Criminal Minds: Episode 4
by Saya
Criminal Minds clearly has no intention of letting up on the pace, and the cases continue at a fast clip. No sooner is one solved than another arises, but the question that plagues everyone this hour is the hardest one of all: At what cost? It’s an episode that feels strangely like a finale with its sky-high stakes and many revelations, but it seems the Reaper has been telling the truth all along—this is only the beginning.
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EPISODE 4 RECAP
Team Leader Ki-hyung’s wife, Hye-won, searches the department store desperately for her son, whom we see being taken in the opposite direction by a masked stranger. The Reaper makes a threatening call to Ki-hyung, and hands the phone over to little Han-byul, who chirps happily to his father.
The Reaper asks Ki-hyung if he’s up to cutting a deal with him now, but Ki-hyung menacingly tells him not to lay a finger on his son. “Look forward to it, because things are going to get interesting,” the Reaper promises.
Sun-woo and Hyun-joon arrive at the scene, and Sun-woo finds Hye-won while Hyun-joon heads straight to the security office. He tracks Han-byul’s last movements caught on CCTV, and discovers that he was taken out of the building by the killer via a fire exit.
He rushes out that exit himself, and catches sight of Han-byul riding a carousel. The child is pleased to see him, and Hyun-joon and Sun-woo both hug him in relief. Ki-hyung finally arrives and the family is reunited, but he remains mute and grave, his face a mask.
Hyun-joon drives mother and son home. While Han-byul sleeps, Hye-won asks Hyun-joon to look out for her husband. She tells him how hard it was for Ki-hyung to come back to work since the bomb incident, and how he suffered nightmares every night for a year. As night falls, Hyun-joon thinks over what she said.
The medical examiner shows Sun-woo how precise the Reaper’s method is despite the seeming chaos of stab wounds: He kills with cuts to major arteries, knowing exactly where to place his blows, and it’s a pattern consistent across the Reaper’s victims. “Did the Reaper really come back?” she asks. Sun-woo nods.
Sun-woo and Nana visit Ki-hyung’s office and tell him that they’re going to put his wife and son into a protection program. He says nothing.
The next morning, Hye-won ties his necktie for him and laughingly asks how he’d live without her. Serious and sad, he apologizes to her, but she smiles up at him and tells him that this is the path she chose for herself. They embrace, and Han-byul runs to join in, making it a sweet family group-hug.
Ki-hyung hands them off to their guard escort, and the guard promises to protect Ki-hyung’s family as if they were his own. Ki-hyung is left watching desolately after them.
At NCI headquarters, the team collates a list of Reaper suspects based on the profile they’ve built. Estimating him to be in his 40s and in an elite profession, they narrow the list down to three men.
Of the three, the first was imprisoned for sexual assault and attempted murder, but released on parole two years ago. The second is out of the picture since he emigrated to the Philippines, while the third went off the grid and hasn’t been heard of for a year.
Sun-woo suggests they start with the first suspect, Go Sung-jin. She and Hyun-joon head out to his workplace, but maybe it’s something in the way they walk, because as soon as he spots them in the crowd, even before they see him, he flees. They chase him down but he takes a woman hostage, putting a knife to her throat.
Hyun-joon and Sun-woo exchange looks, and he calls out to Go Sung-jin, before diving in and pulling the woman free by her apron, allowing Sun-woo to disarm the man and tackle him to the ground. Ha, it’s cute that Hyun-joon is impressed.
They take him to headquarters where Hyun-joon shows him the crime scene photos of the recent victims. Go vehemently denies any involvement, but can’t answer when Hyun-joon asks why he ran away from them. Furious, Hyun-joon seizes the man by the collar, but Sun-woo’s arrival interrupts him as she tells him, lip curled, that Go was filming a sex tape with a minor at the time of the campsite murder.
Meanwhile, Ki-hyung and Han examine the video testimony of the Reaper’s surviving victim seven years ago, Kim Yong-chul (Kim Won-hae) whom we met in the previous episode. He describes how much pain his girlfriend must have been in when they couldn’t even unfurl her hand. Strangely, it’s nearly word-for-word what he said to him the other day.
Sun-woo and Hyun-joon head over to see the campsite kids, who have something to tell them. The find the kids watching a play, and are surprised to discover Nana is one of the actors. She admits she volunteers in victim support regularly.
Afterwards, Hyun-joon asks the little girl what she wanted to tell them. “Peppermint candy,” she says—that’s what the murderer smelled of.
That night, a couple are driving through heavy rain when a police motorbike pulls them over. He wears the Reaper’s featureless mask, and he lunges at the husband with a knife.
Sun-woo and Hyun-joon are dispatched to the murder scene, and they realize that it’s close to a photo studio run by the third suspect, Seo Jin-hwan, whose whereabouts they’d acquired earlier in the day. Already on scene, Ki-hyung and Han find the campsite pendant at the wife’s neck, while the husband’s wedding band is missing.
The rest of the team arrives, and Sun-woo and Hyun-joon share their intel on Seo Jin-hwan. Together, they raid the studio but find it empty. But Sun-woo discovers a room lined with grisly crime scene photos, especially of the survivor, Kim Yong-chul, and they realize that the Reaper must be after him.
Yong-chul himself is certain of the same thing, and calls Sun-woo out the next day. He’s surprised at how quickly she arrives, but she informs him that they’ve been watching the area since last night.
The rest of the team is busy staking out Seo Jin-hwan, who senses their presence and breaks for it. He nearly gives them the slip, when Hyun-joon—making off with a rather convenient deliveryman’s motorcycle—finally runs Seo to ground, causing him to drop a wrapped blade, which appears to be the murder weapon from the night before.
Min-young announces Seo’s capture to the press. In his secret hideout, Yong-chul watches the news and asks Sun-woo if he really is the Reaper. Sun-woo replies that ninety percent of the circumstances match, causing Yong-chul to point out that the truth may lie in the ten percent that does not match. “What happens then?” he asks.
Pacing uneasily, he guesses that Sun-woo had a happy childhood with loving parents, and she merely says that it seems that way based on the usual criteria. But he tells her that he was at his happiest after his parents died in a house fire when he was nine, because his alcoholic father used to beat them and it was miserable. “Every day was like hell,” he says.
He found happiness with his girlfriend whom he wanted to marry. “I thought that was the best revenge I could have on my parents who made me like this,” he tells her, and blames the NCI for his loss. Overcome, he downs a handful of pills, and adds that once you fall into the pits of hell, there’s no escape.
Hyun-joon pops by Nana’s control room with a flash drive they found at Seo’s place. She plugs it in and finds it full of gory murder photos. In the interrogation room, Seo confesses he killed everyone even before Ki-hyung sits down.
He recalls his first murder, a couple in a forest, and a flashback shows him taking the woman’s shoes while leaving a hairclip. He says he called the police from a public payphone after that, and eerily repeats the pattern of the original report, finishing: “If I carry on doing it, I’ll get used to it, right?”
Ki-hyung leaves the room and joins the rest of the team, who observe on the other side, telling them that Seo is not their culprit. When they’ve got the forensic evidence and confession, Hyun-joon asks what more they need, but Ki-hyung says that the forest couple murder was Reaper’s third murder, and he only started reporting them via payphones from his fourth.
Han points out signs of anxiety on Seo, and they wonder what’s making him so afraid. Recalling that the Reaper was after Ki-hyung’s family, he digs frantically through an evidence box and barrels into the interrogation room. Showing Seo a photo of an older woman and a child—likely his mother and kid—he asks Seo where they are. Hyun-joon bursts in and urgently asks Seo if he’s being threatened. Seo breaks down and begs them to save his family.
There’s more bad news: Nana tells them she’s been hacked, but it was from an internal source. Hyun-joon realizes it was the flash drive and that the Reaper must have planted it to discover the secure locations of Kim Yong-chul and Ki-hyung’s family. Luckily the hack didn’t penetrate that far, Nana says, but Han replies that it’s only a matter of time before he does.
Ki-hyung wonders if Reaper’s had an eye on them all along, and Hyun-joon suddenly recalls what the little girl said about peppermints. Both Ki-hyung and Sun-woo remember Yong-chul’s strange testimony and Ki-hyung slowly realizes that due to Yong-chul’s own injured state, there’s no way he could have known about his girlfriend’s hand at the time of the attack… unless he had done it.
In flashback, we see Yong-chul placing peppermints in his battered girlfriend’s hand, crushing her hand around them, and then breaking her fingers to open her fist, so he could lick the mints off her palm. Argh, this is too sick for me.
The pieces begin to come together for Sun-woo, too—why the Reaper kills couples, how Yong-chul said he was happiest when his parents died, and that being happy was his revenge on them.
We’re led through a montage of the Reaper’s moments which finally reveal Yong-chul as the face behind the mask, and even see how he stabbed himself to appear like a victim. He took Seo’s family captive and handed him the knife to frame himself.
“Kim Yong-chul… was the Reaper,” Ki-hyung breathes.
Nana gasps as a video suddenly starts to play and Yong-chul reveals his face. Addressing Ki-hyung, he gleefully asks if he was surprised. He shows them that he has Seo’s family tied up and challenges Ki-hyung to save them.
Hyun-joon and Sun-woo both block Ki-hyung’s way when he tries to leave, telling him he would be playing right into Yong-chul’s hands. Min-young points out that the recording was made twelve hours ago, and shockingly, Yong-chul proceeds to murder both Seo Jin-hwan’s mother and son on camera while they look helplessly on.
Though Nana is hard at work trying to block Yong-chul, he manages to obtain the data on the guard protecting Ki-hyung’s family. But Ki-hyung can’t get the guard on the phone, and they head out in force to his last known location.
Oh no, they find the guard barely alive, and Hye-won and Han-byul nowhere in sight. The guard struggles to tell them that he didn’t give up Hye-won’s location, but Yong-chul stole her number.
A flashback shows us how Yong-chul tortured the guard but didn’t kill him on purpose, so Ki-hyung would hear what happened. As they take him away in an ambulance, the guard has one more thing to tell Ki-hyung: The Reaper used his phone and called Hye-won, pretending to be an NCI officer, and told her that the guard had been murdered along with her husband. Whoa.
He then told her that her security was compromised, and she needed to find another phone immediately and call him back. The stricken guard is certain Hye-won is heading toward the Reaper right now, and can only apologize to Ki-hyung over and over. But his injuries overtake him and he flatlines.
The rest of the team is on the road in the special operations bus, where Nana has no success tracking Hye-won. Ki-hyung calls in and updates them with the guard’s last words. He tells himself that Hye-won won’t take Yong-chul’s bait, but Sun-woo harshly cuts through his denial.
Nana shouts out that she’s finally got a read on Yong-chul, and sends the location to Ki-hyung, who heads off. They’re shocked when he hangs up on them and calls Yong-chul on the guard’s phone, which is being monitored, so they can all hear the conversation that follows.
Yong-chul tries to get a rise out of Ki-hyung, but Ki-hyung replies that Yong-chul doesn’t know where Hye-won is—that’s why he’s luring her out, and making a show of it to Ki-hyung to intimidate him. He riles Yong-chul up by guessing that he hated his mother because she couldn’t protect him from his abusive father, and so he must see all women as weak.
“Kim Yong-chul, to me, you’re not merely a famous serial killer—you’re the Reaper. I promise you now, we’ll make a study of you. We won’t look down on you,” Ki-hyung says, and beseeches him to think again. Yong-chul is pleased that Ki-hyung seems to finally be properly afraid, and tells him he wants to take away all that is good in his life precisely because he didn’t have it himself.
Yong-chul gloats as he watches a taxi pull up in front of him and Hye-won and Han-byul emerge, and Ki-hyung’s face contorts in horror. In the bus, equally horrified, the team continues to listen in, this time as Yong-chul takes a call from Hye-won.
He goes back to Ki-hyung and tells him he has to go. “Your beautiful wife is waiting for me,” he exults, gun in hand. Ki-hyung looks positively broken. Back at the bus, the location tracking fails and they try to figure it out themselves. Since Yong-chul enjoys power plays, Sun-woo says it must be a place that will affect Ki-hyung the most.
Hyun-joon picks up on something Yong-chul said earlier: He had told Hye-won to open the front door. They realize they must be at Ki-hyung’s house, and tell him so just as Yong-chul calls him again.
It’s Hye-won. She’s desperately relieved that he’s okay, but then wonders why the new agent told her… and realization dawns. Her glance flits to Yong-chul, who’s listening to them while playing with Han-byul in the background.
Ki-hyung tells her not to show him fear or weakness while Yong-chul needles her. She tries to stay calm and Ki-hyung calls Han-byul over. He tells his son that he needs his help solving a case, and adds, “Han-byul, in my place, can you make sure to give Mom a hug?”
