The First Responders

An Unforgettable K-Drama Experience

This series has set a new standard for what I expect from K-dramas. I can already feel the withdrawal setting in as I try to find something else to watch that can compare to the brilliance of what I just experienced It was an unforgettable adventure. I wish I could experience the magic of watching this series for the first time again, just to relive those feelings and connections. The impact of this drama is something I can't quite put into words. I've watched many series over the years, but this is definitely the best drama I've ever seen! It's one of those shows that you want to share with everyone you know, to make them feel what you felt, to introduce them to a slice of your new favorite world. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as possible. I can guarantee that you'll laugh, cry, and be completely absorbed in the incredible storytelling. It's an experience you won't want to miss! (╥﹏╥)

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Not much need to fast forward!!!

The acting is all very good, but I am loving Kang Gi Doong as Myung Pil. He usually plays a nerd/geek/loser type person and he's great in this. He's got good comedic timing and I love his relationship with Jin Hoe Gae. I was especially enjoying it up through about episode 7 when the big bad guy was the focus. That was the only place I felt the need to fast forward.

I do have to say I'm tired of corrupt parents. What is the deal with Jin Hoe Gae's dad?!?!

I am also not feeling the potential romance between Jin Hoe Gae and the FL. He's cold, and definitely a lone wolf. If she's willing to accept the scraps that he's willing to offer, that's just sad.

I wish we got to see more of the fire and paramedics. Through most of the drama, it was the Jin Hoe Gae show. He worked alone or with Pil, and it seems like he's the only one able to solve the crimes. I wish it was a little more balanced.

I hate cliffhangers, but at least I waited until season 2 came out before I started watching this.

If you like police/fire procedural dramas, you will enjoy this.

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✒ ❗️ Living on Adrenaline °7.8° °VG°

🚨 Looks like there's a maverick on the force.

A firefighter, a paramedic, and a cop walk into a bar. It's not a joke. It's a script. It's pretty exciting, too. Watching them investigate is entertaining.

TFR is a 2022 release of 2 seasons consisting of 24 65-minute episodes and S3 is expected to be announced. It is rated 91 on AWiki. The name seems especially generic, so I wasn't convinced when I started it, but Kdramas with boring titles are often a pleasant surprise. These ? stories are downright arresting.

Kim Rae Won (Decibel, A Wild Apricot) is Jin HoGae, one of those universally cool types. His first credits are from 1998; he's been around for awhile. This is my first look at him and I get the appeal. He has several interactions with his father, and it's never been less convincing to me that two actors were related by blood. Their scenes seem slightly off, they're so unlikely to be father and son. HoGae must take after his mother. He's our maverick, and he's completely unpredictable.

In S2, HoGae is being promoted to head of the NOI investigation team. He's at the fancy ceremony. The auditorium is full. He suddenly stands up and announces that he can't accept the promotion. As he walks out of the building, somebody chases him outside and asks what he's doing? “I don't like the color of the building,” he quips. He rides off on his motorcycle. James Dean has nothing on him.

Son Ho Jun (Was It Love-7.4, Go Back Couple) is Bong Do Jin. He's got a nice presence. Both he and HoGae are interested in Song Seol (Gong Seung Yeon from Circle, Re-Born & My Only Love Song-8.7). This actress is a charmer. I'm a fan. There are, once again, amazing child actors. In ep5 a little girl steals the show. She completely upstages our ML. Director Shin Kyung Soo also brought us The Nokdu Flower & Six Flying Dragons, while screenwriter Min Ji Eun penned Partners for Justice.

In S2, ep1, Choi Won-Young plays an arsonist. He's brilliant. I've seen him in The Golden Spoon-8.1, Mystic Pop-Up Bar-8.2, The Heirs-7.3, and the excellent SKY Castle-9. He's different in everything; a real talent.

Oh Eui Shik makes an appearance towards the end of S1 and takes on a more regular role in S2. I've been a fan of his since Oh My Ghost-10, one of my gateway Kdramas. I love it so much that I love every actor on the cast. This guy really does seem to be sprinkled with fairy dust because he's in a lot of features, and they're all successful. I've seen him in While You Were Sleeping-7.3, Familiar Wife-8.5, The Hymn of Death-8.4, Romance Is a Bonus Book-7.9, Touch Your Heart-8.2, Hi Bye, Mama-6.5, My Unfamiliar Family-7.9 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2 & Big Mouth-7.4. He gets to be more than a sidekick in S2. I just want to see more & more of him, now.

