And of course we missed Kim So Hyun. It's been years since we last watched her.
This drama is mostly promising and fun to watch. The thrill and novelty did die down a bit in the end but it's still definitely worth watching.
Plot
There are many bad guys in the story but the worst of them all is Min Ju Young (Oh Jung Se), a Customs rank-and-file employee who turns out to be the man behind all the illegal dealings in Insung.
The story takes us through how the SCIT unravels Min's secrets and its challenging and dangerous quests to bring him to justice.
Park Bo Gum as Yoon Dong Ju
We've seen a lot of Park Bo Gum in the past - Seobok, When Life Gives You Tangerines, Record of Youth, Itaewon Class, Encounter, Reply 1988, and The Producers. (He's part of my list too.). And while all those shows already gave us glimpses of Bo Gum's brilliance, the focus was really more on his good looks. But wow, this show is probably his breakthrough drama. Showing all of us that he is a serious actor and can compete with the best of them.
I've always said that military service does wonders for our Korean actors. And Bo Gum is no exception. He looks so much more manly now, which makes him very credible as a police officer and boxer. But I also have to give credit to the show because it managed to make his immaculately beautiful and flawless face look rugged, beaten up, and broken. And I'm sure we're all grateful for all those subtle (or not so) muscle flexing.
The thing with Dong Ju is that he's equal parts serious and funny. And Park Bo Gum does so well in both. And Good Boy again showcases his dramatic prowess. Like how he broke down over Gyeong Il's (Lee Jung Ha of Moving, Nevertheless, and Run On) stuff when the latter died. Or how heartbroken he was after Gyeong Il's mom (Seo Jung Yeon of Juror 8, The Interest of Love, Reborn Rich, Forecasting Love and Weather, Our Beloved Summer, Nevertheless, Run On, One Spring Night, Something in the Rain, Descendants of the Sun, and She Was Pretty) was shot and how he still ate the food she prepared for him.
It was painful to see Dong Ju suffer from being punch drunk and how hard he tried to hide that from the people around him. But despite that he never lost sight of the enemy regardless of his symptoms.
Dong Ju is so easy to love because despite his flaws, he is very kind hearted. Like how he disciplined the kids who were vandalizing the wall of Gyeong Il's restaurant (telling them to clean it up, feeding them with popsicles, and basically advising them to live well). Or how he taught the kid of the slain Customs officer (Lee Han Sol of Moving and Squid Game) to ride the bike.
Dong Ju didn't have much in life but I loved how he took pride in his gold medal and his job that he vowed not to let go of those things until Min is punished.
My love for Park Bo Gum is just growing day by day the more I watch him. I cannot wait for what else he has to offer.
Kim So Hyun as Ji Han Na
We've had trouble finding good shows from Kim So Hyun. We tried really hard because she's on oppa's list. She was okay in The Last Princess, Love Alarm 1 and 2, and Guardian. But our tastes don't seem to jibe a lot. So I'm extremely grateful that she did this show because we finally have a favorite!
Kim So Hyun has this amazing ability of being both cute and badass. We loved the subdued but spunky touch she gave to Han Na. She can be dramatic like when her dad (Kim Young Sung), with whom she had a close relationship with was killed. Or how she broke down after not seeing Dong Ju for a long time when he embarked on that vigilante campaign.
But Han Na can be a meanie too. Like how she hit Min with the fruit basket when the latter attempted to visit Gyeong Il's mom in the hospital. Or the heartless way she rejected Jong Hyeon by telling him that she really, really liked Dong Ju.
I hope Kim So Hyun does more high quality dramas because she's got the talent and we'd love to add more favorites to our list.
