Voice 4: Tempo del Giudizio (2021)

Thrilling performance as always, oof!

I am someone who watched all 3 seasons of VOICE starting the first week of June, back to back, just because I can finish this season in real time. I undoubtedly got traumatised at points due to this but VOICE from s1 to s4 has been a super-thrilling experience all along, I must say.

Talking about Voice 4, honestly, It didn't feel as good as the previous seasons to me even though I am not displeased or something. So I am rather not that much pleased considering how amazing plot the other seasons were. Anyways, It was a good watch which thrilled me and was also frustrated because of the cult stuff features (which mean the drama served that part well).

STORY & PLOT:
The story follows the 112 emergency call centre team (Golta team) headed by Kang Kwon Joo with superhuman hearing ability and her team who move to Vimo Island Police Station with the purpose of catching a probable serial cyber killer by utilising their vacation time. An LAPD cop Derek Cho visiting South Korea on an operation joins them as the dispatch team leader due to circumstances. Together, they try solving a case and catch the serial psychpath killer with Dissociative Identity Disorder and similar hearing capabilities as Kang Center.

Just like the previous seasons, Voice 4 has one major case going on, on the background that involves a serial killer and with that there are multiple minor cases that the Golden Time Team solve which somehow also helps them in profiling the major case. One difference is, s1-3 involved brainwashing cult stuffs that were instigated by the murderer which was due to bloodlust but in Voice4 there is an actual religious cult where people are brainwashed to protect each other despite own's fault.

Personally, I am not very pleased by the story development because I had had very high expectations and anticipations from the 4th season since they've evolved through 4 years since 2017 and I feel they should have offered us something extraordinary. But I am not unsatisfied either because it was still good and me thrilled even awe-strucken by many twists and revelations. It has some really good plot devices that are worth anticipating for.

The story had a good & interesting starting and the first episode is good. It has a steady development till the end of 9th but the 10th episode felt a lil blunt at some moments but then it picked up the acceleration and ended with some cliffhangers. The lead antagonist character could have been a lot better. He somehow felt a lil less powerless and did some stupid things as well.

CAST & ACTING:
Umm... Well, we have been seeing the major cast acting since the season 1 and they are as good as before. Lee Ha Na as Kang Kwon Joo/Kang Center has always impressed with her acting and dialogue delivery. I can always witness the kind of aura in her eyes. Song Seung Hun as Capt. Derek Cho did a good job and he's definitely experienced in the industry but the thing that I noticed is he never wore his cop jacket while everyone else did. I mean we know that you're from America and very skillfull in the field but still, HAHAHA.

Son Eun Seo as Officer Park Eun Soo did good too but I think her part is a bit reduced in this season than the previous ones. Kim Joong Ki (Park Joong Ki) and Song Boo Geon (Koo Kwang Soo) are absolute eye candies for me and I have been loving them since the 1st season. I was actually surprised to see Kang Seung Yoon bcs I didn't see the cast before starting. Also, Baek Sung Hyun (Shim Dae Shik from s1) 's comeback in s4, that too as a freaking hot adult, was a delight to witness and there was definitely a solid character development for him. I was also happy to see the familiar faces like Lee Yol harabeochi and Kil Hae Yeon ahjumma in the drama.

Now the antagonist. Don't think of it like a spoiler because the production itself is openly bragging about it plus it was revealed in the 4th episode only. Lee Kyu Hyung as a psychopath serial killer with DID, did a very good job as he was given, BUT! IDK whether I am the only one or not; I think his character as the lead antagonist could have much more to do. He as the antagonist didn't seem as powerful as the serial killers of the previous seasons. The blame is to be shot at Ma Ji Won jakka-nim citing it was not a very strongly written antagonist. Anyways, I have loved his acting skills and been a fan for a long time and undoubtedly loved this too.

DIRECTION & SCREENPLAY:
I think I have already mentioned above it more or less before so let me keep it short. Voice have had amazing direction and production work since the season 1 even though they kept changing for each season. The way they edit the deja vu things or past sequences and try to connect and interpreting through the screenplay is very nice. The sound editing is apt as well that tries to have the audience thrilled all along the show. Voice is undoubtedly Ma Ji Won jakka-nim's best creation which he has been successfully pulling off to make the year's best thriller. Voice 4 for me somehow isn't as good as the previous ones, still a good show to give it a go.

