Connection (2024)

Once you start you can't stop watching - A Quality thriller drama with WELL-WRITTEN & ACTING !

Connection - The breakdown of my thriller slump.
Short synopsis :- There were three best friends In college days - Jun So, Yoo Jin, and Jang Jae Kyung. ( but time separated them.) Now that Jun So has passed away in mysterious way. Yoo Jin and Joon Jae Kyung will work together to uncover the truth behind their friend's death. One is a detective, and the other one is a reporter - a great combination !! Meeting after 20 years after their seperation, they have to work together to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of their friend. this duo is quite funny when they're working together.

BEST THRILLER WITH UNIQUE AND FRESH PLOT

Connection is a detective crime investigation thriller that adopts a unique story point from the classic thriller genre. The story is set in the Narcotic Control Unit, where our main protagonist, Jang Jae Kyung, is working. This is not a simple thriller, as we watched before, because the main element in this drama is that our main protagonist is a drug-addicted Narcotics Detective; this is what made Connection a unique thriller drama from the other thrillers.
It’s not my first time to see the main protagonist as a question between the system of law and society. The theme is complex because the line of drug addicts will raise questions about the duty of morality and the responsibility of Jang Jae Kyung’s investigation. Because the person who has the responsibility to catch drugs and keep the city clean becomes drug addicted, when we hear this point, it's very normal to expect him to step down from his position and go to rehabilitation, but Jang Jae Kyung chose not to step down from his job in order to uncover mystery and truth of his friend’s death.

MY RATING || 9.5 - 10 || SUSPENSE/STORY DEVELOPMENT & NARRATION.

The story-telling is exceptional. Every episode is well crafted; the story narration is excellent, like using the past events connecting to the present ongoing events to form a well-structured story without creating the space for confusion in the ongoing story, even though multiple new characters will be introduced and every character has clear writing.
The plot keeps you hooked till the end, and as the investigation progresses, every clue leads to the burning question: What happened 20 years ago? Who is the doctor? Who killed Jun Seo? What does the mastermind of the game want? Because as we learn about the past friendship of Jun Seo, we discover that Tae Jin, Chi Hyun, and Wong Soo are the main suspects, and everyone has a motive to kill Jun Seo or want Jun Seo dead. And the events led to Jun Seo's death. Here are two different people that we have to guess: 1) Who is the killer? 2) Who is the doctor? At some point, we thought we knew who they were, but next, the EP gives the answer, “Our guess is wrong.”. I think some of us will guess who the doctor is after some episodes, but until then, the suspense around the doctor's character keeps us hooked on the ongoing story. And a very small comdey plot that helps to laugh even in the serious mode. This trio Jang Jae Kyung, Yoon Jin, Heo Joo Song is quite funny when they're working together.

FAST PACED PACKED THRILLER - BONUS POINTS

The Gossamer Suspense around every character makes us suspect every character except Jung Jae Kyung; it feels like this person is behind everything. Because every character had their own motive to be involved in the crime or somehow related to Jun Seo’s death. When the main and sub-characters are driven by the motive, it’s a good sign to expect more suspense and thrilling moments from thriller dramas, and “Connection” is the same drama. The plot twists and character motivations in this drama keep you on the edge of your seat. The more episodes we complete, the more suspense we will get from the drama. This is how the pacing continues till the end.

What I loved from the plot development

1) Solid Start and Good Pacing: From the start, by establishing the core story and the introduction of characters, Connection will catch the attention of us and challenges to complete every episode without skipping.
2) Engaging Characters: The creation of interesting and multidimensional characters, their motives and actions in the forming of suspense around those characters.
3) The suspenseful momentum in every episode.
4) Good storytelling and screenplay.
5) I disliked some characters and their motives at first, but as the story progressed, each of those characters became likable—good character development.
6) The dark atmosphere in this drama gives the absolute best thriller-dramatic experience.
(I don't no disappointments, where everything is just a perfect picture )

