This review may contain spoilers
Love is Not Perfect, But That's What Makes it so Human
"Beyond the Bar" is an intricate show based on the legal field and through a legal lens, explores a variety of themes and ideas which all eventually point back to one singular concept - love. From the beginning, the show starts off with the generic smart, top-of-the-class FL being late for her interview at the law firm but eventually manages to impress the panel judges and joins the only team that is not expecting anyone to join, spearheaded by our cold yet capable ML. Despite the generic opening, audiences are hooked by the second episode, opening with the FL going through a break-up right from the start, using the analogy of a relationship as a tea bag. When faced with troubles or problems, that which is likened to "hot water", a strong tea bag would releases its distinct flavor while a weak tea bag will result in the tea becoming bland and distasteful. Similar to a relationship, a strong relationship grounded in common interests and values will survive in the face of troubles while a weak relationship characterized by differing interests and values would crumble in the face of disagreements. This analogy stood out to me a lot and made the script feel a lot more genuine and well-written.
Almost every episode is titled with a similar interesting analogy or interesting concept. For example, the analogy of a mother's care and protectiveness being a butterfly's cocoon. If showered with too much love to the point of obsessions and overprotectiveness, the development of the child would become hindered and render them unable to make their own choices and decisions. Similarly, if an individual helps to open the cocoon that a developing caterpillar is in, its wings wouldn't be able to develop properly and it wouldn't be able to take flight. Other examples include "Love in All It's Colors", referring to the different forms that love can take similar to the different colors there are on the color spectrum as well as
"Salieri's Monologue", referring to the inherent human emotion of envy and judgement and how it can lead to our own misery. Besides that, some of the episodes are also titled after interesting concepts such as "Lex Talionis" which refers to the principle of retaliation, or in other words, enforcing a punishment that corresponds in degree and kind to the offense of the wrongdoer and "The Right to Life" which questions the morals and ethics of individuals who literally get to decide who lives or dies i.e. judges, prosecutors, surgeons etc. Once again, this proves just how meticulous and thoughtful the script is.
Another strong point of this drama is the character development that took place as the series progressed. The ML learned to open up to his colleagues and new juniors, to spend time with them and to eventually forgive his wife. The FL learned to be less reckless and more sensitive to others while maturing into a fine attorney and was eventually recognised by the ML as his "greatest masterpiece". The parents of the FL learnt from their mistakes and apologized to FL and her sister for "abandoning" her and eventually making up. The mother's character development esp. stood out to me because many of her decisions, including the decision to be bystander to school bullying despite the moral image that she projected as a prominent figure in the legal field, was what caused the FL to distance herself from her parents. Even side characters such as the second couple FL also experienced development, learning to put herself first and welcome a new relationship as well as reconnect with her daughter. Even the big boss of Yullim learnt to accept that he had gone down the wrong path and decided to step down and hand over the care of the firm to the mentor of the ML and his friend, who recognised his wrongdoing, did not simply ignore it but chose to do the right thing, even if it meant voting out his long-time friend and business partner.
Lastly, I really liked how the last episode linked all the previous episodes together to the common theme of love and its different forms and expressions - love between a parent and child, or btw. a couple, or between an animal and owner or even the love that we show to strangers. I also enjoyed how they highlighted how love can and should be imperfect because nothing in this world is without its flaws. Yet, if we choose to ignore something because it is imperfect, then we are ignoring the very essence that makes us human (e.g. mother abandoning sister because she is deaf, final ep. couple choosing to marry without having love involved). In addition, I was also thoroughly impressed with how they depicted marriage as "the process of enduring that imperfect love together" because it truly reflects the essence of a marital union and acknowledging that both will have their flaws and disagreements but being able to embrace that and get through those rocky times together is what
makes marriage such a wonderful and precious gift. The proposal speech in the last episode further adds to the depth of this concept, especially the line "no one tells us how we are supposed to love each other ... we only learn what love is after being hurt, and we only realise its value after losing it". Once again, this confession highlights that nobody really understands what love is, because it is impossible to put a definition to it but the journey of trying to understand this human emotion together and making those mistakes together is what makes it so worthwhile and intimate.
Some complaints about the series include how unrealistic it was for the newbie FL to keep winning cases and the unnecessary office romance which was inconclusive. For the former, I feel that it is not that unrealistic considering that the FL was a genius, valedictorian, mentored by one of the best lawyers in modern Korea, has both parents in high positions in the legal field and is surrounded by friends and colleagues who help her earnestly. For the latter, I really appreciated the slow-burn romance from a distanced relationship between a disapproving boss and a reckless junior to one filled with admiration and respect. Personally, I think I could feel some degree of intimacy between their gaze, their time spent with each other such as the car rides, coffee room discussions and date in the last episode, and the way the FL speaks about him. To me, the open ending is satisfactory because the relationship could end up in 2 ways. One, they remain professional and continue as colleagues. Or two, they decide to pursue a romantic relationship. Both cases can be equally justified and therefore the open ending remains as an
ideal closure for the series. In conclusion, "Beyond the Bar" will likely stay as one of the most thoughtful and well-written K-dramas that I have come across.
