“Unmasked” is the newest Korean investigative thriller to exclusively debut on Disney+! Starring familiar faces like Kim Hyesoo (Signal, Juvenile Justice) and Jung Sungil (The Glory, Our Blues), the series is directed by You Sundong (The Uncanny Counter). Fiercely pursuing justice, a team of investigative journalists unmask the dark and harsh reality behind each story they cover on the “Trigger” TV show.
After broadcasting an exceptionally controversial story and due to pressure from the higher ups, the team must aim to accomplish the impossible; to find Dr Trigger, the insider who has been leaking the team’s personal stories and to solve a twenty-year-old cold case involving a famous actor who disappeared without a trace.
Leading the team is tenacious Team leader Oh Soryong (Kim Hyesoo) who also doubles as the presenter for the show. With a strong sense of right and wrong, Soryong is also headstrong and frank in her opinions, making her unpopular with the bosses. We meet Han Do (Jung Sungil), a self-centered rookie producer who is forced into the Trigger team. The newcomer prefers to be a lone wolf and has little interest in fitting in with his team. He doesn’t not seem to play ball with anyone, also alluding due a dark past of family trauma.
We see the team tackle a cult that is involved with a “zombie” drug, a terrifying drug that destroys your veins and causes skin necrosis. The team is alerted by a mother whose son was hastily cremated before traces of any drugs could be properly verified. Soryong bravely confronts the cult, even staring straight into the barrel of a gun without fear. Even when her teammates are petrified, Soryong does not seem to care for her life. Han Do is also unwillingly dragged along for the ride and dangerously risks his life when all he wants to do is to lie low.
The team also delves into a curious case of cat-killing, with the clashing personalities, lack of clear communication between the team members causing chaos in the already drama-filled office.
Like her previous characters in Signal and Juvenile Justice, Kim Hyesoo plays a strong-willed and resourceful character. She displays an interesting chemistry with Jung Sungil, with her character displaying strong and soft sides of her to Han Do within the first two episodes of the series. Jung Sungil who rose to the ranks of popular actors with his role as the ignorant husband and loving father in The Glory, made sure his character in “Unmasked” is nothing like his previous series. Eccentric, infuriating and to be honest quite suspicious in the scheme of things, Jung Sungil made sure viewers are glued to Han Do’s every move as we wonder if he will become truly loyal to the team in future.
After watching the first two episodes, we wonder how the police play into this series. Are they truly unable to solve any crime? They do not seem to as corrupt as one might expect, so it leads to the question as to why the news team is doing so much when there should be proper detectives to solve cases like these. Surely a cat-killer can be easily found by some detectives? While Soryong might really be single-mindedly willing to risk her life in her investigations, she seems to be reckless, brushing off complaints and worries of her team. This attitude will likely backfire, making us worry that her innocent teammates might pay the price. Han Do seems be a good candidate for Dr Trigger, but he has too mysterious at this stage, we know too little about him!
Will the team be able to solve the cold case or will they be impeded? Will justice really prevail or as Han Do stated in his job interview, ”Humans are hopeless”?
Remember to catch “Unmasked” as it premieres exclusively on Disney+ on January 15!
