Signal (2016)

Spellbinding, captivating stuff

This is a show that will linger in your mind long after you are finished with it. It is captivating, heart-wrenching, beautiful, devastating, cruel and agonising. The story of two detectives connected by an old walkie-talkie solving cold cases is a fantastic concept and this show did not falter in exploring how far it could go. I've never watched a show that has finished as strongly as it started.

Signal deserves a longstanding reputation as one of the greatest TV shows in Asia. For that, the writers and the actors deserve so much credit. They delivered with each episode. There was no silly subplot, no silly love triangle. This show was coldly ruthless in telling the story it wanted to. The magical realism imbued it with excitement but it was the human story, the struggles involving the characters, that won you. They were all good people trying to fix the old wrongs. At the heart of it was Lee Jee-Haan, the old detective guided by a an unmoving moral compass always pointing the right way. His emotions, the intensity of his resolve and ethics, was beautiful. The music complemented the show superbly too and accentuated the tone of every scene, adding rather than diminishing.

I would recommend everyone to watch this show. You will cry, you will sit in despair, your heart will ache for them. But you will watch it all the way through believing in them as Lee Jee-Haan did in justice. This might just be the greatest Korean show i've ever watched.

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A solid suspense drama and the walkie-talkie business was one of the highlights of the show.

So Signal is about a detective from 1989 and a cold case profiler in 2015 working together through a magical walkie-talkie to solve and prevent crimes from happening. Solving them in 2015 helps prevent them in 1989 and through trial and error, Lee Jae Han, the detective from 1989, and Park Hae Yeong, the cold case profiler from 2015 figure out what went wrong and how to fix them in their own times. The concept behind the show is was initially drew me to watching it and I’m glad that I did because the actors really brought this story to life. It totally made sense to me that there was a magical walkie-talkie helping a man from the 80’s help a man from 2015 solve crime and beat the bad guys.

I also thought that the cases that they worked on together were interesting. From the kidnapping case to the rape case, to every other case, each story really stood out and had me thinking about them long after I turned the final episode off. These characters really go through it personally and professionally and they had to overcome so much to get to that end. There were times where I had to walk away from the TV because what was happening was too much for me and my blood pressure but I will say that the villains played their roles really well in this one because I hated their asses so much.

Overall, there were moments when certain characters and cases made my blood boil but I’m glad that I stuck with this show because it was a solid suspense drama and the time through walkie-talkie business was one of the highlights of the show for me. I love the friendship that blossomed between Lee Jae Han and Park Hae Yeong. I thought the way that their friendship grew and grew with each case that they worked on was just so stinkin’ great.

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Don't mind me, I'm just adding Lee Je Hoon to my list of favorite actors, heehee.

Story: Kept me on my freaking toes, that's for sure. It would be a 10/10 for me if it didn't end on a cliffhanger (with no season 2 in sight, sigh). Otherwise, I don't want to say too much, as to not give it away. This drama is rated highly for a reason! If you like Crime/Investigation this should be at the top of your PTW. There were definitely some plot holes, but overall, for entertainment purposes, this drama hit the ball out of the park.

Acting/Cast: 10/10 hands down. Y'all had me crying and literally jumping out of my skin. It was fun to see some familiar actors in guest roles, such as Seo Ji Hoon and Lee Sang Yeob. This was my first Lee Je Hoon drama, but I've already added When Stars Land and Tomorrow With You to my PTW. He's also been indoctrinated into my massively accumulating cult of children from KDramaland. I will protecc with my life.

Music: So good! ahhhhh. My favorite OSTs were 나는 너를 (literally, I ... you) by Jeong Cha Sik, The Road by Kim Yuna and The One Who Will Leave by Inkey. The instrumentals were also great. Check out the album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3XWPudsfSroRADDvNdWFei?si=JyyDCZN-QaK6ZKNx9D3lLw

Rewatch Value: Medium? Having just finished, I'm not in the mood to rewatch, but I can see myself rewatching in the future.

TLDR; bangers all around, found some new fave actors, if you like crime then add this to your PTW right now!

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Decepcionante mas entretém

Pelas notas e comentários que vi pela internet sobre esse drama, fui com grande expectativa mas me decepcionei. O drama entretem e as atuações são maravilhosas, porém, tem muitos furos na história, os personagens são extremamente burros ou incompetentes e a lógica dos espectadores é desafiada muitas vezes. Nem com a suspensão da descrença lá no alto consegui deixar passa alguns absurdos na trama e culpar tudo isso em "corrupção" é uma saída muito preguiçosa e fácil.

