Signal (2016)

Same Crime, Different Times.

Signal is a drama that is never missed in a list of thriller recs. Although the MDL synopsis seemed a bit boring to me, I decided to give it a try.

Park Hae Young, a detective, has an open disdain for the police force in spite of working for them. He had witnessed cases being handled for the sake of it's completion and his very own brother framed for a crime he never committed.
Chae Soo Young, his senior and team leader is unforgiving to this attitude, but she realizes that he had more spunk in him. Her sunbae, Lee Jae Han had disappeared 15 years ago.
Fate intertwines the three of their lives after his walkie-talkie that was about to be disposed off is found by Hae Young… leading to a chain of events that create waves in the past and it's ripples in the future. As Hae Young and Jae Han solve the past and the present, Hae Young seeks the answer to Jae Han's disappearance.

Hold onto your seats, because Signal is a mixture of thrill, mystery, suspense, despire, melancholy and various other heart wrenching emotions. The first few episodes deal with regular gory and disgusting cases, both in the past and future timelines (connected by the radio transmissions between Hae Young and Jae Han). It is during the later episodes that the ultimate dark side of the plot is revealed: Jae Han's disappearance.

I did not care for any of the characters initially. We don't see the inner workings of several of them, including Detective Cha. All the events seen through Hae Young's eyes, and his hatred for the police, made him one of my favorite characters. I have never seen the leading actor's performance before, but I'll definitely be checking them out in the future. Jae Han was a typical tsundere puppy whom I grew to slowly adore over the course of time. I loved his bravery and tenacity when it came to solving crimes.
I enjoyed seeing the two sides of Soo Young —- the inexperienced rookie cop and battle hardened detective.

Particular praise for the actor who played Kim Bum Joo, an utterly despicable and corrupted Chief of their Precinct. I wanted him dead until the very end.
The rest of the cast delivered stellar performances, even the minor culprits who popped up.

I loved how every case was solved and handled. As usual, the cops got on my nerves more than the killers. The stress was 100% real and my blood boiled whenever the cases were overturned. I feared for the life of the characters. I hated the villains. I adored the glimpses of family, loyalty and affection that were strong backbones of this drama. The music, especially the BGMs were spot on - I can recall several scenes because of it.

Definitely a must-watch (or must try) for fans of crime and thrillers.

Leggi di Più

This is one of the best crime dramas I've seen so far, the characters steadily grows and gets more likable each episode, except for the last few episodes where the main girl character got annoying, however her annoying-ness actually make sense in the story line and made the drama better. There were one or two plot holes I found however the plot hole made the ending to the drama better than the direction I thought it was going.

The music matched a drama very well, it created anticipation throughout the story and didn't overshadow the entire scene.

I think they couldn't cast better actors/actress to make the drama better.

I would totally re-watch the drama and would definitely recommend it to other people, but only to people who enjoy dramas with thriller and very little romance.

Leggi di Più

Just finished binge watching this drama! And oh my, what a ride it was!

Both writer and director did a wonderful job creating a suspenseful and brain-twisting drama! A story with multiple time lines isn't easy to portray without everything ending up being too paradoxical. This drama was deep and interesting on so many levels!

COMPLEX AND ENGAGING STORY: As a viewer you feel emotionally engaged and connected with the story. You wonder, think and feel together with the protagonists. Often I was left at the tip of my sofa/chair/bed anticipating what will happen next and how the detectives will solve a case. Clues are not given immediately and there are enough twists here and there to keep the story suspenseful and interesting. As a viewer we live and think together with the protagonists on screen. Heartbreaking scenes alert!

EYE FOR DETAIL: There are so many subtle clues and details given in every episode that it feels like I need to re-watch the whole series again in order to fully grasp what was actually going on at certain moments. There are also a lot of references to aspects of contemporary Korean society: such as the fascination with celebrities who are dating or not, (unsolved) rape cases, corruption related to hierarchical relationships, etc. which added to the level of realism of this drama. For people who understand Korean, some references are really subtle and make you giggle. (I particularly remember the scene when one of the protagonists asks scoffingly whether the other likes keobchang (pork intestines) or not, however the subtitles just translated it as 'grilled meat'. Some things do get lost in translation. ;))

SUPERB ACTING: Not once I had the feeling that a character wasn't believable. Still now I believe there is still a badass detective such as Soo-Hyun and a moral hero like Jae Han somewhere out there in the real world fighting for what's right! The protagonists can make you laugh, cry and feel utterly frustrated!

