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Starring two intense actors, Seo InGuk (“Doom at Your Service”) and Oh YeonSeo (“A Korean Odyssey”), this drama should have lots of sparks and honey. I expect OYS to dish out fierce opposition, and SIG to deliver the sweet talks.
The story is based on a webtoon. SIG plays a shaman who used to be a criminal profiler. I’m guessing that he uses his profiling skills to con his clients at his fortune telling business. As for OYS, she seems to be onto SIG’s scam. I expect the drama to open with a cat-and-mouse storyline.
It’s on Netflix today. I’ll try to join you when my work permits.
Let’s enjoy the watch.
Thank you @Packmule3!
Hope you will have a nice week! <3
Thanks again, @Packmule3. I hope that your work allows you full enjoyment of dramas soon.
Annyeong 🌼
Thanks @pM3 for being on top of this. Great reminder. I plan to watch it after work today. how exciting! one thing that’s making my sad monday a tad happy 💗
Hi, I’d love to watch this,…. but…. I’m not sure that I can make the time. I will definitely try.
On a different note: the vote for the next show to Rewatch is on!!! If you’re interested to join us on Saturdays, you’re welcome. If you’d like to vote, please come over to:
https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2022/06/20/next-drama-for-the-rewatch-party/#comment-88334
Cheers!
I’ve watched the first episode. Seo In Guk looks like he’s having fun inhabiting his character. He’s using big arm motions reminiscent of how Park Seo Joon played the Vice Chairman in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.
The script confuses me a bit, with its jumble of genres. Is it outside-the-establishment crime fighting à la Healer? The messy hacker extraordinaire certainly has Healer vibes, but this time she’s little sister, Nam Hye Jun, rather than Ajumma. Is it a Robin Hood genre, like Legend of the Blue Sea, in which we’re supposed to root for the con artist because he only swindles bad people? Is it slapstick, with those who are supposed to traffic in the supernatural being afraid of ghosts?
So far, these are the tensions that have been introduced in Episode 1:
Competent and principled Detective Han is disliked by police hierarchy because her whistleblowing caused her former superiors to lose their jobs. Some at the top would like to see her gone (and, yes, there’s different ways to interpret that word). There’s a suggestion that crooked cops might be part of this story. If that is true, and they are antagonists of Detective Han, then she may find Nam Han Joon to be an ally because he’s outside the system.
Nam Han Joon offers the services of a shaman and is popular not only because he’s good looking and charismatic, but because he gets good results. He’s a fraud because his results come from good research and keen observation, not from communication with the spirits. The illegality of his business lies in the hacking that is done to gather information. In the first episode, at least, it seems Shaman Nam chooses to partner with law enforcement to catch criminals, calling in tips both secretly and openly. Hints have been dropped both in the first episode and in its epilogue that Nam Han Joon fell on the wrong side of the law by destroying evidence. In the epilogue we see a pile of wadded papers, partially burned, and a sobbing Nam Han Joon sitting near them. It is difficult to see, but something is laying next to the pile of wadded papers. Is it a body? It looks like the hair on the top of someone’s head.
Detective Han knows of Nam Han Joon’s past and seeks retribution by catching him as a criminal. The ep. 1 epilogue hints they had a connection in the past, perhaps having something to do with a body on a gurney she runs to.
The overall look of the show, so far, is dark. The police station is dimly lit. Cafe Minamdang seems like evening indoors even when it is bright daylight outside. Shaman Nam’s lair, somewhere below Cafe Minamdang, is constructed of dark materials; with its big entrance doors, high ceiling, and lines of pillars, it reminds me of the terrifying hall Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion entered when the went to visit the Wizard of Oz.
Kalimera Ladies!
I really enjoyed Episode 1. I am glad that Seo In Guk is portraying such a playful character.
I also have to say that the one who really impressed me is Kwak Si-Yang. His accent was everything I didn’t know I was waiting for! Especially when it reminded me a scene from an old greek movie where a late greek actor was talking almost like that in his role. It was some 60-70 years ago, but the resemblance is there!
