Boring, annoying, messed up.

This started off strong. Then it devolved into a mentally torturous and exhausting watch. I've not seen such a terrible crime-thriller in a while. I lost interest by the 5th episode, but seeing that the total is only 13, I decided to just finish the whole run.

The main female character, the detective in charge of the case is highly unlikable. When she initiates a convo with her husband, she speaks as if she's rattling off from a textbook. Many times she speaks as if she's a dictating a grocery list. Her husband isn't any better. She suspects her husband is having an affair, and he insists he hasn't done anything to betray her trust, yet he refuses to be entirely honest with her. He doesn't do a single thing to dispel those suspicions entirely. They're the worst people for each other and unironically, they're also the best people for each other because they're both frustrating and horrible people. I don't know what kind of person their kid will grow up to be, but it already looks like their toxicity is already starting to affect the poor young child.

The victim of the crime is a young woman who's been trying to earn higher wages in a bigger city but was killed. The series takes the watcher through the investigations and interviews of various suspects and related parties. Somehow none of these people could even give an honest testimony about her or the transpired events. None. The writers attempt to present the main female character as a highly logical person, yet her actions are anything but. She brought her emotions and the suspicions of her husband's infidelity into all her interviews with persons of interest in the case, all her questions were crafted pointedly to elicit opinions from these people, it feels as though she was trying to solve her personal marital issues through the case rather than to solve the case for the sake of the case itself.

If psychiatric analysis is of any use as an accurate indicator of mental soundness, then either we have all been misled or the psychiatrists in the drama have failed spectacularly at their jobs. Or - third option - the scriptwriting is just awful. Both husband and wife intentionally or otherwise, emotionally manipulate the other, and yet each time, the psychiatrist making the diagnosis clears the wife of mental instability. I also wonder why the husband never divulged the information to the psychiatrist that the wife had used suicide and self-harm to threaten him. I simply don't understand how that kind of action doesn't qualify as an underlying mental condition worthy of being addressed.

I don't really know how else to describe the feeling this drama gives me. The closest thing I can think of is that this was like a bunch of hair knotted together and I was supposed to find something appealing, something philosophically "true" in this gross, convoluted mess. I wish I had watched something else instead, but I ended up letting the rest of the episodes - that's 7 or 8 hours of my life run in the background through this ipad while I cleaned my house.

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Exceeds Expectations

I wish I could just say, that's it - that's what I feel about the whole drama and end my review like this, but it wouldn't do much to explain just in what way the drama exceeded my expectations. So, I'll just write a brief and simple summary of what I like so much about this drama.

Cheng Yi is flawless as the legendary swordmaster Li Xiang Yi, hailed as a prodigy who achieved greatness at the age of 15 and went on to become the sect leader of the Sigu Sect at the age of 20. The drama began with the fateful battle involving him with Di Fei Sheng, sect leader of the Jin Yuan Alliance, on the East Sea, which brought upon ruin and great devastation upon the two martial masters. Ten years later, the story unravelled to reveal sect conspiracies, broken romances, the true reason for Li Xiang Yi's defeat, hidden secrets behind the Imperial Crown, and of course - the strength of loyalty and the meaning of brotherhood.
And thus we follow Li Xiang Yi (now known as Li Lian Hua) with his travelling abode, known as the the Lian Hua Lou, or Lotus Tower (which reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle), through the journey of discovery.

The journey had been a riveting watch, and I haven't enjoyed myself this much and definitely haven't sped through the episodes this quickly ever since Nirvana in Fire - and I have watched many, many, period dramas. There had been many that I hadn't bothered to review or add to my watch list and score. That was how bored I was. Nevertheless, there are some similarities between Li Xiang Yi and Lin Shu - both were hailed as prodigies, and both were afflicted with the "greatest" poison known in their universe, and both possessed a sharp and analytical mind with a dash of wit. But the similarities end there. While Nirvana in Fire was centered on the theme of revenge of which facts were already known to the main character, The Mysterious Lotus Casebook is, on the other hand, by itself an investigative series that seeks to uncover truths completely unknown to the main character himself. It is a touching tale of seeking forgiveness, redemption, and acceptance.

Both Xiao Shun Yao and Zeng Shun Xi (Joseph Zeng) gave stellar performances in their respective roles as Di Fei Sheng and Fang Duo Bing. Di Fei Sheng, the original antagonist presented to us in the beginning, was not who he seemed to be. I also find the need to lavish prasies on Wang He Run (Rain Wang) as the delightful villainess Jiao Li Qiao, who was marvellously convincing in her delivery as the scorned woman with an obsessive, psychotic streak. I definitely would love to see her in other roles in future.

I did cry when Li Xiang Yi's past love story was narrated. He is a wonderful actor - his tears were really convincing! Oh, my heart. His expressions broke me apart. Sadly, the character of Qiao Wan Mian lacks depth and thus there isn't much to say, as the importance of her role is minimal.

This has been a lovely watch, and I honestly wouldn't mind watching it again.

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A fast-paced season 3 with the usual flair of exaggeration and humour

Back in 2021, I marathoned the first two seasons in a week during a period of "sabbatical". While I thought S2's storyline was way too far-fetched and its cohesiveness generally weaker than S1, I thoroughly enjoyed S3.

The good: Plenty of emergency medical cases and surgeries to satiate the watcher. Questions on the needs for the welfare and protection of doctors are raised. Doctors having to make heartbreaking choices in a disaster scenario. Lee Hong Nae 's acting (makes me really root for his glittering success). Lee Sin Young's acting (makes me want to shake him by the shoulders until his head falls off, then give him a soda). Good amount of comedic moments.

The bad: Pointless political disputes. Not enough of Dr. Bae Moon Jeong. Dude needs more screentime and backstory. Nonsensical developments in the final two episodes. Nevertheless, it's okay, I accept it.

S3 had been an entertaining ride. I recommend it. Especially if you can't get enough eyefuls of surgical props like those rubbery, yellowed bodies they cut into, revealing red dyes and pink matter.

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"a revenge plot and a reunion with my childhood sweetheart"

That's really all you need to know about this drama. With each episode spanning 13-15 minutes, the entire run of 25 episodes is about the length of a full movie.

The show starts with mysterious girl - the main actress - waiting at the platform of the train station. It seems she has done Young Master Du - the main actor - a favour of some kind. He thanked her, and gave her a reward, which she brushed off. Instead, she wanted him to take her to a party he would be participating that night. He agreed.

The story started to unfold steadily from that point onwards, and while I found many questionable points throughout this story, I was lulled into my fangirl mode as a result of a script that constantly fueled the passion of the main leads with breathtaking incidental music and flying silk organza fabric in between kisses. Invisible sparks between them were apparent even if you put a brick partition between them.

