A New Leaf: Episode 2
by purplecow
A New Leaf continues to take its time, slowly fleshing out the ruthless corporate world in which Seok-ju thrives. We learn about his family troubles and his relationship with his father, while the case he accepted at the end of the first episode begins to drive a wedge between him and the idealistic Ji-yoon. This Seok-ju can be hard to watch at times, but there are hints that underneath his cold exterior there may be something worth redeeming. After the events of this episode, though, he has a long way to go!
EPISODE 2 RECAP
Thanks to Ji-yoon’s mishap with the conference call, the story of her relationship with Seok-ju is the latest company gossip. In his office, Seok-ju shuffles papers unconcernedly while his colleague and long-time friend PARK SANG-TAE (played by Oh Jung-se) teases him about Ji-yoon.
He says it’s understandable to have a fling with the intern, and Seok-ju must have thought that she would disappear in a month so that nothing bad would happen. It’s natural to play around a bit when you’re young, he insists. Seok-ju replies that he isn’t nearly as bad as Sang-tae, who is twice divorced.
Ji-yoon, still ignorant of the fact that she gave herself away, overhears her female colleagues talking in the restroom. They gripe that if Lawyer Kim was going to have a fling, he should at least have had standards.
One woman reflects that Ji-yoon’s contribution to Seok-ju’s big case – the convenience store angle – probably raised her value. However, it’s possible that the convenience store workers may actually suffer because of the case, prompting the coworker to wonder if Ji-yoon is stupid or simply naïve. Ji-yoon walks determinedly out of the stall, and the other women scatter.
Ji-yoon enters the elevator with Seok-ju, ignoring the fearful peon who flees before him. She tells him that while he may not be affected by gossip about the two of them, she is just a lowly intern who may be forced to quit because of something like this. She warns that if he abuses his authority by spreading slanderous accusations, she’ll go to the Department of Labor – only to be informed that she was the one spreading the rumors via conference call.
Seok-ju turns her accusation around, saying that he hates it when the perpetrators act like the victims. He stalks out of the elevator, telling Ji-yoon that from now on she must rise or fall according to her own conduct.
At the courthouse, Seok-ju encounters the lead lawyer for the prosecution (LEE SUN-HEE, played by Kim Seo-hyung), and they’ve obviously known each other for a long time. She scolds him for defending a scumbag, while Seok-ju counters that she’s only interested in this case because it offers an opportunity to take down a chaebol heir. “You’re burning with ambition,” he says, and it looks like the two of them understand each other fairly well.
In the courtroom, the victim JUNG HYE-RYEONG (Kim Yoon-seo) is called as a witness. The two lawyers go back and forth, trying to make their evidence count.
She claims that her relationship with the accused was over, and Seok-ju counters by attacking her reputation with a naked picture that she sent the defendant, CHA DONG-HYUN, when they were dating. There’s also a phone that the rapist broke, which has his and Jung Hye-ryeong’s fingerprints on it.
The actress’s current boyfriend is called as a witness, because he saw her right after she was hit and he drove her to the hospital. Seok-ju keeps at him, demanding to know why he didn’t question Hye-ryeong when she returned with bruises on her face after meeting another man.
The boyfriend loses his cool and declares that he was angry, and that he and Hye-ryeong had a fight while driving to the hospital. Apparently driven to his breaking point, the boyfriend testifies that he actually hit Hye-ryeong, which weakens the prosecution’s claim that the bruises on Hye-ryeong’s face came from the assault.
But all is not as it seems. Hye-ryeong speaks to her lawyer, shellshocked, claiming that her boyfriend never actually hit her. We cut to a room with Seok-ju, Dong-hyun, and Hye-ryeong’s boyfriend, where it turns out that he is receiving money to lie on the stand. The chaebol heir gloats that he’s a wonderful actor, and that Seok-ju really is the best lawyer out there. Seok-ju puts a hand on the boyfriend’s shoulder and tells him to stay the course, because this is just the beginning.
The defense gets even more aggressive after the recess, exposing medical records that testify to Jung Hye-ryeong’s sexually transmitted diseases. She supposedly transferred them to her current boyfriend, yet Dong-hyun tested clean. The implication is that the chaebol heir couldn’t have raped her, since Hye-ryeong’s testimony specifies that her attacker didn’t wear a condom. The judge ends the session, and it looks like Seok-ju’s scorched-earth style defense has the upper hand, at least for now.
Prosecutor Lee chases after Seok-ju once the session ends, and asks him not to release the information about the STDs and the naked picture to the press. Whatever the outcome of the case, such bad publicity would be the end for the actress, and they both know it. Seok-ju replies that if the prosecutor really cared about her client, she wouldn’t have publicized such a sensitive case in the first place.
Ji-yoon follows the prosecutor, and sees Hye-ryeong throwing up in the bathroom. She apologizes to both of them, and when she rejoins the defense team outside the courtroom she looks very upset. Seok-ju delays entering the car so they can have a conversation in private.
He says if she has a problem with the way they defend their client, she should go work for the opposition. He goes to open the door, but Ji-yoon says she prefers to take the subway back. As she walks away he says that nothing happened between them the night he stayed over, but she may not have heard after putting her earphones in.
Ji-yoon gets back home, where her aunt is waiting. Over the phone, her aunt encourages Ji-yoon’s younger brother, LEE JI-HYUK (Lee Min-hyuk), to do well at his audition. Ji-yoon tells her aunt to stop encouraging him, since he has no talent and show business is tough to break into.
Auntie tells Ji-yoon that all her friends want to set her up with their sons, now that she works for such a prestigious law firm. Ji-yoon doesn’t appear to be all that interested, and the two women sit down for dinner.
Ji-yoon says that she hasn’t met any nice lawyers, although she’s met a few terrible ones: “Cruel and relentless,” she says, and there are no prizes for guessing who she’s talking about. Her aunt is distracted by a news story on her phone, which states that the actress Jung Hye-ryeong tried to commit suicide. Ji-yoon gets up immediately and dashes out of the house.
She meets Prosecutor Lee outside the hospital room, and they go in together. Hye-ryeong is asleep, and Ji-yoon sees the scars on her arm. The prosecutor says that Ji-yoon is still innocent, but that she’d probably still take a job with the firm if they offered it to her. Ji-yoon replies that she wants to be a prosecutor like her. “Prosecutors who don’t win have no appeal,” Prosecutor Lee reflects.
She has to leave for work soon after Hye-ryeong wakes, so Ji-yoon stays with the actress. Hye-ryeong despairs over the outcome of the case. If she doesn’t settle, her family will hear the horrible rumors that the defense is spreading. Moreover, Ji-yoon tells her honestly that she has very little chance of winning.
“How much should I ask for?” Hye-ryeong asks dully. “How much makes it okay for him to rape me?”
The next day, Seok-ju gets a call from Hye-ryeong’s lawyer. They intend to settle, but they want Intern Ji-yoon to handle the negotiations. Seok-ju calls Ji-yoon to his office, and she arrives prepared with a piece of notepad paper on which she’s scribbled Hye-ryeong’s demands.
The first item on the list is an apology. Seok-ju asks her if she’s become Hye-ryeong’s representative now, to which she replies with a scathing tirade. She asks how he can possibly put a price on stepping all over people just because he can. “How much would make it okay to rape your sister?” she demands. They both stop the argument there, realizing that the entire office is listening in and watching.
Seok-ju goes to meet CEO Cha, who is worried that his work may be suffering because of his connection to Ji-yoon. He’s not the kind of person to raise his voice to a lowly intern. “I didn’t raise my voice,” Seok-ju responds instantly (methinks the lady doth protest too much!). Nevertheless, he promises to keep his business and personal lives separate, and the boss ominously declares that he’ll take care of things from here.
At a bar later that night, Seok-ju shares a drink with Dong-hyun, the chaebol heir. He gets mad when he hears that one of the hostesses at the bar has been missing work, and breaks some of the glasses on the table. He confides to Seok-ju that the girl may be pregnant, which means a paternity suit immediately after clearing up the rape case. Seok-ju may be uncomfortable hearing such talk, because he tells the chaebol heir to call a cheaper lawyer to listen to him.
