Joseph Conrad said, “The belief in a supernatural source of
evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”
This was a quote Gideon in the original Criminal Minds
series quoted and pretty much is good way to describe what to expect from this
drama. A group of profilers will be profiling unsub (Unknown Subject) to solve
or in some cases save their victims.
tvN’s Criminal Minds is an adaptation of the US version. If
you’re a fan of the original series you can see a lot of similarities between
the two from characters and plot. Unlike the American version, the Korean has
decided to add more background character stories and tension between characters
right off the bat. There’s an underlying story we haven’t gotten to which is
more of a dramaland thing than a crime procedural drama.
Let’s talk about the characters. Kang Ki Hyung is a mixture
of Gideon and Hotchner. Ki Hyung is criticized for the bombing incident which
lead to Hyun Joon’s teammates being killed. Of course, we’ve learned Ji Hyung
was wrongfully accused for the incident. Much like Gideon situation it leads him
to taking a year off and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Hotchner
is the second part of Ki Hyung as he’s a husband and father expecting his
second child. I like this added change, but you can see a lot of Hotch in Ki
Hyung when he’s talking to his son about helping him catch the bad guys.
Kim Hyun Joon is being played by the delightful Lee Joon Gi.
His character worked with the bomb squad until his co-workers are killed. He’s
a detective know who has profiling abilities, but hates the idea of profiling.
I joked early on about him being Derek and it’s clear he’s not. It’s a shame he
couldn’t be flirting. I would love to see him in a rom-com. Come on dramaland,
make this happen. He’s investigating something from his past. He’s a little halfcocked
and ready to jump these first few episodes while his friend’s sister was
kidnap. It’s understandable, but I’m hoping to see a much level-headed
character as seen before the kidnap.
Ha Sun Woo remains me of Emily. She doesn’t show a lot of
emotions and seems to be closed off. Moon Chae Won isn’t impressing me so far
as the cold uncaring type. With her secret background and past, maybe we’ll get
to see her do some acting and move her character to be more interesting.
Yoo Min Young is the communication liaison and I really like
the character so far. Lee Han is totally supposed to be Spencer Reid and I’m
just not buying the awkwardness genius. I’m willing to give him time as we got
to understand Reid because of his interactions with Gideon. Which means I’m
looking forward for this relationship with Ki Hyung.
Penelope Garcia is not an easy character to adapt IMO and Na
Na Hwang doesn’t have the pizzazz. The character comes across has unnatural and
a little over the top in acting unique. Penelope is one of my favorite
characters on the original series. Of course, I love the unique relationship
she has with Derek, but it’s her bright personality to not let the things she
sees to control her life. I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt she’ll
ease into the roll.
As for the plot, the first case of the NCI is the same as Extreme
Aggressor, the first episode of the American show. It’s a decent adaptation of the case which some
little differences. The next case will be based off the episode Detailed. I’m
looking forward to see the adaptation choices the drama will choose for the
episode.
I’m a sucker for a good crime drama and will be continuing
this drama. I do hope the drama will do more than just adapting the original stories
of the American drama to the series. There are a few cases in the original series
which are just dark and disturbing as it looks into the mind of not just
criminals but ourselves. However, I’d like to see a mixture of the interesting
cases with a dramaland twist.
“The ultimate choice for a man, in as much as he is driven
to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate.” Erich
Fromm.
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