Common Sense Media Review
By Megan Andersen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Too heavy Korean drama about graphic domestic abuse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
As You Stood By
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In AS YOU STOOD BY, Eun-soo works in a high-end jewelry shop within a department store and encounters her old school friend's Hui-su's husband there many times. The women's lives intertwine in a dark way when physical abuse bonds them together. Their complex feelings of shame, rage, guilt and sadness push them into an extreme situation that reaches a point of no return where they consider murder to end the abuse. There are multiple characters who are aware of and complicit to the abuses and they only complicate the abusive relationships.
Is It Any Good?
This series is a very hard watch. You don't need to have experience with domestic abuse to find As You Stood By grim, however, if you do have experience with abuse of any kind, buckle up. At some points the abuse feels so gratuitous and real that viewers may feel sick. Viewers may keep watching in the hopes that things will improve or have some semblance of a "happy ending," however, like actual abusive relationships, the story just resolves in its own way and you're simply left needing to move forward with your life. As You Stood By is a stark reminder of what people go through every day and if you're going through it, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what types of abuse there are and how to facilitate help for someone in those situations. In addition to physical and sexual abuse, there is financial abuse, psychological abuse, neglect and more. In many cases, abuse can be a bigger issue than one person can "solve" on their own. Can you think of ways that you can support a friend or family member who is experiencing abuse? What are resources you can turn to for more help?
The two women in As You Stood By come to rely upon each other for help, survival and friendship under an extreme conditions. What are ways that you show up for your friends under normal circumstances and what do you do when you want to show them extra love and care?
After watching As You Stood By viewers might feel the weight of the series. Hui-su made very dark paintings when she was hiding in her closet. What are ways that you process big emotions? Do you turn to writing? Music? Art?
TV Details
- Premiere date : November 7, 2025
- Cast : Lee Yoo-mi
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : February 4, 2026
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