DramaAjumma

I believe it was originally a British production -- Criminal Justice.

Finally all caught up and ready for the finale. The whodunit side of things reminds me more and more of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The difficulty with the whole thing has always been trying to put a motive to these killings and because Hyun-ju was the outsider, it was hard for him to come to any quick conclusions. On top of that he was up against a local who was better equipped to navigate the terrain. It was only as he spent time with the people and on the mountain was he able to gradually put the pieces of the puzzle together.
I also really liked the non-linear presentation of the narrative because it's in all likelihood how memory works... more as unreliable fragments than a clear cut series of images depicting events.

Although I don't always think that the supernatural element meshes that well with the whodunit, the ambition of the writer has been admirable. There's an overt message pertaining to the ecological importance of Mount Jiri and an acknowledgement of it as a sacred space demonstrating that science and spirituality can coexist for the greater good. The juxtaposition of the current photographic technology with Hyun-ju's premonitions are an example of this. This also speaks to importance of perception in framing who gets to tell the story and why.

I had an inkling when I first started that this is a show best marathoned continuously over and on hindsight there's definitely justification for thinking that.

The point of his spirit moving around in the mountain shows his resolution to find the killer despite being incapacitated physically. Yi-gang pretty much comes to that conclusion. It also reinforces the idea of the mountain as a sacred, spiritual space trying to push back against the evil that's at work. Hyo-jun receives his calling to fight the darkness before he begins working as a ranger and is still acting as an instrument of the mountain as it were.

Same. It's definitely one of the more interesting storylines.

Personally I like everything about this show and it does get better over time. It's definitely an ambitious undertaking trying to keep the balancing act going with all the various elements. There's probably some discontent about when the serial killer might be revealed but it's actually not the primary focus of the show.

Because there's such a divergent set of views, it's always best to watch it and make your own assessment.

As far as I can tell, Victoria is using her own voice here and it suits the role of being a bit of a tomboy. She's one of the good guys if occasionally reckless.
As far as I can tell, everyone is using their own voice in this show.

I don't agree with that assessment at all. He's so obviously not a supporting character. He's in just about every single episode. The fact is that he's part of a large ensemble and still is a key figure.

Frankly I think he chose well for himself. This is a quality production in every way, underpinned by a good script. He could do a lot worse.. A lot.

That worked really well for me. LOL.

Ah... a Justice Bao story. Thought so from the mention of Kaifeng.

Edited: Yeah, I'm not impressed. It isn't just the female lead. It's the whole jolly script and the production values are really low. For Bao Zheng, supposedly one of the great sleuths of Chinese history to proclaim the female lead intelligent and a worthy sidekick for Zhan Zhao after one single encounter where she mucked up big time is not just implausible but completely garbage writing.

I can tell this isn't for me.

Although I'm well aware that the show presents an unrealistic picture of the therapeutic process (and it is acknowledged before the end credits), the watchability factor for me is high due to the main characters. I sense an awkwardness in the script in trying to integrate all the moving parts and I think nowhere is that clearer than the inclusion and execution of Ye Jiahui. His revenge arc doesn't sit that well with the rest of the storyline -- it's almost as if he's in his own drama. He's not a particularly likeable or compelling character and he's absurdly ubiquitous. The actor doesn't do much for me either which compounds the issues. I understand that he's being depicted as an antithesis to the leads but his bad guy plot doesn't really mesh well with the actual aims of the show. of de-stigamatizing mental health problems in that society when he's intentionally and actively using deceit to undermine the work done by He Du et. al.

All up to date and I am thoroughly enjoying this show with a fantastic array of characters. I've always thought that when the mainlanders get their act together and take the trouble to put together a good historical drama with a decent script, they're unbeatable. It's clear that they can do this far more often except that they don't. Unfortunately. The magic of the show comes from the fact that despite seeming plot driven, it is actually an intricate character-driven show. Aside from the main trio, the other individual that I'm most intrigued by is Lord Chu a kind of ancient Walsingham.

Still I keep wondering where Di Renjie is in all of this. :D

Maybe the brouhaha with his brother has reached his ears.

Glad to see the brothers resolve their issues. Love their heart-to-heart. Fantastic to see the cocky Biyong get taken down.

Kwak Si-yang is a hoot. Honestly. His exasperated gestures has me laughing out loud.

It's not bad. I'm enjoying the cases and the friendships. Gets better as the show progresses. Yang Zi is fine in the titular role but I really like the male lead who's new to me. He does really well as the broadcaster.

It's obvious Bibyoung is bad news all round. On some level I agree with everyone's perspectives but sooner or later someone has to show him the door or make sure that he doesn't work any more except as a freelance music teacher. He is very bad not just for the agency but for the entire industry. In the long run if he's actively undermining his own company then he's very bad for business regardless of his talent.

The second half of this show is definitely better than the first half.

I wouldn't say the romance is non-existence but undergoing development.

I don't think we should assume that the laws for adoption work the same way then that it does now. We already know that the police force was corrupt and the adoption agencies did underhanded things in overseas adoptions. Would it be beyond the pale that that the lawyer was able to adopt Hyo-kyung without going through official channels especially if a few lies were told? The 1980s seemed like a different world.

Well, to each their own but I thought the Longest Day was great. It kept my interest all throughout. Tribes and Empires would have been good if they actually finished it.

I am really watching this for Kwak Si-yang (one of the highlights of Alice) because he is so good in this. Hot, cool, badass and adorably funny. Although I like my underdog stories this one relies too much on histrionics especially in the early episodes. Thankfully they've toned that down in the more recent ones.

The show has descended into silliness. Not sure how much more of this I can watch.

What's the point of the sageuk backdrop if they're not going to take the historical side of things at least somewhat seriously?