Somehow, somewhere during the midpoint, the pacing loses its momentum and steam, and you start to notice implausibilities and errors in the writing and shooting. Master Du, the Young Master's old man, was keen to take a second wife even though he had lost function of his manhood years ago. And how did the young lady know this before throwing herself into this is forever a mystery. There was also an episode where the Big Bang Theory explaining the expansion of the universe was briefly mentioned, but considering that this drama was set in the 1910s-1920s, the writers had gotten ahead of themselves. Because while there had been studies and observations to find out the origins of the universe, but the term "Big Bang" itself actually didn't come into existence until decades later. We fast forward. When faced with a life-and-death situation, the leads were given sufficiently ample time to profess their undying love for each other while everything was burning around them - although if you look closely, the flames around there were as safe as a boyscout campfire. But of course, this scenario is not unique to this drama alone.

"Provoke" indeed lives up to its name - by the end of the final episode, I was struck with the thought that maybe the title was meant to "provoke" the watcher. Because, we all love some delightful clichés in our romance stories, and this drama delivered quite a few of them. Yet it's also one of those dramas that makes you straddle a sofa pillow to your chest as you wish for a passionate kiss - only to be trolled not once, not twice, but three times.

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Poor Agatha Christie Imitation

If you have read Agatha Christie's famous work, Murder on the Orient Express, then you may have an idea what this movie is about. If you haven't, then I suggest you read it anyway before watching this disappointing imitation of one of the most well-known murder mysteries in fiction.

The main complaint I have with this movie is the lack of actual investigation involved in solving the crime. We were shown that the detective in charge, Choi examining all the possible suspects by using questionable old-school interrogation like accuse he person of committing the crime straight up and then watch their reaction. This technique was repeated for all the suspects involved. Choi also solicited the help from unconventional sources in order to progress his investigation, which earned the ire of his direct superior. His subordinate was not pleased with him either. The entire film was dictated through a meeting room where Choi was questioned for his behavioural conduct during his handling of the case.

We were shown what really happened in the suspects' lives, some suspects have more screen time than others, and again, no actual investigation was actually made. There was no detailed forensic analysis, even though for a murder case that is at least 8 years old, it would require some form of advanced technology to solve. There was no verification of the testimonies provided by witnesses or suspects. Choi dismissed most of them as "straight-up liars" without providing a deeper rationale to his assumption.

This could have been a good movie, but it took a famous work and made a clown out of it. I have no other analogy for this otherwise.

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The Psyche of a Killer

It's always a delight for me to watch criminal investigation dramas. And it's always a murder, because the public is obsessed with the pathology of psychopaths who are obsessed with murdering young women. The team took 13 years to solve the case, hence the title - because the killer stopped murdering women during these 13 years.

I have not watched Chen Xiao on screen since A Dream of Splendour, and while he was in that other cop series with Wang Yi Bo, To Be a Hero, I couldn't remain interested enough to complete it. However, I did enjoy this drama until the last 3 episodes. From there, it seemed to me that the writers were in a rush to wrap up the series at Episode 24, so they just haphazardly threw false suspects and questionable red herrings at the audience before finally willing to reveal the actual murderer.

I enjoyed watching the characters grew as people, and as detectives during these 13 years. A rookie cop climbed the ranks to become captain of his team. He went from moderately reserved to picking up quick-temperedness from his "master" due to stress and burnouts of investigating the case. His "master", on the other hand, went from a hot-tempered detective who clung to regrets of his first love to truly appreciating his current life. He went from someone who was shut to "foreign ideas" to be more accepting of the opinions of others. I also enjoyed how the women in the male leads' lives are ever so loving, understanding and supporting. These characters are beautifully written, because while they may not be unique in everyday lives - real life is full of amazing people - they're unique in the sense that we rarely see such characters in shows.

The drama also provides, with an accurate look into what forensic technology was like at the turn of last century. Many of the scenes had investigators lament how they're so close to catching the killer, yet so far - because technology hasn't caught up enough to yield definitive evidence. Basic investigation techniques still apply, with some hilarious and creative approaches, as evidenced in the final episodes where a group of townspeople were called into the station to identify suspects on the CCTV.

Towards the end of the show, I hated how Gua Pi was harassed to the point that he snapped and killed himself, and there wasn't any culpability for that. Yeah, he's a loser, he had lots of misdeameanour charges. But harassing someone is wrong. It makes it even worse that a veteran cop did this. The show did mention that this was a big mistake that they made earlier in the episodes, but to see it played out this way only at the end didn't make it better. So no one took responsibility for this? Yang Zhe was also implicated as one of the suspects, and he was just "there" conveniently to provide insights of the weird ass art as they were close to cracking the case. The art is reminiscent of lowbrow art made popular in the 1960s (still popular today and known as pop surrealism) but they put a fictional spin on it. Anyway the whole thing is a mess towards the end.

Nevertheless, I don't regret the time spent on this drama and would recommend it to detective or criminal investigation drama fans.

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Logic is non-existent, let's be real, everyone is only watching it for Song Joong Ki

Reborn Rich, a drama based on a web novel, is yet another story that uses the "born again" concept. It introduced the main character of Yoon Hyeon Woo, who, despite his stellar results in high school, had to give up going to university because his family could not afford his tertiary education. In an era where full scholarships and bank study loans probably had not been established in South Korea, Hyeon Woo joined the mega-corporation Soonyang after leaving school and soon climbed the ranks to become a senior finance manager in rank, but super-manservant in practice. In spite of his hard work, he was betrayed and discarded by the very people he served, and subsequently found himself reliving the life of a young boy, Jin Do Jun, the youngest son of the youngest son of the founder of Soonyang.

Most of the above was already given to us in the synopsis, and from what I have seen, Song Joong Ki performed far better in his role as Hyeon Woo than in his role as Jin Do Jun. As Hyeon Woo, Joong Ki's expressions were more real - in moments of servitude, he was spontaneous, relenting, and in times of panic, his fear more raw, the helplessness he was supposed to feel more convincing. The reborn Do Jun, who had lived through all of the 2000s before, knowing what would happen when it comes to government politics, monetary policies, and global catastrophes, was the character in focus for much of the story, but even so, I couldn't feel the impact of this character the same way Joong Ki delivered Hyeon Woo.

