Signal (2016)

The Main Problems I had with "Signal" (Even though I Loved It)

I've never done this before, but here is a review/discussion on "Signal" for those who HAVE seen the drama.

WARNING: ESSAY AHEAD

As one of the highest rated shows here, it is impossible to miss “Signal.” If you haven’t watched it, you will at least try it out one day because the world won’t stop telling you how good it is. Nor will the reviewers stop reviewing. For some reason. Ahem. (But seriously, this review is addressed to those who have seen it).

However, after recently finishing the series, I went through reviews to try and find the words which described how I feel about it other than the extremes of “IT’S THE BEST” or “IT’S THE WORST.” Which, honestly, it isn’t either of those things.

Let’s be honest, though, it’s great. It’s a really well done show. Even if you haven’t seen it you KNOW that. So, as I seem to be doing to the popular things, I’m just going to discuss what is not so great. This time, with spoilers. All the spoilers ahead.

THE PLOT HOLE

Getting right into it, we have a bit of plot holes here which I’ve seen people mention exist, but no one seems to be really discussing what they actually are. And it is what the main one is which really impacts the ending of the season.

The radio transmissions. Obviously. The first transmission received is from Jaehan’s future—a future only made possible because of Haeyeong’s future transmissions. This becomes a whole “chicken and the egg” ordeal as it is supposedly Haeyeong which leads Jaehan to the latter’s death, when the show itself is constantly reminding us that the future only changes when the past is changed.

While their relationship’s beginning with Jaehan’s death adds to the suspense and weight at the end of the season, I did spend the entire time wondering when we would find out how the transmissions started in the first place. This curiosity was never satisfied—unless I missed something in which I would ask someone to explain (completely plausible).

CONSISTENCY

This show actually does a great job in keeping things pretty simple (though it certainly gets too simple as many have noted), but the second half also will make question the consistency of changing the past.

When the serial killer with ties to Soohyun gets arrested in the past, this results in several women surviving in the future. Haeyeong comments on this, but no solution is arrived at by the end of the season. When the previous case held drastic results for changing the past, this case ends up having no fallback. Rather, all the experiences the audience endured with the characters are lost, thus destroying the growth of the characters.

TIME

Where Jaehan goes through years of his life in the show, the present only seems progress in a few weeks—a month, maybe, based on the cases and conversations had between characters. Still, there seems to be a lot of room for character growth in this short period because so much heartache ensues in the current tragedies…until they are wiped away.

One of the “wait, what?” moments in the show for me was when Soohyun is able to address her trauma and finally catch the killer who tormented her…only for it to be erased from history completely. This growing period for her and other moments in the show are lost, leaving the audience to wonder about the cost of changing the past only to lose the strength gained from pain.

I do think that the last episode somewhat addresses this when *stuff happens* and the present changes in a nearly unrecognizable way. We see that all of these relationships Haeyeong built over the last several weeks are gone, and I wondered what he must have been feeling then—if he regretted it.

Part of the reason I believe audiences loved Jaehan so much is because he has all these years to grow and continuously show his devotion to people and his beliefs. His past never changes. On the other side, however, the present characters experience little change aside from Haeyeong. Even then, he is always in the middle of things and dealing with the new changes in the present.

Though I will say that even though I read how people felt the radio transmissions should have been utilized more, I would argue instead that the ethics of the transmissions should have been considered more. I am hoping that this will be addressed in the second season (if it ever comes).

ADVERSITY

I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m ripping this show apart, but I do also feel it necessary to talk about the villains. Despite the fresh take on crime, this show suffers from the usual “corruption” trope where we have these top dogs who love making the good guys suffer for seemingly no reason at all.

In fact, I feel like “Signal” didn’t even both coming up with a reason for our antagonists. They were just illogically against solving crime right and just wanted money and power for some reason. Super weird.

Interestingly enough, I don’t think “Signal” even needed some evil, corrupted, villain. Just this fight against time, death, and perps was enough to get my heart racing.

