Flex X Cop, the 2024 Kdrama starring Ahn Bo-hyun (See You in My 19th Life), is a stylish combo of fresh and familiar – incorporating elements of tried-and-true procedural police shows with a contemporary twist. Main character, Jin I-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun) is that fresh face – a third generation chaebol with more money and time on his hands than he knows what to do with. When I-soo is mistakenly arrested by Detective Lee Gang-hyun (Park Ji-hyun), a team lead within the Violent Crime Unit, the only way for the police department, and I-soo’s father, to save face is to make him a temporary team member. Detective Lee would rather solve cases without the flashy I-soo. But after seeing his intelligence, wealth, and connections in action, she can’t deny that his way of working has merit.
- Series Title: Flex X Cop (Korean: 재벌X형사)
- Starring: Ahn Bo-hyun, Park ji-hyun, Kang Sang-jun, Kim Shin-bi, Kwak Si-yang
- Written by: Kim Ba-da
- Directed by: Kim Jae-hong
- Network: SBS TV
- Where to watch in the US: Hulu
- Year Released: 2024
- # of episodes: 16
- KafeNook Rating: 4.3 sips
Flex X Cop — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
Familiar: Format
It surprised me to learn that Flex X Cop is a remake of a 2015 Russian series Silver Spoon, based on a format by the TV Production company, Shreda. Surprised, because it could have as easily been based on any number of American police shows like Castle or The Mentalist.
The formula is straightforward. Start with a law enforcement team comprised of a strong, intelligent female lead and several smart, capable detectives. Saddle them with a “specialist” – a person with little to no hands-on law enforcement experience but who has a unique set of skills – to help solve cases. In Castle, the specialist is mystery writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion). He teams up with Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to help fight crime in New York City. Psychic Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is the specialist in The Mentalist, working with California Bureau of Investigation agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). Throw in a little romantic tension between the leads (Castle) and/or a mystery surrounding the specialist’s tragic past (The Mentalist) and the building blocks for a classic procedural drama are there. The trick is to build something fresh out of this formula.
Fresh: Chaebol Jin I-soo
Flex X Cop succeeds in bringing on the freshness. Jin I-soo’s specialty is being a spoiled chaebol. With a lot of time and money on his hands he likes to ride motorcycles, drive fast cars, lead live action role playing games, train in mixed martial arts, and get a law degree just because. What makes him special is how he uses his skills, knowledge, and resources to benefit the team.
It’s fun to see I-soo in action – solving cases in ways that are beyond the resources of the police force. Who else could hire their own helicopter to track down a suspect? What saves him from being too cocky and overbearing is the weight of his tragic family background. The illegitimate son of the chairman of Hanso Group, as a boy he went to live with his father when his mother died suddenly. For all his flash, a part of I-soo is the little boy who still grapples with his mother’s tragic death.
Familiar: Detective Lee Gang-hyun
Detective Lee Gang-hyun checks off all the boxes for this typical character. Intelligent. Check. Crack team leader in the Violent Crime Department. Check. Inspires loyalty from her team members. Check. Resents some specialist coming in to mess up her cases. Check. Eventually sees specialist in a new light. Check. Begins to have feelings for specialist – che . . . wait – let’s save that for Season 2.
Lee Gang-hyun is also a loyal daughter who will stop at nothing to clear her father’s name. Plus, the more she learns about I-soo’s past, the more her heart softens towards him. By the time she goes undercover to expose the cult responsible for framing her father, she not only trusts I-soo but puts her life in his hands. This reflects the turning point in their relationship, with Gang-hyun now seeing I-soo as a true team member. It is also the moment I-soo’s personal life come crashing down around him. Gang-hyun’s father warned her to keep her distance from I-soo, but she isn’t built to ignore the pain of someone she cares about. Instead of getting rid of I-soo, Gang-hyun moves into action to help him.