The second time skip happened when Do Jun grew up, but we can assume he didn't finish his law studies or sat for the bar, because by that time he didn't need to - he just had to get really rich. Did he commit insider trading through his ability? Yes, of course - coming from the future, he already had information on what happened in the past, and utilised that information to earn a lot of money. But because of the supernatural circumstances in how he obtained the information, no one can prove that insider trading happened. This is the secret of the bulk of his success for most of the drama. Nevertheless, the first few episodes had a decent start and a reasonable flow of congruency.

The basis for this drama is how the rich and powerful Jin family operates their business. Whether one finds the business principles interesting or otherwise, with the most basic understanding of the subject, following the drama would not be a challenge. However, even with the most basic understanding of the subject, this is also where the flow of logic started to break, and repetitions set in. Every one or two episodes, a "twist" happens for the sake of providing some "shock value" to the viewers, but provides no progress in plot development. The ongoing crisis is merely dropped and waved away while another new trouble is brewing. And every one or two episodes, someone's office will be raided; they will be investigated for committing a business crime, but no worries, the cheap contrivances in attempting to produce anxiety rush in viewers peters off like a whiny balloon out of air when the climax ends. And so, for 14 episodes, the focus were placed on business operations, and the phenomenon of time reversal and soul-switching were not at all touched during all that time. How was this explained in the end? It's "redemption".

I never expected solid logic from fiction, but I was still hoping for some level of cogency. Reborn Rich quickly became boring and ridiculous to me as the episodes went on, and by Episode 8, the drama was a chore to watch. The human relationships in this drama also leave much to be desired, as no one is honest with one another. The closest thing to honesty was seen in the grandfather-grandson bond between Do Jun and Yang Cheol, but even then, the two exercised a moderate degree of caution against each other. The romance between Do Jun and Shin Hyun Bin's character Min Young was initiated early, but it was marred with doubts, mistrust and misunderstandings. Seong Jun's wife, who initially had a crush on Do Jun, was introduced as a highly intelligent and ambitious woman who eventually resigned to her fate as a marriage pawn to a less capable heir. She became a character who seemed to have a lot of cards on her hands only to be relegated to appearing once in a while, having all purposes stripped from her.

The final two episodes would only be a surprise if the viewer has gotten used to Do Jun's rich and comfortable lifestyle, thinking all would just end with him becoming the CEO of the whole Soonyang Group, marrying his lovely girlfriend whom he doesn't understand and who doesn't understand him, chugging along with a fat ass account loaded with money for the rest of his newfound identity. So maybe getting killed in the first place wasn't that bad after all - but nah. Off pops the bubble, the rose-tinted glasses shatters, 16 hours of a lifetime watching this drama gone, and comes the cries of despair of the ones heavily invested. No, I lied. It really wasn't that devastating. But Hyeon Woo did become better off - by becoming a new partner of Miracle Investment. And the way it transpired? No explanations required. Doesn't matter that a person currently under criminal investigation is not allowed by law to work in any business or finance-related capacity. It's okay, no one will look for this detail. When this happened, there were approximately 20 minutes left on the final episode, so the writers probably thought, eh, whatever, let's just wing it.

And of course the final nail in the coffin was a recorded phone conversation, which is the same like, way too many dramas out there. This wouldn't be absurd with today's technology, but we are talking about 2004 when people were still using the most basic flip phones. A majority of people still alive today have lived through this era with a flip phone. Phone conversations do not automatically get recorded. The phones in that era did not even have a recording function, what more to say a convo-recording function. Yes, this drama is fiction, but the idea of writing fiction is skillfully imbibing and presenting theories that the audience could not refute. It's usually either because the theory itself is a fact, or it is unproven and vague. To say a flip phone in 2004 automatically records conversations as soon as a call is made or answered is like saying carbonara tastes like chocolate, which it doesn't.

I will add that with all the flaws and absurdity typical of a Korean drama with a vengeance-agaisnt-a-rich-family setting, this was somewhat 2% better than Vincenzo and not as bad as Eve - which is arguably the worst drama of the year. Reborn Rich obtaining an 8.8 rating is not a testament to how good the drama is. Like many MDL ratings, it's a reflection of how many people have watched it and how many people love it. Correlation does not imply causation, so if Song Joong Ki's face is all you need to preoccupy yourself for a weekend binge sans sense and logic, by all means, watch it. But this isn't a good script by any definition of the word.

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Sweet drama with romance and friendship themes; progressive modern ethics amidst feudal laws.

This drama is set in a fictional ancient world that consists of nine different regions, where Xinchuan rules over all of them. As the synopsis dictates, the story starts with the triennial event of where maidens from all nine regions are selected to be married to the princes in Xinchuan, and so after the girls were quickly paired off, we learn the different ways in how each of the princes treat their wives. And of course, how the main pairing met and fell in love.

The story makes clear to us what a loving and supporting relationship means, what constitutes an abusive relationship, and how love overall enables one to tolerate and sacrifice for, as well and accept the other person. The theme of sisterhood and friendship is central to this drama, and it is the main selling point for me. I lost count of the times I have shed monstrous droplets of tears over the girls' friendships and their devotion to these friendships. What I deeply appreciate is how the author writes the female characters in this story. The main female character is not the only perfect, unflawed, "mary-sue" who triumphs over all the other girls. She forges friendships with almost everyone who comes in contact with her, is an ordinary girl who behaves and reacts naturally faced with situations where most of us would react. Supporting female characters in the story are amazing women with traits that make their characters distinct - and yet at the core of it all, they know where their priorities lie. They love their men, but they also treasure their sisterhood and friendship - and this is what is most precious to me in this drama.

The unavoidable political plot is light and easy to understand. It also seems that the cultural practices and laws of governance in Xinchuan resemble feudal times in non-fictional China the most, compared to the other regions like Mochuan, Danchuan, Jinchuan, Jichuan, and so on. And thus, this is where the characters' efforts in trying to bring modern and progressive changes to unreasonable traditions comes into place. This is a well-written and well-paced story with a reasonable amount of character development, and in my opinion, one of the best period dramas in 2022.

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Underrated, hilarious legal drama

I stumbled upon this drama by accident and I'm glad I did, because this entertained me and made me laugh a lot more than I expected. This drama does not have a major plot that aims to take down an "ultimate" villain, but it does have several "villains" that the lawyers deal with. It does not have a ridiculous, far-fetched painful backstory that tortures the male lead. It does not have over-the-top unrealistic plot devices that portray lawyers as superheroes or super rebels against the organisation that gave them a job. Rather, this drama is made up of realistic everyday life cases that stack up for the lawyers to work through. It is a workplace slice-of-life drama ala a legal firm setting.

