the only age-gap fans are concerned with. Eve also focuses on Ra-el’s relationship with congressman Eun-pyeong, who witnessed the downfall of Ra-el’s family. But in her flashbacks, Eun-pyeong is also much older than the 15-year-old Ra-el. He was a practicing lawyer and can be assumed to have been in his mid-20s. A fan on Reddit called out the discrepancy in the striking difference in physical appearance between the past and present.
The sex scene in the ‘Eve’ K-drama had some fans uncomfortable
Eve is not for the faint of heart as it takes dark themes to the extreme. The K-drama has a 19+ age rating for a reason, but fans found Eve’s sex scene to be out of place. In the first episode, fans shockingly learn that Ra-el is married. After the school fundraiser recital, he goes to meet her with flowers. Ra-el entices him to have sex in one of the dressing rooms. Compared to other sex scenes in K-dramas, Eve’s is mild.
But some netizens and fans had an issue with how it played out in the storyline. One fan on Twitter commented, “Omo what the hell. Is this an actual scene from a Korean drama ? Wahh we usually complain about them even censuring kiss scenes & #Eve served a sex scene so openly like this. What is the kdrama world coming to.”
Another fan felt Eve’s Sex scene was not as enticing due to common K-drama rules. “Also that sex scene felt so unnecessary because you could tell they didn’t want to make it too steamy despite the fact that she’s supposed to be seductive in that scene. But eh, the scene where she dances felt hotter and had more sexual tension imo than the actual sex scene,” said the fan on Reddit.
The scene itself is suggestive of the act of sex with mild nudity on behalf of Ra-el’s husband. In reality, Ra-el used the scene as a prop to entice Yoon-kyum, who witnesses it.
Fans are calling ‘Eve’ a ‘makjang’ K-drama
Between the dramatic plot for revenge, Eve’s sex scene, and more, the K-drama is tagged as a “makjang.” The genre of K-dramas is not new but often has higher age ratings due to its subject matter. Kocowa explains, “A “makjang” series is, simply put, an exaggerated drama. Ridiculous, unrealistic, and abnormal situations are normal in these series. Some of the most common storylines include absurd birth secrets, murders, crazy revenge plots, and more.”
Makjang K-dramas have an array of unsuspecting plot twists and sometimes graphic content. Fans see this with Eve’s K-drama sex scene, the torture Ra-el’s father goes through, and the gory death of a few characters. The genre also applies to exaggerated gazes, close-ups, and extreme scenarios.
A fan on Reddit commented, “The FL Lee Rae El was clutching the metal bar on the sideway so tight, that her grip started to bleed a blood so thick as if you have cut someone’s stomach in half. I found it so hilarious and unconvincing, couldnt decide what to laugh at first.”
Despite Eve ruffling a few feathers with its premiere episode, fans are hopeful for an enticing K-drama that will have them hooked on thick drama.
