Signal Episode 1

You're Doomed


8.7
Your Rating: -/10
Ratings: 8.7/10 from 108 users
Reviews: 8 users
Season: 1

By a rainy afternoon, the young Park Hae Yeong see a woman pick up a girl from school. But soon, he finds out that the girl is missing and the suspect is a man! Years later, the case is still unsolved as the culprit was never arrested. Park Hae Yeong, now a detective, hears a voice coming from a mysterious dumped walkie-talkie. The voice of detective Lee Jae Han, coming from 15 years into the past, when the case was being investigated.
  • Aired: January 22, 2016

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Signal Episode 1 Reactions

eternitybox
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 5, 2020

An amazing introduction to an amazing show.

Episode 1 of Signal quite literally hits the ground running with an engaging and relatively quick introduction to the characters and main plot. It's able to effectively build suspense without dragging, keeping even a repeat viewer on the edge of their seat.

The cinematography and editing are beautiful and flow well, with shots and cuts getting the point across and framing scenes well, avoiding sloppiness. Mood is maintained throughout via both dialogue and filming and effectively utilized together with the building suspense.

A minor 0.5 points deducted for what I felt was a hamfisted way of delaying the capture of the actual culprit via her messing with the police, though it makes sense within the narrative. What doesn't make sense however is that she keeps such suspicious materials (specifically the calendar) inside her work locker. The protagonists are extremely lucky that she wasn't smart enough to keep those at home.

★ MOMENT: Haeyoung chasing Ms. Yoon through the rain was a beautiful callback to when he first witnessed her kidnapping his classmate Yoonjung when he was a child. I imagine he spent years wishing that he'd chased after her on that fateful day.

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FluffV
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 26, 2020

Good atmosphere overall.

I’ve just completed Ep. 1 and I really liked the atmosphere and how it blends with what is happening and said right now. The cast is okay I guess. I like how the female lead is self-confident and not cowardly with her decisions as I know it from some other dramas with female leads. I‘m curious how the series will continue and will definitely watch it.
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gweneleanor
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 13, 2019

Great story buildup

I love how the scenes from the present are presented in a cool blue tone while the scenes from the past are presented in a more sepia-toned so it's not very confusing. I like the characters but I think Detective Cha is too serious and too aggressive in her acting. I don't have a favorite character yet, as I feel I don't know much about them yet. The first part is a bit slow and boring for me, the tension surging up only when Detective Park discovers the walkie-talkie—then it was boring again, the tension surging up once more when they had the "lead suspect" almost cornered.I hope the next episodes won't disappoint me. I have watched a few dramas where the first episode is a bit slow and dragging but far exceeded my expectations during the next episodes, like Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I have high expectations with Signal, given its high rating in this platform, so I'm not dropping it for now.

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Skye-N-Rain
1 people found this review helpful
May 24, 2017

WOW! Best first episode of any drama to date!

This honestly felt like a final episode. I hope the future episodes can be this action packed and tense.
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silent_whispers
3 people found this review helpful
May 20, 2016

One of the best first episodes I've ever seen.

Holy awesome sauce! What a fabulous first episode. Considering the setup that Signal is boldly putting into place I honestly thought it would take up to three episodes to clear up. I don't know why. The movie Frequency does a fine job. But despite my excitement of Signal I just didn't think drama writers could do it. Well do it and not convolute the story.

Hey, there's a reason why most drama fans give shows 3 to 4 episodes before keeping or dumping a show.

Signal's first episode manages to keep the timelines straight AND keep a count down going. Holy, cow I was on the edge of my seat. Not to mention the criminal . . . is amazing. To avoid spoilers I'll go into further details in episode 2.

With the first episode ending the way it does I'm very curious how the timeline and the detective from the past is going to tie in. There are so many possibilities. Not to mention the mystery as to why the police force truly hushed things up. Because it seems like a detective was murdered to keep things hush, hush.

The cast is amazing. The actors, so far, keep elevating the show. Each performance hits the mark and some of the stands out have me thrilled to keep watching. Hye Soo, playing the female Detective Soo Hyun, is captivating to watch. Could it be that I will finally have the pleasure of watching another great female detective in a drama?

Signal's first episode is the most solidly crafted first episode of a drama I have ever watched. The thrill and allure of the mystery being setup makes my heart beat with joy.

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radhz_dramalover
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 14, 2016

SPOILERS ********************SPOILERS****************

SPOILERS ********************SPOILERS****************


ok. pilot episode itself is great. it already feels like i had seen good movie.

BGM is perfect and in sync with feels at that particular moment.
Brief intro to our Little Park Hae Young and Big Park Hae Young. i laughed out loud when he was caught by detective cha soo hyun for stalking lee bo young. also little tiff between PHY and CSY is treat to watch. those witty lines and CSY pulling it off like badass heroine. it was funny for a while. also he is rude, arrogant hates police man, despite himself being police. Irony it is.

no sooner we are back to business. it became gripping, fast paced, clock ticking. will the criminal be caught. story was so grippy, it did not let me relax even a second. also making my criminal guess gone to trash

Kim Hye Soo is unexpectedly so natural in her tomboyish character. PHY is creepy, How can he raise his eyebrows for every dialogue given to him. need not mention that slow head wag. its cringe worthy. he does that all the time he is profiling... Goose bumps... This is also oddly funny to me. the way he curses and slaps himself. he definetly won over me. also he was cool talking to reporters, his profiling is quick right at the moment.

Feels Here
1. trauma lil PHY faced when his brother got arrested. also his sense of justice. how he wanted to save little girl. also entering into Police Station despite trauma he faced. especially that brief moment where lil PHY and big PHY looking at each other
2.little girls mother painful wait for criminal to be caught. for 15 years.....
3. lee jae han completely pissed off because of his superior. how he had to investigate himself all alone
4. last frame of this episode. WHAT. you have only 20 mins left . how will you get her confession.

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Phoenix0607
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 24, 2016

Gripping Pilot Episode

TVN has done it again. The cable channel has been producing shows that are of good quality lately, and they've made a good start with the latest mystery thriller show "Signal".

Signal's pilot episode is sharp, gripping and well written which would keep you on the edge of the seat from start until the finish. It has built its momentum early on, with a deadline that would be reminiscent of the series "24". It starts by tapping on a mysterious cold case from years ago, and the clock starts to click by then. The fate of its characters will be decided at the end. Will they or won't they?

Beneath the surface, the audience will be allowed to take a glimpse on the flaws that can be unearthed of the current police and justice system which may focus on posterity rather than the truth. There are some parallels to the show with an old movie called "Frequency" because just like the film, it gets its investigation leads from conversing with an old detective from the past via ham radio. This may be my only gripe thus so far, but nonetheless it is fictional, and the show is allowed to have cinematic discretion for its own purposes.

This show holds promise and judging from the first episode, we are in for a ride!

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vitoria
0 people found this review helpful
May 12, 2022

empolgada

Gente primeiramente com esse cast de primeira né? Hye Soo e je Hoon meus amores! Segundo o script desse primeiro episódio foi INCRÍVEL. Me prendeu completamente e eu já estava ficando angustiada! Sem palavras, isso é um dramão daqueles de ficar com o queixo caído! Como será essa ligação com o passado? E o policial que entrou em contato com ele morreu ali ou não? Tô muito empolgada prós próximos episódios!!!
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