20
34
7
WandereR
Borneo
This review may contain spoilers
Lost and Found
In a nutshell, this show is about a group of SK soldiers who committed an unspeakable act way back in 1997, then covered up the whole incident with a blatant lie and moved on with their lives (those who survived anyway). Fast forward to the present day, the cover up resurfaces to bite them in the ass. Add in a couple of story arcs regarding a revenge plot aided by rabies mutation, a NK defector baby who grew up to become a SK soldier that happens to be romantically linked to a conscripted dog handler, both of whom get drafted into a Special Forces’ team filled with team mates serving various hidden agendas, for searching the source of mutated rabies infection. This is set in a sleepy village full of generic countryside folks except for an ex-commando housewife with very lethal skill set and a troubled past, situated right next to the DMZ. All this transpires amidst an underlying political conspiracy during the SK Presidential elections. Sounds convoluted? That’s because it really is.
The premise of Search is certainly not new and bears very close resemblance to the 2016 SK movie, Musudan. The main differences being the fleshed out romantic entanglement, involvement of military combat canines, the presence of a highly skilled civilian and the inclusion of the politics. This drama might as well have been designated the sequel to the parent story.
This is a typical OCN drama that deals with a dark subject matter. It’s generally well made with visibly high production values and reasonably good acting by the main cast. I found the show relatively entertaining for the most part over the course of only 10 episodes. There were some really good moments that were off set by certain things that could have been done better.
The Positives
The main cast comprising Jang Dong Yoon (the “pretty girl” in Tale of Nokdu), Krystal, Yoon Park, Lee Hyun Wook, Moon Jung Hee (Vagabond’s Jessica Lee) and Yoo Sung Joo acted their roles well enough, with the script they were given. Yoon Park and Hyun Wook’s portrayal of complex multidimensional characters with questionable allegiances and motives were particularly intriguing. It’s never easy depicting conflicted “semi-antagonists” as opposed to protagonists or outright villains. Krystal did a good job playing a strong and smart female soldier (technically KCST), and I always appreciate strong FL characters being depicted in dramas.
The action sequences, including the confrontation and shootout with the NK border patrol, the hunt for the “target” and the subsequent set-up of the ambush, as well as the search and rescue of a missing person, were well executed with military precision, via the coordinated use of dramatic BGM, frantic pace, (surprisingly) steady camerawork and the sheer display of firepower by the soldiers.
The scenes involving the extremely gorgeous military dogs (Dutch Shepard breed, if I’m not mistaken) Leo and Mac were fantastic and refreshing to see. Most of the time, they steal the scenes from their human counterparts.
The Negatives
For a drama this convoluted and running at only 10 episodes, there were moments where boredom seeped in. The plot and sub-plots were not that complicated to follow but felt dragged out more than was necessary. There was even time for some fillers and goofy humour in between the action and dramatic events. Apart from some induced scare moments, the momentum from the intensity of chasing the target(s) wasn’t evenly sustained throughout and hence sorely lacked any prolonged sense of suspense.
The characters weren’t sensibly written. I could accept the ridiculous storyline and go with it for entertainment sake but the unrealistic portrayal of the SK military is quite annoying. No doubt a conscript is not part of the regular personnel, but repeated insubordination and blatant disregard for the chain of command, and worse still, the tolerance of it makes the so-called Special Forces a joke, even if it’s fictional. Many people have been conscripted for military service and nobody behaves in such a manner, because it is simply not tolerated and tantamount to court martial. Worse case scenario, such indiscipline might even cause irreparable harm during any military op.
SK has one of the most technologically advanced weaponry and combat-ready forces operating in one of the most volatile borders in the world. Instead, in addition to the earlier mentioned insubordination, we also have personnel who wear make up while on active duty in a combat situation, the CO and his deputy frequently debating operational decisions in front of the entire team before/during/ after an op, equipment that either doesn’t function or breaks down in the middle of an op, border guards who fail to prevent a 7 year old kid (at least, that’s what I think her age is) from walking right into the DMZ, among other observations. If the military really was this inept, NK would have no problems launching a successful invasion. But then again, the NK soldiers in this show were depicted as even more incompetent, so I guess that evened out the odds after all.
Episode 3 is a strange one - it is the only episode that attempted a flashback sequence to add to the dramatic effect. This is quite common especially in US sci-fi drama series which usually works well because it is written in a series episodic format (eg a story arc within an episode). The problem here is that the plot is serialized (the story arc covers more than just the one episode) and it attempted one flashback too many. The timeline kept flashing back and forth to the point everything was messed up and confusing as heck. I’m just glad this attempt was made in only one episode instead of the entire 10 episodes.
