The Fiery Priest (2019)

Have to say that this drama was a blessing in more than one way. It's sweet, heart-wrenching, funny, exciting... and you can't help loving (almost) every character whether they are of the good side or bad ones. And it's also a drama that reunites Kim Namgil and Lee Honey ever since their last drama together which was Shark aka Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus. And have to say, that their chemistry was as good and even better together.

I love the fact that as much as the series does have a fair share of serious plot from the beginning till the end, there was also a good amount of comedy slipped in between to balance everything out. And while it might not be related, I find it refreshing that this drama somewhat broke the 'tradition' that almost always happen to any serious themed Kdrama that Kim Namgil starred it. As in, his characters ending up dying in the end. (Well, I'm not counting his role as Heo Im since that one was of a completely different genre. But then again, I might as well count Heo Im as well since he did still end up dying a lot of times in the series anyway.) While Hae-il isn't your usual revenge-driven character that Kim Namgil often play, he does have quite a bit of his own dark past that clouded his present life. And because of that, you can't help finding similarities to Kim Namgil's past characters. So yes, I'm really happy to see Kim Namgil character surviving the end of their series lol. Cos seriously, most of his characters that have serious plot always end up dead in the end. The ones that didn't were usually those that are quite comedic. Live up to Your Name was a good example.

I first got to know of Lee Honey from Shark, and as much as I love both her and KNG's characters in Shark; their love relationship was mostly one-sided. Yet I still love the two of them together in this drama as they did have great chemistry together. In which, seeing them together again in this drama was great. Even if their characters still didn't end up together, they do still work well together. Honestly, I love how much Kim Hae-il and Park Gyeongseon work well together and how much the two of them really care about each other. In which in the end, influenced their choices and paths of life. Gu Daeyoung's character also turned out to be quite endearing as well. While at first, he started as a comedic character being paired up with Hae-il, bit by bit he started to change due to Hae-il's influence.

I truly love the writing of the drama; and how some of the tiny pieces of seemingly unrelated details in the drama would somehow turn out to be important later on. The writing was very solid with serious and dark themes while also occasionally make us laugh at the most unexpected situation. This drama is definitely one that I'd want to watch and rewatch all over again for the lovely plot as well as the endearing characters.

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now I'll miss this ;)
the good:
+ the teammance (this is what I always want, a big unique team)
+++ Kim Nam Gil
++ the comedy sense
+ Park Kyung Sun (I'd have preferred it if she joined the team faster, but I like the freshness of her, she's like a girl vr of siwon?)
+ hip hop girl and her normal non obsessive crush (I kinda shipped her with Ssongsag)
+ the action scenes
+ the costumes xD

things I didn't like:
- the story
- the small plots
- the pace (things started really moving by the 2nd half, especially after ep14)
- the bad guys (I really couldn't careless about them they were slightly too weak)
- the bad guys screentime was a waste of time ;)

ps. my rewatch value is either a 1 or a 10

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When humour meets crime.

A priest with a hidden last and anger management issues, a prosecutor who wants to get ahead and doesn’t care if her actions aren’t on the righteous path, a detective who is kind of a pushover, a rookie officer with a passion to fight for what’s right — and in the backdrop, corrupt officials trying to find a way to launder money. What could go wrong when these elements meet, right? As you might have guessed, a lot!

The Fiery Priest had lots of potential from the very first episode, and it more than delivers. And continues to do so through the rest of the series. For a twenty episode drama, there wasn’t one episode where I felt it was lacking. Everything about it was done so well! If you’ve watched Chief Kim, you’ll notice some similarities between the two. That’s probably because both the series share the same screenwriter. Telling a intense story is hard enough, but adding humour aspects to it while keeping the suspense and maintaining the characters without making a caricature out of them is tougher. Just like Chief Kim, this drama strikes a perfect balance between the two!

If you’re hesitating to watch it, I would ask you to watch it right away. Intense, but funny, that’s how I’ll describe The Fiery Priest. I also discovered some of my favourite actors through this dramas. They had me laughing in one scene and worrying the next. It’s extra, exaggerated, but hilarious for sure.

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Short bit - Some great comedy in this one, some real laugh out loud moments (though you probably have to enjoy toilet humour to get the most out of it :) ) and a good story as the characters battle their way through thugs and corruption to solve a murder and set the world to rights.

Waffle Bit...

This isn't like many other drama's out there, there's a lot more comedic moments in it and the general production style is slightly surrealistic, but in a fun way. Facial expressions, gestures and so forth are all amplified but within the context of everything else going on works well and just grows the characters "extreme" natures in a very visual way.

Action is also over the top with lots of extra sounds added on to add to the action feel of the fighting scenes - again, I think it worked well in the setting, so don't read this as a negative thing (unless you don't like that kind of thing I guess :) ).

The overall plot is interesting as they unravel what's going on, but the Priest starts out from a bad situation with just about everyone around him corrupt and working against him, slowly but surely things develop and the story is finally resolved in a nice and satisfying way. Religious themes are expectedly Catholic and I think they handle the obvious conflict of a Priest doing violent things quite well.

I'll have to listen to the OST because nothing really stood out for me while watching it.

Acting was excellent, as I say lots of over the top-ness that fit the style of the drama. The only actor i'd even seen before I think was Kim Won Hae, certainly none of the main cast - and I'm thankful I now have enjoyed a bunch of new actors that I can hunt down more dramas for. Everyone did a great job. The production style was consistent throughout and worked very well, whether it's extra sounds or visuals added over the top (oh, the petals.... i'm still laughing at that one).

At the end, they say "we will be back" - suggesting quite strongly at a Season 2, but do not let that make you worry about the ending - this season is *finished* well and Season 2 will be a new story if it happens - THAT is how you do season 2 (yes, I'm still annoyed about Vagabond!).