The male lead is Luo Bin (portrayed by Jin Dong), a lawyer who finds almost everything other than work and winning cases a colossal waste of time. He is the ace of Quan Jing. Dai Xi (portrayed by Lan Ying Ying) is a genius at law - she knows the law like the back of her hand, but lacks a formal qualification. Because of an incident during her law school years, she dropped out and never obtained her degree. Like 9/10 dramas out there, male and female leads do not get along at the beginning, but they eventually begin to respect and understand each other's point of view, and grow together in their profession. There were some playful moments between the leads, but it didn't achieve the outcome I would have liked. The drama also takes us on rides into their personal lives, their past experiences, their families, romances, and the little things that mould the characters into who they are. If this drama has a Season 2, I would definitely watch it -- but I doubt it. In my opinion, this drama is way better than Suits (both the English and South Korean version) and many other legal dramas out there .

Dialogues are fast-paced, the actors and actresses are impressive at their roles, and the "friendship" between Luo Bin and He Sai can be hilarious and enraging at the same time - depending on whose side you choose to take. This drama is for those who are truly interested in knowing about how the law works in the real world. It examines the thought processes and ethical side of different lawyers, and how the lawyers choose to use the law to defend their clients. The law can be used to defend the rich and powerful, or it can be used to help the poor and vulnerable.

As the lawyers grow as people, their empathy and mindsets influence the way they choose to defend their clients. This is a drama that made me laugh a lot and I cannot stress that enough. That being said, I find it a pity that the drama has many subtitling issues. Many things have been lost in translation, and some subtitles are just outright wrong.

The drama also suffers from several scriptwriting hiccups. Most of the cases involved their friends and family, so it was as if almost every single character in the drama has come in trouble of the law and their only options were either Quan Jing (the main law firm in the drama) or Long Ke (the rival law firm in the same building). It's unrealistic. The female lead, Dai Xi, having been employed without a degree and having to hide that fact from HR for all 42 episodes of the show - is also unrealistic. The male lead, Luo Bin, who had been the drama's most "normal" and consistent character, acted inconsistently in the final episode. But of course, that inconsistency was waved away and quickly explained in passing. I just feel hat the final two episodes leave much to be desired.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this drama. If you understand Chinese, and if intellectual, realistic legal dramas are your cup of tea, I definitely recommend this.

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Tang Dynasty Investigative Drama with Stipples of Fantasy

In history, Di Ren Jie was a chancellor during the Tang Dynasty and Wu Zhou Dynasty who was celebrated for his capacity in giving fair trials and judging cases. In fiction and popular culture, he's also depicted as a government official, and a highly intelligent detective with an acumen for solving difficult and bizarre cases. The drama's main protagonists are Su Wu Ming, protégé of Di Ren Jie, and Lu Ling Feng, a general of the Imperial Guards.

The story goes that both Su Wu Ming and Lu Ling Feng once vied to be the pupil of Di Ren Jie when they were younger, but Di only accepted one of them - Su Wu Ming. The result of this constantly became the underlying cause of Lu Ling Feng's grudge against Su Wu Ming for the first half of the drama. The reason that Su Wu Ming was picked was clear. The man was much shrewder, more cunning, intelligent, and he was not above himself to employ tricks of deception as his means for greater good. He presented himself as an awkward official, but beneath his deadpan face was a sharp-witted, eloquent, and possessed a humourous persona.

Lu Ling Feng's character was upfront, straightforward, reckless, and coming from a distinguished family, he puts himself on a high pedestal, sees himself as honourable, thus his exuberant arrogance. He was not as intelligent as Su Wu Ming, but he had show a level of simple-mindedness that was indirectly the cause of his own downfall. He was initially the favourite of the Crown Prince, being entrusted to investigate the case of the black tea which caused high addiction amongst its drinkers. The Chief General was apparently "jealous" of his vast achievements, so through scheming and slanders, he was eventually cast away. Lu Ling Feng's constant outbursts were honestly tiring to watch and he could get annoying over time, but he did have his moments that made up for the shortcomings of his character. He was overall, a good combination with Su Wu Ming as an investigative partner, and on some occasions as the rebellious patient of Chicken Master Fei, a skilled physician and an occupant of the "red district" Ghost Market.

The cases, which spanned four to five episodes each, were paced well and easy to follow. There were elements of magic that centered around witchcraft, giving viewers the CG effects of illusions of monstrous creatures and giant beings larger than humans. The first case led the two protagonists to solve the mystery of abducted and murdered brides together, but instead of being rewarded after solving the case, Lu Ling Feng was framed, stripped from his high ranking position and thrown out of the capital of Chang'an. Hence, the quest to reveal the person behind this scheme begins after this case.

Romance is not the center of the theme for this drama, that's the feeling one gets when watching this for the first five episodes or so. Nevertheless, we were introduced to Pei Xi Jun, daughter of Pei Jian, who was bethrothed to Lu Ling Feng's cousin, General Xiao when they were children. Before General Xiao was due to depart for the battlefield, Pei Xi Jun had held a banquet for this fiancé whom she only met once during childhood. But instead, Lu Ling Feng went to the banquet in his stead, causing Pei Xi Jun to mistake him for her fiance. She developed a deep crush and obsession with him thereafter. Of course, the story stipulated that he had feelings for her, too, so it's all mutual. All she wanted was to marry him, even when the imperial edict brought the announcement that he had died in battle. She threw tantrums at home, refused food, crying to her dad all day long, "I want to marry General Xiao! I want to go and look for him! I don't care!" And it was all because she met him once at the banquet she held, where they presumably had some shallow conversations about the sparrows in spring or water lilies in Suzhou. She was also willing to go as far as to enter in a "nether marriage" with him. Her role in the drama is to perpetually pine for Lu Ling Feng, and to be the eventual love ending for Lu Ling Feng. It didn't matter if her father, who had doted on her her whole life, broke his foot, or fell ill. She constantly whined about Lu Ling Feng. In a way, I think both of them deserved each other.

While I understand not every female character can be written to resemble Zhao Pan Er from A Dream of Splendour (2022), it is incomprehensible to me that some writers only tend to present female characters on extreme ends on the spectrum. They're either implausible, unconventional feminists in their era, or they're insufferable, whiny brats. They want what they want, and they want it now (which also reminds me of the unbearable female lead from My Roommate is a Detective). Some of these female characters are either accompanied by a superficial sob story that lacks in effort in giving them depth, or the female characters are over-victimised to the extent of "mary-sue" martyrism (which is the case for Cheng Shao Shang in Love Like the Galaxy). These are just a few mentions among many others.

