The Scarecrow

POWERFUL"

I had to finish crying before I could give my review on this drama. Scarecrow was loosely based on the notorious Hwaseong Murders in Korea back in the eighties and part of the nineties. I remember watching the documentary back in 2021, and I started researching and found out there were movies made about the serial killer, watched them as well, however Scarecrow came at a different angle of the story. I think what was sad that the killer was under their nose, and due to the police corruption, violence, not having anything at that time to produce a DNA, they were all over the place and it became a media circus. Politicians, anyone with a title willing to do anything so it wouldn't tarnish their reputation, is the saddest thing of all. Arresting anyone, torturing people to near death, it was so reprehensible and hard to fathom, but this is what happened. This drama was so eerie to me at times because I know for the most part, it truly happened. There were times I cried, screamed, got pissed, off, talking to the characters as if they could hear me, it took me through a lot of emotions. To me, this is one of the best dramas I have watched this year. Stayed on point from the beginning to the end, and the actors, actresses.... they were so amazing!!!!!! Everyone of them gave their all and brought this story to life. I do want to say that the actor Jung Moon Sung, he was so scary as the serial killer. His eyes, the way his personality changed, the eerie smiles, he deserves an award for this. At the end, I think Lee Ki Hwan wanted the spotlight, and when Tae Joo told him it was over, the light turned off, as if telling him your spotlight is no longer needed. Overall, great, fantastic drama, and kudos to everyone who worked on the show, wrote the show and once again, all of those great actors.

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A fun gripping watch that does loose it’s emotional momentum towards the end though.

I was gripping the edge of my seat in the 2/3 of show. Very gripping, but then when the reveal of the serial killer happens, the show moves towards other things: the police and prosecutors playing their own versions of villains. While the story was engaging, the focus does shift from finding the serial killer to ones trying to hide his crimes to protect themselves. We don’t even get to see the killer going to jail for another murder he does. So the emotional buildup lacks the proper payoff too. And by the mid of the drama, I was totally rooting for Si Young to be the misunderstood character but he is just evil, so that was disappointing to say the least. Especially as we get more glimpses of his past and uncover his own traumas. That said, his elder brother doesn’t make any appearance in the current time. Especiallt since he exploited Si Young’s weaknesses and fears.
And don’t tell me I was the only one who found Cha Si Young genuinely regretful of his failed friendship with KTJ. They had such a complex relationship. CSY’s buddy summed it up perfectly: You don’t hate Kang Tae Ju but you don’t like him either. Perfectly summed up.
P.S.: I could guess by the mid who the serial killer was.

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If Only They Became Friends

I fell in love with the cinematography from the very first episode. The drama was beautifully made. Maybe because I’ve watched so many detective dramas before, I guessed the culprit by the second episode. The following episodes were just me being gaslit into thinking I was wrong while stressing over how the story unfolded.

There were parts where it lost my interest. I think fewer episodes would have made the drama even stronger.

My doomed bromance. My doomed lovers. I will forever cry about them.

This story is a sad reflection of reality, where the people who are supposed to protect used the power given to them to protect their selves.

I think the ending was quite realistic. Some injustices are simply brought to light, not served with justice.

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it was good!

This drama turned out to be a delightful viewing experience. One of the things I enjoyed about the show is the fact that it has a little bit of everything. In addition to amusing elements, there are also some touching scenes and nostalgic scenes, giving the drama a distinct character. Of course, I adored the overall aesthetics of the work because of its unique atmosphere.

There are a few elements in the show that didn't seem to be quite fitting there. At times, I wasn't able to figure out the reason for some scenes inclusion in the show because they weren't fully connected with the rest of the story.

To conclude, I find The Scarecrow an entertaining work. Perhaps, it isn't perfect, but still, it has many good qualities to make it a worthy viewing experience.

