Signal is a Korean drama that premiered on tvN network in 2016. The drama was written by Kim Eun Hee and was direacted by Kim Won Seok. Lee Je Hoon, Kim Hye Soo, and Cho Jin Woong, star in the drama that aired for 16 episodes. Signal was the highest rated cable show in 2016(Misaeng is the only other cable drama to pull in such huge ratings back in 2014). Its ratings skyrocket throw the roof because of the story's content based closely on the real Hwaseong serial murders. Kim Hye Soo also won many awards for her performance on the drama.
A young detective finds a walkie talkie that has a signal that connect him to a detective in the past. Together they try to solve the murder cases that have been unsolved and cases that will happen in the present day.
Signal is based off of a series of murder cases that always had women as victims. These murder cases spawned many other cinema and drama adaptions such as Memories of Murder, Confessions of a Murder, Gapdong, and most recent drama called Tunnel. The cases shook South Korea at it's very core during the time. To make matters worse, the killer was never caught. So this guy or women could have had children and grandchildren who might be at home watching Signal and other adaptions. Signal's script was very well written with no room for error. The cases used in the drama go into careful detail explaining the horror of what happened to the victims. Surrounding this is a time traveling element that keeps viewers on their toes. You don't have enough time to really be bored as the story progresses in a exciting fashion for those who don't like slow drama development. Around the half way point of the show, the plot changes focus a bit. It leaves certain traits that the drama started with then forces things to hit super close to home for the characters. This surprised me a little bit since I expected the signal to be solely dependent on the real life murder cases. Instead, the show focuses on one big cases that also creates an opportunity to learn more about the characters. Viewers will invest their hearts into the characters even of you don't mean to purposely. I felt very good about the plot's overall showcase of progression. Such a conclusion was deserving of the praise Signal was given. First time viewers are going to feel satisfied with everything about Signal. The time period mind games the drama uses to play with viewers had me all over the place. Being an emotional wreck is not fun….. OK OK, there's something rewarding about this experience too.
Lee Je Hoon had already put himself on my radar based on the many films I've seen him in. So I know that he can act well. I actually started watching Signal to see him in another production. He plays the detective that finds the walkie talkie one faithful night. His character has this strong sense of justice in a system that doesn't always play on the side of fairness. The hot head persona that he brought to the character was enjoyable to watch. His interactions with the other people working on the police force were priceless most of the time too. No time for other's bull shit. Just how I like my characters. Kim Hye Soo plays Je Hoon's character's partner who is a veteran detective. Her acting made me feel like I was watching a mother like character that truly wanted the best situation for her partner but she had her own emotional baggage. Baggage that stopped a lot of things while also shedding light on a crucial part of Signal's story. Don't be too upset, viewers who want romance. Signal doesn't have a solid romantic relationship however, Hye Soo and Je Hoon's chemistry causes you to believe that romantic feelings were mutual between both of them. Cho Jin Woong's acting always has a lackluster feel about it. I think that's because he's known for playing comedic roles and less known for his serious ones. This role gave him another chance to add comic relief to the drama sometimes. Just not consistently since his character is kind of the bread winner for solving the cases. The concept of time acted out by the cast hit close home for not only them, but also viewers as well. There's many different character conflicts that will relate with viewers. My biggest problem with the cast's performance was the way they talked barely above a whisper during certain scenes. OH MY GOSH! This got on my nerves so bad. The way their voices sounded just grated on my nerves for some reason. The director probably thought that them doing this made their acting more intense. LORD HELP ME CAUSE IT DIDN'T! Otherwise, The main cast as well as the costars did a wonderful job living truthfully in an imaginary circumstance.
The most special way that Signal was filmed based off my memory, was the scenes where the walkie Talkie was being used. Each character talking on the other end lives in a different time. To represent this, these scenes are shot separately then edited together using a line to merge the scenes. I was reminded of the American show; 24 when I saw this kind of editing. Signal looks like all the other detective Korean dramas besides that.
Signal defiantly lives up to all the hype in Korea. Creators stepped up their game by writing a script that's new and engaging. I would recommend Signal to Korean drama fans that are tired of the half ass written scripts of mainstream dramas. I don't believe a lot of foreign viewers know about Signal. They need to learn though. Now is a better time than any. HAPPY WATCHING.
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