Tunnel

Synopsis:

Park Kwang Ho is a Sergeant of Serious Crime Division of Hwayang Police Station. He just got married and is solving a serial case murder of women in 1986. He was about to catch the killer in the tunnel when the killer rendered him unconscious. When he woke up, he found himself on different timeline. It was now 2016. He doesn’t know what happened and he inadvertently became Corporal Park Kwang Ho who was born in 1988. As he tries to cope of what was happening to him, he needs to solve his old case of murdered women in 1986 and what seems to be continuing at the present time plus find out what happened to the real Park Kwang Ho of 2016, so, he can go back to to his time and be with his beloved wife.

Characters:

Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Kwang Ho
Yoon Hyun Min as Kim Sun Jae
Kim Seul Woo as Child Sun Jae
Lee Yoo Young as Shin Jae Yi | Park Yun Ho
Kim Se Hee as Child Yun Ho
Lee Da Kyung as Child Jae Yi
Jo Hee Bong as Jun Sung Shik in 2017
Kim Dong Young as Young Sung Shik in 1986
Kim Byung Chul as Kwak Tae Hee
Kang Ki Young as Song Min Ha
Lee Shi Ah as Shin Yun Suk
Kim Min Sang as Mok Jin Woo
Choi Seung Hoon as Child Mok Jin Woo
Noh Tae Yup as Teen Mok Jin Woo
Moon Sook as Hong Hye Won
Heo Sung Tae as Jung Ho Young
Ham Sung Min as young Ho Young
Lee Yong Nyeo as Yoo Ok Hee
Joo Ho as Reporter Oh | Oh Ji Hoon
N as Park Gwang Ho
Kim Jung Hak as Kim Wan
Yoo Ji Soo as Lee Nan Young
Seo Woo Jin as Jung Jae Hyung
Jo Seung Yun as Hwayang Police Station’s Department Head
Han Yeo Wool as Hwang Choon Hee
Park Myung Shin as Lee Sun Ok
Shin Na Ae as young Sun Ok
Jo Shi Nae as Kim Jung Hye | Kim Young Ja
Song Young Jae as Kim Tae Soo
Ryu Tae Ho as Jang Young Chul
Kim Choo Wol as Hostess of Ho Motel
Choi Won Hong as Yoon Dong Woo
Choi Myung Bin as Yoon Soo Jung
Jun Jae Hyung as Noh Young Jin
Jung Soon Won as Young Jin’s Co-Robber
Lee Dong Jin as Hwang Do Kyung
Jun Jin Gi as Kim In Hwan
Im Kang Sung as Ma Young Gil
Jin Yong Wook as Lee Dae Hwan
Woo Hyun as Go Man Suk
Seo Eun Ah as Kim Mi Soo
Jung Han Bi as Yoon Young Joo
Kim Min Kyung as Go Ah Ra’s Mother
Yoo Jang Young as Kim Mi Soo’s Ex-Boyfriend
Ahn Yong Joon as Kim Hee Joon
Yoon Mi Hyang as Sun Hwa
Park So Jung as Sook Ji
Jung Suk Yong as Kim Jong Doo in Episode 1 in 1986
Oh Yoon Hong as Madam Jung in Episode 1 in 1986)
Nam Moon Chul as Chief Oh in Episode 1
Kwak In Joon as Hwayang Police Station Chief in 1986 in Episode 1
Jung Yi Rang as Lee Geum Soon in Episode 3
Choi Il Hwa as Yoo Sung Jae in Episode 8
Park Jung Hak as Senior police officer in Episode 9
Song Jae Ryong as Kim Kyung Tae in Episode 12
Seo Yoon Ah as 88 Park Kwang Ho’s Mother in Episode 16

My Review:

OCN has truly mastered creating suspense thrillers on their past succeeding k-dramas, from Voice, Duel and this. From Episode 1 till it progresses, the suspense and the mystery has been constantly exciting. Even if I want to let go so I can go to sleep, my brain had so much stimuli and fully entertained that I can’t help but stay straight 16 hours to watch it. Crazy, huh? But, it was truly worth it.

So, What do I Like About this K-Drama?

(1) All the actors were great particularly Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Kwang Ho. He was very effective in his role and you can truly feel what he was going through as he tries to figure out and live with the fact that he time travelled and how he can go back in time to be with his wife again. He did it in accordance to the personality of his character. Can’t help but admire him as an actor because he never deviated on who he is as Park Kwang Ho.

(2) I appreciate the details the director and the writer who painstakingly incorporated scenes and props that will allow the audience to feel both the bewilderment and amazement of Park Kwang Ho as he experiences the difference between 1985 and 2016 from small things like 3 in 1 coffee to the big stuff like mobile phones and computers. Indeed it was enjoyable to remember how was it before and today especially for someone like me who experienced living in both decades.

(3) I love the complexities of their cases and even if there’s a sci-fi element on the story, it was well written without falling into the trap of making the sci-fi element too convoluted that it affected the story. The love between Park Kwang Ho and Shin Yun Suk is what every one hopes for, so, this gave a romantic element on the plot in an otherwise a fully suspense genre.

(4) Just like OCN’s Duel, this also has a lot of surprises. Although, there are some things I can guess, but, it is still thrilling to discover that I what I thought was right. Because you’ll never know for sure until you’ve seen it happening.

(5) The actors are stellar in their performances and I have enjoyed it not only because of the time travel angle but how they were able to show the story and provided a message value on the importance of remembering and honouring the victims of violent crimes.

What I do Not Like About this K-Drama?

Time and time and again I always mentioned that I review mainly for entertainment level, that I am not into technical stuff. However, I also draw the line when the technical stuff treats the audience in a stupid manner. How I wish the writing was a bit improved in order that one can appreciate its value to its totality. That being said, even with the following issues I had with this k-drama that a bit miffed me off, I still consider it excellently thrilling.

(1) This could have been perfect k-drama if only they didn’t botch up episode 10. The production went to this crazy mode that they were focusing so much on the big reveal who Shin Jae Yi is to Park Kwang Ho that the writer and the director created a “no-logic” scene just to achieve a dramatic effect of the fact. How can a supposedly smart and analytical Dr. Shin Jae Yi make such a stupid plan? I can still dig the logic of her wanting to use herself as bait to draw out a serial killer (which in itself is already stupid…) but to do it without back-up plan, self-defence tool or any plan at all to protect herself except wearing the whistle at the middle of nowhere is really beyond me. This for me is a cardinal sin, it simply destroyed my appreciation of the moment.

(2) How can you not maximize the level of information one have in order to really catch the killer? How can supposed top detectives not think that the possibility of the killer to readily confess is from nil to none? If the copy cat killer didn’t even confess what more with the real deal, isn’t it? Moreover, if you do an illegal search, the evidence gotten from there will not be accepted in the court of law including all other evidences collated from that search, as they say all succeeding evidences are now fruit from the poisonous tree. Why not properly strategize? It is just so obvious that turn of events became this way to extend the story.

(3) It was never really touched why he time travelled. The serial killer angle is a dime and a dozen, so, somehow, even if they don’t want to focus so much on the slippery slope of explaining it, a relevant significance should have been given as to why him and him alone was able to do that and why it happened on that particular case.

Would I recommend this K-Drama? Yes

My Rating to this Drama
( See My Rating System: ) 5/5 Stars

OST:
01. Circle of Life – JK Kim Dong-Wook

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