Letter #61: Busted!

Good morning, Erin.

After many months of continually wanting to rewatch A Business Proposal, the thing to do was obviously start something totally different that I could not even recognize as a show based on the Netflix trailer—but which did noticeably feature Kim Se-jeong being charming as all get-out, which means it’s practically the same thing. 

I cannot be left to my own devices, Erin, you know this. 

THAT SAID…this turned out to be a fantastic decision on my part, putting the truth that old adage about even a stopped clock being right twice a day, as long as Kim Se-jeong is involved. 

…I think that’s how it goes. Yeah, no, that’s the only way it makes sense. 

Anyway—let’s get a little overview/non-spoiler-y about three-season half-scripted detective variety show Busted!, shall we?

1. This show is great. Or, more specifically, Season 1 is pretty good, Season 2 is frikkin’ incredible, and Season 3 is very-very-very good (but only because it had the very difficult task of living up to Season 2, which it would have been a miracle if it could manage). Regardless, I recommend it without hesitation. It’s a blast.

1A. …and seriously, not to put too fine a point on it, Season 2 is soooooooo good. I think watching Season 1 helps ground you in the way the show works and in some of the continuing character stuff, but you could probably jump right to Season 2 and be all right, if you were so inclined.

2. The concept is that each member of the main cast has been injected with the DNA of a famous detective (as in, each person got a different detective’s DNA) as part of an experiment to create the world’s greatest crime-solving team. There is a secret organization, mysterious back stories that involve the cast having their memories wiped, an ever-ticking clock on their very lives because of a side effect of the experiment they were put through—which doesn’t really matter all that much because the second season pretends most of those more sci-fi details never existed and basically just says the cast was assembled by a benefactor because of their inclination for solving mysteries. Which is hilarious, considering how important all the hyper-fictional lore was to the first season, but also a brilliant change that really benefitted the show overall. 

3. That being said, there is absolutely an ongoing plot. And it’s great.

4. The gist of the show is that each episode has a main mystery to solve, and the team can only solve it if they make it through a series of murder mystery dinner/escape room-style puzzles. Maybe 25% of what we see is scripted, and the rest is just everyone genuinely trying to solve puzzles and improvising dialogue based on their characters. (They’re all playing fictional versions of themselves, by the way.) A lot of the mysteries are niche, in the same way that crossword puzzles are often niche—as in, rather than just being able to arrive at the answer logically or by having a deep knowledge base, the puzzles almost always require you to shift your thinking to whatever frame of mind the puzzle’s creator was in when he created it before you can apply any other skills to solving it. But, more broadly, pattern recognition, deduction, and extrapolation skills are mostly what’s needed. Well, that and a grasp of English. And decent math skills. 

5. Most of the detectives do not possess impressive pattern recognition, deduction, extrapolation, math, or English skills. In combination with others, they can all get by. But if you were going to find yourself without the whole team…don’t expect miracles.

6. …unless the partial team you have is just the girls, in which case you will be fine, because they are both easily the best detectives.

6A. This is played up for laughs, as the show goes on, but it’s still the case that they’d be dead in the water without Se-jeong and especially without Min-young. 

6B. No, seriously: in Season 3, the boys end up locking themselves in a closet—and, after failing to solve the puzzle to escape, shrug to themselves that at least they know the girls will find them. 

6C. Se-jeong’s best skill is pattern recognition, even when she has to jump to some weird way of looking at things to initially find the pattern. Which is a double bonus, usually, because she’s usually able to resolve most of the connected puzzles or mysteries because she’s moved into that odd headspace that created the puzzles to begin with. She’s also mostly okay with any of the icky or more frightening things they have to deal with in pursuit of a solution. 

6D. Min-young, though, is the undisputed star. She isn’t responsible for every solution they come up with, but she may as well be—that’s how many times she’s been the sole reason they solve the mystery or defeat the puzzle. She’s basically fluent in English, which admittedly helps a lot, but even disregarding the English skills part, she is quick as a whip, intuitive, and (in my totally unprofessional opinion) a lateral thinker. If she gets stuck, it’s usually because she’s locked herself into a way of thinking (which is usually where Se-jeong comes to the rescue). But most of the time she’s the one who makes the magic happen—to the point where, when they are split up to cover more ground, some of the detectives take pictures of what they can’t solve and text them to Min-young to have her take a crack at it. She’s fantastic, easily my favorite part of the series, and absolutely #BestGirl. 

6E. Sorry, one more thing about how great Min-young is: she is utterly fearless. Something gross, scary, or radiating with dread? Min-young barely needs to take a deep breath before reaching out and shoving her whole arm into it, if it means solving a puzzle. She’s a total hero. 

