Author: mjsmicktabulouskdramalife2479

Number of Episodes: 18

Network: SBS

Aired Dates: Jan. 23-March 21 2017

Where to watch: Viki or Kocowa (links below)

https://www.viki.com/tv/32810c-defendant?locale=en https://www.kocowa.com/en_us/channel/532403/Defendant

Korean Drama, Legal Drama, Thriller, Crime, & Suspense

Park Jung woo is a prosecutor who is the head of the violent crime investigative division. He has not lost a case and goes after justice. One day after waking up in prison the day after his daughter’s birthday, he learns he was convicted of killing his wife and daughter. Jung woo has no memory of killing his family and keeps having a memory lapse. Jung woo is put on a path to find out what happened to see if he is a killer or who framed him as a killer. Starring Ji Sung.

Cast: 

Ji Sung as Park Jung-woo

Park Jung-woo is a prosecutor who is the head of the violent crime investigative division. He has not lost a case yet. One day on his daughter’s birthday, his wife and daughter were killed. He wakes up the next day or thinks it is the next day in prison. He finds out from his cell mates it has been a month and he was convicted of killing his family. However, he does not remember killing them. He is currently on death row and suffering from temporary amnesia. He is determined to figure out what happens to his wife and daughter even if the truth results in him being a murder. 

Um Ki-joon as Cha Sun-ho & Cha Min-ho

Min-ho is a twin who is the black sheep; to a certain point, he keeps getting in trouble. During his last bout with the police, Min-ho decides to kill his twin brother, Sun-ho, after getting indicted for assault against a female. Sun-ho tells Min-ho to turn himself in, but Min-ho wanted to live so he kills his brother and takes on his brother’s identity. 

Kwon Yu-ri (From Girls Generation) as Seo Eun-hye 

Seo Eun-hye is a public defender who is passionate but tends to lose each of her cases. She decides to take on Jung-woo’s appeal case to help him figure out what really happen to his daughter and wife. 
Oh Change-seok as Kang Jun-hyuk

Kang Jun-hyuk is Jung-woo’s best friend. However, he betrays Jung-woo in favor of keeping himself aligned with certain powerful people. 

Review and Synopsis (Contains Spoilers)
Jung-woo is an excellent prosecutor who puts away people who break the law; especially violent crimes. He has a wife and a young daughter who he loves. He is a doting father and husband even with his demanding job.  Overall he is a good man who even takes care of his team. During one of his cases, he meets Min-ho. Min-ho is a person who has deep issues to where he causes problems everywhere he goes. Min-ho is violent and takes what he wants. Jung-woo knows that Min-ho is guilty of assaulting a female who was only interested in Min-ho’s money. Min-ho tries to bribe Jung- woo because he does not want to spend any time in jail. But it does not work.

Due to Min-ho’s constant dealings with the law and violent acts, his father just wants to be done with him; no more saving Min-ho. Sun-ho (Min-ho’s twin brother; the good son) goes to Min-ho to convince Min-ho to turn himself in. Well, Min-ho had other plans. He ends up killing Sun-ho and takes Sun-ho’s identity. But Jung-woo being the clever prosecutor quickly realize Sun-ho is Min-ho. Jung-woo vows to put Min-ho behind bars. 

On the day after Jung-woo’s daughter’s birthday, the same day Jung-woo is supposed to hold a press conference about Min-ho he wakes up in prison. He has no memory of what happened. Jung-woo was informed by his cellmates that his wife was killed and he was the one who killed her. Jung-woo asked about his daughter and was told he was supposedly killed her too, but the police have yet to recover his daughter’s body. 

Jung-woo doesn’t believe it and vows to figure out what happened even if the truth turns out he was the killer. Now we have the setup; this drama puts everyone who watches it on a roll a coster. 

Overall, this drama was done right. It not only provided a suspense vibe, but it also kept true to the Kdrama roots; revenge and the rich kid with issues because he wasn’t loved enough. This drama picked an old recipe for Kdrama flavor; a rich kid with daddy issues; a rich man who believes money can buy him anything; and the main character who vows justice/revenge but uses the law to do so. 

