Signal Episodes 1 - 4 Thoughts
Apr. 19th, 2023 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI'm enjoying it.
+ Moving forward there are three people clearly set up to be saved: Jae-han himself in 2000, Hae-young's brother from suicide and Yoon-jung's murder. I want this show to err more on the hopeful side so I'm crossing my fingers they manage all three.
+ So far the twisty ways things are changing or not changing is very interesting and fun to think about. Their first contact in 1989 directly led to Jae-han saving the eighth victim Mi-sun, and through that to the existence of her daughter. (Which makes me wonder who Mi-sun's husband married in the previous timeline and if he had kids then that were thus wiped from existence? Dark.) That is a pretty big and net positive change so go team.
However everything else that happened previously had to have happened mostly unchanged. So even though in the first timeline Mi-sun died and there was no scuffle/chase apparently Jin-hyung still ran to catch his dad's bus. He still chose the two women who were on the bus that night as his next victims - just without the urgency of them being witnesses pushing up his timeline. That makes sense so fine.
But this leads to somehow in every timeline Jae-han realised himself that Chun-goo had something to do with everything and thus his confrontation with him, and subsequently Jin-hyung, played out the same and still led to him ending Jin-hyung's killing. Except in a reality without saving Mi-sun Jae-han wouldn't have any reason to suspect Chun-goo, he wouldn't have chased the killer. However we do know that this isn't the first loop so presumably in the initial timeline we start the show in Hae-young and Jae-han did change things just not Mi-sun's death but which still led to Jae-han vs Chun-goo/Jin-hyung. Which makes me wonder if we go back is there a loop/time when Jin-hyung killed a lot more people? I am very curious about this looping! You can't help but wonder just how many loops have Hae-young/Jae-han gone through doing this and what changes they've made in previous attempts.
If this is an actual time-loop Hae-young and Jae-han are caught in could we see this again? Could there be a loop without any those murders happening? A loop where Jae-han goes to that theatre with Won-kyung and laughs? That would be nice to see. Not sure if this show is interested in retreading ground though.
This leads to a big question: if they're trapped in repeating loops how do they eventually escape it? My guess is saving Jae-han in 2000 will break them free since the connection is very much about him.
+ The way reality rewrites the world when changes happen in the past, without anyone knowing, is creepy as hell. I can not blame Hae-young for freaking out. This is a scary power to have in your hands!
+ I assume that it's the radio that lets Hae-young remember the changes to the world. I have no doubt that Soo-hyun will learn about it soon enough but I really hope that Detective Kim and Han-ki learn the truth about it too. I really enjoyed the way all four members of the cold case squad came together in episode 4 and worked as a team. I want to keep and expand on that dynamic instead of leaving the other two members in the cold.
+ I loved how Jae-han played a part in both times in taking down Jin-hyung. First, in 1989 by letting him drop from the roof and thus stopping his killing spree. And then how it was the taser he gave Won-kyung that led to the evidence to convict him as the serial killer.
+ I really thought that Jae-han would manage to save Won-kyung and it was pretty heartbreaking that he didn't. Jae-han crying in the theatre was so sad. Their awkward little romance was really sweet. I do love that Won-kyung fought back and it was that which led to her killer's arrest.
+ I liked Hae-young taking to heart Jae-han's words and going to visit Won-kyung's aunt to see her as more than a list of facts/pictures but as a person, and that in turn he learned more about Jae-han. I like the idea of Hae-young slowly learning more about Jae-han via not just the radio but also the cases, and presumably growing to care for him. (He tried the previous time to warn him off from his death after all.)
+ I liked that Hae-young really is very clever and hard-working and competent. He can be a little emotional and impulsive but hopefully working with Soo-hyun will help him temper and get control of that.
+ Ahn Chi-soo is clearly caught up in suspicious shit and has kept silent on the truth about Jae-han's death (though hopefully wasn't the one to kill him) but it's also clear that he's not happy with his life and choices, and has a lot of regret. I suspect that as time goes on he'll find himself siding with his cold case team more and I find myself hoping one of the changes leads to him choosing differently in the past and getting a better life in the future.
+ I have feelings about Kyung-soon. She definitely didn't deserve to be murdered. But her keeping silent about Jin-hyung probably led directly to Won-kyung's death. If she'd spoken up in the police station or gone back after confronting Chun-goo things could have gone different. I can't blame her for not going after Jin-hyung dragging Won-kyung away (that's scary as shit!) but she didn't try to help her at all. She could have screamed for help/made noise. She also didn't go to the police after. Even days later she hadn't revealed the truth. She immediately went to blackmail. Though I have to assume that she didn't bring that part up until after Jin-hyung's 'accident' because blackmailing a serial killer is a terrible idea, dear god. So in the end her death was directly related to her own actions and I'm kind eh shrug on her not being saved.
+ I liked the show doing a subtle contrast between Won-kyung who grew up without a mother but had a loving and supportive aunt and Jin-hyung who Chun-goo couldn't stop excusing and justifying because 'he grew up without a mother' adding another layer to how bullshit every word out of his mouth was. Not that it was needed but I liked it.
+ Jin-hyung being stuck in a hospital for the last half-decade because he was paralyzed from the waist down seemed a little excessive? It can absolutely be hard to live like that especially in a society without a lot of support but it also doesn't seem a 'trapped in a hospital room for life' sentence? Especially with a supportive dad? Certainly it's no reason for giving up your hobbies in despair! I mean he attacked Soo-hyun pretty well so his upper arm strength has to be pretty good. I mean how do we know that he did give up killing?
