Any drama that purports to deal with real-life situations, whether fictional or not, must at the very least premise the plot line along logical lines. A former police officer, now an insurance investigator who basically takes over a murder investigation and then sets his sights on a totally unrelated person, harassing her and violating every single law that governs the legally permissible actions of an insurance investigator, is just lazy writing by the story writers at its best, and a lame attempt to jerk viewer emotions at its worst. The tension is not building and comes across as fabricated and almost comical. Getting this feeling from such a veteran director (Flower of Evil) and actors is quite disappointing.
Cha U Seok literally becoming a ghost with the ability to opportunistically stomp in and out of the art gallery by episode two is like a bad joke. Him going on about KJY's insurance to a supposed suspect who has no connection to being a beneficiary, and then going on and on about his theory on insurance scammers while also acknowledging that said suspect does not fit his vaunted theory, was another lame attempt to whip up some tension.
PMY's look is also quite distracting and not in a good way. The heroine chick/anorexic look of the 80s does not look good on her. Her wardrobe, as always, is on point and features gorgeous designs. For the first time, though, the clothes look ill-fitting on her, making her look like a starved child playing adult dress up.
Two episodes in, one might hope there is a course correction. But this is very doubtful.
The ml's cold and calculating attitude towards the fl...????? Which ml lead are you talking about? Because the one in this drama was warm mature and straightforward even while he was under the mistaken belief that the fl lead had wronged him. I would not call lending her books that will help her be a better employee while believing she ruined his life cold and calculating. The ml lead exuded calm and maturity from start to finish.
Another remarkable thing to note about this drama was that it was clearly a shout out and in full support of women taking and being in charge. There was no cliched attempt to dumb down women for the sake of their male counterparts. The fl was intelligent and was not afraid to show it. The interactions between the ml and fl, and with extended family members like fl's mother and aunt was refreshing to watch.
I see comments below about how dark and twisted this concept is and I wonder if there is no attention to history anymore?
Anyone remember: Dr. Mengele, Sigmund Rascher Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army WWII (led by Ge. Shiro Ishii) J. Marion Sims who today is hailed as the father of modern Gynecology perfected his surgical techniques by experimenting on enslaved black women. The Tuskegee Syphilis study which involved dozens of public health service doctors Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor
These are just a few of the well-known 'serial killers', and no doubt there were and are still many more out there.
The US actively shielded and recruited a lot of Nazi scientists. The same can be said of their European counterparts.
Essentially, perhaps this drama will attempt to distill the Nuremberg trials into a Kdrama plot line. It remains to be seen how the drama will answer its own question or perhaps leave that most existential of moral dilemmas up to the viewers.
I finished watching it, but more out of boredom than enjoyment. I lost interest somewhere halfway through the…
Same here. I was basically curious as to how much worse it could get, and on that note it delivered in spades. The plot was like a large rock rolling steadily down the hill of messy, irritating characters and a discombobulated story line.
A blatant ripoff of the Jason Statham movie Death Race with some really shallow tweaks. Very disappointing Even worse is that this death race rip came across as disjointed and out of place. Its like the writer of this drama watched Death Race way back, liked it and wanted to just slot the plot line into a drama whether it fit or not.
Anything less than 24-50 episodes of this perfectly cast Sageuk will be a crime and a disappointment. And the time period is perfect for a well developed and in-depth no holds barred drama.
Please be good. I really cannot find any historical Kdrama that not allowed me skipping.
The older ones are the best. Bloody Heart The King's Affection The Crowned Clown Six Flying Dragons My Country: The New Age The King of Tears Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Goryeo-Khitan War Dong Yi Yi San - Wind ofthe Palace Tree with Deep Roots The Moon Embracing the Sun Jumong The Great King, Sejong
You will not only not skip any of these, you will want to re-watch over and over again.
I watched this for Si Wan (Man looked fine AF) and Woo Jin! I already knew Mantis let her win, but they shamelessly…
He let her take over MK because, from the outset, he knew he wasn’t good at business, and his running things would be even more disastrous than if it were her. In the end, he preferred to defer to her rather than fight her.