Dong-hyun goes to the restroom, leaving Seok-ju alone with Dong-hyun’s assistant. The man says his job has largely become tracking down the girls who have had relationships with his employer, and “taking care of them.” I’m seriously having trouble watching by this point, since I basically just want to drop all three of them off a tall cliff with sharp spikes at the bottom.
Dong-hyun returns and offers to pay Seok-ju with stock options, with the additional incentive of letting Seok-ju know exactly when to sell. Seok-ju points out that this is illegal, but the chaebol rapist replies that he’s sure Seok-ju knows how to make everything appear aboveboard.
At his office, Seok-ju gets some news from the veterinarian about his dog. His dog has cancer and he needs to decide on a course of treatment. Seok-ju shows more emotion after hearing the bad news about his dog than we’ve seen from him yet. He says he’ll come by the vet’s office with a decision in the next day or two, and looks at a picture of him with his dog on his desk.
Ji-yoon runs into Seok-ju in the elevator once again, and the memory of the unreturned wristwatch flusters her. She walks after him, only to see him meeting with CEO Cha. Seok-ju has to leave early for his mother’s memorial, and his boss gives him a bottle of expensive wine for the ceremony.
Ji-yoon returns to the elevator, and CEO Cha invites her to join him. He praises her for her work, and asks if there’s anything he can do to reward her. After hearing that she would like to see her juniors from less prestigious law schools receive the same opportunity she did, he promises to create an opening for graduates from her college for the next three years. She’s overwhelmed by the gesture, and rushes off with a big smile on her face.
After she goes, the boss muses that it’s strange and interesting to meet someone who flusters Kim Seok-ju. His aid asks if he should look into her, but the CEO decides not to. They haven’t ever investigated their own lawyers’ private lives, and they won’t start now. It’s merely an interesting anomaly, and he looks forward to seeing what will happen.
At Ji-yoon’s house, her aunt watches TV with her younger brother Ji-hyuk. Ji-hyuk promises to pass an audition and become the star of the family. Auntie replies that she does believe in him… but she won’t be investing any more of her money in him.
Ji-yoon remembers the watch, but it’s not where she left it. She asks her family, and Ji-hyuk’s evasion sets off warning bells. She asks if he took it, and he deflects by asking if she has a boyfriend, since it was a man’s watch. It comes out that Ji-hyuk shamelessly traded the watch for a drum, which prompts Ji-yoon to give him a well-deserved beating.
Seok-ju arrives at his mother’s memorial. Seok-ju bows before his mother’s shrine, while the rest of the family looks on.
When they’re gathered at the table for dinner, Seok-ju’s aunt brings up the case with the forced laborers. She wonders why the company took on such a controversial case, especially when they’re already so prosperous.
It soon becomes clear that Seok-ju’s relationship with his father is strained, to say the very least. They have very different world-views, with his father placing principle before everything else, which turns out to be the cause of Seok-ju’s resentment towards his father.
Seok-ju’s father thinks he’s despicable for targeting the forced laborers and defending a Japanese company after the horrors committed during the occupation. Seok-ju replies that not everyone can be famous for sticking to one’s principles like his father, and he’s satisfied with his life.
The conflict comes to a head when his father asks, disgusted, what his mother would think if she could see him now. But Seok-ju counters that it was exactly his father’s self-sacrificing work ethic and commitment to his principles that left his wife to suffer and die alone. He gets up to leave, and when his cousin asks him to apologize and beg forgiveness, he declares that he wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it.
When Seok-ju arrives for work the next morning, there’s a breaking news story: his client, Park Dong-hyun, was murdered. The police have arrested Jung Hye-ryeong as the prime suspect, since she was the last person to see Dong-hyun alive. The news seems to affect Seok-ju, as he bangs a counter and walks unsteadily into his office while Ji-yoon watches him go.
Sang-tae enters the office, shocked by the turn of events. Seok-ju doesn’t seem all that affected, calmly taking a call about a meeting later that afternoon. CEO Cha comes in soon after, and Sang-tae leaves after asking Seok-ju to bail him out of a jam later by attending a presentation.
CEO Cha apologizes to Seok-ju for making him get involved in the personal life of a chaebol heir. He asks if Seok-ju would like to go with him to the funeral. Before leaving, CEO Cha tells Seok-ju that some people are destined to lead extraordinary lives, which may cost them the happiness of common people.
Seok-ju sits in on a presentation with another team. Their clients want to go with another firm, and Seok-ju’s coworkers need his persuasive abilities. Seok-ju has a moment where he loses his train of thought, hinting that he may have been affected by the news more than he lets show, but he quickly regains his composure and delivers a rousing speech that convinces the clients to stay with the firm.
Outside the meeting room, the interns gossip about how cold and focused he is, going into a last-minute presentation after hearing such news and bailing another team out of a tough spot. Ji-yoon adds that he’s exactly the same in court, ruthless and unsympathetic. He walks by, prompting the interns to worry that he might have overheard them. “Of course he did,” says Sang-tae, who overhead them as well. “You have excellent diction.” HA!
After a late-night exclusive meeting where Seok-ju represents the legal department before the higher-ups, he leaves for the funeral. As he passes through the waiting room, he overhears some guests wondering what happened at the rape trial that could have pushed Hye-ryeong into committing murder.
Later, Seok-ju and his boss speak with Dong-hyun’s father. The chaebol regrets being so soft with his son and always cleaning up after his messes. If he’d put him in jail, he reflects with a heavy sigh, at least he’d be alive today. I can’t help thinking that there would be a lot fewer rape victims, too. You’re not getting any sympathy from me, Mr. Chaebol.
They meet another CEO who’s come to pay his respects, and he indicates to Seok-ju that he may need to swing by the office soon. He fired some employees recently, and the Labor Union is making a racket. Seok-ju, of course, will be able to make the problem go away.
After the funeral Seok-ju walks alone down a dark alley, deep in thought. Suddenly, he is startled by bright lights, and a faceless form on a motorcycle. He’s pushed off the street, right underneath some hazardous construction materials. The scaffolding gets disturbed and collapses, and Seok-ju gets buried in the debris. The only part of him now visible is his hand, which twitches weakly to show he’s still alive.
COMMENTS
The show seems to be starting slow, but in a good way. We’re getting a sense of Seok-ju’s cold nature, so that his eventual transformation will be more believable. The many relationships that motivate our characters are building up as well, and I look forward to how Seok-ju’s amnesia will throw a wrench in the works.
I was a little worried about Park Min-young’s character when I read the teasers for the show. I mean, the earnest hard-working intern with a steadfast moral compass? I wasn’t blown away by the originality of the premise, to say the least. But a character doesn’t necessarily have to be ground-breaking to be strong, and I found myself cheering for Ji-yoon by the first episode. Park Min-young is hard not to root for, so I avoid that issue by sitting down firmly in the cheering section. She’s plucky and believable in this role (and gorgeous, but surely I’m not so shallow as to let that affect my evaluation of her acting… right?)
As for Kim Seok-ju… wow. Kim Myung-min makes moral repugnance and blatant self-interest sound good! His voice is absolutely hypnotic, and I can see why he’s such an effective courtroom lawyer. The spell wore off about halfway through the episode, however, when I saw how utterly lacking he is in anything even remotely resembling a conscience. That moment in the bar, when the ex-NIS agent bragged about being able to distinguish Dong-hyun’s bastard children from other men’s children… argh. I can’t even. I let out a cheer when I saw that Dong-hyun was murdered, and I can’t help thinking that Seok-ju isn’t much better because of the role he played in corrupting the trial process and enabling the rapist. He’s got a ways to go before I can see him without loathing, but I’m sure he’ll earn the second chance he’s been given. Please, amnesia, work your magic!
While the first two episodes seemed a little slow (possibly because of the focus on horrible people doing horrible things and getting away with them), this drama has all the ingredients of awesomeness. I mean, a main couple channeling Pride and Prejudice, the heroine of City Hunter and Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and a redemption story?! Sold, to the purple cow at Table 3!