ACTING - 10/10

JI SUNG
Ji Sung is always an exceptional actor. I’m watching Ji Sung dramas from The Devil Judge, and after watching the TDJ drama, I became his fan. For kdrama fans, he is well known for his script selection; he had fans for his script selection too. After TDJ, he came with the ADAMAS drama, which is also a thriller, but I was disappointed with the drama, but his acting was outstanding like always, even in a dual role. After almost 2 years, he is back again with CONNECTION, this time again with a new combo of writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo, who have experience with 2 projects. In this drama, Ji Sung played the multi-dimensional character Jang Jae Kyung. This is not his first time acting in complex roles; he has to portray two different kinds of emotions in his two-faced character role as a detective and drug addict. It’s not as simple as watching him in a drug-addictive role; without a proper way of portraying these types of complex roles, they will be written off soon in any drama. Throughout his character, we feel sad for him, we cry for him, and we start rooting for him. The emotional weight is less, and it is suitable for JJK characters. This is one of my favorite acting roles in 2024.
JEON MIDO 
This is my first drama with Jeon Mido, and I don’t know about her acting that much. But Yoon Jin's character is really fitting for her, although sometimes it feels like an anti-main role. Her acting makes it even brighter in her role. I'm going to check her other works now, thanks to Connection.
KWON YOOL
This actor, Kwon Yool I was watching him in the Voice drama; he is one of the best actors in antagonist roles. The way he portrays his roles in every drama makes it even more fascinating; the cool and coldness in his acting is just a delicacy to watch. Actors like Kwon Yool or his anti-character roles are always challenging for the main characters in every drama or movie; this is the specialty of Kwon Yeol's presence in a work. I am always looking forward to the projects that make him the main protagonist in a drama. In this drama, Park Tae Jin is a pure evil character, and we hate him till the end. But what made him evil is not himself, so somewhere I hope for his good side, but once the twist blows, I just hope for his ending. Pure acting brilliance from Kwon Yeol.
SUPPORTING CAST
The other actors, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Soon Won, Yoon Na Mo, Cha Yeob, Jeong Jae Kwang, Jung Yoo Min, Lee Kang Wook, and Park Keun Rok—each of their characters and acting are noteworthy performances. I enjoyed every minute of their screen presence. Also, the teenage actors who acted in the main lead roles—Cho Han Gyeol, Kim Min Ju, and Lee Hyun Soo—are just simply benchmarks for future potential actors; decent performances from these three I’m rooting for them to watch more dramas.

WRITTING, DIRECTION AND SOUNDTRACK DEPARTMENTS.

I’m honest here; somewhere I was not fully confident in writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo’s this new typical thriller. The subject/plot of their drama is quite hard to deal with, and without proper execution, it may turn into a messy plot. But I was wrong about them; their perfection shows how carefully they took every step forward to deliver a good thriller for us. It starts with formation. Casting like Ji Sung, Kwon Yeol, Jeon Mido, and Kim Kyung Nam as the main leads and supporting cast is a mix of well-known actors and establishing actors. Each character's role is well written. A good screenplay leaves no scope for confusion. The soundtrack is pretty good—not that much space for song tracks, but the background music tracks are amazing and enough to carry the whole drama without song tracks, especially the ending theme music track of eps, which is one of my favorite thriller music tracks.

ROM LINE BETWEEN MAIN LEADS :-

For those who are expecting Rom between main leads; At first, I had some doubts after watching the first episode, like the female lead (Jeon Mi Do) got married so, how the makers going to convince us with this element relationship between Jae Kyung & Yoon Jin. But after watching the second episode, I'm convinced with the story about their relationship. It’s a thriller so expecting the Rom line between main leads is nearly impossible but we will except sometimes when it depends on the story demand but not in this type of thrillers, if anyone curious about Rom line in this drama – I say No.

STORY/PLOT DEPTH :-

This drama is not just a simple thriller; it also explores the theme of friendship, which also adds more depth to the drama. Ignoring a friend is not a crime, but it depends on how we are convinced that we are not ignoring them but just making new progress in our lives. Use the friendship to improve ourselves as well as others, but avoid getting greedy with them or influencing them to make mistakes to make yourself a profitable person. Even though life is hard, never touch the dirty money because it will hunt all your life. Forgive the friend who resented himself for his previous actions, because we never know why they acted like that at that time. Forgiveness is part of life, so give it to them when they are still here (sorry, I think I wrote quotes on friendship). This complex friendship between the main characters is the crucial element in this drama, which keeps the plot running forward and leads to various crimes, from small to large, taking the lives of people in order to protect themselves.

ENDING - Ending is quite emotional and heartwarming - A Perfect Ending, we get answers for all questions. And I don't want to talk much about ending.

Finally:-
A Good thriller, and Yes, I enjoyed the pace of the drama and everything ! Too often, all thrillers start strong in the first half but lose their maintaining same momentum as first half in the second half, leaving me with some disappointment, like getting bogged down with unnecessary side plots and losing their momentum in the story or in creating the suspense (I experienced it with Adamas). The writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo succeeded in carrying the same momentum of the drama till the very end and delivered one of the best thrillers. This one of my best Investigation Thriller and placed in my 10 list.