Sobbing quietly, Hye-won wraps her arms around her son, too. “You know how much I love you, don’t you?” she says to Han-byul. Ki-hyung signals a start, and Han-byul tells his mom he has to go now. “I have to investigate a case with Dad,” he tells her solemnly, before running off.
Left alone with Yong-chul, Hye-won struggles to contain her terror. Yong-chul seizes her from behind and holds his gun to the back of her head. Driving ever more urgently, Ki-hyung whispers an apology to her, but despite her fear, she tells him not to be sorry, and that she was happy with him. Yong-chul cocks the gun, and she cries out.
She wishes she could see Ki-hyung one more time, “But I can’t, can I?” No, this is too sad. “So you tell Han-byul for me… that I didn’t leave him. Promise me,” she pleads.
“I promise you,” Ki-hyung replies, “I promise you I will.” A gunshot sounds, cutting off her cries. Oh holy crap sdlfkjsdl;ajg.
In the bus, the team freeze in mute shock, tears slipping down their cheeks.
Ki-hyung finally reaches his house where he finds the lower level empty, save for a blood-soaked rug dragged to the foot of the stairs. Looking like he’s aged a thousand years, he pushes open the door to a room upstairs and discovers Hye-won’s body splayed on the floor.
He catches sight of a pair of shoes behind the long curtains, and rapidly fires off several shots. Though Yong-chul collapses, he’s wearing a bulletproof vest and is completely unharmed. They engage in a vicious, close-quarters fight, and Yong-chul grins that he’ll go after Han-byul when he finds him.
Ki-hyung gains the upper hand when he sends the killer tumbling down the stairs, mid-gloat. Dragging him across the floor, he slams his head into the coffee table, breaking it in half. Overwhelmed by grief, he releases a volley of punches that batter Yong-chul, and only Sun-woo’s voice halts him as the team finally arrives.
“If we start to get shaken by scum who aren’t even worthy of life, we forfeit our own right,” she warns. Ki-hyung struggles to master himself, but at last, he drops Yong-chul and withdraws up the stairs.
We visit a memory of Ki-hyung working in his study when he heard a tapping sound come from a chest. He found Han-byul inside, and with a grin, the little boy told him he was investigating a case, just like Dad. Grinning back, Ki-hyung thanked him and said that he’d always need his help.
Now, Ki-hyung returns to the same chest and opens it. A solemn Han-byul sits up and gives his father a hug, saying that he was investigating just like Dad asked. Ki-hyung holds him tightly and tells him he did well. He leaves Han-byul with the team and returns to Hye-won’s body, where Sun-woo holds vigil beside her. Upon his arrival, she leaves.
Sinking to the floor, Ki-hyung cradles his wife’s body and sobs with abandon.
Yong-chul is taken away, and in a voiceover, Sun-woo quotes Dostoevsky: “I think the devil doesn’t exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness.”
Hye-won’s cremation is attended by the whole team, and Ki-hyung is gaunt and haggard. Her loss triggers each team member to seek out their loved ones that night, to cherish them a little more. Min-young lovingly tucks in a little girl; Hyun-joon visits his mother; and Sun-woo watches her parents from afar, seemingly estranged from them.
As Ki-hyung dresses for work in the morning, he finds a whole rack of ties, ready-knotted for him by Hye-won. That is the saddest thing in the whole world. Unable to find his voice, he whispers goodbye to a photograph of her, telling her he’ll be back, just as if she were there for real.
Han-byul is being looked after at NCI headquarters by the rest of the team, and Ki-hyung joins them just as the news breaks that the Reaper, Kim Yong-chul—arrested fifteen days ago—escaped prison while being transported to hospital due to an attempted suicide. Attempted suicide? Yeah, right.
COMMENTS
I’m naive. Very, very naive. Looking back on the episode, it’s thick with foreshadowing I should have noticed—so obvious in hindsight!—but I didn’t even believe it was for real until I saw Hye-won’s actual body. So this whole second half hit me like a sucker punch, especially because I became really attached to Hye-won’s character from the moment she told Ki-hyung that she chose this path for herself. There’s a woman who took her agency seriously. She doesn’t sideline herself in her own life, but places herself squarely on the same board as Ki-hyung, actively choosing to be his ally. It’s clear that he sees her the same way: They’re in this fight together. She never resents her husband, never wishes herself away from her life—she knows exactly who he is, and that’s the person she chooses to stand beside, risks and all.
She could argue that it’s not her fight, but she doesn’t believe that, and I find her far more affecting because she’s not a cool, angelic figure: She’s an earthy, warm, real human being, who faces her end with strength and composure. It’s not that she’s not afraid—she is—but she refuses to choke on her fear or lose herself to it. Though he took her life, Yong-chul couldn’t take her dignity, and I’m certain that he feels the sting. As the team pointed out earlier, he delights in power, and emotional control is his ultimate goal with Ki-hyung. He said he wanted to take everything away from him, but I think what this will prove in the long run is that yes, the Reaper can take lives, but he can’t steal their spirits. That’s why Hye-won, even in death, has far more power than her killer ever can, and that’s why it won’t destroy Ki-hyung, because the essence of her, the warmth, the trust, the deep belief in his goodness… those are things that survive even when her mortal presence is gone. He loved and was loved. Trite or not, that’s a powerful thing.
It’s clear now that these four episodes were the first act, and the setup for the longer arc of the show, especially with Yong-chul’s escape now setting a new stage. Hye-won’s death is a tragedy that solidifies the emotional bonds between all our team members, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this will change Ki-hyung. We’ve known him so far to be clever and implacable, but this hour, we’ve seen him getting constantly outplayed, with the worst consequences possible. I think his determination to bring Yong-chul to justice will be rock-solid, but the killer is evidently not finished with Ki-hyung. Since we still have sixteen episodes to go, I’m a little scared of how much more horror we’ll experience before he’s caught for good. I don’t think Ki-hyung will go on to blame himself for Hye-won’s death, any more than he did for the bomb explosion, because he knows he’s not responsible, but I also don’t think that will give him any comfort in his grief. Loss is loss, whichever way you cut it.
I’m surprised at just how dark this show has gone, and if I weren’t recapping it, you can bet my eyes would be closed half the time. There is a lot of death, and it is all very violent. But this show has the right touch when it comes to making its minor characters count and feel emotionally significant. I first pegged the guard as a possible Reaper suspect, but then he went and proved his loyalty and courage in protecting Ki-hyung’s family. He could have been a throwaway character, but instead, he was the hero of his moment. The fact that Ki-hyung inspires that kind of loyalty, too, is something, and I think I’m beginning to see why.
Criminal Minds’ strength definitely lies in its characters and their ability to make the emotion land, though I’m slightly dissatisfied with Moon Chae-won’s delivery of her character (although it’s also true she had very little to do this episode). I’m trying not to pay too much attention to weaknesses in the writing because I’m genuinely into the show, but there are points when it’s hard not to notice the occasional leaps of logic required to reach certain conclusions (for instance, the reason Yong-chul kills couples wasn’t really clear). What I enjoy the most is when the NCI team is together and using their brains. So far, the focus has really been on Ki-hyung, but I’m looking forward to the other members of the team—especially Sun-woo and Hyun-joon—playing a bigger part.
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Tags: Criminal Minds, Lee Jun-ki, Moon Chae-won, Sohn Hyun-joo
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1 _mplo_
August 6, 2017 at 8:21 PM
I was really upset at having to relive the whole scene of Hye Won's murder, knowing what was coming as it mirrored the original American series. I hate to say this but it was really stupid of her not to verify her husband's 'death'and blindly following a stranger's instructions. Also, were there no first responders in the vicinity who could've gotten there faster? Arrggh... So unnecessary!
Another anomaly is the way she was killed. So far the Reaper has only killed by stabbing his victims, so to kill her using a gun seems strange. Possibly the sound of a gunshot through the phone added more drama to the scene.
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ijaymia
August 7, 2017 at 2:51 AM
In the original version, he's known to use guns too, a magnum or something. He uses knives mainly, but he can improvise weapons atm. He really did comit murders with a gun, or uses them to incapacitate his victims and them finishes them off with a knife
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bea
August 8, 2017 at 11:55 AM
even if that was the case in the original, it wasn't the case here. methinks they should have adopted that version of the killer if they didn't want to be creative in the murder scene.
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mk
August 7, 2017 at 10:13 AM
He shot her in the original.
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bea
August 8, 2017 at 11:53 AM
i think this was really badly written. I also found it odd that she did not call sunwoo and the others to verify things, that was extremely weird. If she was afraid of using her phone because the reaper might be listening in, she should have went to the police to freaking call or ask for protection given that they're dealing with a serial killer not a corrupt politician who has all those cronies and spies.beaHan byul acted unnaturally during the scene before his mom was killed. He asked and was told that the man was a bad man, he heard his dad on speakerphone, and his mom crying in panic... and yet he reacted like he did not feel any of those things. As the child of a law enforcement officer, I also expected him to be better taught about being wary of strangers.
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TM
August 8, 2017 at 11:39 PM
Rationally speaking it was stupid not to check if her husband was actually dead. However on the spur of the moment how do you know how you'll react to such a thing? Some people believe in prank calls and stuff even if it sounds stupid
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2 thisisakdrama
August 6, 2017 at 8:43 PM
I can see some of the flaws in the logic and the profiling (to me they just seem like part of a Violent Crimes Unit in the police force) but I still get sucked into the episodes and find myself looking forward to next episodes :")
I think the strength of the show lies in the characters and actors for me. To me it's especially poignant when cases become personal for the characters, and hopefully we get to see more sustained interaction among the team and we get to see them actually putting different clues together to profile the suspect :^)
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3 hannaehh
August 6, 2017 at 8:45 PM
I find CM pretty entertaining because it doesn't require me to focus so much on the dialogues and scenes to find clue or whatever, so I could watch this drama while eating or folding my clothes. LOL. I know a lot of people are pretty upset with the standard of this drama and the level of profiling is way too bland, but I take this drama as simple crime drama and just focus on the character development of each character. In this episode, I just feel sad toward Han Byul when this lil boy cries during his mom's funeral. I'm mad at how stupid Ki Hyung's wife is, but whatever...things happened. Right now, I'm very curious on Hyun Jun's ex-gf death and how'd Sun Woo react to it.
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kshowlover
August 6, 2017 at 10:59 PM
Though profiling is shown in graphics and visuals, IT A MUST TO PAY ATTENTION ON THE NARRATIVES OF PROFILERS behavioral analyses of the killer's background, characteristics, skills & motivations.
I think I have to be prepared to read dumb comments to ep 20.
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ravennightstar
August 7, 2017 at 5:34 AM
Comment was deleted
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4 giocare 🌻💛
August 6, 2017 at 8:50 PM
Well show I am definitely impressed. I’m crying my eyes out but I’m so impressed. But then you let the murderer escape. Haven’t we suffered enough this episode?? Haven’t the characters suffered enough?? What’s the point in having him escape? And how does the death of his wife move the plot forward?? Also why was the team sitting around doing nothing? Why didn’t they send officers to his house as soon as they knew he was there???
After episode 3, I marathoned NCIS for 2 days straight to see why I’m not really connecting with this show. And in that time I learned that American procedurals have this way of sprinkling characterization through dialogue and interactions between the coworkers. Which is something that we’re not seeing much of here. I don’t get that sense of family or closeness between them because we have yet to see them really work together and joke around. I wish they would’ve just done a case of the week in this show and just do a standard procedural without 2 overarching cases.
How cute is it that Lee Han has a mug that says “PhD Lee” on it ^-^
I’m lowkey shipping Kyun Joon and NaNa
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Viri
August 6, 2017 at 9:02 PM
The team wasn't sitting around, they were in their truck heading for the house; However, it was too late to arrive. In the original series, the reaper is such an important character that he could not finish his fate so easily, that's why he needs to be there for a while longer. Because in this version we have another new person in the team (Hyun Joon) we can't see that closeness yet, but after Hye Won's dead we will see how strong bonds are formed between the members. Also Sun Woo and Hyun Joon hiding story is something I'm looking forward to know.
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PakalanaPikake
August 7, 2017 at 8:42 AM
@giocare,
LOL at medicating with NCIS! I applaud your exquisite taste! As a long-time fan, all I can say is you picked a good procedural with many memorable characters. Leroy Jethro Gibbs & Co. FTW. ;-)
Did you watch the 2 "backdoor pilot" episodes that were actually part of JAG? The parent show gives a lot of insight into what makes NCIS tick. It, too, is top notch.
In NCIS and the various other American forensics and cop shows that have all become a giant blur in my mind (i.e., CSI and its spinoffs, BONES, ELEMENTARY, CASTLE, MONK), characters and teamwork develop over many episodes. I've read that American TV shows need to have filmed at least 100 episodes in order to be syndicated. For series like NCIS and its predecessor JAG -- which normally had around 24 episodes per season for a decade or longer -- that works out to hundreds of episodes that allow for in-depth character development, often in subtle ways -- spread out over long intervals. Sometimes a developmental tidbit will even be referenced years later. If you fast-forward, you'll miss it. In other cases, it's the things that are not explicitly stated that are important, so you have to read between the lines.
