Mad Dog

Insurance crime drama with the right amount of everything

To be honest I jumped into this with bit of prejudice that I would not make it past three episodes. Well man.. was I wrong!! and am glad I was.

The plot progression was smooth and kept the excitement going till the last episodes. The characters were well written. Here we can find a villain/villains who can think better or on par with the leads. I found this to be more realistic than other crime thrillers that I've watched recently, since the ball wasn't with any one of the sides for long.

Another major plus for me was the romance aspect of this show. The characters weren't forced into a relationship and lots of screen time were not wasted on clichés. What we get is short and sweet version that is much more appealing.

Definitely, a re-watchable drama.

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This show is impossible to follow and only cares about friendship and drama

This drama made me so frustrated and I didn’t like it, but I still finished it within a week. So it must’ve done something right. Let’s start with the good, because there’s less of it.

The good
I really like the friendship and romance. Honestly, I have no notes on the romance, it’s really good. The group of friends making up the main cast are portrayed well and their love for each other is very clear. I also really like that they all have nicknames for each other, and while it’s never really clear what they mean, you can guess. The focus on family and brotherhood is really good, and they keep it going with people around Min-jun calling him “hyung” or him calling them “hyung”. It’s really nice and precious. The humor is also often on point, and made me laugh more than I probably realize. The ending was also done well, it wrapped up nicely and in line with the characters’ personalities. It was very quick, but that didn’t really matter. The characters were also well defined and consistent. They weren’t vague to be relatable, and had clear motivations in line with their personalities.

The bad
Okay, where to start? Let’s start with the biggest issue, but that also kind of saves the drama: the pacing. Not only does the editor shift often and quickly between different shots, but there’s also never a moment to relax or breathe. If the point of your storytelling is to keep the watcher on their toes or to hide something in plain sight, then this is a great choice, but if you specifically want your watchers to understand and plot along with the characters, then this is the opposite of what you want. This drama is political, if you want someone to be able to follow the politics, then you need to give them time. It’s really important for the viewer to understand and be immersed in the plot, and you can also use that to trick them properly. The only reason the pacing saves this drama is because without the pacing keeping you on your toes and making you want to know and understand, you would stop watching.
Another major issue is how a lot goes unexplained. There’s a lady they thought died two years ago, but Mr. Choi finds some CCTV footage of her in a store. Not once is it mentioned when this footage is from. It could be 12 years old for all we know. But they send it to a lot of people and every single person that watches it goes “oh, she is alive”. HOW THE F DID YOU KNOW? This is just one of many, many examples. One of the more important things they never explain (at least not well) is why Min-jun was looking for this lady in the first place. I don’t know, I have no idea. They never really explained it, so I don’t know why. She became important, but that’s not why he was looking for her, because he didn’t know that.
These two things combined makes this a horrible political drama, because you can’t follow or understand anything. Another thing they love to do, just to make it even harder to follow, is to just cut from someone in one scene saying they’ll do something, and cutting to them doing it immediately. We don’t know how, where, when or even why they’re doing it, because they didn’t tell us or we didn’t get enough time to digest it.
In this drama they also LOVE to be a step ahead of their opponents. The funny thing is that their opponents are also a step ahead of them again, because the opponents know that they are a step ahead so they act accordingly. And then they are step ahead again. And who wins? The opponents, because they knew that too, and is another step ahead once again. It’s so tiring and confusing. It’s just a trick to keep you guessing and on your toes, but without proper pacing it just doesn’t work, because I wasn’t guessing. I gave up a long time ago on keeping up. I’m not tricked, I’m just sick of flashbacks trying to explain why the opposition won, when it seemed like the heroes were in the lead. (This is just an example, I’m not saying the antagonists win in the end, it’s just to prove a point)
A last thing I wanted to complain about: the Chas. Chairman Cha and his daughter are so incompetent it’s ridiculous. They keep making mistakes and looking dumb because everyone else is a step ahead. They served almost no purpose. And I’m very sick of the female character who tries to keep up with the guys, thinks that she is as good/better, is predictable and therefore only used, and just not useful. It’s so unnecessary and just makes me mad. If this was a male character, then that’s fine, as long as it’s not a common thing. But it’s always a girl. And it is common. There’s two major female characters in this drama. Why is one in a romance and the other just a joke? Are those all the big roles they could think a woman could play? Even D.P. 2 had more and better female characters than this drama, and that’s about the mandatory military service for MEN.
(Also, I have never heard of a European style tie that is over the collar on one side and under on the other side. I liked the costume design on him, but seriously, they just made that up, right? I thought he just didn’t know his tie was crooked and was a messy and careless character, but no. It was on purpose)

