Police Unit 38 (also known as Squad 38) tells the story of a special task force that goes after tax evaders. A group of government workers and criminals then team up
to catch the bad guys.
Police Unit 38 was such an enjoyable watch. It is a really solid crime drama that is a perfect example of a good show in this genre. Now on paper, catching tax evaders does not sound all that exciting. But many of the bad guys are more than just simple tax evaders. They are super rich, corrupt, and willing to do very bad things to protect their money.
The drama was filled with plenty of tension as our team sets up elaborate scams to trick the large scale tax evaders into giving up their money. I actually really enjoyed watching all that went into setting up a scam and then seeing how it would play out. It was really interesting to see the elaborate measures the team would go to in order to pull them off.
The writing was excellent with many layers to the plot. I appreciated that the drama wasn’t episodic and was more serialized. It contains three main story arcs with each arc building upon the previous one while further developing the characters. There are also plenty of plot twists to keep your guessing. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen, and it really made things feel intense.
Ma Dong Suk is perfect in the role of Baek Seong Il. He’s the morally upright tax collector who finds himself bogged down by corruption in the system and unable to do anything about it. He comes off as so pitiful in the beginning, but he’s not one to take things lying down. After he ends up getting scammed, he takes matters into his own hands.
I enjoyed everything about Ma Dong Suk. This man is such a talented actor, and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. He brings so many little nuances to his character to make him seem so real. You just can’t help but root for this lovable guy.
Seo In Guk is our criminal scammer, Yang Jung Do, who has the ability to pull off high end scams to steal money. Fresh out of prison, he jumps right back into his old ways which eventually puts him in the path of Seong Il.
Seo In Guk was really wonderful in this role. He completely looked and acted the part of our confident and charismatic scammer. I always got a kick out of watching him smooth talk his way through a situation. He was a lot of fun. But he also added plenty of depth to this character, and it is by far my favorite role of his to date.
Ma Dong Suk and Seo In Guk are the central relationship in the drama. They start out at opposite ends of the law, but they soon need each other to accomplish their goals. As they work together, they begin to cultivate a friendship.
But trust is hard to come by in the world of scammers, and their trust in each other is constantly put to the test. These guys were really such a treat though, and I absolutely loved this dynamic duo.
Sooyoung plays Chun Sung Hee who works in the same department as Seong Il. She also finds herself frustrated by the amount of corruption she sees, but she is unwavering in her determination to do things by the law.
Police Unit 38 doesn’t really have any romance in it, but the drama does explore some of the backstory concerning Sung Hee and Jung Ho. I really enjoyed this backstory and how it shaped the characters to become who they are today.
There are a lot of con artists in the drama! But they make for a lot of fun. I loved seeing our team of scammers come together to work for good for the first time. We had lots of unique personalities on the team, and they made for an entertaining ride.
Overall, Police Unit 38 was a really fantastic watch. With solid acting, a wonderful bromance, and an engaging story that keeps you guessing, I really have no complaints about this entertaining drama. If you like crime dramas, I would highly recommend Police Unit 38.
My Rating: 8/10
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