Inspector Koo

Inspector Koo is another Sherlockian wannabe, but is that a bad thing?

Story:

Inspector Koo follows a middle-aged reclusive woman with the typical Sherlockian characteristics as she, and her subordinates, follow the trail of a serial killer. The serial killer is made obvious and introduced from the start, creating a cat-and-mouse game that antagonises the audience for 12 episodes. Although there are several issues with this story, including how erratic some aspects of the plot felt, it was still relatively enjoyable. This kdrama is possibly the best definition of a dark comedy/thriller-comedy that I have seen, coming near to The Killer's Shopping List (which I feel is a better show).

I found most scenes to be visually intense or enjoyable, but the actual plot itself got seriously complex in the later episodes, enough so that it started to create more questions that need answering. This is the issue when the screenwriters try to write a plot that includes everyone or adds depth to character.

Inspector Koo, the main character of the show, has spent the last 5 years as a recluse due to her husband's suicide. However, I felt like more scenes with the husband (and Koo) in the past should have been included to give more access for the audience. There was a constant incomplete picture, which of course, added mystery, but I was no longer left questioning things and instead was forced to let it play out.

I will admit however that I am incredible pleased with the varied characterisation of the characters. Koo is not a police officer (although was one formerly) and instead works for a life insurance company. Although, this detail becomes lax in the later episodes when they decided to focus on the serial killer.

By Episode 10, I felt that the drama was going in a direction away from how it started. The show is brilliant in the first few episodes. There was a constant need to create tension, dramatics, comedy and a bit of mystery, fed on by introducing more and more characters but giving them too much control of the scenes.

Additionally, the biggest issue is the deduction of the crimes and plausibility. In comparison to other crime shows, Inspector Koo has an atmosphere of "knows it all but has no proof" which is incredible but also increasingly frustrating, especially given the reckless route Koo seeks to catch the serial killer, K.

And finally, K's aunt and K's backstory weren't handled as strongly as they could have been. I felt that there was a shift from the seriousness of K's behaviour to it being bizarre and interpersonally comedic. This drama could have been written better but it came off strongly plotwise due to outside factors like direction, production and visual fxs.

Acting/Cast:

I seriously enjoyed the cast they had here. It was female-dominated, and it almost felt refreshing to watch a drama without the male narrative.

Lee Young Ae captured the sloppiness of Koo to a T. The slurps after drinking, messy hair and dry skin. There was a very depiction of a reckless woman who is unable to take care of herself.

Kim Hye Joon is going places with her excitingly psychopathic depiction of K. In fact, the first few episodes are a cinematic masterpiece in terms of highlighting her character. There is one scene in Episode 2 where K goes clubbing but she dances on the club floor alone while people stay far away from her.

Santa's character was homely and hugely expressive due to his lack of words in the drama. Although, he still remains a mystery.

Music:

Holy Shit. The music for this show... it deserves some serious praise. 10/10

There are so many songs that fit the theme of the show as well as the intense, comedic or sad scenes that it plays over for. No song is out of place and are so melodic and appropriately fitted into the background that it doesn't stand out or eclipse the actor's words.

Rewatch Value:

Unlike other shows where the killer is revealed in the last show, Inspector Koo sets it out from the beginning who the serial killer is and makes notable comparisons between K and Koo. Therefore, the rewatch value of this show hasn't plummeted too much.

It's a visual masterpiece that almost moved me to tears with some scenes, and I would genuinely consider rewatching it in a few months time when I've forgotten most of the scenes etc. The characters and their dynamics in the show, particularly the cute nature of Santa, make it appealing.

Overall:

Inspector Koo is one of those shows that might appear messy to the outside eye, which in hindsight, it can be given the complexity of the plot in the later episodes. It works well to embody comedy and thriller together and creating a protagonist that you will not necessarily like but learn to tolerate.

A few issues with the show come from spoiler-ish details that feel like a shock factor trying to make the final episode more intense. I'll list them down below. Apart from that, I genuinely enjoyed this show as a fresh breath of air because it alternates from psychopathy to comedy fluidly. That and the OST which really helped me sit down and watch peacefully.

From a logical perspective, nothing in this show makes sense. From the fact that life insurance inspectors can investigate a serial killer to the fact that the serial killer is a college student who we have never seen in college nor have we seen work and yet she has an abundance of technical knowledge and finances.

If you enjoy a good ol' crime show but with a hint of comedy then watch this.

***SPOILERS***

- Director Yong locking up K made no sense apart from a flat storyline to conveniently keep K locked up while Koo and the others work.
- Santa's background reveal in the final episode didn't feel needed.
- There was still no explanation about what the black bat dolls are.
- Several of the details in the show point to a Season 2.

