D.P. (2021)

How to boil frogs alive?

Warning: This show has a lot of triggering content, including suicide, drug use, corporal punishment, abusive language, and sexual assault to name a few. If you have any trauma-specific triggers or cannot handle extreme violence, then tread lightly.

Violence breeds violence in this visceral, dark study of what it takes to break a person who is getting broken every day, over and over again, to the point of no return. The show connects violence in male-dominated environments to domestic abuse, to complacency and apathy in an ominous epic where heroism is nothing but the polished facade over a sick and rotting within.
This was such an unexpected watch for me. I wasn’t planning on watching this because I dislike military and everything connected to it (including fictional works about it) but it’s just 6 episodes and I like the main lead’s acting to I thought I should give it a watch and I was blown away (pun not intended). This was not at all what I had expected from a Korean show. They never hit as hard as Korean films do but this show is a visceral, horrifying watching experience. I can’t say I enjoyed watching it. It induces a lot of stress but I also couldn’t look away. The show tackles the military with a critical eye. It has a “lord of the flies” lens and it shows how the hierarchies in the military enable sociopathic, violent people with dark fantasies to do as they please without any consequence. It’s a system that sustains itself with gore, intimidation, humiliation, and mind-break. The show is almost too successful in exposing these and also connecting the issues of that environment to the hierarchies and toxicity existing in the society outside of the military compound.

You should watch this show if:
1. You hate the military like I do
2. Can handle violence and injustice (extreme)
3. Short format with no wasted moment
4. Subtle character developments
5. Realism with a touch of dramatization
6. Buddycop dynamic
7. Tragedies
8. Police procedural
9. Dark humor

Summary: The show follows Ahn Joon Ho, an apathetic young man with no prospects, no future, and no emotional attachments who joins the army for his mandatory 2-year service, seemingly on a whim. He survives the initiation process through his sheer will to feel nothing! Then his observation skills and sharp mind land him a job with the deserter pursuit unit and with every new case he follows, his icy veneer melts away as he starts to care. A bit too much, maybe.

Plot: This is a very sharply written show. There’s no one scene wasted on unimportant matters. The show is subtle with its character arcs and humor, which helps put the exaggerated and extreme violence in the show into stark focus, making it feel more jarring and uncomfortable. Foreshadowing, symbolism, and parallels are used with great cunning to help flesh out the world and the characters in it. I really like that detail about it. Aside from technicalities, this is an adrenaline-packed, mystery-solving, action story wrapped in trauma and social commentary. It’s an exhilarating watch that will hype you up while also draining your emotions. The format is more or less episodic with each episode following a case. This does dampen the show’s edginess a little bit, as all procedurals do, but thankfully it’s super short so it doesn’t get pedantic.

Acting: The acting was amazing! I already knew Jung Hae In was an amazing actor but I just couldn’t imagine him in a violent, macho military show. Turns out he’s not just good at dramatic acting and being an extremely ideal love interest. He’s also really good at throwing punches. But I have to say, the show benefits from his skills in delivering emotional punches (lol so many boxing puns!). With his naturally sad eyes and empathetic expressions, he raises the show above just being gratuitous violence. Koo Kyo Hwan plays his sardonic, eccentric character to PERFECTION. His humor is not slapstick and cheap and when the emotional moments come up, he keeps his performance steady and mature. He was amazing. Jo Hyun Chul deserves some sort of award for his performance. If he doesn’t get anything then the awards must be rigged. The ensemble was all good in their roles as well.

Music and Production: The music was fine and it worked well for the show. This was a very well-produced show. The camera work, details, sets, everything was done with great care. I guess it’s a Netflix show so it’s expected to deliver a certain level of professionality.

Rewatch value: No. It was too much. I can’t watch it again. I’ll watch a sequel, though.

Negatives: There is an overarching plot and there is character development and the whole show is a very in-your-face social commentary but the procedural format does redact a bit from it. When the plot really starts connecting from episode 4 to 6, it becomes a bit too melodramatic and certain parts are not as enjoyable as the very stylistic first episode that has you hooked. It survives though. There’s extreme violence and it can be argued that it kind of goes against its thesis by showing such over-the-top violence but I rarely see anyone critic compulsory military service so whatever, I’ll take it!

Overall: Definitely a good show. I would give it a 10 but that’s for shows I have fun. This was not exactly fun to watch. It was painful. Just the kind of pain that is worth getting through. One thing I loved about this show was that it has that "get revenge from the bully" situation but it manages to make you not enjoy the righteous violence despite the justice in it? At least for me, it was so. I’m curious to see if the show will get a second season because it has space to say more. As it stands, it could pack a harder punch. It does show the absurdity of the military so well and it almost makes fun of it but the humor is so dark that it’s almost no longer dark humor, just dark. I would like to see them explore the problematic structure of military a bit more. I won’t ask for justice or a journey of righting wrongs because it’ll be tacky but I want to see more of the show.

