BLISS RATING: ★★★+
“I see no evil ‘cause love is blind.” – Ljupka Cvetanova
Although this series is completely implausible, it is just so much fun to watch because it hooks you in with its preposterous premise. In hindsight, this might have worked better as a comedy, as the whole concept is ridiculous. To be sure, it is entertaining, but predictably so. We can guess how it is all going to come out after just a few episodes. That is how obvious it became. It is nonetheless intoxicating to watch given how handsome all the protagonists and antagonists were.
The theme is a simple one. Seo Yi Do (Kim Seung Beom), a contract killer and an astonishingly handsome one at that with his sharp facial features, is sent to kill Heo Dong Hwa (Lee Jeong Ho) by some local cabal syndicate. He apparently has some ‘dirt’ on a local politician that is uncompromising. However, Seo Yi Do is suddenly told to hold off on killing him until the phone where the pictures are stored is found. So, Seo Yi Do locks him up in a cage which happens to be located in the basement of Heo Dong Hwa’s house (how he knew that is a mystery).
Shortly afterwards, there is a knock on the door and Chu Tae Jeong (Kim Kyung Min) shows up. Evidently, he had made arrangements to stay with Dong Hwa, his close childhood friend. From here, the story begins to unravel laughably. Although all three have known each other since they were youngsters, Tae Jeong, for some unfathomable reason, mistakes Seo Yi Do as Dong Hwa’s older brother, Hae Dong Jin, who had moved to the USA several years ago. Tae Jeong, supposedly a police officer, has recently been reassigned to this area from Seoul at his request. But by every standard of measurement, he is as dumb as a box of rocks in police work as he has no deductive, credible, or cogent reasoning skills. This dumb but entertaining story goes through the motions of Tae Jeong bumbling and fumbling his way through finding out that who he is developing feelings for is a hired killer, and his childhood friend is quite a nefarious creature and had a lot to do with his own father’s death. Seriously, Tae Jeong finds all this out not by any police work but by pure luck and the continued romantic relationship that develops between him and Seo Yi Do.
How and why, there is an actual relationship between Seo Yi Do and Tae Jeong is a mystery. The chemistry of these two together is good but not great. There just was not enough time for them to develop any type of a meaningful relationship or connection. Perhaps it is the fact that Tae Jeong is so naïve, and innocent and he is incapable of being corrupted that allows Seo Yi Do to want to take a different path. Surprisingly, while there is a certain validity between these two, not much undercurrent existed other than a physical attraction. Even as one can feel a spark between the two (more like a sexual desire), there never was established any covert signs of intense love between them that moved mountains. In the end, when Tae Jeong has a choice, he decides to stay with Seo Yi Do. Perhaps the one and only time in his life he has not followed the rules and decided to, as cliché as it sounds, follow his heart.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Baek Dong Hyeon as Choi Moo Gun, hands down. Why such an unusual choice? Because his character and characterization are fascinating and dynamic. He is not only Seo Yi Do’s handler and mentor, but also in a sense his parent. He apparently rescued him when he was younger or at least that is the impression. No matter, because he raised him to be a cold-blooded compliant killer, following orders without question. Until now, when he met Tae Jeong. Baek Dong Hyeon’s portrayal of Choi Moo Gun is cold, calculating and intrinsically sociopathic until it comes to Seo Yi Do. Then he dissolves. Not totally but enough for us to realize that there is no doubt a love for him that runs deep and strong. A love that is unquestionably unrequited and leads to his downfall, as if he knew that it would and frankly allowed. He knew that Seo Yi Do is his downfall – his only one. This portrayal leads to the mystery of why there is such a deeply continuous connection to him, noticeable even to others. While Baek Dong Hyeon as Choi Moo Gun is certainly not in very many scenes, his impact cannot be underestimated. He is the one that literally gives both Seo Yi Do and Tae Jeong a new lease on life.
This series, for all its faults, honestly does try. But due to inept writing, poor direction, and an absurd premise you have a bumbling inept individual who takes credit for solving a crime that he had nothing to with solving. In addition, he unintentionally AND unwittingly also solved the mystery of his father’s death, which was a murder, not a ‘suicide’. If you know the story of “The Pink Panther”, that is what this story is and what it should have been. Then it would have worked. Otherwise, you have huge gaping holes in logic, blundering police work, and basic bewilderment of what you are looking at.
Just a few examples – his so-called childhood friend for years could not recall basic past memories; rescues his close and childhood friend in a caged basement cell and never questioned why there is a cage down there, finds out that his ‘friend’ is a killer yet still has mad passionate sex with him (talk about sex with ‘bad-boy vibes being the best’); comes back to the house without the standard ‘back up call’ to the police; kills someone for love without the least bit remorse or guilt; complete lack of basic police training in even self-defense; and no intuitive or logic skills in basic police work whatsoever. These were just a few of the glaringly obvious deficiencies in this series. Plus, the fact that the police did not seem to question Tae Jeong much as to WHY there were dead bodies all over the house and who killed them. None of it made any sense.
While I shall not spoil the ending, it is as Pollyanna as imaginable. I figured out its ending immediately as it was telegraphed about half-way through the series with one of Seo Yi Do’s art pieces. With flair, I might add. Is this series entertaining? Of course it is. Is it deep? Nope. You simply cannot take it too seriously. But it sure is fun to watch simply for the silliness of it. Honestly, I think this would have been a great “Pink Panther” story with Tae Jeong becoming the South Korean version of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Next time, try that as a theme.
Leave a Reply