Pe Urmele Dezertorilor (2021)

Not what i expected

I watched this drama about 2 hours ago so it is still freah in my memory. I also found out about it today and thought it would be a fun watch and i was so wrong. From the first 3 minutes of the first episode i knew this was gonna be a heavy, gruelling, realistic show that will be stuck in my memory for a long time. I am gonna break down my review into parts.

Plot: 10/10
At first i was a little distant because this was only 6 episode with less than an hour for each but when i started i swear it felt like 10 hours when it took me 3-4 hours. I can count on my fingers the amount of shows that did this to me. It wasn't dragged out in the slightest. Infact everything that needed to be said was said.So i am gonna move on

Actors/Cast: 100/10
This is what carried of the drama. Each actor either made me hate or love them. It was that simple. I dont know alot about any of these actors but imma need to do some research. I fell in love with everyone, everyone.

Music: 10/10
There want much of it infact i dont remember it clearly but for somd reason i had to give this 10/10. Music might have ruined this masterpiece of how tragic tge story was.

Overall:10000000/10
This drama didn't make me skip one second not even the bloody or fighting parts. I replayed those scences over and over. Loved the bromance 100%. I knew the last scence of this entire drama was gonna turn out like that but i really wished that jerk died. Oh well. I beg of you with light hearts dont watch this unless you thicken your skin because this is not a fairy tale. I shed tears at the end and i rarely cry over a show. Watch it when you can chill out and just relax. I watched this from 10:00pm to 1:00am. Finally finished crying so i could write this long ass review. So better thank me and watch it! Ill go now Adiós.

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Violence begets violence. Bullying begets bullying. And inflict enough torment, you can make a murderer out of a saint.

That theme is integral to D.P., which - unlike what the synopsis led me to believe - is critical of the inner workings of the military, a system of hierarchy that nurtures power imbalance inherent to abuse. It doesn't shy away from the subtle to the more explicit forms of harassment that every rank experiences. And that, most of the time, pushes the enlisted into deserting.

It ties neatly into Jun-Ho's life. Through each case of a deserter, he becomes more disillusioned with himself, and, finally, the military he's serving. And his last decision makes the story come full circle - how? I will leave that for the viewer. Then there's Ho-Yeol, who drew attention to himself as soon as he was introduced - his eccentricities made him a good D.P. officer (and a comic relief). However, the story was not theirs for long; the last deserter made it his, whose case was the consequence of continuous abuse, an impending tragedy borne of the deliberate ignorance of bystanders. His case was a warning, a question mark to the inaction of the spectating system which never countered the root of most desertions, a mishandling of a situation that could have been prevented.

The drama would not have been half as impactful if the acting was lukewarm. Hae In understands characters such as Jun-Ho, outwardly passive but drowning in emotion. Kyo Hwan brought Ho-Yeol to life without the crutch of a solid background story. And the supporting cast was remarkable, particularly the last deserter.

My one complaint would be the OST / music choice when the heavier scenes occurred in episode 6 (and one or two earlier episodes). It made the scenes rather self-indulgent and overdid the emotion which was already prominent, and better off, without it. However, I did enjoy the OST intro, mellow compared to the action, but a good way to break out of and into the topic of the episode.

Overall, the storytelling was pleasing, though the story itself was heavy (and disturbing at some points). It is one of the stronger productions in 2021. Watch it.

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Classic case of people in power misusing it.

The series tackles the hardships of men going through mandatory military service and why some of them decide to run away. The show is filled with horror of bullying, abuse, rough language and dark themes of suicide yet the show never crosses the limit to show something to an extent where you just can't stomach it.

The humor is the show is subtle and effective making you feel a bit better otherwise you are just walking in a dark tunnel with endless fears.

The duo between Kyo Hwan and Jung Hae In was perfect and had great chemistry as collegues. The ensemble cast also is perfect in their roles.

Music, cinematography, action and thrill all were well done and keeps you hooked. Honestly, after watching this I want to see Jung Hae In a negative role, cuz he really can pull it off.

Lastly take a shot everytime Hae In says "Private Ahn Jun Ho" xd.

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We need to "sacrifice" to bring changes !!

We have seen many Kdramas delivering school bullies. But DP brings us about the Korean Military bully.

The series is gritty, dark and violent. The first three episodes does have a comic relief (comedy within tragedy). But the last two episodes will make you go through a lot (sad/negative) emotions.

Cast/Acting — Perfect.

We have seen Jung Hae In as an military officer in Prison Playbook. Remember how he was falsely accused of beating up his fellows?? But here we will actually see what goes on inside the military. How the seniors harasses their juniors and how they got away because it is so called "normal" thing.

Just think how much of a person can change after getting into military. It went from "Gandhi" to "terrorist". That much it can change you.

