ENA’s newest drama “The Kidnapping Day” is here, let us talk about it!
Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.
I have seen “The Kidnapping Day” on the calendar for some time but haven’t had the time to check out much aside from the one poster of the drama.
I did not have much anticipation or fear going into the drama, I would say I was neutral.
I got a glitter of hope because I realized Park Sung Hoon is part of it, and if he’s known for something, its picking interesting projects. With the combination of Yoon Kye-Sang and Park Sung Hoon, I decided to check it out and I am pleased to say, it was surprisingly way better than I had expected from such a premise.
The drama is based on a novel and the person who is working the script is Kim Je-Young who interestingly directed the movie version of “Cheese in the trap.” She also wrote a couple of drama scripts that mostly went under people’s radar.
In terms of the director, its Park Yoo-Young who worked on love alarm 2 and Kingdom, so it’s a fairly interesting and promising combo on the production side of things.
Now, since I have not read the novel, I will base my commentary on the drama as a standalone project.
So let us discuss the premise first.
I really liked it. I think it’s a nice interesting chaotic premise that Yoon Kye-Sang carries with ease. A father whose daughter needs help resorts to kidnapping because he doesn’t have money. While the idea itself has been played before in many movies from all around the globe, I’d say some parts of this one is a bit different.
For starters, the kid has amnesia which was likely caused by the trauma from seeing her parents being murdered. 2nd, the wife, or ex-wife is a very suspicious woman who just suddenly shows up seemingly uninterested in anything but the scoring of the money once the kidnapping goes through. A couple of red flags already.
I think for the most part, Yoon Kye-Sang carried the premiere episodes so well. His sharp delivery and impeccable comedic timing when needed was a sight to see. His body movements while exaggerated are very understandable considering what he’s going through. You can’t help but feel sympathy towards him.
I didn’t expect the police to almost catch them so fast and it seems they will become a duo who evades detection while police spearheaded by Park Sung-Hoon chases after them. I think he’ll eventually join hands with them to track down who murdered the parents.
My guess is, the father did illegal surgeries from his basement. I am guessing either him or the wife abused the child. And I believe the person who murdered the parents has some grudge against the father doctor.
I also believe the actual killer is either hired by some rich people or committed by a rich very capable knowledgeable person. I also believe the killer paid for Hee-Ae’s bills so it seems either Myeong-Jun committed the murder or was in cahoots. I also believe the killer enlisted the help of the mother to convince her husband to kidnap the child while timing it with the murder so they’d have his fingerprints on scene. I think the mother Hye-Eun knows about whats going on to a good degree.
Its a lot of fun speculating on the killer’s identity so far. I enjoyed the premiere a lot. The chemistry between Yoon Kye-Sang and the child actress Yu-Na is so sweet. They make a great pair. The casting director did well choosing her, she’s very talented.
I also heard the drama is receiving good responses in South Korea which I think is deserved. I can see this become an ‘unexpected’ hit, hopefully.
Now onto some of my worries, which again have to do with the episodes count, I don’t see how a novel can fit 12 hours’ worth of episodes. Not unless its very a condensed and lengthy novel, I struggle to see how you would be able to fill a 12 episode drama with this, even when I don’t know the contents of the novel.
Because from the looks of it, its not complicated per se. as in, there is no mythical things, no world building, and nothing too complicated that would require more episodes to delve into. I understand why its 12 from a broadcasting perspective, but I fear it’ll stall the drama down the line. I also think this drama would work well as a movie, but we’ll have to see about that.
It’s the type of fast paced action that can only last for a brief period because eventually, not unless a miracle happens, the father will get caught by police. He’s broke, hopeless and now has his face on TV, he can’t evade police for long. This is why I am saying 12 might be a bit much, not unless, the 2nd act is an entirely different story.
I could be wrong tho which is why this is a first impressions review.
Regardless, I am excited to see next week’s episodes. It sounds like fun.
So these are my thoughts on The Kidnapping Day, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.
