It was one of my highest anticipated dramas of 2017 and I was expecting that first episode in and I'd be ready to give it a solid 10. However, as I watched the series, one by one all my hopes came crashing down.
The drama's worst flaw was its lack of an original plot. The fact that it was extremely badly written with a truck load of plot-holes and stroppy pacing, didn't help the case. From the first episode to the last, I guessed everything that was going to happen. It was such cliché, same old bs that at one point, I was even correctly predicting the character's dialogues before they spoke them. I saw plot-twists coming from miles ahead. I knew exactly what the main leads were going to do and how they were going to do it. Trust me, it ain't a nice feeling when you're ten steps ahead of your main leads.
Some people say that a show is only as good as its antagonists and that is one another point where Witch Court loses out on. From the daily episodic rapists to the main antagonist, all the villains were less than mediocre and slight variations of one another. It's like they were trying way too hard to be evil but unfortunately, ended up being cheesy instead.
You know how when kids do something bad, like steal a cookie and you ask them about it and they're all innocent smiles to your face but the moment you turn your back, they start smirking mischievously, triumphant that they managed to ''fool'' you? That's exactly how the bad guys were in this show.
The cringey smiles and 'evil laughs' they gave behind our main lead's back just added to their extra personalities and not in a good way. I mean how many times before have we seen a story about a corrupt Mayor in power being the villain, acting all nice and kind infront of the camera? Too many times to count. Bring me something new, please.
All the side characters were poorly constructed, barely making any contribution to the plot.
At first, I was very intrigued by our male lead. He seemed like a breath of fresh air, unlike the typical macho alpha assholes. He was supposed to be this smart, gentlemanly guy who actually gave our heroine the upperhand. How amazing, right? Not really.
Even though he is made out to be different from all the other drama male leads, the show still shoves him into the 'cool tall neighborhood oppa' stereotype. I'm always amazed when everyday prosecutors adopt ninja fighting skills out of nowhere. But those things were the least of his problems, because as the show progressed he became increasingly annoying. I love my upright handsome guys who're adamant to uphold the law but, Prosecutor Yeo was just all talk and no show. He had the classic 'dumb but heroic' vibe throughout. Way too self-righteous and equipped with dramatic declarations, he didn't do any of the actual work and soon became a pain in the ass I could really do without.
Even though the show is tagged 'romance' there was nothing of that sort here. The main couple had no chemistry and they just seemed like regular colleagues on good terms.
Surprisingly, the show did its flashbacks fairly well but like I mentioned before, the pacing was shit. Things that needed to be drawn out and be dramatic were so anti-climactic and things that needed to be rushed on were dragged out.
Some things that happened were so questionable because they were far out of the sphere of logic. Most of the times, our prosecutors won the cases because of convenient plot devices instead of actual smarts.
So seeing all these flaws, it's quite just that I rate it low right? But why then, does it pain me so much to do so? Well the answer is: Ma Yi Deum.
The heroine of this show was undeniably the saving grace. She was the only thing unique about the otherwise run-of-the-mill drama. Watching her antics was absolute bliss. Jung Ryeo Won brought forth a character that was extremely real and relatable. Often, I felt like she was my soul sister considering how many similarities I had with her. This is also why she was so easy to connect with.
I loved the fact that she went through life staying true to herself and not giving a fuck about what people thought. Even though, at times, she acted like she was all over the place, in reality she was a very composed and strong woman. Her face remained impassive in the worst of situations and she always had some clever tricks up her sleeve. Her bright smile, dark red lipstick and bad hair cases gave me so much life.
She was the one making the show, for every second she went off-screen the show turned utterly boring. Ma Yi Deum was so lovable and a character that I'll always remember. This is the reason why, even though I have a lot of problems with this show I still reccomend it so that other people can witness Prosecutor Ma's quirky weirdness and like me, be thoroughly entertained by it too.