+ Moving forward there are three people clearly set up to be saved: Jae-han himself in 2000, Hae-young's brother from suicide and Yoon-jung's murder. I want this show to err more on the hopeful side so I'm crossing my fingers they manage all three.
+ So far the twisty ways things are changing or not changing is very interesting and fun to think about. Their first contact in 1989 directly led to Jae-han saving the eighth victim Mi-sun, and through that to the existence of her daughter. (Which makes me wonder who Mi-sun's husband married in the previous timeline and if he had kids then that were thus wiped from existence? Dark.) That is a pretty big and net positive change so go team.
However everything else that happened previously had to have happened mostly unchanged. So even though in the first timeline Mi-sun died and there was no scuffle/chase apparently Jin-hyung still ran to catch his dad's bus. He still chose the two women who were on the bus that night as his next victims - just without the urgency of them being witnesses pushing up his timeline. That makes sense so fine.
But this leads to somehow in every timeline Jae-han realised himself that Chun-goo had something to do with everything and thus his confrontation with him, and subsequently Jin-hyung, played out the same and still led to him ending Jin-hyung's killing. Except in a reality without saving Mi-sun Jae-han wouldn't have any reason to suspect Chun-goo, he wouldn't have chased the killer. However we do know that this isn't the first loop so presumably in the initial timeline we start the show in Hae-young and Jae-han did change things just not Mi-sun's death but which still led to Jae-han vs Chun-goo/Jin-hyung. Which makes me wonder if we go back is there a loop/time when Jin-hyung killed a lot more people? I am very curious about this looping! You can't help but wonder just how many loops have Hae-young/Jae-han gone through doing this and what changes they've made in previous attempts.
If this is an actual time-loop Hae-young and Jae-han are caught in could we see this again? Could there be a loop without any those murders happening? A loop where Jae-han goes to that theatre with Won-kyung and laughs? That would be nice to see. Not sure if this show is interested in retreading ground though.
This leads to a big question: if they're trapped in repeating loops how do they eventually escape it? My guess is saving Jae-han in 2000 will break them free since the connection is very much about him.
+ The way reality rewrites the world when changes happen in the past, without anyone knowing, is creepy as hell. I can not blame Hae-young for freaking out. This is a scary power to have in your hands!
+ I assume that it's the radio that lets Hae-young remember the changes to the world. I have no doubt that Soo-hyun will learn about it soon enough but I really hope that Detective Kim and Han-ki learn the truth about it too. I really enjoyed the way all four members of the cold case squad came together in episode 4 and worked as a team. I want to keep and expand on that dynamic instead of leaving the other two members in the cold.
+ I loved how Jae-han played a part in both times in taking down Jin-hyung. First, in 1989 by letting him drop from the roof and thus stopping his killing spree. And then how it was the taser he gave Won-kyung that led to the evidence to convict him as the serial killer.
+ I really thought that Jae-han would manage to save Won-kyung and it was pretty heartbreaking that he didn't. Jae-han crying in the theatre was so sad. Their awkward little romance was really sweet. I do love that Won-kyung fought back and it was that which led to her killer's arrest.
+ I liked Hae-young taking to heart Jae-han's words and going to visit Won-kyung's aunt to see her as more than a list of facts/pictures but as a person, and that in turn he learned more about Jae-han. I like the idea of Hae-young slowly learning more about Jae-han via not just the radio but also the cases, and presumably growing to care for him. (He tried the previous time to warn him off from his death after all.)
+ I liked that Hae-young really is very clever and hard-working and competent. He can be a little emotional and impulsive but hopefully working with Soo-hyun will help him temper and get control of that.
+ Ahn Chi-soo is clearly caught up in suspicious shit and has kept silent on the truth about Jae-han's death (though hopefully wasn't the one to kill him) but it's also clear that he's not happy with his life and choices, and has a lot of regret. I suspect that as time goes on he'll find himself siding with his cold case team more and I find myself hoping one of the changes leads to him choosing differently in the past and getting a better life in the future.
+ I have feelings about Kyung-soon. She definitely didn't deserve to be murdered. But her keeping silent about Jin-hyung probably led directly to Won-kyung's death. If she'd spoken up in the police station or gone back after confronting Chun-goo things could have gone different. I can't blame her for not going after Jin-hyung dragging Won-kyung away (that's scary as shit!) but she didn't try to help her at all. She could have screamed for help/made noise. She also didn't go to the police after. Even days later she hadn't revealed the truth. She immediately went to blackmail. Though I have to assume that she didn't bring that part up until after Jin-hyung's 'accident' because blackmailing a serial killer is a terrible idea, dear god. So in the end her death was directly related to her own actions and I'm kind eh shrug on her not being saved.
+ I liked the show doing a subtle contrast between Won-kyung who grew up without a mother but had a loving and supportive aunt and Jin-hyung who Chun-goo couldn't stop excusing and justifying because 'he grew up without a mother' adding another layer to how bullshit every word out of his mouth was. Not that it was needed but I liked it.
+ Jin-hyung being stuck in a hospital for the last half-decade because he was paralyzed from the waist down seemed a little excessive? It can absolutely be hard to live like that especially in a society without a lot of support but it also doesn't seem a 'trapped in a hospital room for life' sentence? Especially with a supportive dad? Certainly it's no reason for giving up your hobbies in despair! I mean he attacked Soo-hyun pretty well so his upper arm strength has to be pretty good. I mean how do we know that he did give up killing?
