From the very first episode of Goblin, also known as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, you can tell this isn't your typical Kdrama. Written by the brilliant Kim Eun-sook and directed with such beautiful artistry, it manages to mix fantasy, romance, comedy, deep thoughts about life, and heartbreak all into one story that will completely captivate you.
The story centers around Kim Shin, played by Gong Yoo, who used to be a powerful general way back in the Goryeo period, is framed as a traitor by his jealous young king, he becomes an immortal goblin and gets cursed with living forever. He's been wandering around for 900 years with a sword stuck in his chest, and the only person who can pull it out and finally let him rest is his destined bride. That bride turns out to be Ji Eun-tak, played by Kim Go-eun - she's this bright high school student who's had a really tough life as an orphan but can see ghosts, which is how she gets tangled up with the Goblin's fate. The premise is intriguing, but the execution becomes problematic when you realize they've cast a 19-year-old character opposite what looks like a man in his late thirties or early forties.
Running alongside their story is the Grim Reaper, played by Lee Dong-wook, who's this stylish, mysterious guy whose job is collecting souls, but he can't remember anything about his own past life. He falls in love with Sunny, played by Yoo In-na, who's this smart, gorgeous woman who runs a chicken shop. Their love story actually works much better and adds a layer of beautiful sadness about destiny and longing that feels more natural and believable than the main romance.
The way they tell the story jumps around between different time periods, showing us past lives, reincarnation, and how the universe dishes out justice and karma. While this sounds interesting in theory, the execution becomes exhausting. There are so many flashbacks that you'll find yourself checking how much time is left in each episode. The pacing drags terribly - what feels like it should wrap up in three episodes somehow stretches on and on, with the same information repeated through flashbacks until you feel like the show is treating you like you can't remember what happened just a few episodes ago.
One thing everyone does rave about with Goblin is how absolutely gorgeous it looks. The scenes they shot in Quebec, Canada are genuinely breathtaking - you've got these maple leaves dancing in the wind, ocean waves crashing during emotional moments, and these glowing candlelit goodbye scenes that look like they belong in a movie. Every single shot is composed so beautifully that it feels like you're watching art instead of just a TV show. Though it's worth noting that when they show Canada in December, it looks suspiciously like autumn rather than winter, which breaks the illusion a bit.
The soundtrack is genuinely legendary. "Stay With Me" by Chanyeol and Punch has become the ultimate song for heartbreak and missing someone, and it's the most universally praised aspect of the entire show. You'll find yourself listening to these songs long after you finish watching.
Gong Yoo's performance as the Goblin is impressive in terms of acting skill. He brings layers to Kim Shin - you see his dignity, his deep sadness, his wit, and his tenderness. With just a look or a sigh, he makes you feel the weight of centuries of grief and longing. But his character feels inconsistent and all over the place. He lies constantly, acts like a teenager one moment and a wise ancient being the next, and his behavior doesn't always make sense in context. It feels random rather than character driven.
Kim Go-eun as Eun-tak tries her best with what she's given, but the character feels like it was written without considering her traumatic backstory. Here's someone who lost her parents young, barely escaped death, gets treated terribly by her relatives, has an awful teacher, can see ghosts, and yet she's inexplicably cheerful and says "I love you" so easily to the Goblin. It doesn't feel convincing when you compare it to how trauma actually affects people. She also makes these weird comments like "Men are all the same" despite never having dated anyone, which just feels like lazy writing.
Lee Dong-wook gives the Grim Reaper this perfect balance of being mysterious and vulnerable. His tragic backstory is actually the most heart-wrenching part of the entire show, and his friendship with the Goblin provides some genuinely hilarious moments. The bromance between them - like their knife and fork war, or when they enter dramatically to save Eun-tak and then recreate the same scene later while carrying green onions - is absolutely the highlight of the show. Yoo In-na as Sunny brings elegance and intelligence to her role, and her relationship with the Grim Reaper feels much more natural and emotionally honest.
The biggest issue with Goblin is the uncomfortable romantic dynamic between a 900-year-old immortal in a man's body who looks to be in his late thirties, and a 19-year-old high school student. The Goblin literally refers to Eun-tak as a child multiple times before her 20th birthday, yet he's comfortable dating her. It feels like watching an uncle with his niece, especially when she calls him "ahjussi." The show tries to justify this with the "9, 19, 29" curse where she's most vulnerable at those ages, but it would have been so much better to either cast a younger-looking actor or age up Eun-tak's character to at least college age.
The world building around the Grim Reaper's job, with his office and coworkers, is actually quite good and adds interesting depth to the fantasy elements. But then you get weird plot holes and inconsistencies that pull you out of the story. Like how does Sunny still look young when she dies at 68? Why do people in Canada have memories of the Goblin when they shouldn't? How is Eun-tak's mom's friend still around as a ghost to give her bank books when she died before Eun-tak's mom and wouldn't have had any unfinished business?
Goblin builds up to this huge emotional climax where the Goblin finally dies and the sword is removed, but then he's barely dead for 30 minutes of screen time before he comes back. All that build-up feels wasted, and it would have been much more impactful to have a genuinely sad ending rather than the happy reunion they went with.
The finale tries to do this grand time jump of 30 to 60 years into the future, but it's completely unconvincing because nothing has changed. Quebec looks the same, Seoul looks the same, technology and fashion are identical - it's like the world just stopped evolving, which breaks the fantasy completely. For a show that spent so much time on flashbacks to different historical periods, this lack of attention to how the future would actually look, feels lazy.
Despite all these issues, there are genuinely beautiful moments in Goblin. The cinematography is stunning, the OST is perfect, and when the bromance between Goblin and Grim Reaper hits, it's absolutely delightful. The philosophical undertones about existence, fate, and the value of mortal life can be quite moving when they're not buried under repetitive flashbacks.
Goblin is a show that could have been truly special if it had tightened its pacing, aged up its female lead, and committed to either its philosophical depth or its romantic fantasy instead of trying to do both. It's the kind of drama that showcases both the incredible potential of kdramas with their cinematic quality and beautiful storytelling.
Whether you'll love or hate Goblin probably depends on how much the age gap bothers you and whether you can tolerate slow pacing with repetitive flashbacks. But if you do watch Goblin, go in knowing that it's a beautiful show that will definitely make you feel something.
Watch on Apple TV, Netflix, or Viki