Netflix’s As You Stood By is a genuinely tense domestic violence thriller that’ll have you wincing and rage-baited by all of the crazy stuff that goes down. The two female leads are the standouts, of course, but the show is built on the backs of the terrifying male presence of the abusers as well. Though there are some shallowly written characters, there is not one single performance that didn’t shine on screen, and maybe that’s reason enough to give it a watch. The show spans 8 episodes, and while the first half is a tense drama that’s definitely going to enrapture you, the second half is a bit shallow and resorts to story beats that are too mainstream for my liking. You can read our full review to know more, but for now, read on for a spoiler-free cast and character guide.
Jeon So-Nee as Jo Eun-Su
When I see Jeon So-Nee, I immediately think of actress Go Min-Si, because they look so alike and even have similar acting cadences. It would be so great to see them as sisters in something in the future. You may have seen So-Nee in TV shows like Melo Movie and Our Blooming Youth, but I think her biggest role yet has been as the lead in Parasyte: The Gray. So-Nee plays Jo Eun-Su, a hardworking woman who wants to become an executive at work. She’s got trauma in her past, and everything she does makes sense when you view it through that lens. After a certain point in the show, Eun-Su takes it upon herself to fix everything and let Hui-Su have the peace she deserves. This turns out to be a Sisyphean task, though, and the more she tries to change, the more things go wrong, but she never gives up.
Lee Yoo-Mi as Jo Hui-Su
For those who have seen Squid Game, Lee Yoo-Mi will be a very familiar face. She’s an actress with great caliber, and she proves it in this show too. Last we saw her in Mr. Plankton, where she was very extroverted and loud, but in As You Stood By, she plays a character who needs to find help, who is always small, not just mentally, but physically too. She looks smaller than all the other characters, except for when she’s with Eun-Su because they’re both equals as friends. Hui-Su’s character has none of the frantic energy Eun-Su does; she’s withdrawn, and it feels like she’s given up. You immediately want to sympathize with her, and you’ll spend the entirety of the show hoping against hope that she ends up okay.
Jang Seung-Jo as Noh Jin-Pyo and Jang Kang
There’s a chance you’ve seen this man at least once if you’ve been a fan of K-dramas for a while. He may not be the leading man, but he’s always around. From The Frog to Death’s Game and Snowdrop, he’s in some of our favorite (or at least the most famous) K-dramas. Here, the actor plays two roles. Jin-Pyo and Jang Kang have very distinct personalities, especially in how they emote around other characters, but somehow Jang Seung-Jo makes them both seem like believable and real people, if sometimes over the top. Jin-Pyo is disgusting right from the start, and you never stop wanting to see him crash and burn. In contrast, the somewhat meek warehouse assistant, Jang Kang, makes you almost feel like it was a quirk of fate that Jin-Pyo ended up the way he is, at least initially.
Lee Mu-Saeng as Jin So-Baek
Lee Mu-Saeng is giving Lion Kim from Her Private Life with this long hair and brooding look. I’ve seen this actor many times too, but never in a role like this one, I think. We literally just saw him last month in Genie, Make A Wish, but the actor has an amazing filmography that is never ending, and we could honestly call him a veteran at this point. Jin So-Baek is like an angel on the shoulders of Eun-Su and Hui-Su. He’s not really got any character motivations of his own; he’s simply there to make things better for the ladies and is the most likeable of the male characters of the show.
Lee Ho-Jung as Noh Jin-Young
This one came as such a surprise to me, and sorry, but there’ll be some spoilers in this paragraph, so skip out after her intro if you’d like. Lee Ho-Jung is such a relaxed actress, and there’s something so likable about her. She’s been in the industry for so long but somehow has not gotten that many roles, at least notable ones. Of course, if you’ve seen Nevertheless, you know who she is and love her already. In the show, she plays a cop and Jin-Pyo’s sister. We love to see a career-oriented woman, but not like this. Jin-Young spends the entire show obsessing over a promotion that would see her joining the Presidential detail, for which she needs a spotless record. Thus, though she is a police officer, she spends all her time worrying about how her family looks on paper rather than doing her job. Jin-Young is a character you’ll come to despise almost as much as her genuinely evil brother, Jin-Pyo.
Kim Mi-Sook as Ko Jeong-Suk
Here’s another veteran star you’ve seen many times but probably don’t recognize. Even among the women who always end up playing mums and grandmas, there are some faces that are always familiar, while others feel a little new. I think Kim Mi-Sook falls into the latter category for me. Recently she’s been in shows like The Tale Of Lady Ok, The Whirlwind, Little Women, and more. Jin Pyo and Jin-Young’s mother, Ko Jeung-Suk, is a motivational speaker who often addressed domestic abuse in her speeches. But she’s no less than a hypocrite when she ignores the obvious signs of it happening right under her nose.
Kim Mi-Kyung as Park Gye-Soon
Now if you don’t recognize Kim Mi-Kyu by now, it’s likely you’re new to the K-drama world. She’s been around for so long and shows up so often, she’s synonymous with K-dramas for many fans. And boy are we fans. She’s incredible at what she does and always leaves a mark, even if it’s in a small role like in this one. Park Gye-Soon, Eun-Su’s mother, has spent her whole life being a quiet victim of her husband. Eun-Su has several regrets, but perhaps the earliest of them is not being able to help her mother when she had the opportunity to, years ago. Regardless of everything she’s had to put up with, Gye-Soon remains a devoted mother throughout and is always there for Eun-Su when she needs her.
Kim Won-Hae as Jo Jung-Nam
There’s something so triggering about Kim Won-Hae, who either plays the most comedic roles (Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon) or serious roles (Love Runner) in his K-dramas. The actor gives me whiplash with the way he’s been around for so long and still manages to surprise us often. This to me was the most surprising role and completely unexpected. Jo Jung-Nam doesn’t get a lot of screentime, but it doesn’t take a lot of screentime for you to hate his guts. He’s been abusing Eun-Su’s mother, Gye-Soon, for decades at this point. The actor somehow really brings out the malice, and I really want to see behind-the-scenes clips of him and Kim Mi-Kyung together.