Dong Ju and Han Na
I enjoyed how this love story started and how it progressed. It was funny to see how lovestruck Dong Ju was with Han Na right from the start, especially with how he first fell for her, literally, when he got hit by a ball because he was too busy looking at her while she was jogging. And how that physical attraction deepened when he began caring for her like how he took all the Han Na steamed buns her jealous teammates threw away and how he hilariously stuffed all of them in his jacket. And those feelings never changed over the years, despite being apart from each other and not seeing each other for a long time. Like how he sweetly requested repairs of all the busted lights in her neighborhood. Or how he had to rescue her twice when she fainted.
But Dong Ju's love was never one-sided. Han Na, in her own simple ways, made sure that that love was reciprocated. One of the biggest manifestations was probably when she bought back the medal that Dong Ju pawned. But it can also be seen in the little things she did like how she unwittingly comforted him during his difficult times like when he lost a match and she gave him a sticker with her face that he kept on his phone forever.
While that first kiss might have looked like a hallucination, it still felt magical nonetheless. And all the cute and sweet moments that came after that. Like how Dong Ju kept looking smugly and gloatingly at Jong Hyeon after the kiss. Or how Han Na left her music player with Dong Ju whenever he felt down. And in any case, the doubtful first kiss was validated by that real, serious, without a doubt kiss.
One of my favorite professions of Dong Ju's love for Han Na was when Han Na was abducted by the bad guys and he said that he can only lose his shit after he finds Han Na. Such a mature kind of love that can set aside emotions to focus on the goal before him.
I loved Dong Ju and Han Na because they were very supportive of each other. They both understood their jobs, roles, and personalities - that there's no stopping them when they're bent on accomplishing something. So instead of nagging each other, they just help each other in whatever way they can.
Lee Sang Yi as Kim Jong Hyeon
We've seen Lee Sang Yi a couple of times like in Crash Course in Romance, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Youth of May, Suits, and Prison Playbook. And because of the fate he suffered in Hometown, I sort of wanted him to have a happy love story this time. But I guess it's not yet meant to be.
But I was still rooting for Jong Hyeon. He has this really good sense of justice. And I loved how low key he was like how he didn't reveal that he was good in taekwondo too, which led him to beat Dong Ju in a duel.
And while they were always bickering, I enjoyed that borderline bromance Dong Ju and Jong Hyeon had. Jong Hyeon was like a tolerant and patient big brother to Dong Ju. And that huge, huge selfless sacrifice Jong Hyeon made of selling his stocks in their family's company to his brother (Kim Seo Kyung of Gyeongseong Creature) just so the latter would give them access to medical help to save Dong Ju. And how Jong Hyeon had this quiet admiration for Dong Ju like when he said Dong Ju always exceeded expectations so he must never be underestimated. And how until the end even after Dong Ju prevailed in their battle over Han Na, Jong Hyeon was still Dong Ju's protector especially when he found out the severity of Dong Ju's condition - how he hid him from Han Na, forced him to get medical help, and how he even sweetly buttoned Dong Ju's shirt when he had a hard time doing it.
I just hope that the next time I watch Lee Sang Yi, he will also be given his happily ever after.
Heo Sung Tae as Capt. Ko Man Sik
We know what Heo Sung Tae is capable of after seeing him in The Silent Sea, Squid Game, and Reply 1994. But I'm still amazed everytime we see him act all rough and serious because we've seen how he is in real life in the couple of Busan Boys: Sydney Bound episodes that we've watched. Behind the scenes, he seems like a very meek and humble man. In Busan Boys, it was cute to see him so unsure of himself when he was assigned to work in a cafe. He kept on putting himself down saying he was too old and slow. So every role that he plays that differs from that is a magical transformation for us.
Capt. Man Sik was a mixture of characters - he was a toughie, but he was also funny and weak at times, and dramatic and a softy a lot of times. Despite what he says or how indifferent he is, he actually looks out for everyone, especially his pet Dong Ju. It was nice to see how they first met and how he took him under his wings when his mom died and again when he was accused of using prohibited substances. And when the SCIT was dissolved, he graciously welcomed him into his home.