CONCLUSION

All in all, it was a great show. Many repeated flashbacks which were unneeded, but I still enjoyed that I could follow what was going on with the investigations rather than it just being a bunch of nonsensical jargon as sometimes happens.

I know I listed a bunch of problems it has, but I really did enjoy this show which is why I’m taking the time to review it like this. Oddly enough. It made me think and kept me pushing for the next episode because I just had to find out how they were going to finish all of this. I recommend it!

My rewatch value is my entertainment instead. And as always, I am so grateful to those who made this show available to us. The hard work that went into the making is evident if you take a look. Cheers!

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An Intense Thrill ride!

Wow...Just wow. I never knew what was coming next. Okay so the romance between the main girl and the guy from the past is only seen in flashbacks but it's so realistic and so pure and innocent, I loved watching every interaction they had. The acting was top tier and the storyline kept you guessing till the end. I love the duo of the 2 main leads, I love the friendship and the trust that they built. I hated the villian more than Ive hated any kdrama villian so far.It was Fantastic...That being said the reason this drama did not recieve a 10 star from me was because of the ending. Now I have learned in the Kdrama world, a common downfall many of them are unsatisfactory endings. This one was unfortunately no different. The ending was not horrible by any means, it just didn't tye it up in a nice full circle bow like a wanted. I really could've done with one final scene where the couple we'd been watching and feeling sorry for could've seen eachother. Besides that it was great 👍

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I was told it was great.

And surprise, it turned out to be great.

It's hard to say what this drama is about without spoiling the plot. So instead of talking in detail about a spectacular, might-blowing story that made me cry on several occasions(I don't usually get emotionally invested in fiction), I'll talk a bit about the form, without spoiling the content like I usually do in reviews.

And the form is, of course, amazingly done too. This drama has some of the best cinematography I've seen in Korean dramas so far. The music, acting and pacing all combine to deliver an outstanding series.

Though speaking of acting....I'll be frank, I don't like Kim Hye Soo. I know she has many fans, but I seriously dislike her plastic face that can only play with overly large eyes and slight tilts of mouth. This made it somewhat annoying to watch the series at certain moments, considering how much screentime her character has. The fact that her character wasn't particularly likable(though she was written like that on purpose, so it's not a fault of the drama) adds the fuel to the fire.

But I digress. Both male leads were great, and the villains were actually hateable. Yes, I usually sympathize with villains in dramas. Usually, they do something bad, then get severely punished by protags, and if they happen to have some sad backstory, it usually makes me empathize with them even further. The only thing that usually makes me root for protags, and not sympathize with the antagonists, is when the antagonists are shallow/overly black/saturday morning cartoon caricatures. But then that means what I really hate is bad writing, not the characters.

But in Signal, we have some villains that are psychologically deep, complexly written, with multilayered motivations behind their actions, yet....at no point does the show make me sympathize with most of them or stop rooting for the main characters.

I also liked how the ending sequences showed the previews for the next episode....by showing scenes that would only happen many episodes later, or not happen exactly as they were shown at all. This added to the entire time travel and chronology confusion feel of the show, by playing with the viewer on meta-level. Well done!

In the end, some things weren't explained. But perhaps they weren't meant to be explained. Thematically, the show is about not giving up hope when fighting for justice, and putting down those who feel beyond law and punishment and making a mockery of police and innocents. It's also about cause-and-effect, and how we might not always get what we want. These themes are executed to a satisfying conclusion, and that's what matters the most.

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One of the Most Innovative Thrillers I've Ever Seen!

“Signal” is one of the most innovative and original thrillers I’ve ever had the privilege to watch. It captivates you right from the beginning and never lets up. The writing is crisp and taut, leaving the viewer to sit in wonder as to where the next leg of the story is going to go, while at the same time, wondering what the fate of our three protagonists is.

