Vagabond: A Splendid Korean Drama

Vagabond aired on SBS TV in a set of 16 episodes from September 20 to November 23, 2019. Following their debut on television, each episode was released on Netflix in South Korea and globally after their television broadcast. Given its growing popularity, Netflix continues to strive to promote excellent K-dramas. K-dramas have gained a strong following in the western entertainment industry.

I’ve seen a lot of Korean dramas, and I’d have to say this is my favourite. This was an extremely addictive series. The story was well-written and included some interesting plot twists. I really appreciated Bae Suzy’s and Lee Seung-gi’s acting as well as the rest of the cast members. There weren’t many romantic scenes, but Suzy and Seung-gi’s chemistry was so strong that it made up for it. However, there is still a lot that needs to be figured out. The season concluded on a massive cliffhanger, definitely setting up the tension for a second season. I’m still hoping for a second season.

Award-winning series (5 SBS Drama awards, 2019), Vagabond has paved its way to the top of most-watched Netflix K-drama series.

Synopsis (May Contain Spoilers)

Cha Dal-gun (Lee Seung-gi) is an underappreciated stuntman who also looks after his orphaned nephew Cha Hoon (Moon Woo-jin). Hoon clashes with his uncle before he leaves for a field trip to Morocco, despite the fact that they have a rather good relationship. Just before the plane takes off, Hoon sends Dal-gun a video encouraging him to pursue his dream of becoming a Taekwondo master.

Dal-gun is watching a report on a jet crash that killed over 200 citizens owing to a structural breakdown on a drama set. When he finds it’s the same jet his nephew took to Morocco, he’s absolutely devastated. Dal-gun, whose world has been turned upside down, travels to Morocco to attend the funeral for all of the plane crash victims, lamenting the loss of his nephew.

Dal-gun is on his way home when he recognises a reportedly dead passenger from a video his nephew took. He confronts the man and gradually realises that the jet crash was not the result of a fault. Any proof he discovers, however, is inexplicably wiped, and his life is jeopardised whenever he tries to convince people that the plane crash was not an accident.

As the issue becomes more complicated, he is compelled to team up with Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy), a National Intelligence Service clandestine spy vying for a promotion. Dal-gun and Hae-ri begin on an inquiry to discover the truth behind the accident, which takes them deeper and deeper into a complex web of wrongdoing.

Conclusion

Vagabond’s action was overall very enjoyable, with plenty of thrills in each episode. But the way some of this action was portrayed by the camera technique is my major gripe with the show.

I wasn’t concerned by the ending because I liked the route the story was taking, but it does left me wanting more. If you’re debating whether or not to watch this, bear that in mind.

On so many levels, Vagabond was a fun drama. Thanks to a fast pace, a fascinating corruption investigation, and constant story twists, the thrills keep coming. The characters are both engaging and relatable while also being really entertaining.

The long-awaited reunion of Lee Seung Gi and Suzy was also a treat to watch. It’s rare to witness action dramas of this calibre and scope, so it was a real joy to see it.

Let me just mention the finale briefly without going into the spoiler zone. It presents some intriguing story developments while also leaving everything open-ended. As in, we desperately need a season 2, but there has been no assurance of one, as is typical of most dramas.