Flex x Cop 2 premieres with Ahn Bo-hyun, but trails Married Woman Killer

‘Flex x Cop 2’ signaled a triumphant start with its premiere, showcasing upgraded action and playful character dynamics. While it made a smooth comeback by recording a higher viewership rating than the first episode of Season 1, it failed to reclaim the top spot for weekend mini-series, being pushed aside by the strong upward trend of its time-slot competitor, ‘Married Woman Killer’.

The first episode of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Flex x Cop 2’, aired on the 7th, recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 6.1%, 6.0% in the metropolitan area, a peak viewership rating of 6.9%, and a 2049 viewership rating peak of 2.1%. This is a 0.3%p increase from the 5.8% nationwide rating recorded by the first episode of Season 1. However, since MBC’s ‘Married Woman Killer’, which aired at the same time, recorded 8.3%, the throne for the highest viewership rating was surrendered.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere of the first broadcast was clear. As Jin Yi-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun), the chaebol detective whose charm was verified in Season 1, returned with even bolder scale and action, the unique entertainment pleasure of ‘Flex x Cop’ was further strengthened.

The scale was extraordinary from the very first scene. Jin Yi-soo headed to Mexico on a luxury private jet and tracked a multi-level fraud organization along with Park Jun-young (Kang Sang-jun) and Choi Kyung-jin (Kim Shin-bi) from the Gangha-seo Violent Crimes Team 1. The action of Jin Yi-soo, disguised as a Mariachi, and the Violent Crimes Team 1 unfolding on an international stage seemed to show the determination of Season 2 to maximize the work's strengths from the very beginning.

In particular, the setting of Jin Yi-soo as a ‘chaebol detective’ continued to serve as a powerful source of laughter in Season 2. He nonchalantly accepts the fact that his teammates came all the way to Mexico because of him, and does not hesitate to show chaebol-style bluffing, saying things like, “I rented this whole place and even flew a private jet just because of you guys.” However, this excess does not stop at mere vanity. It is because it is Jin Yi-soo's unique way of converting money and power into investigative tools.

The problem is that this time, he is not the criminal he is chasing, but has become the target of the crime.

Jin Yi-soo was cast as the protagonist of the documentary ‘The Specialist’, which highlights figures from various sectors of society. While filming, he receives a message from an “anonymous informant” saying, “I have a gift for you.” What was waiting for him at the department store he visited was not a gift, but an improvised bomb.

What is even more absurd is the fact that Jin Yi-soo himself accidentally pressed the detonator. The chaebol detective, who usually solved cases with confidence, could not move at all in front of the bomb, and the cool persona he had built up in front of the film crew was instantly crumpled. Even after the bomb was narrowly defused, Jin Yi-soo drew laughter as he tumbled on the ground while fleeing from the explosion.

However, this incident was not a simple happening. It was the prelude to the terror targeting Jin Yi-soo.

The person who appears in that process is Ju Hye-ra (Jung Eun-chae), the leader of the National Police Agency's Counter-Terrorism Team. She is the so-called ‘devil instructor’ who trained him harshly since his days as a police academy trainee. Although she is the person Jin Yi-soo wants to meet the least, she is coincidentally dispatched to Gangha-seo to investigate the serial terror incidents targeting him.

Jin Yi-soo's humiliation does not end there. As his appearance during the bomb terror is reported intact on the news, the dark history of the once-confident chaebol detective is revealed nationwide. However, behind the laughter, a deepening mystery gradually takes place.

Jin Yi-soo attends the launch event for his whiskey brand. Ju Hye-ra worries about potential additional terror, but Jin Yi-soo dismisses the first incident as a mere prank. However, toward the end of the event, a message arrives saying, “Inspector Jin, did you think the game was over? ROUND2,” and shortly after, an explosion occurs in the whiskey display.

Now, the situation changes completely.

Jin Yi-soo has become the target of serial terrorism, where someone is obsessively threatening his life. Park Jun-young and Choi Kyung-jin analyze the event footage, and Ju Hye-ra tracks a criminal with a history of making similar bombs. Jin Yi-soo also recalls his brother, Jin Seung-ju (Kwak Si-yang), who is currently incarcerated, while retracing the steps of people who might hold a grudge against him.

In particular, the relationship between Jin Yi-soo and Jin Seung-ju shows the potential to function as a core axis that expands the mystery of this season. Jin Yi-soo visits his brother and interrogates him, saying, “Someone is trying to kill me. No matter how much I think about it, I can only think of you, brother.”

With the perpetrator still unidentified, Ju Hye-ra decides to move Jin Yi-soo to a safe house. It is here that the first episode of ‘Flex x Cop 2’ reaches its action peak.

A time bomb is discovered inside the vehicle driven by Ju Hye-ra.

Furthermore, this is a large-scale bomb capable of causing damage within a 100m radius. With less than 5 minutes left until detonation, the vehicle happens to be driving through a crowded city center. If it explodes, massive casualties are inevitable.

In this desperate moment, the method Jin Yi-soo chooses is unexpected. Taking the wheel and claiming he will go to a location he knows, he speeds toward the Han River yacht pier. The vehicle carrying the imminent bomb races out of the city toward the river.

The first episode left a sense of intense tension with this scene.

The start of ‘Flex x Cop 2’ does not deviate much from the success formula of Season 1. It utilizes the unrealistic condition of being a 'chaebol' as a tool for the investigative drama, and while it uses Jin Yi-soo's bluffing and clumsy charm for comedy, it pushes the case itself forward using the grammar of a traditional action thriller. The genre blend—making viewers laugh one moment and then immersing them in life-threatening action the next—is the series' most certain weapon.

In Season 2, the existing dynamic of 'a detective solving a case' is supplemented with the crisis of 'a detective being chased by someone.' Jin Yi-soo is no longer just a figure chasing criminals. As he becomes the center and the target of the case, the tension of the investigative drama rises more directly.

A 6.1% viewership rating for the premiere is by no means a bad result. Rather, the fact that it increased from the first episode of Season 1 shows that viewers' expectations for the follow-up season remain valid. However, as ‘Married Woman Killer’ showed a faster upward trend with 8.3%, the series will need more than just repeating the fun of Season 1 to regain the lead in the upcoming competition.

Ultimately, the key lies in the reality of the serial terrorism surrounding Jin Yi-soo. Why he became a target, which past relationships led to the current terror, and whether Jin Seung-ju is truly uninvolved are expected to be the core mysteries moving forward.

While Season 1 competed on the freshness of the setting 'a chaebol becomes a detective,' Season 2 adds the paradox of 'a detective who must protect his own life.' Attention is focused on whether ‘Flex x Cop 2’, which embraces laughter, action, and mystery simultaneously, can maintain its momentum and return to the top of the weekend television ratings.