Irrelevant to the title

When I first heard about this series, I knew I had to add it to my PTW list. I was even more excited when I saw the lineup. However, I can understand why one of the tags for Han River Police is comedy. Initially, I thought the series would focus on various situations that occur at the river, including heartbreaking ones like suicide (as South Korea unfortunately has many such cases, particularly at the Han River). I thought it would be a great idea to explore this beloved place in Seoul, where many people have experienced both interesting and sad events. I believe this could reflect reality and be an excellent way for the writer to incorporate different cases. I was thinking along the lines of First Responders, but with the rescue team being the main focus here.

However, after watching all six episodes, I am quite disappointed with the overall execution of the drama. . It felt more like a movie, and it ended the way I expected a movie to end. I also had trouble connecting with the characters because they were not fleshed out enough. Even though there were only six episodes, there was still enough time to ensure sufficient character arc. Unfortunately, the show focused too much on one particular case involving the main antagonists and some of the protagonists, leaving little room to explore other themes. It felt like watching an action movie, with numerous fights and a drug smuggling organization typical of thriller films. I watched the last few episodes and thought, "This has nothing to do with the Han River lol."

Overall, I enjoyed the show to some extent, and I must give credit to Lee Sang Yi, who played a villain role here. I had never seen him in this kind of role before, and he did an excellent job. I'm used to seeing him play goofy and friendly characters in other dramas, so it was a refreshing experience to see him go full 180 degrees in this one.

Despite my criticisms of this series, if you are a fan of Sang Yi and want to see him play a ruthless man, check this one out!

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One of the very few best dramas of 2021

I finished this show couple days ago and wow it was such a thrilling experience devouring each episode. Although the plot is not something remarkable or anything fascinating it is all the other external factors and how each episode was set up that kept my eyes attentive. Having a female-dominated series and also where the perpetrator is a female (and young) as well was definitely a factor that kept me hooked along with the phenomenal performances from each of these actresses (and everyone in general). This is indeed a drama soaked in dark comedy paired with this similar-like feeling Koo Kyung Yi had where there is this excitement of cracking cases and unfolding each mystery that comes along with these events. It is the usage of a somewhat ordinary plot but executed in a way that it draws attention from the viewers and bring them along on this curiosity sparked journey. I myself experienced this thoroughly and also lastly greatly reinforced through the outstanding OSTs. All the songs used for Inspector Koo were clearly carefully picked and curated and unquestionably shaped the variety of emotions I sat with watching the series. It shows the power of well-made soundtracks that seamlessly accommodates the contexts surrounding the scenes respectively. Never was I negatively affected by the reoccurring exposure of the OSTs as they were in fact both timely and contextually placed. I personally rated this a ten as it was for all of the reasons above that I nevertheless felt deeply satisfied and content with my overall watching experience!

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