This show knows how to be fun, before proceeding to totally hit you like a truck with the cases. The first win feels like a loss, as the only thing that was really accomplished was ruining a woman's life even more. The second case ends up feeling more closely to a win, after it originally very much felt like another loss. Doesn't make it any less heartbreaking though, as the scene in which they accept the guy's money in exchange for him getting custody absolutely broke me. You quickly get the impression that ideal endings are gonna be a rare thing here, and I think the show is all the better for it, because life just isn't that simple. But it also means I'm setting myself up for a lot of heartbreak.

Jang Nara & Nam Ji-hyun are great here, and so are their character for that matter. They're both flawed, but you get the impression that they complement each other perfectly and can do a lot of good if they work together. Also, Nam Ji-hyun facial expressions are just the best.

As mentioned in the recap, I also hope it's not just gonna be about cheating. It obviously makes sense to start with that, but it is gonna get old rather quickly, and it definitely won't last you 16 episodes. But I'm very hopeful in that regard, as the writer is an actual divorce lawyer, so you would think that she has plenty of real-life experience that she can use here. I also wonder that if and when we do that, if they're going to further link this to stuff our leads went through. Like, what exactly got us to the point that Eun-kyung's husband started cheating on her? What exactly broke their marriage? Was it cheating, or was it broken even before that? Where did it start, and how will it end? Him cheating isn't exactly the most original plot, but I'm actually very interested in stuff like this, and I hope the show explores it.

I really liked the shows despite how awful the cases are. The first case was so heartbreaking though. That just hurt my soul.

I initially mistook Jang Nara for Lee Bo-young, who was in "Agency". Not only are they physically similar, but the characters they play are eerily similar as well. This misunderstanding initially drew me in but even after I realized it was two different actresses, I continued to watch. This show was labelled as a comedy as well, but I didn't see real elements of it. Perhaps that will change.
The acting here is pretty good. The supporting actors/actresses' display of emotion are pretty convincing. As noted, the initial cases are heartbreaking. Again, not sure how comedy will be weaved into the story line.
I also assumed that CHA EUN-KYUNG would be having an affair with her hoobae, attorney JUNG WOO-JIN. Maybe they get together later. Also, JEON EUN-HO (Pyo Ji-hoon) trying to be all friendly with Yuri was a little weird. I wouldn't believe any future storyline of those two getting together. Pyo Ji-hoon is also sort of typcast for me from his role in Hotel Del Luna... =)

"I'm not sure how many iterations of cheating it’ll take before the cases feel stale. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life." Hear, hear. Thank you for that great recap @quirkycase.

I can see myself watching this till the end. Though I felt the same about EAW and it lost me a little towards the end.

The dynamic between Eun-kyung and Yuri is engaging and I'm looking forward to seeing how they both change and grow or challenge each other to be better. Yuri's so called "naivety" can rub off Eun-kyung and Eun-kyung's experience in the field will give Yuri a grounding she doesn't yet have. For me, their pairing highlights the constant challenges of having a narrow view of what professionalism means. Yuri seems naive but it also seems this way because nearly all of us are socialised to compartmentalise life like that - work vs personal life; our public facing persona vs who we behind closed doors. But these roles can't ever be truly separated. They bleed into one another just as the cases this week demonstrated. Eventually it all comes out into the open.

And those cases...woah...not that infidelity is shocking (it is and it isn't) but what struck me were the circumstances around the cases - the over emotional wife (and rightly so. That husband of hers was awful to her!), the poor children who didn't sign up for any of this s*** and the perpetrators themselves. As much as I'd like to rip into them, at the end of the day they're human and some of their justifications can be understood. Ah, the joy of being human 🙄

I mostly liked what I saw in these episodes but also hated some specific things, above all the moment when Jang Nara told her newbie that lawyers lie. No, they don't and a lawyer who actually does will not be a lawyer for very long.

But on other things I found myself nodding in agreement- like when she reminded her newbie over and over that she is there to represent the best interest of her client, not to be the final arbiter of justice. Newbie was indeed acting completely arrogant and that is a cardinal sin in a lawyer- humility is the hallmark of a good lawyer.

Another hallmark is hard work before the trial- the real culprit in the miscarriage of justice that marked our first case was the wife's lawyer. He was simply unprepared. A single set of text messages as your evidence? Are you kidding me? With a husband who is now on his fifth affair? There would have been enough evidence to fill a dump truck and mom's counsel should have taken the time to fill that dump truck. The result would have been the granting of the divorce- and with a hefty settlement as husband and his counsel would not have waited to hold the trial when they saw that dump trucking backing up to the courthouse.

The problem with all legal dramas is that they do not show that the vast majority of the lawyer's work occurs before the trial. Finding evidence, talking to witnesses, their clients and opposing counsel on the phone, researching the law and lots and lots of writing. It was frankly disconcerting to see our newbie thrown straight into the court room with no preparation. Seeing what the wife's counsel had obviously failed to do with, to me, the real cause of the tragedy that followed.

But what I really loved about the second episode is that it showed how a good lawyer brings much more than merely technical expertise to her work. In the second episode what Jang Nara's character did was brilliant: She had simply pointed out to the cheating husband that there would be political consequences to his father if he did not offer a generous settlement. Which he did (but on condition of custody of the children). Our lawyer knows that, as a practical matter those kids will soon be back with their mom- who will now have the resources to raise them. In the fallout even the injured husband in the second marriage fared much better than he otherwise would have. The biggest loser in the long run is the cheating wife, but that is her responsibility.

Thanks for the recap @quirkycase. Our ladies were great this week and I already had my doubts when EK said that woman know when their husband's are cheating. So she knows but wants to maintain the image of a family woman or maybe its for her daughter she hasn't divorced him. I think she's scared her daughter will pick her dad and she'll her custody. 🤷‍♀️
I just hope its something else to keeps us intrigued.

I didn't really understand CHK's choices. She knew HYR didn't want to do family law but she gave her a cheating case of divorce when they surely have normal ones in this big law firm. She could let her adapting to her new job instead to give her to defend an assh*le for her first case.

The Korean law really doesn't make sense from my point of view... They don't care about the kids at all... it's sad.

And of course, the competent and skilled FL has a cheating husband...

Thank you for the recaps @quirkycase & I also await how the story would progress from the constant reminder of broken families.

I like the dynamics of JNR & NJH, the former being wary if the new team member will stick it out.

I also appreciate how the writer opened the can of worms for JNR's character, by introducing the cheating couple who are supposed to be friends & the stance on JNR that losing the custody of the children might be a good solution for the mother who needs the money to start her new life.

I tried to like this since there are 2 FLs in partnership but it's not my wheelhouse at the moment. So I'm going to let it sit for a while and come back to it later.

Maybe it's because I started watching THE AUDITORS first and that one's got tough cases too but the cast seems more engaging.

I've just seen ep 3 and 4 and I have to say how much I'm enjoying this drama. I'm loving how it shows the complexity of people, all their shades of emotion, as they face the reality of divorce - not only their outrage, frustration, and anger, but also their grief. People are complicated, and the choice to divorce is seldom straightforward in real life, especially when children are involved. Then these subtle and difficult emotions are echoed to one degree or another in the FL's own situation. Great writing imo. And Jang Nara is amazing. This may be the best role I've seen her in.