Partener suspect (2017)

Great friends-to-lovers with internal struggles story, with a "Who's done this?" saggy plot.

No Ji Wook is a workaholic no-nonsense type of prosecutor whose career is on the rise. When a rookie attorney Eun Bong Hee becomes the suspect in her ex-boyfriend's murder and Noh Ji Wook is assigned to her case, their lives become intertwined.

This drama really had a little bit of something for everyone, slice-of-life, court debate, mystery, and a natural friends-to-lovers trope. There's a lot of humor, and Bong Hee is one of the funniest endearing female leads I've ever met. The show switches tone between light-hearted scenes and very creepy and suspenseful scenes. What happened in the first eight episodes kept me engaged because I didn't know what's gonna happen next. I wanted to see them catch the bad guy and I wanted to see the leads together. There is also an interesting discussion about stalking, it brings up the question of where obsession begins, where is the line between a harmless infatuation and an unhealthy obsession

I enjoy watching Gi Wook and Bong Hee together in their chaotic work meetings. Their dialogue is really snappy, it's really fast and both have clear motivations for why they decided to take the judicial system as a career path. Their characters are very fleshed out. Both of them are flawed and they see each other's flaws and they still care and respect each other. He is a prosecutor but then messes up, loses his job, and has to start his own home office. Bong Hee was a mess too and then she's an even bigger mess when she gets thrown into jail. But she could fight and I love her portrayal of being realistically in a mess, she doesn't look perfect yet still gorgeous. I love how Ji Wook falls for her even though she's a mess, he has to take action as her prosecutor and put her in jail, but he is still fighting for her at that point even though he doesn't quite understand why. I appreciate the slight time jump done early on, as it catalyzes our lead's relationship progression, it's very believable.

If you're a Ji Chang Wook fan you need to see this. He is hilariously grumpy, He screams "IC!" all the time and he shows a lot of spice to his role as Ji Wook. He's also damaged from his childhood, and he needs skinship so badly that he's touching the walls. I had to mention that his behavior of dragging his fingers across the walls was because he is so lonely so he was like seeking touch... this part really lasts in my head.

Although I have many pros, my minor con is that there are very cringy scenes. My main con is the saggy middle. This part did annoy me, they filled a lot of episodes with the villain playing a whole guessing game back and forth, and I wasn't as invested because it kept repeating, my mind wandered while watching. I prefer some more development with the secondary romances instead because their relationship was interesting to me and I thought that they had the potential to be interesting.

(Spoiler part)

I want to give Dong Ha a shout-out for his role as a great complete villain. He was hard to pin down until the very end. He doesn't look scary, but rather a very unsettling one. A worthy opponent who is truly calculating, manipulative, and delusional. He did some impactful little quirks on Hyun Soo like he whistled and his whistling tune, which I thought really elevated the creepiness level. Overall, I really enjoyed how Dong Ha played the character and it made me want to see him in a romantic lead.

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Don't let the 40 episodes fool you, this drama is perfectly binge-watchable. I had no idea what to expect when I started watching, and the synopsis didn't help at all, but the episodes are so short that before I knew it I had watched 16 of them, and could hardly wait for the next one! Maybe I am a little biased because it combines two of my favorite K-Drama Genres (Romance and Psychopaths), and stars one of my favorite actors (Ji Chang Wook *swoon*), but from the first episode I knew this one would probably end up on my favorites list. It's not easy to combine comedy with genuine suspense, and I think this drama does a really good job of that. Yes, this is a RomCom that centers around a serial killer. It's also a great ensemble comedy, with an awesome cast. Is it perfect? Not at all. Is it addictive? Absolutely.

First, allow me to express my love for Ji Chang Wook as Ji Wook. If you have ever been a fan of his at all (Healer & Empress Ki are both on my favorites list already) know that he does not disappoint, and this may even be his most charming performance yet! He is matched with Nam Ji Hyun as Bong Hee, who I have only seen in Shopping King Louis, but Bong Hee is a much more fun character, not at all passive or a damsel in distress, and really made me like her as an actress. Together these two have chemistry that is off the charts from the start. Both characters are stubborn, and headstrong, so there is plenty of banter, and there are a lot of hilariously cute moments between them from the beginning. The way he looks at her at times literally made my heart skip a beat. That smile... and the tongue thing was more than enough to make me fall for him! Even when the drama between them started to get repetitive, and moments towards the end got a little too corny, I still loved watching these two together on screen.