In case you were wondering about what I am talking about :
Here is the scene. There are no subtitles, but to make things short a customer enters a cafe and asks for an orange juice, and the waiter tries to understand if he really wants an orange juice from oranges or something else.
In the scene are : Nikos Stavridis and Giannis Gionakis (take a good look at his haircut as well!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhsM_Hmr-Q
More on the movie here The Yellow Gloves (1960) / Τα κίτρινα γάντια : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180782/
Episode 1 – What a fun show! It was so intense. The sounds, colours, activity, expansive actions of the actors were so deliberately over the top.
The funny came from the unexpected, which got me chuckling. It’s one of those shows where what happens is preposterous but we love every impossible thing in it.
Somehow Oh Yeon Seo reminded me so much of Lee Si Young as the ‘Ghost’ in Grid. They even both were given the same ‘ghost’ nickname.
The black jacket and long flowing hair, that stance and side view, with that expression, made me think I was watching Lee Si Young again.
Maybe more later …
aNNyeong 🌼 BOD’erz
I was ready to watch Ep 2 at the end of Ep 1… and i have to wait LOL… a good sign i like this show 😄
@Welmaris, i get the “healer” vibes regarding the script. the Lt Det “ghost” Han is a bad ass fighter. even Shaman Nam is taken by her fighting moves. haha. not knowing she’s coming from his past and will more likely turn his life upside down. in a good way, i hope. that they will become allies. yes!
i like how the show started with the interviewers and him profiling all of them. i like that he has a team behind him. his profiling reminds me of this show i used to like called “psych” where the guy pretends he is psychic but really, he’s just using his profiling skills like Han-joon. i like that Han-joon brings justice also by catching bad guys 👍🏽
check out his wardrobe – and suits that were tailored in France? Daebak!
Kwak Si-yang’s character is interesting. He’s a barista by day and detective at night. with a full cafe, he only has 1 waiter? i feel like he needs more help. he also plays the receptionist role? he’s also a bad ass detective/fighter but when they were looking for the dead body, the boys were both scaredy cats. and when they fainted when the zombie like body approached their car. hilarious!
Kang Mi-na reminds me of Lee Si-woo. i can’t tell them apart haha. her character as sloppy and messy hacker. maybe even stinky LOL. and Han-joon as a neat freak. funny. esp. when Hye Joon and Soo-cheol were fighting over that huge bone. haha.
I found Episode 2 tighter and more fun than Episode 1, which is to be expected since basic introductions are over.
Nam Han Jun is more complex than I originally thought. His posturing as a shaman serves a greater purpose than fleecing wealthy clients…or does it? Just when we think his greater purpose is to help the police put away bad guys, he gives us a twist. Will spring come after winter? NHJ does muse to himself that he’d already decided to turn in the hit-and-run perpetrator after he helped him get off on a technicality (more later): he’s not doing it because he feels sorry for Detective Han and the hit she took to her reputation. Because public opinion is strongly against the perp who was let off, the police chief is now in favor of arresting him to save his own reputation. Was that part of Shaman Nam’s plan? What we do know, by the end of Episode 2, is that Shaman Nam’s biggest target is the National Police Agency’s Internal Inspector Jung Cheong Gi, who fabricated evidence to implicate both Nam Han Jun and Kong Su Cheol in wrongdoing.
We get a few more clues regarding the case that’s at the heart of this story, motivating the characters. Detective Han’s brother, a prosecutor, had been murdered. His death is tied to a serial arsonist, and it did look in the epilogue of ep. 1 that the body on the gurney, when Detective Han pulled back the sheet, had burn damage. Also in ep. 1’s epilogue, was that the body of Han’s brother we glimpsed next to the pile of wadded, partially burned papers as Nam sat sobbing nearby? Han losing her brother, and Nam losing his career due to that murder would tie them together strongly. But we learn their history goes back further, to when Han was a young girl. Nam had a judo match with her–both black belts, it appears–to teach her that “A true cop isn’t someone who beats up neighborhood thugs. It’s someone who knows how to love people…A true cop protects both civilians and criminals within the law. After all, we are the people who enforce the law.” There was a time Nam was as idealistic about his role as a policeman as Han now doggedly pursues justice.