ENDING:
It has a good ending. I was afriad they'll end it with a plothole or something illogical and unreasonable will happen but it was just fine, so I appreciate that. However, it felt a bit rushed starting from the 2nd half of the 12th episode. They were clearly trying to wrap up some minor plot devices so that they wouldn't have to worry about them further but that was absurd. In fact, the main antagonist was caught sonner than expected which somehow made it a bit unintersting but I think they had many revelations to do so they did rush it. In the last 2 eps, they basically tried to solve the puzzles of this season plus gave clarifications about some things which were left on hang in the s3. But again, few unexpected things happen which left me questioned. In fact, the epilogue of s3 showing a sneak-peak of Bang Jae soo (Kwon Ryul) with some mysterious woman which was expected to be answered in s4 has been extended to s5 and that thing will be the main story of next season. I am not sure what the writer is thinking but I assume they'll go for another season for sure to explain whatever they left hanging. It's A HUGE WIDE OPEN ENDING which raises plenty of questions and what happened at the very end scene is enthralling and frustrating at the same time. Won't spoil.

Anyways, they could have make 2 more episodes and give it a smooth ending by not rushing it even when they had a plan for s5.

CONCLUSION:
Overally, this season of Voice is a good thriller and definitely worthy an one time watch so go ahead and finish it. Despite some drawbacks, it was actually enthralling to watch, though I ended up with mental disturbance at some points so I had to drop it for few days and then I went back watching.

I don't how others interpreted it, but when the news about this season came, from the title "VOICE 4: JUDGEMENT HOUR" , I thought this season is a good-bye to VOICE, one of the longest running Kdrama franchise. The phrase "Judgment Hour" is something like the final verdict/decision hence implying to the end of this series. But the way it ended with the introduction of some new plots now I think I was wrong and there will definitely a next season. Well, as long as the jakkanim offers his talent and we tend to enjoy it, then why not? HAHAHAHA Let's wait for the updates from the production team.

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Voice 4: Judgement Hour -- Intergenerational Impact of Abuse

To think that this season is based on a true event is mind-boggling; that a Dong Bang Min actually existed in this lifetime is horrific. To imagine that what happened to Dong Bang Min in the drama may have happened to a child to the extent that the child needed to create personalities to escape it is unimaginable; the fact remains, though that abuse does not excuse the horrendous acts the child/man goes on to commit no matter the cause. While watching this drama, I read many comments on Song Seung Heon's performance and how he didn't measure up to detectives of seasons past, but I beg to differ. He was probably one of the most balanced. I am one who strongly believes the first season of this series remains the best. But of all the detectives, I found Derek Jo to be the most rational and composed, particularly since he, same as the rest, struggles with his own demons while fighting to bring some of the most horrific crimes and criminals to justice.

I loved this season's cases and stories despite some of them being hard to watch at times. I liked the message each story left behind even more. I commend the writer for depicting such heartwrenching true event stories and the director for bringing them to life. Still, the actor that shone the brightest without a doubt is Lee Kyu Hyung as a villain tormented by self-hate but more the need to survive in a world devoid of love or appreciation. A job well done all around. I liked the drama's choices and the awareness it tries to bring on the importance of the family unit, the damage of abuse and neglect, and the devastating and long-lasting detrimental effects it has on children and society alike. Just as a family can be everything for some, they can be hell on earth for others.

I wasn't ready for Voice 4's end; it felt more personal than the other seasons; I enjoyed it greatly for what it was and came out from it with more appreciation for all the actors but especially for Lee Ha Na in her continued calm, supportive and balanced depiction of the Golden Team and Emergency Center Director for the run of the seasons, Song Seung Heon as the calm, clever, and extremely focused Derek Jo, Baek Sung Hyun as the tormented Shim Dae Shik with a second chance at redeeming himself, which he more than does and very bravely. But mainly, I admired how the show depicted all of Bang Min's personalities and the way he came to realize what he had become in his desperate bid to survive his nightmare.

The message I am left with here is that although the physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences of child abuse and neglect weigh more heavily on the shoulders of the children who experience it, the impact of it does not end with them. Society pays the price both directly and indirectly; covering up the issues under the guise of protecting the family harms more than helps, especially when the family is the root of the problem. It is in the best interest of the families in particular and the communities as a whole to act to stem the effects of such abuses and, rather than find fault with the abused, support them and provide families and communities with the tools to stop maltreatment before it occurs and mitigate intergenerational impacts. To this, I say thank you to the production team.

Now that the Circus Man's journey has come to an end, I look forward to a new journey into Kang Kwon Joo's superhuman hearing abilities. I can't wait to see what else the Voice series has in store. I loved all the OSTs but especially Coming to you 그래쓰(GRASS).

