Secret Investigation Record (2010)

aka Joseon X-Files: Secret Book

A stylish and intelligent science fiction drama from South Korea that offers up many questions and a few answers, Secret Investigation Record is highly entertaining  but all too short. Clearly a homage to The X-Files, it manages to be its own beast thanks to well fleshed out characters and historical setting. Being loosely based on real records from the era lends a Project Blue Book feel to it as well.

I was a big fan of The X-Files during its early seasons, having watched it from its broadcast premiere. Unfortunately, it became clear around the third season that the creator of the show did not have a clue to what he was doing and was making it up on the fly. So it was with a mix of curiosity and trepidation that I approached this Korean drama set during the Joseon Dynasty.

Luckily for me, the made for cable television show turned out to be very good right from the first episode.

Taking place in 1609, the scars of Japan’s invasions in the 1590’s are still apparent in Korean society and government with paranoia rampant. The slightest hint of a challenge to the sitting king results in persecution and torture of even his most loyal subjects. So when a giant flying object is seen in one province, an investigation is begun – not to find out what happened, but to cover it up lest authority be challenged.

Brought in due to his lack of political affiliations, Magistrate Kim Hyung Do (Kim Ji Hoon) is a cynical and honest agent of the government. Roughly the equivalent of an FBI agent, his introduction makes him look reckless at first. But first impressions are almost always deceiving in this show and Kim is too serious for his own good. Unlike Fox Mulder, he is a skeptic.

Assigned a partner for the investigation, he is accompanied by Magistrate Jang Man (Jo Hee Bong), a superstitious and not terribly bright older man. Mainly there for comic relief and to provide a commoner’s point of view, he is the junior partner of the duo. Class divisions are a big part of the show and one honorific that isn’t explained is used a lot for Kim: naeuri. I had to look that one up, it is what a commoner calls a noble.

Along the way, Kim runs into a beautiful woman working for the government, Heo Yoon Yi. This mysterious woman ends up being the analytical brains of the group due to her extensive knowledge of strange events and things. Unlike Agent Scully, she is the one who knows all the weird things, except her own origins – or so she claims. Her relationship with Kim becomes a subplot to the entire series.

An encounter with a strange pipe smoking man leads to one bizarre case after another, including vampires, psychics, cults, a Lovecraftian fishing village, and mysterious artifacts. Every episode is very good with some being truly excellent. While only running twelve episodes, a lot of ground is covered and quite a few questions answered. But not all.

Starting with the mind boggling seventh episode, things take a turn for the surreal and the latter half of the season does not content itself with asking if there is such a thing as the truth. Instead it begins to question the nature of reality itself and leads to an ending even more cryptic than the beginning. A palpable sense of foreboding fills the episodes, leading to a feeling that none of the characters are immune to being killed.

This is not a show to watch to relax, for there are far too many layers to the storylines and it expects the audience to be intelligent. The endings of episode two and eight are especially surprising and never fully explained. I have to imagine that there was a lot of debate in South Korea over theories and explanations.

The excellent writing is matched by the performances of the cast, which are uniformly dead on to each character. That is needed for this kind of science fiction show, because they live and die by suspension of disbelief. Secret Investigations Report makes me want to believe. At least believe in the possibility of a second season, because I want more!

The content of the show is PG-13, with death and some gore. This is no kids show and I would not recommend it for anyone younger than a teen.

If you liked The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, or mysteries in general, you will enjoy this drama. I really liked it and wish it was out on DVD or BD so I could purchase it.

Secret Investigations Record can be viewed at Hulu, but you have to be subscribed to Hulu Plus to see it. It is now available in 720p HD. Go watch it.