Great drama, just a bit overrated.

This is one of those shows that start out as your basic crime story but turns out to be a melodrama after all. The crimes they worked on are quite intriguing. The investigations, though, are sloppy and the police are either lazy and promotion-hungry or just plain lucky. Even the cold case squad members don't have excellent investigative skills. I guess the writer really wants to show to the viewers that the transmissions are the real hero in this story. Everyone else is just a tool --- the self-righteous profiler, the kind-hearted cop who always cries, and the grieving squad leader. The good thing is that there is a clear rule about the impact of changing the past that is established early in the show. Even though there are a lot of awkward dialogues, ugly crying and cliches about cops, overall acting is really great. Even the lazy, conniving cops are so convincing i had to keep myself from throwing the remote.

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The Female Lead disappoints.

I watched because of CJH, having seen his impressive acting before. His chemistry with all the actors in this show is quite good resulting in many well-executed comedic moments. Except with the FL. Her acting is forced, voice and facial expressions monotonous, laughter irritating. Their scenes together are quite awkward and amateurish and i'm very sure it's not CJH's fault. it also doesn't help that the script is written fairly well for all characters except for the conversations between the 2 leads. Bottomline, i like many parts of this series except that i can't get rid of the irritation brought about by the FL. They should have chosen a better actress.

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It's annoying and that's why it's interesting!

First off, this is not for everyone. If you are not a fan of stories of financial collusions, sabotage or economic strategies, stay away! Unless of course if you are only here for Woo Do Hwan then it's visuals galore:)

This verbose series is really about all those 3 boring things i just mentioned brought together by a catastrophic event. The same catastrophic event brought together the main characters. Whether you call them protagonists or antagonists is entirely up to you on where you stand on the issue. Like i said, it's verbose. There's also lots of attempts to be Mission Impossible-ish which i found to be corny (bec i am a big fan of this genre and i know Wow from Weh). So as an action series it is lacking. As a drama series, yes there are some cry-worthy moments in there. And there are attempts to be comedic too which i found lame.

But i do like this series bec of the storyline. The strategies and character shifts changed a lot, making frowns appear and disappear involuntarily on my forehead at any given moment. I am annoyed both in a good and bad way many times. Suddenly i found myself invested in the truth no matter who the heroes and villains are. Does that make sense? It is for this reason that this show is interesting for me.

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Just the right amount of everything

I had to wait until it's last wk of showing to watch this series on NF. At the time i was watching Squid and Mad Dog, both heavy in their genres. So when i was done i was quite ready for a refreshing, light watch. Hometown couldn't be any more perfect for that!

And i found it to be really refreshing, first literally. I mean views of the sea, surfing, laidback country life are my absolute definition of refreshing. Of course there will be plenty of old folks, gossip and cliches. The series made sure each episode has all of those. Emotionally, there is nothing overpowering until towards the end. We should all cry at that point if we are human! But we don't dwell and soon flowers are abloom again!

I have to confess i wanted to watch this so i can finally feel at ease knowing Good Boy (Start-up) can get his girl. I wanted so bad for him to get his love! I have a feeling it's not just me. This actor can really effectively win you over to his side to root for him. His overall visuals in this show is also quite refreshing.

The lead actress in her role here is a far cry from the mischievous Gumiho, chubby Venus, and brokenhearted wife in Tomorrow with you. She's a more regular person here, and very relatable. I mean we all had to run away at least once in our lives to get away from so much stress. And we all are guilty of being snubby at least once too. So i could very easily see myself in her.

The things that our minds can do to us! And the things that our hearts can do too! That's why i love this series.

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Heartwarming and heartbreaking

Ahhh this show warms the heart then breaks it then warms it again! I have such shallow tears for sad/crying fathers and this show brings it on like there's no tomorrow! The plot and characterization are both challenging that the task of being able to show this and bring out the right emotions would have been daunting for a less competent actor. Guess what, all leads in this series are such great actors that they can change the mood of the scene as fast as required. My recent favorite LJH is at it again with his expressive eyes and distinctive voice. The father is just as convincing as the son in portraying honesty and integrity in their work. This is a must-watch for families who have somehow drifted apart.

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This one asks a serious moral question and the answer may not make some people happy.

Right at the start you are already slapped with moral issues such as euthanasia and the responsibilities of medical personnel. Then to top it off you see someone who does not feel pain. Whoa! So much heavy stuff for a drama about a young aspiring doc who falls for the boss. The transitions and how they tackled the issues is ok for me, even the overzealousness of some characters. But i didn't like the FL's insistence that the ML should depend on her bec she loves him. Why force someone to love you? I don't get that. Anyways, there are plenty of medical situations which i really liked. Also plenty of side characters that are unnecessary.

