Do you think monsters are born or made?
"The world that created the monster, must take responsibility too" - Song Ha YoungI don't know why, but I aside from Mafias, the other thing I am fascinated with is and will always be are about Serial Killers and how they will be caught with their crimes. As what Ha Young always mentioned in the drama, "there's no such thing as a perfect crime".
This drama is such a gem, with the 12 episodes which is for me is not enough and I want a season 2 for more cases to be tackled by the team.
It shows that being a profiler is not an easy profession, it's not for the weak mind and heart, what you'll be facing are to things that too inhumane for our taste. How this drama showed that not all monsters are born to be that way, but rather they're end products of things done to a person. Like how a parent affect their child's life for their actions or decisions.
Kim Nam Gil is one of my favourite actors in SoKor dramaland, as he knows his craft well. He may be lowkey, but God! he delivers perfectly. Add Jin Seon Kyu and Kim Won Hae (who's one of my fave ahjussi) and other casts and boom! we have a great casting for the characters in the drama. Their acting is superb! What more with the actors who played the roles of serial killers! Jeez! they're too convincing and too real!
I think, the drama's trying to tell us that we always have a choice, whether we choose to be a monster or not is up to us, unless we're defected by birth which we would feel helpless to control it, then we should always choose to be a good person, inspite and despite of any circumstances that we face in our daily life. It may be easy to say, but life is always a struggle and unfair. It's just how we handle things that may or may not make a difference towards it.
Overall, it's worth to watch the drama, so if you haven't watched it, you should start it. But be prepared, as some things there are too disturbing and violent. The things that serial killers described their crimes are too much for a person if they're not used to these types of dramas.
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Gripping
Incredibly intense at times, very human and believable, plus moving.A fascinating insight into the very humble beginnings of criminal profiling in S.Korea.
The dreadful way many colleagues and 'higher ups' treated the 3-man team of the profile unit, was disgraceful. From where they were located to how they had to fight every step of the way, until their methods showed results, time after time.
Kim Nam-gil and Jin Seon-kyu were excellent in their character portrayals, worked so well together and their character's totally different personalities complimented each other perfectly.
KNG's character's change through the episodes was a hard watch at times and I really wanted to climb into my TV and give him a hug.
Another character that matured through the series and quietly added so much to their small team dynamic, was Analyst, Jung Woo-joo (Ryeoun), who was a delight.
The different cases they became involved in were very gritty and quite distressing on occasion, ranging from rapists to child abduction and murder. It wasn't quite as gory as some series I've watched, but very unpleasant at times, adding to the reality of just how sick the serial killers they profiled, were. This eventually took a toll on some.
I hated the police's Commissioner General; even though the series spans a number of years starting in the 1990s, his out-of-date behaviour (even for the time) and attitude was shameful. From regularly using physical abuse of his subordinates (who were not low down the pecking order themselves), to demanding results as though evidence and perpetrators could be magically created, he was an embarrassing portrayal of a senior figure in S.Korean law enforcement. He even demanded unsolved murders be blamed on an existing criminal they'd caught, who had nothing to do with them!
Luckily, 2 senior colleagues (Baek Joon-shik and Heo Gil-pyo) were supportive and ensured the profile team were utilised and respected.
The length of this drama was shorter than the norm, but it never felt rushed and the story was almost perfectly told in those episodes.
There was one scene where an alluded murder victim was disposed of, but not covered when the killer confessed and I didn't get that. It was never mentioned.
Likewise, exactly what happened to the people replaced when changes were made in the police hierarchy, once the profile team had their first major success, wasn't made clear.
There was also no follow-up, or any insight into what became of the convicted killers; their sentences weren't even given.
Had those things been clearer, I would have given this series a 10.
The fact this is based on reality and a book written by one of the profilers, makes it all the more compelling.
Recommended!
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Criminal minds mixed with Mindhunter
If you like show such as Criminal minds or mind hunter, you will most likely like this show. However, this show is slow in terms of getting the criminals caught. Which is more realistic anyway. I skip some parts that I don't care about such as the politics in the office,I understand they need to show the huddle they go through to actually get this department accepted and taken serious to begin with but I feel it's taking away from some parts of the criminal mindsUnlike Criminal minds (The .US version) where they will actually show you what trigger these people to commit the act .these show until last episode never explorers that element.
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Gripping and terrorizing
Through the Darkness pitches a riveting story that centers on how the minds of criminals work, how they plot their crimes and how oddly their behaviors are, and leading the formation of Behaviour Analysis Team.Through The Darkness delineates the hard work done by every department in catching the psychopaths and examining the behaviour and minds of these killers. Kim Nam Gil as Inspector Son Ha Young was an effective casting who delivered a good acting on his part.