Furthermore, the audience's emotional investment in the characters, both individually and collectively, is something that grows incrementally over time. On the one hand, there's the unfolding of weekly plots and extended story arcs, and on the other, the revelation of characters' back stories, personal growth, and interpersonal and professional relations, all set against the backdrop of the cases. When it is done well, it is immensely satisfying, and characters, even flawed ones, become old friends we care about.
In the Kdrama's 20 episodes, character and teamwork development cannot unfold in the same manner or degree that viewers of the original series would expect. They have to be established in other ways. The pacing has to be accelerated, too.
As long as the internal and emotional logic of the characters and their relationships is established and honored, I'll be happy. The process takes some getting used to, so I'll keep tuning in. At the very least, I'll get to see Lee Joon-gi and Son Hyun-joo in action. ;-)
For the record, I marathoned the original CRIMINAL MINDS years ago after it went into syndication, and have forgotten the cases that are being used in the Korean adaptation, so that effectively makes them new cases for me. ;-)
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gam
August 8, 2017 at 11:59 AM
I agree, the original team had chemistry that was just too good haha. Also, I miss when they explained the unsub profile to non-BAU police forces, and I miss them calling the culprit unsub. For some reason, the ending quotes are also more naturally delivered.
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5 Viri
August 6, 2017 at 8:50 PM
The reaper has a trauma because his father beat him and beat his mother trying to protect him. He kills couples by taking the woman as the weak spot and punishing the man while watching the woman's suffering by being stabbed. For me, hurt the woman while the man observes is resuming the pain and impotence that he felt when watching his father beat his mother who cared for him while he could not do anything, in this case the woman in the couple represents his mother and the man is the one who can only watch impotently all the damage they do to the person they love (is Yong Chul). They are not script errors, it's just that they do not tell you everything, they give you the necessary clues that allow you to think. Episode 4 was very good and I really hope for the fifth to see it, I would also like to know the story in common between Sun Woo and Hyun Joon.
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Thaisfrede
August 7, 2017 at 10:04 AM
I thought exactly the same thing.
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6 wackycashew
August 6, 2017 at 8:50 PM
Thanks for the recap, Saya!
What a gripping portrayal and I gotta say this Korean team is doing a great job at remaking one of the most impactful and memorable cases in Criminal Minds. I knew how things went down in the original, so it didn't surprise me who was the Reaper or Hyewon's ultimate fate. But it was still horrifying to watch and feeling how devastated and helpless Kihyung just be to watch everything unfold. These emotions were especially heightened as the whole thing unravelled between the last ep and this one, much faster than the original show. So, one barely has time to catch a breath as scenes play out one by one.
The row of ready-knotted ties really did me in. ??? But I know Kihyung will remain strong and continue to chase after the Reaper until he's behind bars for good. Kihyung needs to focus on raising Hanbyul, and though it's tragic, I'm glad he's got his team behind him with their full support. This bond will be hard to break and I can't wait to see how they all have each other's backs as each gets served his/her share of challenges.
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7 seoul_searcher
August 6, 2017 at 8:59 PM
Man was this episode so intense! for only being the 4th episode i didn't think we were gonna see a character death so soon but it worked well in bringing emotion. (all that aside even though the reaper is a scary and unhinged character Kim won hae playing him kinda made me laugh at him at times because of his previous roles)
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8 Krampa
August 6, 2017 at 9:00 PM
SHJ as Ki Hyung is really awesome especially the restrained yet emotive reaction to his wife's death in the last part.
BUT what bothered me was the pacing of the episode and especially the whole Reaper-wife-Ki Hyung scene. It seemed like he was driving for such a long time and so calmly while on the phone with his wife. I ubderstand that his character is like that but people do tend tk show emotion and reaction when theur family or lovdd ones are in danger. But something about the dialogue and the lack of action just made everything so anticlimatic that I wasn't even shool when his wife died.
And just why was the rest of the team do unresponsive, standing there with mopey faces instead of actually calling nearby police or backup or going to his house themselves once they figured out that's where the Reaper was? It irritated me so much and then upon that, when Ki Hyung barged into his house, the rest of them showed barely 5 minutes after? Like what the he'll? If they were so close to the house they should have done something to help!!
So far I am only focusing on LJK, MCW , and SHJ as they seem to be the only ones with a decent (okayish for MCW still though) grasp on their characters. The other 3 are basically "useless" or rather are being underused by the director and the actors themselves have no idea what to do, making Nana, Lee Han, and Minyoung more annoying than cool or badass.
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xiao jingyan
August 6, 2017 at 10:13 PM
yeah, the anti-climax feeling is real.
I feel bad to even thought of this but the pacing, the reaction, the one-man kihyung things, the unresponsive team, the lack of guards or police, the USB , the no briefing session for what she can and can't do and the wandering around when you are a target of a super smart criminal just feel like tricks at trying to create a sympathy and emotional bonding to the character.
[Why can't she just book a flight to Jeju-do or Japan?
or stay on the team headquarter, police protection at its best ]
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Saya
August 7, 2017 at 3:23 AM
I can help you out there -- the team were actually in their funky NCI bus the whole time, they weren't at HQ, though I can see why you think so (that bus was like the Tardis or something inside).
But yeah, it certainly did take them forever to get there (which I actually find realistic - sometimes dramaland treats spatial proximity much like a tesseract and everything is literally two seconds away from everything else XD).
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9 mysterious
August 6, 2017 at 9:31 PM
Ki-hung didn't lose only his wife, he also lost his unborn child, cause I believe she was pregnant. That is extra sad. Although it's following the American version, it adds little twists so although we recognize the cases, we don't know exactly how it's going to play out. In the original, after killing Haley, the Reaper didn't survive his fight with Hotch, so that was the end for him; but here he did, which means it's just the beginning of Ki-hyung's fight with the Reaper, so who knows what's to come. I'm sad Hye-won is gone, but I appreciate this twist because now I don't know where the Reaper storyline is headed.
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roseysjournal
August 6, 2017 at 9:49 PM
You're right. That's something to look forward to. I initially thought Foyett survived his fight with Hotch after killing Haley because I remembered him being stabbed in his apartment. Turns out that episode of him being stabbed came much earlier. :) Young Chul could be the recurring big bad for the remaining episodes and his M.O. will probably be combined with that of Mr. Scratch who was another formidable nemesis for Hotch.
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xiao jingyan
August 6, 2017 at 10:03 PM
It kinda follows the original cause in the OG, the team lose to Foyet once, that's on the ep after they knew he is the victim, he gets captured and run from the jail.
The Foyet case ended with hotch's wife get murder, when hotch punch him out of anger some ep later cause the point of the case in the OG is to distinguish how this affected him as someone we know, how we already identified him as family man and a boss who always calm and now succumb to brutal anger after he lost his wife.
This has the pro and cons, I like that they try to improvise but it makes this version is about them, everything is about the team rather than knowing a perpetrator minds.
Like the whole drama would be revolved around the team personal vengeance [which is not bad] but undermining what the OG emphasised on. It makes the case is not what interesting but it's them.
The cons point is people who can't understand the character and still bothered by the writing will probably always feel underwhelmed. I don't think it's good to change the temperament of the team leader after traumatic series of events he's had, it can break the entire format of the drama,
I think ep 3-4 should just be the 1st ep of this series and everything will be much better,
sorry LJK fans I think Hyun Joo character and story is something that doesn't need to be emphasised and can be replaced, even by Lee Han if he had got much more screen time.
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 12:10 AM
Sorry if you don't like Lee Joon Gi maybe you could watch another drama. This is a Lee Joon Gi, Son Hyun Joo and Moon Chae Won drama. It is not a Goo Yoon drama. If you compare it with the original CM, it is based on the earlier season approx Season 1 & 7... seasons with very minimal Dr. Reid. Season with Reid centric season is not as good as the original... Season 12 is way too messy & too crowded but I am hoping Season 13 will be better.
Btw, you can't really make a conclusion about the Hyun Jun story because we have not seen much about it yet. I just want to let you know while we are still only ep 4, the highlight of this series will be the Hyun Jun.
As I have said, it's a Lee Joon Gi drama... just a friendly suggestion, I think there is an option not to watch it. :) If you don't like it that much why punish yourself from watching it. I see that you have been religiously making your negative comments.
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 1:04 AM
***correction - Season 1-7.
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Ness
August 7, 2017 at 3:34 AM
the original comment mentioned HJ 'not to be emphasised'- LJK just happens to be the actor playing HJ (imo i really liked him in this episode)..that's a valid point and relates to the comment how a character ('reid') centric season is not as good..i don't think the first comment was clamouring for more 'reid' scenes per se nor was saying LJK not to be a central character..
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 3:53 AM
Well I am sure many likes Season 12 which is a Reid-centric season. I still love it but not as much as the earlier seasons. It's not because of Reid but I feel there are so many characters in it. It is still a good a watch. You may love it if you have not watch it yet.
quoted from above:
"sorry LJK fans I think Hyun Joo character and story is something that doesn't need to be emphasised and can be replaced, even by Lee Han if he had got much more screen time."
xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 5:05 AM
"sorry LJK fans I think Hyun Joo character and story is something that doesn't need to be emphasised and can be replaced, even by Lee Han if he had got much more screen time."
What I mean by this is
1st: his character doesn't need to be emphasised this much early on, meaning he can be there but not to this intensity for 4 episodes
2nd: His role in the team as the "jack of all trade" can be replaced "even" [meaning that any other character also can take part, even the quietest one ] by lee han if he/they had got as many screen time as Hyun Joo
and yeah, I used the word "LJK fans" wrong in this context.
I was under the assumption that LJK fans will get bothered by this "Hyoon Joo get replaced comment" so I put my apology in the beginning to them, my bad.
xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 4:56 AM
okay, let me be clear
1st it's not about Lee Jun Ki and Goo Yoon,
I don't even mind if LJK acted as Lee Han.
My problem is Hyun Joo Characters,
he takes too many traits, with so many capabilities that are better when it was given to someone else.
yes, it's nice if you are a fan of the actor,
he becomes the only shining star and got so much screen time
but he has too many traits that single-handedly kill another character's possibility to give more input to the team.
Example,
his "I know every theory" to Lee Han,
his "analysis of case" can be given to Mon Chae Won's character,
his backstory about his dad could be given to Lee Han/Hwang Hana
his Gf backstory could be given to Lee Han.
besides, he already has friend and sister's friend storyline going on and we don't even know his family yet.
He has too much story in 4 ep that could be expanded and worth for 16 ep alone but if it's only about him
It's redundant to have 2 major characters get a major loss and it kills other intensity.
The character on the show is like a cake [exclude ki hyung = he is the cream that tastes good]
You make 1 part so delicious, full of the LJK's taste and other is tasteless.
For people who like the LJK's taste/screen time, yes you can enjoy that to the max and leave out the tasteless one,
but for people who like to enjoy the whole cake, they'll remember it as unbalance cake with 1 part that's over the top and other as tasteless.
again it's not about LJK, I don't even care if it's a Lee Jun Ki's drama and is that so wrong to give this drama a 6-8 ep chance?
my usual time is 6-8 but that doesn't mean that I can't say what bothered me about the drama?
the drama isn't just about LJK, but son hyon joo and the team behind this.
I am not punishing myself, I am making the most of my time to not regretting watching the drama by giving my view on this.
I've said several times that I am not intentionally making a negative review, I praise the drama for making it sad, I said about the good part of acting, I want to feel what they feel but surprisingly the negative of the drama outweighs the positive for me.
If you get bothered so much with the negative review, please enlight us with a post on how well-made this show is for you.
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Halleer
August 7, 2017 at 5:48 AM
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CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 3:06 PM
But wasn't this whole episode about SHJ's character & story, and the whole team participated in the case? There's 16 more episodes to go, and maybe the drama wants to take turns featuring each character? Just that HJ's story was featured first, to get HJ onto and KH back on the team, and followed by KH's story, to set up the story of the main villain? LH, SW and the other characters all have their own backstories, as already "hinted" here & there over the last 3/4 episodes, which means that they will be fleshed out in the subsequent episodes & cases.
It is also not necessary to purposely say sorry to LJK fans, it's like trying to "bait" them. After all, there were some not so nice "personal" comments about MCW's and LJK's looks in the earlier episodes threads.
xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:18 PM
@CityLiving
--- But wasn't this whole episode about SHJ's character & story, and the whole team participated in the case?
I mean SHJ case/story in regard on how I reply that I don't mind LJK in the drama. It seems like the commenter above thought that I want LJK to not be there at all.
