Chaebeol X Detective

Korean Drama '' Flex x Cop '' is a remake of the Russian series '' Silver Spoon '', with a Korean twist of course.

The drama offers a lot of cases that the investigation team is called to solve, in their delightfully whimsical way. That way the main plot doesn't get stuffy, and the drama does indeed focus on the police enforcement, and doesn't simply give a few at the start only to excite the audience and then try to keep things interesting with unnecessary melodrama for the second half.

The main mystery case was also interesting and twisty and enhanced the drama of the characters more.

The characters, moreover, where all interesting and had smooth chemistry.

The performances, therefore, were all great and everyone did a great job with their characters.

So, overall, nine out of ten.

Flex X Cop starts seemingly outlandish and sets the stage for a largely fun procedural. After a run-in with the law enforcement authorities, Spoilt and rich heir Jin I Soo (Ahn Bo Hyun) finds himself having to join the violent crimes unit at Gangha station as a detective. The stakes are high. His father, whom he has a troubled relationship with, is amping up his campaign to become the city's mayor, and there is immense public scrutiny. The team he joins is led by the no-nonsense Lee Gang Hyun (Park Ji Hyun), a prickly and smart detective. There is also the young, starry-eyed Choi Kyung Jin (Kim Shin Bi), who is in awe of I Soo's lavish life and social media persona, and in contrast, Park Jun Young (Kang Sang Jun), who remains largely unimpressed by I Soo's swagger.

The team is suitably annoyed with I Soo's entry, and his privilege, and resents having to babysit him through work. He, on the other hand, having always been a fan of chasing thrills, is intrigued about his new job and is thrilled at having been given a chance to delve into some real-time police work. I Soo, being a silver spoon, is both a boon and a bane for the team- as easy as it is for him to get an audience with the elite during an investigation or channel his many social media followers to aid in a manhunt, he is equally reckless and hasty. In one of the best laugh-out-loud moments from the show, I Soo does not hesitate to clumsily leap out of a window from a multi-storeyed building while in hot pursuit of a suspect as a horrified Gang Hyun watches on. The first few episodes largely focus on I-Soo trying his best to fit in, how he can use his chaebol status to aid with investigation work, and how he plays a role in lending some perspective to cases involving the elite.

Flex X Cop isn't, however, all fun and games, and I Soo, thankfully, is not reduced to a caricature. The writer spends considerable time on his troubled relationship with his family as an illegitimate heir to the Hansu Group and the trauma of losing his mother as a child. He might be at loggerheads with his father, Jin Myeong Chul (Jang Hyung Sung), and has to face a barrage of verbal abuse from his step-mother, but we also see how he dotes on his step-brother Jin Seung Ju (Kwak Si Yang) and vice-versa. This is perhaps the show's biggest victory; the fact that the writing humanizes I Soo and spends considerable time on his life outside of the station. This is best summed up by Gang Hyun, who tells him that while he may be rich, and condescending, he also does not hesitate to organize a funeral for a victim who has no family or ensure a wronged artist gets her moment in the spotlight.

While the four-detective team from the violent crimes unit takes up various cases, the K-Drama does away with the traditional one-case-per-episode format and adopts a more flexible writing style where nearly two episodes are dedicated to each case. Two main storylines run parallelly - one that focuses on the death of I Soo's mother and the wrongful service termination of Gang Hyun's father, Lee Hyung Jun (Kwon Hae Hyo), the former head of the criminal division.

These two plot points take center stage in the show's last six episodes, and there is a sharp shift in the overall tone. This, however, does not feel forced. Flex X Cop has to be one of the rare shows in recent times that does not have pacing issues in its latter half since there is more than enough happening. Despite the second season being announced, the writing here thankfully feels focused and complete and not just solely focused on a build-up for a new season.

