This review may contain spoilers
If you're a fan of the US shows: Criminal Minds and Mindhunter, then this will be a favorite for you. As for any crime show there's a ton of TW's and can be a bit more gruesome due to it being about the killers being interviewed. If you're okay with heavy material, then proceed! What initially kept my interest in the show is how well the two ML's mesh together. Their friendship and bond and overall chemistry together really helped keep light when needed after the heavy subject matter. It adds even more of a great mix when you add the Seoul Police Department team into it too. I also loved the psychology aspect of the show and seeing the team delving deep into the minds of criminals.
The show never once slows down, but I left the rewatch at 9 since you already know all the twists. Although, I could see this becoming a favorite or a show I would be down to rewatch in a year or 2.
This contains a potential spoiler!
The one problem I did have is I felt that the BAU team didn't actually really catch some of the criminals. They helped put together a profile for them, but some just fell into their lap or had a really easy solution to finding them.
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One of the finest Psychological dramas
I have no idea why the reviews are so bad but, Through the darkness is one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever seen. The show is about criminal profiling first being introduced into South Korea to help discover 'what makes a serial killer?', 'what attributes does a person have that makes them commit a crime?' and to be able to link crimes thus making catching a killer a lot easier.The drama centres around Hayoung and Youngsoo who decide to take up the difficult task of creating their own behavioural analysis unit to aid investigators catching serial killers. Of course in the beginning of the show there is plenty of ignorant characters who do not take them seriously but as the show progresses we see how helpful criminal profiling has become and the difference it has made to the justice system. Hayoung is a passionate character who will literally do anything in his power to show how reliable criminal profiling is and to prevent serial killings. The shows has different storylines with a new serial killer for each story set over a time period. Each story is completely different and shows the growth of criminal profiling as well as how detrimental to your health working in this field can be. Through the darkness is different to other kdramas in the same genre as it is realistic and based off of real events and research from a South Korean criminal profiler. Therefore it isn't overly dramatic or has any unrealistic plots.
The acting? Perfect!
If you enjoyed the American drama 'Criminal minds', then this drama is 100% for you. This is a realistic portrayal of serial killers so please keep that in mind.
(bare in mind some scenes can be upsetting and overwhelming)
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If you like criminal minds, watch it
Almost like a docu- crime drama portraying the story of the first criminal behavioral analysts in Korea.Kim Nam Gil plays such a soft spoken/discerning character. Which is astounding given how opposite it is of his personality. I assumed he would be a goofy detective but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the relationship between he and his partner along with Tae Goo. It reminded me of the dynamic of a trio who starts off untrusting and become close friends like in The Guest -of course not AS close as them but close enough to feel a lighthearted appreciation for them all.
Through the darkness Gave a different perspective of some other crime shows, due to the character being an intricate/small detail kind of detective. His findings had me on edge. I love everyone’s faces when he discovers something crazy.
So If you’re into crime series, this is one you kind of HAVE to watch. Especially to understand the history and timeline of South Korea’s law enforcement/ crime division. It’s a good watch and only 12 eps
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Simplicity of a complex topic
There are a lot of shows on criminal profilers who try to understand the psyche of a criminal and their brutal acts. Through The Darkness has a very diffrent approach to crime solving without making the crime or criminal a point of entertainment.
The show is a journey of two of Korea's first ever criminal profilers and how over time through different cases they refine their profiling techniques.
It also does a great job showing two different point of views of crime solving, one being that of a profiler which goes beyond the crime scene while other of on ground detectives which reel in all the available evidence to solve a crime, both very different but important nevertheless.
The cases dealt are horrific to say the least but as it goes with any crime profiling drama you do not talk with a criminal to 'humanise' them but rather understand the demon within, to avoid similar crimes happening in future.
The show does a good job instead of humanising the detectives that work on these cases . Their stressors, the contast exposure to these twisted criminals, the guilt that they carry everytime they fail to catch someone.
Kim NamGil, the main lead is a superbly versitle actor to think that the last show I saw of his was the dumbest action comedy and here he is the most stoic criminal profiler whi smiles probably 3 times in 20 episodes and spends his free time trying to comfort the surviving family members of the victims.
The only thing that bothered me were how it seemed almost rushed towards the end. I wish there was one or two more eps just to close a few open ends.
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Criminal Minds
Likes1. I love Kim Nam Gil as the first criminal profiler. I was starting to get scared that this drama will turn into 'Mouse'. Esp in ep 10 when he couldn't contain his emotions any longer. He was absorbing all of the criminals' feelings and in his line of job, he needs to be strong enough to separate work and personal life.
