Switch: Change the World season 1 is an interesting mix of crime, deceit, and moral issues that grabs the attention of the audience till the very end. Central to it is Sa Do-chan, a smart conman who is too smart to take the bar exam but instead opts to make a living swindling people. His life is thrown into a twist as he is asked to act as Prosecutor Baek Joon-soo who has slipped into a coma to proceed with an intensive investigation. The initial hesitation by Do-chan is replaced by his determination as he discovers that the case is somehow connected with Grizzly, a drug lord with a reputation of murdering his father. This retributive drive makes this season an adrenaline rush as Do-chan employs his con-artist nature to outsmart criminals and corrupt officials, all the time in the tangled moral sea of justice and legality.
The series is successful in portraying a morally grey universe in which justice is not necessarily black and white. Collaborating with Prosecutor Oh Ha-ra, Do-chan uses complicated plots and a network of loyal followers to beat bureaucratic red tape and bring to justice high profile criminals and notably the villainous Geum Tae-woong, a gallery owner who conceals a drug smuggling cartel. The tension is further exacerbated when the actual Prosecutor Baek comes to himself and it becomes a game of wit between law and deception, high stakes. This conflict of approaches and morals is rich and thought-provoking as it examines the possibility of real justice being delivered in an illegal manner or whether the end justifies the means.
The resolution is a good payoff, with Do-chan and his crew staging a convoluted trick to ruin Geum Tae-woong and turn him in. The series ends as characters blow up a rotten system of power and in their own way transform the world. It leaves the audience wondering, what the line is between right and wrong, justice and vengeance, and Do-chan has come to terms with the murder of his father. Switch is a captivating ride that puts moral limits to the test and provides a crisp storyline and strong characters.
