The Fiery Priest is a drama (and, as the team promised, soon-to-become drama series) with so much heart, you have to love it. The plot is not intricate, but this simplicity is the strength of the story. How is that? Simple: well-written characters, their chemistry, great plot pacing, and comedy.

The drama is character-driven, so you can call each person a story to unravel apart from the mystery of a priest's death. It has enough revelations to move the characters through phases for their growth AND progress the story for story's sake. The situations are not thrown is for the heck of it; they tie together neatly in the end. If you are aware of the politics affecting S.Korea at present, you might even appreciate the topics it touches along the way. It made the schemes of the antagonists not as far-fetched as they might seem. Moreover, the drama had social commentary: the concept of forgiveness, turning the other cheek, arrogance of religious folk, and alienating those who are unfamiliar. Presenting it as comedy made it less preachy and more of a subtle jab at the injustice of society. Oh, and the twists are unlike you would expect, and they are hilarious to witness!

Then there is acting. The actors did amazing; let's give them a round of applause. Well-written characters are nothing if the actors cannot become them. Kim Nam Gil, especially, was spot-on with his expressions. Every one did justice to their roles, so much so that I have a hard time imagining another actor being a better replacement. I will now explain why I am singing praises of the characters. There were those who you rooted for since the beginning; then there were those who you felt no sympathy for, yet grew to like. For the latter, the female prosecutor is one of the examples - I thought I hated her, but soon realized she was a favourite. I will attribute that shift to the natural character development. What's more, they were original in the quirks they possessed: there is a hip-hop enthusiast, a scaredy-cat, an abnormally angry person, an impulsive prosecutor, a part-timer who is an embodiment of super powers, and so on. No side character is unnecessary, but have a role. All in all, these were thought-out people who you become attached (or abhor with every fiber of your being) to since they are very real, particularly in their weaknesses.

The OSTs made their way to my playlist. Hip hop? Rock? Yes, please! The instrumental used was mostly befitting for the occasions they played.

Lastly, this is a definite re-watch, I love good action sequences, good comedy, and characters who make that happen. It's almost a sin to not come back to watch it.