First responders are police, fire, and paramedics. The ME and prosecutors will also be at a live crime scene. We follow all these careers in the show. Cases that pop up are arson, kidnapping,
suicide under suspicious circumstances, statutory rape, a hit-and-run, missing persons, and all the while there's corruption teeming In the background. Among the decent folk there's the everyday clashes that must occur, especially among sleep deprived adrenaline junkie types who exist on instant food and soju. Jin stops a helicopter with a fire hose~>> B@d@$$. There's the promise of romance, too.

The plot gets a tad outrageous in S2, which begins as a seamless continuation of S1. It's still quite a bit of fun. I didn't find it difficult to take the ride with them. Some certainly will. They kill off cats in both seasons. That's a problem Hollywood has had for decades. It's leeching out into Kcountry now. Overall, TFR is a great ride, though. Can a maverick go-it-alone forever? To the fiery end? Watch and see. You probably won't regret it.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.7📝8 🎭7.8 💓5 🦋6 🎨6.5 🔚🤗5 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡6.5 😅3.5 😭6 😱5.5 😯4.5 🤢7 🤔6 💤0

🎵/🔊7.4 Shazams: Heaven for You by CHEN, Cross the way, by BUMJIN


Age 17+ Language: b@$+@rd and other PG-13 verbiage; The autopsies can be graphic. Painful deaths. Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.

Re-📺? Won't rule it out


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

💘 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Was it love-7.9,
Hospital Playlist 9,
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9


⚡/🚀 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Revenge of Others-8.3,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Uncanny counter season-1 only °S1-8.4 S2-4,
Han River Police-7.4,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Moving-8.5,
Law School -8,
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
Blood Free-8.5,
D.P.-8.4,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

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Thrilling procedural with a ton of heart

It has genuinely been such a long time since a Korean detective thriller style show has hit this home with me. It's a true procedural, going from case to case, using everyones unique abilities and perspectives to come up with clever solutions to find and catch the bad guys.

Unlike a lot of K-thrillers, each of the cases are not predictable, they are full of genuine twists and turns that keep you hooked wanting to know what is gonna happen next. It genuinely defied my expectation at every turn, just as I thought it would relapse into something more generic, it strikes the odds and goes the distance.

Not only that, but it actually takes time to characterize everyone in its sizeable cast and make them feel human. All of the performances are fantastic but I was genuinely incredibly impressed by Kim Rae Won. I have never seen him before, but in this show? He absolutely KILLS it! He toes the line between this crazy reckless workaholic detective, but portrays him as the traumatized and flawed human that he is. He gives endless complexity to the character and makes him relatable and grounded.

This sells itself as a no-holds barred action packed thrill ride and contains many of those aspects. Explosions, chases, fights, set-pieces, bombastic music, it's all here. And yet, when First Responder slows down and decompresses, it has so much heart and soul within its writing. Each of the cases really tugged at my heart strings and don't focus on hyper psychopath serial killers, but mostly on actual real people whom commit crime for various reasons.

It also does its best to tie each of the crimes into the leads and their backstories and personalities, whether directly or indirectly, allowing them to be fleshed out.

It's a complete banger of a show.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " First Responders " Season One is a thriller with a well-crafted team of responders.

The drama uses its two main key factors to its fullest. The main team of three was excellent, with their personalities bonding smoothly together and just working out perfectly. Their interactions were entertaining and their chemistry perfect. Though, the romance was an odd choice and it could have worked without it.

The other highlight of the drama was its cases. Each one was interesting to follow, dark and suspenseful, but also emotional and humane.

The performances, in addition, were perfect and enjoyable by everyone in the cast, who acted out their action scenes masterfully.

So, overall, eight out of ten.

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Worth watching!

i find the story really interesting and how storyline progression was easy to understand. it may not be the best one out there but definitely worth watching. of course if expect something like "Love me if you dare" than i am sorry to inform you its not like that. lets say for begginners of k/cdramas its good. so if are interested in something more light i recommend watching but be ware of some explicit scenes as it may be a little too hard to see for some. But don't worry. the series has a lot of funny moments and the characters interactions and story are pretty well explained and shown. Peace!!

