[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Bad and Crazy" Episode 10

This episode I started entertaining a theory about the explanation of the mystery behind Inspector Ryoo's distorted memories. For a split second, the opening title of "Bad and Crazy" appears to read as Bad, Evil, Crazy. So I thought, what if K isn't the only split personality? What if this mysterious shadowy figure Inspector Ryoo is trailing is actually Inpsector Ryoo himself? What if he's taking advantage of Inspector Ryoo's identity and connections to destroy for the sake of destroying?

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The emergence of Boss Yong in the latter part of this episode seemed to back this up. She had no idea what was going on with the drug distribution, only knowing that whoever keeps leaking it doesn't report to her. And this makes sense, for all the reasons previously discussed. Criminals motivated by money would want to lie low right now in order to avoid the scrutiny of a police investigation.

Nor do the child-centered murders make much sense in the context of Boss Yong's empire. However we look at it, none of the murders, past or present, have any clear broad motive. The people who keep getting killed might be scumbags, but they're the kind of scumbag where nobody much cares whether they live or die. Patrolman Oh and Detective Yang have to awkwardly play bodyguard to one such scumbag. If Boss Yong wanted any of these people dead, there's more efficient means to do it than getting children addicted to drugs and going on blackout rampages.

But as you probably already know by now, my theory about there being a third personality was entirely wrong. The true villain ends up being a much more boring character, who benefits from an array of contrivances so broad I can't really take him seriously as a threat to either the police of Boss Yong's criminal empire. Maybe an impressive explanation will be given for his backstory in the next two episodes, but I kind of doubt it.

So that's pretty much where we are. A potentially innovative and intriguing story about shattered brain chemistry, with hints that K really exists to protect Inspector Ryoo from yet another alter ego, is tossed away so that "Bad and Crazy" can instead focus on a more stereotypically hypercompetent villain. The resulting story isn't bad, but it lacks a lot of the impact that made "Bad and Crazy" so exciting in the first place- the battle for Inspector Ryoo's sense of self.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Bad and Crazy" is directed by Yoo Seon-dong, written by Kim Sae-bom, and features Lee Dong-wook, Wi Ha-jun, Han Ji-eun, Cha Hak-yeon, Kang Ae-shim, Kim Dae-gon. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/12/17~Now airing, Fri, Sat 22:40 on tvN.