I would strongly recommend Signal to everyone who's looking for great story-telling with a high sense of realism embedded in a ever-so gripping and intense drama!!! Why are you still reading this?! Go, Go! ;)

Leggi di Più

I'm going to put out this disclaimer that I do not usually write reviews. I could not stop myself this time. Signal delivered. I always feel ambivalent about watching such a highly rated drama because either it delivers or its extremely overrated and I end up disappointed. Signal is definitely and exception. Its just a down right good story. It's not just for one age group. Signal drew me in from the get go. It was funny, suspenseful, and heart wrenching all at the same time. I've never felt so vested in dramaland characters before. Although signal is pure fiction it was every bit "real." The actors were outstanding in their portrayals of "real" people. Sometimes dramas are cliché or unrealistic or at times can't be taken seriously. I tend to lean toward romantic dramas but this piece was so much more fulfilling than most of the dramas I've watched.

Story wise an absolute 10. There were many unanswered questions but not in a frustrating lose ends way but a your imagination is the limit way. And there is a certain beauty in that.

The music moved me again and again. Rewatch value is the only thing I can't give this a 10 in. I feel I watch it to much and come to know every twist and turn it will lose some of its appeal , plus I'm not sure my heart could handle it. But every so often most definitely. I would and will recommended this to anyone. And I will watch this again.

Leggi di Più

Ah, Signal, how shall I describe thee? This is definitely my favourite Korean drama, though in all fairness, it's not much of a "drama" per se. The first thing I noticed was that the production value was through the roof; most of the episodes feel like watching an hour long movie, somewhat like the early episodes of Sherlock. The plot is very well structured, and the pacing is excellent, with not a dull moment or any overly long arcs in sight.

As far as the main cast is concerned, all the performances are above and beyond the level that one would usually expect from a Korean drama, especially the protagonist and deuteragonist (Lee Je Hoon and Kim Hye Soo). Cho Jin Woong also delivers a strong and memorable performance as old time detective Jae Han (you'll get it when you watch it). Many of songs that make up the OST are haunting and unique, with relatively deep lyrics. Honestly, it may seem like I am just biased at this point, but I am the type of person who reads the summary for most boring K-Drama episodes and fast forwards through them the moment a hint of something typical appears, and I watched, and relished, every moment of Signal.

The ending was somewhat ambiguous, even leaving open the possibility of a sequel, though I doubt any of us are going to be that fortunate in the near future...but here's hoping.

Leggi di Più

I normaly do not write reviews but I had to now. I Just finished the serie and I am angry I watched till the end for this.
I personally think of what is the point of having an transmission of past to the future If you still going to mess up everything and people die the same. What is the point !!!.
I like it because the corruption and injustice is realistic , but come on give me Some hope ! !!!
If the world we live in is like this give me at least Just a little hope. I am glad they caught one of the bad guys at the end, but what I was hoping for the whole show is that Detective Lee would finally live His love with Cha . Man this woman been waiting for freakin 15 years, is not 5 nor 10 but 15 years ! What hurt me the most was that Park's brother still died ! What is the point of the radio !
If the show wants to show what happens in real life that is good but dont put the radio transmissions in it because it is distracting and you hope that someone Will be saved , there was little saving and alot of mess up .
I could had taken everything If at least in the end scène Park , Cha and Lee would actually see Each other but noooooooo. I was waiting for that the whole serie but noooo.
Again I was frustrated . But now that My anger is gone I Really appreaciate the values it gaves
I wachted this because I thought it would be awesome like Tunnel who is btw the best serie I wachted love love love ! but not at all.
But overall i loved the acting of the main characters was great, the story and the concept confuses me.

Leggi di Più

Watch if you like unfinished ending

It's useless to watch all episodes to see ending like this. some of the k dramas have habits to not have proper ending. If you are 100 percent sure that you will make 2nd season then it's good otherwise don't give false hope to a fans. We didn't know either that minister got punished or not for his all the crimes. I remember another k drama named ' VAGABOND' that ended middle of the story. I don't know if they were short of money or never think of further story.
Anyway for signal I would like to say this is slow many scenes are repeated all the time. it feels like there is always more screenplay in k dramas for wrongdoing by bad guys and when it comes to their punishment it's difficult to find it.

Leggi di Più

Signal is not only the best Kdrama I've ever seen (out of 206). Signal is not just the best Kdrama of all time. Signal is a paradigm shift. Signal tells the world loud and clear: South Korea is making TV shows as good as the USA or the UK, as good as anyone. Period. The bar has been raised, South Korea. I expect more from you now. I expect more Signals.