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THE HERO POLICEMAN ... oh, and bit parts for his fire/paramedic lackeys

I started this show for 2 reasons: Gong Seung Yeon, and the advertised concept of a show about the emergency services working together. GSY was great (and so was Ji Woo), but the premise turned out to be a lie.
Instead of a show about the 3 services working together, we got a show about one 'rogue' detective using the fire and paramedic services as his personal investigative lackeys. Openly derisive of the value of their work from the start of episode 1, he did everything. Which is just as well, because EVERY episode of the 4 I watched turned into an investigation for the police. Not what was advertised and not what I signed up for.

The other BIG problem I had was with the "Big Bad". I am not a fan of multi-season shows, and when I saw the "Big Bad" in this first series, I rolled my eyes. Sure enough, I see he's in S2 as well, and that was the kiss of death for me as far as my watching this show went.

That's a bit of a shame, because KRW was doing well in his role, and it was great seeing SHJ and GSY together. Had the show actually BEEN about collaboration, perhaps with each emergency service taking the lead in different episodes, and had the writers not stuck on a superfluous "Big Bad", it could have been a fun watch.

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Welcome to Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and Chicago Fire crossover all in one!!

If you ever watched any of these shows then you'll get a gist of how First Responders work except that everything that happens in these dramas are combined into one show.

Each episode have it's own unique plot which isn't over the top. They each have a beginning, middle, and end which I loved but as the episodes got closer to the end some scenarios lasted about two episodes.

Whoever put this cast together is a genius! This cast melded so well that I fell in love with every last character-both good and bad. The connection worked for me. I know I love strong bromance dramas, this one wasn't strong but it was there.

Now the bad part...I can't stress enough how much I despise dramas that involves romance! In this case there's two guys vying for one female and I seriously hate that. I also got a feeling that the main female lead is going become that lovesick puppy I despise as well. This is why I'm giving it a 9. It would've given it a 10 if it weren't for the cheesy cliche romance.

Another thing I hate is that it ends in a cliff hanger. I hate cliff hangers because it either takes too long to show the reveal or it gets left in the air.

It's been a minute since I came across a Korean drama that had me eagerly reaching for the 'next episode' button. Now that I watched this whole drama, I feel like I've lost a life long friend...Till First Responders season 2 comes along, I'll be looking like a lost puppy trying to find a drama that can pretty much match this one.

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FIRE FIRE FIRE!! THE TRIO IS FIRE (SUPERB) haha :)

I'm an ARDENT Crime Thriller fan :) n so Everything about this drama is SUPERB ✨

A Good Mix of Action + Crime Thriller (police investigation crime drama ) + Fire Rescue + Medical (Paramedic emergency service) .

***
VERY ENTERTAINING n FUNNY Action Crime Thriller with a Good Team Work, solving different cases.

Initially (to be precise, the first half of ep 1), it's a bit Slow Paced but that pacing is to form the base of the story n to introduce the characters, so, reasonable.

But later, Everything is on Fire Fire Fire!🔥
It got VERY INTERESTING.
THERE IS NO MOMENT OF BOREDOM THROUGHOUT THE DRAMA !!

***
Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography n Production are WELL DONE.

Pacing is RIGHT n GOOD.

Action sequences, Fire accidents n their Rescue operations n Autopsies are WELL DEPICTED.

Story of Each Case n the Personal Stories of the Main Cast, are WELL WRITTEN n EXECUTED WELL.

Enjoyed the COMEDY in this drama alot, Very Funny n Sarcastic at times .

Funny, they concentrated on "dog breeds" throughout the drama, haha (comparing some characters with a dog /an animal).
Every character has a Nickname! :)
Jindo dog, Mutt, Polar Bear, Bulldozer etc.
(Personally, I love to give Nicknames n so found this point in the story as funny n cool 😏)

***
I was Skeptical how a Firefighter n a Paramedic will be of use or will be a major part in a Criminal Investigation
but the way, the writers included their roles with their Fire Investigations or Paramedic Emergency Services as an Important Base to the Criminal Investigation by Police Detectives in Every Case, is VERY WELL WRITTEN.