Já assisti vários dramas e esse não é um dos melhores, como vi muita gente dizendo por ai, passa longe disso. Mas sim, dá pra se divertir assistindo se quiser assistir algo descompromissado e sem usar muito sua cabeça, caso contrário, fica difícil não rir em alguns momentos.

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Finally I finished watching this drama after like 2 years procrastinating. I started watching the Japanese adaptation first before watching the original. Since the Japanese remake tend to be shorter in length than the Korean one, the pace for the former tend to be faster and some parts from the original may not be included in the remake. While at first, the slow speed at how the plot on the original may feel a bit draggy when compared to the remake, the plot later gradually pick up and revealed to be as engaging as the remake.

Having watched the remake first, I couldn't help noticing that some of the scenes was a bit more cleaned up in the remake. Regardless, it didn't mean the the original production wasn’t as good. Loved the casting, and Jo jinwong and Lee Jehoon made a very good pair for partners separated by 20 years between them. It was an unlikely partnership yet you can tell that they really can work together well as a team despite the barrier between them.

At first, I wasn't really taken to Jehoon as Park Haeyoung. Probably because he was in a period drama prior to Signal, the accent that he used to speak in the drama seemed jarring to me. But gradually that awkwardness in the way he spoke throughout the drama started to fade away and I was able to continue watching his scenes comfortably. Jehoon's acting started to grow on me due to his more recent works so it was really interesting to see his older works and him taking a role of a soft-spoken profiler. That aside, I was much more familiar with Jo Jinwoong's works so it was pretty enjoyable watching him play a righteous detective who tried his best to solve crimes.

Overall, I like how the entire plot had been written. Considering a lot of the cases shown in the drama was based on actual cold cases that happened in South Korea, it was an interesting story on how things like a transmission from the future may affect the outcomes of the past and change the future.

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Disclaimer: i’ve watched the japanese version first.

Every problems that i have with korean dramas is always, always, and always—the pace (and the lazy writing sometimes lol). It shows in this drama too, even tho its really really good, i just can’t diminish the fact that the pace is just too slow and too long. The lazy writing too… oh my god, too many replayed flashbacks. Half of the 15th episode is just them playing flashbacks over and over again until i got bored of the flashbacks lol. I think it will be so much better if they cut the episodes into 12 or 14 episodes. Anyways, the acting carried this drama. I mean…. Lee Jehoon, Kim Hyesoo, and Cho Jinwoong as the main leads? Damn! I need a more packed season 2!

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Heart-stopping from start to finish

I often have doubts about crime dramas due to alot of the unoriginal developments in storylines, but Signal could never. This was a drama that did NOT disappoint from start to finish - in fact, the heart-stopping end to every episode had me wanting more. The artistic camerawork, captivating nonlinear narrative, sophisticated direction, unique plot twists, compelling performance, highly-constructed alternate timelines, and last but not least, the suspense and anticipation was what made a drama like Signal worth watching. The drama was extremely unique and satisfying to watch in that it hinged on one specific object, and that object's ability to dictate the fates of the main characters, including every decision bound by it. Finally, the series also received widespread acclaim from audience and critics alike so what more can I say?

However, there were some things which I felt could've been better explained at the end. For example, I couldn't quite grasp how that walkie-talkie ended up sending radio transmissions in the first place, and felt disappointed that those mere last 3 minutes didn't allow the audience to really get a taste of satisfaction (despite the great outcome being deduced). Extending to include just some couple more scenes to see everything tie in such as having Park Hae-young and Cha Soo-hyun appear at Lee Jae-han's hospital door (so I could finally exclaim with joy and satisfaction the words: "FINALLY/YES" would have really been the cherry on top.

Storyline -- original screenplay, highly engaging, well-developed script;

Cast (supporting included) -- remarkable performance by each actor's ability to convey emotions and thoughts through eyes and body language effortlessly;

OST -- adapted from old school melodies (ie. pre-2010 Korean OSTs) was an unconventional move, but at the same time, so fitting as it only gave the drama way more character and depth.

