Yoon Sang Hoon did a best job in a character of a detective. For me, he tried his best and totally succeeded in it.
Ah, Sung Dong Il ahjussi... it's always a pleasure to watch him with a no exception this time too!
Overall I enjoyed this drama, but I think if they packed it all in 16 episodes this drama would have a higher rating and it would be a better watch. l've liked Lee Joon's character, even though he was bad, but there was something great about him and his mind. His craziness was driving me crazy too!
OSTs were really good, especially main song and all those kinds of instrumental played in this drama giving you a thrilling and exciting feeling.
For those who love thriller and suspense genre with a many twisted characters that at some point you want to go into their heads and understand what they're thinking, is totally not to miss!
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This review may contain spoilers
So.. I was wavering whether I should write a review or not as I'm really bad at expressing my opinion.. also it seems that most of the reviewers had positive opinions about this drama... but.. I'll try..To begin with, this drama had a lot of potential when it started airing. At first I didn't think that the cast for this drama was chosen wisely, but I was soooo wrong. All the actors were just amazing, and they suited their characters very well. The story was so captivating that it'd could have been used for a block buster movie! Cameramen did a great job too and the music added the thrill to each scene
BUT
it all changed. From a possibly block buster it went down to the amateur level after ~10/12 episodes (I'm talking about the writer's choices and the plot only). It became boring, lame and ridiculous. I hope this is not a spoiler but... come on!... A psycho serial killer going out from and back in to the jail like it was a hotel or something... A detective with a mentality of a 5th grader, getting himself into troubles wherever he goes... and many more....
I have to admit that after 15th episode I watched this drama just to finish it, just to see the ending. I'm not even counting how many dialogues or crying scenes I've skipped... And the ending... it was a huge disappointment...
They could have made and awesome drama with 16th episodes, but they were greedy and stretched it out to 20th. That was a mistake in my opinion. A mistake which ruined everything..
Anyway, if you want to see how bad can writers fail when they're greedy for the spotlight.. you can watch this drama.. otherwise... it's a waste of time :/
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What I liked the most is how they made comparisons to the movie Silence of the lambs and Hannibal Lector (which is one my favourite movies) and to the book "Crime and punishment'" which is one of my favourite books, it was such a great idea for all that, it fitted perfectly in the whole concept of the story and characters.
Overall I liked the drama really and in some weird and sick way I was sad at the end and I really loved Ryu Tae Oh's character, not that I felt sympathy or something like that, it's just that I was fascinated by the sickness and craziness of his brilliant mind. Gap Dong as the main culprit became really like a myth, exactly like Jack the Reaper and the actor who played him was great. Music was so good, I liked the main song, it was full of action and emotions, it didn't bother me at all since it was played many times in drama.
Who loves dramas with thriller and obsessed concept with many twisted characters and lot of excitement, this one is definitely not to miss. Although the story is slow and they could easily finish everything with 16 episodes, I was satisfied at the end.
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Maybe I am too used to western ways of investigation when dealing with serial killers, but the way how the investigation was portrayed here seemed very messy, chaotic, illogical and more corrupting evidences and witnesses than actually using them to catch the killer. It might be 'the Korean way' of working, as I have noticed such illogical things in other dramas too, but it was still hard to grasp. The investigation took a semi-decent turn only near the end of the drama and, well, better late than never.
The whole plot was rather interesting - the connection between characters, the search for the reap GapDong, the mystery behind that persona - that all was captivating. It did have its boring moments, as no investigation is exciting all the time, but it was bearable.
What made me the happiest, but also the saddest was the acting. I was very, very happy about Lee Joon's acting. His acting was simply superb to my mind as he was playing a psychopathic murderer and indeed showed the characters madness trough his acting. He was acting even with the smallest muscle of of his face and seeing him in action - going from a sweet smile to a mad-mans grin in 0.000001 second - was amazing.
Yoo SangHyn though left me disappointed, as he massively overdid his character. Okay, be the 'Mad Monk', show that you are not entirely normal either, as it was, as far as I understood, implied in the story, but, please, keep it real. He is a great actor, that I know, but this time, I think, he took the wrong path in portraying his character. What a pity.
The ladies cried a bit too much one the other half of the series. To my mind you can show grief, fear, sadness and joy in many more ways than just trough tears. And a single-tear crying is no longer convincing to me.
