This review may contain spoilers
I kind of expected more and better
I have really conflicted feelings about this series.I really dislike the fact that Marry My Dead Body is acknowledged for a minute into the first episode to set the universe and then disappears from collective memory baring one single reference line. I'm not one to ask for references everywhere, a spin-off has to live on its own, but there it truly feels like they marketed it as a sequel/spin-off just to use 2 or 3 characters again and be done with it.
I actually enjoyed watching again the character of Wu Ming Han, he was great in Marry My Dead Body and continues to work his magic in GG Precinct, to the point where I think he's the one carrying this series. But at the same time he really doesn't have a lot of screen time which is a bit disconcerting for someone supposed to be the male lead. By making it a sort of team drama, they basically took what was the main force of the movie and toned it down to promote what was weak. Lin Zi Qing does not succeed at all to impose herself but rather annoys by her character, and the sidekicks, who are some sort of unfunny comedic relief inside a comedy, are both useless and omnipresent. There's a start of narrative arc with the junkie cop, but it goes nowhere. The villains take far too much time and one of them comes from absolutely nowhere, they just popped up.
The story itself is a bit bland. When they introduce the idioms murderer, you'd think the crime spree would be over after 2 or 3 episodes. But no, it goes on for 6 episodes straight and given the ending, it will probably continue in a potential second part if renewed. The crime story is a boring language lesson, and it's one of the biggest problems of GG Precinct: it feels like a weird private joke among connoisseurs of sinograms. Which makes it really hard to get into for foreign ignorants like myself.
For the comedic aspect, it's basically wacky and over the top humour, which as far as I'm concerned, only works with Wu Ming Han and is, for a series which basically has the running time of a 3 hours movie, really scarce.
I would recommend to watch it in one evening straight if you have nothing else to watch. If you're coming from Marry My Dead Body, you wouldn't miss much not watching it.
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A downgrade sequel
Oh My! I was so excited when I heard that Marry My Dead Body was confirmed to have a sequel, but the outcome was a disappointment. I love Greg Hsu and the movie version but this is not enough to save the show from being a flop.For a bunch of police officers, they’re all lame and idiots, which was also mentioned by the killer of the story. I understand that all of these are for comedy purposes but they overused it so much that it became annoying.
I finished watching it all because Greg Hsu participated in this. The only time I got super happy was when he mentioned his deceased ghost husband on EP05 when he apologized for mocking gays during his statement with the psycho teacher. Nevertheless, I think that Marry My Dead Body wins my heart all because of the chemistry between the two main leads and not for the comedic parts, which were unrecognizable from this sequel.
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GG Precinct - more of a great comedy than a investigation drama!
First of all, I want to say that I watched "GG Precinct" because of my love for the movie (Marry My Dead Body). When writing this review I want to try to look at it from two perspectives: watching it as a stand-alone drama and watching it as a sequel/spin-off.It is certainly possible to watch GG Precinct without ever seeing a glimpse of the movie.
The story follows a the formula of typical investigation dramas: a team trying to solve murder mysteries. Therefore, this drama doesn't really set itself apart. If it wasn't for the amount of parody and comedy (which does bring a lot of fun while watching!), the mysterious series killer arc would probably be a lot more boring. The production itself is nice, though this isn't really surprising for a Netflix production.
The cast is a great choice! All of them bring their characters to life nicely while old characters stay true to their movie personality. But here's the catch; if you're a viewer who doesn't know about the movie, all characters will seem flat, without much substance to their personality despite being a bunch of funny idiots.
So, is it worth watching?
If you expect to get a good spin-off of a great movie, you will be disappointed for sure. The very little amount of references will make you feel like it's a totally different universe with the same characters - a missed oppurtunity in my opinion!
Without expecting a spin-off or maybe watching it on it's own, you will be in for a fun ride. GG Precinct doesn't seem to take itself seriously at any time, has a rather simple storyline, great production and lovely characters!
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An Audacious Pivot into the Realm of Nonsense with an A-List Cast Leaves Viewers Dumbfounded
The creative minds behind “Marry My Dead Body” take a bold swing at mixing gruesome serial killings with an absurdist workplace comedy. Taking place immediately after the events of “Marry My Dead Body.” Chang Yung Kang has been promoted to Police Chief with the successful resolution of the Lin Hsiao Yuan cartel case. His previous position as Captain is now open for one deserving detective. Wu Ming Han, now fully recovered from his gunshot wound, naturally assumes it’s his rightful time to take the lead. In a shocking turn of events Chang Yung Kang promotes Lin Tzu Ching, last seen in the film on the run after absconding with Hsiao Yuan’s reserves of cash, to the position of Captain. Her return to duty is explained away in a single sentence and the crew is back. Rounding out the team is Chubby, Wu Ming Han’s loyal deputy, Shu Fen, a newly minted detective who is obsessed with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Shao Nian, a detective returning to normal duties after years of being deep undercover in the Lin Hsiao Yuan cartel but struggles to shake the thug persona and crippling drug addiction, and their trusty forensic medical examiner.The first case to put this rag tag team to the test is a doozy, someone is imitating the modus operandi of the famed “Idiom Killer” of 2001. 20 years ago, Chang Yung Kang who was pivotal in the apprehension of the original killer, Shui Yuan, suggests the team consult with Shui Yuan on the current murders to see there is any information that can be gleaned from the original perpetrator.