Gangha station's team of detectives - I Soo, Gang Hyun, Jun Young, and Kyung Jin are immensely likable. It has been so great watching Ahn Bo Hyun's elevation to leading man status. Long a dependable and many times, standout supporting actor, he has proven his worth with some excellent performances in lead roles. And as I Soo, this might be Bo Hyun's most effortless outing yet. He nails the smug, confident I Soo and equally shines in the more sobering parts when tragedy befalls. When the show's tone shifts, he adapts quickly and is vulnerable and believable. Park Ji Hyun could follow a similar path as him. She has had a wide array of roles in different genres in supporting roles. But This time she finally proves that she deserves bigger and better roles. She uses all that experience to play Gang Hyun with a measured, nuanced air, especially given that there are more than a few subtle nods as to how her time in the Gangha station has been as a lone female detective sees her warming up to I Soo and her eccentricities and how the team gradually grows to trust and have each other's backs.

Though they tease the prospect of a romance, this season of Flex X Cop thankfully does away with delving deeper there. It would have felt wrong, given what was happening in the final few episodes. The slow progression of I Soo and Gang Hyun's relationship from colleagues to grudging friends, and to being a source of support for each other feels earned. Ji Hyun matches Bo Hyun's energy in her way and the two share great chemistry- especially as an investigating team.

Compared to a long list of excellent Korean crime thrillers or procedurals, which include Signal, The Voice, Taxi Driver, and Beyond Evil, Flex X Cop takes a more comedic, light-hearted route, especially in its initial episodes. Despite how the show progressively becomes serious, given the personal tragedies of its protagonists it seeks to delve into, it remains engaging and cohesive throughout. If the prospect of a second season means more adventures from the team of four from Gangha station, we are all buckled up and ready.

Four episodes in and am hooked by this lighter detective series with excellent comic tones. Part of the appeal is that this doesn't take the darker sides of the genre too seriously. Even so, as of episode four clearly there's some unpleasant family history for the "not real silver spoon" who fears small rodents despite his considerable size. Don't let the opening mall raid put you off. Quickly becomes obvious what that's all about. The lead's face is wonderfully expressive for comedy. Such a handsome "ham" is he. Very nice cinematography. Interesting collection of supporting and side characters. Social class issues definitely in play. If the DARK side is what you're after, this doesn't appear to be it. But if a mix of fun, some thrills, nice visuals and solid acting for entertainment without smacking the grey matter hard is what you're after then this might be the ticket.

Ahn Bo-hyun plays Jin I-soo the illegitimate son of a chaebol who lives a playboy lifestyle. Circumstances lead him to join a detective team led by Lee Gang-hyeon played by Park Ji-hyun. The series deals mainly with his use of money to solve cases but also has two back stories with the death of his mother and the dismissal from the police force of her father. It is a well acted series with excellent chemistry between the two leads and interesting side characters. The cases are inventive and well directed and hold your interest with a well paced plot it is an enjoyable watch over the sixteen episodes.

"Everyone has their own task in their life. But I've never believed that." It opens up dark and foggy. It's creepy. It looks more like a horror film. "Living with no purpose was not that bad. But now, a question was thrown into my life. Now I start my journey to find an answer."

After that opening we jump back 2 mos. It's bright. It's colorful. Sparkly jazz is playing while bloody Marys are pouring. Su ditches the board meeting in the morning, telling his butler he needs to sleep more. He forces that butler to watch a clip of him swimming with the sharks. He looks like another worthless rich guy, a spoiled brat without a care in the world. Before he goes back to sleep, however, he gets a notification. There's been a kidnapping! The next thing we see is that he's on the SWAT team - Is he Batman? Is he a rich do-gooder, who appears aimless, but actually fights crime on the sly with the vast resources available at his fingertips? Nah, this is the dress-up/role-play swat team. This guy doesn't work hard, but he plays hard. This isn't a spoiler ~ we're still under 10 minutes in.