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Catch Me if You Can

It all started with NT Life Insurance Service’s employer Na Jaehee who was trying to collect some merit by proving a high-paying claimant case as suicide to forfeit its payment. She hired her senior in the force, ex police who was wasting her life playing videogames, Koo Kyungyi to investigate. KKY was enticed by the computer set offered by NJH, thus agreed to set out from her home and look into it. The trip that was supposed to turn a missing person case into suicide proved to harbour a more complicated story, which led them to a series of suspicious deaths that KKY believed to be perpertrated by a serial killer. As she and her team chased after this killer before they commit the next murder, they were plunged into a deeper plot that was related to KKY’s past.

Lee Young Ae looks undeniably marvelous as a woman in her 50s, they could barely hide her beauty even by making her act as a slob. Lee Young Ae definitely nailed it as the eccentric ex police inspector turned into a waste Koo Kyungyi, always dressed in colourful bright sweatpants, baggy T-shirt with loose collar due to overstretching, and oversized dark overcoat, coupled with messy, smelly hair which makes up to her unkempt appearance. She really looked like a total waste, spending all day and night drinking and playing videogames when she was not out investigating. It’s a real different look cuz i have always seen Lee Young Ae act as an elegant beauty. Despite her appearance, KKY is a very sharp investigator who literally thinks a dozen steps ahead of the criminal, even when she met her almost-match Song Yikyung, a young adult with super twisted mind whose sole purpose is to kill those who deserved it. This character is way from perfect, she can’t really fight even when her life depends on it, she is frequently physically overpowered by Song Yikyung whenever they crossed paths, and she doesnt come out unscratched from any fights. All those ‘ouching’ and ‘owwing’ whenever she strained herself physically seem so relatable to reality. She is not formidable in all aspects like most heroes in a story, but she pulls through everytime relying on pure survival instincts, clumsy as it may be.

The one who played Song Yikyung successfully embodied the total emotional wreck serial killer, who literally has no friends but those who owed to her when she killed for them. On the surface, Song Yikyung looked like a happy go lucky young woman, although lost her parents at a very young age, she was raised with all the love she could be given by her maternal Aunt. A natural loner, her aunt had always worried that she would tumble down the rabbit hole. Intelligent as she is, she proved to be KKY’s match as they keep ouwitting each other.

Somehow it is hard to see actors with poor performance in kdrama. From all that i saw (though cant say i watch many kdrama), their acting performance is always exceptional and top notch, with the only downside being the plot and the written character itself if i ever had to rate lower. The same goes to Inspector Koo. Everyone performed exceptionally well even the smallest part on screen. The songs are very catchy and kinda got stuck in my head (yeah im gonna add it to my running playlist).

One of the other thing that impressed me about kdrama is they do not have any qualm about hiring actors in late 40s or 50s as their lead cast. It’s great to see these great actors still donning the leading hat and not find them only in supporting or guest roles, especially Lee Young Ae who remained in my heart for so long after Jewel in the Palace.

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Exciting but gets a little messy

The best part of this drama is hands down the antagonist, who is just the most intriguing kind of serial killer. We get a backstory showing her how she got to that point and what she's feeling (or what she's not), and I really loved the layer of moral grayness in her reasoning behind the killings. It really made me question the blurry line between right and wrong and think about who has the power or right to decide who deserves to die and who to live.

All this, paired with the eccentricity of the female lead who has her own blurry backstory, made for a really interesting dynamic between the two not only when they were playing their game of cat and mouse, but also during their very intense confrontations.

I thought the side characters on the team were also great and had their personalities and roles, each with a different worldview that meshed well together.

As the plot progressed, it started to incorporate other antagonists and manipulators that were related to politics or familial secrets; while I'm not necessarily surprised because I knew the story had to get bigger than a single killer and her accomplice, but I just felt like the additions started to get messy and I was not at all as interested in these other people with other motivations. It just felt too common and it seemed to stifle the potential of the main antagonist.

Though there were some parts that felt a little rushed — especially in light of all the new antagonists and characters that were added that I mentioned above, I still felt like the drama wrapped up the storylines nicely.

Throughout the entire show, the OST was great and it definitely made me feel the intensity in every scene.

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enjoyed it!

Loved seeing the women helm this drama. It was equal parts funny and thrilling. K was a charming criminal. Ms Koo made a fun anti-hero. All the other side characters were amazing too. Really wonderful seeing a same-sex couple with a cute romance.

I'm just being very superficial with my review here. Because there's more to this drama than what I've typed above. At 12 episodes, it is nicely packaged. Couldn't grasp many things - one of which is how come K can beat up everyone's ass and she is just a petite young woman who doesn't appear to be trained in any form of martial arts? But it was fun enough that I was happy to suspend my disbelief.

With how the story ended, I suspect a sequel may be in the works? Nice.