If anyone wants a perfect binge thriller to watch, I recommend this drama. Highlights of this drama for you
Fast-paced, well-written, great acting, no slow episodes, well-maintained suspense.

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This harrowing crime mystery is YEAAAA!!!

Premise: When a narcotics investigator Jang Jae Kyung (Ji Sung) finds himself forcibly addicted to drugs, he must fight to maintain his sanity, all while uncovering the truth behind the suspicious suicide of an old friend which brings intrigue to hidden connections that stem from the past.

An action-packed, suspenseful & endless riddles. I had a blast each week, feeling the “excitement-satisfaction-discussion-confusion” cycle on repeat! The story is dark and juicy. Full of enjoyable twists, well-shot scenes, so many characters who are connected to the main storyline. I get fully invested, each episode leaves me thinking out loud long after watching and craves the next episode. The stakes and emotions are high, unpredictable until the last moment. 99% of the reveals are well-done! Only one that is underwhelming to me, but by the end everything turns out satisfying. It has one of the most refreshing conclusion I've ever seen.

Although it is dark & intense, there's a lot of heart and lessons to the story motivation. It felt cathartic watching how things went down to the characters, both in good or bad ways. Also impressive that they insert some funny moments, not in the form of comedies, but in how the scenes were set up, the dialogues and the confrontations.

The entire cast take the lead and works well together. Be it lead role or supporting role, everyone brings their character to the fullest, making the entire watching experience enjoyable. Me and friends had fun giving nicknames to all of them for their unique traits and actions. Special mentions to Kwon Yool, Jeong Jae Kwang, Jung Soon Won and Yoon Sa Bong for their memorable performances and of course, Ji Sung is magnificent on screen. I love him weak and I love him strong. His pain and despair are contagious and really broke my heart. His portrayal struggling with withdrawal due to his drug addiction was scary and realistic, but not overly sensational. Only a very controlled & skillful actor can do so.

Connection is now sitting on top as my best drama in 2024 and one of my all-time top thrillers. So if you want to watch something intense, gritty, and mind-boggling, with a great cast that literally set things ablaze, here it is! Have fun!

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Brilliant crime thriller drama, surprisingly revolving around friendship

It has been ages since I've written a review, but this drama deserves it. I don't have as much to say about it as other commenters. Every episode, dare I say every scene left me ready for more. I watched it as it aired so I unfortunately had to wait for new episodes each week. Had I waited until they all came out, this could have been an easy binge.
Within the 14 episodes, I felt I knew the characters. The writers did an amazing job at laying out the relationship dynamics. There are also many moving parts within the show, so I was impressed with how everything stayed coherent. The high school flashbacks also made me more interested in what was happening to the characters.
Both the first and last episodes blew me away in terms of building and closing out the overall story. I say this because usually it takes me a little bit to get interested in the plot, and in years past some finales left me wanting more. This drama is exactly what I wanted from the crime/thriller genre. Overall, I'm very happy with this one.
Shout out to AsianWiki for helping me remember all the various side characters.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a fresh, thrilling plot with dynamic characters, give this one a go!

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Friendships and reconcialiation

It wasn't an easy watch. It's dark. The “friends” “connection” is also disturbing in a way that you do not know who your friends are and thus who you can actually trust. As human beings, connections are important, and the deeper it is, the harder it becomes to see them break one-by-one. The betrayal can become too much.

However, they did well in the finale episode. They beautifully weaved that “friends” “connection” back to the light where it should be. They showed that friendships are real, and it breaks when money and greed gets the best of us. But, if we can get over it, a friendship that was broken can be restored and it's deeper than it originally was because of what you all have to go through.

Building long-lasting relationships really is complex and complicated. The only way to truly permanently glue that friendship and relationship is when it breaks and you fight. This is where most relationships, even between partners/spouses fail, how can you all get back up?

Yet, as this show demonstrated what it actually is in real life, once you get back up and reconcile your differences, that is when true friendship, true relationship, a true family-ness, begins, and it can never be broken again (well… maybe if one chose to break it there's nothing that can be done about it).

A good example are the soldiers who've faced wars. They are so tight-knit, you can never break them. The reason is the same, they went through the most grueling things a human being can ever face… death, killing, justice, mental/psychological/philosophical challenges, and many more. They understand each other in ways most people will never understand. It “connects” them.