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Voices in the Dark

I recall reading an article in 2019 which had speculated that the Voice series had ended for good. Specifically Lee Ha Na, the most recognisable face (and voice) of the franchise had intimated that she wished to pursue other projects for a change. She ended up taking on a totally different role in the romance drama A Piece of Your Mind. As it turns out, never say never because Voice is back and led by Lee Ha Na herself again with the fourth instalment, Voice 4: Judgment Hour.

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, since it is after all one of the more successful series in South Korea having spawned adaptations in Japan (Voice 110: Emergency Control Room) and Thailand (Voice สัมผัสเสียงมรณะ). Initially launched by OCN, the first season was quite the ratings success and had garnered considerable attention mostly because of its unique concept and also partly due to the inclusion of the stellar Jang Hyuk as well as Kim Jae Wook as its main cast. Despite not quite reaching the same heights, the subsequent seasons performed decently and have seen Lee Jin Wook taking on the lead role. Now we have Song Seung Heon as the ML.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Voice is about the Golden Time Team, a specialised 112 emergency response team that is not dissimilar to the US 911 call centre but with a wider investigative scope, targeted response and its very own dispatch team. It is headed by Lee Ha Na’s Kang Kwon Joo, who is gifted with exceptional hearing abilities. She takes charge of the call centre while the dispatch team directly conducts search and rescue missions as well as apprehending perpetrators. Every season follows a similar pattern, where we have the overarching mystery of the main crime(s) committed by the major villain(s). In between, we have the episodic procedural that focuses on minor cases or in this context, emergency call-ins, which may or may not be linked to the main investigation.

For me, S1 is still the best of the lot. S2 had an ambitious cross-border premise which tied in with S3. This new S4 is completely self-contained, much like the first season. If you’re wondering whether you need to complete the earlier seasons prior to watching this one, I would say no. However, do be warned that within the first 10 minutes of S4’s episode 1, a full recap of S2 and S3 is shown. So, if you intend to watch the entire series, best to skip S4 to avoid the spoilers (because there are references throughout to the earlier seasons).

There are a couple of firsts this time around for the series. The setting of Voice 4 is moved from Seoul to the fictional Vimo Island (pronounced as Bimo in the drama but subs translated as Vimo). Although certain major events transpired in the capital during the first episode, the entire story takes place on an island that is modelled after Jeju Island. In addition to that, the drama is aired on TVN instead of OCN which had aired all the preceding seasons, perhaps reflecting a shift in marketing strategy as both channels are owned by the same parent company.

The high quality of the production remains, as regular viewers or followers of the series have come to expect. Screenwriter Ma Jin Won remains involved since the very beginning but interestingly, each season so far has been helmed by different directors. Shin Yong Hwi, who previously co-directed notable crime thrillers Tunnel and Bad Guys, takes over for this instalment. As significant portions of the principal photography took place in Jeju Island, I felt that the cinematography and production designs did not really take full advantage of the island setting. With the exception of episodes 4 and 5, where the Haenyeo (women divers) are featured along with scenes at the pier, there are no other distinguishing views of the island landscapes, which is a shame.

The premise for this season revolves around Kang Kwon Joo’s recurring PTSD as a result of her overexertions in S2 and S3. She has a new partner in Derek Jo, a Korean-American LAPD anti-vice squad leader who goes to Seoul under a joint task force with the Seoul Police Agency. The plotline is focused on serial killings purportedly by “mysterious and shadowy perpetrators” who approach their victims online before committing the heinous crimes. Things quickly escalate before the action then shifts to Vimo Island, where the team joins up with the local police force as part of the Vimo Provincial Police Agency Golden Time Team 112 Call Centre. Key elements featured include mental health issues and a religious cult/ sect, among other themes in the mix.

I actually enjoyed this season much more than S2. It is not as complicated to follow and less political, while the relationship dynamics are in no way as complex in their depictions. That said, as much as I had fun, I did find the final reveal of the antagonists along with their motivations and modus operandi to be rather absurd and far-fetched. But I think with some suspension of disbelief, there is much entertainment value to be had just by going with the flow of the fast paced storytelling. There is no shortage of action-packed sequences and thrilling edge-of-the-seat stuff, which is available in abundance here.