Soon we cut to real cops (Violent Crimes Investigative Team 1) chasing a real criminal. Right at that moment, in the vicinity, Jin I "Su", is innocently walking down the street when he has to defend himself against an assailant. Some random dude picked a fight with him. All Hy the cop sees, when she catches up to the action, is Su assaulting someone. Su's arrested - Our leads meet that way. Su's chair-dad finds out about the arrest from a reporter ~ At his press conference ~ He was attempting to announce his candidacy for Mayor of Seoul when he's blindsided by the news of his son's arrest. He angrily vows to disown Su... Until the police realize during the course of their investigation that Su actually captured a murderer. He did not commit assault: It was self-defense. Su's father is furious once again, and the police are squirming because they're in a lot of trouble. They work out a win-all-around solution: the police will say that Su has not been arrested. He's been a cop for 2 mos and worked with them to capture this murderer. Now, e'erbody happy. Everybody except Su's "co-workers" and the reporter who is now accused of making a false report about Su's arrest. So now···

Su's on the force. The cops are forced to work with him. They're hoping he never actually shows up to work.

FXC is a 2024 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. It's plenty typical and formulaic, but if you go for cop shows that incorporate humor with a couple surprises, you'll likely enjoy this. I certainly did. The episode about hypnosis is a bit weak, but all-in-all, one can't ask for more from a cop-edy drama. The cases are interesting and well conceived. It's really good - They could turn this into a franchise. Apparently, S2 has already been announced.

Ahn Bo Hyun (Kairos, See You in My 19th Life) plays the rich & spoiled Su. He's been shows that I loved: Her Private Life-8, My Only Love Song-8.7, & Descendants of the Sun-8.3. He was in a show that I liked: My Runway-7.5, and one that I hated: My Name-5.7. He's completely different in everything, so he's as versatile as he is good looking - and he is a specimen. Su inhabits a world that is entirely unfamiliar to the police. He has an advantage when it comes to investigating people of wealth and status as the son of the chairman - the /illegitimate/ son. (Therefore, his stepmother despises him). Su might seem obnoxious at first, but he's a kind-hearted and delightful person. He's a touch carefree, even careless, but he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. His mother died when he was about 7. He has no memory of it, but he's told it was a car accident. His father is concerned that "he'll get his memories back".

Park Ji Hyun (Love All Play, Reborn Rich) is Lee Gang Hyeon/"Hy". She's not the most feminine female. Dad, also a decorated detective, is her drinking buddy. She's positively rough... and RUDE, and she despises Su. Her everyday look is so utilitarian that it was jolting to see her dressed up for a sting operation. She looks great. As mature as she seems, she's actually 6 years younger than her co-star. Ahn Bo Hyun must have some amazing genetics because he looks like he could play a high school kid, still.

Kang Sang Jun (Marry My Husband, Doctor Slump) is hardboiled detective Park Jun Yeong, who has been alongside Hy since the academy. He seems overly interested in, and overprotective of, Hy. He doesn't try to hide his disdain for Su. Kim Shin Bi (Journey to the Shore, Revenant) is the friendly junior detective and social media follower of Su, Choi Gyeong Jin. Jung Ga Hee (Longing for You,The Glory) plays medical examiner Yun Ji Won. I love this ME. She's got a dry wit, a great attitude, and she's funny. Jokes coming out of the autopsy room sort of write themselves. In one scene she puts a decayed rice cake that supposedly choked someone to death on the metal tray. She then takes a fresh one, bites it, and puts it on the tray next to the one she extracted from the deceased's throat, showing how the one from the dead body was obviously cut, not bitten. Point made, she picks up the one she had started eating off of the tray and pops it in her mouth. The delivery was perfect. I laughed out loud. Ms Jung has a short resume, and I look forward to seeing her more. Her credits are sure to accumulate as she is absolutely darling.

