Nine Puzzles

2 cases in and both the killers are intentionally and flabbergastedly similar to our very detective protagonist, gagged me so bad how bold and provoking this series is.

This show's whole thing is that it wants us to think our protagonist is the culprit AND is not the culprit at the same time in order to distract and confuse us, and it's working, such an obnoxious narrative and I absolutely enjoy this leading.

Now, about the characters. Yes, I enjoy our protagonist very much. With the heavy environment where everyone is either serious or keeps their things low, our playful and creepy protagonist becomes the emotion driven, which is a perfect set up to move the show forward without any tiresome. Not even that, even her team and the fact that they get to be so compelling in order to contrast the average police teams helps a lot too. I can see that the writers know how to play with characters.

My only problem is that I can't figure out why should we care about that deuteragonist man personal life, is it to make our team more connected? Is it because he also involves to our big culprit? But it feels random tho. Meticulous man and annoying brat is indeed a interesting duo dynamic, but man, I hope his relevance could make sense soon.

I loved the cute main character. She's a cute version of Sherlock Holmes. It shows good investigation on basic profiling level but not much detective investigation which I love. I love hardcore conventional detective investigation, but these new dramas reeks of too much Melodrama that ruins reality or practicality in the plots. This theme reminded me of Penthouse, though this wasn't too long like that. I hope they focus more on the traditional straightforward serial killers & detective work instead of such Melodrama.

I am not looking forward for the next season because that will make it worse like it happened in the Voice like thriller dramas. Unless they focus on more practical and reality based crimes.

I just finished episode 5 so this is not a complete review. That being said, I really like the Ena's character. I believe her nonchalant demeanor and quirky personality are a facade to protect herself. I think she is actually really scared of the person who killed her uncle, I also think that it's an attempt to be seen as non-threatening. It reminds me of Colombo (he always came off goofy in order to make the culprit think they are smarter than him). I believe you can kind of see her true personality at the end of episode 5 when she finally thinks that Hansaem trusts her. I also really like Hansaem, he is a good detective and he respects Ena and her professional opinion. They make a great team. I'm excited to finish the series and find out who the antagonist is. I'm sure it's going to be an interesting twist.

Nine Puzzles had a solid concept and a decent storyline, but it was painfully slow, uneventful, and dragged way too much. The only reason I stuck around was to confirm the killer who was already obvious and uncover the backstory.

Each episode felt like a chore, leaving me with a tight, uneasy feeling, but I powered through (and no, it's not about my taste I've watched Doubt and other thrillers). The FL didn't click, and as for the ML, my first drama of his, and I'm still not sold.

For a psychological investigative thriller, it lacked any real thrill. A drama stuffed with A-list actors doesn't automatically make it good. And can they stop making the killer the most obvious choice by giving them barely any screen time or storyline?

The one scene that stood out? The ending her choice with the fire was bold! The leads? Completely forgettable. If there's a S2, they need a major revamp or just scrap it altogether.

A 7/10 for me, but definitely a one time watch.

A very entertaining story told over 11 episodes, one that keeps you guessing as its intricacies are slowly unraveled. Kim Da-mi's characterization of the police profiler who was traumatized in her childhood is a real highlight, and I loved her mannerisms which varied between childlike and insightful. It's fiction but I also liked how it referenced the extensive growth of Seoul in the 1980's, one that resulted in many improvements but which sometimes was a little ruthless, coming at the expense of existing communities. That gives an already great story extra weight, and that more than one set of demons are being exorcised.