The fact that the show revolved around rape cases is something I found to be commendable. Rape is a taboo topic and people often hesitate talking about it so openly and this show (while not perfectly) still managed to bring some fairly brutal cases on the forefront and that effort needs to be acknowledged.
The OST doesn't really stand out but the instrumental that plays at Ma Yi Deum's badass moments was really good.
I hope who ever reads this considers this review a good thing, instead of being let down because this will lower your expectations and then when you do end up watching the show you'll be pleasantly surprised.
While this is not a drama you can go in with the thought that your high hopes will be met, it is definitely a good time-pass.
Enjoy!
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The first four-six episodes were some of the best things I’ve seen since Save Me. they were flashy, dynamic, and unique, and I absolutely loved them. Unfortunately, the drama loses its initial charm and uniqueness after that. Witch’s Court is a perfect example of a drama that had great potential and an excellent start, but failed to keep that momentum going throughout the entire drama. I love the characters and the original premise, so that’s why I’m settling on a 7.0.
The plot hits off with a bang, but quickly fizzles away into a standard law drama. When they start digging up the past, the drama gives me makjang vibes. Like everything and anything can be a secret. ugh, the reason I loved Witch’s Court was because of the amazing and unique first eps, but the plot made a negative turn in the middle. There is romance, but I feel like this drama would’ve been better without it. If the writers wanted to add romance, they should’ve developed it more. The romance starts at the beginning, goes MIA in the middle, and then suddenly appears at the end again. It’s uneven. Plus, I think ‘no-romance’ would’ve fit the concept of a strong female lead who doesn’t need a man. Nevertheless, I can’t deny the fact that prosecutor Ma and Yeo gwam look hella cute together xD i do think it would’ve been better if they were just friends tho…
Ma Yi Deum is arguably one of the best female drama leads I’ve ever seen. She isn’t afraid to put her own reputation on the line just to win a court case and is willing to do anything in order to get what she wants. heck, prosecutor Ma is one awesome character. She isn’t black or white--she’s gray. I wish we had more female characters like her in dramas. Throughout the drama, we see prosecutor Ma grow and develop into a more righteous prosecutor and I respect her so much. I also love how the gender roles were reversed in this drama. Usually in dramas, the guy is the arrogant and sly one, but Yeo gwam is a fair and honest prosecutor (quite the opposite from prosecutor Ma :P). I love Yoon Hyun Min; this is my second time watching him and his acting is great. the teamwork we see from the CAGU is awesome. It would’ve been great if there was more development from these side characters. side note: Cho Gap Soo is one of the evillest villains I have ever set my eyeballs on after Spiritual Father from Save Me. he felt very real and it’s scary to know that there are people like him in the real world.
Overall, an okay law drama. I kinda felt like it was a waste of great characters since the plot was weak, but I still enjoyed it. Not a must watch, but if you’re craving an amazing female lead, give it a go! it was a fun ride and I’m going to miss our Witch’s Court squad :’)
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The best part of the show, by far, is Jung Ryeo Won as Ma Yi Deum. She is perfectly cast as the shows anti-hero prosecutor, and who the title refers too. Never has the implied "B" when the term "Witch" is used felt more appropriate. She is ruthless, and clever, and messy, and self serving, and stubborn, and amazing! I fell in love with her arrogant smirk and red lipstick. Even when she was at her worst, I was compelled to cheer her on. If there is any reason to recommend this drama, it is her. She is the best female lead character I've seen in a long time. I just wish the rest of the drama was as solid as she was.
