MeganP
Best comedic moments in a kdrama
TL;DR: The comedy scenes are outstanding, and worth re-watching. The romance and legal parts are uneven (some good, some blah). The series becomes good from episode 4 on (though the first 3 episodes have many funny moments, so I'd recommend at least watching those). Full disclosure: I'm a fan of LSG, so my review may be somewhat biased.
This series tries to be 3 things at the same time: a romance, a comedy, and a legal drama. Of the 3, it is by far the most successful in its comedic moments. The lines are genuinely funny, and the two leads have perfect timing. I first saw them in Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey), and thought that they carried that drama, despite LSY having only a supporting role. Their scenes together in Hwayugi were hilarious because of their acting (the lines weren't that great). Imagine how much more effective they are here, with original jokes that are often surprising. LSG, in particular, shines in comedy. His monologues left me in stitches.
The romance is uneven: some moments are touching, others are the usual tropes. Even though both actors are experts at eye-acting, I was rarely caught up in those scenes. The notable exception is the last scene of episode 5, where LSG's acting made me cry. But mostly, I see the actors delivering cheesy lines, rather than their characters being in love (though LSY is usually more convincing than LSG). Your mileage may vary. I'm mostly cynical about romance scenes. I will say, however, that I liked the moments that are both funny and romantic, and those saved the romance for me.
The legal drama is, again, uneven. The setup is interesting: it looks at everyday issues and doesn't rely on courtroom showdowns, but rather on a combination of legalese, common sense, and wacky solutions from the leads. However, some cases are 'solved' too conveniently. In particular, a showdown between the leads and the requisite Evil Corporation takes less than an episode, half of it is off-screen, and it's really anti-climactic (after a build-up that led us to believe that it's a David vs. Goliath fight). I am withholding judgment, though, since we're only 6 episodes in at the time of this review, and more legal fights with Evil Corporation are on the horizon.
Overall, the drama has a great cast: not just the leads, but virtually every recurring actor is impressive. All of them have comedic chops, which is great, since all of them (even the evil guys) have funny lines. The OST is also good and matches the scenes well.
Where the drama limps is in the script and directing. This seems to be the writer's first full series, and her inexperience shows. She is trying to balance too many things. Her forte, in my view, is comedy. The romance, not so much. In interviews, LSG said that he and LSY diverged from the script to make their characters more realistic. There is an "episode 0" with scenes that were changed in the broadcast, and if that's an example of the original script, then I can only applaud LSG's initiative. However, I do give the writer credit for juggling so many different requirements in one drama. The director, otoh, *is* experienced, so I was surprised at the rushed pacing and bad editing in episodes 1 and 3. Episode 3, in particular, feels like two episodes condensed into one. But episodes 4-6 are significantly better, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Despite some weaknesses, this drama has me waiting impatiently for each new episode, and for this reason I'm rating it a 10.
This series tries to be 3 things at the same time: a romance, a comedy, and a legal drama. Of the 3, it is by far the most successful in its comedic moments. The lines are genuinely funny, and the two leads have perfect timing. I first saw them in Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey), and thought that they carried that drama, despite LSY having only a supporting role. Their scenes together in Hwayugi were hilarious because of their acting (the lines weren't that great). Imagine how much more effective they are here, with original jokes that are often surprising. LSG, in particular, shines in comedy. His monologues left me in stitches.
The romance is uneven: some moments are touching, others are the usual tropes. Even though both actors are experts at eye-acting, I was rarely caught up in those scenes. The notable exception is the last scene of episode 5, where LSG's acting made me cry. But mostly, I see the actors delivering cheesy lines, rather than their characters being in love (though LSY is usually more convincing than LSG). Your mileage may vary. I'm mostly cynical about romance scenes. I will say, however, that I liked the moments that are both funny and romantic, and those saved the romance for me.
The legal drama is, again, uneven. The setup is interesting: it looks at everyday issues and doesn't rely on courtroom showdowns, but rather on a combination of legalese, common sense, and wacky solutions from the leads. However, some cases are 'solved' too conveniently. In particular, a showdown between the leads and the requisite Evil Corporation takes less than an episode, half of it is off-screen, and it's really anti-climactic (after a build-up that led us to believe that it's a David vs. Goliath fight). I am withholding judgment, though, since we're only 6 episodes in at the time of this review, and more legal fights with Evil Corporation are on the horizon.
Overall, the drama has a great cast: not just the leads, but virtually every recurring actor is impressive. All of them have comedic chops, which is great, since all of them (even the evil guys) have funny lines. The OST is also good and matches the scenes well.
Where the drama limps is in the script and directing. This seems to be the writer's first full series, and her inexperience shows. She is trying to balance too many things. Her forte, in my view, is comedy. The romance, not so much. In interviews, LSG said that he and LSY diverged from the script to make their characters more realistic. There is an "episode 0" with scenes that were changed in the broadcast, and if that's an example of the original script, then I can only applaud LSG's initiative. However, I do give the writer credit for juggling so many different requirements in one drama. The director, otoh, *is* experienced, so I was surprised at the rushed pacing and bad editing in episodes 1 and 3. Episode 3, in particular, feels like two episodes condensed into one. But episodes 4-6 are significantly better, so I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Despite some weaknesses, this drama has me waiting impatiently for each new episode, and for this reason I'm rating it a 10.
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