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The Real Scarecrow

I just finished watching this drama. In the beginning, it felt like a normal thriller. There was nothing different about it. But as I kept watching, it gradually built up such a captivating atmosphere that you just couldn't pull yourself away. The story is set in the 80s. It truly felt like we were transported back to the 80s. Even the background Music takes us back to that era.
The murders themselves didn't create as much fear as the actions of the people and characters in this drama; what they were doing felt much worse. Until the very end, I kept feeling that justice would finally be served. I thought some good justice was about to happen, or there would be some heroic moment. But nothing like that happened.
The ending wasn't like what usually happens in normal K-dramas, or how we see in fictional stories where the hero defeats the villain. It wasn't like that at all. It showed us what happens in reality—that you don't always get justice. And that's just how it is.
First of all, Kang Tae joo his character is so beautifully written, so emotional, and filled with so much empathy. I truly felt such a deep connection with that character. In the end, things don't turn out well for him. We usually think that everything will be fine for the protagonist by the end, but nothing like that happens to him. Until the very end, I felt so bad for her because he never got what I had hoped he would. he didn't get a happy ending.
Talking about Sun Yeong who plays the character of his sister. In the beginning, I found her character to be okay, but by the end, I don't know what happened to her character. How can she abandon her brother—who supported her since childhood and took such good care of her—for a complete stranger and their family, whom she only met midway through her life? After that, she doesn't even go to meet him or keep in contact. It was his helplessness, but she is the one who cuts ties. Character-wise, I didn't like her at all. I found her character to be really terrible.
Cha si Yeong, who plays the prosecutor, in the beginning, I felt like he genuinely wanted to be friends with Kang Tae ajoo. That is why he kept coming after him again and again, and their bond even started looking quite cute. He had done a lot of wrong things earlier, so I thought his character arc would develop later, he would apologize, and become a good man. That's what usually happens, but no—he just kept doing worse and worse things. He became more and more evil, and I couldn't even understand what was happening. I kept wondering if he would finally realize his mistakes at the end. But no, he didn't. He never reformed and stayed wicked until the very end.
Gi beom's character was also very cute, very innocent, and highly righteous. I liked him a lot. Ji Won character, the reporter, was also very good. There were many lovely moments shared between everyone. The actor who played the role of the killer did an amazing job with his acting. I really loved it. Overall, Scarecrow is a very good drama. You will even find yourself crying by the very end.
As a thriller, Scarecrow is truly a show where we aren't scared of the serial killer until the very end. It is the real-life people who actually terrify us. Those people are far more horrific. I feel this was the true meaning and core message of this thriller.

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OMG ONE OF THE BEST KDRAMAS I'VE WATCHED 10/10.

The acting was phenomenal from everyone. Drama was heartbreaking, infuriating and unforgettable. I cried so much for Gi Beom and Im Seok Man. They were so young and had their whole lives ahead of them. What broke me the most was how corrupt and incompetent the system was—the actual killer had to clear an innocent person's name because the police and prosecution failed completely.
What makes this even more heartbreaking is that it's based on a real case. It reminds you that so many victims never get justice, while innocent people get dragged into cases and have their lives ruined because of incompetence, corruption, and people's greed for promotions, recognition, and badges.
Everyone should give this a try!!

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A quest for truth that shattered so many lives for a very very long time....

First of all , when a drama has Park Hae Soo as the main lead, i know i am in for a good watch . And this time around, i wasn't dissapointed.

The whole cast did a fantastic job, the acting was really really great.

I will not be talking about the plot or anything else since you can read the synopsis and have an idea about the storyline etc...

After watching this drama, i felt hopeless. ... I initially had little hope /faith in people (human race) , but that feeling grew even more after finishing this drama. Justice does not always prevail, even when you survive a tragedy, you may just be a walking corpse, loosing your innocence , loosing your goal...

I recommend this drama 9/10 (it actually deserves a 10, i could not shake off the sadness i felt by the end, hence the 9/10 lol)

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A Faiiled System...

