Boring, annoying, messed up.

This started off strong. Then it devolved into a mentally torturous and exhausting watch. I've not seen such a terrible crime-thriller in a while. I lost interest by the 5th episode, but seeing that the total is only 13, I decided to just finish the whole run.

The main female character, the detective in charge of the case is highly unlikable. When she initiates a convo with her husband, she speaks as if she's rattling off from a textbook. Many times she speaks as if she's a dictating a grocery list. Her husband isn't any better. She suspects her husband is having an affair, and he insists he hasn't done anything to betray her trust, yet he refuses to be entirely honest with her. He doesn't do a single thing to dispel those suspicions entirely. They're the worst people for each other and unironically, they're also the best people for each other because they're both frustrating and horrible people. I don't know what kind of person their kid will grow up to be, but it already looks like their toxicity is already starting to affect the poor young child.

The victim of the crime is a young woman who's been trying to earn higher wages in a bigger city but was killed. The series takes the watcher through the investigations and interviews of various suspects and related parties. Somehow none of these people could even give an honest testimony about her or the transpired events. None. The writers attempt to present the main female character as a highly logical person, yet her actions are anything but. She brought her emotions and the suspicions of her husband's infidelity into all her interviews with persons of interest in the case, all her questions were crafted pointedly to elicit opinions from these people, it feels as though she was trying to solve her personal marital issues through the case rather than to solve the case for the sake of the case itself.

If psychiatric analysis is of any use as an accurate indicator of mental soundness, then either we have all been misled or the psychiatrists in the drama have failed spectacularly at their jobs. Or - third option - the scriptwriting is just awful. Both husband and wife intentionally or otherwise, emotionally manipulate the other, and yet each time, the psychiatrist making the diagnosis clears the wife of mental instability. I also wonder why the husband never divulged the information to the psychiatrist that the wife had used suicide and self-harm to threaten him. I simply don't understand how that kind of action doesn't qualify as an underlying mental condition worthy of being addressed.

I don't really know how else to describe the feeling this drama gives me. The closest thing I can think of is that this was like a bunch of hair knotted together and I was supposed to find something appealing, something philosophically "true" in this gross, convoluted mess. I wish I had watched something else instead, but I ended up letting the rest of the episodes - that's 7 or 8 hours of my life run in the background through this ipad while I cleaned my house.

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"a revenge plot and a reunion with my childhood sweetheart"

That's really all you need to know about this drama. With each episode spanning 13-15 minutes, the entire run of 25 episodes is about the length of a full movie.

The show starts with mysterious girl - the main actress - waiting at the platform of the train station. It seems she has done Young Master Du - the main actor - a favour of some kind. He thanked her, and gave her a reward, which she brushed off. Instead, she wanted him to take her to a party he would be participating that night. He agreed.

The story started to unfold steadily from that point onwards, and while I found many questionable points throughout this story, I was lulled into my fangirl mode as a result of a script that constantly fueled the passion of the main leads with breathtaking incidental music and flying silk organza fabric in between kisses. Invisible sparks between them were apparent even if you put a brick partition between them.

Somehow, somewhere during the midpoint, the pacing loses its momentum and steam, and you start to notice implausibilities and errors in the writing and shooting. Master Du, the Young Master's old man, was keen to take a second wife even though he had lost function of his manhood years ago. And how did the young lady know this before throwing herself into this is forever a mystery. There was also an episode where the Big Bang Theory explaining the expansion of the universe was briefly mentioned, but considering that this drama was set in the 1910s-1920s, the writers had gotten ahead of themselves. Because while there had been studies and observations to find out the origins of the universe, but the term "Big Bang" itself actually didn't come into existence until decades later. We fast forward. When faced with a life-and-death situation, the leads were given sufficiently ample time to profess their undying love for each other while everything was burning around them - although if you look closely, the flames around there were as safe as a boyscout campfire. But of course, this scenario is not unique to this drama alone.

