Bladey
Hardly any drama has the right combination of everything. This one has. From story, through casting to music - everything worked liked magic. A very intelligently crafted story set up like a procedural but works on so many more levels, creating a comprehensive arresting, emotional story with pitch perfect writing, flow and great characters. I am somewhat reminded of the movie "Frequency"...except I think writing and story flow in Signal are a lot more meaningful, impactful and interesting, whereas Frequency tended to fall flat, down into writing that left a lot to be desired. This drama has been pure pleasure to watch because it's such a story-rich experience! Not a single boring moment, always high tension or absorbing emotions, characters I care for and root for... An exceptional k-drama that has all the right elements, combines them in the right way..... dramas like this are one in a million, really.
It's a procedural, and not only technically...there are investigations of murders going on...famous cases, fictionalised. The protagonists belong to a unit dealing with cold cases, whose statue of limitations expired. So naturally, they have to dig into the past. ..and the story is presented both in the past and the present so we get two different stories but intextricably linked to one another, influenced by one another.. ..the cases seem separate at first...but then certain leads start pointing to the overarching story, whose main character is Lee Jae Han. He's a detective who as of the present day, has not been in service for some time. He binds past and present. We follow his story in the past, unravel the nystery behind him. and he definitely is the heart of the story, a link, a bridge that ties characters and events together. It's his story, in a sense. Thus, the story goes way beyond any regular procedural. There are investigations...investigations into the past...and then there is a character that is both a clue to that past and the main protagonist of his own story. Together with him, the young detective played by Lee Je Hoon and his team leader, we consider the impact of meddling with events and how our decisions cause other things to change... we see impact of those things on characters' memories and emotions....the sense of desperation that comes with wanting to change things and a sense of desperation that comes about when you discover what is involved in change and sometimes how win and loss strike each other out. There are abandoned places, unsolved riddles, - the overall mood of this drama is pitch perfect too. And we travel together with the protagonists to unravel nysteries that confuse and surprise them, that are of personal significance to them and thus emotional. It's chilling and exciting - great experience. But most dramas that are just "thrilling" get old very fast. For a drama to be a keeper, there needs to be more, some substance. This one has it. I really don't like any regular procedural - i find them too boring, too sentationalist and just too generic, they tend to lack the things i want from dramas. But this drama takes some part of that genre and fuses it intelligently with other things and as a result we have something trully unique. TvN dramas have long been my favourites...and here they prove it again. This is a drama with a quality far surpassing other dramas.
Then, there are rich personal backstories of the protagonists, who are all beautifully acted and whose stories are tightly related to one another....intertwined. Great cast, I really want to see dramas with as talented and well chosen cast as this one had..they made the characters very relatable, interesting and sympathetic. Lee Jae Han stands out for several reasons...he is the link to the past and the heart that binds other main protagonists to him and to one another in a meaningful way.. And he has quickly become one of my most beloved dramaland characters ever. He's very persevering, determined and has so much sympathy for people around him. There are strong themes of loyalty, of friendship, through the radio transmission and even a strong devotion between lee jae han and his "rookie".
Lee Je hoon's character is a brilliant, curious profiler and Kim Hye Soo a rookie-turned team leader. Both have strong ties to Lee Jae Han.. Kim Hye Soon;s side adds a personal and emotional perspective on Lee Jae Han himself, whereas Park Hae Young has leads to past cases.. many events in the drama have a profund impact on him and he does go through a change of his own. He and Lee Jae Han teach each other a lot and develop a unique friendship. The personal stories of all characters add emotional dimension to the cases. Unlike regular procedurals , this one weaves a strong overarching story that is bound by Lee Jae Han.
The writing quality is pitch perfect for me...there isn't anything crudely cartoonish, there is great flow that easily absorbed me, that characters are interesting and I care for them very much. The thing is there is a coherent, emotional story that adds depth and dimension to everything else.. I really rather liked the antagonists too, particularly one of them who seemed conflicted and it showed in his expressions. The characters are written and acted out in a way that strongly resonated with me and made love then,
Although the ending is open-ended, i believe this drama does NOT need a sequel. A sequel could just ruin it with something really lame. Future is uncertain...characters have a chance to make the most of that future - that's what the ending suggests. There is hope...as long as there is will....and as long as there is will, there is a way! Never give up on things that matter and for characters in this dramas, what matters is things set right and saving precious people, if possible...and not giving up on things. I'm very satisdied on all counts with this drama. Very, incredibly satisfying story.