Overall, this drama depicts the terror of numerous psychopaths during the late 90s and early 2000s, and study of these criminal minds.
My Rating : 8/10
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Truly dark
Through the Darkness is a crime drama that is particularly unique for being adapted from the book of Korea’s first profiler. In this sense, it isn’t only focused on the crimes, but more so on the work that goes into solving them. It managed to capture the struggles of, at the time, still developing field of crime profiling.Not every aspect of this show is actually based on real happenings, but the characters and their stories make the viewer feel more included. It doesn't strack you as fiction or merely distant reality, it rather showcases itself as the everyday reality we face.
As for the acting, there isn’t anything I can criticise. Kim Nam Gil did an extraordinary job and his acting performance is memorable. This can be said about all the other characters, too. It isn’t quite common to see actors portray serial murders this well.
This drama was not the fastest watch (though it was rather intense), but it would feel wrong if such stories were easy to watch. That’s, of course, something one has to account for. On that note, I would argue that the rewatch value may not be the highest, which in this case is not a drawback.
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a 11/10 crime show with really consistent and brilliant writing
literally one of the most interesting crime/thriller dramas I've seen. i always enjoy shows where they delve deep into the criminal psyche, being a huge fan of mindhunter, i already knew i was gonna love the drama for that aspect at least. and man, i was definitely not disappointed. this drama totally served more than my expectations. in fact, i actually wasn't expecting much bc it's usually hard to hold my attention for a slow paced k-drama but this one really took my brain by choke hold and had a steady hold on the interest button in my brain. a very pleasant surprise.
i think what really makes this drama is the fact that it is very consistent in terms of its theme. It's focused on the development of criminal profiling, delving deep into the criminal psyche but never losing the focus. grief and the bereaved takes the center stage in the play, not the monster. the writing is just straight up brilliant in terms of how it focuses on the criminal psyche without humanizing them or glorying or justifying their action bc of their past. the past exists, it impacts them but it does not justify their actions. the explicitness of this message is so very evident in the writing but it does so by shifting the focus on the victim not by putting down the monster's past. that's what i find most interesting. like i really like the writing god, it's written so well i dont have words to describe it.
kim nam gil has done such a phenomenal job with song ha young's character, the grief and empathy he carries for the victim is heart wrenching. the acting was simply amazing in this k-drama, i especially love the people who played the serial killers, their acting was top-tier and contributed such solidness to the characters. i've a lot of respect for the cast and the production team definitely. :)
like yeah solid this was definitely 11/10 writing + good characters + good acting. all of that really served it well and polished it into an underrated gem. i'm so very glad i gave it a chance before 2022 ended, this drama seriously gnaws its way into your heart with that writing. do give it a try, it really does not disappoint in serving!
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posible for s2 if they want
In these 12 episodes I think the first two cases are quite good and the details are also quite good And easy to understand but the essence of this drama is about Profiler and most of the Profiler is to identify serial murders but serial murder cases in this drama actually look very absurd serial killers don't caught by the police after being identified, but caught due to negligence during the act of murder, this serial murder case is what makes this drama destroyed even though the core of this drama is about serial murder I think in these twelve episodes I can see alot of unique cases but delayed due to serial murder cases, especially the very few episodes, making the rating not going to be high.And what makes me feel very absurd is that serial killers who only have photos of their backs,they make a list of wanted people, but serial killers who they have the drawing picture of the culprit's face they don't put them on the people's wanted list so that it makes alot of other victims fall ,, in my opinion very not makes sense
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Brilliant Peek into the Role and the Toll of a Profiler
Through the Darkness is an amazing look into the life and cost of a profiler’s life. Grounded and moody, this show is not so much about catching criminals, as to a look into the unglamorous side of profiling. Interviews with the worst, mucking around and diving deep into the minds of the darkest of humanity, and writing reports that one hopes will make a difference, all the while trying not to lose oneself to the abyss that they constantly stare into. There are no big heroic moments, just people doing their best to make through the darkness of each day.Kim Nam Gil gives a subdued but powerful performance as Song Ha Yeong. He imbues Ha Yeong with an earnestness to do right by the victims and the public he wishes to protect along side a steely will that fights against the despair that continually claws at his souls. The rest of the cast brings the same intensity, and everyone just dives into giving quiet but powerful performances.
If you’re looking for a traditional thriller, go elsewhere. But if you are wanting an amazing character study and journey, I highly recommend this show.
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Kim nam Gil does not dissapoint!
