After watching "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call", I was in the mood for more of Ju Ji-hoon's works so that was why I finally embarked on this 2020 title which had been sitting in my to-watch list for ages.
While I do like legal/courtroom dramas, I was a bit apprehensive about watching this partly because of the synopsis which suggested that it was more about the rivalry between two top lawyers who had differing values when it came to dealing with their rich and powerful clients. And since such rivalry stories tend to end up with the leads either coming to terms with their differences and becoming allies and/or lovers, I wondered if it was worth spending so much time watching a been-there-done-that kind of story already replicated elsewhere many times.
The first episode turned out to be very interesting as it actually showed the lead couple falling in love for real despite the circumstances that led to their meeting. The chemistry between Ju and Kim Hye-su was simply sizzling and such a joy to watch. As such, to see them "regressing" from lovers to rivals and the constant tug-of-war between them in terms of their feelings for each other was such a refreshing and unexpected approach to take. Since Kim's character was not the typical weak/passive female lead, it was exciting to see her acting opposite Ju who still managed to hold his own against his senior and not let the pairing appear unconvincing.
The problem was, things sort of spiraled down from there. Since the first episode literally started off with a bang, what happened after that became so predictable and I couldn't care less about their work rivalry because the cases and clients were quite boring. Things did improve a bit from the point they became allies but still, the legal action left much to be desired. Considering that this amounted to a huge portion of the story, there were times when I was really tempted to hit the fast-forward button or increase the playback speed just to get through these parts.
The "conspiracy" or "final villain" part in the second half of the story was also less compelling that I would have expected. To begin with, it was so easy to guess who would be the biggest baddie. Moreover, the process to nab the villain felt a bit sloppy and rushed that I felt as if all that build-up over several episodes amounted to an underwhelming ending. Coupled with how the stepfather threat simply fizzled out too easily, everything just felt like it was all for nothing.
There were also some parts which I felt could have been addressed that might have given the story a bit more depth and complexity:
- Did the biggest baddie have a role to play in his wife's condition?
- What was the biggest baddie's motivation in pushing for the inheritance tax act? To take over his wife's assets?
- Was the female lead's fixation with the Song & Kim building merely for money or did she actually have a grudge against this law firm?
Although I wouldn't say that I wasted my time on this drama, I thought that it was way too long for a story which could be more concise. The legal parts of it were just not engaging enough and too predictable for me. If you are in this for the sake of the romantic tug-of-war between the lead couple, this should be quite entertaining though.
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