If you are going to make real legal issues a major part of any drama, do not sacrifice legal logic for kdrama gotcha-style plot points. The copyright case and the bully case were both illogical and incorrectly presented and concluded. Kang’s arguments, while delivered flawlessly, strained credibility. The prosecution was made to look like law-school students playing at being lawyers.
With the “Fiesta” painting case, the issue should have been framed as outright theft rather than copyright. The only way the hidden signature becomes relevant is if someone steals the original painting and attempts to pass it off as an original work. The case, as presented, had nothing to do with copyright, yet this distinction was glossed over, and no clear explanation was provided as to how the thief actually acquired the painting. While the emotional weight of the case was undeniable, its legal basis felt weak.
The bully case revealed an even greater disconnect between legal reasoning and dramatic intent. The assailant’s intent was completely divorced from the consequences of her actions, which is illogical. The show split the incident into two acts, but in reality, there was a single actor whose initial act can be argued as directly leading to the second (the victim being struck by a car - the same assailant's car). The attempt to mitigate culpability by noting the victim’s frequent jaywalking was unconvincing and ludicrous, since it can also be convincingly argued that the direct cause of the victim’s stumbling into the road at that point in time, was the concussion sustained earlier—an injury that could arguably be classified as attempted murder. Moreover, it was puzzling that the prosecution never explored the possibility that the assailant deliberately circled back to finish what she started. This lack of prosecutorial thoroughness undermined the case’s credibility, despite Kang Hyo-min’s passionate appeal to broader social responsibility.
The delivery driver assault case illustrated how the drama can handle nuance more effectively. Here, the exploration of psychological factors and the nocebo effect was handled with care and depth (I particularly enjoyed this episode because it was the first time I came across the nocebo effect theory). It showed the series’ potential when it grounds its cases in logical, evidence-based argumentation while still incorporating emotional stakes. Unfortunately, this balance was not maintained consistently across all episodes.
Then there is the puzzling situation with Kwon. What’s going on with her and the baby-chick paralegal? It strained believability that she required the ML to point out she was being set up six ways to Sunday!. For a character positioned as sharp and seasoned, her naiveté in this subplot felt contrived.
Side note: It would be a shame to force a romance between the ML and FL. While the age gap is not much of an issue realistically, ethically and professionally, it would undermine the credibility and professional integrity of the series. One of the positive points about this drama was its underlying foundation as a solid legal drama (with emotional depth) because it avoids melodramatic diversions and instead keeps its focus on complex legal cases and professional growth. To completely abandon that strength for unnecessary romantic sentiment would weaken the drama considerably.
With the way some of these plot lines are going, one can only hope the series does not lose its momentum by prioritizing emotional manipulation over sound legal storytelling. When the show balances moral complexity, legal rigor, and emotional depth, it excels. When it drifts into illogical plot devices or forced sentiment, it risks undercutting its own strongest achievements.
"Zhao Lusi wages war against her agency,......" seriously??? Did the agency in question moonlight on this forum to caption this post or you folks on MDL are looking to gaslight the public and start your own D rate drama.
And the icing on the cake was that he was no slouch in the fighting department either. He came with the looks and the skills, and nailed the handsome brooding sex appeal icon look.
6 episodes in, I give it a 2.5 all round and that's being generous.
Cha U Seok literally becoming a ghost with the ability to opportunistically stomp in and out of the art gallery by episode two is like a bad joke. Him going on about KJY's insurance to a supposed suspect who has no connection to being a beneficiary, and then going on and on about his theory on insurance scammers while also acknowledging that said suspect does not fit his vaunted theory, was another lame attempt to whip up some tension.
PMY's look is also quite distracting and not in a good way. The heroine chick/anorexic look of the 80s does not look good on her. Her wardrobe, as always, is on point and features gorgeous designs. For the first time, though, the clothes look ill-fitting on her, making her look like a starved child playing adult dress up.
Two episodes in, one might hope there is a course correction. But this is very doubtful.
Which ml lead are you talking about? Because the one in this drama was warm mature and straightforward even while he was under the mistaken belief that the fl lead had wronged him. I would not call lending her books that will help her be a better employee while believing she ruined his life cold and calculating.
The ml lead exuded calm and maturity from start to finish.
Another remarkable thing to note about this drama was that it was clearly a shout out and in full support of women taking and being in charge. There was no cliched attempt to dumb down women for the sake of their male counterparts. The fl was intelligent and was not afraid to show it.
