You’re All Surrounded premiered this week and I am very pleased with how this show is shaping up. With tragic backstory taking up most of episode one, we only really had the second episode to get a feel for what is to come. I’m already loving the chemistry, comedy, and even the unexpected spy-thriller side plot. These rookie detectives are going to be fun to watch!

Highlights Include:

Great Cast Chemistry

The reason I was so excited about You’re All Surrounded largely had to do with Lee Seung Gi AND Cha Seung Won being in the same drama. They are excellent by themselves, but putting them in one project can only mean magical things. I was pleased with the start, and the ensemble cast promises some good relationship development.

Eun Dae Goo and Detective Seo Pan Seok are already butting heads. Both are strong willed characters and their shared history will make for some explosive scenes in the future. There’s no telling who will blow first, but my money is on Detective Seo.

Go Ara’s character Eo Soo Seon is also strong willed, although rather inept. She has a lot of spunk and I’m sure her tenacity will come to pay off. Too bad for her, she’s still firmly stuck in the “rookie” stage. Her partner Dae Goo won’t be cutting her any slack either.

Rounding out the main cast are Ji Gook and Park Tae Il. Gook is rather a goofball and thus far has not shown any particular cop skills. At least his comedic relief is rather good! Tae Il is a secretive man who gives Dae Goo some competition within their rookie group. He also seems to be quite the ladies man.

Tragic Backstory

No story is complete without a good backstory and, man, this one is a tearjerker. We spend much of episode one watching the events from 11 years earlier, when Kim Ji Young (aka Dae Goo)’s mother is killed.

Ji Young is a middle school student with a crush on an older high school girl. He lives with his single mother and he’s rather fearless with his acts of love, even sneaking into her high school to confess over the loudspeaker.

During his escapades, Ji Young encounters Soo Seon (the same Soo Seon who is his future coworker). They start out on the wrong foot, trading insults and accidentally causing trouble for each other. Despite the difficult start, a small friendship begins to develop.

The trouble begins when we find out Ji Young’s mom is the sole witness to a horrible murder. Without her, the case cannot be solved. She’s been asked to testify by Detective Seo, but is reluctant to do so after receiving a threat on both her and Ji Young’s lives.

The Detective Seo that we get a glimpse of here is still a wide-eyed rookie. We first see him collecting every cigarette butt from an apartment complex to try and catch a criminal. He’s naively optimistic and this characteristic doesn’t serve him well when he helps convince Ji Young’s mother to testify.

As you probably guessed, she testifies. When Ji Young comes home from school, he finds their home sacked and his mom lying on the floor of her bedroom. Just when you think there is hope that she opened her eyes, the killer reappears in the house and Ji Young is forced to hide under the bed. His mother draws attention to herself in order to let Ji Young live.

No child should ever have to watch his mother’s murder.

Detective Seo tries to comfort Ji Young, but Ji Young ends up running away to hide at school. While waiting he realizes that he has the pendant the killer was looking for. He calls Detective Seo and he promises to come right over. Unfortunately, it’s not Detective Seo who shows up, but rather it’s the killer.

A dramatic chase scene occurs, where Ji Young flees for his life. To make the situation even worse, Soo Seon is also at the school and spots Ji Young in the hallway.  Thinking that he wants to confess to her, she gets on the loudspeaker and unknowingly gives a play-by-play of his location to the killer. Thankfully Ji Young’s quick thinking and some science class chemicals allow Ji Young to escape relatively unharmed.

However, his trust in Detective Seo is completely destroyed. Ji Young walks away convinced the detective played a part in his mother’s murder.

Dae Goo’s Unexpected Thriller Plot Line

Fast forward 11 years and we find that Ji Young has taken on the new identity of Dae Goo. Dae Goo is a man on a mission, whose life is dedicated to exposing Detective Seo’s involvement in his mother’s killing. He’s purposely placed himself in Detective Seo’s team and immediately duplicates Pan Seok’s phone and places a video camera in his home.

Dae Goo is not fooling around.

You can always tell that a character is up to no good when he dresses like this…

Episode two ends with dramatic cliffhanger when Detective Seo realizes Dae Goo’s phone is ringing at the exact same time as his own. Dae Goo needs to be a bit more sneaky with his duplicated phone. I can’t wait to see how this plays out!

Newbie Detective Mistakes

This new team of detectives has a long way to go. Their mistakes just keep piling up. Including:

1. Forgetting the siren when going on a police chase.

Apparently dangling handcuffs can still get the job done in a pinch. Who knew?

2. Leaving a box cutter within the reach of a captured criminal.

Needless to say, the subject almost escaped.

3. Getting into a fight while on the job.

While not entirely their fault, another undercover cop did get stabbed during the chaos.

4. Ending up in jail during the first undercover assignment.

It was not a good night for these guys.

Detective Seo May Lose His Mind

It’s tough taking care of four rookie detectives, especially when they keep messing up on the job. Detective Seo sure has his work cut out for him and it doesn’t help that his personality doesn’t in any way scream “mother hen”. Some adjusting is going to be done if we wants to make it out of their first few months with his sanity intact.

Don’t Worry, They’re Not Hopeless 

During their undercover job at the night club, we can see a glimmer of talent from these rookies.

Dae Goo in particular is clearly a sharp, budding detective. While not perfect, he’s certainly headed in the right direction. Too bad he’s 100% focused on an ulterior motive…

Needless to say, these rookies have quite a bit to learn.

Roommates!

Dae Goo may not be pleased with the rooming situation, but I can’t wait for all the forced bromance that will evolve from this setup. Dae Goo, Tae Il, and Gook are placed in the same apartment and Gook initially decides to room with Dae Goo. Unfortunately for Gook, he’s met with Dae Goo’s gruff refusal of aromatic candles, wall clocks, and even sharing a bunk bed. Dae Goo sure isn’t looking to make friends anytime soon.

Final Thoughts

Lee Seung Gi Looks Great in Uniform

I have to admit, the death glare he was giving Pan Seok was also rather attractive…

He also looks just fine with half a uniform. Either one works for me!

I don’t believe for one second that Detective Seo knowingly assisted in the killing of Dae Goo’s mom. His character was set up too naively to make me believe he did something of that calibre. That being said, unknowingly helping is another matter entirely.

Of these two episodes, I enjoyed the second one much more. I’m excited to see these rookies continue to grow and become true detectives. They have a long way to go but I’m looking forward to seeing their progress. Who knows, Detective Seo may one day even be impressed!

What are your thoughts on the show? Do you like the lighthearted comedy alongside Dae Goo’s thriller plot line?

Please share your thoughts below!

Thanks for reading,

Rachel