onceiwaskingofspain
All the World's a Stage, and Inspector Koo Puts on a Heck of a Show
Good Things:
* The Bechdel test pass. There's no romance, just four distinct and atypical FLs that have complicated and vacillating ties. From FFL's mentoring of her chosen colleagues, TFL's responsibilities to FL and as a single mother to her daughter, SFL's childish dependency on and fierce protection of her loving aunt, and FL's tangled connection to all of them women's relationships with women are front and center.
* The cat-and-mouse conflicts. All of the characters have different agendas and work with and against each other as the story progresses. While there are clear good guys and bad guys, there's also enough moral ambiguity to keep things interesting and a sympathetic, weirdly-endearing SFL antagonist.
* The cinematography. All the world's a stage and there are several plays within a play going on at any given time which is reflected in the cleverly framed theatrical interludes.
* The lack-thereof fashion. FL has an extensive wardrobe of tracksuits and trench coats (with a few variations for more formal occasions). It's partially due to the anxiety and depression, but FL also just refreshingly DGAF.
Bad Things:
* The loose ends. It's set up for a second season and while there aren't any major cliffhangers there are some lingering questions that might never get closure.
* The pacing. Things get mired a bit in the middle while the story arcs are sorted out.
* The LGBTQ romance. It's a surprisingly sweet side story and you'll root for the couple, but they don't exactly get a happy ending and it's a little too close to the bury-your-gays trope for comfort.
Interesting Things:
* It's screenwriter Sung Cho Yi's only Kdrama and was loosely inspired by the UK espionage thriller Killing Eve.
* Lee Young Ae took an extended break after her role as FL in Jewel in the Palace (2003). Samdaing (2017) and Inspector Koo (2021) are her only lead roles since.
A thriller with four FLs front and center is rare both in and outside of Kdrama, and IK pulls it off with aplomb. Recommended if you enjoyed other FL-centric thrillers like Killing Eve or Orphan Black, prefer a healthy dose of black comedy in a high-stakes story and don't mind a few question marks at the end.
* The Bechdel test pass. There's no romance, just four distinct and atypical FLs that have complicated and vacillating ties. From FFL's mentoring of her chosen colleagues, TFL's responsibilities to FL and as a single mother to her daughter, SFL's childish dependency on and fierce protection of her loving aunt, and FL's tangled connection to all of them women's relationships with women are front and center.
* The cat-and-mouse conflicts. All of the characters have different agendas and work with and against each other as the story progresses. While there are clear good guys and bad guys, there's also enough moral ambiguity to keep things interesting and a sympathetic, weirdly-endearing SFL antagonist.
* The cinematography. All the world's a stage and there are several plays within a play going on at any given time which is reflected in the cleverly framed theatrical interludes.
* The lack-thereof fashion. FL has an extensive wardrobe of tracksuits and trench coats (with a few variations for more formal occasions). It's partially due to the anxiety and depression, but FL also just refreshingly DGAF.
Bad Things:
* The loose ends. It's set up for a second season and while there aren't any major cliffhangers there are some lingering questions that might never get closure.
* The pacing. Things get mired a bit in the middle while the story arcs are sorted out.
* The LGBTQ romance. It's a surprisingly sweet side story and you'll root for the couple, but they don't exactly get a happy ending and it's a little too close to the bury-your-gays trope for comfort.
Interesting Things:
* It's screenwriter Sung Cho Yi's only Kdrama and was loosely inspired by the UK espionage thriller Killing Eve.
* Lee Young Ae took an extended break after her role as FL in Jewel in the Palace (2003). Samdaing (2017) and Inspector Koo (2021) are her only lead roles since.
A thriller with four FLs front and center is rare both in and outside of Kdrama, and IK pulls it off with aplomb. Recommended if you enjoyed other FL-centric thrillers like Killing Eve or Orphan Black, prefer a healthy dose of black comedy in a high-stakes story and don't mind a few question marks at the end.
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