The stage is set, the characters introduced, and the amnesia induced… I can’t wait for the real story to begin!
RELATED POSTS
- A New Leaf: Episode 1
- Kim Myung-min turns courtroom shark for A New Leaf
- Stills from the courtroom (and wedding hall) in A New Leaf
- Jin Yi-han joins the cast of MBC’s A New Leaf
- Kim Myung-min dresses to impress for A New Leaf
- Park Min-young to play Kim Myung-min’s leading lady
- Kim Sang-joong faces off with Kim Myung-min in A New Leaf
- Kim Myung-min considers A New Leaf
Tags: A New Leaf, featured, Kim Myung-min, Kim Sang-joong, Park Min-young
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1 Tweetang
May 4, 2014 at 8:39 PM
All I can say is, Anthony is rocking that hair...
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denwanai
May 4, 2014 at 8:50 PM
I really liked Kim Myung Min's wardrobe in King of Drama. His suits were practically painted on they were so tailored to the max. In this drama he seems awfully thin. Isn't he? or is it his hair? Wonderful deep voice, though. Loving the drama setup at this point.
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Tweetang
May 4, 2014 at 9:38 PM
He looks younger in that hair
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Lizzy4e
May 6, 2014 at 7:19 AM
I agree about him looking thin. He does seem to have lost some weight. Perhaps it was to make him look younger.
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DayDreamer
May 5, 2014 at 5:39 AM
Me too. It softens his facial features and makes him look younger and....dreamy. ;)
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whitewire
May 5, 2014 at 9:53 AM
He rocks the hair, and PMY looks great with her red hairdo... PERFECT ISTYLEU! I can feel the chemistry all throughout, hoping they push for a love angle here. What a waste of amazing tension between these leads.
I mean, THIS is Kim Myung-min the actual KMM, and PMY with him no less! I have never been happier. :-) Bring it on, show! Dang, I can see a clueless, gentle, passionate and pursuing leading man here. Goodness, gracious, help me!
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2 Quiet Thought
May 4, 2014 at 8:46 PM
It seemed a bit odd that Seok-ju was squeamish about his clients drunken temper, but didn't blink an eye on learning that the client had suborned a witness to perjury! In most countries, that will get the lawyer involved a disbarrment and jail time.
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Lord Byron
May 5, 2014 at 8:58 AM
Oh, don't get me started on how this drama gets wrong so many basic tenets of rule of client representation or duty of lawyers as officers of court. In this drama, a law firm itself is one of the stars. The drama is armed to teeth with consultation from so many practicing South Korean attorneys (according to the credits).
By the way, the script is in Korean and English, 50:50. Reminds me of Ad Genius LTB of last year.
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:15 AM
I have not seen ANY recent k-dramas that seem to know what is legal and what is not - it is not just this one. In Gap Dong we have cops beating confessions out of people. In Golden Cross we have a supposedly super-ethical prosecutor princess that blabs out case info to everyone.
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Thandy
May 5, 2014 at 4:44 PM
There are instances where cops beat/coerce confessions out of people, it's not right, nor legal but it happens. Illegal things happen all the time without most persons realizing .
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megumi
May 6, 2014 at 4:41 AM
Beating confessions out of people doesn't only happen in Kdramas but it happens almost everywhere around the world, these kind of ruthless lawyers and their use of underhanded tactics also do happen around the world especially if the client is rich and powerful, you can buy not only witness but jurors too, this was proven by the italian mafia's in America, who not only bought jurors for their cases but also managed to find their addresses through currpot cops, after they found where the jurors live they either threatened them or killed them depending on the situation, just because you think it's illegal and doesn't happen doesn't mean anything, it does happen in real life, it's just that most people are unaware of it unless they become the victims of these crimes. I watch a lot of crime and legal documentaries from around the world and was shocked to see how frequently these kind of illegal tactics are used by the lawyers and how some cops beat the confession out of the victims. Anyway, all in all i'm very interested in this for the same reason some people here are uninterested.
Kim Myung Min is doing a great job as a cold hearted and unsympathetic lawyer, i love him anything tbh.
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3 Quiet Thought
May 4, 2014 at 8:49 PM
Park Min Young is definitely upping her game this episode. Good use of that rich voice of hers, and she doesn't back down physically at any point. That's the intellectual presence I remember from 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal.' She can take intelligent dialogue and deliver it with authority.
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Kaybee
May 4, 2014 at 9:37 PM
Agreed. her dialogue delivery is very good and so is her comic timing.
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Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:08 PM
Love her comic timing, she's so funny <3
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4 houstontwin
May 4, 2014 at 9:20 PM
Thanks for the recap. PMY tries a little too hard for my taste but I think that the dynamic between the leads is terrific.
Honestly, my favorite scenes were the phone call about the dog, and the memorial dinner for mom. We got a lot of character development and exposition from a few brief moments.
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KDaddict
May 4, 2014 at 9:37 PM
I can't name who is overacting or there'll be an accusation of jealousy being at play.
But an actor/actress who doesn't overact is always good and welcome. Some of them need to learn that less is more. Unless they are Kim MM, who can make less seeming like more, or is it more seeming like less? In his case, it is hard to tell. He just Is his characters.
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dongsaeng killer
May 4, 2014 at 10:12 PM
Dude, when you were accused of being jealous I laughed out loud. Since when did having a different opinion mean one is jealous? Ridiculous.
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KDaddict
May 5, 2014 at 3:21 AM
You and I know that, but apparently some ppl don't. ;)
I read it on the thread for ep 1.
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DayDreamer
May 5, 2014 at 5:45 AM
I laughed too. Reminded me of childish conversations with my younger siblings. If we didn't agree on something it was most likely because one of us was jealous, lol.
@ KDaddict: So true! KMM just becomes his characters whereas PMY, at least in here, is trying to portray a character. I think I would enjoy her character more if she didn't overact. She did have instances where I liked her, like when she was angry at Seok-jo at the court. That kind of fierceness suits her.
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Mariah
May 5, 2014 at 9:29 PM
Partly it's PMY, partly it's the character she's been given. An intern would be fired without so much as a thank-you-ma'am if she talked to the prosecution outside of a formal negotiation. I don't know about the law in Korea, but in the US, she'd also put the litigation in danger.
PMY and the character she's playing are particularly hard to watch after watching Kim MM interact with the prosecutor. That's a drama I would watch, Kim MM going head to head with a tough, smart prosecutor like her.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 9:43 PM
That was apparently directed at me. Apparently I'm very jealous of Park Min Young. For what, I'm not quite sure.
It's always interesting to see viewers who have a difficult time separating out their appreciation of the actor/actress with that of their character turn around and accuse viewers who can distinguish the actor/actress from the character of failing to distinguish the two. Is it a matter of having not enough life experience? Or critical aesthetic distance? Honestly, I want to be generous toward such viewers, but I can't shake the sense I'm dealing with the 21st century version of Teen Beat readership.
Honestly, I don't even know how to respond to such a laughable charge. I can't help but laugh.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 9:44 PM
PMY's always better being fierce. That's why she was probably so likable in SKKS, once I got over eyerolling at being asked to believe her passable as a teenage boy.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 9:51 PM
@mwg - An intern would be fired without so much as a thank-you-ma’am if she talked to the prosecution outside of a formal negotiation. I don’t know about the law in Korea, but in the US, she’d also put the litigation in danger.
Absolutely. My eyes sort of went O.o at that moment. Had the prosecutor not turned to settle and the case gone forward, I could easily imagine a mistrial in American courts.
As for Seok Ju against Prosecutor Lee... Yup. I too would love that drama. She's so fierce and together.
Yup, PMY's character comes across like Legally Blonde's Elle Woods before she got serious, dancing around the two adult lawyers for attention. Then, her character gets all super serious and self-righteous, making demands of the lead defense lawyer for the prosecution's side. Yeah, really believable. But that's not PMY's fault but the writer's.
DayDreamer
May 6, 2014 at 7:47 PM
As for Seok Ju against Prosecutor Lee… Yup. I too would love that drama. She’s so fierce and together.