I am okay if they want to take the turn but the pace, for now, has a little impact contrary to the progression.
KH wife's murder is a big thing, supposedly, but the build up is lacking,
the bomb-friend-sister things can be something more gripping but the build up also lacking,
-- It is also not necessary to purposely say sorry to LJK fans, it's like trying to "bait" them
yeah, that is my bad. I was under the impression that all people in the ep 3 recap will get angry at me, accuse me that I am just an anti-fan if I say bad things about LJK and MCW or even their characters.
I don't want to reply to any of them that I don't hate LJK or MCW personally so I thought I might say sorry 1st.
That is an honest mistake from me.
Saya
August 7, 2017 at 3:24 AM
I totally forgot she was pregnant! :(
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PakalanaPikake
August 7, 2017 at 5:14 AM
Thanks for the reminder that Hye-won was pregnant. Dang.
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chi
August 8, 2017 at 10:02 AM
I totally forgot about the pregnancy :(
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10 roseysjournal
August 6, 2017 at 9:48 PM
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11 xiao jingyan
August 6, 2017 at 9:49 PM
It's a tragic ep and it's sad.
It just I can't feel it as much as the show wants me too.
The acting for the guard, the wife and the team leader is what makes me sad and not the whole story.
The reaper acting is over the top that there's no profiling left that matched him.
The difference in a gun vs knife, there is no difference if he has used the knife that fit his MO or probably they want the sounds effect.
The call to the wife and the wife reaction.
The Mint-Candy is a super weak clue, they just got lucky.
There also a time before she died and the team just standing.
Nana USB, how the reaper is a hacker apparently and he can time it to the exact time.
We have no knowledge of how smart he is unless you take their 15-minute talk about how he fooled them.
Everything is seen to be fabricated for a heartbreak when I can see the impact more if they delayed this in later ep.
It gets dramatised to the point that makes me ask
How can this happen?? They can prevent this?? and how do they can't they still can't read him as they had profiled him???
I also feel that Idk the team Kang or the wife that well.
We spend probably 20 minutes at most to see who is who and their relationship.
I feel like I don't even the team kang before and surely didn't know how he'll change,
He is already cold and statistically not that much believable as a senior profiler in the previous ep. Not much of a wonder that he lost.
At the end, the audience is rushed and forced to feel the loss with the team.
It's a kdrama in a nutshell, [I want to feel it as much as other people]
but its focuses too much on feeling and how to make you cry and sad without understanding that the sequence of events and logic doesn't make sense.
Other kdrama take time for this so we can fully emerge to be sad but this drama doesn't so it left with the disappointing feeling.
nb: I know this is not what you want to hear when reading the drama comments,
this is my opinion, so many things to be desired in writing, directing and profiling that makes me think that it's entirely possible to avoid the wife case if they are an actual professional and people in protection get informed well about what's ahead of them or have more guards,
come on that's one guy with a knife, at least put 3 guys and no wandering around.
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Cmd Miao
August 7, 2017 at 2:06 AM
I feel the same way and agree with all ob the above.
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 2:45 AM
They will milk the Reaper to make the most out of the character. He will surely return and probably this time, the target will be poor Han Byul.
I doubt they will kill the boy though, I'm sure Hyun Joon will get to the Reaper first. Otherwise why did they make such a big deal about Han Byul's immediate and immense fondness for Hyun Joon?
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kiara
August 7, 2017 at 7:11 AM
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kiara
August 7, 2017 at 7:24 AM
The Reaper was based on the Zodiac killer (who was never caught to this day).
In the original, the Reaper appeared in a couple episodes so they are kind of following it but not in order. The wife didn't die this early. She died in season 5 on the show's 100th episode.
Her funeral was heartfelt and her eulogy was beautifully done but everything feels rushed here so it's easy to miss the small details.
Sometimes I feel like I'm just rushing along with this version with no time to think and feel or even care for the characters.
I think it makes sense for Ki-hyung's archenemy (NCI too) not to just die a quick death. He is overly narcissistic, cruel and kills with no remorse. The way he escaped was pretty eye-rolling but whatever lol.
We definitely haven't seen the last of the Reaper. They might drag it till the finale unless the dead girlfriend's case takes priority.
(I think it's a missed opportunity when it comes to casting guest stars. Korean dramas and especially films cast serial killers that scare the crap out of the viewers. I can't seems to take this actor (Reaper) seriously for some reason).
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 7:40 AM
I think they could have used the Reaper to stalk Ki Hyung and his family more menacingly and build it to a crescendo.
I noticed of late that serial killers in Korean dramas have this obvious crazy look but I'd prefer a more contrarian approach. Someone who look the least like a killer but spook you out in words or little things they do here and there.
The villains in this show resemble more of those in Marvel comic movies like Batman. Maybe we should look at the NCI team as superheroes?
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hannaehh
August 7, 2017 at 7:41 AM
"I think it's a missed opportunity when it comes to casting guest stars. Korean dramas and especially films cast serial killers that scare the crap out of the viewers. I can't seems to take this actor (Reaper) seriously for some reason" - I agree. Maybe because I'm used to see him in comedy drama for the past two of his project. It seems a lil bit awkward to me that he's the Reaper, but I guess I'll be used to it as time goes by if they wanna prolong the Reaper case.
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Hye Mi
August 7, 2017 at 8:04 AM
For me it's because the actor playing the Reaper is rather OTT in his portrayal. He comes across as very comical to me, much similar to the rest of the criminals up to episode 4 of this series, as I mentioned in my comment for ep 3.
I must agree with @outofthisworld that the director(s) seem to like stock expressions. The criminals try too hard to look menacing with stock expressions (side, angry glances, narrowing of eyes, etc. ) they aren't even menacing anymore.
I imagine that the counterpart for the Reaper is the Mind Hunter (loosely based off of the real serial killer Robert Hansen) from Cold Case series. I haven't watched the original CM, but I do think the actor in Cold Case and his Japanese counterpart in the Japanese adaptation did a fairly good job portraying the tantalising but disturbed Mind Hunter. I don't expect Kim Won Hae to copy exactly his counterparts in similar dramas, but at least not to treat the villain here as a cartoonish version.
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:22 PM
in regards to
"Mind Hunter (loosely based off of the real serial killer Robert Hansen) from Cold Case series"
that is a really good interpretation of the character, I was not expecting that at all and Cold Case Jdrama is a good example of remaking a drama with multiple seasons.
They choose cases that they need and still managed to capture the Japanese essence without losing the original feeling.
CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 1:37 PM
Sorry, I don't really understand some parts of what you are trying to say, but for those parts that I think that I get what you mean, I would like to throw some light on your misunderstanding/misconceptions.
"The difference in a gun vs knife, there is no difference if he has used the knife that fit his MO or probably they want the sounds effect." ~ The Reaper also used a gun in the original version.
"There also a time before she died and the team just standing." ~ Since they were on the bus on the way to her location, I guess they could have sat down instead, but then the complaint would be that they were too relaxed? Standing signifies greater urgency & anxiety.
No, it is not possible to avoid the wife's death, since she also died in the original version. If they put more guards or the Reaper failed to kill her, then the audience will be complaining why change the story!
As to why there were not more guards, the family were placed in a protection program, i.e. live under another identity away from previous contacts/family etc. pretending to be ordinary people. More guards will only draw attention to them.
It's only 4 episodes, and this is a crime action drama where a lot of time is expected to be spent on the cases, not a romcom or melodrama or family drama where we have the luxury of spending more time with the characters and their families. Of course, it will take longer to get to know the team better. The original had multiple seasons to flesh out every character. I think the drama is rotating its focus on each character and their back story, starting with HJ and now KH. So let us be patient and see who they will feature next.
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 5:59 PM
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:03 PM
Okay here's my thought about this
--- The Reaper also used a gun in the original version.
It hasn’t been elaborated in this version. I see this and the OG as a different drama.
--- Standing signifies greater urgency & anxiety.
But for what? Why we need a greater urgency if they can do that while running too? What’s the significance with just standing? It actually gives them as “useless” impression.
--- No, it is not possible to avoid the wife's death
I watch the OG and I know the story but the sequence of events in this drama/this version make it totally possible if any of them have the professional though as they are presented.
I don’t think people will get angry if it executed properly, the problem and why people complained now is that it isn’t executed properly.
--- the family were placed in a protection program, i.e. live under another identity away from previous contacts/family etc. pretending to be ordinary people. More guards will only draw attention to them.
Here’s the problem with “blend into ordinary life”.
They are under threat of a super famous killer with 20+ body count who now specifically target them. What’s the point of blending in if they are actually in an ongoing-threat?
When you take people to police custody cause you afraid they are getting harm, do you ask them to just blend in?
More guards can be blend into the lawn guy, the chef, the nanny, their driver and not just one guard who somehow doesn’t bother to hide with wearing the ultimate I-am-a-guard-suit.
That’s the fault in the story. If they had taken the police type of custody then they already try their best avoid the harm.
If you were going to bungee jump and only wear half of the life vest, yeah you probably not gonna hurts cause the rope is tight but that doesn’t mean it’s not your fault when you hurt yourself.
--- this is a crime action drama where a lot of time is expected to be spent on the cases
The problem is just it’s not executed good and as I see the drama, it's spending more of how the profilers feels about their family rather than the cases. The time they spend worrying about their family is the same with the amount of time they spend about talking and identifying the criminal. It's all about the feels which more romcomy than I thought.
--- Of course, it will take longer to get to know the team better
Yeah, and I hope they did that rather than rushed us to feel the misery of an unknown character. They give too much backstory to LJK and SHJ character now that it makes the show unbalanced before make sure we know them in the present.
--- I think the drama is rotating its focus on each character and their back story, starting with HJ and now KH
It’s fine to do it this way but we have KH an HJ backstory for 4 ep already and this drama is more about them which for me unfortunate, cause the charm is a criminal’s mind not a profiler’s mind for the entire series.
The really fall about this drama for me...
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:05 PM
The really fall about this drama for me personally come to the point the story is just really flawed and it bothered me cause it cost the lives of character who may survive if it was written with a better understanding that "you can't just stage someone's death and call it complete as long as they are dead", the way it happens is as important and this drama seems to only care about the result than the progress.
I really hope the show gets better but I don't think that hope should eliminate the criticism of the ep before.
I find this review from hancinema that sum of my viewing experience
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12 Audrey
August 6, 2017 at 9:55 PM
I really like this show and its really keeping up the adrenelin every episode. I especially like Ki-hyung but aside from the fact that this follows the amercian version plot, I have a big complaint against characters like him who work in NCI in general
a) why they always fail to train up their wives and kids in some martial arts or self defence because obviously they have a dangerous job dealing with lunatics, criminals, terrorists and they are never there to protect them
b) how Hye Won blindly believed Kim Yong Chul when he said to throw away the phone and not to call anyone. Do all wives of agents live in the dark or are naive to this extent or there is zero communication at home?
So by failing to take precautionary measures and failing to educate his family about the dangers of his job, they became a needless casualty of war.
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13 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
August 6, 2017 at 10:04 PM
See, should have just killed him when you had the chance. Now we're doomed to another round of bad editing and poorly done hostage scenes.
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kshowlover
August 7, 2017 at 12:17 AM
Maybe you should get info about the Reaper first. He was introduced in KKH lecture + info about his background, characteristics, skills & motivation in ep 3 & 4.
Just letting you know.. just because you don't understand it, does not mean it's poor editing and even poor hostage scene... maybe your brain is just not cut out to understand the drama.
I know my personal comment is mean but if you keep reading subjective criticism from ep 1.. can you blame me?
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Melona
August 7, 2017 at 3:17 AM
I'm genuinely perplexed by all this debacle so I'm just going to throw this question out to you, despite preferring not to stir the pot even more. What do you mean by you not welcoming "subjective criticisms" on this drama? Criticisms are opinions, and opinions are inherently subjective, that is, they come from the person who makes the opinions. Criticisms are not cold hard facts, so of course, people are free to give them (so long as they have sufficient reasoning to back it up), and others who don't necessarily share the same opinions are free to debate or question them. All I have seen from the posts that you deemed to be "subjective criticisms" are well-written arguments and yet you've dismissed them as "subjective" and therefore not worth looking into because you don't agree with them.
I wonder if the reason why you keep attacking the not-so-glowing reviews of this drama is because you're concerned that the audience is going to leave the show and not watch it anymore because of the comments here, well worry not, because most beanies are not dumb. We're all capable of forming our own opinions. I take recommendations from others who share the same tastes as I do but ultimately I decide what I want to watch. If I think it's not worth my time, I won't watch it even if it's extremely popular. Conversely, if I genuinely like something, low ratings won't stop me. Having said that, there is a good reason why exceptionally great dramas have a strong following, and if Criminal Minds is not one of them, then perhaps it's time to take off the rose-tinted glasses and see it for what it is.
