What I appreciate about this drama is that it's trying to do something a bit different. The jury is still out on whether it's a failure or success at this point because quite clearly the show doesn't follow the rom com tropes to a T. In fact, it is quite clearly subverting quite a number of them. Writing leads that are deeply flawed is quite the challenge because a good writer has to come back from that and "redeem" them in a convincing manner during the resolution phase.
For me, though, while I'm keen to see the writer peel away the layers, I'm not convinced that we should necessarily "believe" everything characters tell us about themselves. Just because Eun-beom says he's not cut out for marriage, doesn't mean he isn't. That's only what he thinks at a particular time. The wonderful thing about human beings is that they can change their minds on a whole range of things. My feeling about this particular cast of characters is that most of them don't really know what they want from life. Success in one's profession doesn't equate to success in relationships. The other thing that is noteworthy is that though the firm specializes in divorce, the legal experts are no wiser about how healthy/functional relationships should be conducted. This theme is replicated right through from the leads to their respective families. Divorce is a symptom not a solution. It's an exit strategy with trade-offs. It may offer respite but it doesn't necessarily solve deep-seated emotional issues that led to the problems in the marriage in the first place. Divorce could well be a way... and I believe it is true for Eun-beom... to evade problems that are bound to surface eventually. The whole time I've seen him, it feels like he's running away from something but it's not marriage. This is not to say that Ha-ra did everything right BUT if he had honestly and graciously addressed the way she was encroaching his boundaries during their marriage, I suspect that they both would have been better off for it. They both learnt nothing from their divorce. Indeed I tend to think that they've learnt the wrong things from it.
The reason why I say this is because Ha-ra's relationship with Jae-gyeom is raising red flags. Not because of Jae-gyeom necessarily although I think he's being rather silly as well. Ha-ra is letting him cross lines/take liberties because she is reacting from what Eun-beom told her about why he "really" divorced her. She feels obligated to respond positively to everything Jae-gyeom does because she thinks it's entirely her fault that her marriage to Eun-beom failed. Jae-gyeom, to my mind, is in far too much of a hurry to seal the deal with Ha-ra when he knows full well at least that she's not all in. I don't doubt his sincerity but I question his strategy. He is too desperate and it shows. Ha-ra is unfortunately leading him on not deliberately but because on paper, he seems almost perfect. She thinks she should be in love with him because he checks off boxes so she overaccommodates him. It's a compensatory mechanism. But of course that's not how it works in reality. It's all very uncomfortable to watch.
I think the writer is good because he/she doesn't take sides. He/she shows all sides with honesty. Relationships are often difficult to get right and potentially messy. The old saying that "it takes two to tango" is absolutely true.
It's quite a unique approach to the genre. It's not exactly Columbo but perhaps it's because I am taken with Jing Boran's charismatic portrayal of Lan Jue that I'm rooting for his character to get away with everything. He has antihero tendencies which makes him fascinating to watch. His calculating nature is very appealing. The cat and mouse game is kind of fun. If the two men ever become partners-in-crime, he would be Mycroft to Zhang Ping's Sherlock.
The show does a good job of getting the balance right with these flawed human beings. Isn't it just like human beings to make decisions that they live to regret later? Self-sabotage is real.
I've never been married because that's how I view marriage 😅
Like everything in life, the success of marriage largely depends on the people in it. That's the point of the show I imagine. The problem is that most people don't put in the same kind of effort into their marriages the way they do for their careers or jobs. It's ironic that most would slave away for their employers and wouldn't even put in a fraction of the effort for their spouses or children.
You must've been in luck last year then. Legal dramas were almost all we got. And yeah, definitely recognising…
Most of the legal dramas came out really in the final quarter of 2022 and I did watch a few of them. But I don't really consider $1 Lawyer a true legal drama -- it was more of a superhero origins story.
I too am a big fan of The Good Detective franchise.
This is a far more interesting show than I've been led to believe. It probably helps that I actually like legal dramas. It's obvious that Eun-beom didn't cheat on Ha-ra and his antics are really quite intriguing. Humorous and fascinating. Everything he does feels deliberately counterintuitive. There are resonances of Oh Ji-hyeok from The Good Detective here.
4 
For me, though, while I'm keen to see the writer peel away the layers, I'm not convinced that we should necessarily "believe" everything characters tell us about themselves. Just because Eun-beom says he's not cut out for marriage, doesn't mean he isn't. That's only what he thinks at a particular time. The wonderful thing about human beings is that they can change their minds on a whole range of things. My feeling about this particular cast of characters is that most of them don't really know what they want from life. Success in one's profession doesn't equate to success in relationships. The other thing that is noteworthy is that though the firm specializes in divorce, the legal experts are no wiser about how healthy/functional relationships should be conducted. This theme is replicated right through from the leads to their respective families. Divorce is a symptom not a solution. It's an exit strategy with trade-offs. It may offer respite but it doesn't necessarily solve deep-seated emotional issues that led to the problems in the marriage in the first place. Divorce could well be a way... and I believe it is true for Eun-beom... to evade problems that are bound to surface eventually. The whole time I've seen him, it feels like he's running away from something but it's not marriage. This is not to say that Ha-ra did everything right BUT if he had honestly and graciously addressed the way she was encroaching his boundaries during their marriage, I suspect that they both would have been better off for it. They both learnt nothing from their divorce. Indeed I tend to think that they've learnt the wrong things from it.
The reason why I say this is because Ha-ra's relationship with Jae-gyeom is raising red flags. Not because of Jae-gyeom necessarily although I think he's being rather silly as well. Ha-ra is letting him cross lines/take liberties because she is reacting from what Eun-beom told her about why he "really" divorced her. She feels obligated to respond positively to everything Jae-gyeom does because she thinks it's entirely her fault that her marriage to Eun-beom failed. Jae-gyeom, to my mind, is in far too much of a hurry to seal the deal with Ha-ra when he knows full well at least that she's not all in. I don't doubt his sincerity but I question his strategy. He is too desperate and it shows. Ha-ra is unfortunately leading him on not deliberately but because on paper, he seems almost perfect. She thinks she should be in love with him because he checks off boxes so she overaccommodates him. It's a compensatory mechanism. But of course that's not how it works in reality. It's all very uncomfortable to watch.
I think the writer is good because he/she doesn't take sides. He/she shows all sides with honesty. Relationships are often difficult to get right and potentially messy. The old saying that "it takes two to tango" is absolutely true.
Jing Boran. Love his vocal delivery.
I too am a big fan of The Good Detective franchise.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/meet-yourself-2023-when-adam-meets
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/crash-course-in-romance-2023-episodes