Music is just great too, very moody, with several very haunting instrumentals. I love this! This drama is one rare case that I am happy to give a 10. Absolutely deserving. I am giving it a high rewatch value precisely because not the mystery counts as such but characters, implications and connections between them and for that, there are plenty moments to revisit for sure.
It's a procedural, and not only technically...there are investigations of murders going on...famous cases, fictionalised. The protagonists belong to a unit dealing with cold cases, whose statue of limitations expired. So naturally, they have to dig into the past. ..and the story is presented both in the past and the present so we get two different stories but intextricably linked to one another, influenced by one another.. ..the cases seem separate at first...but then certain leads start pointing to the overarching story, whose main character is Lee Jae Han. He's a detective who as of the present day, has not been in service for some time. He binds past and present. We follow his story in the past, unravel the nystery behind him. and he definitely is the heart of the story, a link, a bridge that ties characters and events together. It's his story, in a sense. Thus, the story goes way beyond any regular procedural. There are investigations...investigations into the past...and then there is a character that is both a clue to that past and the main protagonist of his own story. Together with him, the young detective played by Lee Je Hoon and his team leader, we consider the impact of meddling with events and how our decisions cause other things to change... we see impact of those things on characters' memories and emotions....the sense of desperation that comes with wanting to change things and a sense of desperation that comes about when you discover what is involved in change and sometimes how win and loss strike each other out. There are abandoned places, unsolved riddles, - the overall mood of this drama is pitch perfect too. And we travel together with the protagonists to unravel nysteries that confuse and surprise them, that are of personal significance to them and thus emotional. It's chilling and exciting - great experience. But most dramas that are just "thrilling" get old very fast. For a drama to be a keeper, there needs to be more, some substance. This one has it. I really don't like any regular procedural - i find them too boring, too sentationalist and just too generic, they tend to lack the things i want from dramas. But this drama takes some part of that genre and fuses it intelligently with other things and as a result we have something trully unique. TvN dramas have long been my favourites...and here they prove it again. This is a drama with a quality far surpassing other dramas.
Then, there are rich personal backstories of the protagonists, who are all beautifully acted and whose stories are tightly related to one another....intertwined. Great cast, I really want to see dramas with as talented and well chosen cast as this one had..they made the characters very relatable, interesting and sympathetic. Lee Jae Han stands out for several reasons...he is the link to the past and the heart that binds other main protagonists to him and to one another in a meaningful way.. And he has quickly become one of my most beloved dramaland characters ever. He's very persevering, determined and has so much sympathy for people around him. There are strong themes of loyalty, of friendship, through the radio transmission and even a strong devotion between lee jae han and his "rookie".
Lee Je hoon's character is a brilliant, curious profiler and Kim Hye Soo a rookie-turned team leader. Both have strong ties to Lee Jae Han.. Kim Hye Soon;s side adds a personal and emotional perspective on Lee Jae Han himself, whereas Park Hae Young has leads to past cases.. many events in the drama have a profund impact on him and he does go through a change of his own. He and Lee Jae Han teach each other a lot and develop a unique friendship. The personal stories of all characters add emotional dimension to the cases. Unlike regular procedurals , this one weaves a strong overarching story that is bound by Lee Jae Han.
The writing quality is pitch perfect for me...there isn't anything crudely cartoonish, there is great flow that easily absorbed me, that characters are interesting and I care for them very much. The thing is there is a coherent, emotional story that adds depth and dimension to everything else.. I really rather liked the antagonists too, particularly one of them who seemed conflicted and it showed in his expressions. The characters are written and acted out in a way that strongly resonated with me and made love then,
Although the ending is open-ended, i believe this drama does NOT need a sequel. A sequel could just ruin it with something really lame. Future is uncertain...characters have a chance to make the most of that future - that's what the ending suggests. There is hope...as long as there is will....and as long as there is will, there is a way! Never give up on things that matter and for characters in this dramas, what matters is things set right and saving precious people, if possible...and not giving up on things. I'm very satisdied on all counts with this drama. Very, incredibly satisfying story.
Music is just great too, very moody, with several very haunting instrumentals. I love this! This drama is one rare case that I am happy to give a 10. Absolutely deserving. I am giving it a high rewatch value precisely because not the mystery counts as such but characters, implications and connections between them and for that, there are plenty moments to revisit for sure.
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