Hunter With a Scalpel Episode 1 Review: A Shocking Crime and a Surprising Criminal

In this Korean drama series, a forensic pathologist finds her past coming back to haunt her when her serial killer father, presumed dead, comes back to haunt her. Joining hands with a detective, she decides to face the situation head-on to save the life that she has created for herself.

Hunter With a Scalpel episode 1 has a runtime of 30 minutes.

The series has 16 episodes and is adapted from the novel “Hunter with a Scalpel” (메스를 든 사냥꾼) by Choi Yi Do (최이도).

Hunter With a Scalpel Episode 1 Recap

The episode opens at a nightclub, where a man, seemingly under the influence of drugs, is stabbed by someone. The scene plays out as if Seo Se-hyun is stabbing him, but as it turns out, she’s a forensic pathologist who is simply investigating the murder case and is trying to recreate the murder in her mind. Calm and collected, she is able to figure out who the perpetrator is by just scanning the nightclub and focusing on everyone present.

Meanwhile, Jung Jung-hyun is being admonished by his seniors for his enthusiasm for delivering justice. He’s clearly passionate about his work, but his colleagues want him to slow down. Elsewhere, Yoon Jo-gyun watches Se-hyun’s interview on the news with an odd amount of passion.

That night, Se-hyun is perturbed to find that no one is doing the toxicology report on the athlete from the start of the episode and takes matters into her own hands, while someone commits a murder, and Jung-hyun believes that the victim is the person who reported the stalking incident that he was working on. He goes to talk to Se-hyun regarding the crime and, after giving her the case file, implores her to help him do a good job.

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During the autopsy, Se-hyun and her team are left perplexed at the oddities that pop up that pointing in a direction that makes her curious and cautious, reminding her of her dark past. But, the icing on the cake is probably finding yarn inside her body that tells her that something dangerous is afoot – something that will bring her haunting past back into her life.

Hunter With a Scalpel Episode 1 Review

I think Hunter With a Scalpel has potential. The first episode, with only 33 minutes, packs a lot of information that will help us to understand the characters, and it does so while narrating the tale of a murder as well. I think it does a good job of painting a vivid picture of the characters quite subtly, and I know exactly who these people are. Thankfully, we are yet to learn about our murderer, which will be an interesting addition in upcoming episodes.

The mystery surrounding Se-hyun’s past is a little apparent, but the cinematography truly bats it out of the park. Although you know it, that fact still creeps up on you. I think the story itself is a little clichéd for now, as are some of the characters, but it’s just been an episode. Let’s hope things take a shocking turn from now on! I also think the principal cast are quite proficient at portraying these characters. Although again, it’s only been 30 minutes, all of them do leave an impression and make you want to continue watching.

Let’s hope for more exciting and twisted situations to arise!

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