Gauran Sharma, Delhi

Signal, just like the drama is rightfully named, starts with a ‘signal’ in the mundane life of a hardworking man, Park Hae-young, who is a police lieutenant and an expert criminal profiler. A strange message from an abandoned walkie-talkie from the past gets him involved in a mysterious, unsolved cold case from 15 years ago. As the events unfold, detective Park, as well as the viewers, realise that the signal was not just an ordinary one.

It was a detective named Lee Jae-han, communicating from the year 1989 to 2015, desperate to find answers for a kidnapping case happening in the past, without realising that he’d been talking to a person from the future. As the two realise what exactly is happening while not understanding why and how it came to be, they start communicating further to solve more cases in their timelines only to realise that preventing or stopping something from happening without repercussions is not possible. The drama will have you gripping onto your seats since the first episode and each new case brings in an even-heavier air of mystery as the past and the present collide.

The direction, filming, scripting, and the turnout of events is so well planned by the writer that there is no room for loopholes. Also, the fact that some of the cases have been inspired from real-life cold cases, makes it even eerier. The Hwaseong Serial Murders depicted in the show were inspired by a true incident that occurred in the Gyeonggi Province of South Korea during a course of six years (1986 – 1991).

The concept of the past meeting the present has been depicted beautifully and the interwoven stories make it even more meaningful. The series aired in 2016, but was and is still loved by so many, it even broke the records of ratings back in that time with its finale rating of 12.54%. Currently, it is one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean television history. The line-up is perfect and the characters have been played very well by the veteran actors Lee Je-hoon as Park Hae-yeong, Kim Hye-soo as Cha Soo-hyun, and Cho Jin-woong as Lee Jae-han.

Despite having a supernatural element to it, the show perfectly portrayed how the inner workings inside the police and detective departments went on in South Korea in the past as well as the present, and how just one single mistake can have heavy consequences. The show is a must-watch for people who love thriller and a murder mystery which can keep them on the edge of their seats. Here’s the trailer of the drama:

Have you seen Signal? Which is your favorite case? Tell me about it in the comments below!