Sinal (2016)

Being a mystery thriller genre fan, I went in with really high expectations seeing the 9+ ratings here and needless to say I am thoroughly disappointed! This drama had a great potential with an unique story line if it been had developed properly but somehow lost its way from the initial brilliant idea of communication from the past...

Actually there is no mystery or suspense for the viewers as from the 1st episode you are shown who the villains are and within first 2-3 episodes it only left me with frustration seeing how the characters are being so clueless even though people around them are so suspicious! It was a long wait till episode 16 for characters to actually figure out who was behind everything even though they knew how bad that particular person was! Seriously seriously frusrating, I must say!

This show is for the fans of drama that deals with social justice where everyone knows the villian, who is as usual highly powerful and corrupt individual but the hero who is a sincere underdog who preserves to fight against the evil and win the war the end. If you are a fan of this genre, then this drama is for you but if you are a mystery fan like me, then be prepared to be disappointed...
Even in the weekly cases there is no suspense as such, just police slowly, I mean really slowly trying to figure out the culprit who is again revealed to us right in the beginning of the episode! :(

Now coming to acting, everyone was ok ok even though I really didn't like the actor who played ML in the Past in certain scenes where I felt his acting was a bit odd even though I am not able to pinpoint the exact scenes...
His onscreen character too was not in sync like the character was fluctuating between moments of brilliance and moments of stupidity repeatedly. Because of this I skipped through many Past scenes and what I found was because the past had many filler scenes, I didn't miss anything even after skipping 20-30 mins at a time! Guess the show would have been better if it was for 10 episodes, then everything would have been more crisper.

The only thing I really liked about the whole show other than the overall idea of getting a radio transmission from the past that could change the present, was that the FL is realistically badass in the Present (2015 in the show) time. She may get hurt but she never failed to bounce back like a spring to kick some criminal's ass! It was totally commendable!
Also the fact the the Past ML encouraged her not be just a coffee serving girl to her seniors but to make her own stand against them like the actual detective she was, was a really good scene!

Overall a 5.5/10 for me.

Leia Mais

Same Crime, Different Times.

Signal is a drama that is never missed in a list of thriller recs. Although the MDL synopsis seemed a bit boring to me, I decided to give it a try.

Park Hae Young, a detective, has an open disdain for the police force in spite of working for them. He had witnessed cases being handled for the sake of it's completion and his very own brother framed for a crime he never committed.
Chae Soo Young, his senior and team leader is unforgiving to this attitude, but she realizes that he had more spunk in him. Her sunbae, Lee Jae Han had disappeared 15 years ago.
Fate intertwines the three of their lives after his walkie-talkie that was about to be disposed off is found by Hae Young… leading to a chain of events that create waves in the past and it's ripples in the future. As Hae Young and Jae Han solve the past and the present, Hae Young seeks the answer to Jae Han's disappearance.

Hold onto your seats, because Signal is a mixture of thrill, mystery, suspense, despire, melancholy and various other heart wrenching emotions. The first few episodes deal with regular gory and disgusting cases, both in the past and future timelines (connected by the radio transmissions between Hae Young and Jae Han). It is during the later episodes that the ultimate dark side of the plot is revealed: Jae Han's disappearance.

I did not care for any of the characters initially. We don't see the inner workings of several of them, including Detective Cha. All the events seen through Hae Young's eyes, and his hatred for the police, made him one of my favorite characters. I have never seen the leading actor's performance before, but I'll definitely be checking them out in the future. Jae Han was a typical tsundere puppy whom I grew to slowly adore over the course of time. I loved his bravery and tenacity when it came to solving crimes.
I enjoyed seeing the two sides of Soo Young —- the inexperienced rookie cop and battle hardened detective.

Particular praise for the actor who played Kim Bum Joo, an utterly despicable and corrupted Chief of their Precinct. I wanted him dead until the very end.
The rest of the cast delivered stellar performances, even the minor culprits who popped up.

I loved how every case was solved and handled. As usual, the cops got on my nerves more than the killers. The stress was 100% real and my blood boiled whenever the cases were overturned. I feared for the life of the characters. I hated the villains. I adored the glimpses of family, loyalty and affection that were strong backbones of this drama. The music, especially the BGMs were spot on - I can recall several scenes because of it.

Definitely a must-watch (or must try) for fans of crime and thrillers.

Leia Mais

This is one of the best crime dramas I've seen so far, the characters steadily grows and gets more likable each episode, except for the last few episodes where the main girl character got annoying, however her annoying-ness actually make sense in the story line and made the drama better. There were one or two plot holes I found however the plot hole made the ending to the drama better than the direction I thought it was going.

