I was planning to start this drama soon, but there are many people complaining about the open ending ? :(
Its not open. Without spoilers, it all wraps up. The open ending bit is a short post credits scene about 30sec in length that sets it up for a very painfully obvious season 2. No way OCN and writers and everyone went out of their way to intentionally waste time and money filming that last post credits scene that basically says "season 2!" for no reason.
How does this compare with the Korean version? I loved that one. It doesnt have to be super accurate to it but as long as the characters and writing is good like the Korean one then thats good enough for me.
Better than Signal and Tunnel (they were fantastic though and not really comparable anyway but w/e)
Very good. Of all the dramas I picked up this 'season" I guess, I did not even consider this one. But I wanted to watch something to fill in the time I waited for the other dramas to get new episodes. The dramas I picked up at first that I assumed would be good were really mediocre and this "filler drama" ended up being the best one yet.
Great plot, writing, characters, everything. I loved seeing Go Ah Sung and her character.
I was worried about the ending considering the source material for this drama is regarded as having a very bad and sad ending lol. This one was good but sorta in a sad way but is also left open for a season 2 which I hope OCN does. Hell they probably will, that last 30sec epilogue after some credits was done on purpose and no point in doing it if they did not intend a season 2.
9.5/10
=========================================== MY THOUGHTS AND EXPLANATION ON THE ENDING ===========================================
tl;dr
Everything in 1988 is fake, its his dream from his first coma (car hitting him and gunshot) and his second coma (jumping from police roof suicide to get back) The dream his his brain coping with his sad life (coworkers dislike him, girl broke up with him, etc)
FULL
Han Tae Joo is detective as usual and seems rather sad or unsatisfied with life. Not many people like him or has a high opinion of him, he broke up with his ex and even screwed her over in a case (not on purpose mind you) and this spirals out of control where he gets hit by a car and shot when hunting our killer.
This "sends him to the past" but really this is not happening. He is in a coma and is dreaming it as you saw. Probably a way for his brain to cope with stuff. Since we saw in later episodes he had requested files from the past before his coma and was reading them, his brain used that to create this dream of his where he is a 1988 cop in Insung, the location from those files and with the cops who died by the gang (who really did die). He goes back and teams up with them, gets their respect and trust and solves cases that were unsolved. Eventually after hearing the outside world outside of his coma (where doctors and nurses and family members are talking to him and treating him) he does eventually wake up from his coma and returns to being a cop.
Back in the real world, he goes back to work and works on some cases. However this dream from the coma had a powerful effect on him so he still sees his friends just like how the doctor explained to him, that its not unusual for coma patients to see things after they wake. Han Tae Joo eventually cuts his hand and doesnt feel pain and thinks back to Yoo Na's words about feeling and being alive. He thinks he is not alive and jumps off the roof to kill himself so he can wake up and go back to his friends in 1988 (or to him the real world maybe) and save them. He does so and everything works out. He gets the girl, everyone likes him, he solves cases, life is good.
However back in reality he is on the pavement back in a coma from what looks like a suicide to other people and is no doubt back in the hospital clinging to life hence why back in 1988 he can still things over the radio and tv.
The phone call from our killer is a mystery for season 2 to explain.
Yes, there is a romantic plot and hints with all 3 male and female leads and maybe later on with some secondary people, depends how closely they follow the source material "girls of the wilds" in which basically everyone ended up with someone. Lu Han and Guan Gabrielle are even dating in real life.
Managed to finish it. It was a decent drama, good for filler watching while you wait for other stuff to wrap up or a new episode to release. I like Hwang Jung Eum a lot, I know others dont like her. The problem with the drama was it was way too safe and kinda corny but it was still nice. After episode 22 it was boring, everything was basically resolved and it lingered on a lot.
I didnt read because I didnt want spoilers lol but once this finishes airing I am going to marathon the whole thing. Saw first 2 episodes and immediately decided to see the rest.
"In Africa there are spiders as big as humans....." Ok, i'm from Africa and I am yet to see such spiders. I actually…
You seem overly sensitive. Very obvious it was an over exaggerated statement to downplay the situation. Must suck to live your life being offended by the most mundane irrelevant things lmao.
I liked it. Hated how it seemed to be a love triangle but honestly it really never was. I was happy to see Park Min Young again since I only saw her in Healer and loved her character. I do plan to see City Hunter which she is a lead in so also looking forward to that. Also got to see two of my favorite supports, Pyo Ye Jin and Hwang Bo Ra, especially Hwang Bo Ra, she really needs some leading roles. The side romance plots were nice and funny. Very safe drama like a lot of others but it was a little extra for me idk why but I did enjoy it more than usual. Good ending too, everything wrapped up more or less.
So whats the deal?
There is romance. Bravo OCN.
(they were fantastic though and not really comparable anyway but w/e)
Very good. Of all the dramas I picked up this 'season" I guess, I did not even consider this one. But I wanted to watch something to fill in the time I waited for the other dramas to get new episodes. The dramas I picked up at first that I assumed would be good were really mediocre and this "filler drama" ended up being the best one yet.
Great plot, writing, characters, everything. I loved seeing Go Ah Sung and her character.
I was worried about the ending considering the source material for this drama is regarded as having a very bad and sad ending lol. This one was good but sorta in a sad way but is also left open for a season 2 which I hope OCN does. Hell they probably will, that last 30sec epilogue after some credits was done on purpose and no point in doing it if they did not intend a season 2.
9.5/10
===========================================
MY THOUGHTS AND EXPLANATION ON THE ENDING
===========================================
tl;dr
Everything in 1988 is fake, its his dream from his first coma (car hitting him and gunshot) and his second coma (jumping from police roof suicide to get back) The dream his his brain coping with his sad life (coworkers dislike him, girl broke up with him, etc)
FULL
Han Tae Joo is detective as usual and seems rather sad or unsatisfied with life. Not many people like him or has a high opinion of him, he broke up with his ex and even screwed her over in a case (not on purpose mind you) and this spirals out of control where he gets hit by a car and shot when hunting our killer.
This "sends him to the past" but really this is not happening. He is in a coma and is dreaming it as you saw. Probably a way for his brain to cope with stuff. Since we saw in later episodes he had requested files from the past before his coma and was reading them, his brain used that to create this dream of his where he is a 1988 cop in Insung, the location from those files and with the cops who died by the gang (who really did die). He goes back and teams up with them, gets their respect and trust and solves cases that were unsolved. Eventually after hearing the outside world outside of his coma (where doctors and nurses and family members are talking to him and treating him) he does eventually wake up from his coma and returns to being a cop.
Back in the real world, he goes back to work and works on some cases. However this dream from the coma had a powerful effect on him so he still sees his friends just like how the doctor explained to him, that its not unusual for coma patients to see things after they wake. Han Tae Joo eventually cuts his hand and doesnt feel pain and thinks back to Yoo Na's words about feeling and being alive. He thinks he is not alive and jumps off the roof to kill himself so he can wake up and go back to his friends in 1988 (or to him the real world maybe) and save them. He does so and everything works out. He gets the girl, everyone likes him, he solves cases, life is good.
However back in reality he is on the pavement back in a coma from what looks like a suicide to other people and is no doubt back in the hospital clinging to life hence why back in 1988 he can still things over the radio and tv.
The phone call from our killer is a mystery for season 2 to explain.
7/10
8.5/10