Han, a well-trained and intelligent detective, would immediately understand the crime diagram board she sees when snooping in Nam’s house. Having seen Nam’s skill as a profiler, I highly suspect he knew Han was staking out his place and arranged it so she would come in and make the discoveries he wanted her to make. By doing so, she would know he’s playing a long game. He’s after Internal Inspector Jung Cheong Gi, who fabricated the evidence for serial arsonist Choi Yeong Seop’s case…and who, with Choi, was behind the murder of Prosecutor Han Jae Jeong. Internal Inspector Jung is also tied to crimes committed by S & H Group’s Shin Gyeong Ho, as his fixer.
The tensions driving the plot are becoming clearer, and as I suspected, police corruption at high levels is part of the mix.
Did anyone notice who met with Internal Inspector Jung to hire him a second time to make another of Shin Gyeong Ho’s violent crimes go away? Although she gave him a business card saying she was Chief Secretary Kim Juyeon of MK Noble Hotel, it was none other than our former NIS agent and hacker extraordinaire Nam Hye Joon. When Secretary Kim pushed up her glasses, I noticed the mole by her eye; Nam Hye Joon has a mole in the same spot. Also, when Nam Han Joon, Nam Hye Joon, and Kong Su Cheol are planning how they’ll use Jung Cheong Gi as bait to get Shin Gyeong Ho, Nam tells his sister, “You tell Jeong Cheong Gi that Lee Min Gyeong wants to see him.”
What to make of the epilogue to Episode 2? I believe we see Han Jang Mi’s memories of her crush on Nam Han Jun being quashed. Policeman Nam and his girlfriend skipping down the road, behind her back as she sulks, is likely the figment of a thwarted girl’s imagination and bruised ego.
Oops, I promised more later about the hit-and-run case, didn’t I? The dashcam footage was rendered inadmissible because the police acquired it one minute before the warrant was issued. I wonder if that could have been contested in court since it was given to the police, rather than the police seizing it. The rookie cop bagged it, and I don’t think the footage was viewed until after the warrant was issued. I also wonder if the car, delivered to the police station at the same time as the dashcam, was considered inadmissible evidence as well. I don’t think the ones working on the case even knew it was out there until after the warrant went into effect.
I wanted to make one more comment: The choice to show us Nam Han Jun interacting with the scene of Shin Gyeong Ho’s first violent crime, the murder of the woman, was inspired. Well done, Show! We viewers got a lot of information in an engaging manner.
Kalimera !
I really enjoyed Episode 2 and where this is heading do. @Welmaris did an analysis above and If I have time I might add my thoughts later…
The only thing I would comment is that the scene where Detective Han took down the Shaman Nam is not believable. If you are into judo or any other martial art, you cannot forget how to instinctively answer to an assault or move against you.
So for me that scene was not believable. It will make sense, only if he really k nows who she is and he let her take him down.
P.S. It is really an eye opening to see a twisted person not going to jail after murdering someone because he has money to spend on bribes. Bravo to the show for bringing it up!
@Cleopatra, I think Shaman Nam knows who Detective Han is, especially since he was framed in the case connected to her brother’s murder. Neither have changed their names since they first met (Nam is not using an alias). Did you see the Ep. 2 epilogue? As a child, Han Jang Mi wrote in the card she gave Policeman Nam that she wanted a rematch when she became a police officer. That was it, I suppose; Nam gave her opportunity for a win by sticking his arm out. He was trying to ward her off because she threatened to kick his shin again. Remember how much he hurt after she did that before? He had reason to try to keep her at a distance.
@Welmaris,
Yes, I have seen the epilogue. He seems not to remember her or so we are shown to.