This drama is full of the villain being one step ahead of Jung-woo. This particular theme was needed in order for the drama to pull out 18 total episodes. If not, the drama could of concluded in less than 10.
Ji Sung is beyond excellent. He plays crazy well or lost memory wanting justice, unlike other Kdramas that had an amnesia plot. The amnesia plot made sense in this drama. The amnesia idea was more realistic than most dramas in my opinion. Plus, the writers made sure Jung-woo did not regain all his memory at once. He gained it piece by piece till one day all the pieces added up. This gradual gain of memories helped the viewers feel just as frustrated as Jung-woo was. A great way to help the viewers to feel how he was feeling. This was more realistic and gave you that suspends feeling. 

The other attribute was how well Ji Sung played his role of grieving widow who felt wronged. We the viewers lived or felt like we were living his pain. To see him frustrated each time he would forget what he remembered was a pain in my heart. I at times had to go back and try to remember what Jung-woo had forgotten in order to keep up with all the pieces. It was like the viewers were his memory keepers. We kept tabs on each piece hoping and waiting for Jung-woo to remember. And Min-ho’s character was EXCELLENT. His character was the typical rich boy from a rich family who could do no right in his father’s eyes no matter how hard he tried. Min-ho wanted to please his father so much that he even sacrificed his goals. Min-ho just wanted to be wanted, love, and appreciated like his brother. He even let his brother, Sun-ho, marry his first love. Towards the end of the drama I was feeling bad for Min-ho and wanted more for him. Min-ho did have two people who truly loved him; however, did not or were not able to show it. Min-ho was the product of his upbringing.

Now here is the downside of this drama; Yuri. Sorry, not sorry. She was just ok. Now I am not 100% sure if it was due to Yuri’s acting or the script or how her character was placed in the drama. But Yuri’s character was just average. Her role seemed to be an important factor when she was introduced, but then it seem like her part became less important. The sad thing is any actress could have played her part. It seems Yuri’s character and the role were not given enough substance to where the viewers became attached. Plus her story was left unsaid in the end. I mean, you get a small glimpse of why she became a lawyer, but then it just stops. She was just a filler. Like a stand in to give extra support to Jung-woo character when everyone he trusted was no longer on his side…well except two. I do agree without Yuri’s character the drama would have had a hole, but that hole could have been filled by another character from Jung-woo support/team. 

My final thoughts: This drama gives us a natural flow. There are no holes nor parts that just was a filler episode. Each episode gave us important information about each character and the plot (except for Yuri’s character). The drama had it funny moments and threw in plot twisted that you did not see coming. A few of the twist was predictable but well placed. There were times that it flowed so well you were not sure where the next plot twist will come. The best part was some of the twist was easy to figure out without going back to re-watch certain episodes. Even though there are typical Kdrama cliche plots or themes, this drama stands out and on its own two feet. It took an old drama recipe and added it’s own fusion to keep up with the new trend of suspense-filled dramas that have been flooding the Kdrama world.  

I give this drama a 9.5 out of 10. It would of been a 10, but Yuir’s character took away that half point. 
Enjoy! ~MJ~

Network: OCN

Aire Date: March 25-May 21 2017

Episodes: 16

Where can you watch it? Netflix or Viki

Cast:

Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Gwang Ho

It is the year 1985 and Park Gwang Ho is a police stations’ criminal sergeant detective who was investigating cases of women who were murdered. The murders take place over a few years and no major leads. Until one night Park Gwang Ho finds a lead and tracks down the suspect. While chasing the suspect through a tunnel (after a struggle with the suspect) he reappears in present-day 2017 after exiting the tunnel. He finds out the case he was working on was never solved; his wife has past away, and his daughter was adopted. Park Gwang Ho is reunited with one of his juniors from the police force to embark on a new but similar case to the murders that happen in 1985. Can he get back home, catch the killer, find his daughter, while keeping his secret?

Yoon Hyun Min as Kim Seon Jae

Kim Seon Jae is working at the same police station as Gwang ho but it is 30 years later. He is currently the station’s elite criminal detective (lieutenant). He became a detective to find his mother’s killer. At first Gwang Ho and Seon Jae clash but eventually, start to work together once they learn of their connection to an event that happens 30 years ago. Seon Jae does learn of who or what Gwang Ho is and starts to build trust to solve the current murders and help close the cold cases from 30 years ago. Seon Jae is amazing at his job and has a 100% arrest record. However, he is distant from his father and stepmother due to his obsession with finding the killer of his mother.

