Marry My Dead Body has been one of the most delightful movie finds for me this year, so imagine my pure joy in learning that a series based off those characters was in the works! The internet didn’t give me much to go off of, only the name of the series, GG Precinct, and that it was indeed headed to Netflix. Only after seeing Gingle Wang at TIFF did I decide to look again and it had already dropped a couple of weeks prior!
Why it’s taken me so long to finish it since learning about it’s release, I can’t say. But I can say that it was a great time! At only six episodes, we follow the squad at GG Precinct as they take on a serial murderer. It doesn’t take much insight to see that this group is hardly fit to lead such a serious case, but they manage to pull through in the end after lots of tail chasing. It doesn’t helps that these new murders seem to be tied to a series of older ones related to people miswriting Chinese idioms. I wasn’t surprised when they thought the original killer was responsible for these new murders even though he’s been in a pretty secure prison for at least twenty years, if not more.
They do rely on his insight since most of the squad knows next to nothing about Chinese idioms. Lin Tzu-ching is probably their best bet, but she keeps getting in her own way even though she’s now a captain. Of course, Wu Ming-han can’t stand this given that she seemed to be a huge traitor in the film. Turns out she was undercover and gave the stolen funds to the precinct. What a nice way to let this series continue with her in it! Wu Ming-han is also probably a lot sexist, or at least can’t stand the fact that someone is functionally better than him. His dead husband taught him some things, but he couldn’t fix them all. The rest of the squad is rounded out with certified weirdos, but they all have their moments.
What I like most about this series was how they switched from a lot of physical comedy to downright terrifying scenes. There were many times where I caught myself tensed up. The music was key in this feeling, and it also paid off with some rather gruesome scenes. Those idiom murders were quite creative! There were plenty of red herrings throughout the series and that led to a lot of hilarious chases and more dead ends. The show also excels at filming in an almost hyper-realistic style. At times it looked both grungy and alive with vibrant colors. Everyone in the cast fully committed to the bit and that’s all you need to sell a series. I’m sure there were holes in this show, but I was just so happy seeing these characters again that I don’t even care.
The show certainly ended in a way where there could be more. And of course, with a police precinct, there could always be some new big crime if another season were to come about. I really do hope this isn’t the end for these characters, though I recognize how lucky I was to get something beyond the movie in the first place. But still. Give me more! I was a little sad that almost no reference was made to Wu Ming-han’s dead “husband.” There was a line so brief that if I hadn’t been paying close attention I would have missed it. It was a great line, but still, I wish there had been a little more. Who knows, maybe in the future if they get it. Definitely go check out the movie and then swing around to this series – please!