She is the one who does and we get to see her POV in the flashbacks.
My brother has a black belt in kung fu. Years ago, I only managed to break his defense once and I got a kick as a result. That’s why I write above, your insticts kick in.
If Nam has a black belt, is a judoka and an instructor and years later he cannot protect himself and gets kicks to his shin, that means something. You may be inactive, but your body never forgets to react. That is my only argument.
That’s why I said, I do hope that he knows who she is and let her take him down.
Annyeong 🌼
I think Ep 2 is more serious as it goes more into the murder case. less funny moments. but i did laugh when Lt Han climb to the roof like she’s flying and they all freaked out at the same time. hilarious! and then they all run away leaving behind a hurt NHJ. hahaha. that’s not enough, he got hit by a flying sneakers also. ouch!
@Welmaris ~ thanks for your analysis. very informative. all that details sometimes goes over my head esp. about the case and that diagram board. i need screen shots 😄 when Hanjun was doing his shaman moves and we see a 3D re-enactment of the crime scene – that reminds me of the show i used to watch called “CSI” where they tend to do that and i like it. They did a good job here coz they show NHJ like he’s in the scene. pretty cool. very quick processing there for NHJ. amazing! if he didn’t change his name and chose this new career, i think, it’s pretty clever of him – like undercover- to get to the bottom of how Lt Han’s brother died. I thought he disappeared?? the whole flashback went so fast, guess i need to rewatch that part. There is definitely more to NHJ. He has a deeper purpose in doing what he’s currently doing.
@Cleo, i’m not sure if NHJ recognizes Lt Han. I know Lt Han does. but your argument makes sense. why would NHJ get taken down by Lt Han if he was her teacher. @Welmaris, would the rematch be this soon when they haven’t even acknowledged each other? i’m still not sure NHJ really knows Lt Han. coz it seems the only one whose feature changed was Lt Han. She grew up to be this amazing detective- a beautiful one at that. while NHJ seemed to look the same except more dashing in his suits. well, he’s dashing in his uniform then also. i’m like, does he even look older than Lt Han?? Regarding Kwak’s accent, no wonder i didn’t even recognize him at first coz he looks like a man-child. haha. i like his character, playful with the sister. i don’t think they like each other, do they? he also has admirers – the cafe goers.
Is this drama episodic (case of the week)?
@SnowFlower hello there!
We saw a case, but this case links to an older one. So, I cannot say for sure that the cases are all like that or not.
Hey @HK_Lady,
I agree with you. I tend to believe that he doesn’t know who she is. He calls her Looney or other names. The words he heard from her mouth, didn’t ring a bell or so we were shown.
So far, Shaman Nam seems a bit of an airy figure. We get fragments from the past and here and there, but who he really is. I am not talking about his Shaman facade…
Here is the official trailer :
Thank you for the trailer, @Cleopatra! I will watch ep. 2 today.
Hey my dear @Fern!
You are welcome! You are going to enjoy it! SIG is a tease! LOL
καλό μεσημέρι, @Cleopatra. I think that is the right one, between morning and afternoon? SIG is doing very well in this drama and I’m looking forward having seen the comments today. I will watch after I’ve done all chores/housework.
Καλό μεσημέρι αγαπημένη μου @Fern! You got it right!
Most of the times, I write it as Kalo mesimeri for you to read.
αγαπημένη = agapimeni.
Please do! I think we are going to enjoy this! The scene where he says “he is sexy” made me laugh so hard!
@Cleopatra, I laughed in episode 1 when while watching the cctv of the fight at the docks, he said something like, ‘She’s just my type.’ His sister scoffs. He says, ‘I want a woman who can protect me.’ We’ll see, won’t we?
@Fern,
A meme is circulating this morning:
Shaman Han and Strong Woman Do Bong Soo
Shaman Han and The Ghost…LOL!
I can’t find it on t’internet, but will have another look later. At the moment all I can find is Han Solo (matching the Han) and SWBDS memes of her and the two male leads.
