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My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of the most underrated Kdrama of this year. It doesn’t get the rating it deserves, perhaps because it’s aired in a cable tv.
Unlike a typical Kdrama which sugarcoats life or gives you an escapism from real life, this drama gives a big dose of reality i.e. the shitty part of life. It tells the struggles of police officers’ daily life in the patrol division, which includes low pay, graveyard shifts, no appreciation, dealing and cleaning up after drunkards (note: drinking daily after work is almost like a culture in S.Korea), staking their life fighting criminals and many more. It’s an eye opener. Seriously, if you think your job is shitty, you will think again after watching this drama.
What is more captivating is that the drama is able to present each officer’s own personal story and gel them up together nicely. I’m not talking just about 2 or 3 main leads, but almost ALL the police officers have their own back story presented in some parts of the drama, with some great suspense and twists. It is also nicely paced. It doesn’t get draggy in the middle like a typical Kdrama.
At first, I decided to watch this drama because it’s Lee Kwang Soo’s first real lead role in a drama. However, his acting doesn’t turn out that fantastic. He is just being his usual self, like how he is in Running Man. But his character, Yeom Sang Soo, is perfect for him. A clumsy and not-that-smart, but dedicated policeman.
The female lead, Jung Yoo Mi, pulled a better acting than Kwang Soo. I get all those emotion she tries to project and empathize with her character.
I get a further sense of familiarity when watching this drama because, surprisingly, I’ve known almost all the actors (including the supporting ones) before, either by name or by face. Please be warned that they are not the usual pretty/ plastic boys and girls. In fact, far from it. Most of them are ahjussi (uncles), but they really carry this drama purely with their acting. Bae Seung Woo is a new encounter for me, and I’ve gotten a great first impression. He is definitely not the typical good-looking main lead in dramaland but his emotions and expressions are spot on! I can feel his character’s emotional growth and gradual change from being an a**hole in the earlier episodes to a better man towards the end. He is one of the carriers in this drama.
I can’t stand gory crime genre in general, especially those with rape cases. I had to really close my eyes through some scenes. Despite that, I was still hooked on to this drama. The plot and the actors somehow managed to pull me in deeper by every episodes. It feels like Reply 1988 where it focuses on family and deep inter-personal issues rather than shallow romances. The heart-wrenching scenes are balanced with some heartwarming ones. I love the team’s comradery, how they help each other solve their problems despite their own life problems.
The ending is not perfect but definitely an apt one. There are goofs/ plot holes here and there but considered minor in overall. Please see my further review under “spoiler below” about the goof and the ending.
Overall, I had great satisfaction watching this drama. If you are looking for a break from the usual rom-com Kdrama, Live is definitely something you should watch!
[WARNING: spoilers in the next few paragraphs in red]
The goof: how could the dead (shot by Yeom Sang Soo) criminal’s fingerprint be found in Oh Yang Chon’s gun if the criminal was wearing cotton gloves?
This drama also got me into thinking: If the real life of policemen in S.Korea is really what is depicted in this drama, how sad would that be? The public sentiment seems twisted while the system seems faulty and corrupt. Policemen are expected to handle life-threatening criminals almost on daily basis with bare hands. Because when they shoot a criminal with a gun, it is reported in the media as gun violence which enrages the public and the policeman in question is brought to internal affairs. In the end, somebody has to be the scapegoat. It’s usually an honest policeman, sacrificed by the corrupt high-end officials. Policemen seem to rarely get their due respect or appreciation, let alone a reward. They work their a** off with shitty hours and so little pay, in the name of ‘protecting the citizens’. Such a tough life.
I feel that the open ending was an apt one because that is how real life is. Not all characters end up with what they wanted/ dreamed of, but it’s shown that they all happily come to term with it. I would say that it lays its path to Season 2, if there is any.
Due to late night feeding of baby #2 and also for the sake of maintaining the sanity as a work-from-home mom (read: no time and energy to go out and socialize), I’ve watched a significant number of Kdrama in 2018. It’s so significant till I know almost all the dramas mentioned in the year-end drama awards.
My wish is to have enough time to review one by one, gushing over the great ones and bitching about the unbearable ones. But for now, I shall be practical and just provide a ranking. Here it goes:
Recommended (4.5 – 5 stars):
- Live (라이브) -> It’s tvN’s police drama starring Lee Kwang Soo, not to be confused with JTBC’s Life
- Suits (슈츠)
- Your Honour/ Dear Judge (친애하는 판사님께)
- The Smile Has Left Your Eyes/ Hundred Million Stars From The Sky (하늘에서 내리는 일억개의 별)
If I have to pick just one drama to watch out of these, it is a hard decision but it would likely be tvN’s Live. It’s different and raw in a good way. Definitely not the typical Kdrama I’ve watched so far. It’s also not filled by the typical pretty/ plastic boys and girls, but almost each actors and actress is able to strike a chord with me in their own unique storylines.
Not so bad (3 – 4 stars):
- Radio Romance (라디오 로맨스)
- Misty (미스티)
- Wok of Love/ Greasy Mellow (기름진 멜로)
- Come and Hug Me (이리와 안아줘)
- What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (김비서가 왜 그럴까)
- Lovely Horribly (러블리 호러블리)
Watched halfway and ditched:
- Lawless Lawyer (무법 변호사)
- Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food/ Something In The Rain (밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나)
I rarely ditch a drama halfway because a small part of me is either curious about the ending or hoping that the actors’ acting will negate the bad writing/ plot. I reluctantly ditched that 2 dramas even though I’m a fan of Lee Joon Gi and Jung Hae In. I had high hopes on their acting and it was true, but it still wasn’t enough to make me continue watching. Such a waste of talent. They should better pick a better project next time.
I’m still trying to catch up with a few more under my to-watch list. So the list will be updated as I complete watching more dramas. The review on each drama will also be posted gradually.
it's a purple world out here 