Beyond the Bar

Deeply Moving Drama....

I won't sit here and claim fluency in Korean dramas, language, or legalese. And I definitely do not turn to kdramas for believable realities so my irritation with potholes is fairly low. But this drama really surprised me.

I started this on Monday, bored with my other kdrama and honestly didn't have high hopes. I like a good law procedural but my proximity to actual lawyers makes me a very snarky observer of how they are portrayed. So color me genuinely surprised when the second episode brought tears to my eyes and I am neither a typically weepy watcher nor hormonal atm. The show is naive and hopeful and maybe that's what I need when the world is ::waves incoherently::

As an English language viewer watching this with subtitles, the emotional underpinning of each episode astounds me. Even the episodes with scenes that DO frustrate me generally have enough going with other characters to keep me watching. Even with the way flashbacks just drop into scenes without a screen cue (music...a color change... something...I beg) I am happy to follow where this drama takes me to learn:

* more about the ML and FL both as separate individuals and how this director envisions the series ending for them
* how Yullim law firm deals with its... internal matters
* what the heck happens with the second leads
* probably several other things I cannot articulate without getting more spoilerly

There are moments where I want to cringe, want to fast forward, want to read a synopsis of the episode instead (and I do!) but I still stayed up until 2am watching this show instead of sleeping. I read the episode synopsis.... and still decided to watch. This show made me care about lawyers and the ethical dilemmas they face daily. This show made me care about personal litigation lawyers which if you knew the mind f*** that is for me... jeez.

Some of the sentiments are sloppily managed. I do not deny that. But it also asks the viewer to engage and think about how they would react in situations that do occur in real life. I am thinking of one episode in particular which yes, absolutely strains believability, but does so in a way that shows human beings, flawed and imperfect as we are, trying to bring their own personal notions of justice to a deeply messed up situation in a flawed and imperfect legal system. Do I like this vigilante approach to justice? Um...unclear.

But it made me ask the question. I would suggest viewers forget the plausibility of the scenarios and just feel your way through each episode. Because at the root of each case is love and as one character points out: the different expressions and interpretations of love hurt people. This show captures that heartbreak well enough for this romantic cynic to hurt enough to cry while watching it.

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Stimulating Law Series

Love Love Love this series , I wait with anticipaiton for the new episode and I love that they drop one each day over the weekend. It has never failed to engage the viewer & also show a different legal system. The story each episode has been done so well. you never quite know what they will bring out next & I am here for it. Age Gap Love seems to be a target with some viewers but get with the program Age gap love is a big part of our world these days. I am here for the age gap , the fact that he is her superior and with the other story of age gap she is his superior Don't care -- everyone deserves love and they are slow burning it & it maks their story all the more authenic He isn't attacted to her youth it is her mind & she isn't attacted to his status but his extreme kindness & character Fantastic show
New addition to this review--finished watching & I had a viseral reaction of pure disappointment because I would have loved this to be a series and go on and on. There are some pretty fantastic story lines that could have been explored, especially an age gap romance between our main leads. But they left the ending ambiguous so I prefer to think that Kye Hyo-min & Yoon Seok Hoon got together and had beautiful babies.

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Well done drama

I have to say, this drama is right up there with the best for this year so far. I wondered which drama I could rate as just as good as or better than When the phone rings. This is it. The courtroom cases are realistic, the acting is top class and the emotions are really well put over. This is one that makes the week seems so long and twelve episodes seem kinda short. Nevertheless, I am so pleased with the writership and the maturity shown in this drama. Believe it or not, this is the first drama that I rewatch over and over until the next episode comes along. I am hoping it continues like this and up to this point, I would highly recommend it.

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Good legal love drama without romance

If you are expecting romance, it's not a typical legal romance. It's a Legal Love without romance. Let me explain. The show does very well in terms of showcasing the legal stories with nuances. It feels realistic with emotional weight. The acting, writing and character development is well done as well. By the end of the season, you will love every character. The show focuses on love rather than romance. The ML and FL and even support characters here are not typical or socially acceptable couples for romance. That is why the show rather focuses on how these characters go and explore their own journey and understanding of love, rather than them actually romancing with each other.
The show is very good and teaches many nuances of life including the meaning of real love. But if you want to see romance, you will be disappointed as the show lefts you hanging to wonder.
SPOILER: The show embraces and shows romance between a couple where female is older, but decides to keep it bland between the ML and FL of the story where the ML is older. Strange as both couple have 10-11 years gap!! Statistically speaking IRL, it is far more common to see 10+ year older male in couples than a couple with 10+ year older female. So it's just feels weird and out of touch with reality in this regard.