The music matched a drama very well, it created anticipation throughout the story and didn't overshadow the entire scene.

I think they couldn't cast better actors/actress to make the drama better.

I would totally re-watch the drama and would definitely recommend it to other people, but only to people who enjoy dramas with thriller and very little romance.

Leia Mais

Just finished binge watching this drama! And oh my, what a ride it was!

Both writer and director did a wonderful job creating a suspenseful and brain-twisting drama! A story with multiple time lines isn't easy to portray without everything ending up being too paradoxical. This drama was deep and interesting on so many levels!

COMPLEX AND ENGAGING STORY: As a viewer you feel emotionally engaged and connected with the story. You wonder, think and feel together with the protagonists. Often I was left at the tip of my sofa/chair/bed anticipating what will happen next and how the detectives will solve a case. Clues are not given immediately and there are enough twists here and there to keep the story suspenseful and interesting. As a viewer we live and think together with the protagonists on screen. Heartbreaking scenes alert!

EYE FOR DETAIL: There are so many subtle clues and details given in every episode that it feels like I need to re-watch the whole series again in order to fully grasp what was actually going on at certain moments. There are also a lot of references to aspects of contemporary Korean society: such as the fascination with celebrities who are dating or not, (unsolved) rape cases, corruption related to hierarchical relationships, etc. which added to the level of realism of this drama. For people who understand Korean, some references are really subtle and make you giggle. (I particularly remember the scene when one of the protagonists asks scoffingly whether the other likes keobchang (pork intestines) or not, however the subtitles just translated it as 'grilled meat'. Some things do get lost in translation. ;))

SUPERB ACTING: Not once I had the feeling that a character wasn't believable. Still now I believe there is still a badass detective such as Soo-Hyun and a moral hero like Jae Han somewhere out there in the real world fighting for what's right! The protagonists can make you laugh, cry and feel utterly frustrated!

I would strongly recommend Signal to everyone who's looking for great story-telling with a high sense of realism embedded in a ever-so gripping and intense drama!!! Why are you still reading this?! Go, Go! ;)

Leia Mais

I'm going to put out this disclaimer that I do not usually write reviews. I could not stop myself this time. Signal delivered. I always feel ambivalent about watching such a highly rated drama because either it delivers or its extremely overrated and I end up disappointed. Signal is definitely and exception. Its just a down right good story. It's not just for one age group. Signal drew me in from the get go. It was funny, suspenseful, and heart wrenching all at the same time. I've never felt so vested in dramaland characters before. Although signal is pure fiction it was every bit "real." The actors were outstanding in their portrayals of "real" people. Sometimes dramas are cliché or unrealistic or at times can't be taken seriously. I tend to lean toward romantic dramas but this piece was so much more fulfilling than most of the dramas I've watched.

Story wise an absolute 10. There were many unanswered questions but not in a frustrating lose ends way but a your imagination is the limit way. And there is a certain beauty in that.

The music moved me again and again. Rewatch value is the only thing I can't give this a 10 in. I feel I watch it to much and come to know every twist and turn it will lose some of its appeal , plus I'm not sure my heart could handle it. But every so often most definitely. I would and will recommended this to anyone. And I will watch this again.

Leia Mais

Ah, Signal, how shall I describe thee? This is definitely my favourite Korean drama, though in all fairness, it's not much of a "drama" per se. The first thing I noticed was that the production value was through the roof; most of the episodes feel like watching an hour long movie, somewhat like the early episodes of Sherlock. The plot is very well structured, and the pacing is excellent, with not a dull moment or any overly long arcs in sight.

As far as the main cast is concerned, all the performances are above and beyond the level that one would usually expect from a Korean drama, especially the protagonist and deuteragonist (Lee Je Hoon and Kim Hye Soo). Cho Jin Woong also delivers a strong and memorable performance as old time detective Jae Han (you'll get it when you watch it). Many of songs that make up the OST are haunting and unique, with relatively deep lyrics. Honestly, it may seem like I am just biased at this point, but I am the type of person who reads the summary for most boring K-Drama episodes and fast forwards through them the moment a hint of something typical appears, and I watched, and relished, every moment of Signal.

The ending was somewhat ambiguous, even leaving open the possibility of a sequel, though I doubt any of us are going to be that fortunate in the near future...but here's hoping.