The movie was a good watch, the actors and their acting were all on point. I wanted to be emotionally invested but I said no, it is not worth it and I will say why it isn't for me. It focuses more on the lives of those who suffers the brutality, the aches that even time could not heal, the reality of how some does not just care after destroying another person's world and carry on like they did nothong but karma is real anyways, their lives is not sth to wish for from afar. In as much as the movie was good, I felt like the police were dumb, the entire force including the prosecutor. Following the evidences closely while watching, I already figured out Kibeom is the culprit, but when the incidence with sun young happened, I said it will likely be Kihwan, in the first place, who predicted the blood group to be B cause that was what make Tae Joo thought otherwise, however, evidences still points at him yet he was not figured out, why do they thing the 7th case was by another killer, it is easy to assume that it was the same killer that did it due to his frustration that he neither could kill sunyoung nor Ji woo and that they escaped, he just needed to murder someone and that was what make the 7th case different but no, it is easier to assume it was Imseok. And don't let me get stated about Imseok, which kind of love is so blind that your sister cannot stand for you when you needed her the most, all because of her other family, that was why i did not pity him, he chose to spend his 30 years in prison by telling his sister not to be his witness about his whereabout that day and his sister is not just a sister by following suit, cause he would have been found not guilty if he had an alibi for that night. Therefore, in as much as his story was pitiful, I fast forward it cause I cannot come and cry, if a sibling do so for me in real life, I will cut all ties asap, that is not family, it is just a relationship of convenience. I almost cry for Ki Beom but I hold it when he hid his brothers crime. More victims could have been avoided if he corrected Tae Joo that it wasn't him that followed Min Ju to give her umbrella but Ki Hwan, all the pieces would have fixed then. He trying to save his brother because of their mother, it is heartwarming and selfish at the same time cause a killer will always be a killer, does he think him promising not to kill Sun Young was what spared her, is he not even scaed that one day, he will murder his wife or their entire family, this guy is a psycopath for crying out loud and he proove it by killing him first, to me, it was not the abuse that kill Ki Beom but Ki Hwan cause he could have been taking to the hospital the moment he found out he might not make it but he left him until life left him. Don't get me started on SiYoung, his brother and the corrupt Police officials including his friend who was always on his beck and call, his father, all power hungry people trying to save their own skin, brteayals, betraying their oaths to climp the ladder by nook or crook. When Tae Joo went to meet Si Young and he saw what supposedly to be a funeral a party, where connections are made, it was the highlight, oh, this is how people are. Somebody just died, somebody just fucking loose his life and you are all to be blame, while is the guilt not eating you, why are you not reflecting, an innocent person died because of the decision you all connived to directly or indirectly and Ki Hwan, ah! Fake tears, you kill your brother man. Yea, I am not writing annoyingly, it was actually annoying but I appreciate the writing cause it depict an aspect of reality either I accept it or not. And their his Tae Joo, For every of his decision, I never blamed him, although his wrong call did a lot of dirty to innocent people but the innocent people people made some emotional wrecking decisions too and did not help matters at some point, I did not blame him cause he made the decision after careful thought, plus and minus, evidence tracing. However, I blamed him when he left that town and stopped finding the killer, because of the promise he made, ohh, so a promise could hold you back, just a promise for the whole of 30 years until you were requested by the killer. And that self centered family, how could they demand sth for saving their own daughter and sister, what the hell, so if he did not ask and begged, you all would have left Sun Young to die, and I still dont know why Sun Young did not later find out so she can know the so call father she wanted to rely on is not a father, the person that seek her inorder for the whole saga of illegitimate daughter should affect his political ambition. I was quite sure the killer was not caught, he just surrendered when he got tired of killing. And Jiwon, she trust her friends so much, I thought the rule of finding a guilty person is to suspect every other person except for you, she could have detected it was Ki Hwan when Ki Hwan told him he relocated to the next town, and she also knows Tae Joo who was transferred to that villlage came back because their was a murder with same pattern of the killer, especially the fact that Ki Hwan was once suspected, And nobody, nobody in that entire movie vexed me like Ki Hwan, man you can't be helped, you are a lost cause, Did you guys know I can't understand while he is being treated like he is some high mighty in the prison, why is he even treated as a human being, only him, he has schedule, he has who and who he will open mouth and talk to , he even has mind to be requesting and even that Tae Joo, if he was not requested, he will keep on carrying baggage. Justice was not served and even truth was not revealed, all for a promise he made, besides, the ending was so abrupt, accident from no where just to hide the police incompetencies especially Tae Joo, and shows the killer aptness. Somebody they are supposed to beat every single day, they will not kill him ooo, he will just be mincing in pain that he will wish for death but they won't kill him, give him such torture that will be what is suffering since he does not felt a morsel of remorse whatsoever for the victims, his reason were so nonsentical. I was frightening them at first, I felt so important as they become a scared, a stone started it all. She was passing by, she was smiling so brightly, I felt nothingness but seeing her smile awake sth in me, like... that is your reason dor killing a 8 year old girl Hye Joon, guy, you don't need help, you need hell. And that actor, he acted it so well that he was vexing me every second he is acting and they are now all treating him like some god. At then end of the day, everybody made a selfish decision, there were no real friends, only frienimies, the ones that are ready to sell their loyalty to save their skin, and I love the fact that till the very end, they all stood by the decisions they made with no regrets. Si Young said, I am a principled man, i followed my prionciple to Young Beom who he considered as a son, Sun Young, he treated me right, I did not regret going to my father. Even the Young cops that was once justice driven but now bend rules, Tae Joo did not view him as a bad person, he is just a man who was lost in the system he found himself, if a better environment was presented, he would have turned out better. Like Minju said, Tae Joo should catch the culprit cause hosnestly, I fel the rest are all dimwiths that the whole town would be wiped out before they were able to catch the culprit. But then, Tae Joo make decision for his sister, and left, Ki Beom make decision for his family and hid his brother, Im Seok make decion for his siter to not be questioned in her new family and went to jail, the youg cop his the truth about Hye Jun to not forfeit his promotion and serve his mother as he was the only son... So who is right and who is wrong, Nobody, Just Individuals making decioson that best suit them at a point in time.