As far as the acting is concerned, there isn’t much left to be said about Lee Ha Na. She truly personifies the character of Kang Kwon Joo, so much so that I can’t imagine anyone else who could possibly do a better job than her. Even the Korean National Police Agency seems to think so, having made her its honorary police officer and ambassador. Co-starring with Lee Ha Na is the experienced Song Seung Heon, as Detective Derek Jo. In terms of portrayal and emotional depth, he certainly looks the part of a tough and stoic police detective with a tragic past. Probably the only issue is his English-speaking parts. The lack of fluency or an American accent for one, and the inconsistency in dialogue where sometimes he speaks Hangul to his LAPD teammate (also a Korean-American but one who speaks better English).

Son Eun Seo, Kim Joong Ki and Song Boo Geon (S2) make their return while Baek Sung Hyun re-joins the team after a 2-season hiatus. Among the new faces, Lee Kyu Hung deserves acknowledgment for his range in the portrayal of a rather “varied” role. Kang Seung Yoon plays cyber division police officer Han Woo Joo as the GTT’s resident computer whiz (a replacement of Kim Woo Suk’s Jin Seo Yool in a similar capacity for the team). Look out for memorable supporting and guest appearances by Kil Hae Yeon, Lee Jin Wook, Kim Bup Rae, Im Chul Soo and Kwon Yool.

There are 5 tracks in total for the soundtrack. My personal favourite is the hauntingly theatrical Coming to You by the young singer GRASS which sounds like a chilling version of a lullaby. Full listing as follows:

1. GRASS – Coming to You
2. Kang Seung Yoon – Your Voice
3. KLANG – No Way to Go
4. Elaine - Here for You
5. Kim Jaehwan - Promise You

All things considered, I would place Voice 4: Judgment Hour as my second favourite of the series. I still feel the first season is by far the best, and although this one doesn’t come close to reaching its levels of brilliance, it’s enjoyably engrossing with mild suspense, sufficient thrills and without the overly mind-boggling complexities to keep viewers entertained. Just in case you can't get enough of the Golden Time Team, there's more than a hint for a potential season 5 in the horizon. Looks like the franchise won't be concluding any time soon...

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Hope they stop making the series but....

S4 ended w/ well S5

I watched S1, S2, and S4. S1 is still my favorite.

S3 not available on Viki or Netflix so can't watch it. It's not that the acting wasn't great because despite the ML changing, each MLs were excellent.
The English actors weren't great though. They sounded like they were reading a script just memorized.
S4 story wasn't strong, rather it felt unnecessary grotesque. I was distracted by the bad wig many episodes.
FL: There's utterly no character development on her part. How she started acting is how she ended.

My favorite part is actually the supporting role of Shim Dae Shik (Golden time detective that was in S1) who came back. I loved his character. There's depth and complexity in his acting which is much more memorable to me than the FL. If you watched him in While you were sleeping, you'll just love his acting all that much more.

If they move on to S5 I'll still feel pot committed to watch it, but I won't expect much either.

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If you are looking for something to bingewatch, you have this series!

Honestly I always see the Voice in the recommended series section of Netflix and ignored it big time. Until I tried watching one episode and here I am, just finished watching the finale of Voice 4.

When I found out that this was already airing (I was 12 episodes late), I was like daaaamn I've been waiting for this and it's finally here! I mean, Song Seung-Heon, anyone? Lee Ha Na is still rocking the show with her extraordinary talent, and adding Song Seung-Hoon in the cast made me anticipate for the series more as he plays well as a detective (like he was in Black).

I love the plot twist of this drama. Though you might find that the story line is kinda repetitive just like the previous seasons, the villain really did a good job on portraying his very challenging role and yeah, I was blown away with the revelations on the last few episodes. So if you have nothing to do today and looking for a gory, mind-boggling drama, you found the perfect series to watch.

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Meaning of having a family

WARNING! SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED. PLEASE IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPOILERS THEN DO NOT READ THIS! THANK YOU!

I've watched the previous seasons and found similarities and differences as well.

Of course, the soundtracks are on point as well as the acting. KLANG's husky voice and Kang Seung Yoon"s calming voice makes this drama unforgettable.

Lee Ha Na is amazing as always and Song Seung Heon gives a different vibe. The chemistry between them won't disappoint you.
I also think that Son Eun Seo, Kang Seung Yoon, Lee Kyu Hyung, Baek Sung Hyun, Kim Joong Ki, Song Boo Geon, and Han James portraited their characters well making it to be worth watching it. To be honest I was curious about Bake Sung Hyun...
He didn't disappoint me.