So how do you boil frogs alive? Well, how about not doing that, you sick sociopathic monster! Not every man has to be a killing machine. Some men like to plant flowers and draw comics and teach children that they are worth it and they deserve good things and you know what? They are more heroic than those who kick a person just because they can, because they have big muscles or a weapon and whatnot...anyway, don't boil frogs but if you do, just expect one to jump out and bite your head off.

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Came for Jung Hae In, stayed for everything else~

This drama did not receive the amount of attention it should have. Maybe it is because I find military movies and dramas very fascinating because of the absence of mandatory military enlistment in my country, but this feels slightly novel and brings to light a (not new but) slightly controversial topic.

Storyline was just how I liked it. It quickly introduces the main character and shows us his values in life through unrelated events. It then quickens up and introduces the second main character not long after. It is fast-paced and does not drag on. It introduces a new issues every one or two episodes. The only reason why this wasn't a 9 out of 10 was because I thought it was a shame that this drama only had 6 episodes.

I don't even think I have to evaluate the cast. Jung Hae In did not disappoint at all. Koo Kyo Hwan is a surprisingly more versatile than I expected after seeing his role in "Peninsula." I expect to see more of him around, and I expect great things.

Overall, I would RECCOMEND this drama.

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Exceed My Expectations! Bravo!

Honestly, didn't expect it to be this good. The casts succeed in making my blood boiled gosh that was so inhuman. Totally enjoy all the soundtracks. I feel it really matched well with the vibe of this short drama. I didn't even skip the ending credits plenty of times. My heart totally ached wih the guy who stopped being a judo player cause he couln't hurt others. Never hurt a weak and kind hearted people. You might never know what your actions and words turn them into. In the end, I was speechless by the ending but I love how it was so awfully realistic. Power and justice. Those issues were never easy.

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Must Watch Drama!

The Dark reality behind the deserters and how they have been portrayed is commendable. An Jun-Ho has played an extremely dark role of being confused to finding himself. The series can be watched in 1 sitting as every episode hangs with a cliffhanger.

Overall the series was amazing and a right way to portray bulling and how it can change a mental state of a person. The raw reality has been portrayed superbly with a hint of comedy in between. There should be season 2 coming for the series as the series ended with a question mark.

TW - Bulling, Sexual Abuse

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Excelente

Como drama corto cumple con todos las expectativas que se puedan tener pero además de eso a lo largo del drama se van a tocar temas que uno no creería que se podrían tocar. Dejando de lado los temas como el suicidio o la violencia domestica que personalmente me parecen temas fuertísimos para tratar en kdramas, este drama se va a meter con el ejercito de corea del sur(*) y no va a tratar de embellecer nada, desde lo que significa tener que realizar esta obligación hasta el ultimo día de haber terminado el servicio.
(*) me parece sorprendente como este drama va a dejar al desnudo algunas de todas las falencias que debe tener la milicia coreana con su servicio obligatorio, uno no creería que una programa de difusión dejaría al descubierto cuan horrible es la realidad en ese lapso de tiempo en el que se realiza el servicio porque uno esperaría que para el afuera se muestre como un lugar de hermandad y de patriotismo como el mismo drama intenta mostrar y ocultar de todos la realidad.
Estoy muy conforme como este drama abordo con crudeza todos los puntos que quiso tocar y con las grandes actuaciones de todos los actores, sin dudas un drama para ver y espero que como país corea del sur (y otros) hagan una introspección porque puede ser un deber este servicio pero nada tiene que ver con eso el horror de situaciones que algunos soldados en el drama tuvieron que atravesar y que seguramente muchos atraviesan en la vida real.

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Criticizing Hazing Phenomenon

“Every masculine gender of the Republic of Korea shall faithfully perform mandatory military service, as prescribed by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and this Act.” Those exact words taken from the "Military Service Act" Article 3 were shown at the beginning of every single episode of D.P. Derived from the law mentioned, every single man in South Korea are obligated to perform a mandatory military service (with exceptions) for an estimated 2 years in length. The law has been globally infamous along with the surge of Hallyu wave throughout the world. However, have non South Korean people ever think about the meticulous events happened during the service? Although D.P. is pretty much fictional, the series allowed viewers to have a glimpse of life that was rather under publicized during the service.

Within the span of only 6 episodes running from 45-55 minutes each, D.P. was mainly carried by the main duo: Ahn Junho and Han Hoyeol. Both of them showed an alluring bond despite their quite far off characters on each other. Junho was always portrayed as the serious, observant, and strategic one while Hoyeol topped him off by the goofy, open, and playful persona. Though with this short time span, the series doesn’t offer much characters yet some still left remarkable points: Sergeant Park’s upright nature, Captain Im’s comic persona, some harsh military seniors, and some struggling military juniors. However, the silver lining in D.P. was not coated in its characters. It was the plot that needed to be taken more earnestly.

Set in 2014, D.P. focused on deserted soldiers and the clues that might be left behind in order to brought them back. A detective-like mission has always been a point of interest in many types of series. Nevertheless, the Netflix series distinguishes itself among other kdramas due to its rattling back stories, centered in bullying/hierarchy system in the military. By deploying strong foregrounds, D.P. criticizes not only the South Korean military but also army in general. As a matter of fact, the ingrained seniority has always been an issue in any country’s military forces. Although, such matters never seen much light of day as they were continuously debunked in order to protect the country’s military reputation.

