Goblin (2016)

When it aired, Goblin was not simply a popular drama — it was a cultural phenomenon. The snowy streets of Quebec, a girl in a red scarf, a goblin kneeling before her, flowers blooming in an instant: these images are burned into the memories of viewers who watched it. That visual beauty and emotional atmosphere define the first layer of the series; underneath runs a story about the curse of immortality and the fate of a destined bond. When the gorgeous surface and the story of loss within it work in tandem, Goblin transcends simple fantasy romance. My rating is ★4.5.

What it’s about — the Goblin, the Bride, and the Grim Reaper

Directed by Lee Eung-bok and written by Kim Eun-sook, this drama aired on tvN for sixteen episodes from December 2016 to January 2017. Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a Goryeo-era warrior killed unjustly, is cursed to live as a goblin for eternity. The only way he can be extinguished is for the Goblin’s Bride — the one person who can pull the sword lodged in his chest — to appear. Centuries later, Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) emerges as that bride. A memory-wiped Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) enters the story as a housemate, and his relationship with Sunny (Yoo In-na) twists around secrets from a past life, weaving multiple threads of fate into the same narrative.

Direction — the visual beauty made by Quebec’s snowfields

Director Lee Eung-bok brings a clear aesthetic point of view. Natural-light exterior scenes and precisely designed interiors blend harmoniously, and the fantasy elements seep into reality without feeling excessive. The location choices are particularly inspired: the snow-dusted streets of Quebec, a Canadian cornfield, the beaches of Jeju — each is positioned to embody a different emotion and memory.

Gong Yoo expresses simultaneously the exhaustion of centuries of existence and the bewilderment of feeling something for the first time. Kim Go-eun’s Ji Eun-tak is cheerful and full of life while carrying a painful past — she handles both registers without effort. Lee Dong-wook’s Grim Reaper persuasively traces a journey from cold to warmly human. The chemistry between Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-wook is one of the series’ greatest assets.

What the work says — the pain of immortality and the weight of fate

Goblin is about how much suffering immortality carries. Kim Shin has watched everyone he loves disappear one by one across centuries, and because of that he longs to be extinguished. Ji Eun-tak, as the Goblin’s Bride, is the one who can make that possible — but that also means her own loss. Their relationship is structured around salvation and sacrifice intertwined. The Grim Reaper and Sunny’s past-life story adds another layer, turning the drama into a meditation on bonds that don’t end with a single lifetime. It carries more weight than a simple romance while using humour and warmth to keep that weight balanced — that is the path Goblin chose.

Ratings & reception

TMDB score is 8.6. IMDb is 8.5. The show recorded a peak ratings of 20.5% during its domestic run, which was a tvN all-time record at the time. Praise for the visuals and music was overwhelming; in particular, the OST tracks featuring EXO’s Chen and Eric Nam were widely noted as perfectly matched to the scenes. Some viewers found certain plot threads in the back half overly convoluted, but overall critical and audience reception was high both domestically and internationally.

Verdict

Goblin showed how far Korean fantasy drama could go. It sustained a high standard across visuals, music, performances, and thematic ambition around immortality and fate. The ★4.5 reflects some dissatisfaction with slightly scattered plotting in the latter episodes. But the scenes Goblin leaves behind — especially that first meeting on the snow-covered streets of Quebec — will remain among the most memorable in Korean drama history.

Recommended for

• Viewers looking for fantasy romance rich in visual beauty and music
• Those drawn to themes of immortality, fate, and past lives
• Anyone wanting to discover Gong Yoo’s or Lee Dong-wook’s work