Lee Yoo Young as Shin Jae Yi

Shin Jae Yi is a little bit cold but has reasons behind it. She is currently a criminal psychological counselor (Forensic Psychologist) who works at a University as a professor. Jae Yi is obsessed with the murders that happen 30 years ago as well. She teams up with Gwang Ho and Seon Jae to help them but to also help herself. Her past is tragic; she lost her mother around the age of 5 or 6 and did not know her father. She was adopted and lost her adoptive parents by fire. Jae Yi is a great profiler and forensic psychologist but has poor interpersonal skills. Again, just like Seon Jae, Jae Yi is somehow connected to Gwang Ho.

Jo Hee Bong as Jeon Sung Sik

Jeon Sung Sik was present in the years of 1985 when the first set of murders began. At that time he was a rookie detective who was on Gwang Ho’s team. He was the youngest and Gwang Ho was his senior and training officer. 30 years later, Sung Sik is still at the same police station, assign to the same department but he is the leader of the team. Sung Sik is the first one to recognize Gwang Ho and starts to help Gwang Ho unravel the mystery of his time travel. The funny part about this, their relationship as senior/junior resumes as if nothing has changed. Except Gwang Ho is still a 30 something (he did not age at all) while Sung Sik is in his 50s. The team finds this odd but doesn’t catch on. Well except for Seon Jae. Regardless Sung Sik is determined to help both Gwang Ho and Seon Jae solve the mystery surrounding the murders.

Synopsis and Review: This contains some SPOILERS!

Here we have a crime/suspense drama for you. Before I get into the synopsis/review, the bases of the plot for this drama came from a real-life murder case. The Hwaseong serial murders occurred between 1986-1991(15 killed). Eventually, the police did find the killer, Lee Choo Jae in the fall of 2019. Here are the details of his capture: He arrested and convicted for the killing of his sister-in-law in 1994. So while behind bars (serving 20 years) his DNA was linked to the 4 of the unsolved serial murders. Eventually, Lee Choo Jae confessed to killing a total of 15 people and out of those 10 were linked to the Hwaseong serial murders. While the other 5 the police thought were copy cat crimes. The sad news was Lee Choo Jae would not be prosecuted for the other murders because the statute of limitations had expired.

Ok, now that is out of the way we can get into the drama.

In 1986 a series of killings began to which Gwang Ho and Sung Sik were in charge of along with their team from Criminal Unit 1 in Hwaseong. Gwang Ho was known to be a harsh and very direct person especially when he goes after a criminal. Gwang Ho tends to get himself hurt or puts his life at risk with his passion for the job. Because of this, his wife gave him a whistle and tells him to use it when he is in trouble and she will come to save him.

Over time, 6 women were killed including a young mother who Gwang Ho promised the husband he will do his best to solve the case. He made that promise to the couple’s young toddler son. Gwang Ho decides to but his life on the line one night, when he tracked down a suspect who he not only felt, was the killer but also fit the clues from the case.

During his pursuit, he was knocked out by the killer in a tunnel. He woke up and left the tunnel to return back to his job but unknown to Gwang Ho he was in 2017 and not 1986. Gwang Ho is confused but still carries on as if he is still the Park Gwang Ho police officer. Luck was on Gwang Ho’s side as he was able to team up with one of his past teammates, Sung Sik, from 30 years ago.  Sung Sik happens to be the team leader of his old unit at the same station. Also, Gwang Ho happens to arrive at the same time a new teammate is supposed to be starting work a the station. Again with luck, the new teammate has the exact same name as 1986 Gwang Ho. But Seon Jae becomes suspicious of Gwang Ho and Sung Sik. He finds their relationship weird especially Gwang Ho’s behavior. This leads to heated clashes between Gwang Ho and Seon Jae to where the latter is determined to solve the mystery of Gwang Ho.