She is matched with Yoo Hyun Min, as prosecutor Jin Wook. Honestly, I found him adorkable. He is the antithesis of her... an extremely empathetic and considerate character, and certainly much more passive and bland. I liked their chemistry too, even if their relationship seemed forced at times. He's definitely more like a sidekick than an equally strong lead. The romance isn't a major focus in this drama anyway, and I think that was a missed opportunity, especially considering the way the plot unfolds for both of them. I think it should have been played up much more, or not added at all, but instead it feels more like it's forgotten until it becomes convenient. Still, I was happy for the lighter comedic moments since the other parts of the plot are more melodramatic
Much of the story focuses on one evil duplicitous character, Gab Soo, which is another wasted opportunity. He is meant to be an utterly ruthless character, but his storyline started to bore me after a while, and unfortunately later episodes revolve mostly around him. I think Jun Kwan Ryul played his character pretty well, making him a more subdued kind of evil, but he just wasn't memorable enough. His story line also went from intriguing to predictable really quickly. I kept waiting for an interesting plot twist, or an unexpected moment, but it never came. He just wasn't a worthy enough rival for such a strong lead.
The rest of the plot revolves around the CAGU prosecutors office and their focus on these seemingly impossible to win sex crime cases. I was impressed to see such taboo subjects explored in these cases, and I did love watching to see what Ma Yi Deum would do to solve them, but even those stories started to follow too much of a predictable formula. Unlike other dramas with similar themes, some airing at the same time, this one often took the safest and most convenient routes in resolving each case. This could be a good thing for viewers who don't want to watch something that's too dark, but for me it made many of these stories, even the worst of them, pretty forgettable. The ensemble CAGU cast of characters are pretty forgettable too.
By the last few episodes I was barely holding on to what little interest I had left, so the ending felt oddly like it came too quickly and not soon enough. I'd say the ending was adequate, but they spent time showing me what happened with characters I long forgot about, and glossed over some pretty unbelievable plot points.
So, would I watch this again? Probably not. The story isn't good enough for a second viewing, but because Jung Ryeo Won is so good, it may be worth it just to watch her in action. As for the OST, it's mostly what I would consider her "theme song" being played to cue when she's in full "witch mode". I'd be much more intrigued by a better written second season, than watching this again.
Overall, this felt like a mediocre introduction to an awesome character, almost like an origin story. If they decided on a season 2, I would definitely watch, because that's how much I liked the lead. They would need a whole new writers team, and cast (except for her Jin Wook sidekick). On it's own, this is an entertaining, but pretty mediocre law show. Even so, I'm kinda sad to see it end.
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The start was strong and promising, the writing kinda daring considering the content of these prosecuted cases. The outcome was not always clear and you had your unexpected moments, even though some possible conclusions might have become more visible along the way and allowed the viewer to guess just right.
I loved the first half alot. And I mean ALOT.
Most of all because I had so much fun watching the female lead Ma Yi Deum. Her character is one of the best written and most authentic ones in dramaland. Believe me when I say that I was almost scared how much I recognized myself in her. Even though we didn't experience the same things, there were still so many situations when I just had to nod and agree in awe - because she always reacted and acted the same way I would have done in those moments. Scary indeed, right?
But at the same time I was fascinated with her and I was happy that the writers were brave enough to write such a grey zone leading role. She's not been categorized like that because she did some seriously bad things but more because she did and does some minor but still morally debatable things. If you look into the mirror and ask yourself whether you ever did something that was selfish, calculated and manipulating, even though it's not even worth mentioning (because deep down you actually don't want to admit it), then say hello to your sister: Ma Yi Deum. A tough girl who has decided to face the world with spite and sarcasm. Never letting herself be taken down by any obstacle she comes across. Even though she seems like she's hiding her feelings, she doesn't get depressed whenever she accidentally gives her emotions full scope, but instead covers up her slip of feelings in grand style. So yeah, I love her. From head to toe, from character to convenient (and occasionally striking) styling to ambiguous first impression.
The rest of the cast did well, too, even though non of them could compare to Jung Ryeo Won (Ma Yi Deum) who out-shined them all. And even though I want to mention Yoon Hyun Min because I like, love and fancy over him all the way, I just can't. I loved him in the first half but his character lost stage presence during the rest of the story (although some lovely glimpses still shined through sometimes and especially at the end~)
The same applies for the plot. I was hooked by the cases, they were shocking and the way the drama delivered them made me curious enough to binge watch the first six/seven episodes. But as the story went further, the cases lost substance, became repetitive and sadly let inconsistencies sneak in. The pace dropped down from 100 to 50 and it never picked up again. Even the finale felt kinda flat and unimpressive.