All in all the drama was watchable and at some points even enjoyable. I doubt I would watch it again, but for one-time watching it was even very okay.
If investigation, crimes, serial killers and all those 'nice' things are for you, this drama is for you.
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The overall story was compelling, unique, and well developed. When I thought I knew what was going on, Gap Dong knocked me flat on my face. That unpredictability is what I crave in a show, thriller or otherwise, and Gap Dong delivered.
Lee Joon was perfect as Ryu Tae Oh. He was sadistic, as any good serial killer should be, but he was more than that. There was a depth of character beyond your normal villain, and he continued to grow and develop throughout the show. I especially loved the moments when his face would take on a childlike quality. Not all that intimidating by itself, but when he adds a murderous gleam in his eyes and a big grin, it's SCARY. I'm still getting chills just thinking about it.
On the other hand, though, I maintained a lack of sympathy for all the other characters. Maybe that's harsh, but it was an intense struggle. I love smart characters that make decisions heavily based in logic and fact, especially when it comes to thrillers and mysteries (like Ha Woo Jin in Liar Game or Sherlock in BBC's Sherlock). It seemed to me that everyone was operating on half a brain. Maybe that was intentional (how is he going to kill people if they are smart enough to catch him?). I don't know. Regardless of what the writer's intentions were, I had a very rough time.
Bottom line - If you are looking for an excellent villain story with lots of twists and turns, watch Gap Dong. I will echo what many others have said: Lee Joon is outstanding. But if you despise characters who make stupid decisions and come to illogical conclusions because of their emotions or personal biases, you might struggle just like I did.
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Yoon Sang Hyun was excellent as Ha Moo Yeom. His emotions were written all over his face and I think that is the sign of a great actor. I have never seen Kim Min Jung in anything other than this. I don't think she is that great of an actress. She seems to have the same expression for every emotion. I thought it was interesting that she acted better when she put on her costumes. Maybe that is the point of her character. Lee Joon was surprisingly good as Ryu Tae Oh. His cold stare turning to a smile was eerily convincing. It gave me the heebie-jeebies. Kim Ji Won as the innocent and well-meaning Ma Ji Wool did a good job also. I felt really sorry for her character. She wanted to see the good in every one. Her character shows how life can cause people to become jaded. I mean how many times can a person get hurt before they start to look at every one with suspicion? All of the other actors are good also.
The music is good.
I might rewatch this at some point.
If you like suspense and crime dramas, then I think you would really enjoy this. It has a little love story in it too.
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Story: The story started fantastically good and went like that for many episodes. I could never be sure who the real killer was. I had many suspects, but I could never know for sure who he really is. The twists were also nice. The story of a copycat killer is something I have never seen before. What I liked very much is how they focused on two murder cases att the same time, increasing the mystery and interest. The truth was unexpected, something that made me like it even more. I didn't feel bored through at all, as situations keep changing in a interest way. Romance is not something that takes a big role in the story and I think it was perfect as it was. What I didn't like, though, is that some situations seemed too unrealistic and out of no where. I didn't find the ending that good, it could have been much better.
Acting/casting: I have a thing for psychopaths in dramas, so Ryu Tae Oh became my favourite character right away from the start. Lee Joon did a fantastic role displaying his emotions and psychology. He really made me raise even more the respect I have for him as a whole person. His developement was nice and believable. I think he is a unique character, making me wonder what he may be thinking and what he is going to do next. Not your typical serial killer. It was the first time I saw Yoon Sang Hyun 's acting, and I must say he did a really nice job as detective Ha Moo Yeom and I could see the reason behind his actions. The one I didn't really like was Kim Min Jung as Dr. Oh Maria. Her acting didn't impress me and I didn't like her character, having an "alter ego" from time to time.
Music: The music, from Every Single Day's songs to the instrumental tracks was excellent, fitting to the mystery and suspense atmosphere. I really like it.
Rewatch value: I don't rewatch dramas.
Overall: I think Gap Dong is a really nice mystery/crime/suspense drama for everyone who enjoys these genres and not only. It surely has its flaws, it is not perfect, but they didn't make me lose interest in it. It was worth-watching and realy nice, in my opinion.
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The storyline was generally fantastic- every episode had me on the edge of my seat, unable to stop watching, and I couldn't wait for each episode to come out. I hate horror/scary films, but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. Towards the end, the storyline didn't have the same shock factor that the first fifteen did, but it is certainly still VERY well written with loads of plot twists. I thought the ending was very fitting. It is a fantastic, chilling mystery show.