Morals of the story:
1. Choose wisely who you surround yourself with; most especially who you call “friends”.
2. When everything comes crashing down with your relationships, aim to reconcile. It will truly “connect” you in ways no one can imagine (unless they went through something similar).

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A Crispy Storytelling With Stellar Casting

Club a drug addict detective, a greedy reporter and an insurance agent together and we get a crime thriller of epic proportions!

Although the said genres in this drama are thriller, action and mystery; “Connection” strongly thrives on the complicated friendships in this show. It could be Jae Kyung who has given up on friends altogether or Yun Jin who is too invested in her own affairs to care much about her friends or Park Tae Jin and Won Jon Soo who use friends for their ulterior purposes. Friendship is the start and the endgame of this show. The past few weeks flew by fast, that’s how much this show occupied my weekend space. Starring Ji Sung, Jeon Mi Do, Kwon Yool, Kim Kyung Nam in the lead roles; the drama seems to revolve around Jang Jae Kyung (Ji Sung), but he isn’t at the epicenter. Rather, the storyline evolves as he deciphers the uncoded murder of Park Jun Seo, who was seemingly friends with all of them. So why did he commit suicide or was he murdered by his close friends who all seem equally suspicious? The story keeps you guessing and up until, the last episode you couldn’t have guessed the real criminal!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/07/07/connection-series-review/

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Dropped because of unnecessary drag

I wish they could keep the pace but it seemed the ML had everything fall thorugh the roof except for the fact that it was unnecessary and patehtically dragged over and over for one simple task. I beleive Korean Drama has a lot of development left to be done to make a thriller series. Eveyrone had a grasp of understanding the so the so called reason for "MURDER" except one person who we silently hoped would catch up on. The mindless chase and empty threats have proved that the writer wasn'tready to end the series like it should rather make a pointless drama.
It was really pathetic and sad to watch it unfold the way it did.
I really had high hopes for it but just like another Korean Drama it was tiring.

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It was interesting, but I found the ending anticlimactic because the reason for the whole premise that the show was built on, which kept us curious was so stupid.
I couldn’t muster up any pity for the Jun Seo guy. He chose to be friends with the guys for 20 years! And in doing so, put himself in a situation where he was used by them just like their psychopathic serial killer friend was. He betrayed his friend, stayed friends with these guys for personal gain, and conveniently got his old friends involved in his sordid life to play clean-up. And then they tried to use him asking for forgiveness ten times in 20 years to get sympathy from the public? Please spare me. You can beg for forgiveness, but you are not "entitled" to it. It goes without saying that his "friends" are horrible but Jun Seo being made out to be a victim was upsetting. I will admit that he found himself in some crappy situations, but be it because of fear, loyalty or desperation, those were still HIS choices. If he was really that bothered and righteous why did he wait all those years to reveal the truth? Seems more like a pay back for how he was treated when he asked for their help for his daughter. The Victim in this story was captain Jang who got thrown into the whole mess without a choice. Aside from the policewomen, there really weren't any likeable characters, but I guess that's what the story was trying to portray, that we as humans are all flawed. It was an interesting but frustrating watch.

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Everything is thoroughly detailed and on point

Connection has that dark aura that was consistent throughout the drama.I mean a police handling drug cases gets addicted to drugs himself?and what's worse is that he can't get help because he's the one who's supposed to help.From that premise, it was that great.The casts was so complex and different from one another, which was amazing.There were so many grey characters, like yoon jin, honestly she was the realest, she was just trying to survive for her daughter.The villains wasn't really that kind of "psychotic villain" that you would find.They all had backstories and reasons for why they killed who, which for me, i liked.And its time for kdramas to stop doing plot twists that doesn't even fit well...and connection was verryy different from that, all dots were connected, and it just flew smoothly, tho it was kind of predictable, well that what's makes it more realistic!

The OST was fire too, cinematography was top tier, the setting was really good and it kept the dark atmosphere of the kdrama.The acting was oscar-worthy, everyone did great!
This is definitely a must watch for thriller crime fans.Connection isn't that lenghty but it's not slow burn too, it just flows perfectly.
And the ending was so well thought, they didn't leave any characters' fate left undecided.Kudos to the production of connection, this is definitely my #1 kdrama of 2024!

Imma do the friendships day thingyz, that was so cuteeeeee

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When Friendship Lasts Forever.

The story might be slow and goes little by little, however everything was executed right and nothing left unsolved. The slow-burn yet proper pacing reminds me of Flower of Evil and Beyond Evil. This kdrama definitely belongs up there with them.