2. Shocked that the cases are based on actual murders in Korea. That period must have been terrifying with several serial killers running loose.
3. Was personally scared of the balding serial killer with the creepy smile. I had to double check my door locks before going to sleep everyday after watching the episodes.
4. I also loved the teams. They first didnt believe in what they're doing but when their analyses were always correct, the rest of the squad started consulting with them.
Dislikes
Not much except the drama was missing an extra oomph to make it memorable
If you want to know more of the Daesung serial killer, try to watch Netflix's Raincoat killer.
Rating: 9/10
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Do you think monsters are born or made?
"The world that created the monster, must take responsibility too" - Song Ha YoungI don't know why, but I aside from Mafias, the other thing I am fascinated with is and will always be are about Serial Killers and how they will be caught with their crimes. As what Ha Young always mentioned in the drama, "there's no such thing as a perfect crime".
This drama is such a gem, with the 12 episodes which is for me is not enough and I want a season 2 for more cases to be tackled by the team.
It shows that being a profiler is not an easy profession, it's not for the weak mind and heart, what you'll be facing are to things that too inhumane for our taste. How this drama showed that not all monsters are born to be that way, but rather they're end products of things done to a person. Like how a parent affect their child's life for their actions or decisions.
Kim Nam Gil is one of my favourite actors in SoKor dramaland, as he knows his craft well. He may be lowkey, but God! he delivers perfectly. Add Jin Seon Kyu and Kim Won Hae (who's one of my fave ahjussi) and other casts and boom! we have a great casting for the characters in the drama. Their acting is superb! What more with the actors who played the roles of serial killers! Jeez! they're too convincing and too real!
I think, the drama's trying to tell us that we always have a choice, whether we choose to be a monster or not is up to us, unless we're defected by birth which we would feel helpless to control it, then we should always choose to be a good person, inspite and despite of any circumstances that we face in our daily life. It may be easy to say, but life is always a struggle and unfair. It's just how we handle things that may or may not make a difference towards it.
Overall, it's worth to watch the drama, so if you haven't watched it, you should start it. But be prepared, as some things there are too disturbing and violent. The things that serial killers described their crimes are too much for a person if they're not used to these types of dramas.
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Gripping
Incredibly intense at times, very human and believable, plus moving.A fascinating insight into the very humble beginnings of criminal profiling in S.Korea.
The dreadful way many colleagues and 'higher ups' treated the 3-man team of the profile unit, was disgraceful. From where they were located to how they had to fight every step of the way, until their methods showed results, time after time.
Kim Nam-gil and Jin Seon-kyu were excellent in their character portrayals, worked so well together and their character's totally different personalities complimented each other perfectly.
KNG's character's change through the episodes was a hard watch at times and I really wanted to climb into my TV and give him a hug.
Another character that matured through the series and quietly added so much to their small team dynamic, was Analyst, Jung Woo-joo (Ryeoun), who was a delight.
The different cases they became involved in were very gritty and quite distressing on occasion, ranging from rapists to child abduction and murder. It wasn't quite as gory as some series I've watched, but very unpleasant at times, adding to the reality of just how sick the serial killers they profiled, were. This eventually took a toll on some.
I hated the police's Commissioner General; even though the series spans a number of years starting in the 1990s, his out-of-date behaviour (even for the time) and attitude was shameful. From regularly using physical abuse of his subordinates (who were not low down the pecking order themselves), to demanding results as though evidence and perpetrators could be magically created, he was an embarrassing portrayal of a senior figure in S.Korean law enforcement. He even demanded unsolved murders be blamed on an existing criminal they'd caught, who had nothing to do with them!
Luckily, 2 senior colleagues (Baek Joon-shik and Heo Gil-pyo) were supportive and ensured the profile team were utilised and respected.
The length of this drama was shorter than the norm, but it never felt rushed and the story was almost perfectly told in those episodes.
There was one scene where an alluded murder victim was disposed of, but not covered when the killer confessed and I didn't get that. It was never mentioned.
Likewise, exactly what happened to the people replaced when changes were made in the police hierarchy, once the profile team had their first major success, wasn't made clear.
There was also no follow-up, or any insight into what became of the convicted killers; their sentences weren't even given.
Had those things been clearer, I would have given this series a 10.
The fact this is based on reality and a book written by one of the profilers, makes it all the more compelling.
Recommended!