"Provoke" indeed lives up to its name - by the end of the final episode, I was struck with the thought that maybe the title was meant to "provoke" the watcher. Because, we all love some delightful clichés in our romance stories, and this drama delivered quite a few of them. Yet it's also one of those dramas that makes you straddle a sofa pillow to your chest as you wish for a passionate kiss - only to be trolled not once, not twice, but three times.

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Poor Agatha Christie Imitation

If you have read Agatha Christie's famous work, Murder on the Orient Express, then you may have an idea what this movie is about. If you haven't, then I suggest you read it anyway before watching this disappointing imitation of one of the most well-known murder mysteries in fiction.

The main complaint I have with this movie is the lack of actual investigation involved in solving the crime. We were shown that the detective in charge, Choi examining all the possible suspects by using questionable old-school interrogation like accuse he person of committing the crime straight up and then watch their reaction. This technique was repeated for all the suspects involved. Choi also solicited the help from unconventional sources in order to progress his investigation, which earned the ire of his direct superior. His subordinate was not pleased with him either. The entire film was dictated through a meeting room where Choi was questioned for his behavioural conduct during his handling of the case.

We were shown what really happened in the suspects' lives, some suspects have more screen time than others, and again, no actual investigation was actually made. There was no detailed forensic analysis, even though for a murder case that is at least 8 years old, it would require some form of advanced technology to solve. There was no verification of the testimonies provided by witnesses or suspects. Choi dismissed most of them as "straight-up liars" without providing a deeper rationale to his assumption.

This could have been a good movie, but it took a famous work and made a clown out of it. I have no other analogy for this otherwise.

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A fast-paced season 3 with the usual flair of exaggeration and humour

Back in 2021, I marathoned the first two seasons in a week during a period of "sabbatical". While I thought S2's storyline was way too far-fetched and its cohesiveness generally weaker than S1, I thoroughly enjoyed S3.

The good: Plenty of emergency medical cases and surgeries to satiate the watcher. Questions on the needs for the welfare and protection of doctors are raised. Doctors having to make heartbreaking choices in a disaster scenario. Lee Hong Nae 's acting (makes me really root for his glittering success). Lee Sin Young's acting (makes me want to shake him by the shoulders until his head falls off, then give him a soda). Good amount of comedic moments.

The bad: Pointless political disputes. Not enough of Dr. Bae Moon Jeong. Dude needs more screentime and backstory. Nonsensical developments in the final two episodes. Nevertheless, it's okay, I accept it.

S3 had been an entertaining ride. I recommend it. Especially if you can't get enough eyefuls of surgical props like those rubbery, yellowed bodies they cut into, revealing red dyes and pink matter.

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Underrated, hilarious legal drama

I stumbled upon this drama by accident and I'm glad I did, because this entertained me and made me laugh a lot more than I expected. This drama does not have a major plot that aims to take down an "ultimate" villain, but it does have several "villains" that the lawyers deal with. It does not have a ridiculous, far-fetched painful backstory that tortures the male lead. It does not have over-the-top unrealistic plot devices that portray lawyers as superheroes or super rebels against the organisation that gave them a job. Rather, this drama is made up of realistic everyday life cases that stack up for the lawyers to work through. It is a workplace slice-of-life drama ala a legal firm setting.

The male lead is Luo Bin (portrayed by Jin Dong), a lawyer who finds almost everything other than work and winning cases a colossal waste of time. He is the ace of Quan Jing. Dai Xi (portrayed by Lan Ying Ying) is a genius at law - she knows the law like the back of her hand, but lacks a formal qualification. Because of an incident during her law school years, she dropped out and never obtained her degree. Like 9/10 dramas out there, male and female leads do not get along at the beginning, but they eventually begin to respect and understand each other's point of view, and grow together in their profession. There were some playful moments between the leads, but it didn't achieve the outcome I would have liked. The drama also takes us on rides into their personal lives, their past experiences, their families, romances, and the little things that mould the characters into who they are. If this drama has a Season 2, I would definitely watch it -- but I doubt it. In my opinion, this drama is way better than Suits (both the English and South Korean version) and many other legal dramas out there .

