Trigger K-drama Episodes 1-5 Review: What Happens When the Powerless Get Guns?
I saw that Trigger was dropping on Netflix on July 25th, but I didn’t watch the trailers or read the synopsis, I went in blind. What I got was far more complex than I expected. Let’s get into my Trigger K-drama Episodes 1-5 Review.
Episodes 1–2: “Everyone Has a Trigger”
The premiere opens with a news report on rising societal stress and mental health disorders in South Korea: suicide, isolation, domestic violence, and dopamine addiction. The stage is set for a country on edge and then we meet Officer Lee Do, a calm but deeply principled officer. He’s kind to civilians, attentive to nuance, and clearly cut from a different cloth.
The shock hits when Jeong Tae, a disaffected student, imagines shooting up his classroom. He discusses these urges with his psychologist, who explains that everyone has a trigger, they just shouldn’t let their heart overpower their mind. But when Jeong Tae is finally pushed too far by his cruel, inconsiderate neighbours, he does pull the trigger. Literally.
Meanwhile, Officer Lee Do is called in to investigate a suicide where bullets are found hidden in the ceiling. Guns are illegal in Korea, so this find signals the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Thoughts:
Episodes 1 and 2 left me haunted. They made me ask: What happens to the ignored, the bullied, the grieving when they finally get the means to fight back? And even more unsettling: What if they know how to shoot? (This is South Korea after all, most men have military training.)
Episode 3: The Price of Vengeance
As the series escalates, Won-seok, a recently released sex offender, seeks revenge after being publicly humiliated and surveilled. With a gun in hand, he heads toward a police station. The entire episode becomes a race-against-time action sequence where Lee Do and a mysterious new ally, Moon Baek, try to stop him.
We learn Lee Do is no ordinary cop, he’s ex-special forces with 99 confirmed kills and a vow never to fire a gun again. That vow is broken.
Thoughts:
This episode raised ethical dilemmas can someone still be wrong even if they’re rightfully angry? Is redemption even possible in a judgmental society? And what happens when police, untrained for this kind of threat, face criminals with firepower?
Episode 4: The Voiceless Get a Voice
Kyung-sook, a mother who lost her son in a corporate accident, is another ignored voice in the noise of a city. She receives a gun, and this time, it’s not just for show, she uses it on the CEO responsible. Lee Do rushes to save her, but he’s too late. The episode ends in a bloody confrontation and another reminder: those with grief and no outlet will eventually snap.
Thoughts:
This episode is especially poignant. It raises powerful questions: What justice is available to the poor? How far would a grieving mother go if no one listens?
Also, Gyu-jin, the bullied schoolboy, is still quietly receiving his own weapon. That thread’s tension is unbearable—are we heading toward a school shooting?
Episode 5: Masks Off
The cracks begin to widen.
We finally learn Moon Baek’s secret, he’s not just a patient, he’s the mastermind behind the gun distribution. A victim of organ trafficking in his youth, he now controls a shadow gun economy. He’s been giving the marginalized a chance to “balance the scales.”
Thoughts:
Does Moon Baek want revenge on the country that broke him? Or does he really believe that giving power to the powerless is justice? Either way, Officer Lee Do is starting to piece together the true threat not just one gunman, but a system meant to burn.
Trigger K-drama Episodes 1-5 Review: Final Thoughts (So Far)
Trigger Episodes 1–5 pose harrowing questions:
- What happens when the weak get the tools to fight back?
- Does access to firearms create justice, or just more violence?
- How far can empathy go in a system designed to ignore?
This is one of the most socially reflective thrillers I’ve seen in a while. The performances are excellent, the pacing tight, and the questions it leaves behind? Unshakeable.
Up Next
If you loved Trigger’s intense pace and psychological depth, check out my review of Mercy for None or this list of 10 Must-Watch Korean Revenge Dramas.
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