I'll start by saying that I watched Season 1, and I did enjoy it, but the disappointment manifested in the last 5 episodes or so. My memory still holds the feelings of that time, but not the specific storyline. Since Season 1 was aired two years ago, I had completely forgotten what the main case was about. So when Season 2 was starting to air, I went back and restarted S1. And just from the first ep, most of the memories of the case came rushing back! I remember why I was disappointed with S1 in the first place.

Now in S2, Do Chang is now the guardian for Eun Hye, whose father they had wrongly convicted for a murder charge in S1, whom they eventually failed to save from death row. I was really pissed about that in S1. I guess that's somewhat realistic, but being part of the audience, I want some form of satisfying closure. S1 didn't provide that.

Nothing came out of the brief attraction Ji Hyuk had with Seo Kyung in S1. That was also disappointing. While I didn't care much for the couple either, I would have been happier if something happened between the two of them. A development of a new relationship, or something. Overall, S1 had a sense of discontent hanging all over it, although the thrill of the chase made it a pretty decent drama for me.

I wasn't expecting much from S2 because of the lassitude I was feeling from S1. But as I followed episode after episode, I was quite surprised to find myself easily absorbed into the story. S2 started off rather slow, but it gave a cogent follow-up on Ji Hyuk getting a transfer back to West Incheon with the same team and same partner. While in S1 he had faced various oppositions and "attitude" from existing members in the investigation team, he had smoothly cemented his place with the team with his return in S2. Do Chang's younger sister who was a mess from her divorce back in S1, now owns a fried chicken shop, and Eun Hye who Do Chang is raising, helps with the shop.

The plot for S2 began with the serial killings of several girls, which overlapped with the battery case of a woman by a son from a rich conglomerate. It felt straightforward at first glance, but it was soon revealed that one of the girls whom police initially suspected was the serial killer's victim was not in fact, murdered by him. So, as the story steadily gains momentum, it begins to present a new problem and revelation of a new mystery that requires digging into the core of an affluent but heartless and dyfunctional conglomerate family.

Most actors and actresses are well-trained -- and I'm actually a pretty easy person when it comes to grading acting skills. I usually don't have much complaint where acting is concerned, unless it's so bad that even my great-grandmother in a stupor would have been a better actress. That rarely happens. However, I'm extremely picky about the script and storyline. As such, there's nothing to complain about the acting, which I quite enjoyed, especially Kim Hyo Jin's performance. She's an amazing actress.

I wrote this review when I was 8 episodes into the drama. I gave this an 8.0 back then, but now that I have completed all 16 episodes, it is with much regret that I have to dock the rating down to a 7.0 and rewrite my review. I find the final three episodes of S2 underwhelming and nonsensical. The new developments that transpired, which I'm sure almost everyone could see coming, were handled badly. I mean, there are still wholesome humour injected in some scenes, which I thoroughly appreciate. The humour is what I love about the vibe of The Good Detective. This drama gives me a light and pleasant feeling while following the cases, compared to a dark investigative series. But that being said, I have issues to pick with some details in the writing of this show.

Now, it is clear by Episode 13 that Cheon Sang Woo was not the actual killer of Jung Hee Joo. Sang Woo, having been sentenced to 15 years for soliciting Hee Joo's murder, was suddenly deemed "innocent" and freed. This is where I have a big glaring issue with the writing. He's not at all innocent. He did order the killing, and although his solicitation of murder by hiring Ki Dong Jae to murder Hee Joo did not directly result in her death, he was nevertheless still very much guilty of hiring Dong Jae as a contract killer. This is just common sense, and a law in many countries. South Korea is not an exception. According to Statutes of the Republic of Korea (aka South Korean Criminal Law) under Chapter 24, Crimes of Homicide, which covers Article 255 in Preparations and Conspiracies, it was explicitly stated that, "A person who makes preparations or conspires with intent to commit the crimes of Articles 250 through 253, shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not more than ten years." Articles 250 through 253 include Murder and Murder Upon Request. All these can be found on the Korea Legislation Research Institute website.

Even if Jung Hee Joo did not die by the hand of another person, it was still very much assured that she would be killed by the assassin Cheon Sang Woo has dispatched, aka Ki Dong Jae. So why should Sang Woo go free?!?? It doesn't make a shred of sense. Why would you release someone who had been proven to hire a killer with the intent to take another person's life!? The whole retrial bugged the shit out of me. Why would you need a retrial? No retrial should have been needed, Sang Woo is a scumbag who contracted a killer, he violated a law with the intent to take the life of another human being. He should have stayed in jail. The part where Kang Do Chang and Oh Ji Hyuk requested for Cheon Sung Dae's cooperation with their investigation was unnecessary, and looked really silly at execution. What was the point of Cheon Sung Dae asking for the help of 50 other old men at a villa dinner again? That bit was preposterous. It went nowhere.

Choi Yoon Geum committed a range of crimes. He accepted money to cover up a murder. Why was he free and walking about in Episode 15 and 16??! It was utterly ridiculous. All of these people have been caught red-handed on tape yet they are all released. Lmao. Hello? They were all involved in conspiracy to murder a poor girl. Again, even if she didn't die by Cheon Na Na 's hands, Cheon Sang Woo would still have her killed. He showed no remorse whatsoever even after he was caught hiring a killer on tape, was sent to trial, and put in prison. He acted like his own psychopathic self from start to finish. The final 3 episodes made zero sense.

Dude I really, really enjoyed this drama for 13 episodes and then this whole dumb "retrial, release Cheon Sang Woo" garbage happened. Ugh. Another issue that I have is the writer's treatment of female characters like Moon Bo Kyung. Girl was introduced as a mess in S2, but she grew as a character over time and honestly I have grown to love her too. She has a crush on Oh Ji Hyuk and how did the writer give her closure? Nothing. Space silence.

The really big plus about S2 of The Good Detective is that there are plenty of comedy and camaderie spirit abound compared to S1, and I personally feel it that way because I actually ran a concurrent rewatch of S1 up to Ep 7. Really, S1 wasn't terrible, but I'm ambivalent about it. S2 is definitely the better season for me, and that is very rarely the case with sequels. It almost never happens. Honestly, S2 would have been such an awesome sequel, had it not been for the disappointment in the finale.