TeleriFerchNyfain

OMG this is pure fairytail :D I LOVE it! Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, the Ring sagas (Brunhilda in the flames) - obviously there are Eastern Asian versions of these as well :D

Possibly because Tangled was Rapunzal, a VERY old fairytail archetype? Sleeping Beauty is one variation in fact. AND so is this. But it ain't from Disney LOL

She's just turning 17 :D and you are absolutely right - it's historically accurate. Plus YSY still looks 12 LOL...

Beloved, I do believe you totally missed my point. NOT all criticism is equal. Sorry. If someone doesn't like a story for personal reasons that has no bearing on the actual quality of the show itself, just on that viewer's dislike of genre, or whatever. ON the other hand, sloppy camera work, inept acting, ineffective dialogue, disjointed plot structure etc are actually observable and somewhat objective criticisms that can be leveled (if they exist). So although YOU didn't like the female lead because that actress bothers you, that is a personal problem. Also the so-called 'repetition' of scenes underlined the suspense and action - also the DIFFERENCES as time changed. Again, I personally could not manage to get through Moby Dick but I would NEVER say it was garbage writing. There's a huge difference between not liking something for personal reasons vs saying something is critically ineffective.
Also, why in the world do you think my pointing out some basic facts of criticism is somehow offensive and not nice?
Just1moreepisode, - in what universe did Signal EVER become predictable? That really needs some textual references to back it up.

Time travel happens ALL the time in KDramas, as do crime thrillers & police procedurals. Plus there WAS a romance - really intense if subtle. KDramas are just Korean television, you know. The fact that the industry recognizes that their main audience is women, thus having more women writers, a balanced cast of all ages & both sexes, & more attention paid to relationships, does NOT mean that every single KDrama must be a romance. Far from it. This drama was easily in my top five all time TV shows and reminds me forcibly of such masterpieces as Life on Mars (the BBC version, certainly not the American one). US/Hollywood does NOT do this kind of nuanced, unresolved story. Nothing Americanized about Signal at all.

You really are in a minority here. It's pretty much the consensus that he's pulling this off amazingly well. I do NOT see what you refer to at all, and neither do many others He's getting commended for having the acting chops to do this brilliantly.

Oh, okay - I have to say I wondered if he could pull it off before watching this but really he's doing great - cause pretty boys CAN be evil :d I agree it's disturbing when I think about it to see him being this character.

When writers can't maintain the internal integrity of their characters, when they keep forgetting what they've shown happened in the past, when their dialogue puts me to sleep at what should be riveting moments, when I'm cringing during supposedly funny or poignant moments - yes, that's really horrible writing.

I don't find anything in this to support your statement. Really. Kim Bum is RIVETING every time he's on screen - he's a fantastic actor at all times anyway, I've seen everything he's done. I just do not see how you justify your opinion.

There is NOTHING wrong with good romance dramas - that's a crock. THIS drama suffers from horrible writers, plus our lead couple have no chemistry.
Signal, easily the best KDrama I've seen and in my top 5 ALL TIME TV shows, has a wonderful, poignant, understated romance in it.
Iris - OMG such a fast-paced spy thriller - had a romance, very well done.
Healer. Drama crack, that. BIG draw there was the straight-forward, no nonsense (ie none of the silly tropes thrown in the way of OTPs all the time) romance in the middle of a thriller.

Because the WRITING is HORRIBLE and there is no chemistry.

This drama suffers from some of the WORST writing I've endured in KDramas. The writers find it impossible to remember logical progression and can't keep character development steady or believable. Our lead girl who was so cute & fresh in the first few episodes has morphed into this stiff walking bruise who only comes alive when reporting :( I'm so disgusted with how this has been ruined because it had potential. I happen to love the 2 main lead guys plus Song Jae Rim so I've not stopped watching yet - made it to the last 2 episodes. But OMG

to MinaVIP & sos - Really? You've never known a pretty guy who was nasty? I have. Kim Bum is an EXCELLENT actor and he's really doing a great job here. The fact that you can't see it just because he's pretty says a lot more about you than about his acting abiities.
Juls & KissMeNaNa - EXACTLY!

Kim Bum is doing a wonderful job in this - I don't much care about the rest of the characters that much although the acting is good from most of them. You might spell out who you think is so bad cause I've not a clue. The writing is what's not so compelling. Our evil psycho killer would not be very interesting if Kim Bum weren't just taking it and running with it LOL

Duh - yes - he's such an EXCELLENT actor - he's just amazing in this role - the minute he's onscreen that's all I focus on - and it is NOT because of his looks.

Such a sweet non-angst drama! Although OMG apparently in KDrama land there is no such thing as birth control LOL

Yes, you should.

I understand not everyone has the same opinions and if you don't like this drama so be it. But I do take umbrage with sloppy criticism (see above - I've taught literature so it's in my blood so to speak). I don't like Moby Dick but I would NEVER say it was a terrible useless book, for instance. So, what I'm saying about Signal is that it is an amazingly well-done drama - which is DIFFERENT than just saying I liked it. I loved Healer, for instance, but sad tho it makes me to admit this, it is NOT exactly a high-concept drama. Neither is DOTS although it does have some asperations. SIGNAL on the other hand IS a serious contender for meaningful, well-done television. You may not like it - fine. But it's got merit. Just like Misaeng, another show that some found very boring, some loved, but all admit was really high quality TV.
So if you didn't like Signal (the actress? the walkie talkie? I've heard both) fine. But to say it's not good TV in the critical sense is inaccurate.

Really? Where? If you accept the original irrational premise of the phone, all the rest is totally believable and logical. The police force is NOT seen as incompetent in this drama - rather as plagued by corrupted and cynical persons at the top. This is a staple in ALL cop dramas world-wide and is fueled by reality. I've had close friends working in various police departments and they ALL complain about politics in the department - this from 5 different police departments in 3 different states (US). So NOT so off. Plus all the 'cold cases' being worked on were REAL COLD CASES.

The writing is amazing in this drama, full of suspense while really developing the characters and their relationships. The love story in this is so subtle and understated, so poignant - it underlies the whole drama and fuels so much of it. I also totally loved how the possible consequences of changing the past were handled. The writers dealt with complexities which so often are ignored in science fiction, and this forced the audience to think deeper about the interrelated nature of our lives.

The camera-work and the soundtrack enhanced this drama enormously. The color schemes and filters on the cameras were different depending on the era - again very subtle but helped make the past look real. The music fit the mood of the action and dialogue perfectly.

Overall an amazing drama by any standards. Dismissing it simply because you hate science fiction (the magic walkie-talkie) is like hating Richard III because it doesn't follow real history.

And yes, this IS a critical masterpiece in my informed, trained opinion - I've worked as a literary, theatre and film critic in the past.

DOTS is great but not the critical masterpiece Signal is.