I like this drama, and if it weren't for the superfluous character Pei Xi Jun, I would have rated it even higher. The second half of the series introduced us to a new female character named Li Ying Tao, who quickly became Su Wu Ming's love interest. She is adept at martial arts that rivals Lu Ling Feng's level, hot-headed, and definitely not a tsundere. While I don't mind the second coupling, I do find the age difference between her and Su Wu Ming a little unsettling. I know this was the Tang Dynasty, but my modern mind has been hardwired in such a way I find it hard to divorce the belief I held from the practice in that era. Su Wu Ming himself acknowledged that he's a bit older than Li Ying Tao, but his affections for her were clear. The male chauvinism and inflated male ego were also rampant in this drama, traits that honestly aren't uncommon 1500 years ago, but like I said, it doesn't mean it's right and it doesn't man my mind can embrace it.

In history, Emperor Xuanzong and his aunt, Princess Taiping were locked in a struggle for the throne upon the imminent abdication of Emperor Ruizong. Princess Taiping's followers were all swiftly dealt with before his ascension, and she was forced to take her own life. This drama, however, implemented an arc where the Princess' life was in jeopardy following her use of a toxic face "tonic". The Crown Prince was portrayed as someone who cared deeply for her. Because of traitorous subordinates and this and that, a fierce battle ensued where the Crown Prince received a sword injury. Both of aunt and nephew came to a compromise and began to repair their relationship thereafter. Soon, Lu Ling Feng was revealed as the Princess' long lost son, a plot twist that I didn't particularly like.

This had been an enjoyable drama, but I just couldn't warm up to Lu Ling Feng and Pei Xi Jun. I could barely tolerate Lu Ling Feng's attitude by the end of the series, and to me Pei Xi Jun's character is completely expendable.

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"modern" historical drama with semi-realistic scenes and non-cloying romance

I binged this over the weekend, starting from a Friday night. And dude, why didn't I watch this drama earlier, back in 2019?!?!?! I had no idea. Oh wait, I know. It's because I wasn't watching too many Korean dramas back then, yet. I just didn't have the time to. Anyway, I just had to write something about this, because several episodes of this drama actually made me bawl like a baby.

I love this drama for its non-cloying romance, the natural progression of their love, and that they never once bring up their age difference, with the main female character being a whole 6 years older than the main male character. If you are looking to the couple making out deeply and having hot and heavy physical contact, you should give up on this drama and watch some Hollywood series instead, where people go to bed with each other after something like two episodes. This drama definitely won't be something you like. But, it's exactly what I love. I love that they don't need to express their love and longing for each other by constantly touching each other all over. The amount of moments they shared in the drama is just right for me.

The main female character, Goo Hae Ryung, is the eponymous heroine of the drama. She's straightforward, funny, always the initiator, and a girl whose knowledge about history, astronomy and science is far ahead of her time in that era. If she were real, she would have no doubt made significant contributions to mankind and left a mark in history. The main male character, Prince Dowon Yi Rim, introduced as the younger son of the king (he's later revealed to be the eldest and only son of the previous king), fell in love at first sight with her, but he was offended that she didn't think much of his skills as a romance novelist, nor was she impressed with the romance genre overall. Yi Rim is a sweet, soft-hearted guy, and yes, he's completely a romantic, which explained his affinity with writing romance, and yet nine out of ten times, it was Hae Ryung who stole kisses from him.

Shin Sae Kyeong was splendid in her role. To be honest, I've tried to get into many of her dramas before but the storylines were so horrible that I always ended up dropping those dramas. But, I've always been interested in watching her on screen, so I kept trying to find dramas with her in it whenever I could. I'm so glad I found this drama and managed to complete it. Every so often it's really not the fault of the actors or actresses that were signed up for a drama or film, but the characters that they were given to play and the story script that was written. She was perfect for the role of Goo Hae Ryung. I just love watching her antics and her character's chemistry with the prince. She's had some cute unforgettable scenes - like when she was watching guys at the waterfall, making finger heart gentures at them lmao, and when she's had her day off and lying on the floor with all her limbs out like a five-pointed star. She's so pretty, cute, smart, and special, no wonder the prince fell hard and fast for her!

I've never seen Cha Eun Woo on screen before this drama. Like many idol-actors before him, he didn't start out with acting as his forte, so comparing him to acting veterans in the show especially Sae Kyeong, who has been acting since she was a child, is unfair. Like Sae Kyeong for her role Hae Ryung, I think Eun Woo is perfect for the role of Prince Yi Rim. An intelligent boy with the gift of literature, he's a prince who wasn't allowed to study politics or even history, so his only outlet was in romance fiction. Eun Woo played the innocent and childish role pretty well, and he was also convincing in scenes that required him to express his pained and desperate love for Hae Ryung. All in all, he's actually a rather decent actor! He has plenty of room to grow.

That being said, I'm not sold on the premise that historians record every single activity of the royal family inside the palace, including private family disputes. It just seems ridiculous. Also, they claimed a historian is required to be present at all times when they were dispatched to record the princes' activities, but there had been times when the Crown Prince and Prince Dowon were completely alone in the daytime with no historians near them. I'm sure the show was just taking liberties with the writing to enable plot progression, but I just can't imagine the power historians actually held over the king in this show, and there had been many times when such a thing has happened. First the strike at the Office of Official Decrees, then it was the push for re-investigating the case of Seoraewon twenty years ago at the king's birthday banquet. Why do such things always transpire at the king's birthday banquets? Lmao I mean I'm just reminded of Nirvana in Fire, man. I mean I'm ok with the useless kings having their birthdays trashed, and I guess it's the easiest way to get yourself heard - or killed.

There were plenty of other characters to love in this drama, from the prince's caretaker, Eunuch Heo to the Crown Prince, even the Crown Princess - I actually hoped they could work things out and stay married - but that didn't happen, and I feel it's an outrage because what a waste of 10-15 years of a woman's life! The Crown Princess did not deserve that. The historians' office, was of course, filled with sexist and chauvinist pigs who couldn't accept women into the folds of the profession at first, and we had to see how hard the girls had to work to prove themselves. It was hard to watch and it's even harder to believe that this situation actually still exist today. I relate 100%.

The romance in this drama was actually balanced enough and right enough for me. When the prince was attacked during his traveling to the tomb of the previous king, he fell off his horse with arrows coming in all directions at him. Our heroine, desperate to get to her man, braved the arrows with a stool as a shield and went to his side, bringing him to safety before he was shot anyway - while protecting her! His beloved. Holy crap, I cried so much during this scene. I was a mess. UGH. Also, I love that during the time the prince was placed under house arrest, and was in danger of being assassinated any second, Hae Ryung came and saved him - they ran hand in hand with her leading the way out of the palace. I just love this so much. And in the morning after they slept together, it was the prince who sent her off to work, instead of the other way round. It's just such a lovely reverse in roles but it's not extreme, because they complement each other just right.