The bullying-centered stories may be vicariously triggering to the viewers as they depict rigorous stories realistically. Actually, the root of the problems are all based on the diverse humane characteristics. However, not everyone can tolerate them especially when it comes to an unaccommodating environment like the military. A loud sleeper, a geek by nature, or just being considered plainly new are some of the intolerable “red flags” according to D.P. Thus, making all of the victims getting consequences—being mentally or physically abused. The bullying took its toll, leading to pivotal character shifts (fleeing, going insane, and even led to suicidal). Though I would like to point out that in D.P., the act did not completely take its toll through physical abuse—compared to the real hazing death victims reported through several news outlet back through 2011-2017. The seniority/hierarchy system in D.P. did not just stop among the private/corporal/lower tier of the military but also the higher ups. The series convey an ironic decision-making situation toward the end that dispatched a disheartening message.

Departing from the daunting stories, D.P. also manages to offer a more humane foreground throughout the series. The episode “Monty Hall Problem” was cleverly written with a probabilistic/mathematics-related premise delivered with real-life implementation. Not only it provided a slight change of pace throughout the series, but also provided a new perspective on fleeing the military. On the other hand, it is also a human behavior to be irresponsible and just simply miss the feeling of being “liberated” — depicted on “That Woman” episode.

Altogether, human acted out on any aspects in life due to the consequences that are currently happening around them, including the men during conscriptions. It is undeniably true that hazing is still happening throughout the military community and beyond. Nevertheless, D.P. critiqued the phenomenon in a compact, cinematic, and epic path.

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TLDR: This is a grim drama that sheds light on the negatives in the Korean military service. Although there a couple funny moments brought mainly by the chemistry of the two main leads, the drama does not shy away from difficult topics especially bullying and toxic masculinity.

We are introduced to An Jun Ho, which reminds me of Jung Hae In's character in Prison Playbook, an outwardly tough but deeply empathetic young soldier, who just wants to survive the 2 years and maybe even escape his family situation. The first scene begun with hazing/bullying of younger soldiers done by the senior soldiers. This foretold things to come in the latter episodes. As a way of survival, Jun Ho ended up in the D.P unit, where he is accompanied by an eccentric corporal Han Ho Yol, who I feel mainly provides the comic relief, and has great chemistry with Jun Ho. We are also introduced to the unit's haggard but tries-to-do-things-right sergeant. As the title and plot suggests, this drama dives into why people choose to desert their post during their service, which happens more often than not due to bullying. The last 2 episodes perhaps shows the worst possible scenario of when one is pushed to the verge of insanity as a result from the constant harassments. The series shows how corruption comes into play to prevent positive changes to the military and more importantly, toxic masculinity or obey-thy-senior culture perpetuates the bullying/hazing culture in the military. And at the end of the drama, one is left to wonder if real positive change can ever be implemented or how many more 'accidents' will it take to show the gravity of the situation.

*other things*: i really like the cinematography of the drama, having a 'blurred' look which i thought it meant how these soldiers wish it were like a dream, never truly existed. also, the soundtrack being mostly indie soft rock, especially the opening credits, felt very much like lost or wasted youth, which suits the theme of the drama. as much as i'd like another season mostly to dive deeper into the main leads, i do think the ending was good enough for a closure. lastly as a singaporean female who never went through military service, i do hope that nobody, at least in present times, have to go through such things.

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Powerful, chilling, valuable

the most important thing to know before you watch this drama is to know you will laugh, smile, and feel uncomfortable. while it has its light moments and great bromance, it’s a story of being in the army and the horrors one may face. the root of this story looks at the cultural aspect of compulsory enlistment but then examines what that means. what does being in the military do to a man? what makes a man?

this story shows the extremes of toxic masculinity and how far anyone can be pushed. it’s a heavy watch. it goes from lighthearted to answering those questions some of us don’t have the answers to.

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Thought provoking and heartwrenching critque on the military structure and cycle of power abuse

I've never written a review before, but D.P truly deserves one
Initially, I didn't think I'd be interested in this drama but I was proven wrong, if you're hesitant about watching this show don't be. I SWEAR I CAN'T RECOMMEND THE DRAMA MORE :)))

Plot
A insightful and thought-provoking drama that tackles many difficult themes such as social hierarchies within the military system, suicide, social class, abuse of power and sexual abuse I'm telling you when I finished I kind of felt empty but I wanted more, I felt so many different emotions whilst watching this drama but there wasn't a single moment were I felt bored.

Acting
I never knew Jung Hae-In could pull off such a different character, I'm so glas he took this role cause he did an amazing job. THE REST OF THE CAST FJGHS I LOVED THEM ALL idk what to say but let me just say the acting is impeccable
AND THE HUMOUR!!


OST
AHHHH I added every single song to my playlists, the songs chosen really fit the overall mood and are quite contrasting in a way. The intro song perfectly captures the atmosphere of this drama idk how to explain it but really all the songs involved in this production were brilliant


OVERALL PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW :)))))))))

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