Will you feel at ease after the show ends? NO.
You will boil with anger.

The main characters will try to bring changes in this corrupted system. To bring a change you need to sacrifice. But how many?

DP is filled with both physical and emotional abuse. Some viewers may find it disturbing because the camera focuses a lot to the "beaten up faces".

Overall one of the best short dramas of 2021.

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ON POINT

I always loved Jung Hae In, he's one of those that don't need to exert too much effort to show his emotions. You know he's happy even without him being giddy, or sad, without crying, mad without needing to shout or kick you. And this is what you get from him in DP.

As Joon Ho, his acting is contained but very emotional. Even without saying a word, you can feel that he's burning up inside. I guess his partner Corporal Ho Yul knows this. He knows how he feels, what he thinks and as quirky as he is, he has this caring aspect in him, that enabled Joon Ho to finally talk to his mom. This also showed in one of the episodes when Ho Yul let go of one the deserters to enable him to bring his grandma to a sanitarium, You will love Ho Yul character here.

The story is on point. Didn't hide or sugar coat what's happening inside. It all boils down to mental torture. What else could it be when you know it will only be 24 month inside? Physical torture? They can't do that 24/7, but it will eventually damage your mental health. When you're out there, alone, with no family to turn to, you will always find yourself thinking why is this happening. I also appreciate that they showed how the higher ups have turned a blind eye to these situations and would only think of what is beneficial to them. Bum Go, who is DP's immediate supervisor, seems to be also sucked by the system, but eventually stood up for his soldiers.

The series is only 6 episodes. I wanted more and see what happens to Joon Ho, but I know the series is not about him. It's about doing the mandatory military service and why you have deserters. And that what the series will give you.

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How to boil frogs alive?

Warning: This show has a lot of triggering content, including suicide, drug use, corporal punishment, abusive language, and sexual assault to name a few. If you have any trauma-specific triggers or cannot handle extreme violence, then tread lightly.

Violence breeds violence in this visceral, dark study of what it takes to break a person who is getting broken every day, over and over again, to the point of no return. The show connects violence in male-dominated environments to domestic abuse, to complacency and apathy in an ominous epic where heroism is nothing but the polished facade over a sick and rotting within.
This was such an unexpected watch for me. I wasn’t planning on watching this because I dislike military and everything connected to it (including fictional works about it) but it’s just 6 episodes and I like the main lead’s acting to I thought I should give it a watch and I was blown away (pun not intended). This was not at all what I had expected from a Korean show. They never hit as hard as Korean films do but this show is a visceral, horrifying watching experience. I can’t say I enjoyed watching it. It induces a lot of stress but I also couldn’t look away. The show tackles the military with a critical eye. It has a “lord of the flies” lens and it shows how the hierarchies in the military enable sociopathic, violent people with dark fantasies to do as they please without any consequence. It’s a system that sustains itself with gore, intimidation, humiliation, and mind-break. The show is almost too successful in exposing these and also connecting the issues of that environment to the hierarchies and toxicity existing in the society outside of the military compound.

You should watch this show if:
1. You hate the military like I do
2. Can handle violence and injustice (extreme)
3. Short format with no wasted moment
4. Subtle character developments
5. Realism with a touch of dramatization
6. Buddycop dynamic
7. Tragedies
8. Police procedural
9. Dark humor

Summary: The show follows Ahn Joon Ho, an apathetic young man with no prospects, no future, and no emotional attachments who joins the army for his mandatory 2-year service, seemingly on a whim. He survives the initiation process through his sheer will to feel nothing! Then his observation skills and sharp mind land him a job with the deserter pursuit unit and with every new case he follows, his icy veneer melts away as he starts to care. A bit too much, maybe.

Plot: This is a very sharply written show. There’s no one scene wasted on unimportant matters. The show is subtle with its character arcs and humor, which helps put the exaggerated and extreme violence in the show into stark focus, making it feel more jarring and uncomfortable. Foreshadowing, symbolism, and parallels are used with great cunning to help flesh out the world and the characters in it. I really like that detail about it. Aside from technicalities, this is an adrenaline-packed, mystery-solving, action story wrapped in trauma and social commentary. It’s an exhilarating watch that will hype you up while also draining your emotions. The format is more or less episodic with each episode following a case. This does dampen the show’s edginess a little bit, as all procedurals do, but thankfully it’s super short so it doesn’t get pedantic.

