Nine Puzzles Season 1 Review – A perfectly fine murder mystery marred by its quirky tone

The Review Geek

2 days ago

Season 1
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3/5
Nine Puzzles, the latest K-drama, is a quirky murder mystery and a Disney+ original. What could go wrong? Well, plenty. Ever since Disney rebranded, it has been struggling to stay afloat with every single one of their ventures. Surprisingly, this also goes for tapping into the K-drama industry which otherwise has been yielding successful returns for their rivals.
In fact, before Moving gave them a new lease, there were reports in 2023 that Disney+ was closing shop in South Korea following commercial flops like Connect and Snowdrop. Post-Moving, Disney+ is seeing some success with the likes of The Worst of Evil and A Shop for Killers. And with thrillers working the best for them, they are capitalising on the genre.
Nine Puzzles first arrived in May 2025 with high expectations. It has everything from mind games and literal puzzles to betrayals and framed suspects, perfect for those who love crime thrillers. The 11-episode series stars Kim Da-mi, Son Suk-ku, Hyun Bong-sik, Kim Sung-kyun and Park Gyu-young among others. It is helmed by Yoon Jong-bin who is known for Narcos-Saints, a pretty iconic crime thriller, so you'd think we'd be in safe hands. But are we?
Nine Puzzles Season 1 begins with the orphaned Yoon I-na finding the dead body of her uncle, Yoon Dong-hoon. But with no clues or suspects, rookie investigator Kim Han-saem believes that I-na is the killer. 10 years later, I-na becomes a criminal profiler while Han-saem turns into a maverick as he continues to work on the Yoon case.
A murder takes place that is quite similar to Dong-hoon's and I-na believes that there is a serial killer on the loose. Puzzle pieces start popping up with every murder, piquing I-na's interest. However, she has to work with the lead investigator, who is once again, Han-saem. And with the cop suspecting I-na once more, they continue to butt heads while trying to piece the clues together.
Sounds promising, no? Unfortunately, Director Yoon felt it wasn't enough, 'There are a lot of crime detective thriller shows and they usually have a grave, realistic tone and manner…But instead of going for that kind of vibe, I wanted this to be a little bit quirky and offbeat. So that's how I tried to pursue this show, because the characters are a bit eccentric and quirky.'
And in doing so, Nine Puzzles loses its potential as one of the best murder mysteries of the year into a mess of a K-drama that prioritises aesthetics over plot.
There is Kim Da-mi's I-na who is supposedly neurodivergent. Her 'childish' personality, as the production calls it, is solely used to make her quirky. Instead of exploring her neurodivergency, it is just used as a plot device. At times, she matures only to revert to her old goofy self in emotional moments, as if to reiterate the eccentric tone the director insists on.
The soundtracks are split into typical eerie thriller music and upbeat, comic tracks, both used during serious segments. Son Suk-ku's Han-saem is a 'maverick' who doesn't care about appearances, yet he has a super stylish, bordering on kitschy, apartment, just so there is a cool backdrop while the characters do their thing. The same goes for several characters' apartments' decor which don't exactly fall in line with their personality.
But when the director isn't trying too hard and lets the murder mystery flow on its own pace, Nine Puzzles Season 1 excels. The grave, realistic, dark tone that Director Yoon tries so hard to erase pops up and works in creating a complementary, thrilling and chilling atmosphere.
Except for Da-mi, who is stuck with what is expected of her, the rest of the cast works in tandem to highlight the precinct's frustration as they run around in circles. Suk-ku's Han-saem and Park Gyu-young's Therapist Lee Seung-joo stand out in particular with their cold exterior but warm-hearted portrayal of I-na's support system.
The camerawork and the neo-noir lighting heavily symbolise the characters' mindset and the puzzle killer's motives with unsettling low angles, close-ups on props that will later make sense and clever blocking. It messes with the characters and the viewers' guesses on who the culprit and the victims are. It is a visual treat, watching I-na artificially recreate the murder, the killer's omniscient presence and the mild yet gory action.
The story is quite engaging as well, keeping viewers on their toes with every cliffhanger and plot twist. After every investigation, every murder, something new is introduced that throws all theories and predictions out the window. The killer reveal is bound to have viewers' jaws dropping and teary-eyed sniffles, bringing in a surprisingly emotional element to the murder mystery.
It is a shame that all that tension and suspense are sidelined whenever the show uses I-na or visual elements as a neon sign blinking 'look how quirky I am.' Had the show focused on its main premise, Nine Puzzles Season 1 could have easily been a standout crime thriller.