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A good drama to watch, I enjoyed it. The storyline is good, I really love the beginning of the drama it was so thrilling and it makes me so intrigue especially the the first case thats just damn, having that timerI at the bottom really just heightened the thrill-ness. The cases are all good, it shows the team smart brain but there are still time that their actions were questionable but it was okay, i was dumb to think about that anyways. The pace was good but sadly towards the end it gets slower imo, there are too many flashbacks and because of that the last episode feels rushed :( the acting are amazingg no doubt. anyways, like it a lot!!

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This is Justice 101 and if I was professor of the class everyone gets an A+, from the screenwriter to all the runners and behind the scene peeps. This drama is brilliant, thought-provoking, emotion-filled and all around entertaining.

The plot was simple but the storyline was unique. How the writer intertwined one criminal case after the other was flawless. Lead actors were all so fluid but that’s not to say that the supportive cast weren’t. I hated the chief police so much, every time he smirks my blood just boils over and the sweet dad conveyed all his emotions in his eyes and eyebrows, not too many words were needed to know he was in agony.

What’s not to like is more the question for me. The ending perhaps but, there really is no good ending for time travel stories so it’s not a deal breaker for me. Oh, maybe the teeny bit of the love story, felt a bit forced at the end however it was so minor I could overlook it :). In any case, I think it’s safe to say that this drama has littlest number of cliches usually imbedded in kdramas. Justice is served in this one so watch on fellow justice leagu-ers!

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First and foremost, I must say that I am a romance drama fan so I was quite hesitated to watch this drama. And also I didn't know any of the casts to prompt me to watch it. I didn't quite remember why I watched this drama seriously..... But I never regret it:)

For the story...
1.) Amazing story line that hooks me up every episode. I literally lost sleep over this drama cause I was so so so curious about the story and those cliffhangers definitely left me crazy. The idea of the time-mismatching walkie-talkie is really interesting and is well used in this drama, although I hoped for a more detailed backstory of the walkie talkie to make it more completed.

2.) I also had some moments where I lost the story and couldn't follow the logic, then I rewind back so that I can get back on track. It happens for me so often but kinda feel that my IQ is increased after the drama hahaha...

3.) The ending was left half-open but definitely did not leave us hanging (maybe a teeny weeny bit). Probably for a sequel which I think is highly possible due to the nature of this drama. A pre-sequel is also possible to talk about the detailed backstory of characters as well as the walkie-talkie. Looking forward to it:)

For the cast/acting...
Casts is so goooood. Like I said earlier, I didn't know any of them when I started watching it but they totally impressed me so much. Totally. I was also very impressed by the acting of the minor characters and the sub story leads.

For the music...
I don't know the title to the opening track but it's really suitable for the drama, feels like the characters are walking back in time. Generally enjoyed the music as it was able to build up the intense at every climax.

Definitely a re-watchable drama or SEASON 2 pls. Binge watch it or lose your sleep haha..

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Tunnel is similar and better - but this is good

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean crime drama with 16, 60 minute, episodes. Lee Je-hoon Kim Hye-soo and Cho Jin-woong. The story is inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders in Korea as well as other true crimes.

A newbie detective/profiler, Park Hae Young (Lee Je Hoon), finds a walkie talkie that is broadcasting through time from Hae Young's time of 2015 from 2000. Hae Young has been assigned to a cold case unit who is tasked with solving crimes where the trail of evidence has gone cold. It is more of a political move than any real attempt to solve the crimes in terms of the "higher ups." On the other end of the line is Lee Jae Han (Jo Jin Woong) who is able to get clues from Hae Young about crimes that "occurred" and change or prevent the events. Cha Soo Hyun (Kim Hye Soo) is a female detective who leads the cold case team. She knows Jae Han well as she was once a rookie on his team.

Spoiler 🚨 I liked this but what slightly ruined it for me was it ended very nebulously. Some like it when it "leaves you to wonder" - I am not one of them. I understand there MAY be a second season but without that being a certainty the ending just didn't do it for me. I liked all the characters, the suspense and cases, but the ending is what really determined how I felt about this overall. Many really liked this - it rates very high. A lot of folks rate this higher than Tunnel. I preferred Tunnel. That had similar intrigue and was based on some of the same real murder cases. However, that story for me was more logically flowing and the ending felt complete. Worth the watch but be aware the ending is not neatly tied up.

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