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Good, but not great
An interesting premise, and explores a side of crime dramas beyond the usual clues and characters having an einstein moment. Where the drama falls short is in the character development and the amount of them which are redundant. A lot of characters are introduced but don't really drive the plot or serve any significant purpose. Case and point is the journalist and her boss. They don't affect the plot whatsoever, and are pretty redundant outside of giving the Behaviour Analysis team an interview. Yet we see them every single episode bickering. Same goes with the data analyst on their team, he doesn't contribute anything apart from helping them bounce ideas and just stays in the office. The two leads also lack chemistry, we don't see them learn alot about each other. There are also some pretty underwhelming resolutions to some of the serial killers.Compared to Signal or Beyond Evil, it falls short.
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everyone has their own worst memories but that reason cannot justify us to commit a crime.
bagus si drama nya, yang nonton jadi lebih tau gimana perasaan si pelaku. ga cuma interogasi ttg kasus aja, tapi juga interogasi ttg masa lalu dia, knp dia bisa membunuh. nonton ini bikin naik darah banget lah. apalagi waktu pemvunuhnya itu bilang kl dia ngelakuin itu cuma karena ingin. bajingan kali. Tapi pelaku” nya ditangkap ga sesuai bayangan ku gitu. yang kasus topi merah, kayak ga nyangka tiba tiba ketangkap gitu, kayak kelihatan mudah. aku mikir kayak udah gitu aja dan di kasus kasus lain jg yg kayak cpt banget ditangkapnya. mungkin karena emang mau lebih fokus nyeritain perilaku si psiko nya kali ya. jadi ga terlalu fokus sama cara nangkapnya. okelah drama ini, awalnya agak lambat karena baru mungkin tetapi makin lama makin cepat dapet profil tersangkanya. aku searching pelaku yg sbnrnya dan pelakunya mirip vibesnya sama pelaku yang ada di drama. gilasi hebat bgt milihnya. accent si pelaku pun bnr bnr diikutin.Was this review helpful to you?
The Korean Mindhunter But Not Quite
Right off the bat, dunno why some on here are giving this bad ratings on here while a show as awful as signal has such high ratings lol. Anyway.....as a huge mindhunter fan I was so excited for this and it met my expectations. When I started it I was slightly disappointed as I went around calling it the Korean Mindhunter and was let down by the lack of the 'fincher-esque' fast paced but almost academic storytelling. But its just entirely different i mean its set some 35 years later in South Korea.. very different but good nevertheless. At first Detective Yoon was frustrating but every character on the show is fully realized and based in reality, so you'll learn to bare with it. Also would be good to actually research some of the real cases the show was based on and read a bit about Prof Kown IlYong whom Song Hayoung is based off of.This was an excellent show and for someone interested in the psychology of criminals, i was thoroughly entertained. They handled the cases with respect and it was honestly clever unfolding of plot.
Initially was uncomfortable with the editing and look of the show, (the high-contrast postprod sharpness effect really threw me off) but I came arnd to enjoying it - it really captures that dark late 90's early 00's era of south korean criminal bureaus.
Best kshow of 2022 alongside juvenile justice for me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great thriller drama/ Similar to Mouse
Damn the murders are surprisingly well detailed and i cant believe this is based on real story its good so far and the people who gave this a 4.5 or 2.5 or even 1 i dont understand u lmao. this is focused on profiling not rlly a thriller focused and also the psycopaths getting interviewed are so convincing and scary they did amazing. But this isnt something i'd rewatch the murders details are so scarring, it gave me chills. I didnt consider watching this when i saw the age rating was 15+, was a bit confused. But this isnt a bad thriller drama and derserves the high global rating.Was this review helpful to you?
DARK SIDE STORY FOR EACH OF CRIMINALS!
Just finished watched this Masterpiece drama last month. Watching this just because of Kim Nam Gil. Love all the stories for each of the killers. They had their own motive for all the cruel murders. Most of them had terrible & dark past. And I really love the Criminal Behavioral Analysis team. Kim Nam Gil & Jin Seon Kyu chemistry is so perfect. The way they interview all the psycho killers and make a research about their past (background) is so amazing. Each of the killers are so damn psycho and crazy. Thumbs up to all of the actors that played as a psycho killers. Although all of them are new face (actor) but damn their acting is really another level. I can feel all the emotions. So sad its only 12 EP, I wish there's more EP for this drama. Hope to see season 2.Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely Worthy of the American Series Crime-thriller, Criminal Minds
After the massive disappointment with the Kdrama version of Criminal Minds aired in 2017; I was a bit skeptical about Through the Darkness.However, i am so glad to say… I was so very wrong.
Through the Darkness is a well executed psychological crime/thriller production; well-worthy of the successfully and critically acclaimed American series, Criminal Minds.
