The Art of Sarah (2026) 레이디 두아
Directed by Kim Jin-min, starring Shin Hye-sun as Sarah Kim / Mok Ga-hui / Du-a / Kim Eun-jae, and Lee Joon-hyuk as Park Mu-gyeong.
Watched 25 - 28 February 2026 — 8 episodes (NETFLIX)
*I didn't have a lot of expectations for this recently released series but chose to watch it for the grand appeal of the leads (Shin Hye-sun and Lee Joon-hyuk) and the short runtime of only 8 episodes — each episode running approximately 45 minutes.
*A woman's body is found and identified as Sarah Kim, a high-society luxury brand executive. The detective (Lee Joon-hyuk as Park Mu-gyeong) assigned to the case finds himself confronted with a con artist and the multiple identities of Sarah Kim. The big question is: who is Sarah Kim? What is fake and what is true? — ("If you can’t tell the fake from the real, is it really fake?" – Sarah Kim)
*This series tries to be a sophisticated mystery thriller with an intelligent and intricate plot but unfortunately it's not. It gets sloppy and confusing and is deliberately complicated to throw off the viewer. That would be okay if it all made sense in the end, but we are left with numerous plot holes, unanswered questions, and an underwhelming conclusion.
*Shin Hye-sun shows some serious acting chops while playing multiple identities. Her chemistry with Lee Joon-hyuk is very good (like they displayed in the drama Stranger), and I loved their scenes together. Yet I had hoped for a gripping cat-and-mouse game between their characters and some smart dialogue where Sarah would outsmart the clueless detective, but alas. Lee Joon-hyuk's role came off a bit poorly in comparison to Shin Hye-sun's Sarah Kim. But he looks sooo good!
*Great production values, as can be expected from an original Netflix series.
*Hopefully Shin Hye-sun and Lee Joon-hyuk will star together in a better production very soon.
(Collage made by me.)