There was something comfortable about watching Switch. It felt a little like coming home, which is odd to say about a drama that was full of twists. I reminded me, forcibly, of USA Network’s White Collar and TNT’s Leverage. All three shows drew me in because of the characters with contrasting moral codes, the unexpected plots, and the likable ensembles.
For a reminder, Switch’s plot synopsis from MyDramaList: “Scam a thousand dollars, and you are a thief. If the amount becomes a billion, you are a financier. Break a small promise, you become a conman. If you betray the trust of millions of people, you are a politician. If the law cannot punish those who have wronged thousands of lives, what can we do about it? In a society without righteousness, there needs to be a drastic measure taken in order to catch the bad guys. An eye for an eye, and a conman for a conman. Oh Ha Ra, a young prosecutor, meets a man who looks exactly like her senior prosecutor, Baek Joon Soo. While looking for a double to replace Joon Soo, she meets an unordinary man named Sa Do Chan. Do Chan, a genius conman, puts his skills to use in order to catch the bad guys who know their ways around the law.”
I love the idea of using a thief’s greed against him to take him down. The obstacles arise when the thief is clever and well-connected, as was Geum Tae Woong, the villain of Switch. Played far too well by Jung Woong In (I WANT LIEUTENANT PAENG BACK, DANG IT), he was the source of so much frustration and stress for our troubled trio: Baek Soon Joo (the prosecutor), Oh Ha Ra (the other prosecutor) and Sa Do Chan (the conman).
Baek Soon Joo and Sa Do Chan were ably played by Jang Geun Suk, and he did an excellent job of differentiating the two, and blending them as needed when they were pulling a switch. I was highly, highly impressed with his abilities, and you can be sure that I will be going back to watch his past dramas.
Oh Ha Ra was played so well by Han Ye Ri. She was cold and strong when she needed to be, warm around her family, and never helpless. Pocket-sized, yes. Helpless, no. This character was such a change from the withdrawn workaholic student she played in Age of Youth! Again, I was impressed with her abilities.
The plot itself was tightly crafted. There were a few absolutely jaw-dropping moments, several times when I wanted to punch Geum Tae Woong myself, and some great laughs. I think that Switch, like Healer, would make a great gateway drama for the incoming kdrama fan.
Karie the Maknae
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
Loved this show. It was pure fun. Yes, Lt. Paeng! Such a good guy…Brown Bear, not so good.
Exactly.
After watching 2-3 episodes, I had to put this on the “to=watch list” because of so much on my plate! But I was so impressed with JGS dual roles, I will be binge=watching this soon. I could listen to his smooth, deep, sexy voice all day long!!! Also, Geum Tae Woong always gives me the creeps, having first seen him in I Hear Your Voice! Thank you for the great review!
He does have an excellent voice, doesn’t he? And Jung Woong In completely creeped me out in I Hear Your Voice, so much so that when he played Lt. Paeng in Prison Playbook, I was expecting him to be an awful guard. His complete 180 took me by surprise and he ended up being one of my favorite characters.
The scene that impressed me the most was in the first episode with the truck of doom. I was completely caught offguard and it freaked me out at how well they executed it in a new and unexpected way.
This show was great and had so many surprising twists and unexpected moments. One of my favorite was the truck of doom in episode 1. It freaked me out and was completely unexpected and was impressed on how they did that scene in a new and fresh way.
Right? I was sold from that moment on.