Episode 1 was so quietly intense. I am gobsmacked. The way the details about Leng are revealed, like peeling the…
Overall, I'd rate this one 8/10. The first three episodes were 10+ - absolutely brilliant & riveting. Further on into the series & despite there being only 12 episodes, I did feel that the story was getting a bit bogged down with too many side characters, too much detail in some points, not enough detail in others.
WRT too little information, Judge Song had been tortured into giving a false confession. So what does he do as a judge? Torture suspects into confessing or giving information. He struck me as an intelligent man, so his disregard for his personal experience left me perplexed.
I especially enjoyed the camaraderie and love between Qu Sangeng (Puppy), Feng Kezhui (Turkey), Gao Shicong, & Leng Gui'Er. Their interactions as a crime-solving team and friend group were the most entertaining to me.
OAN, although other characters called young Master Lu likable, I did not like him at all. In the scene where Leng caught him eavesdropping, I found myself thinking that Leng should kill him because that scheming, cynical child is nothing but trouble - if not today, then tomorrow. As the story progressed I felt vindicated as his death would have saved so many lives. Then again, there would have been no series, or a different series altogether.
Poor Puppy lost his dad and two father figures over the course of the series. Meanwhile Master Lu was rejected by one, and killed another in an ultimate rejection. I couldn't help but compare & contrast how their fathers and lack thereof shaped them into the different men they became. Puppy is such a loyal, idealistic, imperfect, & real person that I can't help but care about him.
The original title in Chinese 繁城之下 can be translated as "underneath the prosperous city" or "the dark…
Thanks for explaining. The original title reminds me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer villain, The First, and their catchphrase: "From beneath you, it devours."
They could have called it "One Bad Apple" like every police department in the US claims although it's an entire system that's corrupt and dangerous.
Does anyone know the meaning of the title "Ripe Town"? It doesn't mean anything to me as a native English speaker, so I'm wondering if the title has some significance in the original language.
Episode 1 was so quietly intense. I am gobsmacked. The way the details about Leng are revealed, like peeling the layers of an onion, is really well done.
This wasn't too bad, just not very good either. Kim Yong Guk was the only character who was even remotely likable (to me). The actor really sold me on his hurt, damaged little boy background. He also made me believe in his love for his wife and son.
None of the other characters were well-developed or likable, not even the "heroine" Oh Wan Su. What a cold fish!
Seo Do Yun took too long to figure things out; the actor did his best to make the part work, but he mainly looked great throughout the series. And frankly, he seemed more in love with his dead friend than with Wan Su. The two men had great chemistry and a show about them as investigators, spies, bodyguards, whatever would have been infinitely more interesting.
One question that bugs me: why wasn't Han Sang Il charged with obstruction of justice for lying about Yong Guk's shooting?
The nurse's father has actually been plying Bo Young's father with drinks to keep him soused and angry. It's most obvious in the restaurant scene after nearly shooting Jung Woo.
Wan Er's BFF got a whole personality transplant when they changed actress too I guess. Season 1 Ling Er would never be as naive as season 2 Ling Er. She feels even more like a plot device than before.
I like the show, but there's something to be said for the brisker pace of J-dramas. I feel like the first three episodes could have been condensed into one. *Sigh* I'm also not crazy about the filter applied to the actors' faces.
I will stick around for Uhm Tae Goo though. I've loved him since "Night in Paradise" and we don't get enough of him for me to skip this series.
Have to post this here for the blindly angry and very likely ignorant comments. The “BL” content in question…
That's what I said too. A romance between a 50-year-old and a 17-18-year-old sounds like a criminal act. People go to prison for that IRL and rightly so. To keep the BL they would have had to make the gangster significantly younger like 21 or 22 years old.
You can't satisfy everyone, but I'm glad the writers made the choice they did and hope viewers can enjoy the series now for what it is.
As far as the BL goes, it's still there. If it gets more explicit, I won't continue. A 47-year-old (even in a younger body) macking on a 17-18 year-old is just not right. To each their own, I guess.
WRT too little information, Judge Song had been tortured into giving a false confession. So what does he do as a judge? Torture suspects into confessing or giving information. He struck me as an intelligent man, so his disregard for his personal experience left me perplexed.
I especially enjoyed the camaraderie and love between Qu Sangeng (Puppy), Feng Kezhui (Turkey), Gao Shicong, & Leng Gui'Er. Their interactions as a crime-solving team and friend group were the most entertaining to me.
OAN, although other characters called young Master Lu likable, I did not like him at all. In the scene where Leng caught him eavesdropping, I found myself thinking that Leng should kill him because that scheming, cynical child is nothing but trouble - if not today, then tomorrow. As the story progressed I felt vindicated as his death would have saved so many lives. Then again, there would have been no series, or a different series altogether.
Poor Puppy lost his dad and two father figures over the course of the series. Meanwhile Master Lu was rejected by one, and killed another in an ultimate rejection. I couldn't help but compare & contrast how their fathers and lack thereof shaped them into the different men they became. Puppy is such a loyal, idealistic, imperfect, & real person that I can't help but care about him.
They could have called it "One Bad Apple" like every police department in the US claims although it's an entire system that's corrupt and dangerous.
None of the other characters were well-developed or likable, not even the "heroine" Oh Wan Su. What a cold fish!
Seo Do Yun took too long to figure things out; the actor did his best to make the part work, but he mainly looked great throughout the series. And frankly, he seemed more in love with his dead friend than with Wan Su. The two men had great chemistry and a show about them as investigators, spies, bodyguards, whatever would have been infinitely more interesting.
One question that bugs me: why wasn't Han Sang Il charged with obstruction of justice for lying about Yong Guk's shooting?
I will stick around for Uhm Tae Goo though. I've loved him since "Night in Paradise" and we don't get enough of him for me to skip this series.
You can't satisfy everyone, but I'm glad the writers made the choice they did and hope viewers can enjoy the series now for what it is.
As far as the BL goes, it's still there. If it gets more explicit, I won't continue. A 47-year-old (even in a younger body) macking on a 17-18 year-old is just not right. To each their own, I guess.