I feel truly sorry for the drama because it started off so damn well, and I wish the writers would have been able to keep that intimate but threatening atmosphere that caught me in the beginning. So much potential and so many missed possibilities.
But I did like the OST from beginning to end! It has something unique and memorable.
P.S: Would I recommend it? Yes. Depending on the mood and the tolerance of predicable and repetitive content. And for the eye candy and averagely good acting (including one shining star).
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Story: 7/10
If only, if only… The storyline of Witch’s Court is the only thing preventing me from giving this drama anything higher than an 8. In the beginning (first four episodes), the plot was perfect, and I was hanging onto my seat waiting each week for the next episodes. Unfortunately, the story switched gears to a discovering-the-truth-about-mom storyline and everything just got stuck there for around 6 episodes. Because of this, Witch’s Court became one of those makjang dramas about families and birth secrets that are like 50 episodes long… yuck. But in the last four episodes, the plot was super fast paced, and I went into the hanging-onto-my-chair mode again.
Acting/Cast: 10/10
I simply love Jung Ryeo Won, the female lead of this drama. From her smug smiles to those hair tosses, she played Ma Yi Deum, the main character, perfectly. Jung Ryeo Won’s crying and her way of expressing Ma Yi Deum’s emotions were also great. I cried along with her when she thought of her mom and felt her victory when winning the court cases.
Yoon Hyun Min, playing Yeo Jin Wook, did an excellent job as well acting as the softhearted prosecutor-partner of Ma Yi Deum.
Jun Kwang Ryul, playing the villain Jo Gap Soo, was amazing as well. His acting made me really hate the character, but also showed the villain having a bit of remorse at some times, making Gap Soo seem 10x more realistic.
Characters: 10/10
My favorite thing from this drama? The characters. Dedicating this entire paragraph to the female lead, I will be telling you why Ma Yi Deum (played by Jung Ryeo Won) is my favorite female lead of all time. Prosecutor Ma is not the usual female lead in a rom com. The one word I would use to describe her is imperfect. She might seem super crafty, but don’t hate her for what she does, since that’s probably what any of us would do in her situation. Her imperfections make her an extremely realistic character and set apart from all other female leads. She is also extremely intelligent and most likely to outsmart her opponents every time. There are a few times, however, when she loses her cool by letting her emotions get the better of herself. But this only shows that Ma does not act like the perfect female lead of every other drama, making me love this character even more. Jung Ryeo Won, the actress for Ma Yi Deum, simply cannot be replaced. I will never forget this character.
Though Yeo Jin Wook didn’t have much development, he did play an important role in this story. I actually felt as if this character was more of a supporting role... Also the romance was a bit choppy and was not developing throughout the drama. They had great romance and chemistry in the beginning, then it disappeared in the middle, and returned at the very end. They need a second season for the romance!!!
Music: 9/10
The OST not only suits this drama perfectly (sometimes I can predict when a certain song will start playing ;P), but it also brings the feeling and emotions to me when I am listening to the song.
Enjoyment level: 7/10
This drama really makes me uncomfortable because it shines light on the darkest corners of reality. But when Ma Yi Deum serves justice, there is just this incredible feeling of satisfaction that comes over me. Another moment when I felt huge satisfaction was when she went at Cho Gap Soo with the mop xD. Also the comedy of this drama is great! They even made a few serious parts funny (in a good way) and that lightened the overall feel of this drama.
Rewatch value: 6/10
Since the plot got a bit slow in the middle, I would probably not want to watch this show again. But I might want to rewatch it in an year or so.
