Switch: Change the World Season 1 is an intriguing crime, deception and moral dubiousness show that keeps the audience glued to the entire season. Its main character is Sa Do-chan, an intelligent swindler who is intelligent enough to pass the bar exam but instead decides to live a life of swindling. His life becomes a twist when he is employed to act as Prosecutor Baek Joon-soo who had gone into a coma to proceed with a pressing investigation. The resistance of Do-chan is overturned by the determination when he finds out that the case is related to a famous drug lord, Grizzly, who killed his father. Such self-serving revenge makes the season adrenaline-filled, with Do-chan employing his con-artist abilities to outsmart crime and dishonest politicians, all without coming to terms with the complicated moral world of right and wrong.
The show does a wonderful job in introducing a morally grey universe in which justice is not necessarily black-and-white. With Prosecutor Oh Ha-ra as his partner in crime, Do-chan uses intricate plans and an extensive network to get around red tape and deal with high-ranking criminals, most notably, the evil Geum Tae-woong, a gallery owner who conceals a drug trafficking ring. It gets even more intense as the actual Prosecutor Baek wakes up and a game of wit between law and deceit begins with high stakes. This conflict of approaches and morals gives a twist and a touch, and it delves into the question of whether justice can be served right by using illegal means or the end justifies the means.
The payoff of the climax is very satisfying, with Do-chan and his team plotting a complicated trick to bankrupt Geum Tae-woong and get him to justice. The series ends with characters tearing down a decadent power structure, in their own fashion, transforming the world. It makes the viewers ponder on the grey boundaries of right and wrong, justice and vengeance, as Do-chan finally comes to terms with his father being killed. Switch is a thrilling and provocative ride that crosses moral limits and provides crisp narrative and strong characters.
