First Impressions: A Chilling Word Game Unfolds In “GG Precinct”
This article contains minor spoilers for GG Precinct and Marry My Dead Body.
Nearly two years after the Taiwanese box-office hit Marry My Dead Body premiered, a series spin-off was released on Netflix. The idea for the spin-off came about during the production of Marry My Dead Body, as the synergy between the cast was indisputable. One of the film’s producers, Veronica Jin (or Jin Bai-Lunn) gave insight in an interview, “While filming, we could already sense the great chemistry among the group of quirky cops. It was exciting to see the sparks between the squadmates as they investigated each case relentlessly, despite not being the most adequate. We immediately decided to expand the universe of Marry My Dead Body.”
Soon after filming wrapped, Cheng Wei-hao reunited with Man In Love director, Yin Chen-hao to create the concept that highlights the dynamic of an unconventional police squad. The comedy-crime series GG Precinct follows members of the New Taipei City Gia Gun police precinct as they investigate a string of murders that reference Chinese idioms. “By portraying absurd cases rooted in Chinese idioms, we hope to inspire a greater appreciation for language through comedy,” Yin stated, expressing his hopes for a positive response. Through the six-episode series, viewers around the world become entangled in a mind-boggling word game.
Old Faces, New Faces
After helping his ghostly husband reincarnate in Marry My Dead Body, police detective Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu) returns to his precinct office expecting good news. His boss, Chang Yung-kang (Ma Nien-hsien) has been promoted to chief, which leaves the squad leader position up for grabs. Ming-han believes that he is the best candidate as he made several breakthroughs in the illegal drug ring case and survived a mortal gunshot wound — thanks to his ghost husband Mao Mao. His inflated ego shatters after his colleague — and rival — Lin Tzu-ching (Gingle Wang) is appointed as Gia Gun’s newest squad leader instead.
This comes as a genuine shock to Ming-han since Tzu-ching betrayed him during their drug bust — or so he thought. During the events of Marry My Dead Body, she disclosed that she had been working as an informant for the crime gang they were investigating. Ming-han, unaware of her true motive, assumed that Tzu-ching was after the money, but she was actually avenging her mother, who passed away from an overdose. After killing the gang’s boss, and framing Ming-han, Tzu-ching successfully escapes with the dirty money and turns in the evidence to the police station. Through her meticulous planning and cunning, Tzu-ching demonstrated proactiveness — something Ming-han unfortunately lacked.
The promotion is not the only change in Gia Gun’s chain of command, as three new members have joined the squad. Taiwanese television host Lulu Huang (or Lu Zi Yin), plays Li Shu-fen, a criminal profiler who is knowledgeable about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). EggPlantEgg member, Ng Ki-pin marks his acting debut with the role of Shao-nien, a police officer who is recovering from addiction after going undercover to investigate a drug case. Rounding out the newcomers is a forensics examiner Lin He-hsuan (Da-her Lin). With varying personalities, the newest members add more flair to the unconventional team.
Keep Your Enemies Close
The time for introduction ends abruptly after the team receives a report about a body found in a nearby parking garage. As the team investigates the scene, they notice many strange items, including a deer horn headband, fish scales, and chicken feathers. The correlation between these items is obscure, but one thing is clear — they have an active-murder case on their hands. While the team racks their brains, their chief offers them tea to relieve any pressure they are feeling. During the team’s tea break, Yung-kang (Ma Nien-hsien) curiously looks at the evidence board and is reminded of an old murder case.
20 years ago, Yung-kang apprehended the famous Chinese language tutor, Hsu Shui-yuan (Tony Yang) who killed two of his students. Shui-yuan, who was known for his merciless teaching style, would intimidate his students in an attempt to help them improve their skills. Once, he went as far as saying he would kill them if they didn’t study hard enough. Thinking this was a joke the students continued to slack off until he followed through with his words.
When he was taken into custody, Shui-yuan exposed the motive for the horrific murders — the students simply misspelled words on their idiom exams. He further explained his rationale during a press frenzy stating, “[I]dioms contain wisdom and lessons our people have accumulated over thousands of years. If one doesn’t respect national treasures, they are disloyal. If they scorn the wisdom our ancestors bestowed on us, they are unfaithful… Today’s society cannot accept an employee writing an extra zero on a check. How can we allow a student to casually miswrite a word? By taking two lives, I saved two ignorant souls and wiped away two drops of the nation’s tears.” After Shui-yuan killed his victims, he would elaborately stage the body to represent the idiom they got wrong — literally making an example out of them.
As the present-day murders continue to stack up, the Gia Gun detectives realize they are dealing with a copycat killer. With a lack of knowledge of Chinese idioms, the team has no choice but to recruit the help of Hsu Shui-yuan (Tai Chih-yuan). Will the team be able to solve the crime, or will their new ally’s manipulative tendencies get the best of them?
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