7. The boys are cowards. All of them. And, frankly, I’d be just as bad as they were. So…I’m not judging. 

8. Which is not to say the boys are useless. And, again, the girls being great and boys being subpar is increasingly played up for comedy, as the show progresses…even if there is a very clear difference in competence level between them. All the boys play important roles and are usually involved in solving the mysteries, if they aren’t outright the reason some of the puzzles get solved (…though, often just the ones where Min-young isn’t with them, at the moment). Like, even the dumbest/intentionally (for comedy) dumbest members contribute in legitimate ways. Even beyond carrying heavy things for the girls. 

8A. Se-hun is arguably the best of the boys, especially after his competitive side gets ignited near the end of season one. I’d probably describe him as being a slightly watered-down midpoint between Se-jeong’s sudden intuition and Min-young’s lateral thinking. I feel like he held himself back at the start of the series, maybe because he was young, maybe because he is (or seems to be) sort of naturally on the shy side, or maybe because he felt comparatively less “significant” than the slew of TV veterans that filled out the rest of the cast. But once he gives himself permission to make a little noise (quietly, and with the utmost social grace), he becomes a very reliable member of the team. 

8B. Jae-suk is also pretty good, as far as the detective stuff goes. (And he’s obviously a great frontman for the group.) He’s solid with math, and he knows a good amount of English. And, in one episode, we see that he even knows enough Japanese to vaguely talk to a Japanese member of a new K-pop girl-group.

8B1. Not that knowledge of Japanese is ever necessary for any of the puzzles. Chinese characters, sure. But not Japanese. Still, good to know he knows a little bit of a third language, as well. 

8B2. Actually, while we’re on the subject of languages, I believe the emphasis on English in many of the puzzles has to do with the design of the show: Netflix wanted to make a Korean show that would be enjoyable to western audiences. So, to my mind, they thought the frequent use of English (or at least the English alphabet) was a big part of making that happen. And…I mean, I dunno how much of a success or not-success it turned out to be with English-speaking/English-familiar audiences, but I will admit that it certainly made the puzzles more accessible to me. Which I enjoyed.

9. The theme song to this show is pretty dope. And I’m sorry they don’t keep it for the whole series. 

10. At one point, the show needs to frequently employ fake dead bodies (often of characters we’ve met multiple times), and they must have had a heck of a budget—‘cus these things look great. Like, in a couple of instances, I swore I was looking at the actor in “I’m dead” makeup. But no. 

11. There’s a scene where the team is investigating a case from the 1990s, and the youngest members of the team did not recognize any of the technology. VCR? Totally lost. Cassette deck? Pager? Brick of a cell phone? You may as well have been speaking to them in Greek. It was as hilarious to watch as it was depressing to realize. 

12. The show uses recurring musical cues to absolute perfection. 

13. There is a really subtle Hercule Poirot homage, in one episode, and it’s pretty great. (Assuming it was, in fact, an homage and not a total coincidence.) 

14. There’s a vague maybe-homage to The Prestige, in the first season, and…it’s not much of an homage, really, since they don’t do anything with it. 

15. One of my favorite running gags in the series is how one of the guys on the team has a big crush on Min-young. It’s not a put-on, either, because they don’t play it up at all, and she seems genuinely surprised when he makes his first joke(?) pass at her. It just sort of sits there as a quiet but known fact, though, on a couple of occasions, Min-young does—whether this is scripted or totally organic—give him a bit of attitude for diverting his attention to any number of the pretty guest actresses that populate their investigations. 

15A. Se-jeong gives the boys (in general) similar grief for their disloyalty at the appearance of any new pretty face that crosses their paths. But she seems far less serious about it than Min-young. (Who isn’t especially serious about it (because I’m sure she gets plenty of attention pretty much everywhere), just more serious than the primarily tease-y Se-jeong. 

15B. Actually, while we’re on the subject, I think the biggest moment for this is in the magic act episode, where some of the boys are more concerned with the magician’s lovely assistant than the case they’re working on. And, frankly, I can’t blame them: the minute she showed up in the episode as part of the magic act, I might have actually gone slack-jawed—she was that good looking. Turns out she was a pop star: Hyejeong from AOA (who apparently actually worked with the magician in the episode as his assistant in real life (and maybe even dated him, if the gossips be true)). I obviously didn’t know who she was. But, as I say, I was as gobsmacked by her as the boys on the show…but I could not find a picture, interview clip, or music video in which she looked ANYWHERE near as good as she did in this episode. Which makes me think I was tricked by her adorable haircut, and that, rather than “gorgeous,” she’s probably just “very good looking.” (You know how I am when people change their hairstyles.)

15C. But back to Min-young and Se-jeong: the show totally lowkey has them compete to see who looks better in a beret. At least, that’s what I believe. I’m sure the wardrobe people would deny it. But I’m onto them. 

