A group of misfits who solve traffic crimes and frauds—that’s the premise of Disney+’s new Korean drama Crash. I started watching the show with little expectations, but boy did it surprise me. Backed by an amazing ensemble cast, Crash goes from the TCI members catching small-time criminals to solving planned murders real quick. Here’s a quick recap of the events that unfolded in the first episode.
Spoilers Ahead
What does the TCI do?
TCI stands for Traffic Crime Investigations, a police division that gets little recognition from the other departments. Jung Chae-Min, a veteran detective who once worked in the crime department, founded this division. TCI’s star is undoubtedly Min-So-Hee, who is an outstanding close combat fighter and an even better driver. Her expertise behind the wheel is something that makes this department thrive. The other members are Woo Dong-Ki and Eo Hyun-Kyung, who are mostly just there, boosting the team’s morale. In the opening sequence, Min and Eo visit a used car showroom in disguise and uncover the truth about their illegal dealings. They arrest the owner of the place, Jo Seok-Tae, for fraud. They accidentally arrest an insurance investigator along with Jo’s men and later realize that he’s not one of them.
How does TCI find out about the serial killer?
The investigator, Cha Yeon-Ho, gives Min a file which proves an individual is killing people to cash in on the insurance money after each accident. Min got busy elsewhere when her grandmother died, and a few days later she met Cha again. Cha is distraught that even Min couldn’t help him, and Min starts to look into the case more closely. The person responsible for three deaths and one life-ending injury is Jung Ho-Kyu, who has been crashing his car into elderly women who don’t have a stable family to look out for them. In every case, Jung has paid meager settlements to the victim’s remaining family and made them believe that it wasn’t his fault. While it could be sheer coincidence, the insurance records show that he has received a total of 120 million won from the insurance companies. Barring the settlements, he has 100 million wons left for himself. Jung is involved in the serial murder of senior citizens, and now it’s up to TCI to do the right thing.
How does Cha prove that the last accident was intentional?
Cha and Min meet at the accident spot where Jung crashed his car and killed a woman the last time. Min was simulating the accident to see if she could figure something out, but Cha turned out to be one step ahead of her. Cha deduces the factors that led to the crash and finds out that the speed must’ve been somewhere around 78 km per hour. Jung, in his police report, confessed to speeding and using the brakes late, but Cha points out another factor nobody’s considered up until now. He explains to Min that from where the yaw marks begin, it’s evident that Jung intentionally turned his wheels to make sure he crashed into the poor lady. Jung also has a shady history of buying old compact cars after each accident, and Min starts to look for leads after this. Back in his office, Cha is confronted by a colleague who asks him to bury the investigation. Cha senses that he is involved with Jung and refuses to listen to him. He tries to report this incident to the director of his branch, but she’s more interested in a certain party than talking with him.
How does the TCI plan to set a trap for Jung?
While looking into his records, Min discovers that Jung had bought his previous cars from the very same dealer they’d just arrested, Jo Seok-Tae. Min bribes him with a bowl of galbi-tang to make him talk. Jo tells them how Jung’s behavior always seemed suspicious to him, and he even asks what Jung does for a living. Apparently Jung said that this car would be his livelihood, and he wasn’t wrong. Min asks Jung Chae-Man if they can use Jo to set a trap for him. The morally upright captain refuses to accept the idea at first, but when Min gets him sentimental about the deaths of the elderly, he agrees to lay out the trap. The group releases Jo to make sure the plan works, and Jung calls him to buy another car.
Who’s the next victim?
The members of TCI set Jo up to make the deal with Jung, and he buys the car. As soon as Jo takes Jung away for paperwork, Min and Woo set up cameras, mics, and a tracker in the car to record every movement of his. They start to follow Jung 24/7, and after a week, they identify the lady who is going to be his next target. An 82-year-old woman, Yoon Sungja, who drives a mobility scooter by the side of the road, has been marked by Jung. He’s followed her eight times within a week, and Min makes sure they’ve got eyes on both Jung and Yoon all the time.
Does Jung know that the police are following him?
The killer, who’s a multimillionaire, lives in an old, filthy apartment to stay under the radar. He is into trading and stocks, but his expressions clearly tell us that luck isn’t on his side. His investments are tanking, and he’s not happy about that. Jung remembers Min and Jung Chae-Man interrogating him after the last accident, and he ends up searching for TCI. The Internet is quite a useful place, even for criminals, as he sees a video of Min arresting Jo and taking him out of his office. He realizes that the car he’s been sold is bugged, and he plans to get revenge on Jo.
How does Jung fool the TCI?
Min and Woo wait outside a supermarket while tailing Jung, as he’s supposed to be inside the store. The GPS tracker moves away, and Min follows the car straight away. Min senses something is wrong with the way the car is being driven and overtakes everyone else to stop the car. They find a different person inside, and he tells them that he’s just bought this car from Jung. Eo Hyun-Kyung and Jung Chae-Man are still outside the old woman’s house, keeping a watch in case of an attack. The killer Jung has set his sights somewhere else as he attempts to run Jo over in a parking lot. Just when he’s about to crush Jo, Cha walks in with his bicycle, and Jung runs him over. Jung’s car eventually crashes into Jo’s car as Cha lies senseless on the floor.
The first episode of Crash ends with an amazing cliffhanger for the following episode. By the looks of it, I can already tell it’s going to be a great ride. Cha’s accident complicates things a lot, as Jung’s criminal identity can finally be revealed. His mask of innocence hangs in the balance, as Min and her team are still looking for him.
