[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Bad and Crazy" Episode 3

Last time on "Bad and Crazy" Inspector Ryu, under the influence of his alter ego K, viciously assaulted Assemblyman Do, calling him a murderer in the process. This has placed Assemblyman Do in a somewhat awkward situation. Obviously, what Inspector Ryu did can't be allowed to stand unpunished. Yet any attention being paid to Inspector Ryu at all risks exposing that Assemblyman Do was at least accused of murder- and a murder he actually committed no less.

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There's not that much detective work here though, as Inspector Ryu is officially put on suspension. There is a long humorous search for the necklace which K prevented Inspector Ryu from throwing into the river. We also get our first good look at Detective Lee (played by Han Ji-eun), Inspector Ryu's ex-girlfriend. It's implied that while Inspector Ryu himself is relatively indifferent to Detective Lee, K harbors a huge romantic crush on her.

Beyond that we just see Inspector Ryu unsuccessfully try to get rid of K through taking drugs. In general "Bad and Crazy" is noteworthy for being a fairly serious investigative crime drama that's loaded with humorous trappings. This kind of genre mix is more common in South Korean films than television dramas. But even then not so much, to the point that "Bad and Crazy" feels quite fresh and inventive despite the generic plot description making the show sound extremely cliched.

The action scenes are also incredibly solid. Martial arts director Kwon Tae-ho has done lots of work in films, though "Bad and Crazy" is his first credit as lead choreographer. And the experience shows- the fight in the market is a delightful mess. Inspector Ryu himself quickly realizes he needs K's assistance to survive. The absurdity being, naturally, that K is just Inspector Ryu. And like Inspector Ryu, K fights by improvising with nearby objects. He's just better at it, since K is too crazy to understand fear.

Lastly, a brief correction. I had assumed Detective Do was Assemblyman Do's brother. But their similar names appear to just be a coincidence. This becomes clear in part because we see that Assemblyman Do does not respect Detective Do in the slightest, and holds the less important Do personally responsible for the disaster that now threatens his reputation. But this misunderstanding proved fortuitous on my part, given that Detective Do himself clearly overestimates his importance to Assemblyman Do even after being warned otherwise by Inspector Ryu.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Bad and Crazy" is directed by Yoo Seon-dong, written by Kim Sae-bom, and features Lee Dong-wook, Wi Ha-jun, Han Ji-eun, Cha Hak-yeon, Kang Ae-shim, Kim Dae-gon. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/12/17~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:40 on tvN.