Overall
Despite feeling somewhat letdown by the weak script, illogically written characters and the predictable outcome, Search still kept me entertained especially once I stopped taking it seriously from episode 4 onward. The key lies in managing your expectations and suspending more than a modicum of disbelief while you’re watching this.
The premise of Search is certainly not new and bears very close resemblance to the 2016 SK movie, Musudan. The main differences being the fleshed out romantic entanglement, involvement of military combat canines, the presence of a highly skilled civilian and the inclusion of the politics. This drama might as well have been designated the sequel to the parent story.
This is a typical OCN drama that deals with a dark subject matter. It’s generally well made with visibly high production values and reasonably good acting by the main cast. I found the show relatively entertaining for the most part over the course of only 10 episodes. There were some really good moments that were off set by certain things that could have been done better.
The Positives
The main cast comprising Jang Dong Yoon (the “pretty girl” in Tale of Nokdu), Krystal, Yoon Park, Lee Hyun Wook, Moon Jung Hee (Vagabond’s Jessica Lee) and Yoo Sung Joo acted their roles well enough, with the script they were given. Yoon Park and Hyun Wook’s portrayal of complex multidimensional characters with questionable allegiances and motives were particularly intriguing. It’s never easy depicting conflicted “semi-antagonists” as opposed to protagonists or outright villains. Krystal did a good job playing a strong and smart female soldier (technically KCST), and I always appreciate strong FL characters being depicted in dramas.
The action sequences, including the confrontation and shootout with the NK border patrol, the hunt for the “target” and the subsequent set-up of the ambush, as well as the search and rescue of a missing person, were well executed with military precision, via the coordinated use of dramatic BGM, frantic pace, (surprisingly) steady camerawork and the sheer display of firepower by the soldiers.
The scenes involving the extremely gorgeous military dogs (Dutch Shepard breed, if I’m not mistaken) Leo and Mac were fantastic and refreshing to see. Most of the time, they steal the scenes from their human counterparts.
The Negatives
For a drama this convoluted and running at only 10 episodes, there were moments where boredom seeped in. The plot and sub-plots were not that complicated to follow but felt dragged out more than was necessary. There was even time for some fillers and goofy humour in between the action and dramatic events. Apart from some induced scare moments, the momentum from the intensity of chasing the target(s) wasn’t evenly sustained throughout and hence sorely lacked any prolonged sense of suspense.
The characters weren’t sensibly written. I could accept the ridiculous storyline and go with it for entertainment sake but the unrealistic portrayal of the SK military is quite annoying. No doubt a conscript is not part of the regular personnel, but repeated insubordination and blatant disregard for the chain of command, and worse still, the tolerance of it makes the so-called Special Forces a joke, even if it’s fictional. Many people have been conscripted for military service and nobody behaves in such a manner, because it is simply not tolerated and tantamount to court martial. Worse case scenario, such indiscipline might even cause irreparable harm during any military op.
SK has one of the most technologically advanced weaponry and combat-ready forces operating in one of the most volatile borders in the world. Instead, in addition to the earlier mentioned insubordination, we also have personnel who wear make up while on active duty in a combat situation, the CO and his deputy frequently debating operational decisions in front of the entire team before/during/ after an op, equipment that either doesn’t function or breaks down in the middle of an op, border guards who fail to prevent a 7 year old kid (at least, that’s what I think her age is) from walking right into the DMZ, among other observations. If the military really was this inept, NK would have no problems launching a successful invasion. But then again, the NK soldiers in this show were depicted as even more incompetent, so I guess that evened out the odds after all.
Episode 3 is a strange one - it is the only episode that attempted a flashback sequence to add to the dramatic effect. This is quite common especially in US sci-fi drama series which usually works well because it is written in a series episodic format (eg a story arc within an episode). The problem here is that the plot is serialized (the story arc covers more than just the one episode) and it attempted one flashback too many. The timeline kept flashing back and forth to the point everything was messed up and confusing as heck. I’m just glad this attempt was made in only one episode instead of the entire 10 episodes.
Overall
Despite feeling somewhat letdown by the weak script, illogically written characters and the predictable outcome, Search still kept me entertained especially once I stopped taking it seriously from episode 4 onward. The key lies in managing your expectations and suspending more than a modicum of disbelief while you’re watching this.
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