Kathryn_51

Hmmmm, let me try to unpack. 😊

Using Her: He's using her to (1) get inside track to manipulate her father - all for HIS goals while telling her (and himself) that it will eventually help her (2) telling her to go to the fake Miracle Asia venue with no explanation. (3) encouraging others to believe he is the future son-in-law.

Changing Her: I agree - he thinks that what he is doing will allow her/persuade her to follow a different direction in life. That's how he justifies his actions towards her.

Reality Check: he's flirting with her, teasing her, manipulating her - and is cavalier to whether it will hurt her. Almost "she treated me badly in the past so she's in no danger of falling for me this time". Wrong!!

And we still don't know why he invited her - an attempt to bring her into the group or a desire to push her away?

Thanks for details on the webtoon. I have jumped around different chapters - so I knew that she followed Jin-ah and was sad that she wasn't part of the group, but missed the fact that he had seen her. So, agree with you - today's ep it appeared that he had invited her and was possibly planning to introduce her to the others. He's been using her all along, convinced that she's in no danger of falling for him romantically - it's time for him to get a reality check and I hope it comes soon.

I think he's supposed to be emotionless - but not providing any back-story as to their relationship is disappointing.

Not the only one, but probably in the minority. 😊 However, it's not clear to me what the writer is trying to do with Han-young, especially what was going on with today's scene with them? Writer should have provided some of HY's internal thoughts - maybe Koreans understood the point, but I didn't. 😒

He wants to revenge just two people: Kang Sin-jin (the man who ordered his murder) and Jang Tae-sik (S Corp). However, he is literally using everyone else - good intentions, but. . . . .?will anyone get hurt? That's my concern.

I must admit - I'm having difficulty figuring out/understanding the various motives/strategies of the players. The Ep. 10 pre-release is even more confusing??

"A Supreme Court Justice openly lobbying for his son's trial!?"
https://x.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/2017372252896178506

Who wins this competition?? Kang Sin-jin or Han-yeong. I really have no predictions. Just give me some Se-hui/Han-yeong lighthearted scenes to balance out the tension. ❤️😊

Congratulations to "The Judge Returns". Highest ratings for the season - and on a Friday, no less. 😊

Episode 9 (2026.01.30)
Nationwide: 13.5
Metro (Seoul): 14.7

Saturday has stiff competition and Koreans can watch streaming easily, but still. . . .this is great news (actually topping Taxi Driver 3 for 9th episode).

Yes, in his prior life, he was married to her - but it was a "contract" marriage - each one using the other and she betrayed him. To understand the back-story of the various characters, you really need to watch the full first two episodes which take place in 2035 before he regresses to 2025.

As for the different characters, I rely on the wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Judge_Returns

Over a span of 10 years (2025-2035), Lee Han-young gradually became corrupted due to his alliance with the Haenal Law Firm. In 2035, after his mother died, he decided to break from the law firm (and his wife) and in a final act of defiance, gave a ruling that harmed both the law firm and the most corrupt judge in Korea (Kang Sin-jin). The corrupt judge ordered his killing. In the fantasy part of the story, he confessed his guilt and somehow miraculously was "regressed" back to 2025. His primary goal is to get revenge against the corrupt judge , but when possible, he uses his knowledge of "prior" events to change outcomes so that bad people are punished and innocent people are saved/protected.

If you want more details, I'll provide in a spoiler post.

Based on preview, the BTS and the pre-release, they should have scenes at the restaurant, the steps to Namsen Tower and the law firm. MBC is really pushing them on social media this week.

Pre-release for Ep. 9 - Han-young and Se-hui on the steps to Namsen Tower. ❤️❤️ So cute - she's wearing his running sneakers. And the same white dress I mentioned in earlier post.

No subs.😒, but Se-hui has definitely left behind her cool, bitchy persona - at least for a few moments. MBC description is: "Whenever I see Hanyeoung and Sehee, the mood changes. Sehee wants to let Hanyeoung go and Hanyeoung wants her to believe in him."

https://x.com/mbcdrama_pre/status/2016662578760462562

MBC released the behind-the-scenes video for Episode 8 and it included a scene between Han-young and Se-hui that was NOT shown in Ep. 8, so hopefully will be early in Ep. 9. The couple is eating in the same restaurant as in Episode 1 and Han-young once again tells Se-hui that he's been there before with an acquaintance (Viki translates to "someone I once knew"). Se-hui is wearing the same outfit as end of Ep. 8 (in the law firm) and in the preview where they are on steps to Namsen Tower.

https://x.com/onurscz/status/2015107130374959153

There are comedic scenes but it's not a classic comedy. It's more of a political thriller set amongst the Korean judiciary. It's one of my favorite dramas of the last couple of years and I usually watch rom-coms.

Han-young has one goal - the destruction of both Kang Sin-jin and Jang Tae-sik. If he is successful, that will once again turn the half the judiciary into a public disgrace. He's trying to protect Baek Yi-seok, but looks like we will need to watch Episode 9 to understand how he intends to use the law firm in his plan.

This drama was on my watchlist because of Go Kyung Pyo. He can do dead-pan serious and outrageous comedy.

Plus, I'm a bit tired of viewers who try to watch a drama with a 2020's morality/ethics filter onto life in S.Korea during the 90's - one of its most tumultuous decades w/ economic miracle mixed with/corruption and the IMF crisis.

Hopefully writer-nim can put it all together in a humorous/romantic/heart-stopping manner than honors South Korea of the '90s.

This was very helpful. My time was limited and I FF thru the violent scenes (and I will try to rewatch before the weekend), but this helps explain quite a bit for the remainder of the episode. Thanks.

Correct - which makes an Albert/Bok Hee pairing unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely.

Woah, that must be intentional. Then they will be forced to deal with the IMF crisis - no business escaped the impact although some were able to recover faster (Samsung, for instance), many - big and small - were destroyed.

Has the drama identified a specific year/timeline? I'm wondering if the IMF crisis (1997) will be a factor.

What a roller-coaster this weekend was! From one scheme to crisis to scheme to crisis. Hard to keep track. Question for other viewers? Is Kang Sin-jin playing a game with Han-young to see what might happen? OR, has he already decided that Han-young needs to be crushed and he is laying a trap for him? I really don't understand how the newest judge candidate fits into Han-young or Kang Sin-jin's plans.