Man Sik also had that nice breakdown scene after he found his daughter (Choi Myung Bin of Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Itaewon Class, and Prison Playbook), whom he thought was abducted by the bad group.
And how he cutely and sentimentally clings to that lucky handkerchief he got from his wife (O Sa Rang) when the latter was pregnant and how he credits that for all the good things happening to him like winning the bronze medal.
This show was a nice display of the numerous things Heo Sung Tae can do.
Tae Won Seock as Shin Jae Hong
I loved how Tae Won Seock (Extreme Job, Prison Playbook, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and Descendants of the Sun) gave this teddy-bear like life to Jae Hong. It was perfect that he was the traffic mascot because he does have this mascot-like feel to him.
I liked how he was loyal to Dong Ju too. Like when he not-so-subtly told Han Na that Dong Ju is a proud man and he would need cheering up after being humiliated in front of Han Na.
And I guess true to his teddy bear nature, Jae Hong was a very responsible family guy. Doing whatever he can like borrowing money or accepting a farther assignment that offers housing just so he can provide for his family. I admit that I doubted him. I was concerned that due to his financial struggles, he could be the weakest link that Min could target to infiltrate their group. Fortunately, Jae Hong was way stronger than that.
The SCIT
I super loved this team. They're like Korean human versions of our comic book superheroes. I loved how they always, always got each other's backs. Like how they silently helped Dong Ju confirm his suspicions about Gyeong Il's connection to Min even if they did not have solid proof yet at that time. Or how the Captain helped Dong Ju handwrite the entire Penal Code as his punishment for hitting Min.
And Dong Ju, the ever selfless guy, sacrificing himself and his job just so their team won't get dissolved. And in the end, they repaid that by providing much needed back up when Dong Ju decided to take matters into his own hands with all those vigilante work. I suppose that proved to be very challenging since they were already working for different departments.
I extremely enjoyed watching our police heroes slay whatever tasks were given to them.
Oh Jung Se as Min Ju Young
I usually hate bad guys and I don't waste time talking about them. But when your bad guy is as effective as Oh Jung Se, you can't help but be impressed and you know your review is a failure if you don't talk about him. Yes, he was already good in Extreme Job, Jirisan, Hot Stove League, and Misaeng. But he was so good here that I even forgot that we saw him most recently in When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Oh Jung Se is the standard. When you see that he's the drama's villain, you can immediately expect that he will be very sinister.
What made him very effective as Min Ju Young was how subdued he was most of the time. He put on a very solid front of being a low key civil servant that you won't really suspect him as the bad guy. He drove a simple car. He wore simple clothes. And that made him really scary. You won't guess that someone like him would be so powerful that he could even manipulate the mayor (Sung Ji Ru).
Min Ju Young was cold blooded. He was evil and ruthless, especially with the modes of torture he used. He hurt a lot of people - Gyeong Il, Gyeong Il's mom, Kim Yu Na (Lee Su Jeong) who liked him, his boss (Shin Mun Sung of Confidential Assignment, Resident Playbook, Gyeongseong Creature, Jirisan, and Mr. Sunshine), and even his mentor Oh Dollar (Song Young Chang of Squid Game 2 and 3, and Cleaning Up).
I liked that story about how he got entangled with Oh Dollar and how the latter's greed pushed Min Ju Young to kill him. In the end though, that's what exactly led to Min's downfall too. He made too many enemies that they all turned against him - the Yakuza, the Russian mafia (Ko Jun), and even the local gangsters (Ahn Se Ho of Escape from Mogadishu).
Lee Ho Jung as Drugmon
We also need to talk about Lee Ho Jung who has made strides since we saw her in Moving, Nevertheless, and Moon Lovers. Yes, she was totally badass here. But what differentiated her from Min was she had some sort of higher purpose for doing all these bad stuff. She was looking for her sister who sent her away to the US to be adopted. She resented her sister because she ended up with parents who were drug addicts. She tells Min that she wants to kill her. But I guess that was just her way of taking advantage of Min's wide network to find her. Although we know that Min was also just using her for her drug-making abilities.