Dialogues are fast-paced, the actors and actresses are impressive at their roles, and the "friendship" between Luo Bin and He Sai can be hilarious and enraging at the same time - depending on whose side you choose to take. This drama is for those who are truly interested in knowing about how the law works in the real world. It examines the thought processes and ethical side of different lawyers, and how the lawyers choose to use the law to defend their clients. The law can be used to defend the rich and powerful, or it can be used to help the poor and vulnerable.

As the lawyers grow as people, their empathy and mindsets influence the way they choose to defend their clients. This is a drama that made me laugh a lot and I cannot stress that enough. That being said, I find it a pity that the drama has many subtitling issues. Many things have been lost in translation, and some subtitles are just outright wrong.

The drama also suffers from several scriptwriting hiccups. Most of the cases involved their friends and family, so it was as if almost every single character in the drama has come in trouble of the law and their only options were either Quan Jing (the main law firm in the drama) or Long Ke (the rival law firm in the same building). It's unrealistic. The female lead, Dai Xi, having been employed without a degree and having to hide that fact from HR for all 42 episodes of the show - is also unrealistic. The male lead, Luo Bin, who had been the drama's most "normal" and consistent character, acted inconsistently in the final episode. But of course, that inconsistency was waved away and quickly explained in passing. I just feel hat the final two episodes leave much to be desired.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this drama. If you understand Chinese, and if intellectual, realistic legal dramas are your cup of tea, I definitely recommend this.

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not a refreshing plot, but a wholesome comedy nevertheless

With only 2 episodes aired, writing a review may seem premature, but I have plans to edit this as I watch more episodes. It's just easier for me.

Nam Goong Min is Cheon Ji Hoon, a former prosecutor turned defense attorney - but a poor and broke-ass one, because he only charges 1000 won ($1) fee for each case he undertakes. The heroic protagonist that doesn't exist IRL. This stuff is meant for comic books, and it is apt for the production to feature an anime-style opening theme. Although I feel slipping into a character like Ji Hoon is not his forte, his acting is rather good.

My main complaint is the fake tan Nam Goong Min was given by the makeup team. It was horrible. He looked like a roasted almond skin - that tone doesn't blend well with his natural skintone at all. And they forgot to give his hands a tan too - in the last few scenes of Episode 2, you could clearly see the contrast between his original skintone of his hands, his ears, and the fake tan on his face.

Park Jin Woo, a veteran who has appeared in more films than in dramas, is Sa Mu Jang, Cheon Ji Hoon's "litigation office manager" and all-around partner in his cases. Cheon Ji Hoon is eccentric, but Sa Mu Jang is the comic relief. Perplexed by their debt situation due to Ji Hoon's policy of only accepting 1000 won for each case, he tried to resign from his position albeit unsuccessfully - because Ji Hoon wouldn't let him. Of course, being a lawyer, Ji Hoon should know that a resignation letter immediately takes effect once it is submitted. It doesn't matter whether the employer accepts it or not. For the sake of fiction, like 1000 won per case itself, the writers go with "let's tear up the resignation letter and pretend it never happened".

Kim Ji Eun is Baek Ma Ri, granddaughter of a law firm magnate. She is a prosecutor on her probationary term, and meets Ji Hoon in one of her cases. She lost the case to Ji Hoon, and her grandfather sent her off to work for Ji Hoon for two months in hopes she would be able to learn and apply her experiences at the law firm. Baek Ma Ri as a character is not particularly likeable, but we can predict with a degree of certainty that her character will improve as the story moves forward. However, Kim Ji Eun's acting itself needs a lot of work. She has a bad habit of overusing her lips to express a particular emotion, and to me, it's rather distracting. She also did this a lot in Again My Life, but back then I couldn't pin my finger on what's wrong with her acting. Now I know what bugged me so much. Employing a range of facial expressions is vital for any thespian, and I just feel she needs to learn how to do that more than relying on just the exaggerated movements of her lips.

It's probably strange to say this, but with an outrageous premise like this, I don't expect much from the drama - and yet at the same time, I do have expectations for it to continue to entertain with its comedic scenes and character growths. I will edit this review and its score in weeks to come.

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