As for the rest of the cast, there are literally no weak links. I loved all of them. The team of lawyers were completely endearing. Choi Tae Joon is super adorbs. It was also great to see Lee Duk Hwa be so funny, and not pure evil - I LOLed every time he called Bong Hee "lack of evidence". I even loved the random kid. There are also A LOT of frenemies in this drama, almost an entire cast full, and the amount of shade they throw at each other is also hilarious. However, the true MVP of this drama is Dong Ha as Jung Hyun Soo. I honestly don't want to say anything about why he is so good, but he's definitely an actor I will watch out for from now on.

The writing in this one is a little all over the place, but I think it was strong where it really counted. I liked that even though this is a drama about Lawyers and Prosecutors, all of the court cases were somehow related to the main story, and not just emotional filler. There were definitely some major KDrama tropes in full effect, and a million unbelievable coincidences between the main couple, but I think they were executed well, so I won't complain about that. What I think makes this drama lose some of the excitement it had in the beginning is the repetitiveness, especially between the main couple. Bong Hee get particularly annoying at a certain point, but I do think it makes sense for her character, so I won't complain too much about that either. The only unforgivable annoyance I can think of is the amount of blatant product placement. Some scenes are literal Papa Johns commercials, so don't watch while you're hungry.

By the end of the drama, once all the major mysteries are pretty much solved, and major conflicts are peacefully resolved, the drama becomes much more corny, but since I already loved the characters it wasn't that bad for me still. It probably helped that the episodes are broken up to be shorter so they dragged less. I also really liked the soundtrack, which definitely doesn't hurt, even with the terrible english lyrics.

So, would I watch "Suspicious Partner" again? Definitely. Actually, I already am! We won't get another drama out of Ji Chang Wook for a while, since he's enlisting, and I went through too much withdrawal once it was over. It's already been fun rewatching certain moments now that I know the full story.

Overall I would recommend this drama for sure, but I realize not everyone shares my strange biases. Still the good parts definitely outweigh any of this dramas flaws. If you love great villains, I would recommend this for that reason alone, but don't be scared off by the thriller aspect, because it surprisingly still is a relatively light drama. If you like cute bickering couples, and comedic banter in general, then there is plenty of that. If you love Chang Wook, of course this is a must see. If you love good ensemble cast chemistry, this cast delivers. If you don't mind cute romantic scenes interrupted by chilling suspense scenes, then I would say definitely add this to your list. I know this is definitely getting added to my favorites list!

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I'm ganna start by saying that I really don't understand why people are giving this a low rating. It is an amazing mix between cute romance and interesting criminal plot twists. I think these two were complementary, making the drama so interesting to watch. The romance with all its ups and downs never felt annoying or cliched-there were always good reasons for the relationship alterations to occur. And obviously, Ji wook's character is so appealing and adorable. Also, whenever one thinks the action is over, something even more surprising happens. I garra mention again that it really never got cliched or boring. The plot is very solid. Finally, the OST in this show is of the best, specially the sadder ones. I wonder how this show could hold so much comedy and sadness at the same time. A truly brilliant story.

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I have watched 100's of Korean drama and it seems as though most of them can't end normally. This drama is no different. Too much flashbacks, too much music interruptions. Story started out very interesting but lost it from the middle onwards. Some key points, the mother's were given minimum air time, which mother doesn't visit their child in the hospital, took too long to identify the characters. In life when people break up for valid reasons they don't magically fall in love again. This drama tried to please the audience by creating a happy ending but it just doesn't fit the history between the two partners. Not worth watching. If writers need a hand to end a drama, I will gladly help out. Don't be fooled by who is acting in the dramas, as many do. the story is not believable from the midpoint. They should have made it more realistic, rather than a "fairly tale"

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For those who can't watch without subtitles

I won't lag the review just coming to the point i think the drama is not worth watching
Reason:
1)No intresting court scenes
2) felt boring most of the time
3) the love story is not good because no strong scene in developing love between leads
That's all but for review i need to write atleast 500 words so don't mind the below
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What a wasted opportunity for bromance and female friendship and a crazy, amnesiatic murderer.

