A promising start, and then dragged to the end
The series had a lot to offer at first - a powerful woman boss, Hwang In Yeop, a gripping revenge/law/courtroom drama and some elements of a whodunnit mystery. I was gripped for the first four episodes. But goodness, it went downhill after that! The story went around in circles and repeated the same tired storylines, cliches and tropes from then on till the last episode when things were resolved. Every episode brought in the same problem for the hundredth time with no intent of resolution, increased intensity or decreased intensity - just the same problem hashed again and again. Even though the female lead character was written very well, the FL could not act beyond her shocked wide-eyed look.Romance was completely unnecessary to the plot. In my mothertongue there is a saying that 'when you put random unmatched things together, it creates poison'. This is what an unnecessary romance did to this series. Plus a few copouts to the storyline like the white truck of doom to solve things much too easily.
There were a few good things though - the romance up to Ep 4 was decent, I could almost believe they wanted to be together (until it became stalkerish later on). The actual storyline started off quite interesting. My favourite part was all the scenes the villain appeared - Heo Joon Ho is such a fantastic actor! His drunken walk scene may be the best-acted scene I've watched recently. Kudos to him.
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Why Oh So Jae?
The drama caught my attention in ep 1, when Park So Young fell down from the rooftop of TK firm . I was hooked since then onwards by the well written, well- sequence and organized plot till the end. I wasn't watching it for the romance between the main female lead and the male lead though. So , it was a drama which we could see how an OH So Jae went through a journey of finding who she is, what she is made of and her degree of mental and emotional resilient when she was subjected to a lot of wrong doings by the evil CEO Cho Tae Guk and other bad guys. Love to see her using her wits to take all the bad guys down for good. At the end , the answer to Why Her - is answered in the very essence of this cool, courageous lady lawyer ...Was this review helpful to you?
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Indeed why her ?
I liked this drama and when i looked it up, not many people liked it. The main reason why i wtched this drama was because of Hwang in yeop, i needed to see him as a main lead. And i wasnt dissapointed in that area. He was a really good mainlead, he was the type of person the MFL needed. They were a very cute couple. I enjoyed those little moments when they were together.I also made the surprising discovery that Bae In Yuk was starring in this drama as well. I enjoyed seeing him in My Roomate Is a Gumiho. And in this drama he was again a 2nd lead, but i think that he fits the description too well. I would like to see him as a ML in a drama. He is good at acting i think.
Now i can see why people disliked this drama, it felt like only bad things- except the ML- was happening to her. And quite frankly wasnt sure if she was indeed a good lawyer or the reason she succeeded to get rid of her ennemies was because she was really good or they were just really dumb. The plotand plot twists werent surprising, i dont watch a lot of law/mistery kdrama because i feel like they are all the same. its always someone who has a son who rapes/murder someone and everything else is their rich parent covering it up and tangling everyone in the mess their son made. So the plot was really predictable and really the "plot twists" werent impressive. But strangely it was addicting to watch, i wanted to know what happened next and if she succeeded to be happy in the end. And the epilogue wasn't long enough. With all that hapened to her we deserved to see her happy a little longer. Because seeing that her ennemie escaped justice once again by comitting suicide wasn't really something that was needed.
I would reccomend it if you dont watch law kdrama that often because i think you will find it better, if you watched a lot of kdrama surrounding the law genre, you may find it boring.
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Good Production Quality Does Not Guarantee a Good Drama
Neither does having big name actors if you don't use them well.The 1 dimensional "evil chairman", "corrupt assemblyman", "greedy CEO" with "incompetent heir" and his "plotting wife" trying to put him in a position of power... It's boring.
They push the same problem on the female lead. She's icy outside, soft inside. But a) they wrote her character way over the top and b) she doesn't really act how they characterize her. She lets the ML cross the line and boss her around constantly despite being a "strong, smart female lead"... This guy is swooping in to take care of her constantly-- and in ways that make no sense.