This drama actually keeps his promise, there were no subplots or whatever writers always use to drag the drama. And knowing that the drama was based on a true story it was really well executed, all the cast did a great job at portraying their characters.It's true that it was slow and somehow predictable, but since this is based on a true story, i kind of expected it. Because in real life it is not so easy to solve a crime case and to be a profiler at the time was not something common.
So i will give this drama an 8.5/10, and i totally recommend it, though it is not the kind of drama i would rewatch lol.
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History of police detection excellent. Not a thriller.
A great dramatisation without being insensitively sensationalist and dramatic about traumatic real world history.Great cast. Very well acted.
Good script, however I see why some were thrown by the pacing and some of the choices. It isn't a thriller nor an action movie. It is a window onto bits of history and the slog work that produced culture change and results to produce a new policing era where profilers became an accepted widely-used investigation essential.
It also reflects (for me) not that wealthy societies produce serial killers but that wealthy societies have the resources, record-keeping, and nurturing of new talent to start noticing patterns that betray the activities of the such killers.
The true crime book it is based on seems not to have been glammed up for the screen, so it lacks the kind of pacing, thrills and character arcs that screenwriters inject by altering the history. Though I'm sure there was a fair amount of tidying and adaptation done (I'm not sure the book it was based on is even available in translation.) Those expecting a thriller or even a police procedural wouldn't find that here.
There was an odd set of editorial lapses in
episodes 6 and 7 with messy chronology so bad that I considered dropping it if they didn't stop. They stopped. The rest of the series didn't suffer from that and the last few episodes were very satisfying.
Possibly my favourite Kim Nam Gil performance because it showed his excellence - consistent restraint and subtlety, in contrast to the many roles where his charm and comedic talents sweep his audience off their feet. Kim So Jin gave a strong, tight performance - I loved the gradual change in the professional relationship without changing the character. Jin Seon Kyu, the ever-watchable Kim Won Hae, Lee Dae Yeon, and engaging Gong Sung Ha form a strong ensemble. I can't fault the acting of any of the main police team, or the cast in the many non-police roles.
Aside from some moments in the first episodes, there is a refreshing lack of sexing-up the crimes, which fits with the ethical consuderations around the investigations. It is far better than Criminal Minds and Mindhunters in those respects but those comparing it with those shows are making a mistake - the tone and much of the story focus is entirely different. Criminal Minds was abandoned by Mandy Patinkin for very sound reasons - serial killing as entertainment disgusted him - I think he'd approve of this show for being more what he thought he was getting into. (I admit I'm guilty of watching many CM seasons because I loved the team .) Mindhunters had a lot more merit and it was certainly interesting seeing some of the same prejuduces against innovation being fought in Korea decades later but the Federal structure, investment, cultural and period differences were an entirely different context. The fight to to develop and show the value of profiling in crime prevention and capturing perpetrators is something this shares with Mindhunter but the details are all so very different.
I have seen some criticisms highlighting that the co-workers don't follow the common show pattern of becoming a close found-family who socialise a lot together. While I accept that as a convention in entertainment media, that isn't what most workers find in their employment. Certainly not in the UK and I suspect not in Korea; there'd be far less loneliness in the world if that was a real norm.
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A Slow Burn Crime Drama That Fell Short for Me
I decided to watch Through the Darkness after seeing so many positive reviews and comments online. People were calling it deep, intense, and thought provoking, so I had high expectations going in. But honestly, it didn’t hit the mark for me.I was hoping for mind-blowing criminal profiling, smart twists, and groundbreaking case-solving. Instead, what I got was a series of crimes where the criminals were mostly caught after a lot of damage was already done after too many people had already died. That made it feel less like a suspenseful crime thriller and more like a slow recounting of tragedies. It lacked the urgency and cleverness I usually enjoy in crime dramas.
The casting was solid, and some performances stood out, especially from the lead. But even good acting couldn’t save a story that, to me, felt too dragged out and uneven. The pacing was really slow, and the tension never quite built up in a satisfying way. I kept waiting for a moment that would make me go “Wow, this is why everyone’s recommending it” but that moment never came.
I can see why some people might appreciate the realistic and psychological approach, but personally, it didn’t hold my attention the way I hoped. It’s not a bad drama, but it just didn’t live up to the expectations for me.
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Good thiller
It is really interesting to see the development of the characters and the journey they had to go through to get the respect they deserve. The beginning was too slow for me and I almost dropped the drama but I am glad I did not.The acting was great. The story line is good and the killers were portrayed well but it is not as dark as I thought it will be. The middle part of the drama got me hooked but close to end I was starting loosing interest. Maybe because I watched Mouse & Signal which is very hard to beat and I have heigh expectations now.
Overall it was not bad and it was not great…
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