[Drama 2016] Signal 시그널

[Mico Ricco]

If l have to choose a scene which l loved most, the ambulance ride with both CSH and LJH in it is just perfect!

 

[ross27]

My heart of course wants all 3 leads to be alive and well in the present time but my mind says that one of the leads may be sacrificed! 

I am in awe of Sun Woo! Even in prison, he encouraged his victim friend to move on and live her life well, telling her she did not do anything wrong. He did not give up and intended to put things right and live his life henceforth. That's a determined and positive young man that surely deserves a chance to live!

[Akmuse79]

Episode 13 was so emotional.  I felt like I cried through at least half of it.  Episode 13 Recap.

https://dramaswithasideofkimchi.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/signal-episode-13-the-meat-potatoes-of-the-signal-stew/

[xiennora]

Just finished watching episode 14. I can't believe the show ends next week. I know it's a lot to expect but I really REALLY hope our trios survive this drama. I'm still not sure whether PSW is going to be saved. The most likely scenario seems to be that he'll die anyway, but his death won't easily be concluded to be a suicide. But even if that's the case, it would still change PHY's future DRASTICALLY. I'm not sure he would aspire to be a profiler if the circumstances around his brother's death were changed. The butterfly effect of this drama has always confounded me so I probably shouldn't not speculate about this too much. This show is anything but predictable.

Speaking of predictable, is PHY really going to get charged for ACS's murder?? What in the world changed? Is it because he ditched the police's tail? Ugh, this is so frustrating. The preview suggests that CSH will be the one handling the transmissions and working to save both LJH and PHY. I really hope the gunshot at the end of the preview was being misleading and that none of our golden trio got injure or killed. The narrative stress is so strong in this show. If writer-nim gives us a miserable ending I may resort to writing fanfics to ease the pain 

[Mico Ricco]

credit : @rubie

post link : -

As much as we want the 3 main leads to survive; one of them will die. 

We have been given this heads up so if anyone yet to lower their finale episode expectation then you will be terribly disappointed.

 

Time again to be reminded PD's hint to us :-

What would you say the most interesting points of this drama are?

Crime investigation stories are usually difficult to follow when you start from the middle of the series. But for “Signal,” because it deals with various episodes within the drama, it would be easy for latecomers to join anytime.

Moreover, I hope viewers will think about the moral lessons we can learn as the characters solve these unsolved cases from the past. From this week, the three protagonists will delve into a bigger case, and one of the detectives will become the victim. This episode will show why these actors had to be cast to play the corresponding characters in “Signal.”

 

What other efforts are you making to enrich the quality of the drama?

I’m not an expert in depicting the criminal genre. One of the things people get excited about when watching such a drama is inferring what happened and who the real criminal is, but what I wanted was for people to stand out. I tried to focus on putting the emphasis on people, on top of the exciting inference part. I wanted to show scenes that could make viewers cry. Some may criticize me for sensationalizing and creating tear-jerking dramas, but I personally believe dealing with the families of victims can never be called tear-jerking.

That is why I tried to look at the cases from the victims’ perspective. I tried to show that in all aspects, from the acting to using props from the 1990s, to add a sense of realism to it. Because this drama has a fantasy element of this walkie-talkie that links the past and the present, other things surrounding it need to be extra perfect and realistic. 

[40somethingahjumma]

I suppose it makes sense for the sake of believability to have CSH discover Lee Jae Han's remains first before finding out about the transmissions. It was probably necessary for her to come to terms with his death with all the evidence under her nose and then be forced to accept (against all the known laws that govern the universe) that the transmissions are really coming from the past.

As the great detective often said, ‘…when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

From the way PHY put it, the suggestion is that LJH's ghost haunts the walkie talkie through his unflagging steely determination to see everything through until it's done. Despite hints and suggestions of a dastardly future, PHY is unable to dissuade the senior detective to slow down. So the only way for LJH to come to a standstill is if he finds resolution in his time stream.

So if Sun Woo does survive, what will become of the future? Will that make any significant impact on the future? Because this is the single event that changed PHY's life forever. Will a reversal of that change it again? Perhaps the fix point is that he will still become a police officer but for different reasons. There's the rub... 