Y'know....seeing Seok-ju and Prosecutor Lee together made me wish the prosecutor was in the place of Ji-Yoon. Or better, just take out the Ji Yoon character.
I tell ya, it's the power of the actress. Loved her as Mo Gabi from History of a Salaryman. And she makes her small role here look interesting too.
Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:25 PM
Well for me PMY is always easy on the eyes. Initially, I too was a bit disappointed, how could an intern who's supposed to be on the defense team approached a victim???
But after some thought, hey... this is Kdrama where everything is possible and the reason why I'm watching this is because I want to be entertained not to critic it which I find really stressful hehehe.
Anyway I'm no expert myself.... and I don't have any control on the script, but I have a say on what drama to watch and what not to. And each of us has different goals in watching.... mine is to be entertained and so far I'm happy with how things are in this drama :)
5 kookicookie
May 4, 2014 at 9:22 PM
Love this drama so far, but am I the only one who thinks the male lead looks like he has cotton balls in his mouth? Call me horribly mean, but it's kind of distracting. That being said I've really liked his performance so far.
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Bee
May 5, 2014 at 1:54 AM
The "cotton balls" will vanish as filming proceeds. That's just normal under skin fat, the way he looks without being 20 kilos underweight.
I'm glad he put on some extra weight to sustain him through the next three months.
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whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 7:19 AM
Haha! The cotton balls started becoming obvious when he was praparing for his role in Closer To Heaven (right after being heavy built in Beethoven Virus) where he must play a patient with Lou Gehrig's disease. I remember KMM back then when he described the hardest part was NOT losing weight per se, but losing and losing weight as the character's sickness progresses. The character started rather healthy, and the weight loss must appear obvious on camera, little by little. It was hard for KMM to recover after that drastic and abrupt physical change he went through Closer to Heaven.
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DayDreamer
May 5, 2014 at 5:48 AM
LOL! I love KMM to death but that made me laugh. It's true....he does have a chipmunky face when he loses a lot of weight. Once his cheeks start to fill in, it'll be much less noticeable. For his sake, I hope they do because I'd hate to see this man starving himself.
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kdrama_addict
May 5, 2014 at 10:30 AM
My mom kept pointing that out to me throughout the episode, calling them "marbles" and I was like "I don't care. To me, that is a good sign that he's healthy and not the skin and bones KMM that I had my heart broken over during his Closer to Heaven days." T.T
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Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:33 PM
seriously, you're not the only one so don't be too hard on yourself :)
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6 houstontwin
May 4, 2014 at 9:24 PM
Thanks for the recap. I tried posting before so I hope that I am not repeating myself... My favorite scenes were the phone call about the dog and the memorial dinner for mom. We got to see some hidden emotions and a mystery regarding dad is hinted at.
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:18 AM
It appears that the dog is his only friend.
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whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 7:11 AM
Kang Mae, too, has only Thoven in Beethoven Virus. He even chooses Thoven over his girl Durumi. But I know (and truly hope) that Seok-joo is different! He is. This guy has the heart to start with, and it shows. And maybe he will not rudely tell LJY that he will choose the dog over her. Lol. Maybe choose them, and LOVE them, BOTH. Happy ending!
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7 Kaybee
May 4, 2014 at 9:35 PM
Thanks for the review. I like the drama. All the lead and side cast are good actors. They look sleek and their attire is job appropriate unlike many other dramas. I love PMY's dressing. She's got a great looking body.
The level of corruption is realistic and even if I hate it, I can accept it as a fact that it happens all over the world. Karma got the rapist chaebol and KMM will get to redeem himself.
I believe KMM got PMY her intern job and got her into his team on purpose (he fell for her). After PMY wakes up from her drunk act, her bag and law books are lying on the ground. KMM may have seen it and pulled some strings. Their chemistry is sizzling!
So looking forward to Ep. 3 and 4!
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megumi
May 6, 2014 at 4:59 AM
I appreciate your comments and viewers like you who do know that these kinds of illegal things do happen frequently around the world in real life, i was really shocked because some of the above commenters were adamant that these things don't happen in real life and were pointing out how unrealistic the lawyers and the cops are being in the drama, i don't know if they are just clueless or too innocent to think like that.
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8 MySelf
May 4, 2014 at 9:37 PM
Yea...DB recapping ep.2 of ANL :-D.
I'm glad you choose to recap this drama.I'm cheering for Lee Ji Yoon too.. :-).and Kim Suk Joo cold serious face doesn't bother her at all!sometimes she looks scared when she bump in to Suk Joo but not really......
:-P, so far i like everything that i see.Kim suk joo is super serious but i like his way in handling things.,he doesn't scream even though he's angry ( so calm and firm )but he looks cute when he get around Ji Yoon..( i think so , he, he.. ). ;-)
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9 Lovely.
May 4, 2014 at 9:50 PM
I unfortunately had to watch the first two episodes with only about 75% of the English subs- So THANK YOU for the recaps. It cleared up all the questions I had.
I can't decide what I think about Park Min Young yet. I was under the impression her character would be naive and innocent, but instead she just seems really clueless to me. Hopefully future episodes will get me to like her more.
And Kim Myung Min's acting is superb as always. I hate his character of course, and I'm so happy he's got hit on the head. Now the real fun begins!! I can't wait!
Looking forward to next week ^_^
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omona
May 4, 2014 at 10:53 PM
so unfortunate that subbers have life and can't subtitle it faster! Took them 2 days to get it 100% but They must work for free and fast, right?
-_-" learn to be grateful. They translate it for us, not because of themselves, they could watch it and not bother to translate it for others, losing their time with people who can't wait and be grateful.
Some dramas are never subbed...
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Lovely.
May 4, 2014 at 11:16 PM
I hope you didn't take it that I was complaining- I'm really grateful for the subbers and it was because of my impatience I watched it 75% subbed, lol. I'm going to rewatch it later for sure.
It seems Viki gets it fully subbed over the weekend, so I'll just wait until then.
- Lovely.
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omona
May 5, 2014 at 10:20 PM
I misunderstand you, I'm sorry :( I was rude.
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Lovely.
May 6, 2014 at 8:20 PM
No hard feelings. I look forward to discussing A New Leaf with you. ^_^
whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 7:05 AM
"I hate his character of course, and I’m so happy he’s got hit on the head. Now the real fun begins!! I can’t wait!"
This made me happy and ecstatic for 2 hours! Lol! Thanks for making my day, Lovely.!
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10 Arawn
May 4, 2014 at 11:15 PM
Wasn't anyone bothered how the defendand's side gave legal advice to the victim?? That is so unethical i can't even.
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Nekoi
May 4, 2014 at 11:41 PM
I was under the impression that because she was just an intern, so she wasn't a good representation of the company so it didn't really matter. Anyway, she visited the victim on the grounds that she is also a woman, and the advice she gave was really a sound one, rather than a legal one.
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Quiet Thought
May 5, 2014 at 4:23 AM
. . . She also achieved the goal her client and law firm were trying to achieve, which was an out of court settlement.
Also, considering that the client had committed (and admitted to his own lawyer) felony assault and rape and suborning a witness to perjury, she was the most ethical lawyer involved in the case.
I'm not familiar with the details of the Korean legal system, but if any of the actions I described had come to light in the American system, she would have been the only member of her firm involved to NOT go to jail.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 5, 2014 at 4:58 AM
Agreed.
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Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 9:56 AM
This... kind of leaves me speechless. Because what Ji-Yoon does here is just absolutely ethically WRONG. It doesn't matter that her comrades make things that ever even worse because their wrong doesn't make her actions right. Those are two completely separate things. Neither does it matter that her intentions were good, that she was just talking "as a woman to woman" and what not.
It doesn't matter what Ji-Yoon personally thinks here. What matters is that she is working in the company defending the defendant and as such her interests are, from the legal point of view, same as her company's. In short, her interests are in conflict with the interests of the victim. Yes, WE know what she thinks as viewers but in real life this is not possible and this is why such situations are treated as violations of victim's rights. As they should be. On my country lawyers representing the defendant are absolutely forbidden to talk to the victim UNLESS victim's lawyer (or prosecutor in many cases) is present. If they do, association of lawyers will punish them. In States, I would guess, this kind of thing would lead to a re-trial or, if agreement was reached because of advice given by defendant's representative, victim/prosecutor could most likely sue the representative and would also win.
