Through the Darkness (2022) 악의 마음을 읽는 자들
Directed by Park Bo-ram, starring Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-jin, Jin Sun-kyu and Ryeoun.
Watched 4 - 13 April 2024 — 12 episodes (NETFLIX)
A team of tenacious detectives study the minds of murderers at a time when Korea’s first serial murders terrorised the nation. Based on true events. (Synopsis: Letterboxd)
Directed by Park Bo-ram, starring Kim Nam-gil, Kim So-jin, Jin Sun-kyu and Ryeoun.
Watched 4 - 13 April 2024 — 12 episodes (NETFLIX)
A team of tenacious detectives study the minds of murderers at a time when Korea’s first serial murders terrorised the nation. Based on true events. (Synopsis: Letterboxd)
*Finished this crime series (based on the experiences of Korea’s first criminal profiler) yesterday with my sister, the first K-drama I watched together with someone in its entirety, chromecasted on our big screen. What a haunting and thrilling ride it was! Unlike many crime series, this was not fast-paced, but more of a slow-burn, which I liked.
*The subject matter was at times a bit hard to get through, being so bleak and unsettling, but there was never a dull moment, and what makes this show so good is the actors' performances, their characters and the bond they form over the course of the show and the cases they work on. I also love how the other police officers slowly acknowledged the Behavioural Analysis Team.
*Kim Nam-gil's overall masterful performance deserves all the praise it gets. He is fantastic as the criminal profiler, one who cares deeply about the victims and their families. Catching the culprits and trying to understand their sick minds takes a toll on his own mental health, and in the process he ends up hurting himself physically. Seeing how he tried to enter the serial killer's mind was so scary and the scene where he went to the park with a big knife was downright disturbing. Nam-gil embodies his character perfectly and I felt for him when he had a mental breakdown. I was happy that he finally realised he couldn't go on in the same way.
*I just loved watching our male lead. Kim Nam-gil can convey so much emotion with the tiniest and subtlest expressions in his eyes and face. He also looks very good, both in a suit and casual clothes.
*I just loved watching our male lead. Kim Nam-gil can convey so much emotion with the tiniest and subtlest expressions in his eyes and face. He also looks very good, both in a suit and casual clothes.
*I love Jin Sun-kyu as the chief of forensics. His bromance and camaraderie with Kim Nam-gil is the highlight of the show. I love how level-headed and sensible Jin Sun-kyu is and how he looks after Nam-gil's well-being.
*I also love Ryeoun being part of the Behavioural Analysis Team as the third member.
*I also love Ryeoun being part of the Behavioural Analysis Team as the third member.
*There's a lot of screen time dedicated to the interrogation scenes and the interviews with the serial killers. They are detailed and intense but very good, as is Kim Nam-gil's acting during these scenes (the way he looks at the culprit, the tone he uses in his voice, how he poses the questions, his quiet demeanour). In episode 10 it was only natural for Kim Nam-gil to lose his composure when the killer was relating to him how much he loved killing, going on and on about it. Kudos to the actors who portray the killers, they're all terrific and terrifying.
*There is no romance — it wouldn't have suited the show anyway — but I love Kim So-jin as the female detective and her relationship with Kim Nam-gil. I didn't like her long hair, though.
*Fortunately the show didn't kill off key characters, even Kim Nam-gil's mother lived. I love the healthy relationship she has with her son.
*Love the emphasis on the need to pay attention to victims and families. Ultimately they're the reason for bringing Kim Nam-gil back to work after his accident.
*Fortunately the show didn't kill off key characters, even Kim Nam-gil's mother lived. I love the healthy relationship she has with her son.
*Love the emphasis on the need to pay attention to victims and families. Ultimately they're the reason for bringing Kim Nam-gil back to work after his accident.
*Love the cinematography and the look of the series, capturing the feel of the era in which the series is set (end of 1990s, first decade of new century) well.
*Love the rooftop supper in the last episode after the team wrapped up the last case. Everyone is smiling and having a good time.
*Show has a perfectly fitting ending where new members for the Behavioural Analysis Team are being recruited. Kim Nam-gil ends the ceremony with a speech expressing his hope for the new recruits to learn how to embrace their own hearts too (something he himself failed to do which almost killed him).
*Love the rooftop supper in the last episode after the team wrapped up the last case. Everyone is smiling and having a good time.
*Show has a perfectly fitting ending where new members for the Behavioural Analysis Team are being recruited. Kim Nam-gil ends the ceremony with a speech expressing his hope for the new recruits to learn how to embrace their own hearts too (something he himself failed to do which almost killed him).
*I was a bit sad that the series had come to an end. Though I'm actually fine with not having to watch these gruesome serial murders anymore, I will really miss the main characters. This is what I love about K-drama. How the length of the show allows for proper character development and that you start to care about the main characters and root for them, especially if they're so well-drawn as here. And likeable as well.
*Hope it will get a second season some day with the same cast.
*Definitely going to check out Kim Nam-gil's dramas! Love him!
*Definitely going to check out Kim Nam-gil's dramas! Love him!