"The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?"

So many questions... 

[andy78]

'Signal' Kim Hye-soo finds out about walkie-talkie

On the 14th episode of tvN's Friday & Saturday drama, "Signal", Cha Soo-hyeon (Kim Hye-soo) was shocked when she saw Park Hae-yeong (Lee Je-hoon) and Lee Jae-han (Jo Jin-woong) communicating with each other through the old walkie-talkie.

Soo-hyeon was shocked when she heard Lee Jae-han's voice from the walkie-talkie as it was turned on all of sudden.

Hae-yeong revealed to Soo-hyeon that the one who had informed him about the corpse under the manhole of the mental hospital was detective Lee Jae-han.

Now that Soo-hyeon figured out everything that had been going on, whether or not she would be able to save Lee Jae-han as well Park Hae-yeong's older brother is drawing attention.

Source : www.tvreport.co.kr/?c...

http://www.hancinema.net/spoiler-signal-kim-hye-soo-finds-out-about-walkie-talkie-92113.html

great scene..

[liddi]

Revelation after revelation, twist after twist. Just barely out of the period of mourning, we are thrown once more into the thick of things as we remember that life still goes on, and where there is life, there is still hope. And this is the train of thought that PHY pursues in his desperate bid to save his brother and by extension LJH. But all is not what it seems yet again, and we are finally privy to the reason Chief Ahn needed the two hours before meeting PHY. Absolutely brilliant twist... from what would have been a case that was hopeless to overturn, having exceeded the statute of limitations, Chief Ahn found a loophole that would, if not pin, then tie the perpetrator to murder, a crime no longer bound by the same statutes. However, that is not what is first and foremost in PHY's mind right now. Upon realising that his brother was murdered and covered up as a suicide, his frantic attempts to stop it has him pleading with LJH to save his brother once more, even when he had previously asked him to no longer pursue the case. Now, we are back in a race against time like never before, as we count down to Feb 18, 2000, 4:30PM, with a wounded LJH rushing out to save PSW. Will he succeed? Or will this be once again another death fate was determined to claim, thus leaving our team to work in their parallel timelines to unveil the truth? 

This episode is again not without tears (should I even be surprised by now), as we relive PSW's senseless death once more through younger PHY's eyes. The desolation of their mother, mirrored by PHY's as his father forcibly drags him away was heartbreaking, a family so irrevocably torn apart by circumstances that were not even of their own doing. The realisation that PSW, as so many others have mentioned here, never gave up... that this 18 year old boy, in spite of all that befell him, circumstances that would have defeated a grown man, stayed true to his inate character - kind, supportive, understanding and unwavering to the last. The fact remains that he made a difference, even then, without changing the past... just by being who he was, giving KHS the courage to live, face forward, despite the unspeakable trauma she went through, compounded by the guilt that she turned on the one person who truly cared for her. This is the same boy who was an exemplary older brother to PHY... for whose love the latter would evolve into the man he became... driven to clear his brother's name. As such, I am deathly afraid to find that he is the one that fate would not spare, no matter the circumstances, in its inexplicable way, just as we can never wrap our minds around the fact that OKT's life, remained destroyed despite being merely an innocent bystander, no matter how hard they tried to change it. Yet, what can we expect if PSW survives? Assuming LJH gets to him in time, and he has possession of the incriminating red scarf, which I suspect has DNA samples that would conclusively tie Jang Tae Jin to the rape (which was still within the statute of limitations at the time), would Congressman Jang be implicated? Or would he still remain above the law, but now targeting LJH who has dared to take down his own? How would that unfold going into Aug 3, 2000? Would Detective Ahn choose differently, or do we still see LJH dead by his hand? And what of PHY? Without the trauma of his brother's death, would he still have become the man he is today? Or would his fate still be irrevocably joined with LJH's... except in a happier future, knowing that this is the man who saved his brother, and possibly restored his family? So many unknowns... so many variables...

