DETECTIVES, CRIMES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
We all know those dramas. Those heart-racing, blood-pumping, got-you-looking-for-clues dramas. The ones that make you a detective overnight and have you suspecting all the characters. Those dramas that make legal terms (like victim, perpetrator, attacker) become alive, become real, become flesh and blood. The ones laced with plot twists, gruesome crime scenes, action, and suspense (although I am not a fan of suspense but let’s just chalk it up as me being weird). The ones without swooning where Cinderella will die not just lose her prince charming. Those ones we both like; the investigative dramas. They are endless in Korean entertainment. And today I am glad to bring you the most recent version of my personal favorites.
- Beyond Evil
Beyond Evil is the 2021- golden boy of crime dramas (at least for the first half). The year is yet to end but the 16-episode drama is heavily decorated with numerous nominations and awards, some from the prestigious Baeksang Awards.
The drama follows the journey of Lee Dong-shik and Han Joo-won in their pursuit of a very smart serial killer. For Lee Dong-shik, the cases hit a little too close to home and so he goes above and beyond in order to catch the serial killer and uncover all the political dynamics underneath. The elite the detective, Han Joo-won, soon discovers that evil is a bottomless pit, it can only get worse.
The drama makes you scream, cry, and think as you wonder why people get so much smarter when crime is involved.
2. Flower of Evil
Flower of Evil is another drama that is already heavily decorated with nominations. The 2021 16-episode journey takes us on an onion-peeling journey of uncovering the truth hidden under the well-crafted façade of Baek Hee-seong and Cha Ji-won’s perfect marriage.
It shows us the power of words, the danger of assumption and why conditioning is as much a force of bad as it is of good, whether accidental or planned out.
Ready for some breathtakingly intense scenes, then Flower of evil is just right.
3. Voice
The 3-season decorated drama first aired in 2017 is the oldest on this list. It follows the journey of two police officers who are very emotionally scarred. Both have lost family members to gruesome killers while they were busy taking care of the rest of the world. They both join hands to ensure that crimes are stopped before they occur so as not to investigate after.
Each season follows the joys and sorrows of the men and women who work in the police call centers.
4. Kairos
The 2020 16-episode drama brings to light the power of a parents’ love. In his quest to find his missing daughter, Kim Seo-jin joins hands with an unexpected ally, Han Ae-ri who lives a month behind Seo-jin.
In order to prevent the terrible events that befall his family and to inform Ae-ri of the disastrous consequences of her actions, two unlikely allies must work together.
Kairos highlights the fact that the devil is oftentimes closer than you think. For surprises with a dose of time-travel, Kairos is just right.
5. Awaken
When crime meets supernatural, my day is made. Awaken is a 2021 16- episode drama that follows the journey of Do Jung won and his team as their investigation of some mysterious deaths lead them to one can of worms after the other. These cans eventually leave them a trail to unexplained incidents that occurred 28 years ago.
With loads of action, surprises and an intriguing plot line, Awaken definitely makes the list.
6. Mouse
Mouse is the newest on this list and has very high ratings in Korea. The 2021 20-episode drama sends shivers down your spine with each new episode. Jung Ba-reum is the perfect police officer until we find out that what you see isn’t everything. It puts trust to question and shows that almost everyone has a tendency to be violent. The choices we make, on the other hand, makes us who we truly are.
For layered surprises and an unhealthy dose of plot twists, Mouse is just right.
While a good dose of investigative dramas is lovely, just lovely, I would advise against serial watching (binge watching several different dramas) or watching it at night. It could result in seeing a serial killer in every corner, an unhealthy level of suspicion and sleeping with all the lights on (I warned you).
THANK YOU
