* This review contains minor spoilers for episode 6 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.
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This episode turns the spotlight on Park Young-Han (Lee Je-Hoon), as he finally confronts a ghost from his past. In past episodes, we saw flashbacks of his time as a student soldier in the Korean War. A teenage Young-Han was witness to a massacre, and has been living with the trauma ever since.
However, the episode begins with a return to the present day, with a touching scene between the now-retired Park (Choi Bool-Am) and his detective grandson (played by Lee Je-Hoon). The elder Park encourages his grandson by telling him that the only person who can beat a tenacious criminal is “someone even more tenacious”.
We then return to 1961, during a turbulent time in South Korea’s history. Park and Kim Sang-Sun (Lee Dong-Hwi) go undercover to bust a gang mixing sawdust into cornmeal. We see how much more formidable they have grown in the intervening years.
Times are changing in Jongnam
The team return to Jongnam station with the culprits, but their new temporary chief superintendent is not happy with them. The team is ordered to go out and catch anti-government rebels instead of focusing on ‘petty criminals’.
We learn that former Jongnam chief Choi is the favorite for the position of senior superintendent of police. We also find out that he is making the former military commander Baek (Kim Min-Jae) his replacement at Jongnam.
The only obstacle in their way is Chief Yu Dae-Cheon (Choi Deok-Moon), who is aware of their pasts as pro-Japanese sympathizers with the Sinkwang Society. To prevent him from revealing their secret, Choi orders Baek to attack Chief Yu and silence him.
Lost without their mentor
Chief Yu manages to survive the attack and is hospitalized. Park and his teammates are devastated, and immediately try to find the culprit. They soon realize that the attackers are too well-organized to be mere gangsters, and may have military backgrounds.
Baek soon transfers to Jongnam station, and a horrified Park recognizes him as his superior officer during the massacre over a decade ago. Baek also recognizes Park, leading to a tense confrontation between them later. Park holds back his anger, but tells Baek that he will never forgive him for all those deaths. Baek then hints that if Park won’t “let go of the past”, he will meet the same fate as Chief Yu.
Park is immediately suspicious of Baek, and reveals his story to his teammates. They later discover that the Sinkwang Society has infiltrated the top ranks of the police. They also learn that Chief Yu was secretly trying to unmask its members.
Detective Park makes a decision
Park realizes that Senior Superintendent Choi is the one behind the attack on Chief Yu. His team are frustrated as Choi is now too powerful for them to take down. They decide to bide their time until they can continue Chief Yu’s mission to take them down.
However, Park is unable to wait and goes to arrest Choi by himself. At the same time, Baek visits an unconscious Chief Yu in the hospital to finish the job. Fortunately, Hye-Ju (Seo Eun-Soo) walks in, preventing him from killing Yu.
Baek is then called away to Jongnam station, where Park has been arrested after trying to take in Choi. Choi accuses Park of treason, and the situation looks bad for our hero. But to everyone’s surprise, a now-conscious Chief Yu walks through the door. Park looks on with relief, while Choi and Baek appear stunned.
What we thought of Chief Detective 1958 Episode 6
This episode marks a new era for Detective Park and his team. Compared to earlier episodes, the mood has gotten more serious, with our heroes taking on corruption within the police force instead of ordinary gangsters.
We also get a new villain in Chief Superintendent Baek. His past connection to Park makes their conflict personal, and his direct attack on Chief Yu gives Park even more motivation to bring him down. The character is a complicated one, and kudos to Kim Min-Jae for making the character both terrifying and pitiful at times. We see that Baek is willing to do anything to succeed, whether it means killing an enemy or humbling himself to those with power.
The events of this episode take place during a turbulent time in South Korean history, and we see how it impacts everyone. Park and his team try to do the right thing, and continue to focus on crimes that affect ordinary citizens. Despite this, it is clear that they are being pulled into a much bigger conflict with those more powerful than them.
How will they face this challenge in the future? We can’t wait to find out!
Catch Chief Detective 1958 every Friday and Saturday on Disney+ Hotstar.
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