Connection (2024)

Once you start you can't stop watching - A Quality thriller drama with WELL-WRITTEN & ACTING !

Connection - The breakdown of my thriller slump.
Short synopsis :- There were three best friends In college days - Jun So, Yoo Jin, and Jang Jae Kyung. ( but time separated them.) Now that Jun So has passed away in mysterious way. Yoo Jin and Joon Jae Kyung will work together to uncover the truth behind their friend's death. One is a detective, and the other one is a reporter - a great combination !! Meeting after 20 years after their seperation, they have to work together to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of their friend. this duo is quite funny when they're working together.

BEST THRILLER WITH UNIQUE AND FRESH PLOT

Connection is a detective crime investigation thriller that adopts a unique story point from the classic thriller genre. The story is set in the Narcotic Control Unit, where our main protagonist, Jang Jae Kyung, is working. This is not a simple thriller, as we watched before, because the main element in this drama is that our main protagonist is a drug-addicted Narcotics Detective; this is what made Connection a unique thriller drama from the other thrillers.
It’s not my first time to see the main protagonist as a question between the system of law and society. The theme is complex because the line of drug addicts will raise questions about the duty of morality and the responsibility of Jang Jae Kyung’s investigation. Because the person who has the responsibility to catch drugs and keep the city clean becomes drug addicted, when we hear this point, it's very normal to expect him to step down from his position and go to rehabilitation, but Jang Jae Kyung chose not to step down from his job in order to uncover mystery and truth of his friend’s death.

MY RATING || 9.5 - 10 || SUSPENSE/STORY DEVELOPMENT & NARRATION.

The story-telling is exceptional. Every episode is well crafted; the story narration is excellent, like using the past events connecting to the present ongoing events to form a well-structured story without creating the space for confusion in the ongoing story, even though multiple new characters will be introduced and every character has clear writing.
The plot keeps you hooked till the end, and as the investigation progresses, every clue leads to the burning question: What happened 20 years ago? Who is the doctor? Who killed Jun Seo? What does the mastermind of the game want? Because as we learn about the past friendship of Jun Seo, we discover that Tae Jin, Chi Hyun, and Wong Soo are the main suspects, and everyone has a motive to kill Jun Seo or want Jun Seo dead. And the events led to Jun Seo's death. Here are two different people that we have to guess: 1) Who is the killer? 2) Who is the doctor? At some point, we thought we knew who they were, but next, the EP gives the answer, “Our guess is wrong.”. I think some of us will guess who the doctor is after some episodes, but until then, the suspense around the doctor's character keeps us hooked on the ongoing story. And a very small comdey plot that helps to laugh even in the serious mode. This trio Jang Jae Kyung, Yoon Jin, Heo Joo Song is quite funny when they're working together.

FAST PACED PACKED THRILLER - BONUS POINTS

The Gossamer Suspense around every character makes us suspect every character except Jung Jae Kyung; it feels like this person is behind everything. Because every character had their own motive to be involved in the crime or somehow related to Jun Seo’s death. When the main and sub-characters are driven by the motive, it’s a good sign to expect more suspense and thrilling moments from thriller dramas, and “Connection” is the same drama. The plot twists and character motivations in this drama keep you on the edge of your seat. The more episodes we complete, the more suspense we will get from the drama. This is how the pacing continues till the end.

What I loved from the plot development

1) Solid Start and Good Pacing: From the start, by establishing the core story and the introduction of characters, Connection will catch the attention of us and challenges to complete every episode without skipping.
2) Engaging Characters: The creation of interesting and multidimensional characters, their motives and actions in the forming of suspense around those characters.
3) The suspenseful momentum in every episode.
4) Good storytelling and screenplay.
5) I disliked some characters and their motives at first, but as the story progressed, each of those characters became likable—good character development.
6) The dark atmosphere in this drama gives the absolute best thriller-dramatic experience.
(I don't no disappointments, where everything is just a perfect picture )

ACTING - 10/10

JI SUNG
Ji Sung is always an exceptional actor. I’m watching Ji Sung dramas from The Devil Judge, and after watching the TDJ drama, I became his fan. For kdrama fans, he is well known for his script selection; he had fans for his script selection too. After TDJ, he came with the ADAMAS drama, which is also a thriller, but I was disappointed with the drama, but his acting was outstanding like always, even in a dual role. After almost 2 years, he is back again with CONNECTION, this time again with a new combo of writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo, who have experience with 2 projects. In this drama, Ji Sung played the multi-dimensional character Jang Jae Kyung. This is not his first time acting in complex roles; he has to portray two different kinds of emotions in his two-faced character role as a detective and drug addict. It’s not as simple as watching him in a drug-addictive role; without a proper way of portraying these types of complex roles, they will be written off soon in any drama. Throughout his character, we feel sad for him, we cry for him, and we start rooting for him. The emotional weight is less, and it is suitable for JJK characters. This is one of my favorite acting roles in 2024.
JEON MIDO 
This is my first drama with Jeon Mido, and I don’t know about her acting that much. But Yoon Jin's character is really fitting for her, although sometimes it feels like an anti-main role. Her acting makes it even brighter in her role. I'm going to check her other works now, thanks to Connection.
KWON YOOL
This actor, Kwon Yool I was watching him in the Voice drama; he is one of the best actors in antagonist roles. The way he portrays his roles in every drama makes it even more fascinating; the cool and coldness in his acting is just a delicacy to watch. Actors like Kwon Yool or his anti-character roles are always challenging for the main characters in every drama or movie; this is the specialty of Kwon Yeol's presence in a work. I am always looking forward to the projects that make him the main protagonist in a drama. In this drama, Park Tae Jin is a pure evil character, and we hate him till the end. But what made him evil is not himself, so somewhere I hope for his good side, but once the twist blows, I just hope for his ending. Pure acting brilliance from Kwon Yeol.
SUPPORTING CAST
The other actors, Kim Kyung Nam, Jung Soon Won, Yoon Na Mo, Cha Yeob, Jeong Jae Kwang, Jung Yoo Min, Lee Kang Wook, and Park Keun Rok—each of their characters and acting are noteworthy performances. I enjoyed every minute of their screen presence. Also, the teenage actors who acted in the main lead roles—Cho Han Gyeol, Kim Min Ju, and Lee Hyun Soo—are just simply benchmarks for future potential actors; decent performances from these three I’m rooting for them to watch more dramas.