~Conclusion~
This show breaks the rules of dramaland. Dramas are usually super unrealistic and have a load of cliches, but Witch’s Court breaks those kdrama norms by reminding us of reality. Yes, this show has made me extremely upset by presenting all the darkness of the world, but that just raises awareness and shows us that these things are real issues.
Recommendations: I would compare this drama to Save Me. While they are completely different plotwise, the meaning and message of the dramas have similarities. However, I would have to disclose the disclaimer that if you could not deal with the dark side of Witch’s Court, don’t watch Save Me. Save Me is extremely dark, and seems even darker than Witch’s Court since it has no comedy or romance.
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this kdrama gave me a panic attack.
I have never written a review before. Never bothered, even for my favourite dramas.But I had to for this one. Solely because the second episode gave me a horrid panic attack.
I went into this excited. A plot about abuse against women and children and a badass duo who fights for them and possibly hearing stories from these victims and getting a feminist message through, that is what I expected and if that's what you're hoping for this is not where you'll find it.
An attempt was made to bring up issues like victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and sexual assault against men. But this all fell to the ground because of the sloppy plot that was full of holes.
None of what I'm about to say is a reflection of my opinion on the actors, I am solely talking about story, plot, etc.
Frankly, the female lead was the most unlikeable character I've seen in a kdrama. I love complex characters, I love grey characters, I even love characters that are evil. But I hate badly written characters and characters that do evil things while the writers try to force us to like them. This is what the female lead is to me. She immediately shows no empathy and cruel behaviours, which I don't really mind as long as it's well-written. But then from episode 2 and on she gets progressively worse. She mistreats victims and tunnel visions often and the only punishment? a scolding and them some attention bc of how successful she is. They keep trying to show her as likable or as a strong female character, she is not. Embrace her as unlikable if you wanted to write her like that.
The second you write a character, a female lead character, that you want me to like and sympathize with then do not show me her doing the things she did. She never developed. She only got worse and only became increasingly annoying.
The male lead was my safe haven for the first couple of episodes but unfortunately his writing also got worse. I was so excited to see a talented, gentleman who was very empathetic and not the typical male lead, especially because he was a psychiatrist that became a prosecutor, that really was what attracted me to the show. But he is disappointing.
I feel bad for the cast because many of them did a good job despite the less than ideal script they had to work with.
There were major plot holes and if the writer didn't know how to wrap something up or how the protagonists were going to win a situation then something ridiculous would happen.
I don't even wanna begin with the inaccuracies of the court scenes.
So many villains were written way too cartoony. They were like villains from a children's movie. They'd evil laugh and suddenly shift into this "evil" character. It was upsetting because the issues they are writing about are so sensitive.
Do not watch it lightly.
Take care of yourself.
Especially LGBT+ people. Someone gets outed by the female lead and then we hear him get assaulted. Do not watch it.
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in the beginning you think it's alright and you will let ma yi deum get away with two things a human being should never do. maybe she'll grow? and i really love the way they portray that sexual abuse is not okay. and oh look they cover a gay character. she may be damaged and she may have an agenda but she will change as a person.
unfortunately that is not the case. the show would be a typical procedural with a very progressive and impressive message. we do not tolerate sexual abuse and the victims deserve to be heard and believed. great. fair enough.
except ma yi deum is an atrocious human being. she gets reassigned but couldn't give less of a fuck about these victims. her ambition isn't honorable because it's not ambition it's callousness. women do not have to choose one over the other. we can live our lives and be ambitious. or even in the case of a ruthlessly ambitious character--there's a point to it. there's writing that supports it. and jung ryeo won is a good actress but she is not fit for ma yi deum.
there are people who like her which i do not understand. but i write this review for the people like me, who love women and feminism and want to help the world, who wanted to continue this but couldn't. ma yi deum literally watched a woman be assaulted and was "disgusted" and walked away. she goes to that woman to withdraw testimony from their boss. it's convoluted and fucking RIDICULOUS but you're like ok it's just ep 1. well. she outs her client in ep 2?
if you don't want to do your job and only give a shit about yourself and your mom, a plot that's frankly ridiculous because who CARESSSSSS, then quit. this is a serious issue. it's abuse. if you do not care about these women (people/men) then don't even bother. beg to get reassigned. she is an awful person. she is not a woman i'd ever want to know or to ever defend me or ever someone i would have solace in. she is not well written enough to give a fuck about. there are some crazy amazing female characters. pretty much all of SKY castle is made up of terrible people and these women who don't know left from right. never once did i think i hate them. i was on their journey. they were flawed and horrible and i was moved.
