5 Things We Liked & 2 Things We Hated About The Premiere Of "Vagabond"

Landing number one ratings for both its premiere episodes, “Vagabond,” starring Lee Seung Gi and Suzy, certainly packs a punch. The story follows a skilled stuntman, Cha Dal Gun (Lee Seung Gi), and an NIS agent, Go Hae Ri (Suzy). Their paths cross after Cha Dal Gun’s nephew, Hoon, dies with his fellow taekwondo teammates and chaperones in a mysterious plane crash. If you’re looking for an action-packed, intriguing, and mysterious drama, then look no further! Here’s what we loved and hated from the first two episodes.

Warning: Spoilers for the premiere episodes below. 

LOVED: The opening scene

The opening scene of the drama is full of intrigue. It starts out in a desert in North Africa, where Dal Gun is poised with a sniper rifle waiting for his target to arrive. At first, I thought it would be revealed to be a movie that he is working on as a stuntman, but then Hae Ri appears as his target. Dal Gun seems shocked and overwhelmed and hesitates to pull the trigger. His partner keeps yelling at him to take the shot, and the screen goes black just as a gunshot sounds.

I can’t wait to see what this scene will be revealed to be in future episodes. Judging by Dal Gun’s reaction, he must have a shared past with Hae Ri, but have they gone separate ways? Are they still working together? Since she’s a National Intelligence Service (NIS) secret agent, does she know he’s there? I just have so many questions. I think this scene puts a lot of emphasis on Dal Gun and Hae Ri’s relationship, and I am excited to see how it progresses throughout the drama.

LOVED: Cha Dal Gun and Cha Hoon

There is nothing cuter in these episodes than Cha Dal Gun and his nephew, Cha Hoon (Moon Woo Jin). After losing his dad and being abandoned by his mom, Hoon is left in the care of Dal Gun. It’s absolutely adorable watching Dal Gun try and comfort Hoon, who starts crying when he sees Dal Gun bleed after performing a stunt.

Going from long days doing stunt work to celebrating the different milestones in Hoon’s taekwondo training, Dal Gun comes to form a truly deep bond with Hoon, despite his initial objections to taking him in.

HATED: Hoon (and everyone else) dying

Okay, I get it, what protagonist these days doesn’t fall into the tragic-backstory trope? Nothing quite motivates a character like grief, does it? However, none of that makes the plane crash any less heartbreaking to watch. Especially when it’s so clear that none of the passengers knew their parting words to their loved ones had already been said. That’s what makes Hoon’s death even more painful, knowing that he fought with Dal Gun and will never see him again.

While Dal Gun has the videos that Hoon uploaded to the cloud, it’s still heart-wrenching thinking about how he will never know that Hoon’s last words to him were “I love you” in a text that he didn’t get to send.

LOVED: The action scenes

Parkour anyone? Dal Gun certainly makes an impression when he first chases the man (Yoo Teo) he saw on Hoon’s video from the plane. No matter how many times he gets knocked down, he gets back up. All those years working as a stuntman certainly make him a formidable opponent.

The coolest part of this first action-packed sequence is when Dal Gun runs across rooftops to find the man after initially losing him in an alley. No one ever looks up when they’re being followed, do they?

The car chase that ensues afterward is just as thrilling as every other part of the fight. You never quite know who is going to get the upper hand!

HATED: The bad guys’ good luck

Of course, there wouldn’t be a story if the bad guys didn’t have some wins but wow, it never really becomes less frustrating in any show, does it? Not only do we have to watch an intense chase between Dal Gun and the mysterious man from the plane that results in Dal Gun losing him, but almost all of the copies of Hoon’s video get erased.

Fortunately, the NIS still has a copy of the video that I’m hoping will remain safe, but it is nerve-wracking to think something could go wrong. It seems a little silly that Hae Ri would keep such an important file out on display in her hotel room. It’s too easy for the bad guys to get in and delete it, and I hope in future episodes, even if the bad guys are a step ahead, they aren’t too far ahead to where it seems like all hope is lost. I hope Dal Gun and Hae Ri can get the upper hand and make strides in the investigation, instead of hitting roadblocks at every moment.

LOVED: Go Hae Ri discovering that the co-pilot was bad

This scene is truly magnificent. It finally gives the audience a reason to celebrate with the good guys! Hae Ri is able to put the information she gathered from Hoon’s video with what was recorded on the plane’s black box. Not only does she finally look like a competent agent, but it is also pretty badass. She definitely lives up to her claims that she is a smart and passionate agent, like she told Dal Gun when he tied her up.

LOVED: Go Hae Ri being on the good side

While this may seem a little silly, as all the descriptions prior to the show’s premiere always described Hae Ri as a NIS agent, the first episode has her looking quite shady. She has the same raincoat as the assassin who killed Michael, the man who tried to call in a warning about the plane going down, and she tells an unknown caller that an autopsy will not reveal any foul play in his death. Not to mention she also holds Dal Gun at gunpoint.

If she somehow helped those who were behind Hoon’s death, it would be devastating. However, it seems for now that the mysterious phone call and her presence in Lisbon (where Michael was murdered) were simply due to her former boss (Lee Ki Young) at the NIS asking her to look into Michael’s death.

Fortunately, she seems to finally have settled into an unwavering passion to uncover the truth, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how she and Dal Gun will bring the people responsible down as the drama progresses!

Did you watch the premiere of “Vagabond”? If so, what did you like? What did you dislike? If you haven’t watched it yet, are you going to now? Let us know in the comments below.

kaityv spends most of her time watching K-dramas even though she should be writing. If she’s not watching a drama then she’s for sure dying over BTS’s and Red Velvet’s music and videos.

Currently watching: “Vagabond” and “When the Camellia Blooms”
All-time favorite: “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon”
Looking forward to: “So I Married an Anti-Fan,” “Melting Me Softly”