Even as facts are slowly revealed, we are treated to lighthearted moments, which is a much needed breather from the intensity. As many here have mentioned, the confession in the ambulance is priceless, as is LJH trying to extradite himself from CSH's sleeping form in a rush to relieve himself. The close-up to CSH's broken watch at the hospital is a foreshadowing of happier moments to come... since the watch that she has been wearing (and having LJH's father fix) for the past 15 years is a rectangular one... which could only have been given by LJH to replace her broken one. Would we even get to see that happen in this gradually altered timeline, seeing that he is now rushing headlong into danger in trying to save PSW?

Every performance, be it from the leads or supporting cast, young and old, remains impeccable. However, can I just give a shoutout to the brilliant Son Hyun Joo, whose minimalist delivery effectively chills the blood with a few choice words, measured movements, tightly composed expressions and steely gaze. What a departure from his role in KEH's previous drama as the tortured President Lee Dong Hwi in 3Days, and certainly poles apart from his and JJW's characters in My Too Perfect Sons here in BTS5  :

Spoiler

We are now approaching the end of this brilliant drama... and I am so dreading what might pan out... as much as I am unwilling to leave this universe and all the characters we've come to care for yet. I'm now torn... do I want Friday to come so soon?

[kaqueski]

"For both you and sunbae-nim, I will not give up" -- CSH in the preview.

I think she's gonna take charge in the last 2 episodes. Honestly the young CSH irks me sometimes :))) I don't like how she keeps making people worry and doing clumsy stuffs and being clouded by emotions. I'm so happy she matures into the badass CSH nowadays. 

 

[Mico Ricco]

At the point when CSH hindered LJH for an urgent-toilet break, l have actually wished for LJH to "bomb" his pants then grossed out CSH.  haha ...

[seuswin]

I'm bad at predicting something but after watching episode 14, i start to worried about PHY. I wish 3 of them will survive till the end & we have a happy ending. but if the worst case happen, Who do you want to survive the most?

[Mico Ricco]

credit : FB - tvn10thsignal

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[bebebisous33]

6 hours ago, ross27 said:

My heart of course wants all 3 leads to be alive and well in the present time but my mind says that one of the leads may be sacrificed! 

I am in awe of Sun Woo! Even in prison, he encouraged his victim friend to move on and live her life well, telling her she did not do anything wrong. He did not give up and intended to put things right and live his life henceforth. That's a determined and positive young man that surely deserves a chance to live!

Exactly, the biggest victim from all this is PSW! If someone had to be alive, that would be him because he had no real life. His life ended so young. 

I liked how KBJ got nervous, when he was under investigation. I also enjoyed him being treated like trash or better said like a cow who has to be sent to the slaughterhouse in the end!

[bebebisous33]

I cried my eyes out during the episode 13, two scenes were so heartbreaking: PHY young at the restaurant and LJH is witnessing it, the conversation between LJH and PHY, when both said, they wanted the other to be happy.

I have the impression, KBJ did something wrong when he got the floppy disk. Why didn't he make a copy of it? and in case that Jang decides to throw him away, he could use the disk as blackmail.

Don't you find it weird that Jang's son and his nephew are both involved in a rape? The first one witnessed it and did nothing and the second was the perpetrator.

During the episode 12 and 13, I really want to punch KBJ for his disgusting behaviour. But then his desesperate attempt not to lose his position made me smile... everything comes with a price! He thought, since he had money and more power, he would belong to the higher class. But no, he was wrong. He was just the minion, or better said the hunting dog!

I really wish that PSW doesn't die but I am afraid, this won't happen. Actually, the murder of PSW could be a way to get to KBJ and through him to Congressman Jang. What matters to me is that in the end, Jang is arrested and convicted so that the suffering from the victims can stop at some point.

I don't know if the writer will be able to write a second season because the last two episodes seem to point to the end and finsh the circle.  But if it is not possible, I wish something similar!  

