Aww, I’m going to miss this drama. Maybe not so much for the complicated, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes boring push and pull game we had between our Mad Dog team and the villains, but more for the Mad Dog team themselves. I am so going to miss their team dynamic.
I’m a little sad that the drama decided to not maximize on the great teamwork and dynamic that was the Mad Dog team. Whereas in A Witch’s Court where each episode was procedural and there was a new case or investigation almost every week, Mad Dog placed all its focus on just the airplane crash investigation which I can understand why. It’s just that when you have a team as great, brilliant, and funny as the Mad Dog team with amazing chemistry and teamwork, you kind of want to see them more together. That’s what I was hoping for in Mad Dog and while I usually dislike procedural type of plots and tropes, this was one drama where I wouldn’t have mind if we had that and actually wanted to see Mad Dog do more than just uncover the truth behind one case.
Since the airplane crash was the only case we really focused on throughout the entire 16-episode show, there wasn’t too much going on nor was there much to show. The first half of the drama started out exciting, mysterious, and wild. Min-joon wasn’t quite on the Mad Dog team yet, but was still working with them in some ways to find the truth behind the airplane incident that killed his older brother. Meanwhile, the Mad Dog team cooperated well together to help Kang-woo reach some closure after the tragic incident that left his wife and son dead. Because these two hadn’t mended just yet during the first half of the drama, it was exciting watching them work together to overcome the bad guys or to gain more clues towards discovering the truth. I do think the drama slowed down quite a bit in the second half. I finally realized after twelve episodes or so that half of the drama showed the Mad Dog team watching TV and news report to receive updates on what was happening with their villains (this was so funny to me). There was a lot of talk in the second half and not as much walk so I sometimes felt like the drama was dragging on this plot.
I would have loved to see more of the aftermath for our characters once the truth was revealed. The post conference scene in episode 16 took such a long time that I wasn’t so sure we were going to have enough time to show what happened to our characters once everything ended. And like what I thought, the episode didn’t. The ending felt anticlimactic to me for some reason as well. We went through 16 hours of hell to take down the bad guys and to uncover the truth for everyone, but the last episode was so slow and less exciting that the end result was not as satisfying as I had wanted it. The drama didn’t build up to that suspense that it should have which is why I felt so indifferent about the ending. The drama had already been dropping hints to us the downfall of the villains so when they did fall and were taken down, you weren’t as surprised or shocked by anything. It was all there and there were no plot twists. Everything was straightforward.
I do like how the drama remained consistent throughout though and I even like the little games that the villains were playing on one another. Cha Hong-joo, her dad, and Joo Hyun-ki were all the villains in this drama, but their games with one another were especially prevalent towards the latter end of the drama. It was so interesting watching them try to trick or outdo the other even though they were all a part of the reason for the airplane incident. I liked seeing this game for power being played by the villains and I’m glad that this drama wasn’t just a simple villain vs. Mad Dog team competition. Yes, the villains were ultimately against the Mad Dog team, but they were also each other’s enemies too.
The only thing that honestly kept me going in this drama was the Mad Dog team (Woo Do-hwan and Ryu Hwa-young!). Their team dynamic was so smooth and playful and the energy in the team never felt forced. There was just so much chemistry throughout and maybe this could have also been because of the actual actors and actresses who were portraying these characters. Regardless, I absolutely enjoyed watching our team work together to take down the bad guys. Min-joon slowly worked his way into the team and became an accepted member of the family. Noo-ri saw him not as a colleague or peer but as his hyung. Cheetah not only saved Noo-ri and brought him back to the team safely after a few mishaps and incidents (poor Noo-ri. Poor guy couldn’t catch a break the last few episodes of the drama lol) but also helped recruit a new member into the team (Nurse Oh!). Jang Ha-ri and Min-joon realized and accepted their once confusing and complicated feelings for each other, finding in each other pieces of themselves that they have hidden and don’t want to acknowledge and therefore can find peace in. Last but not least, Min-joon and Kang-woo developed a new kind of relationship that took many weeks and months to happen. Who knew that hearing Min-joon call Kang-woo ‘hyung’ in the very last minute of episode 16 would be so satisfying to hear? Min-joon might have lost his older brother, but in the process of getting revenge for his brother he gained a new one. Maybe the 16 hours of hell that we went through in Mad Dog was well worth it.
I really do hope we get a season two although I’m not sure how likely that will be (one can always wish though!). Instead of focusing on just the one investigation case, I hope that we can witness our Mad Dog team take down bad guys in general if there is a second season. They have such great teamwork and chemistry it’s such a waste to not maximize on all that potential. And plus, I still want to see more of Ha-ri and Min-joon (and a kiss between the two of them!). I wasn’t so much a fan of the writing surrounding the complicated airplane incident, but I was invested when watching the Mad Dog team pull out different missions and undergo fake characters so I’m hoping that more than anything, we’ll be gifted with a season 2 and watch our favorite Mad Dog team do what they do best: illegal wiretapping and eating.
MaryMeKpop 