Acting: The acting was amazing! I already knew Jung Hae In was an amazing actor but I just couldn’t imagine him in a violent, macho military show. Turns out he’s not just good at dramatic acting and being an extremely ideal love interest. He’s also really good at throwing punches. But I have to say, the show benefits from his skills in delivering emotional punches (lol so many boxing puns!). With his naturally sad eyes and empathetic expressions, he raises the show above just being gratuitous violence. Koo Kyo Hwan plays his sardonic, eccentric character to PERFECTION. His humor is not slapstick and cheap and when the emotional moments come up, he keeps his performance steady and mature. He was amazing. Jo Hyun Chul deserves some sort of award for his performance. If he doesn’t get anything then the awards must be rigged. The ensemble was all good in their roles as well.

Music and Production: The music was fine and it worked well for the show. This was a very well-produced show. The camera work, details, sets, everything was done with great care. I guess it’s a Netflix show so it’s expected to deliver a certain level of professionality.

Rewatch value: No. It was too much. I can’t watch it again. I’ll watch a sequel, though.

Negatives: There is an overarching plot and there is character development and the whole show is a very in-your-face social commentary but the procedural format does redact a bit from it. When the plot really starts connecting from episode 4 to 6, it becomes a bit too melodramatic and certain parts are not as enjoyable as the very stylistic first episode that has you hooked. It survives though. There’s extreme violence and it can be argued that it kind of goes against its thesis by showing such over-the-top violence but I rarely see anyone critic compulsory military service so whatever, I’ll take it!

Overall: Definitely a good show. I would give it a 10 but that’s for shows I have fun. This was not exactly fun to watch. It was painful. Just the kind of pain that is worth getting through. One thing I loved about this show was that it has that "get revenge from the bully" situation but it manages to make you not enjoy the righteous violence despite the justice in it? At least for me, it was so. I’m curious to see if the show will get a second season because it has space to say more. As it stands, it could pack a harder punch. It does show the absurdity of the military so well and it almost makes fun of it but the humor is so dark that it’s almost no longer dark humor, just dark. I would like to see them explore the problematic structure of military a bit more. I won’t ask for justice or a journey of righting wrongs because it’ll be tacky but I want to see more of the show.

So how do you boil frogs alive? Well, how about not doing that, you sick sociopathic monster! Not every man has to be a killing machine. Some men like to plant flowers and draw comics and teach children that they are worth it and they deserve good things and you know what? They are more heroic than those who kick a person just because they can, because they have big muscles or a weapon and whatnot...anyway, don't boil frogs but if you do, just expect one to jump out and bite your head off.

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Came for Jung Hae In, stayed for everything else~

This drama did not receive the amount of attention it should have. Maybe it is because I find military movies and dramas very fascinating because of the absence of mandatory military enlistment in my country, but this feels slightly novel and brings to light a (not new but) slightly controversial topic.

Storyline was just how I liked it. It quickly introduces the main character and shows us his values in life through unrelated events. It then quickens up and introduces the second main character not long after. It is fast-paced and does not drag on. It introduces a new issues every one or two episodes. The only reason why this wasn't a 9 out of 10 was because I thought it was a shame that this drama only had 6 episodes.

I don't even think I have to evaluate the cast. Jung Hae In did not disappoint at all. Koo Kyo Hwan is a surprisingly more versatile than I expected after seeing his role in "Peninsula." I expect to see more of him around, and I expect great things.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this drama.

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Exceed My Expectations! Bravo!

Honestly, didn't expect it to be this good. The casts succeed in making my blood boiled gosh that was so inhuman. Totally enjoy all the soundtracks. I feel it really matched well with the vibe of this short drama. I didn't even skip the ending credits plenty of times. My heart totally ached wih the guy who stopped being a judo player cause he couln't hurt others. Never hurt a weak and kind hearted people. You might never know what your actions and words turn them into. In the end, I was speechless by the ending but I love how it was so awfully realistic. Power and justice. Those issues were never easy.

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It'll make you uncomfortable. Rightly so.

in actual shock because of d.p. it made me so uncomfortable, for all the right reasons. i want more of it, because of how honest and real it was... but i dont think i can see more of it, because of how honest and real it was. it made me feel so helpless. what a show.
also, very out of character for me, but i really appreciated how all the background stories of our main characters were just hinted and never truly, fully explored. in most cases, i'd think of it as wasted potential. but here, i liked it. the little they gave us showed us why the characters were the way they were, and why they behaved in certain situations the way they did. but they never took the focus away from what the show was truly about - the reality of a broken, and violence-driven system.

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Must Watch Drama!

The Dark reality behind the deserters and how they have been portrayed is commendable. An Jun-Ho has played an extremely dark role of being confused to finding himself. The series can be watched in 1 sitting as every episode hangs with a cliffhanger.

Overall the series was amazing and a right way to portray bulling and how it can change a mental state of a person. The raw reality has been portrayed superbly with a hint of comedy in between. There should be season 2 coming for the series as the series ended with a question mark.

TW - Bulling, Sexual Abuse

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