"The Frog" As A Near-Realistic Motel Murder Mystery

My fondness for crime drama happened in 2019 because of Kill It. However, after watching the K-Drama Justice -- I developed a liking for realistic fiction of a crime drama. I watched The Frog after I watched other East Asian dramas like Mind Game and Copycat Killer from Taiwan. Most of these dramas focus more on the investigation than the crime. In this case, The Frog focuses on the crime rather than the investigation. 

True, the drama is just fiction. However, part of it was based on a real incident. People have to get their inspiration somewhere -- such as how Narco Saints is partly based on the Jonestown Massacre. What makes it a breath of fresh air for me is the use of older cast members. It's going to be a crime drama after all. Veteran actor Kim Yeon-Seok plays the main character Jeon Yeong-Ha. Yeong-Ha lived in a secluded town with his dying wife. Yeong-Ha's wife dies and he's stayed in that area. Yeong-Ha's daughter  Jeon Eui-Seon (played by Roh Yoon-Seo) pleads with her father to return to the city. 

A lot of mysteries hit and it's hard to talk WITHOUT spoilers. Yeong Seong-A (Go-Min Si) is the main antagonist. Seong-A is the mysterious guest at the villa. A serial killer named Ji Hyang-Cheol (Hong Ki-Joon) was also involved decades ago. Yoon Bo-Min (Lee Eung-Jun) is leading an investigation into the case. As everything goes -- it's not entirely black and white. What are the reasons behind the killings done by Seong-A? What fault does Yeong-Ha have that makes Seong-A hate him so much? 

I felt eight episodes can't really develop things. I wish that it went for 16 episodes. It's because a murder mystery may require more episodes. I believe that the cost of production is the reason behind the episode count.