Gwang Ho still treats Sung Sik as his junior to which confuses the other team members. Gwang Ho tries to go back to his time through the tunnel but no success. Gwang Ho decides to follow the one lead he has that may lead him to the way to get back home. And again as luck would have it, the night he came through the tunnel, he ran into the police officer who was supposed to start work at the station the next day but did not show up. That police officer happens to have the same name as Gwang Ho and Sung Sik decides to give Old Gwang Ho the Young Gwang Ho identification and identity. From that moment on while finding a way back to his time, Gwang Ho’s new team is given a murder case that seems very familiar to Gwang Ho. Gwang Ho and Sung Sik realize the new murders of females were killed in the same way as the 6 females 30 years ago. Now Gwang Ho is determined to solve the 2017 murders as well as the 1986 murders.

Choi Jin Hyuk plays his part very well.

He is perfect as Gwang Ho. His character has a strong set of beliefs to which Jin Hyuk conveys on screen very well. Of course, we can’t have a suspense crime thriller without some Kdrama spice or aka a twist. Spice one: Seon Jae who is played by Yoon Hyun Min is connected to the last murder that happens in 1987. He is determined to solve his mother’s case he neglects his relationships with his dad and stepmom. Seon Jae and Gwang Ho’s but heads; however, they are more alike than different. Seon Jae and Gwang Ho make a great team; however, Gwang Ho is very quick to catch on to leads that can get him and the team closer to the answers they need. Gwang Ho is a gut thinker while Seon Jae is more objective. And this leads Seon Jae to figure out who Gwang Ho is or who he thinks he is.

When Seon Jae is told the truth, thanks to unknown help from Seon Jae’s father, he stands by Gwang Ho’s side to help him solve the mystery of why Gwang Ho is here. Seon Jae knows how it feels to be left with the unknown and doesn’t want Gwang Ho to go through that alone.

Spice two. Jae Yi who is played by Lee Yoo Young is who you think she is once you start to watch the show. The show does hide her identity but doesn’t make it too hard for the viewers to catch on.

Again, in my opinion, a good handful of Kdramas at times is not too difficult to figure things out. The format wants to keep you engaged but not struggling to guess what is going on. That is changing more due to certain dramas that are beginning to mimic the deep intensity Western dramas or T.V. shows have. “Tunnel” is no exception. The writers added Jae Yi to give it that intensity similar to Western dramas. This intensity keeps the viewers engaged in the show and willing to wait for the next episode. Jae Yi character is the specially added spice that keeps people coming back for episode after episode. Jae Yi is strong but strange to where the viewers will have a hard time figuring out what is going on emotions wise. Jae Yi is amazing at her craft but seems to lack human connection outside of her work.

Yoo Young plays Jae Yi with amazement and acts effortlessly. I began to think Yoo Young is Jae Yi. In my opinion, I think she is the top character of the drama and outshines Choi Jin Hyuk at times. Her acting draws you in and leaves you wanting more. There could be a whole drama just based on Jae Yi’s character; that is how powerful Yoo Young acting is and how well the Jae Yi character was written.  The way Yoo Young uses body language, expressions, especially her eyes gives you chill but leaves you questioning if Jae Yi has killed before. That how powerful Yoo Young is when it comes to Jae Yi’s character. Because of her acting and writing, I feel this drama can give the viewer a better appreciation for those who work in forensics or in criminal justice.

Overall Impressions: This drama is a 9 out of 10. The fact they were able to make a drama based on a real-life cold case without adding too much extra to the details of the crime is a plus. The relationship between Gwang Ho and Seon Jae acts as a break from the tension of the crimes that took place. If you think about it, the crimes are horrible and no one should die like that by the hands of another person. The humor that is added to this drama keeps the drama from venturing out of the Kdrama world. The humor also helps bring out the personalities of the characters to which viewers grow closer to them. Even though this is a crime drama, romance is still placed even though it is just a small side dish. The romance that is shown is sweet and innocent but just enough to make us become more attached to the characters. This drama brings justice to the Hwaseong murders even at the time the real killer was not found. We never know if this drama (plus the other movies or dramas) that based their plot on the real case did not help the authorities of the real case solve the case. Lucky in the year of 2019 the real case was finally solve.