If anyone out there is anything like me, this drama would be a good watch. If you're nothing like me, then this drama would just be a disappointment.

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not a refreshing plot, but a wholesome comedy nevertheless

With only 2 episodes aired, writing a review may seem premature, but I have plans to edit this as I watch more episodes. It's just easier for me.

Nam Goong Min is Cheon Ji Hoon, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney - but a poor and broke-ass one, because he only charges 1000 won ($1) fee for each case he undertakes. The heroic protagonist that doesn't exist IRL. This stuff is meant for comic books, and it is apt for the production to feature an anime-style opening theme. Although I feel slipping into a character like Ji Hoon is not his forte, his acting is rather good.

My main complaint is the fake tan Nam Goong Min was given by the makeup team. It was horrible. He looked like a roasted almond skin - that tone doesn't blend well with his natural skintone at all. And they forgot to give his hands a tan too - in the last few scenes of Episode 2, you could clearly see the contrast between his original skintone of his hands, his ears, and the fake tan on his face.

Park Jin Woo, a veteran who has appeared in more films than in dramas, is Sa Mu Jang, Cheon Ji Hoon's "litigation office manager" and all-around partner in his cases. Cheon Ji Hoon is eccentric, but Sa Mu Jang is the comic relief. Perplexed by their debt situation due to Ji Hoon's policy of only accepting 1000 won for each case, he tried to resign from his position albeit unsuccessfully - because Ji Hoon wouldn't let him. Of course, being a lawyer, Ji Hoon should know that a resignation letter immediately takes effect once it is submitted. It doesn't matter whether the employer accepts it or not. For the sake of fiction, like 1000 won per case itself, the writers go with "let's tear up the resignation letter and pretend it never happened".

Kim Ji Eun is Baek Ma Ri, granddaughter of a law firm magnate. She is a prosecutor on her probationary term, and meets Ji Hoon in one of her cases. She lost the case to Ji Hoon, and her grandfather sent her off to work for Ji Hoon for two months in hopes she would be able to learn and apply her experiences at the law firm. Baek Ma Ri as a character is not particularly likeable, but we can predict with a degree of certainty that her character will improve as the story moves forward. However, Kim Ji Eun's acting itself needs a lot of work. She has a bad habit of overusing her lips to express a particular emotion, and to me, it's rather distracting. She also did this a lot in Again My Life, but back then I couldn't pin my finger on what's wrong with her acting. Now I know what bugged me so much. Employing a range of facial expressions is vital for any thespian, and I just feel she needs to learn how to do that more than relying on just the exaggerated movements of her lips.

It's probably strange to say this, but with an outrageous premise like this, I don't expect much from the drama - and yet at the same time, I do have expectations for it to continue to entertain with its comedic scenes and character growths. I will edit this review and its score in weeks to come.

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Meandering plot that leads to nowhere, unresolved subplots, ridiculous ending

The series started off decent enough. I was rating this a 7.0 at Episode 6. By Episode 10, I was completely disillusioned by the terrible writing that didn't really allow Lee Jong Suk, Im Yoon Ah and Kwak Dong Yeon to display a wider range of their acting skills. Surprisingly for me, Yoo Tae Joo is probably the best thing to emerge from this chaotic, confusing mess.

This series spent more than half of its episodes in the penitentiary. It wasted most of its time getting the audience trying to guess who Big Mouse is, who in the world is the "invincible" guy who managed to swindle something like 100 billion from crooks in the upper echelon of a shady corporation. The possible suspect moved from person to person, and this was how the drama dragged its feet from Episode 1 until Episode 10. The inanity.

The mayor, Choi Do Ha, turning out to be the big bad was no surprise, it was obvious from the point he sought out Park Chang Ho and got him involved in his quest to retrieve the ever so secretive "scientific paper". CDH's reasons to enlist PCH's help was superficial and illogical, it just didn't make sense to me. Right here and there is a big glaring plothole. There's no such thing as a "secretive scientific paper". Do the writers know that peer research papers go through a lengthy review process and is processed dozens of times before the final publication can be made? There's no way a paper that exposes the hazards of a radioactive substance of that magnitude can be kept secret for so long. It's just ridiculous writing.

Not to mention Hye Jin's murder was unnecessary, and to top it off, her death didn't even serve any purpose other than providing nonsensical shock value to the audience. She escaped to the US only to come back to get murdered. LOL. Why? If I were thousand of kilometres from my psychopathic ex, I wouldn't go back to where he was. Yeah, her ex-husband is worse than scum, and he didn't even get punished for her murder. Her body was never found! This subplot was completely dropped by the writers. For what? Yeah the mayor Choi Do Ha is also scum for helping him dump Hye Jin's body. Then it turned out Choi Do Ha wasn't even Choi Do Ha, he usurped the identity of a dead boy! What in the world. LMAO. Tell me how you do that as a kid. Who helped this kid changed his legal papers? This trope is tired and old, and honestly if people want to pull this in modern storylines, they need to provide a more viable and cogent explanation.

After all the twists and turns this drama flipped out, it was revealed that Big Mouse is really not a single entity. It's one guy, who's the head of some secret organisation, like Freemasonry, but mafia ala vigilante-style, with some dozens of members who abide by a set of organisational "code" - that also wasn't made clear to the watchers. Lmao I don't even know how to describe this circus house - this is the worst drama Lee Jong Suk has ever been in.

There was a scene where Park Chang Ho was tortured in a white chamber - why?! To extract information about the 100 billion dollars he siphoned off - allegedly. After he became Big Mouse, did PCH expend any energy to find this place he was held in, and did he bust it with his newly gained cronies of the Big Mouse organization so as to prevent future abductions and illegal imprisonment? No. And because of that, while we saw that the mayor truly "loved" his wife Joo Hee, in the end he nevertheless subjected her to the same white chamber torture after learning that she had betrayed him. It was just so inconsistent with their characterisations.