Episode 2 continues to be fun as it settles into the story with some backstory of Nam and Han’s relationship as Judo mentor and mentee.
I look forward to the ultimate team of 7 ie the 3 Minamdang with the 4 police officers.
We start off with a very demoralised, negative police officers Jang and Kim, but with TL Han, it’s good to see the passion to be good police officers start to ignite again.
The chatterbox prosecutor Cha was a fun surprise. And seeing Lee Si Eun as a longer haired ‘criminal’ after seeing him as Park Soo Bong in ‘W – Two Worlds’ getting the chatterbox treatment, when he’s usually the one doing the chatter was a hoot.
I don’t know if Nam Han Joon recognised Han Jae Hee or not. I’m surprised in fact that Han Joon hasn’t changed his name if he’s in the business of interfering with police investigations. How did he get out of jail if he was implicated in a murder? When Nam flipped him, and quoted his own words back to him, he should have realised by then, if he didn’t earlier. I agree with @Welmaris that he left the things in the apartment that he wanted her to find. Even the nice red shorts – lol.
I just finished two zombie dramas (All Of Us Are Dead and Happiness) and I need something to keep me entertained while waiting for Alchemy Of Souls episodes. I will give it a try.
Kalimera dear @Fern,
If I come across it again I will copy its link!
P.S. The nice red shorts were scandalizing…LMAO! *winks*
@GrowingBeautifully, I also got a laugh out of seeing Lee Si Eon in his cameo!
@Cleopatra, those red silk boxers looked too comically baggy to be fashionable. Who would work hard a whole year to not gain even 1 kg in order to fit into a custom-made Italian suit, then stuff all that excess fabric into the pants? That’s another reason I think Shaman Nam used Detective Han’s personality (he is a profiler par excellence, isn’t he?) to entice her to search his house so she’d make the discoveries he wanted her to make.
About Han’s off-the-record surveillance of Nam: for someone who’s as by-the-book as she is supposed to be when it comes to her career, she cuts a lot of legal corners when going after Nam. She steals mail out of his mailbox, which in the USA is a felony. (The door to the box was open, then we see her in the alley looking over what appear to be bills.) She opened, without permission, the mail she took from Nam’s mailbox, which in the USA would be a separate federal crime: obstruction of correspondence. When Han enters Nam’s home without permission, she commits criminal trespass. I would not consider morally upright someone who bends rules to fit her purposes. As for Nam, except for his team’s hacking to gather intel, I think he knows and operates within the law better than Han, using it to his advantage (while appearing morally corrupt).
When Han was a child, she used her martial arts skills to beat up neighborhood thugs. She said she did it to exact justice. Because she wanted to become a police officer, Nam tried to teach her a lesson: all people, even criminals, should receive fair treatment within the law through due process. She cannot act as judge and jury.
About that scene when Nam fought the child Han…
H: Did someone send you here are revenge?
N: No
H: Then?
N: I heard you wanted to become a cop so I came to teach you a lesson.
Send you…I came…This is the first time these two have encountered each other face to face. Nam was not Han’s regular instructor.
I assumed what we saw was a judo match, because of the grappling and throwing. Turns out in real life, according to Wikipedia, that Seo In Guk Seo “trained as a ssireum wrestler, learnt boxing and mixed martial arts in school and is a Hapkido 2nd dan.” Hapkido “is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks.” (Wikipedia)
@Welmaris, thanks for your comparison on the differences between Han and Dam as far as legal investigation goes. I was just going with the ‘fictional’ flow of it being unrealistic but amusing. Eventually he can confront her about this and they can proceed as a slightly dodgy unit, I think. She has a lot to learn from him.
Kalimera @Welmaris,
Don’t forget that they have censorship. If they boxers were more fitting then, some would have a heart attack ! LOL!
I agree with you. Their differences are not to be ignored! @Fern got it right!
She has indeed a lot to learn from him!
I think I am going to have to give this a try. I was giving it a pass because it looked so dark. It sounds like it may be fun.