A mysterious rotting smell and hard thuds heard from above start the series off on an eerie note. Moon Joo-ran (Kim Tae-hee) is a seemingly perfect housewife, but under the guise of her well-kept home are a secretive husband and a son who possibly resents her (currently unknown) condition. Meanwhile, Chu Sang-eun (Lim Ji-yeon) is trapped in an abusive marriage and dreams of escape. As Joo-ran becomes paranoid about the smell in her backyard and Sang-eun gathers evidence to leave her husband, the two women find a harrowing revelation. Leads Kim and Lim immediately offer memorable, haunting performances, while the setup described above is a captivating start to a psychological thriller that promises a web of secrets and lies.
Synopsis
An ordinary housewife's life goes in an unexpected direction after noticing a strange smell in her backyard.
Storyline
A suspenseful psychological thriller about two women who are drawn together by a dark secret.
TLDR
There's no way a rotting smell in the backyard is a good sign!
What stands out
Good pacing and immediate intrigue are must-haves for mysteries, and Lies Hidden in My Garden doesn't disappoint. The opening sequence of Joo-ran's discomfort in her new home and her mental state after her sister's death is entrancing. The rotting smell from the backyard sets the characters up perfectly: the placating husband, the inquisitive new neighbor, and the estranged teenage son. Their relationships and personalities are distinct, making their future actions an additional hook. All that's left is to see how Joo-ran and Sang-eun's lives collide.
