CBS's Criminal Minds is one of my favourite non-Asian series, despite only watching the first six seasons. You can imagine my delight when I realised it had a Korean remake. It seemed like a dream come true... but of course, reality is often disappointing.

The cases in this story were inspired by some of the various cases in the OG. In case you want a list in order:

○ S1EP1 - Extreme Aggressor
○ S1EP9 - Derailed
○ S4EP18 + S5EP9 - Omnivore + 100
○ S4EP24 - Amplification
○ S2EP3 - The Perfect Storm
○ S4EP11 - Normal
○ S5EP16 - Mosley Lane
○ S2EP14 + S2EP15 - The Big Game + Revelations
○ S1EP14 - Riding the Lightning
○ S2EP7 - North Mammon
○ S1EP17 - A Real Rain
○ S4EP5 - Catching Out (very loosely based)
○ S5EP23 + S6EP1 / S2EP5 - Our Darkest Hour + The Longest Night/Aftermath (mix of two cases combined into one)
○ S4EP15 - Zoe's Reprise (loosely based)

For this remake, a lot of things were changed. I'll start with the good things.

In the original show, S4EP5 was a pretty forgettable episode. tvN, on the other hand, took the concept and made it their own. To fit the more modern Seoul, they changed the setting, the unsub, the method, the victims, and other details. This was a well-thought-out and logical decision. I also appreciated how they combined two cases into one. They did it in a clever and logical manner. So, that concludes the good decisions.

I was frustrated that the writer decided to keep the Reaper alive, but I suppose it made sense. A "big bad" is always required in Korean dramas. This decision would not irritate me as much if it was executed well. Big bads must be terrifying. Intimidating. This cheap Reaper replica was the polar opposite of that. This "Reaper," in my opinion, was not terrifying. It was as if a guy was attempting to portray a psychopathic murderer and failing miserably. Actually... that was exactly it.  Kim Won Hae is a prolific actor, but I don't think he's particularly good at playing villains. He felt so lacklustre. C. Thomas Howell's rendition of the Reaper had so intimidated me that KWH's interpretation felt like a joke in comparison. To be honest, many scenes in this remake were acted crudely.

Episode 4 in particular is a prime example of a supposedly emotional scene that is accomplished horribly. In short, if we haven't seen much of Ki Hyung's wife, there was no need to kill her off so early on. I didn't feel moved by the "emotional scene" because I barely saw the woman.

This decision initially piqued my interest, but as it was repeated, I gradually lost interest. It is the choice to make every other case somewhat personal to the team. Whether a member knows someone who becomes an almost-victim or becomes a target themselves. Hyun Joon's younger sister? Hmm okay, that's an enticing route.  Min Young's niece? Oh, okay. Do it again, ig. A random person who broke Na Na's car windows, threatened her, and acted exactly like the unsub in the same episode? TF? Was this really necessary?

"Was this really necessary?" was a phrase I kept repeating throughout all of the episodes. They had to make a case last an hour. As a result, a lot of stuff was added that had nothing to do with the plot. Red herrings, if you prefer that title.  It's also irritating because they make it so obvious that it's a red herring so the viewer wishes they could fast-forward. (Or they already have, lol.) Dramas like these, police procedurals, are typically fast-paced and action-packed. However, many scenes in this drama dragged on far too long.

I should give credit where it is due. The main cast members are all excellent actors (even though their characters are seriously lacking.) The unsubs were excellently played by the actors/actresses. Im Soo Hyang is a controversial actress known for her lack of acting ability but she performed admirably in this drama. Jo Han Chul, who played the normal man gone insane, can be described in one word. Fantastic. He was 1000 times better than the original actor, in my opinion.

Let's talk characters now.  Ooh, boy. Kim Hyun Joon (Lee Joon Gi) is the Korean counterpart to Derek Morgan. But, to be honest, they are very different. I wouldn't even consider them to be the same person. Kang Ki Hyung (Son Hyun Joo) is the Korean counterpart to Aaron Hotchner. Both are capable leaders and mentors. Ki Hyung, on the other hand, lacked Aaron's ambiance. Ha Sun Woo (Moon Chae Won) is the Korean equivalent of, get this, Emily Prentiss. I had to look it up and double-check to ensure I wasn't making a mistake. I mean, how could they take Prentiss' character and make Sun Woo... that's kinda embarrassing lol. From a badass woman who is also a nerd to a... block of wood. Bruh. Penelope Garcia's equivalent is Na Na Hwang (Yoo Sun). She's an example of a "character trying too hard to be like the original and failing miserably," in my opinion. They tried to make Na Na as quirky and fun as Garcia, but they messed up her character so badly that she became annoying. Lee Han (Go Yoon) is the Korean equivalent of Spencer Reid and exhibit B. Reid is without a doubt the original show's star. However,  Han is a minimal character in this story. It's truly unfortunate how little Han was used. Finally, Yoo Min Young (Lee Sun Bin) played the role of JJ Jareau. Min Young is similar to JJ, with no significant differences. Overall, I was a little disappointed. I think it's because we only had 20 episodes of them, but they all seem so one-dimensional.

There are two non-BGM OSTs in total.
➀ Flowsik, Davichi - 'Higher Plane'
➁ Yoo Hwe Seung - 'Another Day'

Higher Plane had a good beat, but I didn't like the rap parts. (Which is surprising because I usually enjoy rapping.) Yoo Hwe Seung's vocals in Another Day were fantastic.  Per usual, his vocals are always slaying.

Most of my complaints, if you haven't noticed, were because of direct comparisons to CBS's Criminal Minds. I tried to watch it with an open mind, but CBS's Criminal Minds was too much of a favourite of mine to not be critical of the Korean version. If you haven't seen the original, I believe this show might become a favourite of yours (bit of a stretch but ya never know.)

aight byeee~