BEING AN AWFUL HUMAN BEING DOES NOT MAKE YOU COMPLEX. it just makes you awful. if that is your only personality trait then why do i care? seriously why do i care about ma yi deum? literally anyone else i would be sympathetic towards with her background but i am not. i don't care about her absurd stupid fucking life because she is not meant to be cared about. she is meant to die alone and bitter and upset that no one cares about her since that is how she treats the world. i can give countless amount of characters (like i mentioned above) that are just awful. walter white? he is terrible. we hate walter white. we also realize breaking bad is about HIM and we continue to watch his destruction. we hate him but he IS the show because he isn't just a bad human being. he's a father, he's a spouse, he's loved, he's intelligent, he can mimic emotions, he can have emotions, he can SUFFER. he's bad but the writers know the MOST BASIC of concepts: people contain multitudes. it's not just about how ridiculously awful you are and trying to be tough then yelling all the time and crying. if i see her it's on sight truly.
so if you find that one single character--who happens to be the main character!--can ruin the show for you? i don't recommend. it's worth it if you can stomach her then i believe like....it's a dumb show but like at least you're with her. but she sucks and is an insult to women. i would never want to be associated with her EVER. and this is not how a woman with a goal who supposedly cares about their dumb mom plotline acts. ugh. i'LL NEVER RECOVER.
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I can find a lot of flaws within this drama, I wouldn't have to look very hard but I'm willing to overlook these for the sake of how much I enjoyed Ma Yi Deum and the initial premise of the story. I was hooked on the first episode cause it felt like I was watching the Korean version of Law and Order: SVU. I enjoyed the episodes that focused on a different individual each episode because it did well at showcasing that many sexual crimes are about power. For a majority of the earlier episodes, I found myself yelling at the screen saying that 'Men Are Trash'...
I was not a big fan of the overarching storyline only because it just felt moot point whenever they caught him for something in the earlier episodes because we knew it wouldn't have amounted to anything and then it made me feel annoyed because at the end the solutions seems so easy and efficient that it was like "why wasn't this done episodes ago." I will say though, it was kind of satisfying but also not with the way the overarching storyline ended. I'm equal parts satisfied and dissatisfied, probably because I kinda wanted something a little more sinister, but I mean it went with the theme of the show so good for it.
I would not recommend this drama if you're looking for something that is romance heavy which if we're honest was kind of a waste of Hyun-min and Ryeo-won's chemistry. The romance was hinted at, pushed forward, fell off, creeped back, ignored then put back again. Honestly there was nothing that convinced me of why they even fell for each other but like i said the chemistry was lit so I'm not even mad.
Side characters? Didn't care about them. Matter of fact i didn't care about anyone that wasn't Ma Yi Deum and just wanted her to get her happy ending. I was very confused because I felt like the last few minutes of the finale made it seem like these were people we've been invested in and i'm like huh? I literally knew more about Gap Soo's secretary than the other members of the prosecution team.
So the story was okay in some aspect. Acting was superb. OST was beautiful to an extent (really enjoyed Solji's voice and the pump up one). Would I rewatch this? Definitely. I would probably skip a few episodes or at least fast forward scenes that don't feature Ma Yi Deum.
