PongoAbelli

Attorney Woo is an insanely good show to be fair. Literally over 10x the ratings within the space of 2 weeks

Yes? And its still possible to have an opinion about that. Literally every high budget tv show ever has had research put into it, plenty of them have made huge mistakes. Tell me how short the list of flawed high budget productions is, or lie to me and say its none. You know your point is not a logical one.

I don't hate the drama at all, I really like it. That's why I'm critical about the casting choice, because I care about this drama and wish to enjoy the viewing experience throughout 30 episodes. Understand the world doesn't work in binaries, not everything is purely good or purely bad. The best works should be open to criticism, otherwise you get worse and worse products.

Not liking every aspect of the production =/= being a true fan? Perhaps you're just a bit dull.

Exactly. Its exceedingly obvious that the qualms people have are to do with invested interest in Jung So-Min's portrayal of Naksu/Mudeok and that this attachment is enough to cast a negative viewing lens on a sequel where Go Yoon Jung takes over for her entirely. At this stage there doesn't seem to be any indication of So-min making a return for Part 2 and if her acting is a unique selling point of the series (which it clearly is for many) then the Part 2 suggests that not only is Part 1 incomplete, but that if you wish to watch the series in its entirety you are heading for a conclusion where that unique selling point is gone

I'd be inclined to think this show is not for you. There are definitely plenty of gaping logical jumps if you inspect a little deeper. But for your specific inquiries:

'Isn't she supposed to be smart as well as powerful?" - I think the show does reflect her intelligence fairly well in all honesty. The veneer of awkwardness/dumbness seems intentional given she's disguised as a lowly maid in a time where hierarchy/education are inseparably related, so unfortunately to feign the disguise of a maid well she's going to seem quite bumbling. But her conscious decisions instead constantly allude to her cunning, and moreover a very fitting brand of cunning considering she appears to have been raised as a cold blooded and isolated assassin throughout her entire childhood. So devoid of more natural social grace but quite calculating enough to bail her and the male lead out of some rough patches. She is dependent on the male lead more than on instance to reciprocate the same but that appears to be the nature of their relationship and the foundation of the show - this pair are codependent on each other, initially as a means of survival but growingly as a reason for being as well.

'Is he a nice guy or a bad guy?' At this point I personally feel that this show intends to illustrate a greyer morality for just about every character. No character is driven by an objective pursuit of goodness, at most there is the conflict of duty versus personal attachments in Park Jin's overarching attitudes toward his position and those he cares for. For example, the big bads are big bads at this juncture of the story because they represent a major impediment to our main characters. While tonally they are the more shadowy and sinistrous forces, the driving plot points are personal interests from both sides. There is one major character who is fleshed out in episode 5 who potentially acts as the first objectively moral actor in the series who acts in the greater interests of the setting. The ambivalence of the male lead to the decidedly immoral past of the female lead is just an offshoot of that.

'Not totally getting how this soul swap works either, will she go rogue and start munching on people?' That's one of the driving forces of the story, so it is not fully answered for now.

Jang Uk is a perfect role for the male main lead tbh as is Mudeok for So-min. To be honest I haven't enjoyed any of their previous works memorably, not necessarily from the fault of the actors but I don't think they were overly challenged in range of emotional expression in their previous acting gigs.

I actually had no expectations heading into this drama because I have disliked every single previous drama done by these writers, and more damningly, the trailers/teasers for this show were abysmal and all over the place tonally. But by the 2nd episode of this series I was won over, the final scene of that episode sold me on the chemistry of the leads and the momentum of the storyline. I really enjoyed episode 8 and objectively I think its the peak of the series to date, but in all honesty rewatching I still enjoyed the 2nd episode even more if just for that closing scene

Its a silver lining in that sense but Part 1 is already wrapped up and entirely post production/a finished product. Part 1 may have an unsatisfying conclusion for many fans and furthermore if Part 2 is being rewritten theres a greater likelihood of being incoherent in order to satiate public opinion. I'd rather a tragic but cogently written conclusion than a needlessly ebullient ending. At the end of the day we just have to see I guess. I'm still excited for the rest of part 1 I'll cautiously reserve my final opinion until then

If thats the case thats a rough situation to salvage.

At the end of the day fans are absolutely entitled to feel and comment whether they feel a certain way about a totally needless revelation. Historically replacing a much beloved actor/actress for a leading role is an excessive and poorly received move. It's a very valid concern to have. Not only that, the reveal in the first place was a ridiculously telling spoiler and just an idiotic move across the board.

While I hope the ongoing drama isn't affected by this reveal and I personally have no issues at the very least with finishing this part 1 with a largely unchanged viewing experience, if there is a drop off in reception there is really noone to blame but the PR team involved in such disclosure. Absolutely tactless move.

yes but the timeline doesn't add up for that to be true. Unless the writers made an error Naksu (and Yul therefore) are a couple years older than Uk

I don't mean of the actor and actresses, but within the story.

Naksu's original actress was pretty interesting for the sparse time she saw screentime but I'm too sold on Mudeok already unfortunately.

Me too, Jung So min and her dynamic with the male lead they are some of the strongest selling points of the show thus far. Hope the ending doesn't end with Mudeok's corporeal body cast away

What is the age difference between the leads in the drama? Naksu was already a small child when she and her father visit the constellation hall. Does this mean Yul is also older than Uk? Perhaps this was an unintended oversight

I suspect Mudeok may not even be human. Might be the corporealised form of the Ice Stone

So much happened in this one episode it warrants an immediate rewatch. Pace kicked up more than a couple gears for this one

8 was definitely the strongest episode so far, excellent from start to finish. I was let down by 5 and 6, the pace stalled quite a bit but 7 and 8 I'm back on the train. I'm so glad that AoS hasn't dwelled on the sub storylines in these last 2, the ensemble is entirely compelling and the new villain is shaping up to be far more intriguing than initially expected. There's enough meat on the bones of this story that plenty of threads can drive each episode whilst there is much more to come and to be answered

For me the episodes I would rank as 8, 2, 7, 4, 1, 3, 5, 6. The series is strongest when focuses on the the progression of the main lead's relationship and deepening understanding of each other as their separate storylines slowly merge and their motivations are growingly intertwined. Great episode.