Kim Nam Gil gave us a mind-blowing performance of a lifetime.
Adapted from the autobiography of Korea's first criminal profiler, Kwon Il Yong’s field experiences…
Kim Nam Gil’s genuine empathic character, Song Ha Young, certainly did him justice.
Great production, great directing and a well-versed cast, all around… Starting with the main leading cast to all of the supporting cast.
Through the Darkness is a well executed psychological crime/thriller drama.
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Compelling series
This was not my usual type of series to watch. However it caught my attention with the title and the short intro as i looked on the list of new & popular on Netflix, so i decided to give it a try and watch the first episode . That was my fatal mistake, once i started watching i felt compelled to watch the complete series.It was only as i read reviews afterwards that i realized it was from a non-fiction book. So a true story. I would love to read the book but unfortunately i have not yet found it in English. But i have not given up yet and still hope to find it.
The lead actor Kim Nam Gil's performance was of another class, it was brilliant, i could not fault his performance, you could feel the struggles he went through to achieve some understanding of the criminal mind. Kim So Jin and Jin Seon Kyu also lead actors were equally as good. The emotion came through the screen and you could feel the changes as you went through the series. The supporting cast member, though how you call the actors who portrayed the criminals as supporting cast, they were faultless. It was all in all a superb performance from all, even the smaller roles where well acted.
As you go through the series non of the episodes are slow and boring there is always something to keep you watching, and looking forward to the next episode.
I was quite sad when i realized i was watching the final episode.
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Great acting and great script
Kim Nam Gil, Kim So-jin and Jin Seon-kyu are just amazing. They are born actors and actress. The episodes are well paced and it meticulously take us into the nitty gritty details of crime solving and the incompetency of those in the highest ranks (Who only knows how to talk and not do much and avoid responsibility and only step in when there are praises and rewards) in the police. I'm so glad they didn't put some idol actor or actress into the drama. The high ratings for the show proves that you still need great actors and actresses to carry the story and not just idol faces. Kim Nam Gil's range of facial expressions and at times solemn facial expressions truly brings out the realistic feelings of a criminal behavioural analyst.Was this review helpful to you?
And the color scheme is like those annoying tiktok vids way too vivid sharp and dark
Welp🤷🏻♀️ one man's treasure is another man's trash
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First: the Complaint. Then a brief review :)
I'd like to begin with a pet peeve I have about the drama: Product Placements were annoying and obvious. Movies and TV shows in the US rarely use product placement, and if they do, it's notable and not woven into the dialogue; perhaps this is why I noticed them. Complain over.Having just finished The Fiery Priest (I'm still laughing...I loved it so much), I was eager to watch another drama with Kim Nan Gil. The actor has range because his character in Through the Darkness is nearly opposite to his character in FP. Still, the supporting cast's roles where well-drawn and execute so that the change in mindset that occurs over time in the series can be seen as genuine and not forced by a story line.
Pacing was excellent. Not interminable episodes of flashbacks, backstory, or lingering over a case for too many episodes. The result is a story that is presented over time, giving the viewer the opportunity to see the development of the Behavioral Analysis approaches and methods.
So, if you like a police series that looks at how the Behavioral Analysis unit got its start, and don't want to devote months of your life getting through it, then I recommend this for 1) bingeability 2) an interesting story but won't make you feel lost trying to figure out who did it.
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This review may contain spoilers
The show doesn't bring anything unique to the genre.
This series doesn’t do anything original except for the fact that most cases are resolved by just a random play of events rather than by a singular detective. The mc has this ability to feel people’s feelings at another level, but it doesn’t tangibly lead to him solving cases nor does the drama lead to anything of interest happening in the series: it’s just drama for the sake of drama. The characters in the show talk at length about what we as viewers already know and that at times becomes annoying: the same characters also give off the vibe that they are just reading the script for their parts and aren’t talking in a human like manner. It’s odd when the serial killers themselves in the show have a more natural aptitude at humanity than the police force: they are also the strongest in terms of acting and just keeping me interested in the show. When the series starts to focus on another killer who is bald, the team already has a picture of how this guy looks but for some reason people out in the streets are unable to identify him and call the police. In episode 5, a character from an old precinct where the mc worked at becomes the chief—weird part is that we haven’t seen him until now: it’s like he was just implanted into the show.Was this review helpful to you?
Underrated !!
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea because the way they solve the cases is insignificant but the aftermath and whole process behind the outcome is what’s really important! It may seem slow at first but hang in there because it will be worth it!The ability KNG has to potray this character perfectly leaves me open mouthed, knowing the fact that the criminals they show here were actual people who did all that nasty stuff in real life gives me chills and every character serves their purpose, even the annoying ones. A must-watch for sure.
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