Exemplary Detective

Excellent writer, director, leads, and supporting cast. I thoroughly enjoyed another fine Korean drama series with a twist at the end.

A satisfying plot with plenty to keep you guessing, but that is what I have come to expect from Korean dramas. My inability to remember the names did make it hard to follow at times, but it kept me watching.

What made the series stand out, though, was the wonderfully drawn relationships, for example between the detective and his sister and between the reporter and her editor. Perhaps the most compelling was between the convicted murderer and his daughter. Jo Jae-yoon played the father to perfection.

I like that the story is so human, compelling, and interesting. I find character depth good, in a sense that each one has a very distinctive way of thinking and doing things. The storyline portrays a rich puzzle of perspectives in relation to the same situation, and feelings about what happened, and what each one can/should do. Detective story is interesting, and makes me want to continue watching to see what would happen next. Lots of trascendental questions shown in simple terms. I like very much that the whole story is about one case, and not a different case in each episode. Really good!

...the character of the reporter is just not the best, no depth. The actress needs more practice in drama, it often felt like there was no real acting in there. The expressions and the emotions are not believable. Let's see in season 2.

HOWEVER, Do-Chang's sister! What a class act!! A-mazing actress! And Do-Chang's character himself is a whole world of emotions, brilliant acting as well. He takes you on the journey along with Ji-Hyeok who is perfect as the tortured and smart detective. All the actors are excellent. The plot is very well woven. Highly recommend it.

Enjoyed every minute of it.

This South Korean series is set primarily in the city of Incheon. Our protagonists are veteran detective Kang Do-chang, who tends to rely on his long experience and the connections he has made, and Oh Ji-hyuk, an up-and-coming high flier who relies on firm evidence and psychological insight into the suspects. They are part of Violent Crime Division Two; while other team members are secondary they are still important to the series.

In the first season questions are raised concerning the guilt of a man sentenced to hang. Do-chang is initially convinced that he is the killer but as the investigation progresses he starts to have his doubts. As the season progresses more suspects emerge and questions are raised about the initial investigation.

The second series sees the team caught up in a serial killer case after they arrest a suspect in a minor case yards away from where a body is found the next day. The serial killer is being hunted by a team from Seoul and their leader is keen to blame the arrested man, who has unfortunately now been released. Events lead to the case being swiftly closed; but then another body is found... is it a copycat or did the police get the wrong man? Even after a killer is arrested questions remain about one of the victims and suspicion falls on those at the top of one of Korea's most powerful conglomerates.

I thought this was a really enjoyable series. Each season provides a good mystery with plenty of interesting characters. The stories are told in a way that keeps the viewer ahead of the detectives but not too far. This means the twist, of which there are quite a few, are still fun without feeling as if they come out of nowhere. As anybody who has watched any Korean dramas would expect there is a good degree of comedy; this comes from the characters rather than forced gags. The cast does a really fine job creating characters the viewer it likely to care about so moments of tension can have one worrying about their safety. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Korean crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.