Political Fever (2021)

It was like the Korean version of VEEP.

This drama reminded me very much of VEEP. Set in the same context, a journey of a female politician to the top of the ladder and how she negates all the hurdles.

The basic story is that Lee Jeong-eum is the newly appointed Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Previously an athlete, she is relative new to this political arena, only to be showered with all types of problems at the beginning of her new role.
On top of all this, her husband is also kidnapped and she has to resolve this situation before it blows out of proportion.

A political satire/ dark comedy series, this drama focuses on the journey of Lee Jeong-eum and her underlings.

The first few episodes were very slow, but the last 4 episodes were right on the money.
The story felt like a half-baked plot. Certainly, there were many things which warranted more detailing.
But lacking story was made up by the perfect acting and the dark comedy.

It really put into perspective how the government actually runs. There are so many permutations and combinations that a politician have to calculate in order to successfully complete his/her term spot-free.

What I liked was the character development of Lee Jong-eun. From a naive athlete turned minister, to a master manipulator, her journey was very spectacular. She learned from every betrayal, from every incident, and in the end she was able to successfully negate out of this whole controversy.

The second season is going to be very interesting.

Overall a nice drama. A good 8.5/10 from me. That being said, I don't get why this drama got so many Baeksang nominations, and that too for Best Drama.
My sole motivation for watching this drama was because it got the Best Drama nomination, but as with most other names, I don't agree with this nomination either.

Read More