Everything the writers promised, they ended up letting us down on. The romance was infuriating/incredibly boring. Instead of exploring the idea of friendship and betrayal and forgiveness, we just walked in a circle for 20 episodes. (I REFUSE TO SAY IT WAS 40 BECAUSE THIS NEW NUMBERING SYSTEM IS STUPID!!!!) And the one and only time I've actually been Excited to see amnesia in a drama (wait. it's not one of our leads who gets amnesia? it's...the murderer?! what a fascinating idea. yes please!)...it turned out to be basically a non plot-point. Why'd they even try to market the story around it if it was going to be that insignificant???

I hate this drama. I hate it with every fiber of my being. My actual rating is negative 100.

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First of all this is a worth watching kdrama.The balance of Tragedy- romance comedy is Amazing!!! ,I never felt that why am i watching this, whether it is humour, suspense or romance this drama is complete package of entertainment. If I talk about Actors- characters ,all supporting actors done their role perfectly , I main, Ji Chang Wook( No Ji Wook) is Superb as Prosecutor, he acts so well that at last when he became prosecutor again, then I'll say his acting was So Natural & Strong which will make you his fan. Nam Ji Hyun(Eun Bong Hee) is a strong & smart female character, and she makes us laugh more than anyone by her dialogues. The Most powerful...I can say , villain of this drama is Dangerous, I felt Anger towards him most of the time, how perfectly he played his role , hat's off !!! In middle his doing ( murders) seems Reasonable but in the end when complete truth revealed , it makes sure that he is a culprit too. At last Simply Amazing drama it was.

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Don't Miss the one

A well-done story of two lawyers with some great drama and suspense with a beautiful romance. I liked all the characters in this series. Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun are both fantastic actors. They have the ability to spread their emotions across the screen. Being able to carry a scene with facial expressions is a talent. There was a superb balance of drama vs humor. I like the romance because even though they had some rough patches they never strayed to another person. The romance did drop off a bit as the show unfolded but it was still believable. I found myself unable to stop watching. The series had a good flow to it with a nice ending making it easy to watch. I highly recommend it. I wish more shows were this well done.

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I'm a sucker for romance and crime shows, so I am slightly biased :P

Okay, let's get this out of the way, i loved this show. The characters made it work, and is the reason why i fell for it. From our stern, clumsy prosecutor No Ji Wook, to our bubbly, kinda stupid but adorable badass Eun Bong Hee, to the absolutely adorable puppy lawyer Ji Eun Hyuk, the show has a lot of charm. I actually found the story really good, but i agree with a lot of reviewers that it probably would've suited a 16/32 episode length rather than 20/40. It was a bit sparce in the middle.

As written above, i am a damn sucker for romance, and our lovely No Ji Wook played by Ji Chang Wook was a marvel as always. His acting chops are incredible, and i find myself falling again and again for every character he plays. He is really just a great actor, and No Ji Wook was the perfect blend of handsome jerk and clumsy cutiepie.

Eun Bong Hee by Nam Ji Hyun is no different, and while i usually find myself hating the kind of character that is so ridiculously naive, i found her honestly refreshing. She was honest, and didn't get misled by the usual melodramatic misunderstandings of this genre. Their chemistry was great, and i love them. Period. Cuties the both of them.

And the supporting cast is no different. Ji Eun Hyuk is as adorable as can be. I love Choi Tae Joon, and once again he did not dissapoint. Also, i have to say, the fact that they managed to avoid making him a rival to No Ji Wook for Bong Hee's affections made the show so much better. That he could be a friend and consultant to Bong Hee without making him the typical "I'm happy for you two, now i can finally get over my feelings for you" second male lead made me so happy. He basically is Ji Wook & Bong Hee's big bro/little bro and we love him.

Then Chief Bang...
My boi Bang, i'd marry him in a heartbeat. We stan the group dad! Section Chief Bang was one of the best parts of the show. Our best childish dad, mr. Byun also made me smile every time he was on screen, and he played the role of the dissaproving mother in law perfectly. He really did become the mother of the office, while Bang is the dad.