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ijaymia
August 7, 2017 at 4:08 AM
My sentiments exactly! I just don't see why people need to be called dumb for expressing their obviously reasonable opinions. Even the original had its own flaws, i still loved it, same here with the remake. I just don't get why someone who isn't even capable of putting words together correctly to express his/herself think he/she has a right to call others dumb, it really baffles me.
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14 elvira
August 6, 2017 at 11:02 PM
There are flaws...
But I see progress.
On side notes, the bad guy/bad senior in Do Bong Soon has gone way astray >,<
Can't wait for the each character's development and background...
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15 sophee
August 6, 2017 at 11:07 PM
"Thankfully Han-byul wasn't hurt (physically) though its terrible that his mom died... but, goodness, I just remembered, Hye-won was PREGNANT!" -- my train of thought while watching the end of this episode.
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16 mariflower
August 6, 2017 at 11:45 PM
This episode was absolutely INSANE. It's been several days and I'm still trying to process everything!!! The amount of plot we're given from the first two weeks is so overwhelming and heavy, it almost feels like we're nearing the finale rather than settling into the start, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...I appreciate how this show wastes no time into diving into the crimes, but I kind of do wish we would have that introductory phase where we get to slow down and know our team members a little bit better than we do now, because the only character I really feel for is Kihyung. I do agree that Kihyung being the first character to become absolutely broken and determined in his resolve will definitely bond this mismatched team into a brilliant one, because the opening of one brave heart will encourage the rest to do the same.
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17 Pei
August 7, 2017 at 12:31 AM
Thanks for the recap!
More episode to come and it's getting darker by the Reaper case.
At first I have no recollection about the original Reaper case, but I do remember Haley (Hotchner wife) died. In the Korean version, I have no doubt that Hye-won will be one of the Reaper victim.. but not expecting would be this fast. I'm jumping into this drama in knowing the original version and read multiple articles which I believe one had said Korean version only pick several cases (3 or 4 cases) and had to wrap it up into 20 episodes kdrama format.
So far we saw 3 cases and possibility 4 (cold case both Seon-woo & Hyun-joon got in hand), but no doubt that we will get Reaper case extended (as the Reaper was running away by the end of ep 4). I'm thrilled to see what happen next and we definitely need more character development happen soon!
Point out the dumb thing people do in this episode :
1. Hye-won blindly believe when the Reaper told her that her husband died. Erm....just like Ki-hyung said, Hye-won would be calling him to confirm the death news. Sadly said it didn't happen, she took the bait. I have to repeatedly remind myself that Hye-won is in panic attack, when someone had a panic attack... I doubt she can even think to try called her husband.
2. USB stick with hacking program.... Erm.... in the original version, Garcia is the tech wizard! She wouldn't blindly stick usb and not running precaution virus scanning whatsoever, which I firmly believe that this would seriously change the game! I would say that Nana is smitten by Hyun-joon, hahaha
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18 Moonie
August 7, 2017 at 12:41 AM
Anyone care to elaborate on why some people are criticizing MCW? Her acting seems fine to me especially since thus far she hasn't been given much unlike LJK & especially SHJ who were given emotional arcs. I see that something is coming with her parents, but so far we have only got glimpses. Additionally, her character is supposed to be the level headed, calm, rational one in the group, thus she's supposed to seem cold and more restrained in regards to emotional expression compared to the other characters. I have watched the original CM and I think she's doing a good job as a mix of Emily Prentiss/Elle Greenway.
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 12:59 AM
Don't mind them. I don't get those criticisms either. She is the most stable character in the series at the moment who will hold the whole team from falling apart given Hyun Jun's background & Ki Kyung's incident in ep 3 & 4.
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 2:36 AM
The blame mostly lie with the directing and editing. The PD is the one who decides how he wants a scene to convey, how the actors can deliver that to the audience. However, I have a feeling he is forcing them to act in a way he thinks is brilliant but actually not. I suppose experienced actors can rise above the situation and add his own nuances but we'll never know the dynamics behind the scene which might restrict their creativity.
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Halleer
August 7, 2017 at 2:59 AM
Why don't you look at the drama as how the writer & PD deliver it than insisting on what you want it to be?
I am not saying it's perfect. But don' you think criticizing the drama based on how you want it to be is very unfair to the people who work their butts off to produce this amazing drama.
If you insist on what you want, this drama will never be good in your eyes no matter.
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 5:39 AM
what do you mean by
"look at the drama as how the writer & PD deliver it than insisting on what you want it to be?"
I don't get it cause we literally looked at the way the writer and Pd want it to be looked, they cut the scene, they wrote the dialogue and the present the full ep for us to see it the way they want us to see.
The problem is some writer and PD didn't tell the story in a way that is understandable for the viewer for the 1st or 2nd watch.
Correcting the logical progression between what had been shown and reality is not seeing it as we want it to be. It's about how it just doesn't make sense.
Like writing with bad grammar or with scattered letters and ask the reader to be able to read perfectly as you write it but still see it as it is, blocking the advice on how it would be better presented and stopping the comment on why people can't read that. There's something wrong with that writing so how we can see it as the writer see it and understand it? We can see it the way the writer did but the problem of that writing such as the grammar and the letters needs to be fixed 1st.
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Moonie
August 7, 2017 at 6:53 AM
Yeah I definitely agree that there has been editing problems that take away from the emotion/importance of the scene. I'm hoping that once her emotional arc is shown it will be well written and directed because as we know from her past works she can definitely rise to the challenge. Maybe the audience isn't used to seeing her as a restrained character since she tends to play overly emotional characters. Personally I'm really loving this character and her character even explained why she is more restrained and holds back emotionally on the field because she will be judged only as a woman rather than as an equal. We didn't get much but here's hoping that we get more about her journey as an NCI agent and sexism in male dominated fields.
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 7:32 AM
At this stage, Sun Woo's character is still restrained as she is still dealing the case only professionally. I believe that's how she should be. Later I believe we get to see the softer side of her when the story or case touches her personal background.
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Ness
August 7, 2017 at 3:42 AM
It might be the context we see MCW in this drama..this is a disjointed remake of the original and at times might seem all over the place..in the original, we see more of Prentiss (her entry, her evolution,..) so we 'get' her more..Here, we get thrown in a team with 'k-prentiss' already in it where she just appears so relatable but the PD might be forcing them to add the 'really cold' feature..
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 4:03 AM
Well, the way I see it Sun Woo as our NCI agent is already a well-developed character. She is estranged from her parents which was hinted in narrative episode 1 & visually in ep 4. Her connection to the Naduel (?) River Case is something yet to unfold?
I have watched the CM series but I tell you.. you will have better appreciation of the drama if you watch it like a brand new drama without referencing the original. Americans & Koreans are opposite poles in terms of customs & traditions, languages, practices and whatever aspects you can think of.
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augustmoon
August 7, 2017 at 11:42 AM
Viewers are always harsher on actresses and female characters.
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:36 PM
so disclaimer :
I don't compare her to Elle or Prentiss
I have a fair share about LJK too so it's not I am favouring the actor more but let's not go into that now
For me, it's the stern looked she has all the time like she doesn't know how to react.
She asks hyun joon character or when she asked something, she has this suspicious way but looked forced, the serious face doesn't work if you don't move your face all the time.
All the tense eyebrows and there's a lot of shots about her reaction without line but seems stiff.
Maybe it's the directional choice or maybe it's her.
I think she is improving in this ep but she doesn't have that much scene either.
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Lalaland
August 7, 2017 at 7:17 PM
"there's a lot of shots about her reaction without line but seems stiff"
I think that line alone already tell us a lot about what the director wants to empathize. It's in line with what they wrote on her character description.
Btw, it would be nice if you refer to 'her' as in her character as you mentioned SHJ's rather than she as in the actress herself when talking about a scene in drama. Just my two cent. Sorry if sounds I'm nitpicking at you.
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xiao jingyan
August 8, 2017 at 3:50 AM
what I mean by stiff is that the reaction shot is the same with the other stern face with means nothing had been conveyed.
I used her bc I mean it as Mon Chae Won's acting rather than "her character".
It's the acting that clearly shows that "I am acting and there is a camera in front of me" rather than "I am a stern character"
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Rosiy
August 10, 2017 at 6:12 AM
MCW has finally delivered her SW character in episode 5.
She was overthinking of her character in episode 1-4 so her acting looked unnatural. I think she has found a way to portray her character in episode 5. It reminds me of her acting in Innocence Man but this time she portrays her SW character as a cold, sorrow and rational person.
She is known as a low starter but she always delivers.
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19 Lucy🦋 | Hyun Bins First Love
August 7, 2017 at 12:53 AM
I stopped watching the American version when the violence became too much for me to handle. The evil they showed in the series and knowing that some episodes were based on true events, I couldn't take it anymore.
I came thinking the Korean version may tone it down a bit but with this episode I know am wrong and this drama is going to be dark as the original.
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20 Cmd Miao
August 7, 2017 at 2:04 AM
I am sooo close to dropping this show.
Logic? Fail! Who in their right mind would plug a USB taken from a supect's house into their mainframe without first testing it on an isolated system? Why didn't Hye Won not try to call ANYONE before doing the stupid thing and coming out of hiding - the show even spend airtime on showing that she personally knew the team and trusted them? Why only one guard for her, why did he save her phone number instead of memorizing it? Why no protocol or briefing for victim protection?
* All of the actors are trying WAY too hard to be quirky, mimicking the American original or endearing - sorry, even Lee Jun-Ki
* Writing does not make use of characters: Why do you need such a big team if they are only reacting to things? If Min-Young is in the train car with the hostages why didn't the show use that to showcase her role in the team (communicating) instead of having her be passive and Hyun-Joon saving the day?
* Editing/Pacing: I do not feel the excitement I am supposed to feel or the "woah" moments. For example the whole trick with the imaginary second person standing behind the crazy man on the train - unnecessary, saw that coming the second he was shown first. Or Ki-Kyung driving, team driving while Hye-Won is on the phone.
I will watch two more episodes but so far it's underwhelming.
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21 outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 2:11 AM
For an episode that was filled with so much gore and a huge tragedy befalling a main character, this drama completely misses it mark. I read that in the original, the murder didn’t happen till seasons later. By moving it up(this being one season is not an excuse) in the first quartile of the series, the drama is trying to go for the jugular of the viewer. It wants us to feel heartache for Ki Hyung and we should but the execution killed all the tension, got me frustrated with Ki Hyung and pretty much with everyone else so that when the axe fell, I felt little for Ki Hyung despite Sohn Hyun Joo ‘s emotional acting.
1. 1. Ki Hyung’s wife and son are too ill prepared as family members of a special agent.
The son is very young but surely, there are basics to teach even a pre-schooler?
I am not blaming the wife for everything but she does seem too gullible and easily scared. Plus she has a lousy memory. Didn’t she just invited the team over for dinner? Did she not get their names or did she remember Hyun Joon only? Otherwise why would she believe that the caller was an NCI officer? Surely if it was true something had happened to Ki Hyung, it should be one of his team members calling her? Wouldn’t her husband tell her if there was new addition to the team?
2. Mostly I blame the stupid protection program. It endangered their lives more than protect them. I can understand if they step down the manpower or level of security after a longer period has passed. However, right after Ki Hyung gets threatened by a psychopathic killer on the prowl, they gave his family one agent? Unbelievable!
3. The criminal profiling continues to be painfully little and unimpressive. We have Sun Woo who was in close proximity to the Reaper, talked at length and he even brought up his terrible childhood tragedies and she was not even a little suspicious? Why does the show keep making the characters so dim with the glowing exception of Hyun Joon of course.
4. Don’t get me started with Nana and the USB. I can’t believe she’s the expert when she doesn’t even run checks on it first. Just as ridiculous was her panic and not knowing what had happened. So, it was again the Super Agent Hyun Joon to the rescue and gravely declared they had been hacked because of the usb. Of course! Nana didn’t even know how to nip the problem so Han had to do it because now his genius position had been relegated to Hyun Joon.
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 2:26 AM
5. Kim Won Hae is usually better for comedy because his acting the Reaper is over the top and too obvious. When acted and directed this way, it makes the team look dumb for not suspecting him when we the viewers did. It would have been more powerful if Yong Chul had exhibit immense fear and sadness before outing himself. The contrast would be greater and so will the shock.
The character is also shoddily written. Where did he learn to cut up bodies with precision or learn how to hack? Given time, we might get a better written character, tension better built and achieve more impact. Well, the show only wants go for maximum results in the shortest time possible and this is what you get.
6. I think I am mostly disappointed with Ki Hyung in this episode. Already I had doubts of his ability as a criminal profiler, it proved to be definitely tragic here. Why does he constantly provoke and incite the Reaper when he has no solution? I find the dialogue pretty insane.