Holy crap, I still have so much to go on, but I'm trying to end this review quickly. The loving relationship Park Chang Ho had with his wife Ko Mi Ho was dealt a cruel blow after she was exposed to "radioactive" water. She quickly developed cancer, which progressed to Stage 4, within weeks of exposure. Like?? LOL, that's crazy. First of all, the drama told us NK9 is a highly toxic material that was found in the wastewater of their plant, but we weren't told how toxic it was. We just have to believe that it's super-super toxic, okay? I wonder if the writers came up with this idea from the time Japan announced dumping wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the ocean, which was met by protests and condemnations from Korea and China, but endorsed by the US. Anyway, in real life, allegedly, drinking water with radionuclides in it could take years for harmful effects to show, and yes, that includes an increased risk in cancer like leukemia. But the people in the drama who had contact with this radionuclides-filled water actually developed leukemia and died within weeks after its one and only exposure (Tak Kwang Yeon, Ko Mi Ho)! What's even more hilarious is that Choi Do Ha was eventually killed by the same radioactive water (that looked as clean and clear as your normal chlorinated pool water btw) on the same day he swam in it. Upon being told by Chang Ho that the water was radioactive, Do Ha then crashed into the pool like a plank. LMAO.

So what about the 100 billion that everyone was after in the first place? The 100 billion that placed Park Chang Ho in this predicament he said he didn't want to be in? Where is it? Gone, Soon Tae said. Someone stole it, and that was that. No mention of it ever again. What about the hospital that Joo Hee was serving director at, the hospital that had forced the next-of-kin of their dying patients to sign DNR agreements? Joo Hee had been serving at the hospital as a director, there's no way she was ignorant of all the criminal activities in the hospital. She's very much aware, and her last minute redemption by exposing everything her husband had done gave no closure on whether she was being held accountable for her actions as well. For a massive scandal like that, she would have been imprisoned IRL. I mean, really, what about the rushed cremations of the dead patients, what about the evil head nurse and all the other bitchy nurses who distributed life-threatening pills and injections, masquerading them as flu shots, medicine and vitamins? There was no comeuppance for them. Nothing. So really, what the hell did I just watch?

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flow of events mostly congruent with the plot, but bad finale spoils the show

I'll start by saying that I watched Season 1, and I did enjoy it, but the disappointment manifested in the last 5 episodes or so. My memory still holds the feelings of that time, but not the specific storyline. Since Season 1 was aired two years ago, I had completely forgotten what the main case was about. So when Season 2 was starting to air, I went back and restarted S1. And just from the first ep, most of the memories of the case came rushing back! I remember why I was disappointed with S1 in the first place.

Now in S2, Do Chang is now the guardian for Eun Hye, whose father they had wrongly convicted for a murder charge in S1, whom they eventually failed to save from death row. I was really pissed about that in S1. I guess that's somewhat realistic, but being part of the audience, I want some form of satisfying closure. S1 didn't provide that.

Nothing came out of the brief attraction Ji Hyuk had with Seo Kyung in S1. That was also disappointing. While I didn't care much for the couple either, I would have been happier if something happened between the two of them. A development of a new relationship, or something. Overall, S1 had a sense of discontent hanging all over it, although the thrill of the chase made it a pretty decent drama for me.

I wasn't expecting much from S2 because of the lassitude I was feeling from S1. But as I followed episode after episode, I was quite surprised to find myself easily absorbed into the story. S2 started off rather slow, but it gave a cogent follow-up on Ji Hyuk getting a transfer back to West Incheon with the same team and same partner. While in S1 he had faced various oppositions and "attitude" from existing members in the investigation team, he had smoothly cemented his place with the team with his return in S2. Do Chang's younger sister who was a mess from her divorce back in S1, now owns a fried chicken shop, and Eun Hye who Do Chang is raising, helps with the shop.

The plot for S2 began with the serial killings of several girls, which overlapped with the battery case of a woman by a son from a rich conglomerate. It felt straightforward at first glance, but it was soon revealed that one of the girls whom police initially suspected was the serial killer's victim was not in fact, murdered by him. So, as the story steadily gains momentum, it begins to present a new problem and revelation of a new mystery that requires digging into the core of an affluent but heartless and dyfunctional conglomerate family.

Most actors and actresses are well-trained -- and I'm actually a pretty easy person when it comes to grading acting skills. I usually don't have much complaint where acting is concerned, unless it's so bad that even my great-grandmother in a stupor would have been a better actress. That rarely happens. However, I'm extremely picky about the script and storyline. As such, there's nothing to complain about the acting, which I quite enjoyed, especially Kim Hyo Jin's performance. She's an amazing actress.

I wrote this review when I was 8 episodes into the drama. I gave this an 8.0 back then, but now that I have completed all 16 episodes, it is with much regret that I have to dock the rating down to a 7.0 and rewrite my review. I find the final three episodes of S2 underwhelming and nonsensical. The new developments that transpired, which I'm sure almost everyone could see coming, were handled badly. I mean, there are still wholesome humour injected in some scenes, which I thoroughly appreciate. The humour is what I love about the vibe of The Good Detective. This drama gives me a light and pleasant feeling while following the cases, compared to a dark investigative series. But that being said, I have issues to pick with some details in the writing of this show.

Now, it is clear by Episode 13 that Cheon Sang Woo was not the actual killer of Jung Hee Joo. Sang Woo, having been sentenced to 15 years for soliciting Hee Joo's murder, was suddenly deemed "innocent" and freed. This is where I have a big glaring issue with the writing. He's not at all innocent. He did order the killing, and although his solicitation of murder by hiring Ki Dong Jae to murder Hee Joo did not directly result in her death, he was nevertheless still very much guilty of hiring Dong Jae as a contract killer. This is just common sense, and a law in many countries. South Korea is not an exception. According to Statutes of the Republic of Korea (aka South Korean Criminal Law) under Chapter 24, Crimes of Homicide, which covers Article 255 in Preparations and Conspiracies, it was explicitly stated that, "A person who makes preparations or conspires with intent to commit the crimes of Articles 250 through 253, shall be punished by imprisonment with labor for not more than ten years." Articles 250 through 253 include Murder and Murder Upon Request. All these can be found on the Korea Legislation Research Institute website.

Even if Jung Hee Joo did not die by the hand of another person, it was still very much assured that she would be killed by the assassin Cheon Sang Woo has dispatched, aka Ki Dong Jae. So why should Sang Woo go free?!?? It doesn't make a shred of sense. Why would you release someone who had been proven to hire a killer with the intent to take another person's life!? The whole retrial bugged the shit out of me. Why would you need a retrial? No retrial should have been needed, Sang Woo is a scumbag who contracted a killer, he violated a law with the intent to take the life of another human being. He should have stayed in jail. The part where Kang Do Chang and Oh Ji Hyuk requested for Cheon Sung Dae's cooperation with their investigation was unnecessary, and looked really silly at execution. What was the point of Cheon Sung Dae asking for the help of 50 other old men at a villa dinner again? That bit was preposterous. It went nowhere.

