The buddy cop genre is not a new one but ‘Nine Puzzles’ turns the genre over its head when one of the buddies happens to be the prime suspect of a gruesome series of murders that points to a serial killer. Headlining Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku, this thrilling new show dropped its first 6 episodes last May 21 and will be dropping the next 3 episodes on May 28 and then the final 2 episodes on June 4. This fast-paced suspense thriller is unique in the way the character dynamics have been set up.

In the show, Kim Da-mi plays Yoon E-na, a high school student who was the first person to find her uncle’s murdered body. No witnesses, no evidence of a forced entry, Yoon E-na became the prime suspect but because there is no evidence or witnesses, E-na’s charges were dropped. The investigator, Kim Han-saem (Son Suk-ku) insists that she’s the culprit. 10 years later, E-na is now a criminal profiler and discovers a murder victim that is somehow connected to her uncle’s murder 10 years ago by a mysterious puzzle piece. While Kim Han-saem still insists she’s the killer, Yoon E-na takes on the case and sticks close to Kim Han-saem, the only person she trusts (even if the feeling isn’t mutual).

Traumatized by finding her dead uncle’s body and questioning her own innocence, Yoon E-na goes to therapy while putting on a child-like exterior that is misread by everyone around her. She’s focused only on her work and in getting what she wants and she’s getting on everyone’s nerves. The person she annoys the most is Kim Han-saem, whose only unsolved case is that of her uncle. He goes along because he feels that he will catch her red-handed but as victims start to pile up, the serial killings are leading up to a bigger story.

Director Yoon Jong-bin does an amazing job at creating the mood and really pushing this world into the genre. The world is dark and gritty. There’s no one to trust and every episode has a new discovery that keeps the audience guessing at every turn. It’s fast-paced, not giving in to unnecessary plot points so that the investigation is always at the forefront, but writer Lee Eun-mi manages to find spaces in the investigation to really play with the characters of Yoon E-na and Kim Han-saem. Their banter is funny but lays the groundwork for the friendship that starts to blossom between the two. Kim Han-saem is not entirely sure of her innocence but he becomes a believer of her profiling skills. 

And this where the show finds moments of brilliance. Director Yoon Jong-bin recreates every murder from the perspective of E-na or Han-saem, who is trying to deduce how the murder happens. The world turns black and either of the cops becomes the culprit for the reenactment to show how they are understanding the killer. It’s probably been done before but it works for this show. Also, Yoon is not afraid to pull back every now and then to let the show be funny.

Kim Da-mi is at her wheelhouse. I’ve seen her playing big characters before like ‘Itaewon Class’ and ‘Our Beloved Summer’ so playing E-na is a piece of cake for her. She imbues her with so much child-like exuberance but still manages to telegraph how emotionally vulnerable she is. It’s all a front and there are moments when the character thinks no one is watching that she can let her guard down just a bit. She really nails it in the last two episodes of the series. It’s something you really wait for. 

On the other hand, Son Suk-ku turns this gruff, rough around the edge’s maverick investigator into someone familiar and endearing. He has a good heart that he’s trying to hide, and Son does a really good job at giving us glimpses of it without revealing it to the people around him in a scene. The dynamic he has with Kim makes the show work.

Rounding up the cast is a strong ensemble including Kim Sung-kyun (‘Reply 1988’, ‘Moving’) and Hyun Bong-sik (‘Gangnam B-Side’, ‘Sweet Home’). But the other standout here is Yoon E-na’s therapist played by Park Gyu-young (‘Celebrity,’ ‘Sweet Home,’ “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’). She is trying to have a professional relationship with Yoon E-na as her therapist but E-na is constantly pushing against the boundaries. Park Gyu-young tries to maintain her stoicism in front of such a chaotic patient and how it shifts and turns as the story progresses is also something to watch out for.

‘Nine Puzzles’ is quite a fun ride with lots of twists and turns and a wonderful set of leads that gives us a partnership to root for. While the first two sets of episode drops are satisfying, the last two feels rush and could have used another episode to really flesh out that ending. One more episode to have managed the pace could have done the show a lot of good but as it is, it’s a winner for Disney+.

My Rating:

Nine Puzzles is streaming now on Disney+. Get hooked on the pulse-pounding twists and dynamic duo of Yoon E-na and Kim Han-saem, jump in and solve the mystery today!