Are you looking for a good murder mystery drama with the feel of Fiery Priest? Are you ready to watch Yoo Seung Ho kick butt and smirk all over the place? Then you just might be ready for The Memorist! Read on to see if this drama is for you.

The Good Guys

DETECTIVE DONG BAEK – Yoo Seung Ho’s psychometric detective does NOT hide his special abilities at all. The opening montage shows him and his powers being tested in several medical facilities, and Dong Baek quickly becomes the darling of the press. He even has his own fan club and a dedicated team of police officers sorting through his daily fan mail. Dong Baek also has difficulty reining in his temper, which makes him less popular with his superiors.

SUPERINTENDENT HAN SUN MI: Lee Se Young’s natural gravitas is perfect for the extraordinarily intelligent rising star of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit. She’s a deft profiler with a gift for putting together the minutae of a case to bring the bad guy down. In fact, bringing the bad guy down is her ultimate aim every time, and she will risk whatever it takes to make sure it happens. So far, she’s had unparalleled success, but the case she and Dong Baek have stumbled into is not helping her meteoric rise to the top.

The Bad Guys

So here’s the interesting thing. The bad guys in the first four episodes are older men of power with corrupt tastes, and their crimes are layered on top of each other like a rotting onion. However, at the very end of episode 4, a whole new villain plot line opens up. With the way the writing is shaping up so far, I think our actual villain is going to be complex and intriguing. I’m looking forward to it.

The Plot

The writing and the directing so far have been brilliant. This is definitely one of those dramas where I’ve had to pay attention to the little details AND I’ve been completely drawn into every significant character’s emotional life as it’s been revealed. I’m impressed with how things are going, especially for a pair of rookie writers.

Would I Recommend?

I’m enjoying this drama so far. With the COVID-19 panic and quarantine, it’s been hard to watch stressful dramas. The Memorist is no light-hearted walk through the park, but the heaviness is balanced by Yoo Seung Ho’s snark and Lee Se Young’s captivating intelligence. They’re very easy to root for, and I’m in it just to see what they’re going to do next.

Until the next memory swipe, I remain —

Karie the Maknae

Dramas with a Side of Kimchi