Leia Mais

I normaly do not write reviews but I had to now. I Just finished the serie and I am angry I watched till the end for this.
I personally think of what is the point of having an transmission of past to the future If you still going to mess up everything and people die the same. What is the point !!!.
I like it because the corruption and injustice is realistic , but come on give me Some hope ! !!!
If the world we live in is like this give me at least Just a little hope. I am glad they caught one of the bad guys at the end, but what I was hoping for the whole show is that Detective Lee would finally live His love with Cha . Man this woman been waiting for freakin 15 years, is not 5 nor 10 but 15 years ! What hurt me the most was that Park's brother still died ! What is the point of the radio !
If the show wants to show what happens in real life that is good but dont put the radio transmissions in it because it is distracting and you hope that someone Will be saved , there was little saving and alot of mess up .
I could had taken everything If at least in the end scène Park , Cha and Lee would actually see Each other but noooooooo. I was waiting for that the whole serie but noooo.
Again I was frustrated . But now that My anger is gone I Really appreaciate the values it gaves
I wachted this because I thought it would be awesome like Tunnel who is btw the best serie I wachted love love love ! but not at all.
But overall i loved the acting of the main characters was great, the story and the concept confuses me.

Leia Mais

Watch if you like unfinished ending

It's useless to watch all episodes to see ending like this. some of the k dramas have habits to not have proper ending. If you are 100 percent sure that you will make 2nd season then it's good otherwise don't give false hope to a fans. We didn't know either that minister got punished or not for his all the crimes. I remember another k drama named ' VAGABOND' that ended middle of the story. I don't know if they were short of money or never think of further story.
Anyway for signal I would like to say this is slow many scenes are repeated all the time. it feels like there is always more screenplay in k dramas for wrongdoing by bad guys and when it comes to their punishment it's difficult to find it.

Leia Mais

they were killing innocent children for fun and it doesn't even matter

Episode 6 :- Ugly detective killed a little girl who calls him uncle and said he is like her family
and he feel good about and thought if he find a thief it will be fine that he killed a innocent child
and then Ugly detective goes and says everything is back so why in episode 7 to the father of girl he killed, everything is back
EunJi is dead but its okay because FL is back and he only need KIM HYE SOO for this show to run
In earlier episodes he left Driver alone so that driver can kill another woman in future
This Ugly detective is killing people and at the end of so it was all ok if he himself save himself by killing many innocent people in this. but Ugly detective solved the case himself by looking into eyes of a young Killer.

episode 11 Our Lee Je joon told Ugly detective that he will let 9 more woman die so that he can catch the culprit
because getting Credit for that is most important and 9 more innocent need to die for it.
and we have a Pretty Kim Hye Soo who has been obsessed with the ugliness of that past detective that she fail to see young Lee Je Joon
This drama doesn't deserve rating higher then 5/10 but still give it 6/10 just for Casting Kim Hye Soo

Lee je joon hate cops but he become cop himself is most Logical thing in this show, become the person you hate

Leia Mais

Signal is not only the best Kdrama I've ever seen (out of 206). Signal is not just the best Kdrama of all time. Signal is a paradigm shift. Signal tells the world loud and clear: South Korea is making TV shows as good as the USA or the UK, as good as anyone. Period. The bar has been raised, South Korea. I expect more from you now. I expect more Signals.

I don't know what else I can add about this drama. It is a perfect 10 in all categories. Heck, even the soundtrack is the best I've ever heard - perfect atmospheric music for every scene.

This drama has no flaws. It is nearly as good as the best American TV I've seen. So, what else can I say?

I guess this. I'm about to take the 205 other Kdramas I've completed and change their ratings down 1/2 point so that Signal can stand alone at 10. No other drama, not even White Christmas, deserves to stand at 10 with Signal.

Leia Mais

This drama is one of my most favourite ones but it's not for everyone. I can understand that some people might not like it because it's not a typical k-drama, however, it's totally worth of your time.

The story is very well written and the plot is very interesting. It had little bit of evrything but it is mainly crime and mystery but as a fan of crime series I really liked the story . The whole story kept me more and more curious as all the secrets were step by step revealed. After the end of each episode I wanted to know so badly what will happen next.

What also is amazing about this drama is the acting. The cast did such a great job in portraiting their characters and their emotions, especialy Lee Je Hoon. The cinematography was also well done and I could feel all their emotions through the screen. I'm sure that I'll watch Signal again in the future and I'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed it when I watched it for the first time.

If you like crime and mystery you should for sure watch it right now.

Leia Mais