OST is Good, especially the song "Fire"

*** ACTORS & CHARACTERS:
Every actor performed their role well.

Kim Rae Won was my First Korean Hero 🥰 , watched him in "My Little Bride".
After many years, saw him now n didn't even recognize :o
Yeah, I know, Obviously he would be different here but still surprised to see my first Korean love :)

Son Ho Jun is handsome , more handsome than Rae Won ;)

ML's dad, that actor is even more handsome ;)
There is a lookalike to this actor - the actor who played Judge character, father of the gal in Teen Pregnancy case.
In one of the eps, both the actors were sitting side by side in the car, they looked like brothers in that scene n I was confused to identify :o

***
Loved the point that both the Male Leads (Jin Ho Gae n Bong Do Jin) have Equal Importance in S1.

Both are Cold Faced, stubborn but Sweet at Heart.
Both have the same Tsundere personalities n yet so different.
One (Jin) is funny n sarcastic, while the Other (Bong) is Calm.
At the times of Emergency, One (Jin) jumps right into the scene without second thoughts, ignoring the consequences, while the Other (Bong) stays Composed, considering every consequence n plans accordingly.

Loved both the guys n their ways of dealing a case :)
Both their ways include Meticulous analysis, taking bold step in an emergency n are stubborn n dedicated to the case till they find out the truth!

Loved their interactions, mostly sarcastic n so, very funny, haha
or cute lil fights like Rivals all the time but when one is in trouble, the other will be the first to observe, respond n clear that trouble :)
And so, the rapport n the bromance of Jin n Bong is Very Sweet !

Sad, S1 came to an end by the time there is a great development in their bromance :(
They should have explored more of their Joint Investigation n bromance.

Jin is funny, very Crazy, stubborn but intelligent, dedicated to his Investigation n justice oriented .
He is fierce, bold n arrogant but is very quick to grasp the mentality of the criminal n has a strong will to save the victims .

Liked character Bong :), the dedication, how he runs all the tests in his range to give a complete fire report that helps, not only in the fire investigation but also in the criminal investigation. I appreciate his efforts.
Bong is cold but kind to people.
He is like "Speak Less, Work More, that too, in an intelligent n smart way!" :)
In the entire drama, saw him smiling only in the last two episodes, haha, Cute!

(Jin is like the Close Friend we love to have, While Bong is like the Husband we want! Haha 😏
Loved watching these guys :) )

Loved Song, She is empathetic n sweet, while saving people.
She played a bridge in this Trio, to develop the friendship :)

Loved their Friendships n Team Work - The Trio n Pil :)

Pil is a partner in investigation to Jin. Whenever Jin is in trouble, Pil worries a lot, more than Jin, haha he is sweet n funny :)

When it is revealed that Bong n Anna are siblings in one of the cases, not only Jin, even I was surprised , haha

*** ROMANCE IN A CRIME THRILLER? :o :
Should have left the Trio Jin - Song - Bong as just Friends n as different department personnel cooperating with each other in cases, instead of a hint of romance n a Love triangle .

Romance in Action Crime thriller, to some extent, is Ok
but a Love Triangle, totally spoils the mood. Even a subtle hint of it, is a NO, God! :|

If I have to choose, I would root for Bong n Song ;)
Bcz Bong remembers every minute detail about her, knows about her sad past, for which she worries sometimes n so takes care of her very well,
While Jin has a soft corner for his saviour Song but pushes her away, most of the times.
And Sad! She does the same with Bong - pushes him away, Oh my Poor Bong Do Jin ah! :(

Bong's jealousy when he sees a cute moment of Jin n Song, is cute but very sad. Oh my Bong Do Jin ah! :(

Meanwhile, NFS lady flirts with Bong, making this into a Love square, haha.

***
My Ranting:
Give JinSong or BongSong or Bong with NFS lady clearly but not a love triangle or squares.
This is a Thriller, not rom-com .

I don't like Love Triangles or Squares in Romance genre itself, imagine my frustration watching such in Thrillers 😂
"Pure Thriller" (without Romance) is chosen by an "Exclusive Thriller genre" fan for a reason, pls :|

*** CASES:
The Cases are DIVERSE dealing with a Variety of Crimes, around, 1 CASE Per EPISODE.

Cases are Interesting n Gripping.
But some of them are not so complicated or twisted that require extra intelligence to solve or understand
(Just a comparison, "Partners for Justice" drama has a great twist n a complication in every case, that U don't find it here).

