K-drama Chimera: Squid Game star Park Hae-soo plays detective in diverting crime procedural

Park is a detective investigating an unexplained explosion with links to the past in a series that deftly combines brooding crime drama and comic relief

Originally expected to broadcast in 2019, it feels dated and suffers from airing after another crime series, Mouse – narratively they have a lot in common

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Park Hae-soo (centre) in a scene from K-drama Chimera, which deftly combines brooding crime drama with comic relief.

Published: 7:39pm, 11 Nov 2021Updated: 7:41pm, 11 Nov 2021

The Korean megahit Squid Game is still occupying the top spot on Netflix’s global rankings, but Park Hae-soo, also known as contestant #218, is already back on screens leading the new thriller series Chimera.

From The Moon Embracing the Sun director Kim Do-hoon and Ex-Girlfriend’s Club writer Lee Jin-mae, this 16-episode OCN production sees Park play a detective who investigates an unexplained explosion that quickly leads him into a deeper mystery connecting the present with crimes that took place 35 years earlier.

Claudia Kim of Avengers: Age of Ultron joins him as an FBI-trained profiler, while Lee Hee-joon, who played a detective in Mouse, is the chief suspect here – or so it seems; more on that below.

With an easy-to-follow investigation and clear characters, it’s a breeze getting situated within the story of Chimera. The procedural elements are satisfying in a familiar and undemanding kind of way, and while the plot starts to thicken after a few episodes, the show maintains a light-footed zigzag between brooding crime drama and offering comic relief.

The story itself is set in motion when a degenerate elderly gambler leaves a gambling den late one night. He finds a fancy lighter in his car and flicks it open when curiosity gets the better of him. Then he lights it, igniting an explosion that instantly engulfs the car.