"Tunnel"...a bit of a black hole to start

Tunnel was one I decided to watch as part of my list of Completed Drama goals for 2021. It was the second one I tried to watch off that list. Wok of Love being first but the first episode was so disjointed it turned me off. Starting this one I had high hopes due to the two male leads- Yoon Hyun Min and Choi Jin Hyuk. The time travel aspect was also appealing but sometimes time travel can be a bit messy so I went into it a bit guarded.

I'm not gonna lie the first six episodes were a struggle to get through but I didn't want to drop two shows in a row so I persevered. I'm not exactly sure why it was a struggle. Maybe it didn't have enough of the time travel aspect or trying to focus on the past. I needed something more that just wasn't there.

It wasn't until Hyun Min's character started figuring out Jin Hyuk's character wasn't really who he said he was and that he was from the past that the show finally clicked for me. Jin Hyuk's character learning about his wife and child in the present was the emotional link to the past I needed. Then when Lee Yoo Young character found out her identity it also added that emotional layer I needed as well. The banter between father and potential son-in-law was cute.

The mystery was fairly standard as far as solving it. Yes two killers is unique but maybe the reveal of that fact so early on and the identity of both killers made the reveal anti-climatic? The final three episodes were a bit frustrating as the good guys couldn't figure out how to actually catch the culprit. They can make culprits sometimes so above the law that it just becomes frustrating to the viewers. Setting up the daughter at the end was not a bad plan EXCEPT the fact they let her be strangled for a good while before they decided to bust the window to get in? They couldn't have gotten a key or something? Again, just seemed to be some kinda dumb little things.

Also, when he went back for the final time could he not have tried to stop all the future murders? He was still a cop. DNA developed for crime investigations for the first time three years before he returned but wasn't widely used until the 1990's. I figured he could have used his knowledge to prevent the future killings and change the present but that wasn't something they let us see. I would have also liked to see how more of the future would have changed.

The time travel issue was never explained outside of the detective and killer have to be in the tunnel at the same time except for the end when the case was wrapped. Didn't really follow the previous rules but sometimes it's better to be vague than too much explanation that gets muddled and nonsensical.

The supporting characters in the police force were fun and it had my favorite supporting actor...Kang Ki Young. I swear he never ages.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it was just okay so it's just a 3/5.