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Live korean drama review
Completed
Live
10 people found this review helpful
by hanni12
May 6, 2018
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I think drama fans over the last few years have all grown a bit tired of genius police officers in their super duper special forces chasing serial killers with a seemingly unending budget and little regard for the law. Going strictly against that trend is this slice of life drama about some regular ass patrol officers who deal with the more common everyday violence on the streets of Seoul. It's more slice of life in the way American cop and medical shows are, with a big casts of characters, with bigger and smaller cases that span a few episodes with personal developments for the characters happening alongside them.

Han Jung Oh (Jung Yoo Mi) is a police woman that actually *gasp* does that job for the paycheck and doesn't feel some higher calling to wear the uniform. Pragmatic, but delicate with a hunting backstory that is the heart of the drama and the themes. It's not surprising that not just one, but two of her coworkers are smitten with her, but only one is able to deal with her heavy back story.

Yeom Sang Soo (Lee Kwang Soo) is a tall dorky idealist who might be a bit too naive for the job. He does that job for the paycheck just like Jung Oh, but it's a bit harder than he first thought. He finds himself attracted to Jung Oh and is persistent in winning her affections.

Ahn Jang Mi (Bae Jong Ok) and Oh Yang Chon (Bae Sung Woo) are a married couple of police officers who find themselves on going through a downward slope in their marriage. Jang Mi is the real highlight of the drama, tough and and equally full of heart. Dedicated and hyper competent at her job, but also a caring daughter in law to her father in law to whom she is closer than his own son. Yang Chon is a supremely unlucky, but also hard working police officer who is going through some shit, some stuff self-inflicted and also some that isn't.

I think every drama fan familiar with Noh Hee Kyoung winced a bit, hearing that she was teamed up with her long time partner in crime Kim Gyu Tae who for some reason is filming everything in hyper close ups and saps the rawness and emotion out of her scripts to a hyper polish. But thankfully he's finally found out the zoom out function and did a surprisingly competent job and let's Noh Hee Kyung's writing shine.

The highlight of the drama is the whole team spirit that develops among the police officers, I especially enjoyed the relationships among the veterans and the new recruits of the force. The chemistry among the actors was mostly great and I especially enjoyed the friendships that developed among the team and how they worked together on the cases. It's a realistic and raw look into the profession that goes against what is usually portrayed. It's also good to see that the subject of sexual violence has come to the forefront in quite a few dramas in recent times. It doesn't hold back and doesn't just show the immediate aftermath, but also the trauma down the line that victims have to deal with their whole lives.

The love triangle I felt didn't quite belong and seemed quite forced. I didn't feel like Jung Yoo Mi and Lee Kwang Soo had the chemistry necessary to make it work and I think that Lee Kwang Soo just isn't leading material. He doesn't have the charisma or screen presence to be the leading man and I feel that he was miscast here, coming across as pushy instead of charming. Jung Yoo Mi on the other hand was a great fit for the role. While the main love story just wasn't working for me, the one of Jang Mi and Yang Chon while quite unusual and unglamorous is also starkly realistic and made up for the main couple not being my cup of tea.

Overall a breath of fresh air, with some casting missteps, recommended for anyone that loved American cop shows and anyone that's sick of the usual Korean cop dramas. The no holds barred realism present in this drama, is not too often found in Korean dramas and should be cherished.
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