Memorist

Presentation

Preview

Synopsis

​Dong Baek is a young and stubborn police officer. He is gifted with the ability to read one’s memories every time he touches him/her. His power made him famous and helped him solve various crimes. One day, he encounters Han Sun Mi, a cold and brilliant detective, who is trying to arrest a serial killer, acting under the pseudo ‘The Eraser’. Dong Baek and Han Sun Mi join hands in order to uncover the identity of the murderer, while discovering their own pasts. 

My Opinion (No Spoilers)

Highly Recommended!

Memorist is an excellent drama for those looking for some thriller nights! The drama is well conceived in terms of plot, twists and unexpected turns; as it reveals one more piece of main characters’ scattered past in each episode. There are many flashbacks that will reveal more and more about the intrigue – which requires your attention –  but they are a necessary presence, that will make your heart drop at some points. 

The story can appear at first complicated and complex, since the clues regarding the identity of ‘The Eraser’ are given little by little, but it will keep you focused and make you hold your breath until the actual climax in the last episode. 

Analysis

• Characters
• Ambiance
• What are the themes questioned?

Characters: First, there is a real dynamic between the main characters (Dong Baek and Han Sun Mi) and between the duo of characters. Of course, the drama is centered mostly on the hunting of the serial killer, so don’t expect any hot romance! However, the trust and complicity both characters establish as episodes pass by give even more strength to their relationship and make them a pair to reckon with. On the one side, Dong Baek is a very stubborn man, who doesn’t hesitate to put his life in danger in order to solve the case. This stubbornness can sometimes be annoying, but it is the Han Sun Mi’s calmness and cold-headedness that allow him to use his determination to his advantage. Lee Se Young embodies a strong-headed character too. She is brilliant and relies mostly on her own capacities, her sense of deduction, her guts and her rationality. Her techniques and intelligence enable her to make good choices, especially regarding whether or not to trust Dong Baek, even when all odds are against him. 

​What I loved most about this drama is the extreme difference between Dong Baek and Han Sun Mi, but this is also what makes them intellectually so compatible. Dong Baek is impulsive, short-tempered, hot-blooded, irrational at some points, and stubborn; whereas Han Sun Mi is silent, cold and very rational. The behavior of one appeases or on the contrary ignites the other’s. This divergence can also be explained by the fact that Dong Baek has had his power for a very long time and relies mostly on it to solve his cases (which doesn’t mean he doesn’t use his guts and brain!); when Han Sun Mi learned how to profile and follow rules and procedures to entrap criminals. To me, there are closed to having a Yin Yang relationship, but their difference works on field!

Apart from the duo, supporting characters are also very well depicted, either as officers following command and trusting their boss or as colleague. I loved Dong Baek’s relationship with the sergeant Koo Kyung Tan (played by Ko Chang Seok), who is a real fatherly figure to him. 

One of the characters that surprised most is the journalist Kang Ji Eun (played by SECRET’s Jun Hyo Seong). I admit at the beginning, I didn’t really understand the focus on one single journalist, as her presence was not that important throughout at least half of the drama. But her integrity and her role got clearer as the drama came to an end. The journalist is to me a constant, an anchorage point in a drama, in which everyone’s faith and trust in people is shaken at some point, except for hers. 

Big up also to actor Jo Han Chul (playing Jin Jae Gyu) who delivered a performance that made me question his real motivations every two seconds! Finally, the identity of ‘The Eraser’ is amazingly well hidden until the last episode and you will have some troubles identifying who the bad ones and the good ones are. 

Ambiance: The mystical aura (shamanism, powers, karma and retribution either divine or humane) sets the mood and immerses us in a dark and stressful atmosphere; in which a slight and hopeful light appears, as the story approaches the end. 

What are the themes questioned?

This drama questions a lot of interesting themes in my opinion such as the role of the media (like in the drama Pinocchio) when it comes to influencing public opinion; the distinction between good and bad and the means to justify the end. What is right? What is wrong? Can we really hold someone responsible for others’ misbehaviors or for trying to set things right wrongly? 

I liked the fact that the drama is not a black or white universe, meaning that taking position is not that easy and I advise every viewer to try to think about what they would actually do, if they were in some characters’ shoes.