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Average law drama

While this law drama has its moments, it's not without its faults. The cases are interesting and the workplace dynamics are engaging, especially the partnership between Seok Hun and Hyo Min. Their connection builds slowly and genuinely, which is one of the show's better points.

For me, the real stars of the show were the second couple Jin U and MIn Jeong. Their story provided a refreshing mix of humor and heart, often stealing the spotlight.

Overall, the show is just okay. It doesn't quite live up to its full potential. The pacing can sometimes feel a little off, causing the narrative to lose momentum and making it easy to lose focus. If you're looking for a consistently excellent legal series, this one might not be it. In that respect, a drama like Good Partner might be a better fit.

The series wrapped up with a finale that left a clear opening for another season, so there's hope for more to come from these characters, though the overall quality remains a mixed bag.

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This drama showcases types of love not just one

I really enjoyed the characters lives we were put into and the cases that the lawyers were taking on. I will say the plot of the law firm and the cases they took kept me interested and coming back every week.

I was disappointed with the ending, I see the directors and writers intention with the ML and FL romance. it was a slow burn, and a big emphasis on the connection the were building and emotional intimacy. By the end they were very close to each other and learned and learned from each other. I just really wish we atleast knew if they were heading in the direction of starting a romance.

None the less if it got a season 2 I would watch because I loved the story and the characters.

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Got me back into kdrama

From the headline I think that alone explains why I rated this drama so high. I have not been interested in any new kdrama for a long while until I saw this drama on my feed. I binged all episodes and was upset that it was over lol so of course I’m looking forward to a second season. One of the main reasons why I liked this drama so much was the low maintenance of the romantic aspect, unlike other shows they exaggerate and I dare say force the romance a bit too much making the romance aspect so boring. This drama was a breath of fresh air. I truly wish their were more kdramas like this

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A legislative and emotional masterpiece

Beyond the Bar has a deep and intriguing plot, mixing many different emotions and struggles with daily life and the legislative system. The relationships that developed between the lead characters and also between the second leads were so cute and lovely even though they ended up differently. One of my favorite things with Beyond the Bar is the very creatively but still pretty realistically written cases.

Shout-out to episode four, it was one of the best k-drama episodes I’ve ever watched and I loved every single detail.

The second leads were amazing and my favorite characters after Kang Hyo Min. I love how they after chasing each other (well mostly Jin Woo chasing Min Jeong lol) came to their senses and married each other.

I really appreciated all the small details, for example how episode 9 ended with Yoon Seuk Hoon looking at Kang Hyo Min and episode 10 ending the opposite! It really brought the storyline to a new level.

I love how they ended with Yoon Seuk Hoon saying “Love is…” and then they showed the pictures summarizing the episode, which all showed different types of love.

Could have been better: Some parts of the storyline were messy and made sense later on, but it was still a bit irritating to have to wait for the next episode to maybe understand.

The first episodes I really enjoyed the absence of romance, but the second half of the show could have needed some romance between the ML and FL. At least I hoped to get some romance between them in the last episode, but I guess that was a message left to interpret by the viewers. In my delusional dream world Kang Hyo Min and Yoon Seuk Hoon would marry each other and then adopt Choi Ho Yeon’s younger sisters since the twins really seemed to like the ML and FL, Yoon Seuk Hoon in particular (and of course Hash too)!

Strongly recommend this k-drama to everybody, especially those seeking dramas focusing on law and normal life with less romance.

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Suits but make it Korean and better

I was actually very impressed with this show. It had the right balance of legal and non-legal scenes. I liked that it focused on a variety of cases and stayed true to itself until the end. There was no unnecessary drama between the leads, just the right amount of romance and well-written characters.

The female lead was especially interesting. She had a heart of gold, but was an absolute beast in court. The male lead was the same. Both actors did an amazing job, and their chemistry was great.
The pet storyline was my favorite.

The rest of the cast was solid too, though they didn’t have particularly standout storylines. The side plot with the law firm was the only part I didn’t enjoy. I actually skipped some of those scenes. But overall, I really enjoyed it and finished it in three days.

P.S. I loved the romantic aspect of the drama, and I’m glad they left the ending open. If they had rushed the romance, it wouldn’t have felt right.

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