The interactions between the ml and fl, and with extended family members like fl's mother and aunt was refreshing to watch.
Anyone remember:
Dr. Mengele, Sigmund Rascher
Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army WWII (led by Ge. Shiro Ishii)
J. Marion Sims who today is hailed as the father of modern Gynecology perfected his surgical techniques by experimenting on enslaved black women.
The Tuskegee Syphilis study which involved dozens of public health service doctors
Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor
These are just a few of the well-known 'serial killers', and no doubt there were and are still many more out there.
The US actively shielded and recruited a lot of Nazi scientists. The same can be said of their European counterparts.
Essentially, perhaps this drama will attempt to distill the Nuremberg trials into a Kdrama plot line. It remains to be seen how the drama will answer its own question or perhaps leave that most existential of moral dilemmas up to the viewers.
Very disappointing
Even worse is that this death race rip came across as disjointed and out of place. Its like the writer of this drama watched Death Race way back, liked it and wanted to just slot the plot line into a drama whether it fit or not.
And the time period is perfect for a well developed and in-depth no holds barred drama.
Bloody Heart
The King's Affection
The Crowned Clown
Six Flying Dragons
My Country: The New Age
The King of Tears
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Goryeo-Khitan War
Dong Yi
Yi San - Wind ofthe Palace
Tree with Deep Roots
The Moon Embracing the Sun
Jumong
The Great King, Sejong
You will not only not skip any of these, you will want to re-watch over and over again.
With the “Fiesta” painting case, the issue should have been framed as outright theft rather than copyright. The only way the hidden signature becomes relevant is if someone steals the original painting and attempts to pass it off as an original work. The case, as presented, had nothing to do with copyright, yet this distinction was glossed over, and no clear explanation was provided as to how the thief actually acquired the painting. While the emotional weight of the case was undeniable, its legal basis felt weak.
The bully case revealed an even greater disconnect between legal reasoning and dramatic intent. The assailant’s intent was completely divorced from the consequences of her actions, which is illogical. The show split the incident into two acts, but in reality, there was a single actor whose initial act can be argued as directly leading to the second (the victim being struck by a car - the same assailant's car).
The attempt to mitigate culpability by noting the victim’s frequent jaywalking was unconvincing and ludicrous, since it can also be convincingly argued that the direct cause of the victim’s stumbling into the road at that point in time, was the concussion sustained earlier—an injury that could arguably be classified as attempted murder. Moreover, it was puzzling that the prosecution never explored the possibility that the assailant deliberately circled back to finish what she started. This lack of prosecutorial thoroughness undermined the case’s credibility, despite Kang Hyo-min’s passionate appeal to broader social responsibility.
The delivery driver assault case illustrated how the drama can handle nuance more effectively. Here, the exploration of psychological factors and the nocebo effect was handled with care and depth (I particularly enjoyed this episode because it was the first time I came across the nocebo effect theory). It showed the series’ potential when it grounds its cases in logical, evidence-based argumentation while still incorporating emotional stakes. Unfortunately, this balance was not maintained consistently across all episodes.
Then there is the puzzling situation with Kwon. What’s going on with her and the baby-chick paralegal? It strained believability that she required the ML to point out she was being set up six ways to Sunday!. For a character positioned as sharp and seasoned, her naiveté in this subplot felt contrived.
Side note:
It would be a shame to force a romance between the ML and FL. While the age gap is not much of an issue realistically, ethically and professionally, it would undermine the credibility and professional integrity of the series.
One of the positive points about this drama was its underlying foundation as a solid legal drama (with emotional depth) because it avoids melodramatic diversions and instead keeps its focus on complex legal cases and professional growth. To completely abandon that strength for unnecessary romantic sentiment would weaken the drama considerably.
With the way some of these plot lines are going, one can only hope the series does not lose its momentum by prioritizing emotional manipulation over sound legal storytelling. When the show balances moral complexity, legal rigor, and emotional depth, it excels. When it drifts into illogical plot devices or forced sentiment, it risks undercutting its own strongest achievements.
Did the agency in question moonlight on this forum to caption this post or you folks on MDL are looking to gaslight the public and start your own D rate drama.