Crash – K-Drama Episode 1 Recap & Review

The Traffic Crime Investigation Team

Crash Episode 1 begins with two women entering a car dealership and looking at a new car that is surprisingly cheap. The salesman convinces them to make a deposit before test-driving the car. In the same building, a man named Cha Yeon-ho comes to meet Jo Seok-tae, who seems to be the boss.

When the new car doesn’t work, the woman checks the hood and fixes it immediately. The women then reveal they’re from the police and know how the salesman scams people into buying used cars. Along with two other policemen, they go inside the building and round up Jo Seok-tae and his men as well.

These four people are from the Traffic Crime Investigation team and the ace of the team is the woman named Min So-hee. Sadly, in the chaos, even Cha Yeon-ho gets arrested.

When they reach the police station, So-hee realises that Cha Yeon-ho is actually an insurance investigator. He gives her some papers on his investigation into a serial killer case involving cars. She says she’ll call him later. Later, the TCI is having a meal at a restaurant when another police team turns up and berates them for using a big table. We learn that Jeong Chae-man created the TCI and the team is looked down on by other departments.

So-hee is then called away by her father, who reveals that her grandmother, Bong-soon, passed away. She goes to the funeral and learns Bong-soon died in a car accident. Suddenly, she recognises Yeon-ho sitting in the funeral home. When she approaches him, he accuses her of not reading the file he gave her. So-hee goes home and reads the file.

The next day, So-hee discusses the case with her team. The culprit’s name is Jung Hok-yu and he’s caused four accidents so far and has made money from his driver’s insurance despite having to settle at court. They decide to investigate.

Elsewhere, when a group of men in a car begin to bully an old woman driving hers. So-hee drives her own car in the middle and ensures the traffic police arrest them. So-hee and Chae-man then visit the victim’s families, and Yeon-ho does the same by himself.

All the family members believe that the driver didn’t do it on purpose. At one of the visits, the police duo bump into Yeon-ho. Finally, they meet the driver himself. Hok-yu seems remorseful for all the accidents and they don’t learn much new information.

Back at the office, So-hee learns that there were no CCTV cameras in all four areas of the accident. She then heads to the site of her grandmother’s accident to simulate the accident — where she almost hits Yeon-ho. From her simulation, Yeon-ho concludes that the driver turned left on purpose to hit Bong-soon. He then gives So-hee a recording of Hok-yu’s call with the insurance company.

Back at the office, the call reveals that Hok-yu specifically wanted insurance for accidents. When she realises he bought used cars from Jo Seok-tae, So-hee questions him. Turns out, even a scammer like Seok-tae had found him suspicious. After work, So-hee’s father picks her up in his cab. On the way home, he tells her that the settlement for Bong-soon was only about three million Won.

Later, So-hee suggests they use Seok-tae and set a trap for Hok-yu. She wants to put a camera in the car he buys and collect evidence. They go ahead with the plan and use Seok-tae to lure Hok-yu. Hok-yu arrives at the dealership and chooses a car. When Seok-tae takes him aside,  the team puts trackers and a camera inside the car.

At the insurance company, a senior colleague tells Yeon-ho to bury the Hok-yu case. Despite that, Yeon-ho insists on giving his file to the company director. Meanwhile, So-hee and her team find Hok-yu’s next victim, an old woman named Yoon Sung-ja. He’s followed her quite a bit already and is bound to make a move soon. At home, Hok-yu looks up the TCI and realises that they recently arrested Seok-tae. He figures out that he’s been played.

While following Hok-yu around, So-hee realises Hok-yu has sold his car to someone else and they don’t have eyes on him anymore. She thinks he’ll go for the grandmother but Hok-yu instead attacks Seok-tae. Right before the car hits him, Yeon-ho drives his cycle in between and takes the hit instead at the end of Crash Episode 1.

The Episode Review

Episode 1 of Crash begins with a bang. From the very first scene, things are fast-moving and explosive — there is a lot of stunt driving, snazzy manoeuvres by So-hee, a murder investigation and a perpetrator with a clever strategy. The one-hour episode lasts a tad long but also makes you want to know what happens next.

The TCI themselves are quite intriguing, So-hee is a passionate and talented cop who is a delight to watch. Chae-man is softer in that regard but interesting in his own way. Yeon-ho, who is bound to work more closely with the TCI, is awkward and introverted but with a strong moral backbone. Each of the main characters has intriguing works and their dynamic is promising.

Overall, it’s great to see a pilot that isn’t all exposition and setup with the only exciting event occurring in the final few minutes. This episode drops us in the middle of a thrilling investigation and through that, introduces the show and its characters. It’s a refreshing change.