The cast were superb but Lee Joon outshone the rest of the cast. This show- in my opinion- wouldn't have been as good without him, and I'm looking forward to what he does next. The last show I saw Kim Ji Won in was the Heirs, so I pleasantly surprised by how good she was in this. Yoon Sang Hyun- brilliant as always- and Kim Min Jung were a great duo. It was really well cast.
The music was good- I particularly liked the theme song 'Rush' by Every Single Day, I sang along to it every episode.
I really loved this drama, and I am going to rewatch it :D
I absolutely loved watching this drama, and I cannot recommend it highly enough- it has been the best drama so far this year! :D
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I do not usually write reviews for shows. I just rate them and that's the end of it. However, the annoyance I felt for Maria and Moo-yeom compelled me to write this review. I WOULD ONLY READ THIS IF YOU ALREADY WATCHED THE SHOW OR ENJOY BEING SPOILED. XD
I began this show because the plot sounded interesting and the photo of Lee Joon on the Netflix title was damn fine XD. After probably the second episode, I was only watching the remainder of the show for Lee Joon and to find out who Gap-Dong was. I was not, I repeat not, disappointed in Lee Joon. OMG, he was amazing, I loved every single moment he was on screen. Now anytime I see him, I get this creepy vibe from him. Even when he plays in more fluffy dramas like My Father is Strange. Like wow. However, because of his impeccable psychopath acting, when the real Gap-Dong was revealed and I saw him acting psychotic, I was just disappointed. However, the actors did do a good job. Even though half the characters annoyed me to no end. I have to say they were cast well and did a good job.
I figured I should start with some things I enjoyed about the show before my long rant on the things that annoyed me.
I enjoyed the relationship growth between Moo-yeom and Detective Yang. By the last episode, the trust between them was so strong that, without a second thought, Detective Yang put the pill given by Moo-yeom to Do Hyeok for suicide in his mouth and ate it.
The relationship and banter between Moo-yeok and his wifey was funny and enjoyable. Their relationship was nice and light with a lot of loyalty which was nice to see.
I also enjoyed watching Tae-oh and Jiwook together. It was nice seeing her try to explain human nature to him and try (how ever futile) to gain humanity. She was the only one taking him seriously and trying to help him when no one else would. I secretly wanted them to get married and have like a Bonnie-Clyde relationship. Too bad Jiwook was rich in compassion and not a badass killer too or just chill with him killing people till he is caught. (wow this sounds horrible lol, I would never approve of this in real life. trust.)
Now to the stuff that annoyed me, which ended up being a lot. whoops XD.
The first episodes annoyed me because Detective Yang was only accusing Moo-yeom of being the killer, and his only reason was because he believed his father was the first Gap-dong. Which I found ridiculous. Moo-yeom's father had difficulties walking, let alone could he chase after a girl to kill her, and he was mentally disable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying mentally disabled people cannot commit crimes by accident or on purpose. However, it did not seem like he would have been able to kill 2 or 3 girls and leave no evidence but a bloody jacket. He also was unable to tie a fishing knot, which is repeated multiple times in the show, hence I'm not going to go any farther with that reason.
Once Detective Yang stopped being an annoyance by blaming literally anyone who looked at him funny or honestly just walked by him, we then had Moo-yeom doing the EXACT same thing. Now sure, Tae-oh was in fact the copycat. However, Moo-yeom did not know that at the beginning. All he saw was a mentally-ill man who was getting close to the pretty doctor he had his eye on, and BAM, "Tae-oh is the copycat. Stay away from him. He is dangerous. I'll make sure I catch you." One would think since Moo-yeom was falsely and unfairly accused and his dad was falsely accused because of his mental disability, Moo-yeom would not go around accusing people with no proof. But nope, that's exactly what he does, and not just with Tae-oh either. He also does it to Dr. Han and Detective Yang as well. The latter I felt deserved it for what he did to Moo-yeom over the years. (I feel he did it to someone else, but I'm drawing a blank).