All Fire crimes n Non-Fire crimes are given equal importance n are intertwined.

**
1st case: Psycho kidnapper kidnapped a gal.

Opening scenes of the drama itself are funny - that slap by Jin n his explanation in his disciplinary meeting , haha.

In this case, Jin's interactions with the kidnapper n the way he handled him is very smart n funny.

Crazy!! Jin, like his name Jindo dog, really bit the kidnapper, OmG! :o haha.

He got a nice house warming gift / welcome party from his floor mates Bong n Song - the story about his haunted flat, haha.

**
2nd case: School gal Suicide / murder

Firefighter Bong's body cam videos are crucial in the initial investigation
n from those, Jin found out that it's a murder, not a suicide.

**
3rd case: Ghost in Jin's flat

Very funny n he solved this in a smart way
Jin n Bong act like Rivals but helped each other in the case, haha.. cute bromance :)
A case of Lover's spat gone wrong.

**
4th case: Lil gal's hit n run

This is solved in a smart way, lot of surprises in the case.
The culprit(s) is a total surprise here.
Insurance fraud case.

**
5th case: Anna n University researchers' rescue

This is one of the major cases here.
Well Written.
Nail-biting with lot of Suspense.
The Trio n their teams worked hard to solve this n save everyone.
That Sting operation by Jin is bold n risky.
Anna did so well here.
The Team work is marvellous.

**
6th case: Jin's arrest

This is one of the major cases here.
Well Written.
Jin is framed in a murder by the villain.
Entire episode is very interesting to watch, how they created Evidences against him etc

The way Bong helped in this investigation to clear the name of Jin n save him, with his tests, fire investigations as evidences, is very good.

Everyone - Pil, Bong, Song, NFS lady, Anna n Jin himself, everyone helped Jin to clear his name.

**
7th case: Murder of a lady by the Villain

This is one of the major cases here.
Well written.
Very funny episode.
That drug guy is funny.
Bong's investigation is also useful to Jin in this case, their interactions are cool here.

**
8th case: Teen Pregnancy of a gal

This is one of the major cases here.
So many Twists in her story.
Suspected Everyone 🤭 - every guy involved in this case, every guy around the gal, right from her classmates, friends, teachers, even her own sibling :|

Bong's body cam video is useful in this case for the criminal investigation by Jin.

Pressure from the parents regarding studies led to the worst side of the teen students.
Very sad that the stress led the kids to grow with twisted stubborn personalities n going to any extent to defame their parents by placing themselves into dangerous situations n losing their own lives, pride n respect in the society :|

**
9th case: Drunk guy assaulted ex gf.

This case made Jin to undergo disciplinary review.

**
10th case: 7 years cold case - the Missing Gal's case in which Jin is the prime suspect back then.

This is one of the major cases here.
Very emotional one.
Bong tried to collect clues about this case since Jin is still worrying n down with guilt for not helping that lil gal from past 7 years.

The culprit in this case is a total surprise.

This case ending (location of the gal) is a crazy n shocking surprise! 🤯
Reminded me of the crazy surprise twist of KD "Beyond Evil" ML's sister case :|

**
11th case: Serial Arsonist

Like serial killers, a serial arsonist is dangerous n started fire at 3-4 locations (almost 5 fire accidents) n so this episode, this case is tiring to watch seeing the firefighters tensed n running here n there.
(Looks like a firefighter, in specific Bong is targeted :/ )
Here the childhood incident of Bong is shown, which is sad n that incident led him to be dedicated to his job n save everyone.

This case is left halfway n unresolved n
S1 ended with both the male leads caught in the fire explosions n stuck🤯
So need to watch S2, to know whether they are alive or no n what happened to them :o

*** ENDING:
What is this with all these dramas, "Kingdom", "Partners for Justice" n now this? :o

Now, I understand the Pain of the Viewers back then, who had waited for an year for S2 :( 😂

All these dramas' S1 ended with a cliffhanger or a case left halfway or unresolved :o

***
My RATING is 9.5 / 10 .

All Thriller, Mystery genre Lovers must watch this !
And should recommend this to fellow crime thriller admirers :)

Thank you for reading my lengthy review :)

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