Review K-Drama - Through the Darkness

Hi Everyone,

Today, I want to share a Korean drama that I just finished watching. The title of the show is "Through the Darkness." This drama is based on a true story and features actors like Kim Nam Gil, Kim So-jin, Jin Seon-kyu, and Ryeoun.

It starts in the 1990s, when the people of Seoul were struck with extreme fear due to a series of brutal attacks and murders. A very mysterious figure known as "Red Cap" would stalk women on the streets, follow them home, and then kill them viciously. This killer also acted randomly, making it very difficult for the detectives investigating the case to predict what was on his mind.

Then, they realized that the American FBI had been successful with the use of criminal profilers to identify such criminals, especially serial killers. So, the head of the team, Gook Young Soo, recruits Song Ha Young, a calm, reserved, and very meticulous former detective for his team. Gook believes that using this new psychological method will give the police an edge in capturing ‘Red Cap’ and ending his killing spree.

However, homicide expert Yoon Tae Goo and her officers doubt the value of this approach and are reluctant to collaborate. The question now is whether Song Ha Young can gain the trust of these ruthless criminals while seeing through them. Is he clever enough to outwit them? But more importantly, does he have the emotional resilience to endure the process? I don't want to give too many spoilers, so you’ll have to watch the drama to find out.

Personally, I liked and was impressed by Nam Gil’s portrayal of the criminal profiler, where he almost went insane and nearly gave up due to delving too deeply into the mind of a criminal.

Here are some lessons I took from the approach to dealing with criminals:

1. Women, no matter how strong they are, can be very vulnerable. And when a serial killer or rapist is intent on committing their crime, even a young and small person can still be a victim.

2. Don’t trust strangers. Criminals often have innocent faces.

3. Lock your windows. In the show, the killer always targeted windows because it's something we often overlook.

4. Protect your young children. Many criminals come from troubled family backgrounds. Some of them have been severely abused by their parents.