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Good crime-solving, very annoying lead actress

The good:
1. Jang Hyuk - One of his finest acting in action-drama. He's like a mad dog when he's angry and just as passionate when trying to find victims and suspects.
2. Lee Jin Wook - The captain of the rescue team in Voice2. Another mad dog and also very convincing. I'm going to look out for his other dramas.
3. The crimes - The reported crimes are ones you really hear in the news. Gory most of the time. When the rescue team is on the move that's what fuels this drama.

The bad:
1. Kang's expressionless face - How can an actress be so devoid of facial expression? Each of her headshots looks exactly the same no matter the situation.
2. Kang's expressionless voice - The same monotone. Sometimes fast, sometimes faster. The same monotone.
3. Kang's selective hearing - Ok, she has a gift of hearing things others can't hear. But i think her real gift is that she can hear only those things that are relevant to the situation. Come on writer, if you want to show that she has a special gift, at least give a reason why her gift is very selective. otherwise, you should show that she actually hears soooo many things that it would drive her crazy.
4. In both seasons the writer has the habit of making the golden time team interview the caller first about non-urgent details before actually sending emergency teams to the scene. Drives me crazy each time.

I'm here for the crime-solving. everything else and especially Kang is a distraction.

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Complicated plot made believable by on-point acting

My first time to watch LJG act and i'm impressed! I was immediately drawn to his eyes and this drama definitely made full use of these. His back story was properly explained and is in fact the major driver for his actions in his present. MCW on the other hand is very good with her facial expressions. I was happy when she was happy, angry when she was angry. Her character is exactly what his character definitely needs in order to be "normal". And boy can they both cry!

The story itself is not unique but the production, script, lighting and action are well-executed that overall interest is held in each new episode. The ending may as well be a separation because of the obvious personality issue of the lead but can also be a reunion as both personalities are complementary of each other.

Definitely the glue is the bubbly bundle of joy.

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Less medical, more drama.

Slow burn but if you are invested in the acting, and there are MANY great drama actors here, you will endure the long dialogues and subtle character development. As usual, CSW does not disappoint. Interestingly, somewhere in the middle the line between protagonist and antagonist blurrs and i found myself sometimes frustrated with the doctors and liking the president. Also, each character's personality remains the same until the end even if you see that it has been influenced somehow to be nicer or less serious.

So in a nutshell, this medical drama is less medical and more drama.

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This show does not disappoint.

Ok, i'll put it out there --- this is my first CSW starrer. I had the show on my Netflix list for the longest time after watching the great BD in Kingdom. Boy, this show is a winner! Let me count the ways why it is:

Hwang-Han tandem - Both characters did not get enough acknowledgment from their own peers, esp Hwang, but they got loads of it from each other. I thought between the 2 of them they could close cases and punish culprits with just their sharp minds and sheer perseverance.

Money, politics, influence - Whether at the police bureau or in the justice system, money corrupts even the best of them leaders. But what i liked here is that they are all tied together in a way that unites 1ep to the next, 1 character to another, 1case to another. It itself is the plot.

The writing -Ah, as a crime show fanatic , i can definitely say that the writer kept the plot tight, the characters relevant and the dialogues meaningful. I'm a big fan of this writer from now on!

All in all, such a gem of a crime drama that was blessed with both good writing and excellent actors.

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I love this over-the-top series but...

I thought it was a straight-up gangster drama bec of the 1st scene but it wasn't and i liked it like that.
What i loved:
The tenants. Weird and flawed but they could go up in arms to defend Vincenzo.
The younger Jang brother. Man, he had the greatest likeability factor in this show with his character devt!
SJK. I mean, who doesn't want to see that face on tv? Even 4k tv could not find a single blemish on his face ?
Romance was in the back seat. I liked that love angle was not front and center of this show. But the writer just couldn't help it and forced it in the end ugh!
What i hated:
Romance in the most impt back seat. Damn! All i can say is that Vincenzo in love was a helpless, prideless, undeserving-of-a-brother's-love prick. Have you seen it? Well?
And the kisses...whose blood was it that was wasted so you can have those kisses with the (weird) lawyer lady?
The brother's blood that was wasted unnecessarily. I still can't get over that fact.
Still, i loved this series despite the last episode. Flawed but powerful.

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Not even the great actors can save this show.

In a nutshell, it's like the director and the writer (mostly the writer) conspired to make sure there's a bad apple in CSW's basket of delicious acting fruits. Come on! Bad guys shooting around them in a blanket of thick smoke and NOT hitting each other in the process? Tens of bad guys seemingly waiting for their turn to be kicked by a girl? All those powerful guns but couldn't hit their targets? And let's not forget that refrigerator door. The first 2 episodes are ok at best but the will to carry on dropped as fast as irritation grew.

Lesson missed: if any attempt at time travel is done again, at least show some basic logic. If the viewer ends up making their own interpretation or justification for each and every crucial event just to appease their confused brain cells, then they should get paid as co-writers. I don't mind scientific thinking: i do that for a living. It's just that this show failed sorely in being logical.

If only CSW can travel back in time and refuse this show.

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