In short, what Ji-Yoon did was unethical and unprofessional and worst part is that it's treated like a RIGHT thing in the series. Yes, I do get she was worried but that doesn't mean you can just start doing stuff that is unethical and legally shady. You cannot just walk over the law because you are so worried because hey, if you have a right to do it, why don't others.
I'm pretty sure that if it were Seok-Ju giving victim the same advice, people would be darn angry at him. But because it's Ji-Yoon with her golden heart, it's a-ok to walk over the law, of course.
I am sorry if I come across nasty or something, I do not mean to offend, but violation ethics just cannot be ok. Ever.
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:27 AM
Normally I would agree - but in this case I am not sure that she actually WAS part of the legal team. I got the impression that she was there more as a trainee/observer.
So while ethically she was wrong, legally I am not so sure. In many ways the Korean legal system mirrors the US, but not all, and this is one point I am pretty fuzzy on.
Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 11:56 AM
I do not know what Korean legal system says about this, my point was, ultimately, moral and ethical one. I know I said from the "legal point of view" but it's more like I wasn't able to describe it better... I didn't mean from the point of view Korean law per se but more from the point of view those broader ethical limits that should, in ideal case, govern the law making and judicial procedures. Actual laws in some given country do not necessary fall in line with these.
However, my impression is that many people seem to think what she did was ok in overall, not just when it comes to Korean law. This is where my biggest objection lies.
windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 12:40 PM
I don't think it was OK, but I can kind of understand where it is coming from as a drama - the writer has to set her up as being the polar opposite of the mean lawyer, so I can forgive it in that sense.
Quiet Thought
May 5, 2014 at 1:05 PM
Frankly, if Ji-Yoon were to do the RIGHT thing, she would offer testimony to the prosecutor that her seniors were committing criminal acts. "Legal Ethics" does NOT include the duty to cover up criminal actions by your fellow attorneys.
Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 1:09 PM
QT: Actually, legal ethics would require one to expose criminal acts by his/her fellow layers so yes, that would've been the ethical thing to do.
Windsun33: I would forgive it if drama would at least make a point of it being wrong at some point. But I don't think it will happen. :/
windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 2:47 PM
I agree, but I don't think she knew about that part. I watched that episode at like 1AM and may have missed parts, might rewatch it.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 10:01 PM
Ji Yoon was there not just as an observer but as a part of the legal team, so what Ji Yoon did would have gotten her into serious trouble. She would have been penalized somehow by the Bar Association, let alone her firm, for acting against the best interest of her team's client, which was the defendant. The defendant, moreover, could have sued not only the firm that was supposed to represent him but also her personally.
Most of all, it would have jeopardized the case had it proceeded to trial. It would have led to a mistrial.
Whether a client is loathsome or not, once a lawyer and a legal team take on a client, it's their job to defend that client to their best ability. Not bat for the other team.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 10:07 PM
@Quiet Thought - actually, if you recall, Ji Yoon wasn't in the meeting when it was revealed to the viewers that Seok Ju had tampered (that word is just too inadequate) with the witness. In fact, Seok Ju is very careful about whom he includes in his dealings with the clients. He even makes sure that the client's assistant leaves the room, lest the assistant be subject to future testimony or accusations of complicity in the crime.
So, Ji Yoon only knows that Seok Ju is ruthless in cross-examination. She doesn't know the full extent of his corruption.
I'm subbing this damned drama, but the drama's treatment of the law and the corporate culture of the legal world is just so unbelievable already that I'm totally dreading continuing.
Mariah
May 6, 2014 at 11:49 AM
Thank you. I was just about to type this exactly. COmpletely unethical. In the U.S. such a thing might put her admittance to the bar in jeopardy, and certainly jeopardize the suit.
Here's a Q for you. Did it strike you as odd that they settled? They are in criminal court; I may be remembering incorrectly, but I was under the impression that the Prosecutor is the one to withdraw charges, not the complainant, and that settlement is merely about things like lessening charges, not getting $. Are they mixing up civil and criminal cases, or am I interpreting this wrong?
megumi
May 6, 2014 at 5:09 AM
The catch here is 'if it came to light', if that happened i firmly believe that Korean legal system or any legal system for that matter would be forced to take action whether they want it or not, and i believe that the bastard deserved what was coming to him but what PMY's character did was indeed ethically wrong no matter the outcome, she is really lucky that it went her way, if it didn't she would have been in big trouble, i don't think there is any harm in some viewers pointing out the facts...
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Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:53 PM
I'm still in episode 2, and honestly, I got a bit confused too when she talked to the victim knowing that she is an intern in the defense team.
But IMHO her actions are more driven by moral standards and values she strongly believed in and not by ethical standards. I am not sure though what the consequences should be for such actions. There are a lot of ethical violations done by the defense team anyway.
I'm happy that I am learning some legal things in this drama. Hope I can interact more with you guys when I get to that scene. :)
11 starryskyes
May 5, 2014 at 12:15 AM
ugghgh, can't wait for the redemption and amnesia XD
i really like PMY's character ;)
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12 Noelle
May 5, 2014 at 1:38 AM
Wow I thought the amnesia would take a while but okay, next episode it is.
Thanks for the recap!
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13 astromantic
May 5, 2014 at 1:56 AM
Avoiding spoilers like the plague, but:
1) Pleased to see a Kim Seo-hyung cameo (she was fantastic in History of a Salaryman) and
2) Does anyone know what's up with KMM's cheeks? Google has failed me
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Kiara
May 5, 2014 at 7:24 AM
He had a dental appointment and forgot to take cotton balls out.
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Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:54 PM
hahahahaha
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14 divyrus
May 5, 2014 at 3:51 AM
I just can't get KMM as a very evil baddie that would require amnesia to have a personality transplant!
I get all he did was wrong, but I feel the drama should have made us hate him and wish evilness upon him so that it would have been gratifying to see him helpless later.
That's what happened in king of dramas, I glorified in Anthony's downfall in first two episodes.
Here I can see his crack, I can actually see a glimpse of his conscience, that doesn't absolve him of his crimes, but I don't understand why he would need amnesia, I could actually see him turn into a decent human being all by himself .
Maybe I just have to wait and see !
Its going okay ,but hoping its better.
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divyrus
May 5, 2014 at 3:53 AM
Am I the only one who saw the bad daddy and his daughter in law in the lift scene forgetting what drama I was seeing at the moment?
:P
Mmmmm., okay ! ?
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15 john
May 5, 2014 at 4:11 AM
Thanks for the recap purplecow.
I'm enjoying this . PMY is cute, but give me Kim Seo-hyung. So sexy . I hope her character is a recurring one.
The show has some comedic moments to offset the serious topics.
The coworkers gawking outside of Seok-ju's office, probably thinking it's a lover's quarrel.
CEO Cha's interest in Ji-yoon and Seok-ju's interactions. His curiosity is piqued by this ingenue that holds sway with his staff ace.
Looking forward to the next episodes and recaps.
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Quiet Thought
May 5, 2014 at 4:31 AM
Oh! Oh! Oh! I finally realized that Kim Seo-hyung was that awesome bad-ass secretary from 'History of the Saleryman!' She was the one who slapped down whatsername by flipping her the dress and walking out of that shop in her slip! Like a QUEEN!
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Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 10:09 PM
Kim Seo Hyung - so awesome. The first time I saw her was in Lovers in Paris, and she was awesome there too.
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16 katy
May 5, 2014 at 4:28 AM
PMY is cute but please don't overact as cute , annoying stupid law student , act as smart sharp with compassion
one , if she can win smart lawyer heart she had to be smart with wonderful personality .
i find some K drama having unnecessary scenes where all dialogues are too boring , stupid .