Now to our secondary female leads, i honestly fell for our baby girl Na Ji Hae, and honestly was rooting for her in the end. I am a really strong advocate against cheating.. but i also believe in redemption, and our clumsy girl really pulled through! Now... onto our ML's ex Cha Yoo Jung. She was a cool character when introduced, but i never felt anything strong for her.. she was just the second FL. That's it. The actress was great, the character just didn't have much of an impact. The last few eps she was really cute tho.

NOW, our villain. I won't say anything that hasn't already been said. I loved the character, and the actor really did justice to a very very sad/infuriating past, that villains usually have. I thought honestly it was a good spin on the usual "psychopath" villain that can't feel anything and listens to classical music in a basement while torturing his victims. I liked him.

Other than it being a bit too long, i must say i really enjoyed it.

I really really enjoyed it, I really did.

Really really!

but,

BUT!

BUT!!!!! I HAVE ONE BIG GRIPE WITH THIS DAMN SHOW.

WHO THE HECK KEEPS MOVING A BIG SPOTLIGHT BEHIND OUR MAIN LEADS IN EVERY DAMN ROMANTIC MOMENT??? IS IT CHIEF BANG???? IS HE MAKING IT "MOODY"??? I'M CONVINCED SOME WEIRDO IS MOVING A SPOTLIGHT AROUND AND EVERYONE IS JUST PRETENDING IT'S NOT HAPPENING. IT'S SO STRANGE, AND SINCE IT'S ONLY WHEN IT GETS ROMANTIC IT SEEMS SO OUT OF PLACE!?

WHY? WHY DID THEY THINK EVERY KISS NEEDED A DAMN SPOTLIGHT????!!!!

a-ahem!
Anyways, good show, please watch!

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Frustrating & Fragmented

I found myself more frustrated than entertained by Suspicious Partners. While it has some great elements, the overall story felt a little too fragmented to be enjoyable.

❤ The leads have great chemistry together. This show works best when they are on screen solving crimes and being cute. Unfortunately, they spend a LOT of this drama in a "will-they-wont-they" situation. While I didn't mind it at first, it got overly tedious by the end of the series. It does have some of the best kiss scenes if you're looking for a bit more spicy than sweet in your romance.

❤ The supporting cast had phenomenal actors filled with interesting stories. However, some of their stories didn't have a satisfying payoff by the end of the series.

❤ If you love "frenemies", then you have come to the right place! Most of the friendships between the younger characters are all about how they loathed, yet leaned, on each other. It was one of the better executed elements of the story.

❤ While the plot was interesting, it tended to be a little too dramatic and overly complicated. I think a shorter run-time would have tightened up some of the plot holes.

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Great mashup of romance + legal + comedy + thriller

I don’t care what others feel about this drama but I absolutely loved this drama. It’s my number one romcom purely for the amazing chemistry of the two leads - Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun. Their chemistry was off the charts and I’m yet to see a kdrama couple that can beat their chemistry. Ji Chang Wook has looked and acted his best in this drama (sorry Healer fans).

Story : The story is predictable but it starts off strong with a murder mystery backdrop and the leads getting entangled in it. The pacing suffered cause they made it a 20 episode drama, it could have been better with 4 episodes edited out.

Cast : One of my favourite ensemble casts, along with the leads the supporting cast was ace and the lawyer office gang was my favourite. They had a natural chemistry and great comic timing, those office meeting scenes are my go-to scenes for a laughter dose. I loved how they stood by each other. Mr Bang, Eun Hyuk and Mr Byeong are my absolute favourites. Even the bickering moms were hilarious. Kim Ye Won as JiHae grew on me and her frenemiship with Bong Hee was superb. Dong Ha was great as the villain

Music : Contrary to majority folks here, the album of this drama is one of my favourites. The songs captured all the moods and elements of the drama & romance - the longing, the missing, the happiness, the chirpiness and the whole feeling of being madly in love.

Rewatch Value : A zillion times, I have lost track of how many times I rewatch this drama in the last 2 years since I chanced on it in April 20. Highly recommend - I don’t understand why people wouldn’t like this. There is zero toxicity in the romance nor any OTT melodrama which is prevalent in the so called cult or famous dramas.

Overall : Love it, recommend it. I’m yet to meet someone to whom I recommended this drama and did not like it. This drama is one of my comfort dramas.

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