[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Hello Monster" Episode 10

One of the reasons why "Hello Monster" takes an unpredictable amount of time to get through any given case is because the difficulty the detectives have solving any given case is directly proportional to how difficult the case is. That sentence probably seemed kind of long-winded and repetitive- but for formatted drama television this is genuinely a really unusual concept. And in "Hello Monster", it completely messes around with any sort of expectations we can have for any given episode.

Advertisement

So, in regards to what actually happens during this episode, the first portion is just dedicated to solving the case. Everyone has to run at the problem from a different angle based on character knowledge and skill. Hyeon, as usual, is very inappropriately calm whereas Ji-an is unusually aggressive. It's kind of funny, really- literally speaking this episode is just a classic hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress plot point, right up to the ending, but none of the characters particularly act like it.

In this way they're really just about perfectly suited for their chosen professions. That's another statement that's kind of weird to make- of course they're good at their jobs, that's why they picked these particular jobs. But a lot of fiction contrives to make its characters act incompetent and stupid for no reason. The detective team in "Hello Monster", by contrast, has always had the same flaw- they're not as smart as Hyeon. And even if this is a team effort, they definitely need him around for this tougher work.

It's an especially interesting fact to consider in tandem with the way the actual case unfolds. "Hello Monster" appears to be taking the view that violent criminals are able to get away with crimes for as long as they do because to some extent they are reliably being aided and/or manipulated by some sort of smart person. There's more precedent in reality here than initially meets the eye- systemic abuse is typically committed by thugs while people at the top maintain coverups. Just ask the mob.

The analogy isn't totally perfect of course- there's a difference between organized crime and serial killings. But the fundamentals are quite strong and work to give "Hello Monster" a lot of tension, even as Hyeon moves ever so closer to emotional expression. Pay attention to his reaction after finding Ji-an- as well as after finally finangling some important information about the main case he should have gotten a long time ago.

Review by William Schwartz

"Hello Monster" is directed by Kim Jin-won-I and No Sang-hoon, written by Kwon Ki-yeong and features Seo In-guk, Jang Nara, Choi Won-young, Lee Chun-hee, Park Bo-gum, Min Sung-wook and more.

Watch on Viki