This review may contain spoilers
"I don't believe in the law any more than you do.
And you're saying that to a prosecutor ?"
An illustration of how the law criminalizes the poor and does not punish the rich. The justice system protects those who created it by upholding the social order. You can't win a game when you didn't write the rules.
The story manages to stay interesting even though, at its core, they're really just a bunch of scoundrels playing the stock market... But what really caught my interest was its moral dimension, without being preachy.
They say people have to take responsibility for their choices, that's what the former prosecutor says. She has the luxury of being able to resign. When you don't face irreversible consequences, you can indeed allow yourself to take responsibility for your choices. But regarding Eun Yong's friend (who, for his part, remains in the service of loan sharks), it's made clear that if he'd had the chance to meet good people with the means to support him in life, he wouldn't be in this situation. It's refreshing to see this nuance. And to see that a person addicted to substances isn't held responsible for their misfortune. (No drug phobia, please.)
Overall, the series aims to portray the gray areas of the characters in a relatively neutral light. As a result, characters shift from enemies to allies without any lingering animosity, that's just how this society works. Our employers will never be our friends. The law will never be on our side.
I just think it's a shame that, in the end, it turns into a game of cat-and-mouse. The hero always manages to stay one step ahead. We know nothing can stop him, so it loses its impact. It pretty much undermines part of the amoral narrative that had been so compelling up to that point.
Strangely enough, the flashbacks add something and give the characters more depth. In the final third, they disappear, along with some of the characters, for that matter. The brother and sister share a beautiful, tender, and affectionate bond as they struggle through the vicissitudes of life. Sometimes you have to work in less-than-glorious places to support your loved ones. I like that it doesnt wallow in these people's misfortune. And I wish the series had focused more on that rather than revenge.
The power struggles among prosecutors are quite ruthless. It seems quite realistic in a world as corrupt as the justice system. The antagonist prosecutor, who brings down someone just as corrupt as himself, is also in an unbearable situation from which he tries to escape. The law serves the powerful, and those who are even more powerful.
Life in prison involves brutal, indiscriminate violence in stark contrast to the civilized, bourgeois violence of the corridors of power. The creators of this K-drama do a good job of portraying class struggles. It's right there in the title : money and power.
And you're saying that to a prosecutor ?"
An illustration of how the law criminalizes the poor and does not punish the rich. The justice system protects those who created it by upholding the social order. You can't win a game when you didn't write the rules.
The story manages to stay interesting even though, at its core, they're really just a bunch of scoundrels playing the stock market... But what really caught my interest was its moral dimension, without being preachy.
They say people have to take responsibility for their choices, that's what the former prosecutor says. She has the luxury of being able to resign. When you don't face irreversible consequences, you can indeed allow yourself to take responsibility for your choices. But regarding Eun Yong's friend (who, for his part, remains in the service of loan sharks), it's made clear that if he'd had the chance to meet good people with the means to support him in life, he wouldn't be in this situation. It's refreshing to see this nuance. And to see that a person addicted to substances isn't held responsible for their misfortune. (No drug phobia, please.)
Overall, the series aims to portray the gray areas of the characters in a relatively neutral light. As a result, characters shift from enemies to allies without any lingering animosity, that's just how this society works. Our employers will never be our friends. The law will never be on our side.
I just think it's a shame that, in the end, it turns into a game of cat-and-mouse. The hero always manages to stay one step ahead. We know nothing can stop him, so it loses its impact. It pretty much undermines part of the amoral narrative that had been so compelling up to that point.
Strangely enough, the flashbacks add something and give the characters more depth. In the final third, they disappear, along with some of the characters, for that matter. The brother and sister share a beautiful, tender, and affectionate bond as they struggle through the vicissitudes of life. Sometimes you have to work in less-than-glorious places to support your loved ones. I like that it doesnt wallow in these people's misfortune. And I wish the series had focused more on that rather than revenge.
The power struggles among prosecutors are quite ruthless. It seems quite realistic in a world as corrupt as the justice system. The antagonist prosecutor, who brings down someone just as corrupt as himself, is also in an unbearable situation from which he tries to escape. The law serves the powerful, and those who are even more powerful.
Life in prison involves brutal, indiscriminate violence in stark contrast to the civilized, bourgeois violence of the corridors of power. The creators of this K-drama do a good job of portraying class struggles. It's right there in the title : money and power.
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