[Ginaaaa]

3 hours ago, liddi said:

<snip>....As such, I am deathly afraid to find that he is the one that fate would not spare, no matter the circumstances, in its inexplicable way, just as we can never wrap our minds around the fact that OKT's life, remained destroyed despite being merely an innocent bystander, no matter how hard they tried to change it. Yet, what can we expect if PSW survives?...<snip>

After reading this part, I got the urge to re-read the book The Bridge of San Luis Rey! Strange, that book was required reading in HS and at the time, while I didn't dislike the book, I was all "meh" about the deeper meaning of the unanswerable questions the book delves into. Funny how decades of living alters one's point of view.

I'm not even going to attempt to predict the outcome of Signal. 14 episodes down and I've come to trust the writer and director to deliver an ending that, while it may make us cry, it will be satisfying and will continue to provoke deep thinking even after it ends.

 

[liddi]

@Ginaaaa I wonder if there was any news of a Director's Cut DVD in the works... I don't recall reading about it on the thread unless I missed it. Do you know? This is one drama that I would truly consider buying if they do release it... though all the extras are probably unsubbed, which would do illiterate me absolutely no good, apart from employing my wild stabs of logic! K-netizens are asking for a season 2... if our trio survives... would that happen? Either way... the end is near... and I'm so not ready to say goodbye  

[mgicc]

4 hours ago, seuswin said:

I'm bad at predicting something but after watching episode 14, i start to worried about PHY. I wish 3 of them will survive till the end & we have a happy ending. but if the worst case happen, Who do you want to survive the most?

The one whom I wish would survive the most has the lowest chance of surviving through it all -Detective Lee Jae Han, a person so decent, so dogged and unwavering in his pursuit for justice, that you cant help but root for his survival. Even though my heart wills for his happy ending, I think I'd be OK if he remained dead, because his death also brought about the uncompromising, tough-as-nails CSH 1.0 we love today. However, if his (likely) death were to happen, I hope that current CSH manages to at least say her final goodbyes to her beloved sunbae-nim through the walkie talkie, get the closure that she needed but never got, and move on with her life. It's just too sad to be stuck in the past, unable to move on for 15 years like she was: “Do you not know why cold cases are the worst? When you know who the criminal is and what their motive was, then you know why your family died and how it happened. So even though it’s hard, you can bury it in your heart. With cold cases, you don’t know why or how your loved ones died. You can’t forget it. Everyday is like hell.” </3 

 

I'm not the best at crystal balling, but there are a few scenes I would like to see (if possible), beyond the obvious hope of seeing the 3 main leads happy and well:

-LJH getting his name cleared

-PSW getting his name cleared and living the life he never got with PHY and family. 

-KBJ getting thrown under the bus and dragging Congressman Jang down with him in his spite. Basically the two scumbags duking it out with each other and each getting their comeuppance.

-CSH and PHY meeting again in the new timeline, this time with CSH (who is aware of all the altered timelines, having been the main instigator of the new timeline changes following PHY's arrest(?)) being introduced to rookie profiler PHY (who has no idea about it all since as far as he was concerned, his brother never died)

-Heck, if the drama writer is kind enough to let more than one lead survive I'll be happy enough seeing any surviving leads cross paths as strangers/passers-by.  

 

[Ginaaaa]

@liddi I have no idea about a Director's Cut....not even aware that one is a possibility! I figure for shows made for the small screen, the director pretty much puts out what he/she wants with very little good stuff left on the editing room floor. Budgets for television are usually too tight for extravagant filming, at least here in the US. Maybe things are different in Korea, but I'm fairly new to Kdramaland to have any expertise.

The only Director's Cut I've invested in was Peter Jackson's LOTR, all three of them. They are totally worth the investment and I knew they were going to provide a wealth of background (the Maori actors' tribal tribute to the "two kings" was priceless), plus the added scenes contributed to the story rather than being superfluous. 

Hopefully Signal will forever be available on official licensed streaming companies. If not, I may break down and buy the series. And put in the effort to learn Korean!!!

[enigmatic_zephy]

5 hours ago, seuswin said:

I'm bad at predicting something but after watching episode 14, i start to worried about PHY. I wish 3 of them will survive till the end & we have a happy ending. but if the worst case happen, Who do you want to survive the most?

sun woo.. rest all three can die

[Mico Ricco]

lol @enigmatic_zephy

You are the 1st person wanting all the 3 main leads to die.