Ultimately, the weak writing and terrible directing failed the drama so that even when they pulled out all stops with an episode like this, it didn’t help.
Case in point, many viewers got angry that the team was doing nothing, just listening to the tragedy unfold while Ki Hyung’s wife got killed. There was also no sign that Ki Hyung nor the team asking the precinct police or special forces for help. It appeared that it was just a lone man driving towards a decided outcome.
In actual fact, the team was on a bus, on the way to Ki Hyung’s house. Did it look anything like it? Did they look agitated because they were helpless? Look at the scene where all of them were standing like statues. In real life, there will be lots of body movements, gesticulations and tensed faces.
I felt the saddest for guard because when he flatlined, I noticed that the ambulance staff didn't move an inch to resuscitate him. The camera should have just panned a little wider to show such action in the background. I assume there's no point try to revive the poor man since his lines were done.
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hannaehh
August 7, 2017 at 2:38 AM
Thank you for pointing out 99% of my thoughts on this drama particularly in this episode. I'm frustrated by the writing on this drama, but I'll try my best to look at the positive side of this drama and take it as it is.
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Kshowlover
August 7, 2017 at 2:49 AM
I only read portion of your comments so only reacting to this.
"In actual fact, the team was on a bus, on the way to Ki Hyung’s house. Did it look anything like it? Did they look agitated because they were helpless? Look at the scene where all of them were standing like statues. In real life, there will be lots of body movements, gesticulations and tensed faces."
First question: Yes it did look like they are on the moving bus. Watch it again.
Second question: They are profilers & experienced investigators. These group of professionals usually are composed but it does not mean they won't breakdown.
I've known people of these profession, they are usually more cold on the job than these profilers in the drama. But as typical human being some get too emotional if they are approaching the case personally as they lost their sense of objectivity. In most cases, agents become like this are usually removed from the case. Just like saying surgeons don't operate family members.
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 3:07 AM
"First question: Yes it did look like they are on the moving bus. Watch it again."
I just did it once more and I am even more certain in my conclusion that the directing and camerawork are horrendous.
There was hardly any movement to show they were on the bus. If I am not mistaken, there was like 1 second where a NCI bus zoom by on screen and that's it. Not just this, the bus was filled with soft toys. Are they Nana's? Because I spot two on the monitor. I think they should fire the set designer as well.
Anyway, it's not just me. I've read more than a handful of comments here and elsewhere of viewers who were annoyed that the team didn't go and help then magically appear at the house.
The camerawork is just not up to par or maybe it's the PD's fault again. Look at Ki Hyung, why did comments appear saying that he looked like he was making his way leisurely towards the scene? Yes, there was one sharp turn and some siren but when the camera was fixed on his face, they made it look almost like he has stopped driving, much less hurrying to save his wife.
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kshowlover
August 7, 2017 at 3:18 AM
Well, if you don't get it that they were on the bus based on the visuals, well there's really nothing I can do about it. I got it but I won't insist.
I don't comment on zooms, camera movement, CGI & whatever. To me, this is a drama not a film. I am not expert on this but based on personal opinion, I have seen worst not only in kdramas but US & British dramas too.
kshowlover
August 7, 2017 at 3:20 AM
I don't comment on zooms, camera movement, CGI & whatever. To me, this is a drama not a film. I am not expert on this but based on personal opinion, I have seen worst not only in kdramas but US & British dramas too.
For saying the above, I did not mean I agree on your comments. But that is your opinion. You could be right or not.
marmari
August 7, 2017 at 9:40 AM
Thank you! I was wondering when, and if, the car ride would ever end. How far away did Ki Hung live? And the flat depiction of them on the bus. Nothing shows you they're on a moving vehicle. And the flat acting. There's a difference, or there's supposed to be, between being reserved and seeming like you're reading your dialogue out loud. Frosting on top of my frustration cake below.
CBSCMADDICT
August 7, 2017 at 3:02 AM
seriously u speak my mind
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Doboltok
August 7, 2017 at 3:10 AM
Wow, what an observation. Are you going to continue to watch this?
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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 3:20 AM
No, fortunately for me as well as others who are enjoying this drama.
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Doboltok
August 7, 2017 at 3:30 AM
No? Although It was a fortune for you as well as others who are enjoying this drama? Sorry, Do I misunderstand you?
sasuke
August 7, 2017 at 4:14 AM
@Doboltok
It's a sarcasm, dear.
I do wish @outofthisworld to continue watch as I enjoy reading her insights as we need more logical and balanced opinions here.
Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 4:25 AM
That is a fantastic decision actually. It is a genre not for anyone. If you look at it as how you want it to be, you would greatly be disappointed as it will get worse.
Dropping the drama is better option than continue watching but criticizing it based on want it to be.
As a follower of the original series, it is great so far for me. It is not perfect but so far the flaws aren't material enough to be given too much emphasis and ruin others viewing pleasure and appreciation of this drama.
outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍
August 7, 2017 at 6:55 AM
@Doboltok, @sasuke is right although I didn't mean to be sarcastic. Attempt at wit failed ?
I shouldn't continue because I obviously don't enjoy the drama. No drama is perfect but for me, the flaws in this one outweigh the draw. Worse, I am the type who will speak my mind even if it's negative. I don't think people will like reading them for 20 recaps, will they?
sasuke
August 7, 2017 at 7:53 AM
@outofthisworld I wouldn't mind reading your post for the all 20 episodes recap *winks*. Personally, I think your posts are pretty objective and what's most important, like I wrote above imo we needs more balanced posts here and don't see much around tbh.
CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 11:37 AM
Truthfully, why stress yourself watching something you don't enjoy, come to a forum to vent your frustrations, and spoil the enjoyment of other watchers who are enjoying the drama?
Though your views can be considered as reasonably constructive criticism, unfortunately there are those who are eager to bash the drama & actors/ actresses for whatever reasons and delight in the negativeness of the thread.
The unrelenting negativeness contributed by a few extremely vocal commenters determined to nitpick every single flaw and ignoring any strengths, parroting their same old same old dissatisfactions, episode after episode, week after week, have taken over the thread and driven away fans of the drama who would just like to have a place to hangout and have a pleasant discussion about the drama.
ar_arguably romantic
August 7, 2017 at 4:50 AM
wow, I agree with your comments so much. My feelings for Ki-Hyung's tragedy were a little bit neutralized. SHJ's acting made me feel, but at the same time, I felt that the lack of flow and lack of attention to the details you've mentioned, was a distraction from the whole Reaper case's full potential.
Fortunately, I find the characters likable, even though I'm frustrated with how they're writing Nana. She's supposed to be an awesome IT lady, but needed 2 guys to help her figure out they've been hacked and how to isolate the USB (which should have been isolated int eh first place). I wonder if South Korea has the same issue with women being discriminated in the tech business.
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ar_arguably romantic
August 7, 2017 at 4:58 AM
I forgot to add that the casting of Kim Won Hae, who seems to be having a great kdrama year (two hits: Chief Kim and SWDBS) made it obvious that he was more than just a victim.
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PakalanaPikake
August 7, 2017 at 5:52 AM
I had a serious case of whiplash when I realized that Chief Kim's downtrodden colleague had gone over to the dark side. Kim Won Hae is doing a great job in what is for all intents and purposes a dual role.
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CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 2:08 PM
I seem to be seeing him in all the recent dramas that I've been watching/rewatching, from Chief Kim, to SWDBS, to Signal and Sweet Mob Family. And he's quite unforgettable in SW & SMF too.
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22 Navi
August 7, 2017 at 4:10 AM
I am an avid fan of the American Criminal M inds series where I watched the series over and over again....What happened Agent Kang's family is 100% the same with Hotch's story.... Same way where the son hid and how his wife died.... I was hoping for a bit of difference and not a full copy of the American versio.. Syill crossing my fingers on it but I am getting to love this drama.
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Halleerr
August 7, 2017 at 4:42 AM
I have the same observation. I hope they have created a brand new Ki Hyung story than just following the Hotch story.
But for those who have not watch the American series, it is a good watch. I enjoyed it and still felt the thrill because I watched the episode in 2009 or 2010 if my memory is correct.
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23 ar_arguably romantic
August 7, 2017 at 4:40 AM
Wow, after a year of having nightmares about that explosion, he's finally able to move on, only to have his wife killed like that. Show, why are you doing to this to Ki-Hyung?!! I wish they had made the Reaper story a backstory or had it in the first 2 episodes and use that to bring the team closer starting in ep 3. It's weird that episodes 1-4 seem like one long prologue.
Anyways, SHJ killed it. The directing and some of the writing left me a little cold, but SHJ was fascinating to watch. One of those moments where you really feel "Now THIS man is a phenomenol actor".
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24 PakalanaPikake
August 7, 2017 at 5:45 AM
Thanks for your recap and comments, Saya.
The trajectory CRIMINAL MINDS is taking is dark enough, but what I find far more distressing is the tenor of some of the comments in this and the previous recap thread. I'm horrified at the nastiness and incivility. What has happened to my beloved DramaBeans.com?
Do we really need the down arrow after all??
All I can say, friends, is please don't feed the trolls -- and don't allow yourselves to turn into trolls, either. We're better than that. Let's preserve the oasis of friendly and enthusiastic drama discourse that has evolved here at DramaBeans over the past ten years. It is a rare, precious and fragile thing. ;-)
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Cmd Miao
August 7, 2017 at 5:58 AM
All I can say is: After realizing that there is a troll here in this thread I will not respond to the troll posts anymore - and advise everyone to do the same.
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Hye Mi
August 7, 2017 at 6:01 AM
Thank you for the friendly and sound reminder :)
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ravennightstar
August 7, 2017 at 6:04 AM
Agreed. Thanks @pakalanapikake:)
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Sakura
August 7, 2017 at 3:05 PM
Finally, thanks to @ravennightstar in this thread I can @pakalanapikake for making my day on one of my favorite topics, 'how old is he and will he look younger with long hair?'. As I didn't know how to copy and paste a name after the character '@' I may have spelt your name wrong too, ravennightstar, sooorry. As for the name Sakura, it is better left unlinked as I can only apologise to the account holders 'Sakurachan' and 'Sakura' I only learnt of your existence recently and have been wanting to change my name ever since maybe to Surasang_jusayeo but I don't even know if I spelt that right in the Romanization let alone what I had in mind for the Hangul.
With that said what is all the hate for CMs, I came to read comments just this week to see if I should put this on my marathon list but when I started reading the LJK crit I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then I came to this episode comments and it almost seems like it's not getting any better.
Maybe I should stick to my new interests which do not include thriller/action which is what I will list this as, because it was sounding like a melodrama, well the comments at least.
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ravennightstar
August 7, 2017 at 6:23 PM
You've spelt it correctly @Sakura :D
Did you send me a comment somewhere else? Sorry, but I don't think I saw it?
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25 mk
August 7, 2017 at 6:09 AM
Plot: The team figured out the Reaper's identity in season 4 (there was no fake reaper and the reporter in the previous episode was much more signicant) and he escaped prison. He then stalked the team leader and went after his family in season 5, which resulted in the team leader killing him in a brutal fight.
Personal comments: Again, I was expecting all of this to go down much later in the series so I'm not sure what to think. I do still think it's a misfire to use on of the best villains so early in but having him survive and escape changes things, as now we have no idea what will happen with him since his story ended at this point in the original. It's also frustrating that we haven't had much development of the individual team members and their group dynamic. I like Agent Jun Ki but come on, give the others some screentime!
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26 Hugepuffball
August 7, 2017 at 7:15 AM
I could not believe that they actually killed Hye Won, especially at ep 4. I thought that the bomb explosion had already shaken Ki Hyung enough, but I'm very interested to see how much further he can go.
Going forward though I do wish that Sun Woo would get a little more depth-I feel like everyone else has a very defined role to play on the team and so far I don't really see hers.
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27 theigorot
August 7, 2017 at 8:03 AM
Being a fan of the original CM, comparison for me is inevitable especially in this case because they are closely following the original.
I didn't expect that. I was thinking that they would have similar characters, set-up, tone of the drama and maybe even some similar cases but not that similar. See I wouldn't mind if they copy everything if they can do it better but in this case they are not doing a good job for me because I couldn't feel anything while watching the show. There's no element of surprise because I already knew what was going to happen and even SHJ's performance didn't move me not because he is a bad actor but because of the editing. I've watched many shows wherein I already knew what was going to happen but because of good acting and directing, I get sucked in. Even in the original CM, the identity of the unsub is already known at the beginning of the episode but there's still that element of suspense.
Others have already pointed out the flaws in terms of the profiling, acting, pace and directing so I won't go into that.
