Chief Detective 1958 Episode 2 Recap and Review

* This review contains minor spoilers for episode 2 of Chief Detective 1958.

Chief Detective 1958 is set in post-war Korea, a period ripe with social change and unrest. The series follows the journey of a young detective in Seoul as he navigates the dangerous underbelly of a city grappling with rapid modernization and political turmoil. With a blend of historical richness and mystery, the show delves into intriguing criminal cases that reflect the societal issues of the 1950s. Each episode is intricately woven with suspense, drama, and a touch of period-authentic charm.

READ | Chief Detective 1958 Episode 1 Recap and Review

Episode 2 of Chief Detective 1958 begins with Park Young-Han (Lee Je-Hoon) unconscious on the floor of the warehouse. Kim San-Sung (Lee Dong-Hwi) approaches the others, telling them that he wants a share of the spoils. The other cops are relieved that he is finally ‘on their side’. However, one of the gangsters knocks Kim out, saying that Kim had once bitten one of his relatives.

Both Park and Kim later wake up some distance away from the scene. Park reacts angrily, accusing Kim of betraying him. Kim then reveals that one of the Americans was aiming to kill Park, and knocked him out to save his life. Park begrudgingly thanks him, and the two wonder what their next step will be. Kim suggests that they report the incident to the US Military Police, but Park has a different idea.

The two of them decide to invite the local townspeople to the warehouse, telling them the Americans have arranged a ‘giveaway’ of all the goods inside it. Dozens of people show up to cart the items away, to the consternation of the gangsters and the corrupt cops.

Park becomes a target

The police chief is enraged and threatens Park and Kim with punishment. The two cops remind him that he cannot punish them without revealing the truth behind the warehouse, forcing him to back down. However, we learn that Lee Jung-Jae (Kim Young-Seong) has taken notice of their actions, and sends his gangsters after Park.

The gangsters try to ambush Park on his way home. He is almost overwhelmed by them, but manages to run and hide in a local bookstore owned by Lee Hye-Ju (Seo Eun-Soo). She manages to convince the gangsters that he is not there. She later treats his wounds and they discuss his crimefighting efforts. It’s clear that the two feel a mutual attraction to each other.

We also meet Seo Ho-Jeong (Yoon Hyun-Soo), a wealthy young college student who frequents the bookstore. His father expects him to graduate and continue his studies overseas, but Seo has always harbored dreams of becoming a cop. Inspired by Park’s recent exploits, he decides to apply to join the police force.

New recruits

Later, Park and his boss discuss setting up a team of clean cops to fight crime and corruption. Park recruits Kim to join him, and the two meet Jo Gyeong-Hwan (Choi Woo-Sung) and convince him to become a policeman. Both Jo and Seo manage to pass the tests, and end up at Jongnam station.

Jo immediately joins Park and Kim’s team, while Seo is recruited into Kim’s former team. At first, everyone is impressed by Seo’s academic credentials and his ability to speak English. However, his first attempt at interrogating a suspect goes horribly awry, ending with the police chief’s car getting blown up.

The team comes together

The four finally come together in spectacular fashion, after a group of US soldiers begin brawling at a local restaurant. Park, Kim and Jo are called to the scene, and Park invites Seo along to translate for them.

There, they find the armed soldiers engaged in a standoff. One of the soldiers turns out to be the same one who was working with the gangsters at the warehouse. The four cops decide to infiltrate the restaurant to stop him.

Their ruse almost works, but the cops are soon fighting with the American soldiers. Fortunately, US military police show up and arrest the instigators. Park’s team earns the thanks of Asian-American officer Steve Jackson (Lee Woo-Joo), who is impressed by their quick-thinking. Park is impressed by the way things turn out, and asks Seo to join them, forming the team that he believes will be able to clean up the police force and take down the gangsters.

What we thought of Chief Detective 1958 Episode 2

This episode is where things finally fall into place. We get to see Park and Kim work together to foil the gangsters, and the start of their close friendship. We also learned the backstories of the other two members of the team. I found Seo’s story quite touching, especially with how determined he was to make his dream of becoming a policeman come true.

I also enjoyed the hint of romance between Park and bookshop owner Hye-Ju. In the original series she becomes his wife and strong support system, so it is interesting to see how their relationship begins.

The episode also had a good balance of humor and action. There is an amusing black-and-white sequence where Park and his team play detectives for a film, and Seo’s interrogation scene had me laughing out loud. The final scene where they infiltrate the restaurant was also memorable, as we get to see how quickly they learn to work together.

Now that the stage has been set, I can’t wait to see how the team tackles their first official case together.

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