Choi Yoon Geum committed a range of crimes. He accepted money to cover up a murder. Why was he free and walking about in Episode 15 and 16??! It was utterly ridiculous. All of these people have been caught red-handed on tape yet they are all released. Lmao. Hello? They were all involved in conspiracy to murder a poor girl. Again, even if she didn't die by Cheon Na Na 's hands, Cheon Sang Woo would still have her killed. He showed no remorse whatsoever even after he was caught hiring a killer on tape, was sent to trial, and put in prison. He acted like his own psychopathic self from start to finish. The final 3 episodes made zero sense.

Dude I really, really enjoyed this drama for 13 episodes and then this whole dumb "retrial, release Cheon Sang Woo" garbage happened. Ugh. Another issue that I have is the writer's treatment of female characters like Moon Bo Kyung. Girl was introduced as a mess in S2, but she grew as a character over time and honestly I have grown to love her too. She has a crush on Oh Ji Hyuk and how did the writer give her closure? Nothing. Space silence.

The really big plus about S2 of The Good Detective is that there are plenty of comedy and camaderie spirit abound compared to S1, and I personally feel it that way because I actually ran a concurrent rewatch of S1 up to Ep 7. Really, S1 wasn't terrible, but I'm ambivalent about it. S2 is definitely the better season for me, and that is very rarely the case with sequels. It almost never happens. Honestly, S2 would have been such an awesome sequel, had it not been for the disappointment in the finale.

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charming legal drama albeit with a few hiccups

I really enjoyed Extraordinary Attorney Woo. If it weren't for some of the later episodes, I would have rated this even higher.

Woo Young Woo (goodness knows why her father named her that) is a girl born with autism. She has had a difficult childhood because of that, and was bullied throughout her school years, including college. As all dramas and real life have taught us, bullies really don't grow up. They're bullies in their childhood and they're bullies after growing up and they're bullies as they enter society as working adults. Young Woo graduated at the top of her class at college and in law school but she was unable to find a job because workplaces, as we know it, are discriminatory against the disabled. Since society behaves like a bully - is it any surprise that their children grew up the same way?

Skipping all of that - Young Woo's obsession with whales reminds me somewhat of Han Geo Roo (Move to Heaven) and his obsession with the aquarium and sealife. But this drama is nothing as dark as Move To Heaven. This drama is light-hearted, bright, and honestly, considering all the dramas I've watched all year, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a good story but it is nevertheless a diamond in the rough.

Because of Young Woo's autism, her colleagues and senior mentor initially doubted her ability to perform at her job. Young Woo very quickly proved them wrong with her first case, and the story took off from there. The pacing was perfect for the first ten episodes or so. Each episode heralds a new case (towards the later half of the series each case sometimes takes two episodes) and each case comes with a soul-touching and soul-searching lesson. What made this drama such an endearing watch is not just Young Woo herself, but all the characters that made up the legal team of the Hanbada Firm. There is nothing more uplifting than having someone supportive at work, and an understanding, generous superior like Attorney Jung plus a kind colleague like Choi Soo Yeon give the drama an overall positive feel.

Joo Jong Hyuk is a very convincing actor who played the role of the office jerk, Kwon Min Woo. Mr.Kwon is small-hearted, selfish, hateful, and he discriminated against Young Woo because of BOTH her disability AND intelligence. Yes, go figure. He first complained that she's incompetent at her job because of her disability, but later he complained that she's too much of a genius. She's actually winning some sort of imaginary competition in his head. Of course, it was all because he felt threatened that he might lose his position at work to Young Woo. I have a massive complaint about the development of his romance with Choi Soo Yeon in the final quarter of the drama. The entire thing was completely unconvincing and it ruined the drama for me a little. It was as if the writer is saying, "hey, he's got his little family circumstance so we can see why he's being such a jerk so let's be lenient towards him." Honestly IDGAF if you've got a situation going on but having treated Young Woo the way he did royally pissed me off and he never really properly apologised for his actions and wrongdoing. Society is already rage-inducing the way it is, when has it ever been lenient and forgiving towards disabled and underprivileged people? But as soon as disabled people started to get a little bit of equal treatment, others rise up and cry about "favouritism" and "inequality". They're now feeling they're on the shorter end of the stick! Wow and now you want me to expense some sympathy towards a bully and a jerk like Mr. Kwon? No. I can't forgive and forget all the crap he has done to Young Woo. So I don't understand why would the writers have Soo Yeon like such a person. Dear sweet 'spring sunshine Choi Soo Yeon', whom Young Woo revealed have helped and defended her in college and law school, having to end up with a guy like this?! Nevermind, the writers tried to tone down his assholishwhatever at the final two episodes and I'm like, leopards can't change its spots overnight, okay???? Hmmmm???

The romance between Jun Ho and Young Woo is sweet and cute, but not very compelling. He fell in love with her after seeing her in a wedding dress? That's it? Or did he fall in love with her because he finds her quirky? IDK man, I love a good romance story and I'm completely open to accepting this main pairing, but honestly the writers need to make it more convincing for me. And since this is a legal drama that has a center female lead, I actually prefer the drama to move on without any romance.

There was a case that the team undertook, in which a guy volunteering at a disabled center dated one of the girls with intellectual disability and ended up sleeping with her. He was charged with rape and brought to court where he tried to argue that he was truly in love with the girl. This was a very interesting case that could address the the range of emotions disabled people feel including the emotion of love, which I thought was important in the way that could protect the disabled from being preyed upon and taken advantaged of by predators, but at the same time not to belittle the disabled's feelings and clarity of mind. I thought perhaps it could also be a stepping stone for Young Woo and Jun Ho to reflect on their relationship as a side. However, not only was the guy sent straight off to jail in the end, there was no after-thoughts by the main couple on this case. There was no appeal filed to assert that the guy truly loved the disabled girl, there was no space for viewers to think about the ramifications of that verdict on future cases where disabled people can also fall in love with other abled people. In my opinion, that episode was a complete missed opportunity.

I don't know about other people, but personally, Attorney Jung Has Stomach Cancer Arc was enjoyable for me. I was especially touched that he's still very much in love with his ex-wife even though they have divorced and separated for 5 years. I cried in the last episode because of his scene with his wife. Attorney Jung is a good guy who isn't afraid to admit his mistakes, including the first time when he doubted Young Woo's ability to function in her job. If he leaves Hanbada and Season Two rolls around without him, I definitely won't find the story as enjoyable. But I'm not willing to see him break up with his wife a second time because he can't keep his promise with her a second time to take it easy with life. I hope the writers and production team can come up with a compromise that will give Attorney Jung some kind of ordinary peace and happiness. I look forward to S2.

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