When I heard that there will be a CM remake, I got excited esp when I heard who the cast are because they are good actors. There's a difference between the American and Korean justice system and culture and that's what I was looking forward to. How will the show add the Korean element into the CM set-up? I haven't seen that yet.
Now that we're done with the reaper case, I hope that the next case will not involve any of the members of the team and that it will be something I haven't seen in the original. Because yes,I will still watch and make myself miserable until ep 10.
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PakalanaPikake
August 7, 2017 at 9:11 AM
@ theigorot,
You must be reading my mind. ;-)
As for the Reaper, he escaped from police custody, so we haven't seen the last of him. Dang it.
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theigorot
August 7, 2017 at 10:12 AM
? I actually don't mind that the reaper is alive because it's different from the original and I'm curious where the show is going with the new twist. I hope it won't be a repeat of what we've seen. We've seen Ki-hyung suffer so much already. I'm also curious what's the connection between HJ's first love and SunWoo. See the show has its strengths but the weaknesses are glaring I just can't ignore them. That being said, I will keep watching and hopefully this will not be another Moonlover.
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Thaisfrede
August 7, 2017 at 10:16 AM
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Thaisfrede
August 7, 2017 at 10:17 AM
I'm liking the drama, but I'm not so passionate about it, mostly because that I think it's a bit Americanized.
An example of a wonderful remake is The Good Wife. I love both versions, especially the Korean because it managed to put the Korean style of making drama and put Korean culture. Something I'm not seeing in this remake.
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28 marmari
August 7, 2017 at 9:00 AM
Ugh. Maybe it's withdrawal after Secret Forest but this show made my brain melt with the "why would you do that"s. Like when the geniuuuus tech ding dong takes a USB belonging to a suspected serial killer and plugs it directly into the POLICE agency's servers. And is then completely confused about how they got hacked. Or when 5, 6 geniuuus agents just stand around listening to an eternally long phone conversation between their boss and the serial killer. I mean why anyone would, you know, use all that fancy technology to track the phone call. It makes much more sense to just stand there and listen. My brain melts when a body guard leaves his two charges—who he’s protecting from a vicious killer—and goes…who knows where. This is what I’d call criminally stupid minds. Ugh. Add all this to the horrific violence depicted that seems to be used almost as filler --in place of logical, plausible storytelling, and it’s all too much.
Lee Jun Ki, I hope to see you in a good drama sometime. I hope.
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silvermists
August 7, 2017 at 12:07 PM
Its not even a comparison issue. FoS and CM are two vastly different shows. But even looking at it objectively, this show is all over the place with his awkward directing and the actors trying too hard to be cool. They need to get their act straight or ratings are just going to keep on going downhill.
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pandarin
August 7, 2017 at 1:02 PM
Haha i was thinking the same thing as i watched this episode...maybe it wasn't a good idea to watch this after secret forest which was just perfection. I think though even without secret forest that not investigating why/how there's a survivor when the serial killer who supposedly has excellent surgical expertise stabs 30+ times is a big crime show no no!! I think this was basic and thought this information would be utilised but it was forgotten about...shame!!
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silvermists
August 7, 2017 at 1:10 PM
Yes one of the biggest flaws of this show I believe is in underestimating their audience. Good shows like FoS or even other thriller/mysteries like Tunnel or Signal pay a lot of attention to details that even the audience might overlook. This show is just very sloppy in its logic and execution and tries to spoon feed a lot of ideas to the audience which obviously leads to logic fail. Seriously they need to tighten up the writing
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 7, 2017 at 3:09 PM
You might be right about FOS, but both Signal and Tunnel were too predictable and their over-dumbed police department only to drag the story. E.g. criminal with a cast on his hand is a too over-used trop... also both Signal and Tunnel had over-emotional detectives with tragic background... the main problem with all crime kdramas is they always give too many hints to audiences about the main criminal that it feels so frustrating when the cops can't figure it out!! It's like audiences are always many steps ahead of cops/detectives... FOS did quite better and it kept the secrets for a longer number of episodes (no wonder it's name was Forest of Secret)
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xiao jingyan
August 7, 2017 at 6:51 PM
I agree that Signal has their own over the top acting and over dumbed police department but Tunnel imo has the advantage of time travelling main character so he is different than other.
Tunnel is not flawless but it kind of apparent that the show portrayed the usual police officer and not an elite team also they are more clear in the direction of what they want to convey to the audience.
51mplym3
August 7, 2017 at 1:49 PM
I think the tech lady had a crush on him, so she happily helped him doing basic examination.
The eternally long phone conversation may seem forever, in fact it only took 4 minutes. During that conversation, there were 4 NCI agents on the moving bus while waiting the tech lady in NCI HQ tracked where the serial killer location was, but failed. In the contrary by listening the conversation, they figured out where the location was, which was the boss' house.
Regarding the bodyguard, it may depend on interpretation. I didn't think the bodyguard have to protect the wife personally 24/7 and stay in the same place with her. She may live somewhere using new contact/name but still the bodyguard can reach her. I didn't blame him for leaving her. He did good job until the end and not to tell her contact number to the serial killer. He was sorry because no matter how much he did his best, he couldn't avoid his boss wife heading towards the serial killer.
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CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 2:30 PM
Exactly, I think you have hit the nail on the head.
The agents were listening to the conversation while waiting for the fancy technology to trace the phone call. Unfortunately, the fancy technology did not work, but the old fashion crime solving methods did, i.e. using their eyes and ears (in this case) to examine and gather the clues and their brains to decipher them.
The wife and son were placed in a protection program, where they will live away from their family & friends under another identity. The agent was her contact point, he doesn't live with them, how to explain to their neighbours who is the man living in their house?
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29 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
August 7, 2017 at 9:50 AM
Some of this makes me long for the good old days in Middle Earth when you could identify a troll by what happened to them if they came out in the sunlight.
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silvermists
August 7, 2017 at 12:05 PM
bahahhahaaaaa!!!!
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30 persianrose❤️战哥
August 7, 2017 at 10:21 AM
"Criminal Minds’ strength definitely lies in its characters and their ability to make the emotion land". I totally agree! Although the show is not as perfect as I wanted to be, I absolutely love the characters specially the main trio. 1- SHJ ahjassi has such calmness and intuition that I've never seen in any other kdrama ahjassi. LJG is smart and badass but he is also down to earth and warm-heart when not in a mission, I absolutely like his character specially cause dramaland is full of cold male cops, his character is so unique. On the other hand MCW keeps a cold exterior here which I like it so much. Dramaland is full of emotional and compassionate female cops, so it's such an interesting change that she is the one with cold exterior and hiding he compassionate heart ???
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s9313071e
August 7, 2017 at 11:09 AM
Frankly, when I watch the show, I find LJK's role a bit jarring because he seems to be in an action show while the rest of the cast seems to be in a non-action one. I don't know why. I think it's in the way he acts, it's all action-y and stuff.
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51mplym3
August 7, 2017 at 12:03 PM
You mean jarring = annoying?
I feel sorry for you cause his action show disturbing you. On the contrary, not just him, I found all of them are likable, none annoying me so far.
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silvermists
August 7, 2017 at 12:04 PM
Yes as much as I love LJK he tends to over act a little. A good director would have reined in his intensity a little bit to make his character more believable. Otherwise, he feels like he's in acting in a theater production while everyone else is in drama mode.
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CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 2:49 PM
Actually, LJK is not overacting in CM. Theatre production acting style will be LJH in Signal, so exaggerated.
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Sakura
August 7, 2017 at 4:13 PM
Thank you, I have reconsidered watching this CMs on marathon of course. I dropped Signal after viewing just one full episode not because it was bad, just because I couldn't get past Lee Jehoon's intensity. Maybe I should read the recaps for Signal though, lol, but I will still watch CM because LJK doesn't come off over the top for me at least.
Maia
August 7, 2017 at 6:25 PM
Nope, I don't find him overacting at all and I'm usually very allergic to overacting.
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CityLiving
August 7, 2017 at 2:47 PM
He's supposed to be the action person on the team, with his background being from the special forces, he will be more inclined to action, whereas the others are in the profile team, i.e more talk less action. So the difference is logical. You don't expect Lee Han or Nana to be very action-y. For example, how Derek act was the other end of the spectrum from Reid.
Anyway, some people are just more energetic than others, even in real life. Cannot expect everyone to be the same.
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 7, 2017 at 2:49 PM
@s9313071e I don't find his role jarring at all. He came to NCI from police department. He was a cop while others are analyser. It's so normal for him to be more emotional and action mode. He is transforming from an active job to a more passive career. It's very interesting for me to see this transformation...
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31 augustmoon
August 7, 2017 at 11:57 AM
I hadn't posted to dramabeans in years and only delurked because I was so hyped about this drama but the atmosphere here is so negative and charged.
I'm just gonna go hide in a hole again and enjoy this show in peace.
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 7, 2017 at 2:53 PM
I'm reading DB for several years, I've never seen such a negative environment for any drama. So I decided to mainly read the recap and enjoy the drama rather than reading too many hateful comments ...
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32 pandarin
August 7, 2017 at 12:33 PM
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33 pandarin
August 7, 2017 at 12:54 PM
I'm finding the script a tad obvious but then again i'm watching for LJK so i'll just roll my eyes every episode like i do with US crime dramas. It was VERY obvious to me the reaper was Yong Chul especially when the post-mortem/medical examiner lady said that reaper has precise surgical skills and knowledge...so there should never have been a "survivor" in the first place especially after being stabbed 30+ times so he obviously stabbed himself. I was pretty miffed that this piece of information was fed to the viewer but didn't trickle down to the rest of the team or if it did, that they couldn't piece together this possibility given that they are dealing with a psychopath. I thought Ki-Hyung would click when he realised Yong chul's statements then and now were the same but he shelved it and the scenic route the whole time this journey was labelled as "profiling"...so far impressed by LJK of course, not so much the rest of the show i was actually echoing his words of not believing in the profiling business after watching this episode just seemed like an excuse to ignore your gut or sense. I hope it gets better or my eyes will be at the back of my brain by the end of this
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34 Hye Mi
August 7, 2017 at 1:07 PM
Guys, just a genuine question: If you see the strengths in the drama, why not talk about them instead of waiting for others to do it, and complain when they don't? I for one won't complain if someone points out the strengths of the show for me.
End with my rant. And here's my two cents. You can skip this one if you don't want to take another criticism.
The strengths of episode 4 is that the directing has started to fall into place, to finally depart from the 'soap opera' feel that many scenes left me in earlier episodes. I'm still having some qualms with the editing, especially when the team and Ki Hyung are supposed to rush to the house where the mother and child are held hostage. We caught only a few seconds of the racing car, but the way Ki-Hyung was shot in his car and the team in the bus feels sluggish, as if the car and the bus were both moving very slowly, and I understand why it took away the sense of urgency that is supposed to be there.
I personally don't feel scared out of my wit by any of the villains who have so far made their appearance, for reasons that I have stated and wouldn't repeat here. The highlight of this episode, as I previously mentioned in my comment in ep 3, is SHJ's acting. He hard carried the emotions in those last few minutes of ep 4 and it escalated into an emotional impact for me. For that alone he convinced me to give this drama a couple more episodes.
I am also one of those who complained about MCW's acting, but after these episodes, I take that back and conclude now that the problem lies with the director, since all three leads have that same expressions. Notice how she almost always wears a frown on her face, even when the situation doesn't necessarily require such tense facial expression. Then notice her crying on the bus when she heard the shot and her defeated look when she walked out of Ki-Hyung's house. Contrast those expressions and you'll know what I mean when I say that in the latter scenes, her face is much softer and more natural, yet the emotions are still poignant and powerful. I know she is capable of that and I don't like the director for opting for contrived angst to drive the point home.
Now for the profiling. For a show that centres on criminal profiling, the show only skims on that aspect which leaves so much to be desired. The appeal of criminal profiling is seeing the profilers arriving at their conclusion, or a profile about an unsub. It lies in the process not the end results. The Reaper case lays bare this weakness and make me question the writer's understanding and research about criminal profiling. If the Reaper case here copies the original, this criticism applies to the original as well. Now onto the details:
In the techroom profiling scene, SW and HJ say that they arrive at the conditions of the suspects based on the siblings' descriptions. However, the show didn't show how they question the validity of the information (because it is actually...
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Hye Mi
August 7, 2017 at 1:09 PM
In the techroom profiling scene, SW and HJ say that they arrive at the conditions of the suspects based on the siblings' descriptions. However, the show didn't show how they question the validity of the information (because it is actually made clear in true crime shows that no investigation would rely on child witnesses' testimonials alone), or arrive at certain conclusion. For example: the Reaper's approximate height. And then they come to the conclusion that he is a professional elite, but didn't say how they arrive at that point. Good deduction would show evidences on which such inferences are made, and skilled profilers can even narrow down the possible types of profession the unsub works in.
