a well-crafted and politically driven storyline
Shadow Detective 2 is a compelling kdrama that captivates its audience with a slow-paced yet intricately woven storyline. The drama revolves around the seasoned homicide detective Kim Taek Rok, portrayed skillfully by an experienced cast member, who has come out of retirement to unravel the mystery behind the elusive 'Friend', a blackmailer wreaking havoc.The series takes an unexpected turn as Detective Taek-rok finds himself framed for a murder he did not commit. The real murderer uses this leverage to blackmail him, adding a layer of suspense and intensity to the plot. Throughout the eight episodes, we are taken on a thrilling journey of intrigue and deception, delving deep into the realm of political corruption rather than solely focusing on crime investigation.
The deliberate slow pace of the show may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it proves to be its greatest strength. The attention to detail in each sequence allows the plot to unfold naturally, giving ample room for character development and plot twists. This approach makes the drama all the more engaging, as it explores the complexities of the characters and their motivations.
One of the highlights of Shadow Detective 2 is its star-studded cast, featuring familiar faces that add credibility and trustworthiness to the series. The chemistry among the actors is palpable, enhancing the overall viewing experience.
As a viewer who prefers plot-driven dramas over action-packed ones, Shadow Detective 2 delivers exactly what I seek. With its intricate plot, unexpected twists, and conflicted main leads, the drama keeps me hooked from start to finish. It stands out as a refreshing departure from high-speed police and crime dramas, offering a more thought-provoking and emotionally charged narrative.
In shot, Shadow Detective 2 is a must-watch for those who appreciate a well-crafted and politically driven storyline. With its attention to detail, strong performances, and engaging plot, it proves to be a worthy addition to the kdrama landscape.
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Better compared to the first season
Although season 2 is a good series, a huge reason that I did not enjoy Shadow Detective 2 is because of the gap between the two seasons. I wish they were released together or closer together. Splitting them up dampened the impact the series could have made. I had found season 1 quite confusing and difficult to follow and that made it harder to recollect incidents while season 2 was airing. The series also has a very long list of characters and names of people keep getting referred to so if you have a hard time remembering names, you'll struggle a bit to follow along.The positive side is that since this season is about concluding the initial and current mysteries, towards the latter half of the series, it becomes much easier to follow along and there are fewer important characters to remember.
The pace of the story is quite slow and the tone is very serious so the dialogue delivery felt monotonous. That is what made it harder to watch even when things got interesting. There was not a single episode that I could continue without dozing off. I did enjoy the series when I could see the picture as a whole. The mystery aspect was stronger in the first season and the second season is quite different from that so it's possible to enjoy the first season more for that reason alone.
Ideally, in order to properly enjoy this show, one should watch both seasons one after the other. However, this series didn't leave a strong impact on me unfortunately.
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This review may contain spoilers
Personally, I found Season 1 so much better
And this is why. Multiple corrupt police and government officials got promoted following season 1 and continued their corrupt ways. We, as the audience, already knew they were corrupt. Then, they added more corrupt people. As I mentioned in my review for Season 1, the same people tend to play the same type of characters from drama to drama. You see an actor come up on screen and you already know he's corrupt. There is such a thing as overkill on the corruption story, and I think this season surpassed their quota.There wasn't as much police procedure in this season, just a lot of time spent on the bad guys, showing how they are always a step ahead of the police.
ML was excellent. He'd lost weight since Season 1, but he still had that "worn out" look about him. I missed him having so much interaction with the two police that he worked with in season 1. He was more of a lone wolf in this season.
I loved Go Gyu Pil and Hyun Bong Sik in their roles again this season. They are always good for comic relief.
Perhaps, if I hadn't watched this right on the heels of Season 1, I might have enjoyed it more.
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Run, detective! Run!
The drama shouldn't have been split up into 2 seasons since it was a one big continuous story. This split created a few more problems along the way. Some of the baddies cast members had a clearer split between both seasons, focusing on a few of them each season despite having one grand story. This created some coherency problems and made it feel disjointed. Personal stories, relationships and side characters had an unequal amount of focus between both seasons. A case in point, the ML's daughter/family had only some focus in season 1 while being completely absent from season 2 (aside from 1 flashback) which took away from the ML's character and drive. Especially when his entire character was built on the ghosts haunting him from his past. The focus shift was exactly the opposite with Lee Sung Ah between both seasons. Anyway, enough about jumping between seasons. The cast members brought a good performance especially our leading shadow detective. I really appreciate the production not turning on the beauty mode on for Sung Ah & Joo Hyeon. You can see the pressure and exhaustion their carrier put on them over the years. The cinematography was good for the most parts, especially with scenes involving the detective alone, but there were some dodgy shots here and there. The story was well written with a decent pace to match the suspense. The thriller and intrigue were blended nicely with some nice action scenes. However, the last stretch of the story got a bit weak and disorganized after building up the story for a grand finale. Also, some overdramatized deliveries ended up backfiring, making important scenes less impactful. The introduction of the last episode was good, as well as that dream sequence. His speech about him wanting to stop running while reciting his past was the most memorable moment in the drama. If that wasn't enough, the very last scene was the cherry on top to tie it all up.Was this review helpful to you?
Finding out the mastermind
LIKEThough no longer being played around by “Friend”, it was still a mystery trying to track down the real big boss
Short series are not draggy which is the most important to me or I will lose interest
DISLIKE
Acceptable ending for me
MUSIC
Not to my liking
REWATCH VALUE
Five for now
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But sungmin ahjussi was 1000/10
I’m lost with some things but, I thought we all knew about that person
This show has so many neighborhood ahjussis my brain is confused
It’s always the 2nd lead, unless they’re working together
Anyways sungmin ahjussi looking at the camera is the highlight of this
I watched some eps twice or welp more like watch once got distracted then hit by the ending so I tried to rewatch and basically I was still half lost
the problem was, this got too political
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This review may contain spoilers
The drama is full of suspicious.
In my opinion, before watching the second season, it's better to watch the first season first.Having caused trouble before, the old cop was transferred to a division with less field work. But still for him, it is very boring for doing nothing on his desk. He will continue to look for ways to continue working with his previous division (first season).
After the first season he was disliked by his coworkers, meanwhile in this season he is suspected by his coworkers. So on, the old policeman also suspects the head of his division. They are suspicious of each other. Until finally everything is solved.
I don't think this kind of storyline is boring at all. Moreover, the background of this story is played with the situation of a policeman who is about to retire. Then before that he had never been promoted.
I have watched this since it aired, then I watched it again because I was bored with the current story. It turns out that the story still makes an impression on me.
Moreover, this genre is my favorite. Maybe it's because the genre, storyline, and casts are all my favorites so I don't feel bored.
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