The show has an interesting, albeit not so new idea as its basic structure. However, the execution of the story is not so great, the first half of the series is a drag and boring. The momentum picked up once it reached mid-season and is intense. It has a rather sad and unfair ending.
This series starred Namgoong Min (of Doctor Prisoner, stove league fame), the character Do Jung Woo is interesting, complex character with depth, as per his usual standard, he executed the role impeccably, with his powerful acting, I can almost feel his pain and regret from the screen. He truly is a versatile actor and I really enjoy watching him. And it is also for this reason that I finished the whole series. Without him, I would have just put it aside after a few episodes. Personally I think Namgoong Min's acting is better than the likes of Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.
The second male lead's (Sun-Woo Yoon) acting is impressive and actually, an above average good actor. Much better than the two female leads.
The casting for both female leads is a failure and disaster. The female detective Gong Hye Won (played by Seol-Hyun Kim) and the so called FBI expert Jaime Layton or Leighton (played by Chung-Ah Lee).
Gong Hye Won was temperamental & simple minded. There is not an ounce of detective skill in her. I truly don't see the logic of creating her character, all she did is ask idiotic questions and create trouble for the male lead. The character is useless and annoying in itself, make more insufferable to watch by the bad acting of Seol-Hyun Kim. The so called highly skill FBI trained expert is a joke, Jamie Layton is supposedly adopted and grew up in US, and yet her English is filled with heavy Korean accent, the character didn't exert any above average deduce or analytical skill, it is a shame because this character could develop into a more complex one. The portrayal by Chung-Ah Lee is a major disappointment, which is the main reason I am giving this show a lower rating, throughout the whole season, her facial expressions consist of the permanent smirk on her face, the sarcastic glance and the arrogant tone which really is very displeasing to watch. Her indifferent and uncaring way of her action or acting toward fellow victims and to all those bad guys, contradict her verbal commitment. Her character is supposed to want to see it through even at the expense of her life. And yet, I couldn't see any passion in her acting to justify that commitment, just to show how unconvincing her acting skill is.
The ending however, leave me with sadness. Do Jung Woo and Moon Jae Woong don't deserve to have an ending like this. Of the three villains, only two have their ending justify the evilness of their deed, which for me is very unsatisfactory.
It is such a pity, this show has the potential to become a really interesting hit show, something in Secret Forest (Stranger) level. But became a disappointment due to miscasting and average execution. The dialogue and script at times could be so boring and useless.
