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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective" Episode 4

We finally get some characterization for Seon-woo here- some clear idea of who this woman is aside from being a receptacle for whenever Na-yeong gets the sudden urge for some spiritual possession. She's a social detective. The emphasis is important here- Cheo Yong himself doesn't really look for trouble unless he gets mad. He doesn't do that much detecting unless clues directly fall into his lap. Seon-woo, by contrast, talks to people and tries to draw out specific reasons and motivations.

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Unfortunately in this particular case the specific reasons and motivations are...you kow, it's not actually a dumb storyline come to think of it. If I try to relate it with real life, I can kind of see how a troop of high school girls could get mixed in unsavory stuff, and how conspiracy is involved with the girls' parents and with the administration of the educational institution itself. "Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective" is almost persuasive in the way it indicts social pressures as being relevant to tragedy.

Here's the problem. Remember the title of the drama? "Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective". This is a ghost story, as per the drama's premise. But the actual character actions, indeed, almost all of the important stuff in the plot, has pretty much nothing to do with ghosts. Yes, they appear as a plot device every so often, and technically move the action forward. But the mystery could have been just as easily solved with normal detectives and no interference from this particular supernatural team at all.

As is such, the drama's more fantastic elements here are tremendously distracting. It's difficult for me to take the social issues on display here seriously when this is the same drama that features a main character very good at punching people and a ghost schoolgirl who is easily excited and cheery. It's straight up bizarre that Seon-woo has more of an emotional relevance to this case than Na-yeong does, considering the latter is (or was) an actual schoolgirl who might have some emotional insight into the situation.

What we're left with is a mystery that feels completely at odds with the tone the drama has set so far. I didn't like the story, but it's quite possible that with better direction and more appropriate story framing something good could have come out of this. Frustratingly, "Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective" still can't seem to decide on a consistent tone. This remains the drama's main significant problem, and I can only continue to hope that it gets resolved somehow.

Review by William Schwartz

"Cheo Yong: The Paranormal Detective" is directed by Lim Chan-ik, written by Hong Seung-hyeon and features Oh Ji-ho, Oh Ji-eun and Jun Hyo-seong.

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