WRITTING, DIRECTION AND SOUNDTRACK DEPARTMENTS.

I’m honest here; somewhere I was not fully confident in writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo’s this new typical thriller. The subject/plot of their drama is quite hard to deal with, and without proper execution, it may turn into a messy plot. But I was wrong about them; their perfection shows how carefully they took every step forward to deliver a good thriller for us. It starts with formation. Casting like Ji Sung, Kwon Yeol, Jeon Mido, and Kim Kyung Nam as the main leads and supporting cast is a mix of well-known actors and establishing actors. Each character's role is well written. A good screenplay leaves no scope for confusion. The soundtrack is pretty good—not that much space for song tracks, but the background music tracks are amazing and enough to carry the whole drama without song tracks, especially the ending theme music track of eps, which is one of my favorite thriller music tracks.

ROM LINE BETWEEN MAIN LEADS :-

For those who are expecting Rom between main leads; At first, I had some doubts after watching the first episode, like the female lead (Jeon Mi Do) got married so, how the makers going to convince us with this element relationship between Jae Kyung & Yoon Jin. But after watching the second episode, I'm convinced with the story about their relationship. It’s a thriller so expecting the Rom line between main leads is nearly impossible but we will except sometimes when it depends on the story demand but not in this type of thrillers, if anyone curious about Rom line in this drama – I say No.

STORY/PLOT DEPTH :-

This drama is not just a simple thriller; it also explores the theme of friendship, which also adds more depth to the drama. Ignoring a friend is not a crime, but it depends on how we are convinced that we are not ignoring them but just making new progress in our lives. Use the friendship to improve ourselves as well as others, but avoid getting greedy with them or influencing them to make mistakes to make yourself a profitable person. Even though life is hard, never touch the dirty money because it will hunt all your life. Forgive the friend who resented himself for his previous actions, because we never know why they acted like that at that time. Forgiveness is part of life, so give it to them when they are still here (sorry, I think I wrote quotes on friendship). This complex friendship between the main characters is the crucial element in this drama, which keeps the plot running forward and leads to various crimes, from small to large, taking the lives of people in order to protect themselves.

ENDING - Ending is quite emotional and heartwarming - A Perfect Ending, we get answers for all questions. And I don't want to talk much about ending.

Finally:-
A Good thriller, and Yes, I enjoyed the pace of the drama and everything ! Too often, all thrillers start strong in the first half but lose their maintaining same momentum as first half in the second half, leaving me with some disappointment, like getting bogged down with unnecessary side plots and losing their momentum in the story or in creating the suspense (I experienced it with Adamas). The writer Lee Hyun and director Kim Moon Kyo succeeded in carrying the same momentum of the drama till the very end and delivered one of the best thrillers. This one of my best Investigation Thriller and placed in my 10 list.

If anyone wants a perfect binge thriller to watch, I recommend this drama. Highlights of this drama for you
Fast-paced, well-written, great acting, no slow episodes, well-maintained suspense.

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This harrowing crime mystery is YEAAAA!!!

Premise: When a narcotics investigator Jang Jae Kyung (Ji Sung) finds himself forcibly addicted to drugs, he must fight to maintain his sanity, all while uncovering the truth behind the suspicious suicide of an old friend which brings intrigue to hidden connections that stem from the past.

An action-packed, suspenseful & endless riddles. I had a blast each week, feeling the “excitement-satisfaction-discussion-confusion” cycle on repeat! The story is dark and juicy. Full of enjoyable twists, well-shot scenes, so many characters who are connected to the main storyline. I get fully invested, each episode leaves me thinking out loud long after watching and craves the next episode. The stakes and emotions are high, unpredictable until the last moment. 99% of the reveals are well-done! Only one that is underwhelming to me, but by the end everything turns out satisfying. It has one of the most refreshing conclusion I've ever seen.

Although it is dark & intense, there's a lot of heart and lessons to the story motivation. It felt cathartic watching how things went down to the characters, both in good or bad ways. Also impressive that they insert some funny moments, not in the form of comedies, but in how the scenes were set up, the dialogues and the confrontations.

The entire cast take the lead and works well together. Be it lead role or supporting role, everyone brings their character to the fullest, making the entire watching experience enjoyable. Me and friends had fun giving nicknames to all of them for their unique traits and actions. Special mentions to Kwon Yool, Jeong Jae Kwang, Jung Soon Won and Yoon Sa Bong for their memorable performances and of course, Ji Sung is magnificent on screen. I love him weak and I love him strong. His pain and despair are contagious and really broke my heart. His portrayal struggling with withdrawal due to his drug addiction was scary and realistic, but not overly sensational. Only a very controlled & skillful actor can do so.

Connection is now sitting on top as my best drama in 2024 and one of my all-time top thrillers. So if you want to watch something intense, gritty, and mind-boggling, with a great cast that literally set things ablaze, here it is! Have fun!

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