Director: Kim Jae Hong - He's a rock star. His most recent 4 efforts: FXC, Revenant, Through the Darkness, & Begins Youth are all rated 8.7 on MDL. He has 7 other credits; 3 in the 7.5-7.8 range and 4 in the 6.6-7.3 bracket. Not a dud in a bunch. Screenwriter: Kim Ba Da of A Man Who Was Superman & the popular My Name-5.7, which I didn't care for

The cops do everything they can to keep Su on the sidelines, but he's just not the kind of guy to sit quietly in the corner. The next couple episodes deal with him proving himself. They're going to have to work with him, they realize. Money makes the day-to-day stuff easier (being a cop sure is costing Su a fortune), but it can really mess up relationships. That's the theme. Speaking of wealth, Su questions a wealthy person of interest at a tanning salon. Given that Kdramas are so pasty skinned my jaw dropped and I haven't found it yet. This is the first tanning bed I've seen in a Kdrama.

His stepmother is so abhorrent that he ends up moving back to the house where he lived with his mom, only to find out that Hy now lives across the street. This creates situations where he must interact with her parents. "For your information, this will be salty. I recommend not eating it." So Hy advises when she delivers the kimchi that her mother forced her to bring over. (It took 3 days of nagging but she finally caved in). And that's why Hy crossed the road ~ maybe the chicken was following her.

Will the seeds of romance bloom in S2? They aren't there yet, and they have more than one road to cross. She's drab. Oh, how his presence must hurt her eyes! Lime. Plum. Lemon. Tangerine. Grape. His clothes are colorful, bright, expensive, and capital-F-Flashy. He's a peacock. Her car is really messy. She's more dude than chick. He comments on a sticky brown residue in the cup holder. "Oh, I spilled coffee yesterday." Unsatisfied, he presses further: "Didn't you clean it up?" Her unfazed answer: "I did" Unconvinced, he responds: "Do you have a tissue or anything?" She looks around, "Use this." She hands him a piece of /junk mail/. Only someone who's lived like a slob or has been around a slob would be able to write that. That's too authentic. It cracked me up.

Her Oma falls in love with Su first. Perhaps that's because she sees a potential mate for her rapidly aging daughter. There's nice juxtaposition when he's at his family's home for a press interview. Afterwards, dinner is being laid out, but stepwitch informs him that they are /not/ setting a place for him. When he gets home, Hy's mother insists that he come over and have dinner with them.

They have to do a stake-out which means spending even more time together. That's followed up by an undercover operation where they are wedged even closer. Su has things to work through before he can give all to a relationship, however. As we get to know Su, it becomes obvious that his cavalier attitude is the way he deals with pain. He's got some trauma that he's never dealt with. He's locked it away under the surface as evinced by his reoccurring dream about a painting of a woman submerged in water. Hy starts to hear from people (her father and a psychiatrist, for example) to be wary of Su: He's a ticking time bomb, she's warned. Halfway through the show, he gets his memory back.

Be that as it may, Hy will be the last one to deal with her own feelings. Most of S1 sees her on the fence as to whether she can tolerate Su at all. She wrote up a brutal recommendation to release him from the force, and it sits in her desk drawer. This mindset leads to amusing scenes, for example, when they're about to do a group arrest. She's handing out guns to everyone on the team. Su puts out his hand. Hy gives him handcuffs. There's NO WAY she's giving him a gun. Naturally, /he's/ the one who ends up saving the day and slapping the handcuffs on the perp. Later on, we see that he's had them gold-plated! You can't beat a guy with optimism (and resources) like that. You might as well tune in, then: You know if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em!

QUOTE📢

There's no one who is strong enough to beat everything.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.5 📝8.3 🎭8 💓5 🦋4 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.4 🔚8.5 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6.5 😅4.5 😭3 😱3 😯3 🤢3 🤔3.5 💤0

Re-📺? Totally worth it

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Oh My Ghost 10, It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9, Inspector Koo-8.4, Tunnel 8.5, Signal 8.6 Flower of Evil 8.9 The Man from Nowhere 8.9.