Then the Reaper's MO - very little comment if at all is made about this. Usually in criminal profiling, it is the profilers' job to study the suspect's MO and arriving at conclusions about his psychological background and psychological state at the time he commits the crime. Here we pretty much have the Reaper spell his motives and troubled upbringing to the profiler SW. It would be much more exciting to have the team make the conclusions themselves, and when they learn about the Reaper's story and know that their inferences are accurate, it would make them much more competent at their job. Some very obvious points that can evoke questions among the profilers include:
- Why is the Reaper targeting couples? Why the men would be the ones to suffer more (usually being stabbed first then having to witness their partner being brutally killed)? What does this say about the culprit's historical relationship with - or personal grudge against - couples, and men in particular?
- Why does he take personal items - not just any items, but something that the victims personally wear - and leave it on the next victims? What does this action possibly imply?
- Why did he spare the kids? Was it because he wanted to send a message along with his sparing them, or was it because he identified with them in some ways?
- What does the violence of the crime says about him personally?
- What does his writing and his letters say about him as a person?
All of these questions are casually touched on but we don't get to see them materialise into inferences and an elaborate profile of the Reaper.
The observation about the culprit exercising power and control over his victims are very common, in fact so common that it doesn't say anything particularly unique to the Reaper here. Criminal profiling is often tailored to be specific and unique to each new crime. There is actually so much potential to make the profiling part interesting and engaging, but too bad the writer(s) has failed to deliver that. I do hope this aspect will pick up in later episodes. Profiling is what sets shows such as CM different from other crime shows; without it does the show retain its essence anymore?
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 8, 2017 at 10:13 AM
@maskros: 1- he is a professional elite: cause he does his job like a professional surgeon...
2- Reaper's MO: I think we will learn more about that in upcoming episodes. What we know so far is him and his mom used to be abused by his dad and his mom could not do anything about that...
3-Why does he take personal items: I'm sure there will be an answer in future episodes cause his story just started.
I think the main challenge with CM is it's pacing. Kdrama watchers used to slow-motions and draggy story telling. This helps specially international audiences who needs to read subs and understand cultural differences. CM fast pace is a very new kdrama experiment that can make some older audiences run away while attract some new kdrama audiences (mainly male audiences cause they like fast paced series and don't care about exploring every small details)
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Hye Mi
August 8, 2017 at 11:22 AM
Thanks for your reply, but I think you've missed my points. I didn't mean to look for answers. I wrote specifically in my comment that those questions should have been raised and discussed by the profilers themselves. One of the major information piece for profiling (the culprit is a professional) is actually provided by the medical examiner - it's not the profiling work of any of the team members. The profiling aspect inspired me to do some quick research, and from what I understand, the whole point of criminal profiling is to study existing evidence to predict about what type of person the unsub is, and what can possibly be his psyche and motives that lead to the crime. They're just predictions, and there's no guarantee that they are correct, but that's the point of their job. Here all of those details are mentioned but no actual profiling is done, apart from the very generic observation that the unsub 'wants to dominate' and 'wants to exercise power over his victims'. This observation can apply to most other murder cases, and provides nothing specific, or unique to the Reaper.
For those who want to read more about criminal profiling, I've got something to share. Here is one case - The Mad Bomber - which is considered a famous example of profiling, because of the accuracy of predictions given by the profiler.
forensicoutreach.com/library/what-crucial-role-did-criminal-profiling-play-in-catching-the-mad-bomber/
I'm not going to spoil anything specific for those who haven't read it yet, but I just want to draw attention to how the profiler used existing evidence to arrive at the characteristics of the suspect:
1- He used statistical data about crime pattern to predict the unsub's gender, their language, the place where their letters were post to guess the relative location they reside in.
2- He used statistical data about mental illness and the history of the crime to predict the unsub's age.
3- He based on the unsub's manner of crime and his letter to arrive at conclusions about his personality, or most prominent characteristics. He then used this piece of information to advice the police for their next course of action, feeding further into the unsub's personalities, to finally lead to his capture.
The evidence left by the Reaper, his MO, and the degree of violence of his crime, would have been great materials for criminal profiling if the writer had cared to dig into those. Sadly, they didn't. Well, it's kind of late at this point to provide profiling on the Reaper because his upbringing and his hatred for men and couples in general have been already spelt out by him himself. However, since the Reaper is still alive, there are still opportunities to use past evidence to predict his next course of action, his possible hiding place, or his next victim(s).
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 8, 2017 at 12:00 PM
I agree that they wasted such a great profiling opportunity by making the Reaper talk about his upbringing and his hatred toward couple. However I still hope against the hope that it was not simply a lazy writing and they are going to do more interesting profiling on him now that their friend/family has been murdered by him. I'm also very unhappy that they are doing most of the profiling behind the scene!! We don't know if they identify him as professional only based on the doctor report or they had more evidences. I might rewatch ep 1 to understand some of the reaper profiling that was done in ep 1.
persianrose❤️战哥
August 8, 2017 at 12:06 PM
There is a possibility that most of their profiling (identifying the reaper characteristics) so far has been based on what Kim Yong-chul told them as the victim. Now that they know Reaper real identity they might start to actually profile his MO and his next move.
Hye Mi
August 8, 2017 at 4:31 PM
Thanks for your insights.
Yes I do think that the pacing for the Reaper case might have been the biggest problem. By rushing things up, there is little chance for properly developing the major aspects of the story equally. Sadly the profiling aspect suffers; on the other hand, I do think some of the intended emotional impact was partly achieved. I can see others' reason and standing when they feel that the angst comes too soon and they feel emotions and sympathy are dictated to them, rather than grow naturally through bonding with the character. I acknowledge that, but it doesn't subtract from my personal enjoyment of SHJ's acting.
Now my question is, since they depart from the original by letting the Reaper live, which is the impression I get from reading many comments here, would he be based off of any other major villain in later seasons of the original CM? (Are there any other big villains like the Reaper?) Or would he be a complete Korean spin-off?
And yes to more actual profiling, please.
35 javabeans
August 7, 2017 at 2:20 PM
Hey guys, I just cleaned up this toxic thread by removing comments that were directing insults at other readers. This is something we do not tolerate here.
Note that the comments made about the drama were potentially valid, but not the flame-baiting attitude. Pity, but if comments cannot remain civil, they don't belong here.
In the future, please email us and let us know when something like this is going on. I'm sorry I let it go on as long as it did, because it poisons the well. Thanks all!
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36 51mplym3
August 7, 2017 at 3:01 PM
I personally like this episode sluggish scene. It help me to focus on the conversation among them, feel their emotion, makes me feel how hopeless they are, try to keep calm although clueless, and that every second is precious to hear the last word of your wife or friend.
I even appreciate they turn off the siren sounds during conversation, and by showing me the blue and red lamp are blinking, it's enough to convince me that Ki Hyung is rushing.
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37 51mplym3
August 7, 2017 at 3:22 PM
Another reason that i like about this drama is that while i see the leads interaction growing, i will meet different villain from one episode to another. After one episode ended, i find myself looking forward what the villain is next. So far i enjoy their appearance. All of them are in different characters. I mostly failed to recognize who the villain is at first sight, so i'm excited to hear their upcoming psychological analysis.
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38 Dominique
August 7, 2017 at 7:01 PM
Frankly I don't understand how the Team Leader can get away with essentially egging on the murderer. What sort of person tells a serial killer not to disappoint them? What in the world????
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39 purplesheesh
August 7, 2017 at 7:06 PM
I stopped watching this and reads recaps for the meantime. However, I'm still positive that the team's rapport will transpire and be felt throughout the show. I think it's one of the strengths of Criminal Minds. <3
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40 persianrose❤️战哥
August 7, 2017 at 7:09 PM
@xiaojingyan my main problem with Tunnel was that they carbon copy the main villain from I Remember You. Also nothing was surprising for us as audiences cause from the primary episodes we knew who is the serial killer and the daughter/father plot was also too obvious... I still think Tunnel was heart warming drama but not a very smart one... kdrama crime tend to repeat same plots over and over (tragic backstory, related backstory among two cops/detectives, over-emotional hero, corrupted system, only one smart hero always solving the cases, over-dumb police department, etc.)
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xiao jingyan
August 8, 2017 at 3:43 AM
I don't think it's copying I remember you, it just the criminal occupation but without any similar upbringing. A lot of people can have the same job and I don't know if we certainly know that he is the right criminal since we based the deduction from a drama pattern and the small cast without real evidence that happens on the screen.
Even if we guess right, we don't know anything about how and why he becomes the criminal, the team lead us to figure out how and why it's him. The tension is there even if we know the culprit when the drama character still doesn't have the evidence.
This is the difference between wanting progress and result [even if we can have both too].
I don't think it's a flaw in writing but more of difference in taste and style, some people like chasing the unknown while collecting the evidence, some like to uncover something that already visible with looking at what could be used as evidence [In anime, it's like FMA and Monster]
I appreciated Tunnel bc the show clearly aiming to bring back the way people in the past reacting at crime.
How people from the 80's will freak out to see what happen now bc it just not happen in their time.
Nowadays we saw a lot of crime is on the news and overexposure can lead us to become desensitised with many things, including gore.
How we are more individual than communal and it was seen as something strange, therefore, the main lead is understandable rather than typical.
The team also isn't a highly skilled individual or a special team, they just normal people who never encounter this kind of cases with 2 individual that's not working together from the starts.
The expectation of what they are and what the show wants us is conveyed [like you said] as the heart warming type of drama. Which for me is a good indication of a show that knows their own story. It's believable for them to be like that for the most part.
I think most of Crime Drama has the tragic backstory for some of the main character, related partner, corrupted system and dumb department. I can't really find any crime drama without that, just in Kdrama, all of that usually come at the introduction which makes a pattern + the over emotional reaction while US series or JDRama tend to do that later after we know the character or make it happen in the present time rather than in the past.
As we here bc of KDrama, I also can't fault Kdrama to be "all about feelings" cause that's their speciality, kind of their charm but I agree that in the matter of Crime KDrama, there should be less of over emotional people, a lone hero and the repeated mistake of general guidelines when doing their job.
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persianrose❤️战哥
August 8, 2017 at 10:37 AM
We can just agree to disagree, I still think they copied the criminal from I Remember You, because that criminal occupation was a very rare occupation. In fact both dramas tried to create their criminal similar to Dexter Morgan, IRY was more successful in making a believable psychopath. Traditionally a successful crime/thriller has three main factors: 1-Suspense and unpredictability, 2-Interesting crime motivation or criminal characterization 3- Interesting detectives/cops that are quite smarter and stronger (both body and mentally) than regular audiences. I agree that kdramas added that emotional spices and I like it as far as they don't make a crime/thriller a forced cheesy romances (IRY) or a complete soap opera.
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41 chi
August 8, 2017 at 9:31 AM
The scenes of Hye Won's murder and the fight were missing some music for me.
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42 Kalyasiri Tan
August 8, 2017 at 9:35 AM
This Ep ... TL Kang disappoint me ... as a TL and as an actor ...
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43 prettysup
August 9, 2017 at 4:40 AM
I didnt expect the wife to die at all.. and how is it possible to narrow down the Reaper to just 3 suspects so quickly? Then they would have caught him long ago.
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S.Yan
August 9, 2017 at 8:37 PM
Yeah it's the hole apparently, they skip it so they could fit it into 1 episode?
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44 S.Yan
August 9, 2017 at 8:35 PM
Omg I was reading your synopsis and almost cry. I didn't even read the story from ep 1 yet I can feel the sadness through your words. Bet I'll be crying a bucket when watching the film!?
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45 Maya
August 11, 2017 at 10:45 AM
I'm not a fan of the "Reid" version in this Korean adaptation.
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46 Eighteen
July 22, 2020 at 11:54 AM
I was so mad watching this whole (horrific) sequence of events that I couldn't even cry. I mean- first of all, HOW did they NOT know it was the house. He said "leave the door open." What more do you want??? Also, how did they not notice that Kim Won Hee was the killer? I mean, come on! Hello, Sun Woo? Did you not smell the mints on him? Freaking graduated from a freaking profiling school and didn't realize something was off when he started talking about his parents??? And why was everyone just sitting there listening to that woman die???? I mean I get it. They could all have frozen in the heat of it all but y'all are professionals. Literally, people's lives are in your hands 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️. And when you all FINALLY figured things out, couldn't you have sent someone that was in the area ahead of you????? I don't think I'm being unreasonable here guys. I really don't like the writing for that sequence and even this episode in general. I feel like the writer was going for the 'hopeless situation' vibe in this episode but it just came out as incompetent. If she really had to die then it could have been done better.
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Eighteen
July 22, 2020 at 11:56 AM
Also, Kim Won Hee was really...something in this episode, wasn't he? *shudders* I can't imagine any show using him as just a passing character tbh.
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