A spin-off miniseries from a successful movie will inevitably draw intense scrutiny from audience and critics alike. The film harnessed the subversion of stereotypes as an agent of change and character growth. Wu Ming Han as a chauvinistic straight male that can have ultimately have compassion for others; or Lin Tzu Ching as a docile, pretty face, but is able to carve her own path and single handedly take down an entire drug cartel from the inside. It’s clear that the creative team attempted to continue to play with the idea of stereotype subversion for the miniseries, but this time for big laughs instead of quiet retrospection. Unfortunately, this resulted in the thorough character assassination of the four returning squad members: Wu Ming Han, Lin Tzu Ching, Chang Yung Kang, and Chubby. The complete reduction of all members of the Gia Gun Precinct to one-dimensional stereotypes for the sake of comedy is a damn shame. This dissonance between the two representations of what is essentially the same universe, results in an immediate knee jerk negative reaction.
Keeping misconceptions at bay, “GG Precinct” is not a cash grab with an attempt to ride on the coat tails of the success of “Marry My Dead Body.” While shooting the scenes at the police station for ”Marry My Dead Body”, director Cheng Wei Hao would entertain himself by imagining these characters in a “KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops” or “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” -like world. When “Marry My Dead Body” was in postproduction, the whole creative team were chatting about how enjoyable “Marry My Dead Body” was to film and giddily discussed ways on how they can explore new stories with these characters. It was at that time when Cheng Wei Hao shared his desire to revisit this world as an absurdist workplace comedy. In fact, filming of “GG Precinct” was already well underway as “Marry My Dead Body” was rolling out into theaters in February 2023.
The one bright spot in this sea of disillusionment is the cast. The miniseries pulled a veritable coup in filling the roster with nothing but outstanding actors. The fresh faces at the Gia Gun Precinct and stellar supporting characters help to immerse the audience into a world of sinister teachers and overzealous idol fans. One performance worth mentioning is Ng Ki Pin’s pinpoint accurate representation of the quintessential Taiwanese punk. With his raspy, haggard voice like he has been smoking since birth, inability to wear any garment with sleeves, and Taiwanese Hokkien speech. The only thing missing to complete the transformation would be perpetually stained red teeth from compulsive betel nut consumption. Every time we see officer Shao Nian on screen performing his normal police duties with the aggressive energy of a thug shaking someone down for protection money is pure comedy gold.
And what about the case at hand? The “Idiom Murders” are quite clever and grisly. Though the nuances of the crimes will be completely lost on viewers with little to no knowledge of the Chinese language. At its core, the motive behind the crimes are based on real issues heatedly discussed in Taiwan about the Chinese language. What is the value of preserving Traditional Chinese characters in today’s modern society? Is language just a means for communication and good enough is good enough, or is language an integral part of your identity as a human being or a nation? All very heady and philosophical questions that aren’t given the proper space to breathe and resonate with audience members before being hastily sidelined by the silly antics of the Gia Gun Precinct’s detectives.
In the end, the case kind of resolves itself without any actual police work and the entire team fumbles their way to the real culprit. Lastly, in a bizarrely meta moment, Shui Yuan’s final monologue in which he bitingly tears down how the copy cat’s murders were inferior to his original creations; simultaneously is a perfect take down of how “GG Precinct” failed to live up to its predecessors. Whether you’re comparing it to “Marry My Dead Body” or “KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops.”
Ultimately, “GG Precinct” asked too much of its audience to suspend their disbelief and wholeheartedly accept that the characters from “Marry My Dead Body” can also live in this kooky reality. In a way, “GG Precinct” was a victim of “Marry My Dead Body” runaway success. With a bar set so impossibly high, was “GG Precinct” fated to be dead on arrival before it even had a chance?
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This review may contain spoilers
Drama that provokes mixed opinions
I'm honestly not sure if I liked this show or not. As probably everyone else, I came here for Kuanghan and stuck till the end for him, so in a way, it wasn't a waste of my time. He was as great as always, and seeing his charming Wu Minghan again was very fun to watch too. Though I don't know if this is my bias talking, but I feel like he didn't have that much screen time considering he is listed as the ML.But anyway, the story was okay. It was interesting enough to keep me watching till the end, but there's still something I'm not sure what it is that didn't let me enjoy it fully. There aren't many comments and no other reviews to help me put into words what I felt watching it, so I will have to try to figure it out later.
The FL's rushed background did its job to show the viewer why she acts the way she does, so I guess it was also not unwelcome. Her bickering with Minghan was also fun to watch, especially because of the tiny hint that they could like each other. But I still didn't fully like her.
The other leads and extended cast were also okay, but I think the reason why I didn't exactly like this show and the characters was its grotesque nature. And no, I don't mean the gore scenes of the murders and corpses. I'm actually fine watching those. Funnily enough, the junkie cop clipping his nails at the precinct made me more uncomfortable than all the killings and corpse shots. I guess that's the purpose of this kind of shows, but maybe that's why this one didn't work for me.
Plot-wise it was also just okay. Someone said that you enjoy it more if you speak Chinese (I suppose to understand the idioms and mistakes better). But since my Chinese is very limited, I can't really form an opinion about this. But I liked the fact that the story was cohesive and it was well resolved. I mean, there wasn't much more to resolve, but it at least made sense till the end.
Anyway, I think overall it's not the worse show you'll ever watch, but it's also nothing remarkable. It's just an okay show. If you're coming for Kuanghan, you'll definitely have some of your time's worth back. But if you're looking for something random to watch, I'd say just skip it because there are many other better things to spend your time watching.
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