Props to the writer for the amazing story. Like the title "Connection", everything that happened in this series are all connected. From the start all the way to the end. Everything is tied to the past of their friendship, connected again in present time.

I can't stop get amazed by Ji Sung's acting thorough the series. His acting is always excellent and overly done in a perfect manner. I recommend watching him in The Devil Judge, it has similar story (Thriller - Mystery - Revenge) to this kdrama - only faster and wilder.

Not only Ji Sung's, everyone's acting were also great and has their own distinct appearance. Especially the ones who casually appears from episode to episode, no generic or bland acting from them, everyone serves their characters right.

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Amigos para siempre means you always will be my friend

No se cual es mejor concepto de amistad , unos que supuestamente son amigos pero en verdad se clavan puñales por la espalda u otros que después de un incidente ajeno a ellos causa el traslado de uno de ellos y así dejan de hablarse. Vamos arriba la amistad así te digo.Jun Seo quería volver a los viejos días y salvar a su hija y lo que obtuvo es ser camello , ver morir a su hija, como su mujer le engañaba y morir él, eso sí con un funeral lleno de "amigos".

Kwon Yul puedes dejar de hacer papeles de fiscales, es que ¿acaso eres Woo Seok y su amor por coger personajes que se mueren?.Por cierto me gusta como llevan el personaje y me imaginaba que iba a morir, lo habían dejado todo tan complicado describiéndolo como alguien tan meticuloso (aunque la periodista consigue varias veces grabarle ) que no tenía sentido que encontrasen algo para incriminarlo. Eso no quita que me hubiera gustado verle pudrirse en la cárcel.
Tanto Sang Wi como Yoon Ho me recuerdan a dos adolescentes desesperados por entrar en el grupo de los guais que hacen lo que sea sobretodo el último , cuando nunca les han importado y donde sinceramente hubiese sido mejor que no se hubieran metido.
La esposa no me gusta que la traten ponerla de buena al final. Por cierto no entiendo cómo acepta hacer la autopsia si tenía un lío con Tae Jin.
Jong Soo y Chi Hyeon no se que tienen un bromance muy raro, este último se nota que es gay y que haría cualquier cosa por el primero y se deja querer porque sabe que va a conseguir lo que sea gracias a él.
Me hubiera gustado que se hubiesen centrado más en lo de las drogas y la CEO Yoon (me gustaba ese personaje) que lo que pasó hace 20 años , por cierto no entiendo porque van a matar al otro sinceramente (Me refiero al chaval que mató el Jong Soo).
No se cree nadie que en una unidad de narcóticos de la policía, nadie se pispe que el capitán es un drogadicto.
Como jurista , no puedo omitir como toda la serie y como todo el caso se ha construido en base de pruebas ilegales propias de la doctrina del árbol de los frutos envenenados. Escuchas ilegales, un capitán bajo la influencia de sustancias .... Flipo a su vez con la carta blanca que le dejaban al fiscal.

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Tbh I would’ve rated it a bit higher but idk the ending got a bit overdone

Acting: 100/10
Process: 6/10
Makjang: 8/10
Past stuff: 2/10

The drama was good, the first two eps and then 10-14 were really great
But that middle 7eps were ;/ and that’s what stopped me from rating it higher

The side murders, the side drug stuff, the long chase of whodunit for them to so easily confess like a chitchat ruined the mood


The ending with the dad being the mastermind was ;/

Like all those adult dudes did such a mess, just for the dad to come in and say he was the one cuz those “kids” were ruining his plans


I was glad and worried they’d say insurance guy was the real killer :D
And it’s so sad, dr, his 3 good friends, and the villains who used him, he was a tool that was punch around and left alone, even by his wife

So it kinda didn’t make sense for me, too makjang….

Sure jisung didn’t wanna hear him out, but he was only kicked out of school, again growing pains, but that dude, became a drug dealer to heal his daughter, after rich villain ruining his kids insurance, then inferiority complex dude goes and make him a drug dealer and his “closest friend who was jealous of this dude choosing 3 other friends and not included him”, makes those drugs and blames the 3 for not being around

Like why didn’t insurance guy help more? He didn’t have a problem making a life insurance that benefits others, but couldn’t help the daughter?
And the dude couldn’t reach out, not to apologize but to say how hard his life was? That’s sad….
And the password… that was cruel.. T_T but for them to be happy over the money was also sad… like that’s the money that the dude sold his soul for, couldn’t get the second half of the password, which was his wife’s bday, and the second being his friendship day with those 3 that abandoned him T_T

He really just wanted to heal his kid, like T_T

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