Basically, the two main characters' partnership starts similarly to the previous 3 seasons. This time, Director Kang's partner is different from Team Leader Do and Moo Jin Hyeok. Based on the storyline (and seems like the next and maybe last season ) I think it was important to make a different character like Detective Cho.
This is what made me like this season.

There is one more thing I liked about this drama.
As the title said: meaning of having a family. As you will see this drama shows the different approaches to being part of a family: what makes you being a family member and why this is a beautiful thing. Also, this drama's purpose was to attract attention to a serious problem (which does not just exist in South Korea but in every country): domestic violance. I recommend watching all of 14 episodes to understand what I'm talking about.

Thank you for reading this. I also recommend you to watch all 14 episodes because a surprise is waiting for you.

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So now I have watched all four series and fairly enjoyed them all. I didn't review the second and third series because my reviews would've sounded the same because each premise was the same.

Even though I watched all four within a two week span, I for some odd reason can't remember who the main male lead was in the second series. I didn't care for the main male lead in the third and I'm trying to figure out if I liked the main male lead in this one. I know I liked him in the Player and I dropped Black...that's probably why I feel the way I do about him in this series. I also didn't know why the creator had the same premise for some of the characters in all of these series meaning: main male lead was angry and didn't want to be apart of the Golden Time Team but ended up realizing it wasn't bad. Each character didn't believe the hearing ability of the female lead but began relying on her ability in the end. The computer geek who was able to find any everything when it was time and somebody within the police force was crooked. They might as well kept everybody the same in each series because they were the same.

This along with the third installment barely dealt with side cases. It just dealt with them trying to catch the main villain which I didn't mind but I was so use to seeing different scenarios throughout the series and when that didn't happen, it made the series drag a little bit.

My favorite character throughout the series was Kim Joong Ki even though I felt the writer did him a disservice by making him look like a lazy detective turned captain. He did nothing but shout into his ear piece and tell people where to go throughout the whole series. The other characters outshined him but he was still my favorite.

Again this series had some take aways like the last three. The main female lead is suppose to have superb hearing but at times she couldn't differentiate the sounds she was hearing like a click of a lighter....If you're not vision impaired then you would know what a flicking lighter sound like without having to see it.

The last episode wrapped up into what may look like a soon to be Voice 5. This is the first Korean drama that I've watched that actually had more than one series and it makes me happy. I am however, not going to be happy because I don't know if this cliff hanger will actually turn into another series in the near future.

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As usual, voice never disappoints. Still with its intense cases, heightened suspense and thriller, great actions with amazing acting. Love it! I personally enjoy s2 and s3 more probably because I really really really love do kang woo's character, season 4 has its own unique colours. The cases weren't as brutal as before, but it touches more about relationship, trust families issues things like that. Song Seung Heon (Cho Seung Ho) definitely did a great job as a new male lead, he was different from the other two and help this season different from others. In any case, if u enjoy voice series keep on watching till voice 4. amazing, and i enjoyed it a lot.

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So I watched this drama in continuation to other voice series. As much as I loved thriller genre, I must say this was not as good as other seasons. Especially after Do kand Woo death. His death in previous season was highly disappointing. His character was so good and complex that I loved watching him. One thing that I found absurd in Voice seasons was that nobody shot the actual criminal in the series but they shot a police officer in the head with the intention of killing him. His mental state was not good, but it was not taken into account.
Now coming to this season there were so many stupid mistakes in first few episodes tht I was literally banging my head on the wall. Ths mute sister of the ML made so many stupid mistakes in order to get killed. The main villain and the concept behind it was good but somehow I was not that impressed with the story line as there was no mystery in it to solve. It became repetitive and boring after a point of time. I didn't like the male lead much but let's hope they come up with a better storyline in Voice 5.

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I feel ambivalent about this drama; from the very first season, something has always been off with it. But at the same time, I keep watching it for the thrilling, horror element to it—even though more often than not, I get disappointed with the simplicity behind many of the minor (and even the major) murder cases the Golden Time Team solves (i.e. the murder is horrendously gruesome but it turns out the murderer is some shallow-minded weak individual with a poorly written character—always kills the excitement for me!). Also, they haven’t thrown any major plot twists at us (at least ones that weren’t easy to guess), and details of the major cases were annoyingly repeated through and through throughout every single season. The fact that Kang Kwon Joo always sensed something was off wit the murder suspects due to voice cues is always what baited me to keep watching episode after episode until I got here, LOL. Of course, there is no question that I will watch season 5; more than anything, this drama has become preciously familiar to me if only because of the long journey and the fact that it is the first kdrama with this many seasons that I have ever watched! :D

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