MaryMeKpop

This drama is a gritty drama and it’s also a lot of fun!

After the huge success that was “When Life Gives You Tangerines”, Park Bo-gum returns with “Good Boy” as Yoon Dong-ju, a former gold medalist in boxing who now works as a police officer. Together with a group of former Olympic medalists-turned-police-officers, the team comes together to save lives and chase after the bad guys.

First it was with “Our Unwritten Seoul” and then “Good Boy” – the first episode for both of these dramas was intimidating because of how long it was. For “Good Boy”, I was a bit shocked at the 1 hour and 30 mins for the first episode. That seemed a bit daunting. And even though I didn’t enjoy everything about the first episode and was afraid it was a little too slow, it was the last 20 minutes of the episode that won me over. The episode started off with Dong-ju doing his thing as a police officer and working with team leader, Man-sik, to chase after the villain, Golden Bunny. But then the episode concluded by introducing the other characters of the team: Han-na (played by Kim So-hyun) who was a former Olympic medalist in the shooting competition, Jong-hyeon who competed and won in fencing, and Jae-hong who won bronze in discus throwing. Although Man-sik is primarily used for comedic effect, he himself also used to be an Olympic wrestler. The first episode concluded on an epic level, introducing each of our characters by having them use their skills and expertise in the sport that they once excelled in in order to survive in the present. Dong-ju fought against Golden Bunny’s gang to survive. Han-na used her gun to shoot at the gangsters who invaded her house. The ending felt a bit Avengers-ish which I liked! There was one scene in particular where Han-na’s MP3 player played a song and then the drama transitioned back to Dong-ju’s fight in slow motion and wow, it just left me so hyped and speechless. I was so impressed and excited at how well the first episode introduced the characters and how they each used their sport respectively to fight against the bad guys (or in Man-sik’s case, to get what he wanted).

Speaking of Man-sik, my favorite part of the drama by far was his relationship with Dong-ju and the two constantly bickering with each other. They have such great chemistry with each other and it’s so funny to watch them go back and forth. Dong-ju stealing Man-sik’s motorcycle or him getting Man-sik’s car stolen or him saving Man-sik’s life by transporting him to the hospital in a grocery cart was great. They’re so funny together and their interactions are definitely the best part of the drama for me.

I didn’t love the first two episodes but I did like them a lot. Even if I felt like things got a little too busy and convoluted at times with the whole Golden Bunny and murder mystery sub-plot, the drama still kept you engaged and intrigued. Park Bo-gum is doing great so far in the drama and I like that he’s challenging himself with all the fight scenes (plus I know this is obvious but he’s soooo pretty. I just want to screenshot his face every single time he’s onscreen T_T). I like Kim So-hyun as well and I thought she was so cool whenever she used her gun or when she was shooting. Speaking of her character, I’m hoping there’s more in terms of the romance between Han-na and Dong-ju. She’s a bit cold and standoff-ish to him which made it a bit hard for me to enjoy their interactions together. I hope we get an explanation or some kind of backstory on their relationship because I really want to like them together but I’m not fully onboard just yet. Additionally, I did feel like the drama was a bit choppy sometimes: you went from watching Oh Jung-se’s character, Joo-young, beat up Dong-ju’s friend, Gyeong-il, and his guys killing people to watching the next scene of Dong-ju doing something sweet for Han-na which felt a bit distracting sometimes. It went from gritty and dark to sweet and adorable which was an interesting experience. Speaking of interesting, it’ll be interesting and fun to watch Oh Jung-se play the villain in the drama. He was so misused in “When the Stars Gossip” which was such a shame. I’m hoping he has a lot more to do in this drama and is better utilized. And last but not least, I liked the director’s previous work, “Moment at Eighteen”, so I’m hoping this drama will turn out great. The fight scenes and choreography isn’t as smooth as say the fight scenes in “Study Group” but I still thought they looked cool.

I’m going to remember the thrill and excitement that I got after finishing the first episode of “Good Boy” for a long time. The character introductions gave me the chills and it sold me on a first episode that I initially felt was a little too slow for my liking. Thankfully, episode 2 wasn’t as long (it was only a little over 1 hour, phew!) and we got to see more of our Olympic Avengers team come together to do their jobs. Things started off on a bumpy note but it’s just the beginning. Even if our characters are no longer in their prime for the sport that they once excelled in, they still got what it takes to succeed. There will be plenty of more opportunities for the former Olympic medalists to do their thing.