[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team" Episode 7

It's hard to feel sympathy for a murder victim who's also a flasher. This episode marks the closest "Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team" has ever come to an ambiguous killing, where we actually feel bad for the murderer being led away. This is fortunately averted well enough by the ending, which is predictable mostly because there aren't that many suspects in the first place.

Advertisement

But then, who needs murder suspects when we can have every possible moment of investigation or serious drama interrupted by a flashing? It's an incredibly dumb joke to be sure, yet I couldn't help but the find the sheer crudeness of it to be very funny and in keeping with the drama's general spirit. It takes some time for the team to even get started on the case to begin with, and their typical lighthearted antics do a lot to lighten the mood.

The love triangle, ironically enough, doesn't get too much play in that direction. There's very little genuine romance here- just a lot of absurd scheming. I don't know what Jeong-woo's plan is, but given how ditzy Eun-ji is in even the most serious of circumstances I can see why it works. Bear in mind it's not a very good plan to begin with, given how unclear it is who's supposed to be being affectionate to who.

I should note that ditzy isn't really an insult here, since once again, every character that isn't Joon-hyeok comes off at least partially as being a bit dumb. Even without the context of their being transformed into old men, I have to wonder how well Kang-seok could get away with his weirdly cute and childish behavior, constantly smiling and dressing in pink. They also all have remarkably short attention spans. It all seems rather undignified.

Yes, dignity in a mystery drama about a bunch of old men who are trying to find out who murdered the flasher and why. The entire idea is just so out there- I feel kind of awkward just having to use the word flasher, since without context it's not a particularly intuitive word. "Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team" isn't putting too much worry into that kind of composure, though. Its goal is clearly defined enough. Deliver low brow comedy with the trapping of weekly mysteries and a broader plot that's presumably going somewhere eventually. For the moment, it's doing a decent enough job.

Review by William Schwartz

"Grandpas Over Flowers Investigation Team"is directed by Kim Jin-young, written by Moon Seon-hee and features Lee Soon-jae, Byun Hee-bong, Jang Gwang, Kim Heechul, Lee Cho-hee, Kim Eung-soo.

 

Watch on Viki