“On September 18, 2019, police announced that Lee had been identified as a suspect in the serial murders.^[25][26][16] He was identified after DNA from the underwear of one of the victims was matched with his, and subsequent DNA testing linked him to four of the other unsolved serial murders.^[24] At the time, he was identified he was already serving a life sentence at a prison in Busan for the rape and murder of his sister-in-law.^[27] Lee initially denied any involvement in the serial murders,^[28][29] but on 2 October 2019, police announced that Lee had confessed to killing 15 people, including all 10 victims in the serial murders, which includes a case previously considered to be a copycat crime, and 5 others. Three of those other murders happened in Hwaseong but had not previously been attributed to the serial killer, and the other two happened in Cheongju. As of October 2019, details about those 5 victims have not been released because the investigation is ongoing.^[30] In addition to the murders, he also confessed to more than 30 rapes and attempted rapes.^{[31][32][33][34][35]}“ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Choon-jae

Network: SBS

Number of Episodes: 16

Aired Dates: September 20-November 23 2019

Where to watch? Netflix

Starring: Lee Seung-Gi & Bae Suzy

“Vagabond.” A drama that is full of action and suspense. “Vagabond” reunites Bae Suzy and Lee Seung Gi since 2013 when they starred in “Gu Family Book.” (Expect some SPOILERS)

PLOT:

Lee Seung Gi stars as Cha Dul-Gun a stuntman who takes on the responsibility of his brother’s son. Dul-Gun is full of dreams of being a top action star; however, life has other plans. Even though he has heart and willingness, he is not moving forward in his career. In the end, due to financial issues, Dul-Gun gives up on his dream in order to become a more responsible adult for his nephew, Cha Hoon. Cha Hoon notice there is something going on with his uncle, he distances himself from his uncle. 

Cha Hoon has an upcoming taekwondo exhibition with his team in Morocco; the night before his flight, he and Dul-Gun get into a fight. From there, things go from bad to worst. The flight Cha Hoon was on, crashed and killed everyone on the plane. As the families of the killed moron, Dul-Cun feels regret for the last interactions he had with his nephew.  During his grieving, he opens up a video Cha Hoon sent to Dul-Cun before the plane went down. Within that video is a piece of information that will begin to expose the truth of what happened to the flight.

The company that owns the plane invites the family of the bereaved to Morocco to give them answers and a chance to say good-bye. NIS agent, Go Hae-Ri (Bae Suzy) is undercover at the Korean embassy in Morocco. She is given the task of helping bereaved families of the flight while they are in Morocco. Dul-Cun is among the families and right at his arrival, he encounters a male who was in the video his nephew sent him (the piece of information). Dul-Cun is taken back because of his knowledge, everyone on the flight supposedly died. Why is this man alive? From there Dul-Cun takes chase and it begins the cat and mouse game.

And of course, Go Hae-Ri is put in the middle since she was in charge of the bereaved. At first, Go Hae-Ri thinks Dul-Cun is crazy with his claims the flight was taken down by terrorists and the guy in his video is still alive. As time goes on, Go Hae-Ri believes Dul-Cun and begins her investigation as an agent into what happened to the flight. With anything, nothing comes easy. Dul-Cun and Go Hae-Ri start to unravel a dark set of secrets to includes NIS and the Blue House. To which no one can be trusted. The closer to the truth, the price to have them silence is high.

REVIEW:

I can say this drama is an edge on your seat! Normally K-dramas is more about the drama and less about the suspense. Now there are still in my opinion, enough melodrama to go around. With that stated, let’s get into the cons

CONS

This drama doesn’t have many cons for it was written and acted very well. The only con to me is the ending. Not going to say the ending, but it is a curse at your T.V. screen type ending. In my mind. It does get frustrating when it is clear of who is behind the whole tragedy but they keep getting away with everything.  I guess that is part of the thrill of the cat and mouse game.

PROS

This drama is banging! Beyond wonderful. The chemistry between Suzy and Seung Gi brings life to the characters. The show doesn’t wait at all to get to the plot of the story. One of the best parts of this drama is the little bits of humor they add to it. The story is intense and sad, but the humor breaks up the intense thick air. The action scenes are mind-blowing! Seung Gi is a PERFECT action star. The second episode jumps right into the action and does not disappoint. Plus, the show films on location in Morocco and not a set. The best and worst scene was when Dul-Cun is grieving for his nephew. The tears Seung Gi sheds makes you just want to give him the biggest hug. You felt his pain. It made me cry. Because not only did the character lost his only family, the guilt he felt. And when you learn of why his nephew died, it just makes the pain more but can make you wish hurt on those who caused the loss.