For example, he demands that she stay at his house after the break in-- and she just lets him boss her around? Why wouldn't she go to a hotel? Of all people, she should know how bad this looks to sleep at *her student's* apartment.
Too much repeated suspension of disbelief pulls me out of the story.
- Highschool grad happens to be a prodigy in practicing law and is about to be promoted to CEO of one of the biggest firms in the country... While around, or even under, the age of 30.
- Convenient CCTV wherever they're needed-- repeatedly. Law students just happen to find the car that was driving behind the guys fighting over their fumbled break in attempt.
- First month law students (with the lowest marks in the class) break into a file that professionals couldn't get into... Just by typing in random passwords?
- Their whole "class" experience is... lectures when she feels like it, writes one line on the board and walks out, has them do detective work for her, talks about random cases she's involved in in the news. It just makes no sense and would never fly.
Ultimately, the story feels too forced and unnatural. The characters have the wooden-ness of puppets rather than people.
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Hopes crushed
ok so I started this drama because it had hwang - in - youp and I loved him in true beauty so I wanted to see more of him but man the story really sometimes confused me , sometimes annoyed me. The Fl was a badass and her acting was good too but the story messed it up while hwang in youp was a cute , lovely boy in this show but his character didn't have much to do . I am not a fan of legal - romantic dramas but from the trailer it looked a good one so I tried it but it left me disappointed and now I can't further continue to watch this so ya I am dropping it.Was this review helpful to you?
Seo hyun jin superb yet again
Seo hyun jin never fails, her acting prowess is superb as always. From her facial expressions to her diction and delivery, oohhh perfection!!The casts were also exemplary. I was always looking forward to the next episode, that I binged watch it in a day. SHJ is really the queen of chemistry, no matter who she gets paired with. She's just perfect. I love her! I have watched almost all of her drama. She's my favorite actress, looking forward to her pairing with Gong Yoo.
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Seo Hyun Jin does it again!
This drama is another version of the corrupt high society dramas that have been quite popular lately. If you liked dramas like Vincenzo and Penthouse, you'll most likely like this one. What I personally like a lot about this show, however, is the strong woman character. She is smart, she is fierce, but she has a reason for what she does. And I think Seo Hyun Jin does a great job, every scene her facial expressions and lines sound natural and like she is embodying the character. This is what helps sell an otherwise overdone plot.In terms of acting, Hwang In-Youp is new, much newer than Seo Hyun Jin. He is good at a certain type of role, a caring but fierce lover boy. We all saw this in True Beauty back in 2020. But in this drama, he has shown improvement in his acting so far. His facial expressions are better, and his ability to convince us he is the character, not just playing it.
It takes a bit to get into the plot of this show, especially if you are a woman. Unlike other kdramas, this kdrama isn't afraid to talk about the reality of violence against women. Sexual assault and rape are discussed in this show, which can be quite triggering to some people. Women face some physical violence as well. This is different, but I think it is an intentional thing from the writer to get the viewers to root for this tough female main character, who faces danger knowing others want to break her down.
I have watched all 4 of the episodes that are out so far, and I can say this is a very good show so far. I think some of the cliche's can be made up for by the suspense and twists in the show, as well as the chemistry between SHJ and HIY (who, despite their 6 year age gap, look very good together!)
If you're on the fence about this show, go into it with a little bit of openmindedness. The plot has its flaws, but the actors will win your heart and make you root for their characters love and revenge. Thanks for reading!
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Thrilling start to finish
Basic plot: Why Her is the story of a talented lawyer Oh Soo Jae who rises to fame in TK Law Firm. However, her story is not simple. Her journey was one of a righteous young lawyer who goes through tragedy and hardship and makes revenge her ultimate goal by turning herself into the most sought out cut-throat lawyer that that clean up the messiest of cases. However, due to the shocking death in a case, she is forced to take time off and become a professor at a law school. This is where she meets an eager and helpful law student, Gong Chan. As fate would have it, this is not a chance encounter and they would discover just how they know each other while working together on cases.Review: This is a rare drama where the thrill is maintained in every episode.
