Pleasantly Surprised
I was concerned by the bad reviews and as the show went on, I became more confused about people's complaints. This drama is one of the few I haven't had to drag myself through to finish. It was genuinely fun to watch every scene, no parts where I wished it would just hurry up (which I usually find myself doing a lot).
I really enjoyed the humor and the show's ability to slip in between heavy, serious moments and hilarious slapstick-esque comedy (one actor in particular was just BUILT for physical comedy and he DELIVERS). I read reviews about the genre seeming inconsistent and jarringly so, so I kept anticipating a shift in tone, but it was rather consistent to me.
I also read complaints about the leads' relationship, some people saying they didn't have chemistry. I'm VERY confused about this one. I don't know if the meaning of the word chemistry has changed recently (as some words DO change over time), but the leads had very good, very real vibes. I suppose a lot of it may require reading into, but it's a pretty natural amount of interpretation. This couple reminds me a lot of one of my favorite couples: Se Gye and Do Jae from The Beauty Inside. I think if you liked that drama, this one is also great (though I will say the writing is not quite as good here).
My overall favorite aspect of the show is all of the characters. They all appeared to be necessary and were on screen for an appropriate amount of time (I didn't get tired of seeing them). There were so many interesting relationships between main and supporting characters. If anyone is bothered by any actor's shorter screen time, consider if they NEEDED to be in the show more, or if you just wanted to see them more because you liked them/thought they were attractive.
There are downsides, mainly being some plot points that aren't fully fleshed out. I don't care too much about how they wrote the serial killer. Actual serial killers tend to be pretty shallow and dumb so I think they did a good job making one this interesting. I was able to predict most of what happened, but it was more based on pattern recognition in writing style rather than actual plot clues (not in a bad way at all; I was still surprised, in a way).
The plot points that aren't fully explored are generally the ones that, in real life, often have unsatisfying outcomes, so I can excuse it by saying the writers were being realistic. There were, of course, moments that felt very shoe-horned, but not horribly, just plot aspects meant to help wrap up the story. Honestly, my biggest pet peeve about legal dramas nowadays, and that this one unfortunately falls prey to, is outdated law practices. There's a factor of the case that irks me because it doesn't actually have plot consequences, but they insist on inserting it for no effect. Korean law reversed this statute in 2015, long before this show, and so it shouldn't have even been mentioned. It doesn't change the outcome in any way. It's just kind of there to annoy people who KNOW it isn't in place anymore.
I'm an avid rewatcher, and I think this show has great rewatch ability just for the comedy. I found myself often taking screenshots to send to people because the scenes were just too funny, and they don't lose value after the show is over. I highly recommend watching.
I really enjoyed the humor and the show's ability to slip in between heavy, serious moments and hilarious slapstick-esque comedy (one actor in particular was just BUILT for physical comedy and he DELIVERS). I read reviews about the genre seeming inconsistent and jarringly so, so I kept anticipating a shift in tone, but it was rather consistent to me.
I also read complaints about the leads' relationship, some people saying they didn't have chemistry. I'm VERY confused about this one. I don't know if the meaning of the word chemistry has changed recently (as some words DO change over time), but the leads had very good, very real vibes. I suppose a lot of it may require reading into, but it's a pretty natural amount of interpretation. This couple reminds me a lot of one of my favorite couples: Se Gye and Do Jae from The Beauty Inside. I think if you liked that drama, this one is also great (though I will say the writing is not quite as good here).
My overall favorite aspect of the show is all of the characters. They all appeared to be necessary and were on screen for an appropriate amount of time (I didn't get tired of seeing them). There were so many interesting relationships between main and supporting characters. If anyone is bothered by any actor's shorter screen time, consider if they NEEDED to be in the show more, or if you just wanted to see them more because you liked them/thought they were attractive.
There are downsides, mainly being some plot points that aren't fully fleshed out. I don't care too much about how they wrote the serial killer. Actual serial killers tend to be pretty shallow and dumb so I think they did a good job making one this interesting. I was able to predict most of what happened, but it was more based on pattern recognition in writing style rather than actual plot clues (not in a bad way at all; I was still surprised, in a way).
The plot points that aren't fully explored are generally the ones that, in real life, often have unsatisfying outcomes, so I can excuse it by saying the writers were being realistic. There were, of course, moments that felt very shoe-horned, but not horribly, just plot aspects meant to help wrap up the story. Honestly, my biggest pet peeve about legal dramas nowadays, and that this one unfortunately falls prey to, is outdated law practices. There's a factor of the case that irks me because it doesn't actually have plot consequences, but they insist on inserting it for no effect. Korean law reversed this statute in 2015, long before this show, and so it shouldn't have even been mentioned. It doesn't change the outcome in any way. It's just kind of there to annoy people who KNOW it isn't in place anymore.
I'm an avid rewatcher, and I think this show has great rewatch ability just for the comedy. I found myself often taking screenshots to send to people because the scenes were just too funny, and they don't lose value after the show is over. I highly recommend watching.
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