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Criminal minds mixed with Mindhunter
If you like show such as Criminal minds or mind hunter, you will most likely like this show. However, this show is slow in terms of getting the criminals caught. Which is more realistic anyway. I skip some parts that I don't care about such as the politics in the office,I understand they need to show the huddle they go through to actually get this department accepted and taken serious to begin with but I feel it's taking away from some parts of the criminal mindsUnlike Criminal minds (The .US version) where they will actually show you what trigger these people to commit the act .these show until last episode never explorers that element.
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Gripping and terrorizing
Through the Darkness pitches a riveting story that centers on how the minds of criminals work, how they plot their crimes and how oddly their behaviors are, and leading the formation of Behaviour Analysis Team.Through The Darkness delineates the hard work done by every department in catching the psychopaths and examining the behaviour and minds of these killers. Kim Nam Gil as Inspector Son Ha Young was an effective casting who delivered a good acting on his part.
Overall, this drama depicts the terror of numerous psychopaths during the late 90s and early 2000s, and study of these criminal minds.
My Rating : 8/10
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Truly dark
Through the Darkness is a crime drama that is particularly unique for being adapted from the book of Korea’s first profiler. In this sense, it isn’t only focused on the crimes, but more so on the work that goes into solving them. It managed to capture the struggles of, at the time, still developing field of crime profiling.Not every aspect of this show is actually based on real happenings, but the characters and their stories make the viewer feel more included. It doesn't strack you as fiction or merely distant reality, it rather showcases itself as the everyday reality we face.
As for the acting, there isn’t anything I can criticise. Kim Nam Gil did an extraordinary job and his acting performance is memorable. This can be said about all the other characters, too. It isn’t quite common to see actors portray serial murders this well.
This drama was not the fastest watch (though it was rather intense), but it would feel wrong if such stories were easy to watch. That’s, of course, something one has to account for. On that note, I would argue that the rewatch value may not be the highest, which in this case is not a drawback.
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Compelling series
This was not my usual type of series to watch. However it caught my attention with the title and the short intro as i looked on the list of new & popular on Netflix, so i decided to give it a try and watch the first episode . That was my fatal mistake, once i started watching i felt compelled to watch the complete series.It was only as i read reviews afterwards that i realized it was from a non-fiction book. So a true story. I would love to read the book but unfortunately i have not yet found it in English. But i have not given up yet and still hope to find it.
The lead actor Kim Nam Gil's performance was of another class, it was brilliant, i could not fault his performance, you could feel the struggles he went through to achieve some understanding of the criminal mind. Kim So Jin and Jin Seon Kyu also lead actors were equally as good. The emotion came through the screen and you could feel the changes as you went through the series. The supporting cast member, though how you call the actors who portrayed the criminals as supporting cast, they were faultless. It was all in all a superb performance from all, even the smaller roles where well acted.
As you go through the series non of the episodes are slow and boring there is always something to keep you watching, and looking forward to the next episode.
I was quite sad when i realized i was watching the final episode.
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a 11/10 crime show with really consistent and brilliant writing
literally one of the most interesting crime/thriller dramas I've seen. i always enjoy shows where they delve deep into the criminal psyche, being a huge fan of mindhunter, i already knew i was gonna love the drama for that aspect at least. and man, i was definitely not disappointed. this drama totally served more than my expectations. in fact, i actually wasn't expecting much bc it's usually hard to hold my attention for a slow paced k-drama but this one really took my brain by choke hold and had a steady hold on the interest button in my brain. a very pleasant surprise.
i think what really makes this drama is the fact that it is very consistent in terms of its theme. It's focused on the development of criminal profiling, delving deep into the criminal psyche but never losing the focus. grief and the bereaved takes the center stage in the play, not the monster. the writing is just straight up brilliant in terms of how it focuses on the criminal psyche without humanizing them or glorying or justifying their action bc of their past. the past exists, it impacts them but it does not justify their actions. the explicitness of this message is so very evident in the writing but it does so by shifting the focus on the victim not by putting down the monster's past. that's what i find most interesting. like i really like the writing god, it's written so well i dont have words to describe it.
kim nam gil has done such a phenomenal job with song ha young's character, the grief and empathy he carries for the victim is heart wrenching. the acting was simply amazing in this k-drama, i especially love the people who played the serial killers, their acting was top-tier and contributed such solidness to the characters. i've a lot of respect for the cast and the production team definitely. :)
like yeah solid this was definitely 11/10 writing + good characters + good acting. all of that really served it well and polished it into an underrated gem. i'm so very glad i gave it a chance before 2022 ended, this drama seriously gnaws its way into your heart with that writing. do give it a try, it really does not disappoint in serving!
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