9.5/10 – WOw. There is a reason why “Signal” has the acclaimed reputation of being one of the best police/crime Korean dramas ever, past, present, and future. FAM I WAS TRIPPIN’ THE WHOLE TIME, in the best way possible hahahaha.
“Signal” follows the story of Park Hae-young, a very brilliant cold case profiler who accidentally finds an old walkie-talkie that allows him to communicate with someone from the past: Lee Jae-han, a police detective from 1989. Working together, they solve crimes that are currently cold cases, that that happened during Lee Jae-han’s time, and try to effectively prevent these crimes from happening/escalating.
For this review/reflection, I’m not going to give any specific spoilers at all, because I really think that the unpredictable nature of this drama is one of the most enjoyable aspects! I will go into some general takeaways that don’t give too much away though, BECAUSE I NEED TO GET IT OFF MY CHEST.
I was honestly blown away by the use of “time travel”. No one actually travelled back or forward in time, but that special walkie-talkie that connected the past and present for a minute or two every so often provided so much richness and intrigue to the story-telling. The drama’s execution of flashbacks and time travel was so good. What the directors and script-writers produced in this drama is what all time-travel-esque shows aspire to do: use this magic realism element to enhance and propel the story, but not as a crutch or convenient plot device. And even without the walkie-talkie connection, the story was still so good!! The way all the crimes and character fit together was seamless and thoughtful, and of course it all ties back to corruption, greed and selfishness from people in power.
What I’m about to say is probably going to make me seem kind of shallow, but it’s the honest to goodness truth. “Signal” is the first drama I’ve watched where my favourite male character is not who I think is the most good-looking, LOL. Look man, I think we’d all be lying if we denied that part of the appeal of Korean dramas is the eye-candy, hehehehe. But no seriously, Lee Jae-han, played by Choi Jin-woong (apparently he’s super famous and acclaimed, I will have to check out his other works!), is hands-down my favourite character in the whole show. Choi did such an excellent job of portraying him as a very ordinary cop with ordinary looks, abilities, and intelligence. But what set him apart was his extraordinary sense of morality and selfless duty. His characterization was so subtle and flawless. You could tell that at heart he was a meek and gentle person, with a bold streak that shows itself when it comes to fighting for justice.
I really loved how Park Hae-young and Lee Jae-han actually develop a sort of friendship through their brief walkie-talkie conversations, even though they LITERALLY are from different times. They grow to respect each other immensely as fellow police officers, tied together by a mutual desire to seek the truth and get justice.
The third main lead is the team leader of the police cold case squad, Cha Soo-hyun, played by Kim Hae-soo. I think this was the first Korean drama I’ve seen where the female lead was truly on-par with the men as far as strength, capabilities, and mental fortitude are concerned. I also thought it was really fascinating how she was connected to both Lee Jae-han (she was his junior officer back in 1989) and Park Hae-young (she is his team leader in the present as they solve cases together). To be honest, I was indifferent to her crush on Lee Jae-han, but it was why she was still committed to his cases so many years later, and because she and Park Hae-young had such vested interest in the same man from the past, it helped knit the plot together even better. I thought it was so cool how we see her growth from past to present. She started out as a timid, inexperienced officer in an otherwise all-male precinct, whose incompetence was a constant source of frustration for Lee Jae-han, into a clever and tenacious team leader who was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with any criminal. And behind the armour she built up over the years, she still showed deep-seeded vulnerabilities and softness. It was a realistic portrayal of an strong, independent woman, and I really appreciated that. With most Korean dramas, everyone’s connected in more ways than they think! I thought it was such a good story-writing decision to give the audience bits and pieces of the whole timeline throughout the entire course of the show, even up to the last episode, so that I was guessing and speculating the whole time. Every encounter and interaction between characters was woven deliberately and with intention, and because of that, the story flowed very well.
I highly highly recommend this drama for anyone who enjoys crime/thriller dramas, who isn’t that concerned with romance or “cute” characters. This drama is dark, intense, and the definition of a slow-burn masterpiece! When everything came together in the end, I was left speechless, quite literally. My mind was able to process it and understand it all, but I wasn’t able to articulate it or explain “how” things fit together because it was just so trippy!!! Does that make sense? hahaha….anyways, you’ll get it. Please check this one out!! Thanks for reading, and happy watching 🙂
Thought Bubbles 