I like the ending, the dream. What would have happend if it were otherwise, the whole town suffered cause of a failed system. People who find themselves in a failed system they never chose to be and the emotional baggage they carried as years went by, baggage that even time could not heal. And a failed system are still in some part of the world today, not the murder situation but many others.

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Proof that time changes no one deep down ...

It's a classic set up story early on, showing us how much of our present day life is shaped by our past. Two friends early on, one a bully and one being bullied for various reasons. Thirty years of a duration in this series and nothing really changes between the two of them. Once a bully, always a bully.
Hae Soo & Hee Joon are the perfect pair that continually go head to head with each other, unfortunately the antagonist, Si Yeong, always seems to get the best of the situation , over and over and over again. It makes for a decent story, but it started to lose points with me as you get deep into the series. After episode 4, which is truly the pinnacle episode of the drama, you start to think things might go the protagonists' way for a change ... but no such luck. Tae Ju continues to fall on the sword. I realize you need the "bad guys" to win early on, or the story would end pretty quick ... but so many people are genuinely horrible throughout this series, with very few facing retribution by the end. The last two episodes prove this. In fact, it really shows the rewards people received for being wicked & evil people.
The first half of the drama is so strong and entertaining, that even with the last couple of episodes lacking a good story or outcome, the series still maintains high marks. It's just a bit disappointing, cause had I rated it through the first six or so episodes, I would have given it 10's across.
The acting is brilliant throughout. That never changes. A truly great cast. I just wish the writing toward the end would have matched the acting, and given a better conclusion.
Overall, an entertaining series, but it could have been so much better.

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A thriller that leaves a trace...

This drama is dope! Despite its heavy theme, it's quite bingeable because you will want to know more, lol. Still, it's not an easy watch, brace your heart. You will go through a lot of emotions, mostyl not joyful ones, that won't disappear once the episode end. Besides the investigation, the show did a good job highlighting human nature and the outcome of one's choices as well as a corrupt justice system and its horrendous consequences.
The story is really well told, at a nice pace and got you wondering about a lot of things til the end. Everything is consistent, from the storyline to every character. Certain things get solved, some others not and even if you don't get a perfect happy ending, you will feel like it's better this way. It brings a touch of realism that is quite appreciable.
The actors did a terrific job! Everyone played so well, you feel for their characters, whether it's love or hate, sadness or despair, their performances leaves a mark in one's memory. Definitely recommand watching it if you love thriller and mystery.

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