Almost every episode is titled with a similar interesting analogy or interesting concept. For example, the analogy of a mother's care and protectiveness being a butterfly's cocoon. If showered with too much love to the point of obsessions and overprotectiveness, the development of the child would become hindered and render them unable to make their own choices and decisions. Similarly, if an individual helps to open the cocoon that a developing caterpillar is in, its wings wouldn't be able to develop properly and it wouldn't be able to take flight. Other examples include "Love in All It's Colors", referring to the different forms that love can take similar to the different colors there are on the color spectrum as well as
"Salieri's Monologue", referring to the inherent human emotion of envy and judgement and how it can lead to our own misery. Besides that, some of the episodes are also titled after interesting concepts such as "Lex Talionis" which refers to the principle of retaliation, or in other words, enforcing a punishment that corresponds in degree and kind to the offense of the wrongdoer and "The Right to Life" which questions the morals and ethics of individuals who literally get to decide who lives or dies i.e. judges, prosecutors, surgeons etc. Once again, this proves just how meticulous and thoughtful the script is.
Another strong point of this drama is the character development that took place as the series progressed. The ML learned to open up to his colleagues and new juniors, to spend time with them and to eventually forgive his wife. The FL learned to be less reckless and more sensitive to others while maturing into a fine attorney and was eventually recognised by the ML as his "greatest masterpiece". The parents of the FL learnt from their mistakes and apologized to FL and her sister for "abandoning" her and eventually making up. The mother's character development esp. stood out to me because many of her decisions, including the decision to be bystander to school bullying despite the moral image that she projected as a prominent figure in the legal field, was what caused the FL to distance herself from her parents. Even side characters such as the second couple FL also experienced development, learning to put herself first and welcome a new relationship as well as reconnect with her daughter. Even the big boss of Yullim learnt to accept that he had gone down the wrong path and decided to step down and hand over the care of the firm to the mentor of the ML and his friend, who recognised his wrongdoing, did not simply ignore it but chose to do the right thing, even if it meant voting out his long-time friend and business partner.
Lastly, I really liked how the last episode linked all the previous episodes together to the common theme of love and its different forms and expressions - love between a parent and child, or btw. a couple, or between an animal and owner or even the love that we show to strangers. I also enjoyed how they highlighted how love can and should be imperfect because nothing in this world is without its flaws. Yet, if we choose to ignore something because it is imperfect, then we are ignoring the very essence that makes us human (e.g. mother abandoning sister because she is deaf, final ep. couple choosing to marry without having love involved). In addition, I was also thoroughly impressed with how they depicted marriage as "the process of enduring that imperfect love together" because it truly reflects the essence of a marital union and acknowledging that both will have their flaws and disagreements but being able to embrace that and get through those rocky times together is what
makes marriage such a wonderful and precious gift. The proposal speech in the last episode further adds to the depth of this concept, especially the line "no one tells us how we are supposed to love each other ... we only learn what love is after being hurt, and we only realise its value after losing it". Once again, this confession highlights that nobody really understands what love is, because it is impossible to put a definition to it but the journey of trying to understand this human emotion together and making those mistakes together is what makes it so worthwhile and intimate.
Some complaints about the series include how unrealistic it was for the newbie FL to keep winning cases and the unnecessary office romance which was inconclusive. For the former, I feel that it is not that unrealistic considering that the FL was a genius, valedictorian, mentored by one of the best lawyers in modern Korea, has both parents in high positions in the legal field and is surrounded by friends and colleagues who help her earnestly. For the latter, I really appreciated the slow-burn romance from a distanced relationship between a disapproving boss and a reckless junior to one filled with admiration and respect. Personally, I think I could feel some degree of intimacy between their gaze, their time spent with each other such as the car rides, coffee room discussions and date in the last episode, and the way the FL speaks about him. To me, the open ending is satisfactory because the relationship could end up in 2 ways. One, they remain professional and continue as colleagues. Or two, they decide to pursue a romantic relationship. Both cases can be equally justified and therefore the open ending remains as an
ideal closure for the series. In conclusion, "Beyond the Bar" will likely stay as one of the most thoughtful and well-written K-dramas that I have come across.
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