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Killing Eve ripoff gone wrong

This show was touted as a Korean remake of Killing Eve and well, it isn't wrong. If you've watched Killing Eve, the similarities are there: female police officer/law enforcement agent goes on a cat and mouse chase with a female serial killer/assassin (in killing eve). This show takes on a more quirky/light hearted tone compared to Killing eve, which in my opinion doesn't work in its favor. "K" the female serial killer, is basically Villanelle but quirkier and less charismatic. Her "quirkiness" was played up too much it made it too over the top and unbelievable. This was actually the main reason I dropped the show. K's overacting was just grating on my nerves too much. The plot was also not sufficiently interesting to get me hooked on the show and make me able to look past the awful overacting. Koo and team already established that K was the killer around ep 4/5 so there wasn't anything left to compel me to continue. Also, the people who K was targeting were bad people, so it was kinda a good thing as well? I personally like a good revenge story so I didn't care to see K get apprehended. There was also some backstory about Koo's husband's suicide but it was meh.

Other plot points I couldn't stand was that I found it hard to believe that K had so much resources to carry out her various killings, especially the plan where she drugged Koo's 2 team mates and left them to die at sea. Villanelle had some outlandish schemes up her sleeve as well but she was an assassin part of an international organization. While K on the other hand seems decently well off with her aunt being some sort of insurance agent but definitely not chaebol level to have the means to pull off such stunts.

Acting wise: Lee Young Ae is decent as Koo but her performance did not wow me. K's actress on the other hand....ugh. Not sure if it was a production choice to have her overact and turn on her "quirkiness" meter to a million or maybe the actress' acting ability isn't up to standard to be able to portray the character convincingly.

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Deadly charming

Gosh, what a show! It‘s been a while since I was this charmed by a drama but this did it for me.
What can I say, I love everything about Inspector Koo, even its flaws, which I would argue, make this even more endearing. Yeah, it’s riddled with plot holes and conveniences, yeah, the performance Mrs. Koo gives, is a bit strange and over the top, but man, that’s all part of the experience baby!
I am struggling, trying to take this show apart, and truly critiquing it because, for the first time in a long time, I was too entertained to pay attention to the details.
In no way is this a realistic crime thriller, but I don’t think it has to or even tries to be one. Somehow this show managed to be intelligent while having the most Ludacris plot ever. Inspector Koo definitely knows its strengths and you will catch yourself suspending your disbelief to new extremes simply because you’re too hooked to do anything else.

How refreshing to see a K-drama that is truly driven by its women. Female competence all around. Inspector Koo is a quirky anti-hero that you cannot help but fall in love with and Na Ja-hee is one of the coolest women of K-drama in 2021. But I especially lost my heart to psychopath and dream-girl K. Most people probably already know her from Kingdom but the only drama I saw her actress in before this, was some sleazy lesbian-fanservice 5 minute-episode web show. But man, she did such a fantastic job here! I was having fun whenever we got to see K on screen. No matter how deranged or downright evil she was acting, it was nearly impossible for me to hate her, that’s how much I enjoyed her performance here.

However, the biggest strength of Inspector Koo is its distinctive cinematography and cut. This is a drama that stands out because of its style. From opening to its montages, this show felt fresh, interesting and most of all: charming. Never did this drama go the easy route of conveying something, even simple scenes of people casually talking to each other were visually stimulating, thanks to the quirky look and feel of Inspector Koo. I was strongly reminded of the cinematography of Scott Pilgrim Vs- The World, which I love. The color and quick cut took the edge of the dark premise of the show and made this thriller fun without making the gruesome crimes of K feel trivial.

The OST is SO DAMN GOOD!!! I am not someone that cares for K-drama soundtracks or even K-pop, not at all, but I’ve been listening to the OST non-stop ever since I watched the first episode. It’s so catchy but never felt out of place. I found myself grinning ear to ear every time Round And Round by TRRP came on.

Inspector Koo is a silly drama, but it’s not a stupid one. I would somewhat compare this dark comedy with Vincenzo, which I also truly loved, but Vincenzo was a show that felt like dumb fun, with not much else going on. And that is not a dig at Vincenzo, I adore that show. But with Inspector Koo, I think there was more method to the madness and yet it doesn’t feel like it tried as hard. Amidst all the weirdness, there is something genuinely poignant and important about this drama. What is good, what is evil? And what should judgment look like, when those two ideas start to blur more and more?

I strongly strongly endorse this drama, I would even go as far and call this my personal K-Drama of 2021. The 8.2 does not do this show any justice, this is criminally underrated, in my humble opinion. Yeah it has its flaws, Inspector Koo‘s acting, as mentioned above, the plot holes, and at certain points, the plot was kind of slow and repetitive. I might be overly generous, I will gladly admit that, but no matter how hard I try to be objective, I just can’t stress enough how much fun this drama really was. TLDR: I think Inspector Koo is absolutely brilliant.

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A Witty and Brilliant Conflict Between Fantastic Characters

This is a detective's show in its finest form. Unique and interesting characters brought together in a game of cat and mouse between a disheveled but gifted detective and an equally intelligent antagonist. The story was phenomenal, the acting was great, the music was catchy and well-made, and the production quality was perfect.

Besides being a little drawn out, there isn't much I can criticize (that's why it's nine out of ten). And... well, there's not much to say about a great show except that it's great, so we'll leave it at that. I strongly recommend watching this show.

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