If you’re going to watch this, know that you will only enjoy this if you prioritize drama and suspense over solving things yourself. The romance and friendship takes a backseat in this drama, but it’s the reason I finished. But know that the romance never really progresses beyond flirting.

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GOOD DRAMA - RECOMMEND IT

Surprisingly this is a good drama, I gave rewatch value 9 just because I've watched this drama 4X over, just because I love it. The main story was about a plane accident that related to giant insurance company and aviation company that found a scapegoat to one of the pilot. The brother of the scapegoat (dead) pilot and a husband of two of the dead passengers worked together to solve who's the instigator - to be the blame of that horrific plane accident. As they're working together with the help of a team, they finally found the answer of bereavement. Started as competitive stranger, ending with brotherhood that have their back.

I love all the characters, they're fun to watch, the tricks and trips packed of actions. If want to watch some action and wittiness so this is it! It wasn't a serious drama but nor light one...

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It's annoying and that's why it's interesting!

First off, this is not for everyone. If you are not a fan of stories of financial collusions, sabotage or economic strategies, stay away! Unless of course if you are only here for Woo Do Hwan then it's visuals galore:)

This verbose series is really about all those 3 boring things i just mentioned brought together by a catastrophic event. The same catastrophic event brought together the main characters. Whether you call them protagonists or antagonists is entirely up to you on where you stand on the issue. Like i said, it's verbose. There's also lots of attempts to be Mission Impossible-ish which i found to be corny (bec i am a big fan of this genre and i know Wow from Weh). So as an action series it is lacking. As a drama series, yes there are some cry-worthy moments in there. And there are attempts to be comedic too which i found lame.

But i do like this series bec of the storyline. The strategies and character shifts changed a lot, making frowns appear and disappear involuntarily on my forehead at any given moment. I am annoyed both in a good and bad way many times. Suddenly i found myself invested in the truth no matter who the heroes and villains are. Does that make sense? It is for this reason that this show is interesting for me.

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I enjoyed this drama a little too much, not going to lie. The drama seems like your typical undercover dogs team with everyone playing their own roles, however, the team dynamic is truly so strong. They have disputes and it doesn't seem to end till the last moment, however, the insane character development from lack of trust and despise to love and family is most worth the watch. I admit that I chose to watch this drama because Woo DoHwan was in it, knowing how great and charismatic of an actor he is, however, the rest of the casting was equally as strong. The minimal romance scenes definitely leaves the audience craving for more, however, we're reminded once again that it's a thriller/mystery/action, not necessarily a romance drama. Therefore, I give the drama a solid 9/10.

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Not for everyone

I’ve been watching kdramas for a while and have been a fan of the crime/law series that this genre provides, but I wasn’t a big fan. It felt like the main conspiracy of the show could have been solved much faster. I feel like this show would have benefited a lot more from a traditional 10 episode format (each episode being an hour long) since they stop solving other insurance scams and try to take down the large plane crash conspiracy.

However, the acting is amazing and all the main characters are lovable, the ost is amazing as well.

Definitely recommend checking this drama out if you like crime/injustice shows

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Don’t Miss Out on This Story!

When a veteran insurance investigator who lost his wife & son in a tragic plane crash crosses paths with the younger brother of the co-pilot believed to have purposefully caused the accident, will their animosity get in the way of discovering the truth of what really happened on that awful day?

One is a former detective who now leads his own private investigation team - Mad Dog. And one is a genius former swindler who’s always worked alone. Can they learn to work together?

