Trap

Presentation

For more…

Preview

Synopsis

​Kang Woo Hyun is a news anchor, who seems to have the perfect life. He has a loving wife and a cute son. One day, he goes on a trip with his family and an accident occurs. Ko Dong Wook, an experienced detective, takes on his case.  

My Opinion (No Spoilers)

​OCN has had its golden age between 2017 and 2018, providing viewers with excellent content and incredible dramas. Yet, I have the impression that since 2019, the dramas are not worth it anymore. So when I started watching Trap, I thought it was going to be one more ordinary police drama, in which the main character is desperately looking for his family. 

Yet, I was more than surprised, while actually discovering the numerous twists the plot hides. Indeed, Trap is not your typical action drama and really conveys the essence of OCN, that got me used to complex and twisted storylines. 

The action is condensed in 7 episodes – so quite short – but just enough to let you enjoy the drama in my opinion. I was really shocked sometimes and couldn’t believe some of the scenes, which made me enjoy the drama more, for its capacity of surprising me. 

However, the drama still has some lengths and more ‘boring’ scenes placed between crazy events. This made me look away from the story and reduced the impact it could’ve actually had if the tension had been kept alive throughout the entire drama. 

An interesting drama in the end, quick to see for those interested, that captures a part of OCN’s essence, but unable to stir you up continuously. 

I would recommend it just for the twist, the first episodes are very good. Then you can directly switch to the resolution! 

Analysis

• The opening scene
• The mysterious disappearance
• The actual trap
• Being a police officer
• The resolution

​The opening scene: The drama starts off quite strong! In the opening scene, the main character Kang Woo Hyun (Lee Seo Jin) is wounded, armed with a crossbow and walking toward a house on fire. On the way, he finds a woman’s shoe that seems to belong to his wife. He desperately screams his son’s name, with no answer. Then he is transported to the hospital in a pitiful condition, while some flashbacks introduce his perfect family. 

The tension and the suspense are created right from the beginning and made me wonder what happened during the past few days that turned his life upside down that much. I mean, we have the portrait of a loving father and husband with an excellent reputation, who ends up crying for help, while searching for his family. Plus, he has a crossbow, which is a rather unexpected weapon if you think about it. Also, he can’t speak because his tongue was cut, he has been hit by a car and suffers from severe injuries. So in a nutshell, this man has been through hell! Still, he survived.

The mysterious disappearance: So what happened that day? Woo Hyun goes on a trip with his family (wife and son). Suddenly, it starts pouring, so they stop at a sort of coffee shop lost in the woods. There is no one apart from them and the owner. The place is strange and the owner even stranger. The entire ambiance is uncomfortable, as you feel that the area is unsafe. At some point, Woo Hyun’s son goes outside and mysteriously disappears. Woo Hyun suspects right away the creepy owner. He goes outside with his wife but they find no trace of their child. They take their car and start looking at places their son could’ve gone. But he definitely went missing. After asking his wife to stay in the car, he keeps looking for his son. When he comes back, his wife is also gone. So, a lot of questions actually crossed my mind at that time! How is that possible? Where have they been taken to considering the fact that they are surrounded by woods? Who could’ve done that if not the owner of the shop? I guess, the same questions went through Woo Hyun’s mind at first. Yet, he is more than convinced that the owner is responsible. They start a sort of chase through the woods, let me tell you also that the owner is a hunter and has some hunter friends with whom he decides to have some fun. Therefore, they capture Woo Hyun and torture him, while sequestrating his family. The poor man has to fight almost with his teeth and ends up in a horrible state. Then he is taken to the hospital after being hit by a car and the police gets involved. In all honesty, I had the feeling that I was watching The Hunger Games! I mean, the first episode was very close to a fight for survival! 

Unfortunately for Woo Hyun, the police finds later on his wife and son dead, leaving him devastated. 

The actual trap: However – and this is how the show becomes formidable – the drama reveals its own trap. After viewers have become captivated by the terrifying struggle of a family man, the twist occurs. Though Woo Hyun could be seen as the perfect man, he still has some faults. Indeed, he is a notorious news anchor and wishes to enter the political sphere. To be seen and liked by the audience, we in fact discover that he orchestrated this entire incident to the point that he planned his family’s death, in order to get an empathetic look from citizens and start a brilliant political career. What a terrifying person! I was really taken-aback when I discovered the actual crazy twist of the drama! I couldn’t believe it at first, but Woo Hyun is probably the greatest ass**** in South Korea. To fulfill his ambitions, he sacrificed his whole family. His innocent wife and son served as pity triggers! What a twisted mind he has! Above all that, he even went to greater lengths: He hurt himself and joined hands with some corrupted and evil political men, experimenting on people. In a few words, he gets involved in an awful and disgusting business, while enjoying public pity and empathy. 

I will pass the underlying themes actually present in the drama such as the corrupted political system and journalists, as well as human trafficking. They are not that important and even took away the thrill and rhythm of the story. In my opinion, they should’ve limited the plot to the disappearance of Woo Hyun’s family and his two-sided personality, and the necessary chase and unmasking of the main character. But I have to say that they went too far in the depiction of the corrupted system which bored me and diminished the strength and impact of the actual storyline. 

Being a police officer:  Parallel to this corrupted father, you have the veteran detective chasing him: Ko Dong Kook (Sung Dong Il). He is the exact opposite of Woo Hyun. Dong Kook is very upright and treats his daughter like a princess. He wishes to spend more time with her but his job takes most of his time. Therefore, he regrets a lot being apart from her, but still does his job. He is a good man who wants to retire, an exceptional police officer and mentor and a strong-willed detective. He is a formidable opponent and makes life difficult for Woo Hyun. At some point he is even taken away by the corrupted organization experimenting on humans but survives. He destroys Woo Hyun’s plan but loses his partner Yoon Seo Young (Lim Hwa Young) as collateral damage. 

Ko Dong Kook is really the epitome of the good cop and really represented the side of justice, working day and night to protect people and arrest criminals. He was also flawed, which made him more realistic. Moreover, his love for his daughter is limitless, compared to Woo Hyun’s consideration for his son. 

The resolution: The ending of the drama made me believe that they could actually do a second season, since the entire intrigue is left unfinished. Ko Dong Wook continues his fight against “evil”, almost forced by destiny to take on Seo Young’s twin sister as his new partner. On the other side, Woo Hyun is like a wounded beast, trying to survive after his failure in the political sphere. Considering his intelligence and wit, I don’t doubt a second that he is capable of getting back on his feet, more powerful than ever. 

In a nutshell, Trap is an interesting drama worth watching for his witty twists but it suffered from long and boring moments due to its ambitious plot. Yet, the ambiance totally corresponds to the OCN vibe! For those who like it, then I recommend you check the drama!