Maria annoyed be beyond belief as well. It was honestly ridiculous. She would act like this badass bitch just to break character like ten minutes later. This can be seen when Tae-oh tries to kill himself in front of her. She was also so blind to the obvious. When it came to Tae-oh she could see right through his acts, yet when the real Gap-dong pretends to have a multiple personality disorder, she not only believes it, she also recommends another professional to evaluate him. When she finally realizes that she was tricked, she acts as if she was never tricked in the first place and that she never diagnosed him with the disorder. Also what person who was a victim allows the person who tried to kill them into their house with just the two of them alone. What else was annoying was how she was the only one who couldn't believe that Do Hyeok was Gap-Dong because of the gap in his character. Yet everyone who has worked with and under him for 20 plus years believed it without hesitation. Maria only knew him personally since the first copycat killing. She couldn't judge his character. However, she should know that people can alter their personalities. I mean she studied the human brain and human behaviour. Jeez, she goes out dressed differently then usual, wearing wigs and acting differently, so she should have been able to grasp how simple it is to lie about yourself and behave differently.
The way Tae-oh was treated throughout the whole show was probably the most annoying. I understand he murdered 6 people but still. First he was unfairly treated by Moo-yeom before he became the copycat. Then when he wanted to get better and get help, both Maria (a doctor who is supposed to help people) and Moo-yeom just ignored him and called him a monster who could never get better, and it wasn't like he only asked for help once, but he asked multiple times. Then they only asked him for things without giving anything in return. That is not how favours work. One needs to give to get anything, especially if the people involved don't like each other. But nope, they just expected Tae-oh to help them for nothing. Then when one thinks Maria is finally treating him like a human in the last episode, it's really because she realized she wasn't treating him like a human and felt guilty and didn't like feeling that way. So really she was doing it for her self. Not only is he mistreated, he is then killed at the end. I feel this was done to show the viewers that one cannot get away with murder, and somehow one will suffer for what they did. However, some murders do get away with what they did, and I think it would have been better to let him live and get away with it for the remainder of his life. It would have shown the two extremes murders would face: either being free or life in prison/death penalty. (ps. this opinion is not just because I love Tae-oh and didn't want him to die.) I honestly think it would have made the story better.
Personally, I felt that the side story line with Moo-yeom's brain lobe growth was pointless. The hallucinations were only shown and a problem for like 2 episodes and then he got the surgery, survived, and everything was peachy for him. Wow. Did. Not. See. That. Coming.
Moo-yeom and Maria had very similar personality traits that were aggravating. Both needed to be at the center of everything. They had to know everything that was going on, wanted to solve the case on their own, got angry when other people kept things from them, walked blindly into every dangerous situation, never called for backup before entering said dangerous situation, very self centered and believed everything was happening because of them.
This was not really annoying I just found it odd how at the beginning, Nam Gi Ri (kiss ass detective in case you didn't remember his name) hated Moo-yeom, but when Moo-yeom told him the true identity of Gap-dong, he believed him right away and they became besties.
Speaking of telling people who Gap-Dong is, no where would everyone undoubtedly believe another cop is a killer without any proof except a girl, who couldn't identify him 20 years ago, saying he is the killer. Also how does that info get spread throughout the whole place without said person hearing.
Also what was the point of Nam Gi Ri and that reporter? The writer made it seem like something would happen, and then they just stop talking and we only see her on the news.
Also, I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but why introduce a potential love interest for Jiwook literally 30min before the end of the series. When she puts her hand over the side detective's face (which I found cute the whole series and should have had a larger part, but not the point) and then takes it off, he gets all smiley, as if he likes her or something. Introduce that shit at like epsiode 10 or something. If the writer did that, maybe Jiwook could have ended her crazy obsession with Moo-yeom. Now that was annoying. He rejected her so many times and tried to get her to move on, but she wouldn't. If a guy doesn't like you why are you still pining after him. Get over him and when it seemed like she was getting over him, he would pop back up in her life and the pining would start all over again. She could have had a happy relationship with that highschool boy at the beginning of the series (he was only in the one episode), or a short messy relationship with Tae-oh, or a relationship with the detective if it was introduced earlier. I mean she's like 18 and he was probably only 23 or 24. So its really not that bad.
Well that's all. Wow. I did NOT expect to write that much. ahaha XD. sorry.
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I absolutely lovedhis drama, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!
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The story was very interesting, however, I felt bored in few episodes in the middle.. It was really confusing to keep up with what was going and I always doubted what was going on, but the last episodes were fine. The most part I loved was the OST, it suits the drama very well I never liked a drama ost as much as I loved this one.
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