Undercover (2021)

It is about the basic conflict between political ideals & dirty practice. Emotional complex.

Black meets white and every shade in between.
Devious meets sincere.
Truth comes into conflict with truthfulness.
Justice wrestles with just behavior.

Even though the KDrama “Undercover” was produced as a remake of a British series, it still tells a very specifically South Korean story. In recent decades, the South Korean intelligence service has changed its name several times in the wake of turbulent political changes. Heads were exchanged here and there, but ultimately numerous agents and executives carried out their jobs both during the last years of the dictatorship, the first years of the increasingly democratic liberal government of the Sixth Republic and up to the present day. This means that those who had to be bitterly persecuted as enemies of the state at some point, became, at a different time, those who potentially needed to be protected at all cost… “Undercover” is set in that context.

Embedded in this is the emotional dynamic of a former undercover agent and his wife. She is now a committed human rights lawyer and the designated director of the newly established political office for corruption investigation. In principle, her agenda is to uncover those machinations in which her husband's employer was involved or even in charge at the time and to this day...

The dramatic dynamite is hidden underneath the fact that the husband missed the right timing of confessing to his wife what he actually had done before and who he was... for good reason. This secret apparently didn't stop the couple from leading a very happy family life to date. But fatally, his past comes knocking at his door, confronting him with an almost insoluble conflict.

Should he confess to his wife today what he did back then? However, she might never be able to forgive him. That would most likely be the end of the relationship.
On the other hand, if he continues to hide his past, his former colleagues will make sure she finds out. They would do anything to prevent an upright, honest and incorruptible person from taking this groundbreaking new political position, simply because transparency and secret service don´t get along so well…
Therefore:
If he wants to preserve the marriage and his family, his wife must never find out about his past. In order to prevent this, with a heavy heart he has to once again face the parallel world of secret service agents...
If he wants to protect his wife, considering the challenges of her new career, with a heavy heart he has to once again face the parallel world of secret service agents...
Either way, with a heavy heart he has to go back to the parallel world of secret service agents... There, it seems, not much has changed in the past 30 years. It is all about: unscrupulous in the service of the cause. By all means. Failure is not up for debate, whatsoever.

Accordingly, “Undercover” is full of emotional suspense, rather complex, and at times quite nerve-wracking. It is about the inner conflict within in this particular, rather mature marriage. It is about the basic conflict between political ideals and dirty practice. And then, it is also sobering when it comes to the question of whether power can ever really belong to the people...


I liked the emotional complexity and how the area of conflict – personal and political each – was developed. Plus the fact, that it was more about relationship dynamics than action. Therefore, I enjoyed watching it.

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A little stretched but fine.

As you're already aware of, Undercover is a remake of the popular UK series of the same name, the makers have also done immense changes in many plots giving extra essence to the major characters. This is rather a political thriller that feels like a tragedy throughout the entire thing and makes you feel sad. Absuse of power, authoritative ruling, corruption, dirty politics, etc. without the consideration of how it affects a common man's life and people's emotions are parts of this drama.

Undercover is set up in a premise where a familyman tries to save his lovale family from getting ruined by his own tragic past that he has been hiding all his life out of insecurity that the revelation can break his dear ones apart. To save your time here I suggest you read the plot in the synopsis so that I can jump to my review, haha.

Have you watched the Lee Joon Gi starrer tragic thriller drama Flower of Evil: FoE (2020) which even got multiple nominations at the 57th Baeksang? Well then, Undercover is established on somewhat similar (I would say 30%) premise. Only difference is that the given situations in both the dramas are different but also lead to a tragic result where there seems no door to get out of.

Undercover is emotionally stirring and the brewing conflict between the leads even when they're unware of eacg other's flaws, is what you call the main attraction of the drama. The emotions and beliefs of the leads will leave you worried about the fate to befall on them and their happy family. The greatest message it gives is, even in a regular and perfectly normal relationshp, situation of discovering inadvertent lies, is something hard to overcome and reconcile.

Talking about acting and cast, the cast felt so good though I personally think it could have been better; the children of the lead couple and some people at the NIS as well as in the police force and the Blue House could be better actors. But the lead duo Ji Jin Hee and Kim Hyun Joo were so powerful throughout the series and their chemistry was remarkable though it's the second time playing a couple but it was different given that the characters were intense. Ji Jin Hee has always proved his versatility by playing a number of challenging characters but in my opinion this role is the most difficult. I felt the same when he played the same character in "Move to Heaven" even though he was there in a guest role.

The core concept of this drama is the same as Flower of Evil, sometimes it felt a bit slow but manageable. Back to back tragedies are a bit triggering which might make you angry; at a point everything goes wrong back to back things happening lose the way back to their places that makes one suffocating.

There was a huge character development for both the lead characters and the way it was presented by intertwining and connecting the present time with their individual as well as united pasts. That is one job that intrigued me tbh. The story has been well written and the direction and screenplay has been done nice but let me tell you that you shouldn't expect a lot from it for we have seen similar plots before and all the political tragedies are not new to us either. It's just a story with different elements and a different way of execution that makes it interesting and kept me going.

Overally, it's not a bad show but worth a one time watch. Please give it a watch before you judge. Scoring a gravitating pitch, UNDERCOVER vaunted a solid narrative right off the bat. Coupled with a good cast, it invites you to brace yourselves for the parade of confrontations, betrayals, and conspiracies spicing up its initial displayed story.

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