Park Hae Young is a brilliant criminal profiler with a tragic past, one in which he seems to be the center. While he’s a lieutenant with the police department, he does not like the police, nor does he have any faith in their ability to do their job—and with good reason as we find out as the story unfolds.

Detective Cha Soo Hyun is one of the few female violent crimes detectives who seems cold and a bit aloof, but she’s dedicated to her job, and she also comes with a tragic past: the only person to treat her with respect as well as the love of her life in Detective Lee Jae Han who mysteriously disappeared 15 years ago from when this story is set.

Finally, we have Detective Lee Jae Han who leads a one-man crusade to fight against police and political corruption within the police department. He has absolutely no compunction about acting alone, as he’s determined to always do the right thing and bring justice for those who are incapable of getting it otherwise. In many ways, Lee Jae Han is the glue of the trio, and demonstrates that you can never give up no matter what happens. He is the one person Park Hae Young respects within the police department, and soon Cha Soo Hyun as well.

The main focus of this series is a radio that sends its transmissions into the future, and always at the same time, although not every day. Park Hae Young is soon amazed that he’s speaking to Detective Lee Jae Han in the past, using a radio without batteries! How can this be? The series does not ask nor require an explanation, but simply for the viewer to go with it. Perhaps it is the spirit of Lee Jae Han and his fierce determination that causes this phenomenon to occur. In the end, it doesn’t really matter.

Soon placed on a Cold Case Squad under Cha Soo Hyun, Park Hae Young and Detective Lee Jae Han begin to tackle cold cases of the past, and together, hope to solve them and catch criminals who are uncaught—that is until the mysterious radio transmission begins to occur. Park Hae Young has access to evidence that Detective Lee Jae Han doesn’t in the past, including the future location of crimes at future points in time.

However, we soon learn that not everything is resolved because of this advantage, and Park Hae Young quickly discovers that certain things that have been corrected are not always for the best, as others are forced to pay a price for the interference.

There are plenty of plot twists as the story continues with the three of them trying to uncover the central plot to the story that has caused the death of Detective Lee in the past as well as the death of Park Hae Young’s brother. This, of course, raises certain questions, whether they be moral or ethical: can Detective Lee be saved from his fate? Should he be? And can anything be done to save Park Hae Young’s brother?

The series raises a glaring philosophical question: if you could go back and change something from the past, would you? Most people, without really thinking things through, might quickly say, “Yes!” But then, how would things change? This is something that our three characters must ask and answer within the scope of the story. Kobe Bryant was once asked if he had a time machine, would he not want to go back and change things? He very quickly said, “No. I’d never use it. Because that undermines everything that I ever learn from my mistakes.”

Most people have events of the past that they wish they could have done differently. These may even include tragic moments where accidents or events have led to the death of a loved one. Therefore, it may be far more challenging to refrain from using a time machine ability to change the past with the hope of changing the future.

Time stories are very, very difficult to do well. They tend to fall under one of two results: those done very well, and those that are done very badly. There really isn’t an in-between. This is not only one of the few that does it well, but it’s among the very best that I’ve seen. Perhaps only time stories in the Star Trek universe have been done better.

While all three actors are absolutely fantastic in this series, it’s Jo Jin Woong who is the standout for me. He carries himself beautifully as a dedicated detective who is very uncomfortable with personal advances, such as those we see from Cha Soo Hyun toward him, leading to some absolutely hilarious exchanges between the two of them. He plays a hard-nosed detective who refuses to take guff from anyone, no matter their rank. He’s definitely a very idealistic police officer who still believes in the system and that his job is to bring justice. In many ways, Detective Lee is a true hero.

This is a series that will hold your interest all the way to the end. I had only a slight reservation at the very end, and I thought it was because they might have been leaving the door open for another season, but that wasn’t the case. How did Detective Lee survive/escape his last attack? And are Park Hae Young and Cha Soo Hyun successful in, not only getting to him in time but also able to bring down the corrupt congressman? The answers to the last two questions, we can assume that they do, but the first question is left much more obscure that, frankly, needed an answer. But, neither of these prevented me from being grateful for being able to watch such a fantastic series!