Oh Soo Jae is an elegant lawyer who knows exactly how to deal with misogyny in the workplace. She knows she is the best out there and she doesn't care for the opinions of others. She keeps her cards close to her chest. And her character is true to life in many such work places that are dominated by men.
Perhaps the noona romance is not to everyone's liking, however, both characters are adult and the attachment of Dong Chan to Soo Jae is understandable and justified. Similarly, Soo Jae is actually very lonely even when she may not show it and this romance depicts a softer side to her. Dong Chan gives her strength. However the romance element is not a huge part of the show even though I would have loved to see more of it. There is also an additional element of a love triangle with Choi Yoon Sang. His attachment is also understandable as they have known each other for long and he also plays a stong supporting role. My only disappointment was that this character was cut a bit shorter than I would have liked.
Choi Tae Gook is the main negative character. He is also owns TK Law Firm. This is a powerful and daunting character. My only criticism of this role is that we do not see him in action in any case whatsoever. He merely pulls strings in the background in his favour. He along with Assemblyman Lee In Soo and Han Seong Beom plot and plan and help each other rise further in their career ambitions. However, the brains of Choi Tae Gook are unmatched and he has other plans.
The show also has a number of lovely supporting characters that give life to the drama.
Final points: I for one do not understand the harsh criticisms of Why Her. Feels almost like they watched an entirely different show. The finale also keeps you guessing whether the show will end the way we want it to. I hope this review allays any concerns about the show and helps you decide to watch it. I have tried to provide just enough information without giving anything away. I would definitely give this a watch again.
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Great cast, poor execution
Believe me, I really tried getting into this but I just couldn't.Individually, I like both Seo Hyunjin and Hwang Inyeop. They're both terrific actors when given a proper script and a good character to play with. This was obviously not the case.
Seo Hyunjin'sn character is depicted as arrogant and believe's she's better than anyone else, and I fully support this when it comes to men, and given she works for a law firm, I love how she's the best of the best above all men working there. We don't really get to see many executive women, as usual for this genre. But I just feel she's too bland, like why is being arrogant her only personality trait?
As for Hwang Inyeop's character, don't even get me started. Why does he have the same hairstyle as he did in The Sound of Magic when he was playing a high schooler? As for his personality, it is nonexistent and that's all I will say.
I'm really not interested in continuing this one, my friends, but best of luck if you do! And if you like this, kuddos to you as well!
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Promising, complex though somewhat flawed storylines let down by irksome lead.
The storylines are excellent with multiple layers and even dimensions of plots and subplots that tie in together rather nicely so far, for the most part, barring some obvious plot flaws. The acting in general is very good, they've cast the right people into **most** of the key roles.However, maybe it is just me, but the FL Oh Soo Jae started getting on my nerves to the extent that I just dropped this series. She plays her role as a powerful, confident, no-nonsense ice queen rather well, but her grating nasal voice got a bit too irritating for me. When she's supposed to be expressing some deep vulnerability or strong remorse, it looks too fake and forced. She comes across as so one-dimensional that it feels like a fake character, not a real human you can connect with, relate to and empathise with.
The romance plot lines are mostly unnecessary, there's so little chemistry between them that it's cringe inducing.
Compare how Seo Hyun Jin's plays her role as Oh Soo Jae with how the leads play the roles of Lee Ji-An in My Mister, or that of Nam Ha-Neul in Doctor Slump. These roles are quite complex and multi-layered as well, but they hook you, create a connection, and you can relate deeply. With Lee Ji-An in My Mister, I still recall some storylines years after I watched the series - now that's sticky, that's a connection, something this series failed to deliver.
With Oh Soo Jae, I found myself losing the connection even by the tenth episode, I just dropped the whole series when I found myself cheering for the bad guy - now Heo Joon Ho does a stellar job at that role! I give the acting/cast a 7/10 because the bad guys are superb.
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