Crime Squad (2011)

Crime Squad was my first foray into Korean cop dramas, and I've returned pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this show. Cliches abound here when it comes to the characters: main character with a sad past; cold, stoic police team leader; the plucky up-and-coming reporter, etc. However, the writers managed to flesh out these characters so that they moved beyond their archetypes to the point where one can't help but love them as people. Much credit should be given here to the actors for doing such a great job, especially Song Ji Hyo, who had many of my favorite moments in the show (and also my new favorite hair cut). My only complaint is how the writers handled the pacing of the story and the story arc itself. There are several cases solved in this drama, each of which take about two episodes to complete (as a quick aside, each case is interesting and seems to speak to the underbelly of life in Seoul). As these cases are being solved, we see problems beginning to arise within the Seoul police department, which come to a head in the final few episodes. I wish they had teased this underlying storyline out more as it proved to be the most interesting and the most important story of the show. Instead, everything was rushed into the last two episodes with whiplash revelations that seemed to have been pulled out of thin air. Despite this minor complaint, I found the ending of Crime Squad to be one of the most satisfying endings I've seen so far. Music-wise, the only OST track that stands out is the beautiful ballad by Insooni "작별". Even if you decide to skip this show, definitely check out this track! Overall, Crime Squad is a fun, interesting, and exciting show that I would recommend to those looking for a break from trendy rom-coms.

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I came to this crime drama because it paired my favorite couple from JUMONG: Song Il-Gook & Song Ji-Hyo. I stayed because I enjoyed how the drama developed & how the detectives solved their cases. The supporting cast (especially Min-Joo's over the top office mates) all handled their roles well.

One of the pluses for me was seeing a softer side (& a smile) to my favorite perennial bad guy: Kim Gyu-Chul. The other plus was Insooni's contribution to the OST: loved her Farewell/Goodbye!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable drama & by the end, when the story's main issues were resolved, I was glad I watched it.

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I watched this because Kim Joon is in it, but I ended with enjoying all of the actors!!! The story is great although I did guess "who done it" from pretty much the beginning. I think that is because I read a lot of mystery books. Anyway the plot is well organized and makes perfect since. They keep the love low key which is good for me, because I was watching this as an escape from my usual romantic comedy. I also like that this wasn't a teenybopper type KD. The actors are more my age and older and that appeals to me. The theme song is awesome. I listen to it all the time. Overall I think this is a well written and well acted drama. I would totally watch a season 2. I don't give it much of a rewatch value, because I don't like watching mysteries that I have already seen. As a side note...Lee Jong Hyuk has some great lips!!! ;-)

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I'm a big fan of detective, mystery, crime thrillers -- with a big emphasis on the "whodunnit" mystery element. Which is why overall, story-wise, the series doesn't score as high as many would thing. I liked the cases and thought they were well-thought out and flowed pretty well. But they were also predictable (either that or I'm just really good at picking the murder mystery antagonist out from the crowd). This wasn't to say that I didn't enjoy it though.

The acting and cast were excellent, with the likes of Song Il Gook (whom I've never seen before despite him being a big name), and Song Ji Hyo (who was one of the reasons I noticed this series in the first place). Although I would have liked for her role to have been a bit meatier, I fairly enjoyed the relationship dynamics and Song Ji Hyo's portrayal of the eccentric news journalist.

I base my love of a series on rewatch value a lot of times, but for a murder mystery series, the rewatch value is a bit separate from the overall love for the series, mostly because it's a mystery. Once you know the "whodunnits" (even if you could hand pick them the first time around) the overall effect is lost. The only enjoyment you would get from rewatching would be the character dynamics and any side-plots, or seeing if you could spot anything in the mystery that you hadn't spotted before.

Therefore, rewatch value: lower than is fair based on story and casting; but overall value: high enough to appease.

I don't have high hopes for a sequel to this series (it just doesn't feel like it would garner enough attention or fascination for a sequel). However, if in the least likely scenario there will be a sequel, I would welcome it and hope to see a more deeper involvement with the characters, and maybe more compelling mysteries that I can't immediately predict the ending to.

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Oh gosh. Where do I even begin? This one is...watchable. The cases weren't horrible, but they weren't memorable either. To be honest the only reasons why I was able to sit through 16 episodes of this was for Song Ji-hyo & Song II-gook, and the hope of Min-joo reuniting with her dad (which the show left me utterly heartbroken but I shall not spoil anything). I was also interested in Se-hyuk's quest for the truth as well, which I'll admit, the writer did a great job hiding it and making it intriguing. Unfortunately, the big reveal was so anti-climatic. It was not epic and shocking as I had hope it would be and made me wonder: "Really? That's all you got? Really now?" It is very unfortunate because all the actors and actresses really played their roles well.Aside from the male and female leads, the rest of the crew was forgettable. Sometimes I even wonder why they're even there. Don't get me wrong, the actors and actresses were great in their roles, however their characters was just lacking. Again, lacking proper background story. Even though they are supporter characters, the writers should have given them some background story since they are all so close to the main protagonist! I mean, at least give the arch rival (Jung II-do) some background!! He's one of the mains too! Isn't he suppose to be this super smart cop? But he barely contributes to any of the cases nor the story.  They should have elaborated more on his internal conflicts and guilt, but no. Nothing but denial. While showing Se-hyuk struggling to find the truth, they should have also show Jung II-do's struggles for redemption instead of portraying him as a stuck-up boss who refuses to admit his mistake! As for the other team members...=_= The writers are cruel in their own ways (Yes, I'm talking about at you, Episode 7).Enough of that, if I rant anymore, I'll spoil everything. Should you watch this? Eh, maybe. If you have nothing better to watch or if you are a fan of Song Ji-hyo, then yes, watch it. Her acting is amazing. I truly believe that she is Jo Min-joo; totally in character. Must watch it for her emotional scenes! Overall rating of this series would be 6/10.

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