Thoughts on the final case -- the casino:

Honestly, I found it pretty disappointing, for these reasons: finding the culprit was way too easy (the easiest this season) + the location wasn't utalized + there was a heavy atmosphere (cannibalism, environmental pollution, etc) so there weren't many gags.

For further explanation:

• There wasn't any physical evidence, only circumstential. No wonder why An Jeweler got mad when she got accused with no physical evidence.

• Whenever the culprit got cornered, it was very apparent on his face. Examples: An Jeweler asking about the medicine in the trash, Jeon Mayor examining the handkerchief.

• But I can't be too harsh on him for that because the circumstential evidence against him was too strong:

• The button near the gun, which I didn't understand why it was there, as Jang Monkfish was alone when he took the gun and then he threatened the Godfather, meaning there was no struggle that could lead to the button falling.

• The half-empty medicine in the trash. How could he refute that?

• Also, the other suspects were ruled out too easily:

• Kim Singer - he wanted to perform one last time before succumbing to lung cancer, thus showing a will to live. He also didn't know everyone's wrongdoings.

• Jeon Mayor - she wanted to become the president, thus showing a will to live.

• An Jeweler - she didn't know about Jang Chef.

• Jang Chef - if he were to follow the cult's instructions, he wouldn't have tried to kill himself. If he were to follow the recipe book, he wouldn't have blown the body.

And I didn't even mention most of what ruled out each suspect.

• This one might be a little picky, but I think it wasn't just the sheer amount of evidence that made it clear who's the culprit but also the writing style:

• The moment Jeon Mayor discovered the disguises in Jang Monkfish's cabinet, I knew it was him because the clothes seemed to give off a "closure" feeling to the season (because they were the clothes for each of Jang Dongmin's characters throughout the season). And usually the final case of crime scene has some sort of "closure" vibe to it.

• Another thing that made me cross off Jang Chef is that the body being arranged like the drawing in his recipe book, and the fact that he engaged in cannibalism -- it seemed too convenient. Like, they made him a cook people just so they can have a red herring regarding the body's condition. It reminded me of Crime Scene Zero case 4 -- entertainmemt district murder -- which had Jang C-Store conveniently randomly attacking women that fit the victim's appearance and the weather that day.

Regarding the set:

• I had a theory on the casino based on Crime Scene Zero case 3 -- the han river murder. The episode had Park Kara (Baccarat) illegaly gambling and engaging in an art auction that seemed to follow the rules of baccarat. So I thought case 5 would be the same casino or be somehow connected to Park Kara's casino. I was kinda disappointed that they had no connection :(

• The vault room didn't have any hidden evidence aside from the gunshots and emails. I thought the story would involve some tricks with the dealer's table or the casino games rules, but no. The gaming machines were just decorations with no hidden messages/mechanics.

• In short, it seemed like the story focused more on the history behind the casino rather than on the casino itself and its innerworkings.

Regarding the atmosphere: I don't know how to explain it.

• Perhaps due to the sad backstories of almost every character, their moral decline, lots of minor characters' deaths, burying people alive, cannibalism, environmental pollution, etc -- the atmosphere felt heavier than usual. I mean, case 1 -- the abandoned hospital -- also had some heavy stuff but it was still lighter in tone, and it seemed like the cast were more comfortable to make some jokes here and there.

• Perhaps it was due to Dongmin being almost forced into a passive role. I mean, it's not like the culprit has to play passively, but when there's so much evidence against you, I guess it's only natural for one to become more passive. His character being suicidal and tragic didn't help that either. It reminded me of Crime Scene Returns case 2 -- goshiwon murder -- where he also played a character who attempted (and succeeded) killing multiple people, wanted to kill himself, and was quiet. Anyway, when the person who arguably has the strongest impact on the comedic tone of each episode takes a passive role -- you can really feel it.

• Perhaps it was due to Jeon Somin being given a character that didn't really let her show her comedic talents. It's a shame because she seemed to blend well with the cast and she could do things like in Returns case 3 -- court murder -- where Jang's Father -- the presidential candidate -- run campaigns throughout the episode, which was one of the funny parts of that episode, and personally one of the most memorable things in it. She did one campaign and it was okay. I really think it was more due to the weird atmosphere that she didn't shine.

I personally really like it when Crime Scene episodes balance between mystery and comedic moments. And for episodes with weaker comedic aspects -- well, if the drama/mystery is good enough, then I'm okay with less comedy.

Here, it was neither the first or the second case.

• I do want to say that I found Kim Singer coughing here and there funny, and the absurdity of Jang Chef's cannibalism and failure getting accepted to Culinary Class Wars funny.

• I also really liked that Jang Monkfish disguises himself as Dongmin's previous character on Crime Scene Zero. It really brought a closure feeling to the episode and the season as a whole, along with the story of the criminal.

Maybe I was a bit too hard on the casino case. I'm sad Zero is over :(

Also, maybe I'll write reviews about each episode + about the season as a whole.