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MySelf
May 5, 2014 at 7:12 AM
There are always SOMEONE TERRIBLE like you commenting here!
I'm really curious which scene that you thought Lee Ji Yoon is annoying??what scene that you can describe her as stupid law student???
I'm sure you didn't watch ANL.!
and you know what??that ANNOYING ST***D PERSON is YOU!!!!
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DayDreamer
May 5, 2014 at 8:32 AM
Don't you think you're going overboard attacking someone like that just because they have differing opinions?
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MySelf
May 5, 2014 at 10:34 AM
I might be going overboard with this,but that kind of 'person' make me this way!!so,do you mean that 'person' is good and i should accept what ever evil things that 'person' said? That's not a differing opinion.,it purely condeming.i cannot force them to like Park min young,but they shouldn't said that to her.i don't mind if they critics her acting style but calling her annoying and stupid for no reason.,it's too much!!maybe they wants her to a better actress.,but that is not the right things to do though!
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:40 AM
If you cannot control your rabid fandom and think that every criticism on an actor is a personal attack, this may not be the right forum for you. This is pretty much an adult forum...
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
May 5, 2014 at 8:13 PM
Omg!!!! You stupid fool!!! How can you call someone else stupid???!! I know I'm being rude but THIS ISO NOT MY FAULT, you make me this way!!1!1¡!
1. No one can make you an ass on a forum board. You are given plenty of time to cool down then state your opinion rationally.
2. Park MinYoung is not Lee JiYoon and Lee JiYoon is not Park MinYoung. Katy was hoping that Park Min Young would do justice to her character and in no way has criticised Park MinYoung the person herself (not even her acting). On the other hand, you had attacked katy herself in your second post. Calling a drama character 's stupid' just means that it was not written or portrayed properly and is not an attack on the actress herself. And as an actress, Park MinYoung and her fans need to be able to accept criticisms on her acting. It its party of her job.
3. I believe that katy is an actual person. No need to refer to her as 'that 'person''. She is not a dog.
4. Sit down. You are embarrassing yourself and all of us. Also, I'm sorry I called you stupid, even though I didn't mean it and was just illustrating a point.
Have a nice day and let us all enjoy this show peacefully. Thank you.
Javabeans
May 5, 2014 at 8:39 PM
This conversation is over. End it here, or get deleted. That goes for both sides, not just one.
Be civil folks. No exceptions.
Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 9:59 AM
"Stupid law student" would be when she seemingly doesn't know what "conflict of interest" means.
I mean, I do like her in overall, but that scene proved she still has a LOT to learn. Especially because not even a first year law student should make such a mistake.
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:42 AM
I am still not sure about that scene - whether it was to highlight the fact that she actually is pretty naïve, or if it was bad writing.
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Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 11:59 AM
I'm gonna guess it's latter if it won't bite her in the ass at some point later. Most likely it won't. :/
Quiet Thought
May 5, 2014 at 1:02 PM
Hmmm . . . that's an interesting number of people who are troubled by PMY's character speaking to the other side while having nothing to say about the senior attorney knowlingly using perjured testimony and continuing to represent a client who has bragged about commiting several felony level crimes. Now, which of these offenses is more significant?
Arawn
May 5, 2014 at 1:10 PM
QT: People rarely discuss a lot about things they agree. I'm pretty sure that around 99 % of all people think that 1) what Seok-Ju & co did was absolutely wrong and 2) it was a bigger offense than LJY's wrongdoing.
Jaeminuf
May 5, 2014 at 10:20 PM
@ Quiet Thought
- I think a lot more people are upset about Ji Yoon's talking to the other side because she's posited as the moral center of the show.
The reason most folks aren't talking, I'd presume, about the corruption of the Cha firms' lawyers is that their corruptions already been established as a given. They're fully cognizant of their corruption, hence, all the caution taken with who's privy to which information. They're akin to doctors who intentionally let patients die so that they can harvest organs for transplantation. Clearly baddies.
Yet, Ji Yoon's actions within the legal world is in some sense even more fundamentally troublesome. It's the equivalent of a doctor refusing to treat a patient because the patient is some loathsome criminal. This scenario is ethically far more troublesome and of interest to philosophers precisely because it runs so counter-intuitive to common sense notions of justice.
It's similar to the dilemma fans of great fictional detectives grapple with. Is Sherlock placing himself above the law by killing the villain? Is Poirot doing the same by not reporting the Orient Express's passengers or Dr. Sheppard?
mimi
May 6, 2014 at 12:36 AM
@Quiet Thought
I seriously don't get any of this. The fact that this is how cases go in most parts of the world, where the victim is more humiliated for speaking up than take it lying down, means it is a serious issue that deserves discussion. The fact that we are not discussing that here at all and instead going for the 'unethicality' of Lee Ji Yoon is pretty surprising for me.
This may be idealistic. But isn't any system, whether it is the court, the Parliament etc set up to serve particular ends? They are given respect as institutions because it is expected that they would do those things in spirit. When the legal system fails completely as we can see here where the victim is forced to take justice into her own hands to avenge the crime committed to her, it seems pretty silly to harp on something so ambiguous as professional ethics as though that is the only kind of ethics in the world. Professional ethics and your ethics as a human being may clash and you may choose to do what you feel is right as a person, regardless of your position. There are many people who have made that choice in the world without caring for the consequences and that is why many things have changed in this world as well.
Increasingly I find that people who dare to question corrupt institutions are criticised because they don't play by the book and that seems a bigger crime to many than protesting against the larger injustice of institutions which do not uphold what they are supposed to - whether it be justice or democracy. Made me realize some things never change when I see the same thing happening here as well. I can't argue with such convoluted logic, hats off to those who can. :)
Jaeminuf
May 6, 2014 at 1:11 AM
@ Mimi,
I guess I genuinely don't understand what would be the point of that conversation.
What is there to talk about? And what would talking about their corruption on Dramabeans do? What change would it effect? If anyone really were serious about effecting fundamental changes, he or she should be already out there bringing about those changes instead of merely discussing them on a blog neither on law nor on ethics but on Korean drama. This is not to say that conversations had on Dramabeans are meaningless. Indeed, they have been informative and enlightening. A lot viewers have been moved to better appreciate Korean culture, learn the Korean language, and even go to Korea.
However, the roots of the corruption depicted in this drama go so deep that only the most fundamental social changes will pull out those roots, if that is even possible. People have dedicated their entire lives to addressing, let alone rectifying, such injustices. And frankly, the professional ethics you dismiss as silly or ambiguous are what scholars have identified as fundamental to workings of power. Yes, they've been implemented to preclude or discourage such corruption. Otherwise, those professions wouldn't consider them so integral.
Perhaps I have studied and worked on this stuff for too long and am failing to see the possible value of such a conversation. That is entirely possible. Other than me, I don't see anyone being dismissive of such a conversation, and even I would be more than excited if something genuinely productive emerges from such a conversation.
Jaeminuf
May 6, 2014 at 10:56 AM
I've given this a lot of thought.
The reason Ji Yoon's actions are not merely silly professional ambiguities is this:
Ji Yoon assumed the guilt of her client. She wasn't privy to knowledge that he was. Only Seok Ju was. And Seok Ju had delivered a case built on the client's innocence. Ji Yoon, as a part of the legal team, MUST assume innocence unless the client informs her otherwise.
Let me give you an analogous scenario. Of all the people who must abide by the notion of "presumed innocent until proven guilty," the first who must do so is the defense counsel. So many minority men in the United States get legal counsel who assume their guilt and proceed from that presumption. There are so many men who've served prison sentences, only to have recent DNA evidence prove their innocence much too belatedly after they've had their lives robbed inside prison cells.
I can't speak for the Korean legal system but the American legal system is built to try to prevent people from unjustly imprisoning the falsely accused. Obviously, even such a system hasn't been entirely successful. So, let's be grateful that such an ethical code exists lest one of us be falsely accused and the circumstantial evidence all points to us as the culprit. (See Gapdong)
Quiet Thought
May 6, 2014 at 4:05 PM
A couple of points on the Ji Yoon's situation . . .