In the end, we see that Drugmon is a good human being - she didn't want the drugs sold to women and kids, she saved Gyeong Il's mom and Dong Ju, she stopped Min from killing Han Na, and she proved to be instrumental in finding Min before the latter could escape. I hope she was still able to save her sister.
Lee Ho Jung is very promising. And given the right projects, she can be Oh Jung Se's girl version.
Execution
One thing I immediately appreciated with this show is how it was not confusing even if we have a lot of characters to remember. Each character was properly introduced and we're given time to process everything. It also helped that each character was distinct so you can really remember them.
When I first saw my sister watching this, I was concerned that the comedy might be quite over the top, especially since I could only watch bits of them separately. Surprisingly, however, it actually works when you put them together and look at the big picture. Most of the comedians were genuinely funny too like Bald Eagle (Jung Jae Won) and the pawnshop owner (Park Chul Min of Miracle: Letters the President, Love in Contract, The Killer’s Shopping List, So I Married the Anti-Fan, and Youth of May).
Yes, there were some illogical or exaggerated things. Like the unbelievable misfortunes Dong Ju experienced on his first few day in Insung. Or how the policemen had very poor decision making skills, often going to dangerous operations without backup. Or how the mayor had no bodyguards. Or how nobody thought of asking for help from the national government, which will hopefully be outside Min's network.
I am not a huge fan of gang storylines but I liked how the show cleverly wrote this alongside the customs corruption story, which made it effective.
I loved the focus on athletes. Oppa said it made sense to recruit athletes to the police force. They have the skills, discipline, and fitness to handle the rigors of the job. Although I also think it might be too much to ask them to sacrifice their lives for the country twice, first as athletes and next as defenders. Especially if their bodies are worn out from all the injuries they've had to deal with.
It was also nice for the show to highlight the sad plight of athletes especially when their careers are over. Nobody seems to remember them. They're not valued and appreciated. And some of them don't even have enough to get by, like how Dong Ju had to pawn his medal. Some are then prone to being exploited like Gyeong Il. It makes you think if being patriotic to your country through sports is really worth it.
I enjoyed the boxing references. One favorite was when Dong Ju said that you should watch out for your opponent's shoulder movements because that will determine their next move. If you're already seeing their fist, then it's too late by then and you have to dodge.
Then you have the touchy topic of the police. I liked how the show didn't shy away from the difficult issues. Like hazing, bullying, politics, and the use of PR to make the police more likable.
I liked how the drama highlighted the struggles that the police face when they might be tempted to resort to extrajudicial means of solving crimes. Like how Dong Ju was so sure and had some evidence that Min was behind all of these crimes but he did not have enough proof to convict him beyond reasonable doubt. It's tougher when emotions are involved as in the case of Dong Ju and Gyeong Il.
And the temptation to be bribed to leak insider information. Of course, no excuse would ever be acceptable, especially if it endangers the lives of people but I liked how the show shed light on why some police officers are pushed to do it. It was good that the SCIT focused on finding the snitch, otherwise, their operations would always fail. It's just sad that the rookie (Han Sang Bin) was a casualty.
And the sexist tendencies of the police. Like how Han Na was kept in the office even if she's always been vocal about wanting to work on the field, which made sense too given that she was a very skilled shooter. And that insulting way she was always used as a poster girl for the police.
For the most part, the show's action scenes were really good. I loved the underdog theme behind our heroes pretty much like in Moving.
I liked how the badass fight scenes were juxtaposed with their glory days as athletes, which really highlighted how credible they were because their skills were well-matched with their athletic abilities.