Overall worth a watch for a break from the usual - this one is more akin to "Good Manager" though dare I suggest even funnier - I am absolutely down for watching Season 2!!

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Oh my God the perfect combo!

Are you bored of cliche romance? Awesome watch this.
This show is the best combo of Comedy - action - crime. If you’re having a bad day and a sucker for this genres watch this, you’ll die out of laughter. They give out such an emotional attachment that its hard to forget this drama even after a long time after you finish.

Story (8.5/10)

This story will not get boring for a single moment. There are a few cliffhangers, you’ll love it. I have to agree this drama made me anxious about what was supposed to happen next when I watched it for the first time. It’s not anything complicated, but highly interesting.

Acting? 10/10

By watching this, I became a big fan of Kim Nam Gil, he was made for this role. Female prosecutor and detective was also one of my favourites. Other than that, Every character carried out their roles perfectly! The character development was the best part of this show.

Music? (8.5/10)

The comedic osts were BEST! All soundtrack completely matches with the concept, loved them.

Rewatch value (100/10)

I’m writing this as I just finished watching this for the second time, I’ll probably watch it 5-6 more times.

Overall (10/10)

As this is a no spoiler review I couldn’t write much, but from the bottom of my heart, I loveeeed this show, I haven’t seen anything like this before!

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Starts slow, ends perfectly.

So glad i listened to the reviews and gave this a chance.
This is a strange drama. most dramas start out perfect, fast-paced and gripping, making you immediately fall in love but then have a disappointing second-half and a horrible ending. This show is the exact opposite. It started out slow, boring, and frankly i didnt think waiting was worth it, but im so glad i did.
6 episodes in, the pace starts to pick up, the comedy finally starts actually being funny, and then 12 eps in it became one of my favourite shows once everyone starts working together with a Vincenzo-type teamwork. ive fallen in love with kim nam gil after this, and all the other actors, even supporting, did such a great job! i would definitely come back to see them again for a second season.

the first quarter 7.5/10
the second half 9/10

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A very dramatic kdrama!

Okay, so the first half was meh, like if you guys want then literally skip the 5th and 6th episodes!
but the second half was literal on fire like the second half is what made this drama a blockbuster!
I think the action scenes here are some of the best action scenes I have ever seen, they give you such an adrenaline rush!!
The acting was good, not at all over, the humour was not my style, but yet a laughed at some places and the characters were funny.
The OST was the cherry on the cake!! loved the songs!!
If not for a boring first half, this would get a 9.5 from me!

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Insane and amazing!

Likes
1. The insane idea of creating a crime fighting priest and teaming him with an apathetic police squad and an ambitious corruptible prosecutor.
2. All the rich characters including the the bad guys, the thugs, the russians, the evil agents and the enlightened ones. (WOOTA!)
3. The lesson that it is never too late to repent and lead a new life. And even the good ones get sidetracked but with the love and support of people around you, you can be a better person.
4. The intense non stop action and surprises, esp in the second half of the show.
5. The perfect casting! It felt like everyone had a great time filming and they gave it their all.
6. The crazy sometimes laugh out loud humor which some may think is excessive but i loved it.

Dislikes:
The first couple of episodes when the priest was struggling and didnt know where to start it felt like the show was going nowhere but i think it was part of the crazy fun ride and i felt all the more invested when everything started turning around.

Rating: 9/10

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Exciting, Moving, and Hilariously Funny!

I've been watching TV shows for over 45 years. I've been watching K-dramas for the last four. And frankly, the Koreans seem to be masters at combining humor and drama, deftly shifting from one to the other. Nobody else does it better.

"The Fiery Priest" sees a Catholic priest--Father Kim--, who has no compunction about laying down some serious whoop-a** on criminals and those who seek to harm others. Of course, not all is as it seems as we learn about his backstory.

The series is about murder, political corruption, religious corruption, and the power of the underworld's influence on exploiting the weak and helpless. At our center, is Father Kim, who has a temper to match his fighting prowess. I think if Father Kim lives to be an old man, he'll likely die of a heart attack.

Detective Gu soon becomes his sidekick. Initially Gu is an inept coward who can't seem to do anything right. Caught up in the corruption, he finds himself to be a shell of a cop in name only. Gu reminds me of a Gilligan or Stan Laurel...someone who causes more trouble than he resolves. Much of this is done for comedic effect, and you'll likely split your sides laughing at the antics of Detective Gu.

We also have the fiery Prosecutor Park, also caught up in the corruption, who quickly finds that she has a special place in her heart for Father Kim, even though they act more like a old, bitter married couple.

Once again, to masterful effects, this drama is very story and character driven with fun and exciting action sequences. In many ways, this series has something for everyone.

The humor is off-the-charts, and it's always extremely effective. I don't recall ever laughing so hard throughout a K-drama.

And yet, at its center, the story is about justice and caring for those few people within your inner circle. People who end up having your back and loving you no matter what you do. It's also proof that, despite the trials and tribulations, criminals and evil-doers never win in the end.

If you're looking for plenty of action as well as a series that is outrageously funny, you really can't miss with "The Fiery Priest!" Looking forward to Season 2!

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Hilarious and heartfelt

This is the first time I had to review a show since I loved it so much. I had no expectations and didn’t know what to expect, but I’m glad I watched it. It’s ridiculously silly and over the top sometimes,
in a really good and funny way. It’s also intense
and exciting, but with a really lovely emotional
core about justice, forgiveness, friendship, found
family...it even made me tear up a few times. The
protagonists face a lot of obstacles, but it makes
their victories even more satisfying. All the
characters are fleshed out and have great
development, and the acting is really well done
too. The ending was perfect but I’m really hoping
there will be a season 2.

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