First, the scene where witness was perjuring himself was so obviously perjury that most of the people in the courtroom probably realized, let alone the trained lawyers. Ji Yoon did, as well. Not just because he was blatantly contradicting what the prosecutor and the victim thought he was going to say, but because the director shot the scene that way and the characters reacted that way.
Second, Ji Yoon didn't meet with the victim secretly, or at least she didn't keep it a secret after the fact. She counseled the victim to accept a civil settlement--which was WHAT HER LAW FIRM WANTED TO ACHIEVE--and successfully concluded the case for her client. Her boss praised her for her efforts.
That may be bad law, but it seems in tune with the view of lawyering taken by the series, and the criticism of Ji Yoon should take that into account.
Jaeminuf
May 6, 2014 at 7:14 PM
I think we are arguing two different things.
There are some of us who are evaluating the drama's representation of the legal world and the characters within that world. The general consensus seems that the drama's grasp of the law is flawed.
Then, those who seem upset by that evaluation are assessing the drama within the logic of its own narrative, however flawed that logic may be in relation to the real world it purports to dramatize. Nonetheless, that's a valid point; it just is a matter of whether the viewer chooses to suspend disbelief.
I just can't. I love KMM, but this drama I'll wait to resume viewing. I'll wait to see whether it's worth however many hours of my life it may be.
windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:33 AM
@ Myself - please control your personal attacks, they are not wanted here. Also, it is not necessary to post using multiple "!" and "?" at the end of each sentence - we get it.
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17 CaroleMcDonnell
May 5, 2014 at 4:56 AM
When I saw the first episode, I was kinda meh. But now I'm totally on board. Am so loving this drama.
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whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 6:49 AM
I am a KMM fan but quite agree that it was Ep. 2 (and the preview for Ep. 3) that got me in. :-)
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18 blyssxoxo
May 5, 2014 at 6:17 AM
Kim Myung-min voice is super hypnotic. Super charmed by it. Gosh.. First time ever to feel so attracted to a voice.
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19 rinoak
May 5, 2014 at 9:53 AM
Ok, I have a question. Please, if someone knows this tell me so it doesn't drive me crazy. :)
At the end of ep 1 there was a preview for 2 and some of the scenes were not actually in ep 2. Like the scene where Seok-ju is talking to someone on the stand and says something like 'knowing a conglomerate heir has its perks' and Ji-yoon was looking uncomfortable watching him. Was the scene just deleted or what? I find it strange because it was in one of the teasers for the show before it came out. Does anyone know?
Thanks~
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windsun33
May 5, 2014 at 10:37 AM
I don't know about this particular scene, but they often shoot on a very tight schedule, and at the time the previews are shot, there may be 90% that is NOT shot yet, so it can change in editing if for example the finished version happens to run over time.
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rinoak
May 5, 2014 at 12:23 PM
Oh, I see. That makes sense.
Anyway, thanks for the reply.
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20 kdrama_addict
May 5, 2014 at 10:36 AM
Did anyone else notice that Seok-ju's dog looks similar to Kangmae's (also played by KMM) dog, Thoven, from Beethoven Virus??? XD
Anyhow, I'm loving the drama so far; KMM's freaking brilliant~
I'm really shipping KMM-PMY right now, though that might not be the path the writer will take, what with KMM's fiance yet to enter the story.... (but I still secretly can't help but hope that even if amnesia Seok-ju thinks that he was truly in love with his fiance, he'll find himself falling in true love with PMY~) Lololollll :P
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Kaybee
May 5, 2014 at 2:34 PM
I did. I thought the same but Beethoven was more fluffy I guess...could be the same or maybe not...
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whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 6:54 AM
Watched this for KMM. But I am loving Lee Ji-yoon to bits and I'm slowly becoming fond of Park Min-young for all the efforts I've seen her do in this drama. I have watched her dramas before like MOH, CH, IAS, SKKS. I know this is extra challenge for her because of the sunbaes she's surrounded with. But her portrayal of bubbly character is rather natural for me. What a sight to see! I like the chemistry of our leads. :-)
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21 Kaybee
May 5, 2014 at 2:59 PM
It is funny to note that whenever a legal case/ scene comes along in a Korean dramas/ films, there will be people comparing it with their respective countries' especially USA. First upon the cases shown here are from South Korea and second the things shown in this drama which few people may find hard to accept are pretty much everywhere all over the world even in their own country.
Think about these scenarios you are arguing about and again think whether it is absolutely impossible that it couldn't happen in your country? No, then it is okay. It is still a Korean drama!
There are crazy cases in every country. Also there are some weird and crazy laws in each country and especially USA.
Stop comparing and enjoy the show. The show is written not to justify the corruption but instead to fight it and that's the whole point of showing these scenes. It adds to the story and character development of the main casts.
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mimi
May 6, 2014 at 12:18 AM
Exactly! First of all, I don't think Lee Ji Yoon was on his team. We can see that in the last scene of the previous episode where the team which is looking on at the case is in the boardroom. She is not there. I would be really surprised if a young intern was made a part of a team which has to deal with such a controversial case. So, that means she was there as an observer.
First of all, Cha firm was trying to see if there was a possibility of a settlement. When they realised that the Prosecution was pretty fast about closing that door, they went for it. Reading about previous cases like this, I think, what usually happens in most cases is a settlement. Besides, as Young Woo himself said, they are not defending the client because they feel for him, it was a case they did not want to take on initially, but had to and they think he has enough money to spend on a settlement. So, at least Young Woo can look at his young intern's attempt to negotiate with the Prosecution with a sense of humour.
Lastly, yes, heroes and heroines in dramas do the things that many won't do in real life. But is what LJY did such a crime? After sitting in that court room, where there was such a perfect mockery of justice, where all kinds of fraud was committed in the name of law, it seems a bit harsh to judge her supposedly unethical behaviour. As an idealistic young intern, she did the best under the circumstances with whatever power she had. She did not divulge anything about her team, just advised the actress that the best thing was to go for a settlement. These kinds of negotiations do happen behind closed doors. The only difference was that she, without the knowledge of her firm, went to visit the prosecution. Yup, she could have been fired for that. But if she did not do even that much, I wouldn't have continued to watch this drama.
It is pretty silly to expect that in a system where everything else is underhanded, those who want to change something should go by the book.
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Arawn
May 6, 2014 at 9:28 AM
Again, it's not about the law per se. I think Anais said it well: Ji Yoon is treated as a moral center by the drama and that is why we are annoyed by her act. Annoyance is doubled because drama treats it like it was RIGHT thing to do when it was anything but. Seok-ju & team being corrupted d*cks is given so there's hardly any reason to argue against them as drama does it for us. What they do is presented to be wrong and corrupted and Jo-Yoon is pitted against them as a person who has a heart and does good things and so we should root her. It would be much more ok if drama would at least acknowledge that what she did was wrong. And it was no matter what Korean law says because there is a severe conflict of interest there between Ji-Yoon and the victim. She jeopardized both victim's rights AND the rights of the client of the firm she's working for.
I am sorry but whether everyone else does horrible things in the said firm doesn't in any way make Ji-Yoon's act right. And again, what really annoys me is the fact that she gets a pass doing it like it's totally cool. It isn't. I'm totally ok with her doing mistakes but in such case those things should be treated as mistakes. This isn't.
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22 mimi
May 6, 2014 at 1:07 AM
Thank you for the recap. I was dreading how the writer was going to do the rape case since a half-baked attempt at something so serious can often do more harm than good.
