Fifties Professionals Episode 1 starts off with an undercover op gone wrong in China. A soldier sneaks into a large shipping dock, looking through the containers. He opens one of the containers and someone inside points a gun at him.
The story then shifts to South Korea. National Security Advisor Kwon Soon-bok meets with chief of the Anti-Communist Investigation Team Jo Seong-won. They discuss the murders of three agents working in a covert operation.
Jo wants to abort the mission. But Kwon is sure there is a traitor at the National Intelligence Service. Deputy Director Han Gyeong wook, he suspects.
Kwon said Black Pearl, a North Korean operative, had defected. She stole money and secret files from top officials. The files include evidence related to smuggling, drug operations.
Kwon explains the situation and the episode shows a woman stealing diamonds and a USB drive. Then Black Pearl leaves and is lost contact with.
THE QUEST FOR BLACK PEARL
More pressing is the fact that Japanese intelligence agent Shibasaki Michiko is said to be buying Black Pearl’s information.
Within two days, Kwon says, Black Pearl will be ferrying to Japan. The team plans to catch her before the information gets into the wrong hands.
Jo recommends a secret black ops agent named Shadow. The audience soon learns why Shadow is feared. In a vicious fight scene he takes down a whole bunch of gangsters by himself.
Meanwhile, North Korean officials prepare their own answer. Major Ri Chol-jin sends their best agent, Bulgae, to stop Shadow. Han is also given a dangerous fighter Beom-ryeong.
All three agents get on the same ship. They each want the package attached to the Black Pearl.
The mission goes south. Han’s team can’t get the package. Kwon is killed in an attack by an unknown assailant. Jo warns Shadow to get out of there before he becomes the next victim.
A decade later
The story jumps to 2026, to Yeongseon Island.
Shadow has changed his name to Jeong Ho-myeong. He works at his family’s Chinese restaurant and leads a quiet life.
Ye-sun (formerly Bulgae) is working in an airport. He has personal problems and he is treated badly at work.
Beom-ryeong is a convenience store worker, searching for a package that disappeared 10 years ago.
The episode has a nice mix of comedy and action. These once-dangerous agents are now concerned with bills, customers and family problems, rather than secret missions.
Black Pearl’s Mystery is Back
The mystery is rekindled when prosecutor Gang Yeong-ae begins to probe the death of a woman. She soon learns that the victim is Black Pearl.
Black Pearl’s Apartment: Yeong-ae finds a secret room. There’s evidence in the room connected with the missing package.
Meanwhile, Gong-bok is looking into the old case. Eventually, he finds out that Ho-myeong is in fact Shadow.
Tension rises as a number of characters arrive at Heaven Capital, a city of gambling and corruption.
Then there’s Ye-sun, who’s going to help his nephew who lost money gambling. Soon after, Ho-myeong shows up too.
Ending Explained |
The episode ends with a huge fight in Heaven Capital.
Ye-sun easily dispatches several attackers, shocking Ho-myeong. He sees that Bulgae has finally returned after all this time.
The last scene sets up a big reunion with the old operatives and hints at a bigger conspiracy involving Black Pearl.
Episode 1 Thoughts
Fifties Professionals . . . Episode 1 . . . A good beginning The drama is an enjoyable blend of action, comedy and mystery.
The biggest strength is the contrast between the characters’ past and present lives. These men were once the elite’s assassins and spies. Now they live normal lives of stress and disappointment.
Up to now, ye-sun is the most interesting character. There are many questions regarding his strange behavior and memory problems.
The veteran cast also do very well. They make the characters feel dangerous in mundane scenes.
All in all, the premiere sets up an exciting stage for the episodes to come. The cliffhanger ending gives the audience many reasons to keep watching the series.