15D. Actually, after the incident with the magician’s lovely assistant, Min-young shows up at the start of the next episode dressed to the nines just to get a reaction out of the boys, and it’s hilarious. (Though, for the record, gimme Se-jeong in her regular Busted! outfit any day of the week. You know I like a pretty girl in a suit.)

15E. But don’t worry—turnabout is fair play, and the boys do get a taste of their own medicine. And their reaction to the girls’ wandering eyes is suitably hilarious. 

15F. Okay, one more thing in this vein: the opening credits in the first season have these little flashes of dossier-type descriptions of the cast, and Se-jeong’s lists her as “adorable and meticulous”...while Min-young’s says she  is “fluent in English.” Which is just mean. (Okay, it also says she has great observational skills, but that’s still just…I mean, they deploy Min-young to act as seductress way more often than they ask Se-jeong to “oppaaaaaaa” all the middle-aged men into acquiescence, and all they can compliment her on in her fantastic intellectual skills? Plain ol’ unjust, if you ask me.)

16. Se-hun tends to clutch the front of his coat as though he is always at risk of suddenly losing all of his clothes any time he has to movie at speeds above a gentle walk. And it is adorable. 

17. Man oh man, this show seems to have found every dilapidated old building in South Korea for their locations. 

18. A couple of the episodes requires the team to split up into groups, and the tragic thing about this is that, because of this separation, we don’t get to see if Min-young is as fearless in the face of heights as she is when dealing with a bucket full of slime urchins. 

19. In one episode, the girls are off doing their own assignment while a rookie idol group is assisting the boys with something else…and you should see the looks on the faces of the girls who—purely by coincidence—run across Se-jeong when they’re driving from one location to the next. Just totally wide-eyed. 

20. The team comes across a rival detective team on more than one occasion, but their introduction is so funny that Min-young immediately breaks character and has to put her head down.

21. Now, there are A LOT of guest stars on this series, most of whom are famous—but are they really famous if I don’t know them? Obviously not. But what about the ones I did recognize? Well, as it so happens, I have a list of them right here for you:

• the jerk boss at the news station where the mom worked in 18 Again as the detectives’ boss

• the abusive, toupee-wearing old man store owner from Sweet Home as a museum director

• creepy gym teacher from 18 Again/EL’s boyfriend in My Liberation Notes as the tall guy

• Jun-ho from Extraordinary Attorney Woo as a high school boy (with his chubby baby face!!!)

• the main guy from Man x Man as the town doctor

• Wendy from Red Velvet as…well, Wendy but as a detective (that’s right—I know who she is)

• CEO butler from A Korean Odyssey as the man in the wheelchair

• one of the main guys from that one episode of Hospital Playlist I watched as a rogue agent

• Restaurant Friend from Out Beloved Summer as a nurse

• the other girl from Suzy’s team on Start-Up as…well, herself but a forensics specialist

• the “nephew” from Goblin as a detective (who, sadly for me, seems to be Se-jeong’s type)

• Landlady Divorcee’s husband from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha as a CEO

• the octopus prince/pop star from A Korean Odyssey as a cafe waitress

• Grandma’s lackey in Inspector Koo as the local forensics tech

• Hae-e’s friend’s mom (with the red hair) from Crash Course in Romance as the medical examiner

• Main Girl’s stupid male friend from 100 Days My Prince as a man with a limp

• Ha-ru from Extraordinary You as a rich heir in search of his childhood sweetheart

• Dan-oh from Extraordinary You as one of Ha-ru’s potential childhood sweethearts

• the friend/pretend dad from 18 Again as the friend of a murder victim

22. I’m also 85% sure that the library where they look for clues to resolve a circuitous hostage situation is the same one where a woman traps the souls of children in picture books in A Korean Odyssey. Which means I’m 15% sure I’m just library racist. 

23. …and I just want to emphasize that Dan-oh showing up was hilarious. And that she looked incredible. And that she was so much fun to watch that I was reminded of how much I liked her in Extraordinary You. And that I now want to watch her in something else. I’ve overlooked her for a year, and I really do think that needs to be rectified. Somehow. She’s great.

And…yeah, that’ll do.

I could go on for hours detailing exactly what was great and why it was great (particularly about the second and third seasons), so—believe it or not—this was actually me being pithy. This was such a good show, and I am very sad to see that they don’t plan on doing any further seasons. Big, big, biiiiiiiiig recommend, Erin. I’d say this one is a must-watch. 

…but not as much of a must-watch as Alchemy of Souls please watch Alchemy of Souls I love it so much. 

Um…yes. So. 

Maybe BTS next maybe. 

Maybe.

—Daryl