Exemplary Detective

This South Korean series is set primarily in the city of Incheon. Our protagonists are veteran detective Kang Do-chang, who tends to rely on his long experience and the connections he has made, and Oh Ji-hyuk, an up-and-coming high flier who relies on firm evidence and psychological insight into the suspects. They are part of Violent Crime Division Two; while other team members are secondary they are still important to the series.

In the first season questions are raised concerning the guilt of a man sentenced to hang. Do-chang is initially convinced that he is the killer but as the investigation progresses he starts to have his doubts. As the season progresses more suspects emerge and questions are raised about the initial investigation.

The second series sees the team caught up in a serial killer case after they arrest a suspect in a minor case yards away from where a body is found the next day. The serial killer is being hunted by a team from Seoul and their leader is keen to blame the arrested man, who has unfortunately now been released. Events lead to the case being swiftly closed; but then another body is found... is it a copycat or did the police get the wrong man? Even after a killer is arrested questions remain about one of the victims and suspicion falls on those at the top of one of Korea's most powerful conglomerates.

I thought this was a really enjoyable series. Each season provides a good mystery with plenty of interesting characters. The stories are told in a way that keeps the viewer ahead of the detectives but not too far. This means the twist, of which there are quite a few, are still fun without feeling as if they come out of nowhere. As anybody who has watched any Korean dramas would expect there is a good degree of comedy; this comes from the characters rather than forced gags. The cast does a really fine job creating characters the viewer it likely to care about so moments of tension can have one worrying about their safety. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Korean crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

Overall, I think is a good drama. It is very entertaining with a good pace. The actors did a good job. Script is okay. However, I would hope they would spend more time on Oh Ji Hyuk story. On how his father was killed. Other than that, I really enjoy watching this drama.

Excellent writer, director, leads, and supporting cast. I thoroughly enjoyed another fine Korean drama series with a twist at the end.

A veteran police officer gets paired with a rookie, the older detective uses experience and contacts whilst the younger who doesn't show emotions, works on the criminals psyche. Throw in the mix a female reporter and you have an interesting murder mystery series. Solid character, good cast and a well paced storyline make this an enjoyable watch.

I like that the story is so human, compelling, and interesting. I find character depth good, in a sense that each one has a very distinctive way of thinking and doing things. The storyline portrays a rich puzzle of perspectives in relation to the same situation, and feelings about what happened, and what each one can/should do. Detective story is interesting, and makes me want to continue watching to see what would happen next. Lots of trascendental questions shown in simple terms. I like very much that the whole story is about one case, and not a different case in each episode. Really good!