My KDrama Commentary: TUNNEL

TUNNEL

MALE LEAD(S): Choi Jin-hyuk, Yoon Hyun-min

FEMALE LEAD(S): Lee Yoo-Young

GENRE: Detective, Crime Thriller, Time Travel

MY SCORE: 9/10

WHAT LED ME TO IT?

• Who was I following? N/A
• What had I just watched? Oh, My Venus

STATUS: Completed

• IF COMPLETED, how many times? ———- 2 ———-
• If I’ve watched it more than three times, chances are it’s one of my Top 10 Favorites!

WHAT DID I LIKE ABOUT IT?

• I love crime thrillers and sci-fi plots.
• It stars a relatively unknown (for me) cast: Choi Jin-Hyuk (c. Park Gwang-ho) as the detective in 1986, who chases a suspect in a tunnel and enters a space warp that drops him into 2016; Yoon Hyun-Min (c. Kim Seon-jae) as the detective in 2016, who becomes Park Gwang-ho’s reluctant partner; Lee Yoo-Young (c. Shin Jae-yi/Park Yeon-ho) as the criminal psychologist; and Kim Min-sang (c. Mok Jin-woo), as the serial killer who could have gotten away with it if he weren’t so confident he could.
• I am hooked by the end of episode 2.
• Life in the past continues, at almost the same pace as in the future, meaning Park Gwang-ho did not somehow just dream up the whole thing.
• I think it is superb acting when the viewer can actually sense the beginnings of paternal instinct when Park Gwang-ho breaks into Professor Shin’s room to save her from a possible fire, though he, himself, does not know why he feels protective of her.
• I thought Choi Jin-hyuk was an older actor, like near 40s, because he has a very deep voice, and his confidence in the “future” when he was treating everyone like his subordinate was certainly realistic, not to mention his paternal reflexes. What a shock when I learned that he’s only in his early 30s. It could also have been his character’s baggy clothes, making him look bigger (i.e. stocky-er).
• Dr. Mok Jin-woo’s house is the same one used to hide Gu Seung-joon in NoKor in Crash Landing on You.
• There were no big names in the cast, and therefore, no power struggle between the actors. Everyone played their roles very well!
• I was familiar with most of the supporting cast and guests. Directors have favorites, too, I guess?

WHAT DID I NOT LIKE ABOUT IT?

• At first, I was hesitant to watch it because I’m not a fan of time travel stories.
• Park Gwang-ho had some serious anger issues!
• There was no connection between the two Park Gwang-hos except a totally unrelated case with the “good” forensic doctor, Mok Jin-woo. 

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS THAT AROSE REGARDING STORY CONTINUITY AND OTHER DETAILS:

• Why and how was Park Gwang-ho able to travel to the future and make a successful return in the tunnel? Why didn’t it happen for the suspect?
• Was the Violent Crimes Unit able to catch the serial killer immediately with the knowledge Park Gwang-ho had gleaned from the future?
• Mok Jin-woo’s diary entries were not in chronological order.
• Park Yeon-ho starts remembering her past one memory at a time, so why would she know that one was “altered” after her father mysteriously returned from the past?
• How did the younger Park Gwang-ho learn about the murder in the tunnel?

WILL I RECOMMEND IT? Yes. The twists and turns in the plot were confusing but easy to follow, and there were just enough anticipation for me to want to watch the next episode immediately. Also, Choi Jin-hyuk looks worthy to be followed from now on.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in film or Korean culture. In fact, I only started watching KDrama in 2016 and have just 48 completed shows under my belt. My writings are my own opinion and not the opinion of the majority. I enjoy shows that a lot of people don’t seem to like, and I dislike a lot of shows that are tagged as “Must Watch”. There are exceptions, of course. My point is, don’t blame the commentator.