I don't know what else I can add about this drama. It is a perfect 10 in all categories. Heck, even the soundtrack is the best I've ever heard - perfect atmospheric music for every scene.

This drama has no flaws. It is nearly as good as the best American TV I've seen. So, what else can I say?

I guess this. I'm about to take the 205 other Kdramas I've completed and change their ratings down 1/2 point so that Signal can stand alone at 10. No other drama, not even White Christmas, deserves to stand at 10 with Signal.

Leggi di Più

This drama is one of my most favourite ones but it's not for everyone. I can understand that some people might not like it because it's not a typical k-drama, however, it's totally worth of your time.

The story is very well written and the plot is very interesting. It had little bit of evrything but it is mainly crime and mystery but as a fan of crime series I really liked the story . The whole story kept me more and more curious as all the secrets were step by step revealed. After the end of each episode I wanted to know so badly what will happen next.

What also is amazing about this drama is the acting. The cast did such a great job in portraiting their characters and their emotions, especialy Lee Je Hoon. The cinematography was also well done and I could feel all their emotions through the screen. I'm sure that I'll watch Signal again in the future and I'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed it when I watched it for the first time.

If you like crime and mystery you should for sure watch it right now.

Leggi di Più

Signal was a drama that I kept seeing recommended and now that I have finished it, I can see why.
If you're looking for a crime drama that has a great cast and story, then you'll be hooked with this one.

--Spoilers Below--

Park Hae-Yong was such an interesting character. I loved how his story tied in with the overall arc of the story with Lee Jae-Han. I also loved his backstory as to why he became an analyst. He is smart, caring, and good-looking so everything you want rolled into a lead. I'm glad he got his happy ending with both of them and they solved everything together.

Cha Soo-Hyun should've gotten more time with her backstories and story-line in general I feel. It showed glimpses of her and Lee Jae-Han, but that's all it was really. Just glimpses of the two of them and not really any of her own experience. I understand a huge part of her story was missing her partner and the person she loved, but I wish we could've gotten more bad-ass moments of her. You get some of her home life with her sisters and mom... just needed so much more. How happy she looks at the end with the two of them made me so happy.

The glimpses back in time to Lee Jae-Han investigating and his backstory could be quite dry and boring sometimes because you are wanting the mystery solved and for them to figure everything out, but I wish it showed more of him and Cha Soo-Hyun together. I loved the glimpses it did give and loved the way he saw her. It's sad seeing all the people who could've listened to him and even turned on him while he was trying to save lives. I'm glad that he could be happy at the end with the two of them.

Overall, the time loop ending can be a little tricky and took me a while to fully understand what happened and how they all ended up together. It gets mushy with the plot and understanding how that all ties in together with the walkie-talkie, but loved the show and is a great watch.

Leggi di Più

A MUST WATCH

I’ve heard so much about this drama that I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a good thing I did!

I felt so moved by the cases and the characters in this drama. I did cry at several points but it’s a drama that left me feeling good after completing it.

The cast did a wonderful job with the acting and the story was very well written.

Shoutout to Choi Jin-Woong who made me fall in love with Lee Jae Han. His character very well written and the actor did an amazing job portraying the passion for justice.

As I watched the drama this year (2021), I was satisfied with the ending. Even though it’s a cliffhanger, I am satisfied.

I 100% recommend this drama as you will not regret it!

Leggi di Più

I am exhausted!

This show was so well done and I'm glad that I finally took the time to watch it. My brain feels somewhat fried, trying to keep up with the twists and turns in the story line, and attempting to keep the past and the present sorted out. I'll admit that time travel, butterfly effect shows are hard for me to grasp. Since this show is from 2016, the whole thing is kind of grainy in its film quality, both in the present and in the past, so it was sometimes hard for me to figure out which time period I was watching. A lot of the characters looked pretty much the same in both time periods, which you wouldn't expect from a 20-year time difference.

Corruption, unfortunately, was a big part of the drama, and that seemed to be the cause of so many unsolved cases. That got a little old. Plus, working under people that you know are corrupt was very hard to watch, their efforts were stymied more often than not.

The acting was excellent, most notably Jo Jin Woong as Jae Han and Lee Je Hoon as Hae Young. Especially impressive was the fact that so much of the time they were acting alone, with just the walkie talkie, and not face to face with other actors. I felt a whole gamut of emotions watching this, excitement, fear, sadness, and hope.

Leggi di Più