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As for the acting, I initially watched this show for Yoon Hyun Min since I had seen some of his previous works but I stayed for Jung Ryeo Won. This actress was so strong at portraying Ma Yi Deum that I cannot think of another actress playing her role. The looks, all the way down to the personality matched perfectly to what I had imagined when I read the synopsis. The characters were all balanced with each other, especially Yeo Jin Wook was the calm to Ma Yi Deum’s storm. Jun Kwang Ryul’s villain acting was so perfect that I hated him since the minute he walked in. His expressions were so good and so convincing that honestly, he should be awarded an Oscar.
Overall, this show was really great to watch and the cases were all super unique in their own way. I loved how halfway through the show, they finally started to connect the dots on Cho Gap Soo’s case and how they slowly revealed all the details. Even though there is no romance tag on this website, there is a hint of romance in the drama and it was very cute. I’m glad Yi Deum and Jin Wook got some screentime with each other. It was the perfect amount to balance all the craziness going on in the show. The ending wasn’t rushed and it was nice to see everything ending peacefully.
I would 100% recommend this show to all users. If you have time and are bored, definitely give this show a try because it was worth every minute.
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The writing has been impeccable and believable, literally keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens. Every time I turn on the show, I can feel my body tense up in anticipation. I feel like I've learned a lot about what it takes to be a prosecutor when before I just thought they worked for the defense, oh no! they are like detectives! I had no idea. Ma Yi Deum is goals! She is so tough and fearless, Jung Ryeo Won did a FANTASTIC! job. I was drawn to the show based on the premise but also because I had just finished Tunnel and loved Yoon Hyun Min in it. He was just as good here, I can't wait to see where he'll go next.
Ma Yi Deum's tenacity to catch Jo Gap and make him pay for what he did to her mom was inspiring and Jung Ryeo Won did an amazing job acting as both the heartbroken woman who missed her mom and the motivated prosecutor who would do whatever it took to bring him down. We saw how bad that determination can be and how it can be dangerous to those around her, which I think was a realistic point to make that they could've easily overlooked but added a lot of depth because they didn't.
I didn't expect to like this show so much but am grateful to have been surprised. Give this a chance if you haven't watched it.
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Been there, seen it, done it all before... and better
There’s a strange contradiction in the first part of this drama. It centres around sexual abuse and the trauma caused by it, but signally fails to reflect the distress caused from nasty situations created by the plot. In similar situations of threat and vulnerability, the abuse victims experience fear and trauma, whereas the lead characters treat it almost as a joke, particularly Ma Yi Deum, and walk away unmarked. If the viewer accepts the experience of the lead characters, which is technically where their allegiance should lie, then their only option is to belittle the experience of the “victim” characters. It is an uncomfortable marriage of the serious and the trivial, of drama and romance tropes which initially made uncomfortable viewing for me.I’m not sure what the intention was, to lighten up a heavy topic or to show the character Ma Yi Deum in an unfavourable light so that character development was more pronounced, perhaps. If so, it did itself no favours and the overall impression was that abuse is something that a determined personality can sail through without being seriously affected. Dream on.
Having said that, the tone of the drama changed towards the mid section and I found it easier to warm to the character Ma Yi Deum. Jung Ryeo Wan did a great job and I found her convincing in the part and wonder if this was why she was chosen for “Diary of a Prosecutor/War of Prosecutors”, where she also did a great job in a far superior drama.
Heo Sung Tae as Baek Sang Ho is good in this, and when you look at his filmography you can see he knows how to pick a good drama. He’s an actor that doesn’t bask in the limelight but always turns in a good performance. He completely out-acted Joon Kang Ryul in every scene where they were together. Joon had three facial expressions and thoroughly worked them all into overtime.
The other actors got the job done and to be honest there was little to be explored in the mundane script.
Once the main theme of the drama kicked in it changed into fairly standard thriller in terms of the plot which was predictable and clunky. However there is one moment of ridiculous plotting which defies all credibility and other stupid moments that pissed me off and in the end I just got too bored and gave up. There’s only so many times you can watch this plot when there is nothing original or really engaging in the production to keep you going.
What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.
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