The Search (2020)

Search is a quintessential OCN drama, which means that it's a fast-paced and slickly-edited action drama that pulls you in and keeps you interested - at least until the zombies show up and the bad guy starts smirking.

As far as the genre goes, Search is a pretty good example with excellent performances by the wonderful Jang Dong Yoon as the military dog handler Yong Dong Jin and a strangely (but welcomingly) sombre and cerebral Krystal as the military forensic scientist, Son Ye Rim.

The two used to date - a fact that is utterly superfluous to the plot and could have been jettisoned without us noticing - but end up in a joint operation in the demilitarized zone after there are reports of a disease spreading in the area. Jang Dong Yoon is an amazing up and coming actor who clearly wanted to branch out after his two previous roles (both performances of which were extraordinary) and does very well with the role. Krystal is also good in a natural and understated performance with none of the apparent "I am acting!" quirks and ticks that a lot of Idols seem to pick up.

While the show benefited both from being only 10 episodes and from good casting, direction and production, the script suffered from some usual OCN weaknesses. There was a lot of people in uniforms and identical haircuts running around shooting at each other in the dark and one day somebody will learn this is NOT good television. A lot of good character beats were introduced and then forgotten, like a Chekhov's gun that did not go off (why DID Ye Rim suddenly and unexpectedly break up with Dong Yoon a year ago? And if it's not important why dwell on it so much?). And some of the editing seemed more about fooling the audience or confusing them with time jumps than anything else.

The final episode was unfortunately utterly ridiculous. And while the show successfully walked that fine line between our suspension of disbelief and falling off a cliff for most of its run, it leapt into the chasm at a full jump in episode 10.

So while I enjoyed watching Search quite a lot, I can't declare it great television. But for a bit of mindless fun and quite a good example of a classic OCN drama, it's worth a binge.

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A Well Perfectly-Balanced Show.

Search came out at the right time for me. I was having a hard time getting over another drama (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), when Search came along. This drama has been in my radar since last year and was curious by how it will turn out.

It is a fast-paced drama since it only had 10 episodes. Each episode was really entertaining. I knew that this drama will be a military-thriller but the romance, comedy, birth-secret, hidden-identity was a surprise for me. They’ve really made a well-rounded show.

The casting was perfect. Jang Dong Yoon is so natural. I watched some of his previous works and I can really say that the he really emerges into the characters he portrays. Just the transition from Jeon Nokdu into Seargent Yong Dong Jin is amazing. Jung Soo Jung casting was a little surprise for me, I only saw her in The Heirs and I can’t imagine her playing Son Ye Rim however, she really did pull off playing a cold, strong female character. I was actually surprised by JDY and JSJ’s good chemistry. Their banters were so funny and sweet that it’s making me ask for more scenes of them. I hope JDY and JSJ can work again together in a Rom-Com. Another good chemistry was between JDY and the dogs (lol), their scenes displayed his love for dogs.

The scoring was also good that it became a very intrinsic part of its thriller/horror genre. The eerie sound in the intro really represents what the show is all about. Search may not have an ost but their song choices in some “romantic” parts of the drama were perfect.

The ending was not rushed and was very well-executed. It was thrilling up until the end. I thought there should have been Season 2 but, all the story lines were tied and everything already explained.

All in all, it is a very engaging. I recommend this drama, despite some bad CGIs in the beginning. It has a perfect pace and has multiple genres. If you’re looking for something different, go watch this one.

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