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Beautifully crafted crime drama

Most of the times, I have a hard time watching Korean crime dramas. Though they are exciting to watch, sometimes there are just too many names to remember (hard to remember foreign names vs english ones).

I am currently watching the Queen's Umbrella and saw someone comment in his review how much he liked Kim Hye Soo in Signal. I loved her in Juvenile Justice so I decided to watch Signal and see her in a different role.

After finishing this series in record time, I agree with loving Kim Hye Soo. Not only is she a great actress, she totally suits the role of a tough detective. I also loved Jo Jin Woong. His acting is so natural and he is so in character as Detective Lee Jae Han. I looked around for his other dramas but sad to say that he doesn't have any current ones.

The storyline is also well written. It captures the viewers interest and there are some heart pounding moments when you wonder if this or that is about to happen.

While the radio transmissions give you Frequency vibes, it is still different in certain ways. Definitely a must watch

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After the first three or four "confusing" episodes, 'Signal' provides the outright most amount of emotion and attention-to-detail a drama could ever give. Phenomenal acting by each single member of cast alongside a confusing-at-first plot which turns into a masterpiece, and a production quality that Hollywood would be proud of - it is a definite watch for anyone who enjoys these type of shows. I believe a second season has already bee made and is waiting for release, but if I am wrong, I still believe that a second season should be made - although it's been almost 5 years!

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Not to compared, but i love this over voice. It's more into criminal psychologic study and detective work. The forensic just give a little touch. There's not really called a thriller scene tho. But I loving the different generation to end with. It's no sense if we put it on the real life, since cold cases has too much holes to filled up. But through the time difference, they could! Even though the end was just normal, like other dramas that they'll still alive until several season. The music didn't stand out well. Since i was focused more on the story. But it help a lot wuth the sad scene. Well, this must got a good prising.

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This was the first drama that rose my standard of what I wanted in a drama.
For summary sake this is about a police officer who finds a walkie talkie of a missing officer from the 80s and he can communicate with him from the past at a certain time. together they solve crimes in the past and present.
It has so many twists and turns I couldn't predict what happened next up to the last minute.
1. If soppy love storys are your type of dramas this isn't for you. YES there is a female lead who had a past spark with the missing officer (I never remember names) but is all very subtle and never really brought to the service although their bond is amazing.
2. The acting and emotions are great, I was really drawn into every episode by the incredible acting and storyline.
Minor SPOLIER - The ending can be frustrating as it is a cliffhanger and you have to kind guess what happens but It doesn't bring down the story at all just think of the ending you want as it leaves it up to you anyway.

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Wow... Just wow
This is an epic drama. At first i thought this is just another boring crime solving drama. After watching it, i realized how wrong i was. This drama takes you to a journey of two different people connected by a signal from different times. It's not like you just starts solving cases and won medals and all that. If you change the past present changes too.
Signal is a crime thriller that will keep you on the edge throughout most of the show.
The main leads were really good at what they were doing. they were amazing at their roles. I loved this show.
If you want to enjoy an epic crime thriller with a time traveling twist. This is for you, Don't think twice just go and watch it. You can thank me later.

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Must watch

I loved the series, why i didn't score it higher? because oce the mister is gone, is difficult to re-watch and get the same emotions. I would like a season 2 to complete to blank spots.

The character of Jo Jin Woong brought a baggage of emotions, while I was expecting more from the other 2 main characters, especially Kim Hye Soo, I truly love her works.

The story is great, don't want to spoil the mistery and the OST perfect, I have it on my YouTube private library :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe5J2l2scl8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpyPPEr-9DM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZYSjUADrw&list=PL1LdzvvpQJSAQT_ZSmkVAB8jaRFQjvjWJ&index=2

Is a must see series.
Enjoy !

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