Dark Delight

Search might seem like a suspenseful military k-drama, and it is, but then it starts to get weird, spooky, and rather scary (in the good way.) All ten episodes kept me pretty much riveted, and while there are the usual coincidences and fate and whatnot, it's very well done and pretty convincing.

Set in the DMZ (the demilitarized zone, a contentious area between North and South Korea), it tells the story of military dog handler Yong Dong-Jin (played superbly by Jang Dong-yoon), who is soon to be discharged from the Army, and is sent on one last field mission to find a missing soldier. Dong-jin is a complicated character, all at once friendly, charming, aggressive and confrontational. I really liked how well the actor handled this difficult role, too.

For the final mission Dong-jin joins a fairly elite group of soldiers that includes, unfortunately, his ex-girlfriend Son ye-rim (also very well played by Jung Soo-jung.) The Team Leader, Captain Song Min-gyu (of course the role went to everyone's favorite actor to play handsome psychos, Yoon Park), is a massive jerk that Dong-Jin knows was in big trouble only a few days before being assigned to the operation. Along with a very capable cast of supporting actors, the group then goes out into the DMZ to find the missing soldier -- and that's when things get very weird very fast, and the team realizes there's something inhuman hunting them.

For a short series Search really packed a lot of action, emotion, conflict and backstory into every episode. It does get dark at times, but never to the point where I felt overloaded. There are flashbacks from the past that hints at what's to come, but doesn't spoil the surprises toward the end. The portrayal of how soldiers are treated and used seemed very realistic, as did the way they used the dogs while out on the mission. I don't want to say too much about the weirdness involved in the story, except to note that while it was a pretty big stretch I was willing to go along for the ride. The final conclusion of the series might not make everyone happy, but it seemed logical to end it that way to me.

There are some animal deaths in the series that are well-handled but may still be triggering, so be warned. I recommend it for anyone who likes weirdness with their military stories. Available on Viki.com.