But I was pleasantly surprised by how it was much more nuanced and realistic than I expected. Usually, the victim in kdramas is the good girl without any bad decisions in her life and the rapist, a psycho, all on his own and to a large extent divorced from the society he is part of. But here, as usually happens in real life, the victim is someone who is a soft target in that she has had her share of bad decisions, largely because she was not in a position where she had the freedom to do what she wanted.These women get exploited because they feel there is no other choice.Whether it be about the miners in the first case or this actress in the second case, they are forced to make those supposed foolish decisions, because they feel this is the only way to survive. However, strangely enough,such foolishness seems to get more hate than the real crime in today's world. Seok Joo calls her a screw up, as if since she has already screwed up her life, she has no right to complain whatever happens to her. I can imagine that if the actress had really committed suicide, there would have been plenty of netizens who would have said, "It is sad, but if she had lived a better life, none of this would have happened" or "Didn't she have brains to realize that once she entered such a path, there was no turning back?". What happens there is that the circumstances or the social factors which force people to make those "foolish decisions" get re-interpreted as personal choice. Sometimes I also think that "blame the victim" is kind of a safety valve. That is easier and helps you deal with the situation since it gives you the feeling that it could have been avoided if things had been done differently. That is always better than an acknowledgement of the injustice of it which may force you to take a hard look at the world around you and your own relatively comfortable life, especially your powerlessness to change the situation. That is not at all easy.
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23 mimi
May 6, 2014 at 1:14 AM
Law regarding rape, after years of intense struggle, now says that the victim's life before the act does not have any implication on the act itself. What happens there is an act of violence where you humiliate a person the worst way you can and scar him/her for the rest of his/her life. But what has not changed is the public attitude where the victim gets judged for her moral character and it is before this public backlash that even a prosecution with a case that has a chance of winning, has to bow down. I guess here, as long as the medical records have not been tampered with, there is a chance of her getting justice. But what waits for the victim is a life worse than what she is going through once those records of her medical condition become public. I can imagine that even without a BF stabbing her in the back or an STD, she would have been judged harshly. Now with these two, for others, it will be like she has written off all the rights over her own body or is a screwed up golddigger who used rape as a weapon to serve her own ends.
I think what the writer tries to say at the end is that unless there is a system of justice, a vital part of which is punishment to the guilty, within the family and outside, represented by the court, what you end up with is a greater tragedy. The chaebol son is someone who is normal. He is not a psycho, he speaks normally with Seok Joo. If he had been brought up well, where his father had the wisdom to punish his wayward tendenices, he would not have ended up with the belief that as long as he has power, he can do anything and get away with it.Also, he would not have ended up dead. If the legal system including the social fabric had been just, a victim would not have been forced to take the law into her own hands, which shows the ultimate breakdown of justice (though we are still not sure if she killed him or someone else, the other woman he was pursuing?) As per the synopsis, now this actress will try to bring down Seok Joo which shows that unless there are positive interventions, the cycle never ends.
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24 mimi
May 6, 2014 at 1:24 AM
Seok Joo does imply that Prosecutor Lee played dirty by already leaking the news to the Press. But in most cases, when you go against the high and the mighty, unless the team plays dirty, there is no way your case will even be heard in the public.
So, I am not sure if we are supposed to take Seok Joo's interpretation of Prosecutor Lee at its face value that she is someone who is just there for the publicity. From the way she was treating her client, gave me the feeling that she is genuine and is there for much more than bringing down "a chaebol heir".
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Quiet Thought
May 6, 2014 at 4:25 AM
It is pretty much a universal trait among the corrupt and cynical that the entire world is also corrupt and cynical. And even if they don't believe it, they will always accuse their opponents of it.
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25 mimi
May 6, 2014 at 1:32 AM
@MySelf I do understand where your sense of frustration comes from. Honestly, none of this is new to me. I have seen some of these people saying the exact same thing in different ways about Min Young's characters right from the time of City Hunter. Even if she were to play a saint in another drama, they would still find something wrong with that character. So please enjoy the drama since we seem to find it pretty interesting with a female character who has at least some agency.
Please delete this comment if the admins find it offensive.
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MySelf
May 6, 2014 at 1:54 AM
@mimi. Tq :-) .i will and always...ENJOY ANL .... :-D
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26 mimi
May 6, 2014 at 2:55 AM
I am writing this as a long-term fan of Park Min Young with the knowledge that I could be accused of partisanship. I feel this is better than pretending to be a non-fan and saying good things about her. :) Anyway, Min Young said she took up this drama because she wanted to be guided in her acting, relearn the things she had forgotten and who better than Kim Myung Min,the God of acting, to learn them from? Obviously, she knew that her performance would come up short on many counts when acting with such veterans and she would be criticized, but she was ready to take the plunge. So, we fans have approached this drama with a positive mindset, knowing the road won't be easy, but hoping to see improvement in her as an actress. Of course, we know it is foolish to expect her to rise up to their level in a day, but we have welcomed constructive criticism about her acting. The recapper yesterday said she was impressed with MY's comic scenes where she was quite expressive. Another non-fan told me that KMM was quite at another level compared with her in many scenes, but that he was impressed by her in Ji Yoon's confrontation scene with Seok Joo. So, it is not like her performance has come up woefully short or that she is bringing the drama down, as some imply.
Granted award ceremonies are fixed most of the time, but for an actress to be nominated and win awards, both newcomer and excellence consecutively, there must be something which she has done right in her career. Besides, even after being absent for 2 years, she was courted by three big dramas in different genres and for different characters. If she was that bad, I am sure they would have rethought even about approaching her.
Take it as the biased perspective of a fan, but I do feel that while there might be people who do not find anything remarkable in her as an actress (fair enough), there are also many who fear to say anything good about her performance, even something banal as she has at least improved in this area, fearing their judgement would be called into question.
For me, I can clearly see that KMM and KSJ are quite at another level compared to her. But some of the charges attributed to her of exaggerating her expressions fail to take into account the fact that her character is supposed to behave like a romcom female lead at times. Compared to her previous outings, I thought she did the drunken scene and the pajama scene with greater confidence and attention to detail. She has also improved a great deal in her range of facial expressions which you can see in the pajama scene and the reason why she and KMM have such sparkling chemistry is also because of that. There are still places where she acts the same and I don't expect it to change overnight. but acting with someone like KMM is definitely helping her hone her own craft. So based on these two episodes, I can say that yeah, she still has a long way to go, but at least she is on the right track.
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whitewire
May 6, 2014 at 7:01 AM
Park Min-young gained double my respect, even x3, when she turned down highly hyped and anticipated dramas to choose this one. That's when I knew she was serious as an actress and as an artist who wants to sharpen the craft of acting. She knew making a drama will be a form of immersion, and she was ready to risk it. I highly, greatly applaud her for that. Way to go, PMY uri Lee Ji-yoon! :-)
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Saved2K
May 10, 2014 at 9:28 PM
Spot on @mimi. Totally agree with you :)
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27 Uhnny
May 6, 2014 at 3:22 AM
I'm shipping Prosecutor Lee and Seok-ju.
Heh.
;)
And Oh Jung-se! How I missed you!~ :D
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Mariah
May 6, 2014 at 12:44 PM
Ditto. They lit up the screen together.
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28 oosiee
May 6, 2014 at 4:55 AM
I totally squealed when I realised its the same Lee Minhyuk I was hoping for.....aww....he looks adorable!!!!
I didn't know he was casted in it....hope he'll get more screentime..maybe a bit important too:-D
Definitely gonna watch it...just for him!!!
오빠....파이팅!!!
사랑해요♥♡♥♡♥
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29 oosiee
May 6, 2014 at 4:58 AM
♥♡♥♡Lee Minhyuk♥♡♥♡
Definitely gonna watch it for him!!
오빠...파이팅!!
;-):-D
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30 trishha
May 6, 2014 at 11:36 AM
The voice!! It killed me. Never did I ever fell in love with a guy just because of the voice..kim myung min!! I haven't seen any of his dramas before..and i was crushed by his voice on the trailer of this drama..and that other guy..jin ji han..what with korean guys and their voice..i cant live in heaven all the time!! People!! A new leaf is really exciting to watch..conflits..choice..humor..they do know how to make being bad look good..i font hate the baddies...and i cant sympathise with victims..coz thats how the world goes.. And the people who try to help..lets hope it goes well..for our heroin..and God!! If he is trying to make a change!! So ffr..its a good drama
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31 chrissy
May 6, 2014 at 4:21 PM
what happened to kim myung min's cheeks? he seems to have a permanent candy implanted on his left cheek?
cant wait for the acting countdown between kim sang joong and kim myung min!
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