

This drama is exceptionally well written. The writer did an awesome job of pacing it perfectly. It doesn't miss, prolong or over pace a bit. It's a finely tuned machine firing on all cylinders. The characters are vivid and multilayered, and most importantly easily relatable.



The only problem with the script is the bad guys. They are one dimensional, and it's super easy to predict what they will do next. But, that is a more serious problem that can be traced back to Hollywood. And, it's too big of a topic to cover it in this hub.



This marks the first drama lead role for Park Hae-soo, who played the main character Kim Je-hyuk. And boy, he knocked it out of the park. His character is a dim-witted man with a short temper, who only knows one thing, baseball. In the first few episodes, he perfectly acted the shock and numbness of a man lost in that strange, violent and unknown world.



In the beginning, he had problems hiding his disgust for people in jail, but later he found comfort in his cellmates. But, he also showed compassion to his elderly cellmate, (he beat the guy who was bulling him), and to his younger cellmate (paid for his mother's operation).



As the story progresses he gets almost like a cult following in prison. Everybody wants to help him, minus the bad guys, of course. Although, it could be said that he entered prison with that.



Jung Kyung-ho plays his best friend Lee Joon-ho, who is a correctional officer in the detention center where Je-hyuk awaits a decision on his appeal. Later, he gets transferred to a prison, he serves his sentence, just so he could keep him safe. More from himself than others. Kyung-ho did a great job portraying good and reliable friend. His worry for his friend and his family is something that is rare in this world.



Choi Moo-sung plays a lifer, a former gangster Kim Min-Chul. Choi plays his part perfectly. A man was broken by his sins, who finds redemption in prison, and treats other prisoners like his sons. He is the second guardian hawk to Je-hyuk. He is always there for him.



Jin Min-sung plays Doctor Go, a seemingly ordinary prisoner who always writes complaints about everything, which usually leads to nothing. As we get to know him he gets more and more complex. His story is not at all what I expected. And, Min-sung did a wonderful job with this character.



I already knew that Jung Woong-in is a great actor, I watched him in a lot of dramas, where he usually plays a really awesome bad guy. But here he is such a joy to watch. He plays Assistant Chief Paeng. He is a grumpy, foul-mouthed and above all scruffy character. I must say he was my favorite character in this drama, which says a lot. Because there is really a lot of lovable characters. In my opinion, he got the most complex role and delivered it masterfully. It's obvious that the creator and director knew what Woong-in can do, and they just let him do it perfectly.