Honestly, I really enjoyed this thriller/crime drama. It has great pacing & the twists just keep on coming. The cast all did an amazing job bringing their characters to life. The heroes are so easy to love that their pains & triumphs felt like my own. And the villains are so easy to hate that seeing them brought down is oh so very satisfying.

The friendship & bond of the Mad Dog team is wonderful. I loved all their interactions & the ways they protect one another. And I really loved watching as the hate & animosity between the team & our lone man gradually dissipated & became a deep level of trust & friendship. While the show does have a heavy message, the team’s interactions bring light in all the dark & make you smile despite the topic. Which is a great lesson for life - no matter how dark it is, there’s always light to be found…

When Min Joon calls Kang Woo “Hyung” in that last scene? Serious heart-melting moment (iykyk)!!! 🫠🫠

Also, the interactions between Min Joon & Ha Ri are such a delight, but don’t watch this for a romance story ‘cause that’s not the dramas focus. But definitely still watch it because it’s such a great show!

_________\\__________//________

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Slow paced

Great cast of actors, all of whom kept me watching more than the story did, to be honest.
Occasional bit of uncomfortable character portrayal from Yoo Ji-tae; maybe he was directed to be a little OTT at times and that's why.
Woo Do-hwan was excellent as the cocky, detached and guilt-ridden younger brother, seeking the truth about what happened to his estranged sibling on the fated flight this drama's based on.
Lovely seeing Ryu Hwa-young, who I thought acted well alongside WDH. Her acting is subtle, with some great facial expressions.
It has all the right ingredients for a mystery; twisting plot, corporate greed and conniving, fractured families, betrayal, outcast private team of insurance fraud investigators, made up of different personalities, with friendship, loyalty and humour in the mix.
The plot was pretty good, with twists and turns.
For me, however, the pace wasn't the problem, but the length of the show. 16 episodes was too long and the story ended up being drawn out. It became too convoluted at times.
The last 2 episodes, like earlier ones, were very good; if only they'd left out parts that felt like padding, rather than valuable additions to the story.

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If you ever watched the American version of Leverage or the Korean version of Leverage, The Player, Special Teams Unit...then you'll love this.

This drama is about a plane crash that took loved ones away unexpectedly. The subject can be really harsh for those who may have lost a loved in a plane crash. That haven't happened to me thank goodness and I hope it never will because some episodes in this drama made me forget that it wasn't real. The pain and the hurt were really there. The first few episodes I really really fought back some tears. The mid part had me doing the same. Some episodes had me gritting my teeth. It was just that powerful.

The cast was awesome. I usually watch these dramas because of the type of genre that I love but when you add in cast members I'm familiar with and like that makes it even more enjoyable for me to watch.

I will say Choi Won Young who plays as Joo Hyun Gi has a disturbing look. The Vulcan hairstyle he sported made it worse. For those who's not familiar with the term Vulcan-check out the late Leonard Nemoy's hairstyle from Star Trek and see if I'm lying. He played the same character in Hello Monster which makes me believe he's a type cast meaning he gets casts as playing a social & psychopath. If you look the part, play the part. Jeong Bo Seok who played as Cha Joon Kyu as well.

I loved the way it ended. The screenwriter got it right. This is how I wish every Korean drama that I've watched would end this way.
The only thing I didn't like was that it ended and I now have to find another drama that's up to that caliber.

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The storyline and the cast alone rated my 10! Woo Do-Hwan you were magnificent in the character you portrayed and convinced me of this tragedy. Yoo Ji Tae I love the character you portrayed as well. I wanted to give condolences that's how convincing you were. I wished the writer would've added to your story a little more regarding your character's wife and son. Ryu Hwa Young you also played a great character, wished the writers would've given you a little more romance with Woo Do-Hwan's character. oh well, you win some you lose some... The rest of the Mad Dog Team: Kudos to Pentium played by Kim Hye Sung, and Park Soon Jung played by Jo Jae Yoon! The music was on point. I love investigative work. I enjoyed this KDrama. This is the 4th KDrama I have watched in 2 days with Woo Do-Hwan in it. He will be on my fav Korean Actor's list even though I don't know if can sing, or do martial arts (but that backflip kick of his awesome)

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