The rest of the team is filled with familiar character types including stoic Park Jun-young (Kang Sang-jun), Lee Gang-hyun’s friend from academy days. He takes an immediate dislike to I-soo until the day he is put under hypnosis and becomes I-soo’s number one fan. Youngest member, Choi Kyung-jin (Kim Shin-bi) idolizes I-soo and is thrilled to have him as a part of their team. He is the counterbalance to stoic Jun-young – with a chipper attitude, even when reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, waiting for lab results, or combing through phone records.
Fresh and Familiar: Ambiance
The opening sequence of Flex X Cop features fun and flashy images of Jin I-soo in all his chaebol glory – a posh apartment, expensive cars, daring hobbies – mixed in with eye catching team pics in color coordinated outfits. Episodes take place in and around Seoul, a fresh local for western audiences used to crime shows set it big US or European cities. At the same time, the show imbues a noir feel through the use of filtered lighting and retro set designs.
Even the soundtrack reflects the mix of fresh and familiar. Lucy sung by Hey! is an electric guitar, drum beating, in your face number matching I-soo’s wealthy and active lifestyle. Contrast this with Hersh’s jazzy Shadows in the Night – a song featuring the type of Latin beats played by a small jazz group in a smoky piano bar.
Familiar: Case of the Week
For two-thirds of the drama, I-soo, Gang-hyun and the rest of the team solve roughly a case each week. Lee Gang-hyun trusts her instincts while her team performs good old fashion police work. Still, the cases are interesting. Who killed the model on the yacht? How did the painter die in a “locked” gallery? Who is killing old people and stealing their rare and valuable items? Is I-soo’s crazy ex-girlfriend (Ha Yoon-kyung of She Would Never Know) really a murder suspect? Why is Choi Tae-joon’s (So I Married My Anti-fan) celebrity character such a jerk? (Which is a lot more fun to watch than the mystery of who killed the actress.) Woven through the case of the week are two mysteries – who framed of Gang-hyun’s father and how did I-soo’s mother really die? As the show progresses, these mysteries move to the forefront and take over the remaining episodes.
Fresh: Jin I-soo’s Family Drama
Admittedly, it’s nothing new for a drama to feature an illegitimate chaebol son with daddy issues and a missing/deceased mom. What is fresh is the fact that I-soo’s half-brother, Jin Seung-ju (Kwak Si-yang), the apparent heir, not only likes I-soo, but has looked out for him since he came into their household. Instead of trying to oust I-soo from the family, Seung-ju does everything he can to help I-soo win their father’s approval. For all his bravado, I-soo is a man who struggles with acceptance. This makes Seung-ju the person I-soo loves and trusts the most in the world. Seung-ju’s behavior is not normal in a Kdrama – making his character all the more suspect. Also fresh is I-soo’s memory loss surrounding the death of his mother and how he gradually regains that memory with the help of a murderous psychiatrist.
Familiar: Flex X Cop Ending
Returning to familiar territory, when I-soo’s father dies by apparent suicide, his stepmother (Seung-ju’s mother) appears to be the likely suspect. This seems all the more likely after the death of her former lover, who also happens to be Seung-ju’s real father. She may even have been the last person to see I-soo’s mother alive. But, remember when I said brother Seung-ju’s behavior is not normal in a Kdrama? Back to normal land. With the reveal that Seung-ju is illegitimate, his motive for killing their father becomes clear. What shatters I-soo is the fact that the brother he loves, is also the person who killed I-soo’s mother. Sitting in jail for life seems too light a punishment for Seung-ju.
In the best tear-jerker scene in the drama, Gang-hyun’s mother, Ko Mi-sook (Yoon Yoo-sun), comforts I-soo as he breaks down crying due to all he has lost. (Thank you, Mi-sook, from all mother’s everywhere!)
By the end of the drama, Gang-hyun and the members of the team feel the absence of I-soo who is thrust into leading his father’s company. To their surprise, I-soo turns the company reigns over to his long-time secretary, Cho Jeong-hun (Kim Myung-soo) and returns to the team – ready to solve more cases.
In all, Flex X Cop combines fresh ideas with familiar conventions creating a satisfying drama. It’s hard to see how season 2 will be any better, but following its own formula would be a safe bet.