The fight scenes were a bit on the artsy side, which would have been normally tacky, but the show made it work somehow. I enjoyed the neon paint effect used to catch the Golden Bunny (Kang Gil Woo of Welcome to Samdal Ri, The Glory, Reborn Rich, and The Killer’s Shopping List). The theatrical fight scene in the theme park was also entertaining to watch. And that roof chase between Dong Ju and Min Ju Young reminded me of the Bourne movies. And that tunnel attack where Dong Ju arrived in a motorcycle. And how Han Na cleverly left clues when she rode the trailer so her colleagues can track her. I also liked that Russian ship scene where they rescued Han Na. And how Han Na bravely attacked Min's hideout on her own.
The dissolution of the SCIT was a welcome break from all the heavy fighting we witnessed. As Dong Ju said, the match was merely on pause and the next round was still coming. After all, it's not sustainable to have blood, gore, and violence for 16 straight episodes.
I didn't quite get Dong Ju's vigilante stunt. But it brought back the team together so I guess it was still worth it. And it was so fulfilling to see Min get so annoyed when Dong Ju copied his playbook of doing things under the table. That scene where Dong Ju threw all the gold watches he got from his vigilante work on Min was priceless.
Stealing Min's money from his container van was a great way to open the second half, signaling an all out war. The team acted quite recklessly though despite knowing Min will be after them.
But Han Na making that ultimate sacrifice of attacking Min's hideout on her own, smartly using the body camera she was asked to model to livestream to the world Min's evil ways was amazing. Thanks too to her helpful boss (Lee Ji Hye of Crash Course in Romance) for agreeing to assist her.
Yes, Min became too audacious as well. Taking the police commissioner (Kim Eung Soo of Mr. Sunshine and The Snow Queen) as his hostage? Didn't the national government care? It felt as if the show was supposed to have 12 episodes only but they decided to extend it to 16 because the latter episodes felt quite stretched.
It was brilliant how the team discovered the beginning of Min's corrupt practices. And now that Min was cornered, it was rewarding to see him turn from a big time drug lord to a mere pusher. It was clever that he was labeled as Bad Boy in the end of episode 15. He deserved that especially with how ruthless he was until the end when he had Kim Yu Na killed.
I was happy that Gyeong Il's mom recovered and that she was now conscious. That request for her and Dong Ju to live as mother and son was so touching, especially when she started calling him her son.
I just found that while the earlier fight scenes were splendid, there was a tendency for the finale battles to be on the comical side. Like how Dong Ju's symptoms miraculously go away in some scenes and how he bounced back so fast that he could now overcome his coach (Jeong Man Sik of 12.12: The Day, Escape from Mogadishu, and Vagabond).
And oh the countless times that Min escaped them. You'd think he was a cat with nine lives.
I liked how each hero had their own final battles to show off their skills, some even had rematches with old foes like the Captain and Jong Hyeon.
But I didn't appreciate that bit of police brutality Dong Ju used on Min. Yes, that was probably his human side speaking but he was still a police officer. I guess he made up for it by diving into the sea to run after Min when the latter jumped off the ship.
And of course, all's well that ends well. Yes, I don't think it was realistic for Dong Ju to visit and prepare food for Min in jail. And for Min to agree to see Dong Ju. But I guess they wanted to use that to transition to that scene where we see Min's tragic ending.
I loved how everyone was promoted, especially Jae Hong who joined SCIT for that very reason. It was nice to see him raise his family well. Jong Hyeon is back to doing fencing. The Captain was actually the dad of the child his wife was carrying, so no cheating there. And Han Na is now training for field work and she and her mom (Seo Jae Hee of Reborn Rich, Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Nevertheless, and Run On) are on good terms. And Dong Ju living his best life with Gyeong Il's mom and Han Na.
Over all, this show was still a good watch. And more than anything else, I can't help but feel very nostalgic seeing how far Park Bo Gum has gone from his boyish days as a Go player in Reply 1988 to a very well-respected police officer here.
Oppa says...4.3.
Noona says...4.5.