Greg D'Agostino

I wanted to like this, I really did. The acting was great, cinematography, directing, writing... all good. But I ended up abandoning after episode 5. There was just too much bleakness and sadness and regret. And most of all, other than the two leads, the story was just filled with really nasty, mean-spirited and cruel people who plotted and schemed to hurt others and advance themselves. Maybe this is a truism in how the world works, but I personally don't need it in my drama -- I much prefer some kindness and light. I get that others feel differently, so your mileage may vary.

How much you like this series will depend on your appetite for an extremely slow pace, long segments of people walking through landscapes with almost no dialogue, interspersed with extended stream-of-consciousness monologues. The content could be described as largely depressing, with the main focus arguably being summed by Mi-jeong's statement about just trying to find 5 minutes of happiness in order to get through the day. Somehow, though, each episode holds your interest and there's enough positive things and realizations that happen that make the series more hopeful than not. I loved the idea of the Liberation Club, how it served to given the outsiders a place and purpose to grow, I loved that the smiling team leader of the Joy Support Center ended up joining. In some ways I enjoyed the character of the bespectacled elder of the club the most; his forthright monologues and push to keep the club going in the end were great. In a lot of ways this felt like the Korean version of a western Indie film. Although they are quite dissimilar, I found myself thinking often of the Gus VanZant film, Gerry, for a similarity in vibe.

Starts small with a murder at a prestigious law school, and keeps expanding every episode until we're looking at multiple interlocking trials and corruption at the highest level. Overall really enjoyable and kept my interest level high, but I had a couple of things that nagged at me. 1. There was an awful lot of time shifting and flashbacking, and it wasn't always clear when the events were taking place without a lot of mental gymnastics trying to keep everything straight. By the last third everything started falling in to place, but there's a fair amount of confusion before. 2. There was so much going on with all the interlocking threads that sometimes I felt the characters were given short shrift. This results in characters that can sometimes feel one-dimensional. Other than that it was really well done. I enjoyed the philosophical examination of what is involved in keeping the law pure.

This is a really brilliant and emotional examination of the best and worst in humanity. Told through the various stories of people who've been driven to the point of hopelessness, it lays out a rationale for why life might be sacred and worth living. It is not an easy watch, laying out in stark detail the evils of modern life; things like greed, selfishness, corruption, war crimes -- all the venal ways that humans abuse each other. There is, however, plenty of redemption and positivity to balance that out, and shows that with just a bit of caring we might change the entire course of lives.

Really beautiful story, about love and friendship and loss. So very beautiful, but at the same time one of the saddest stories as well. I bawled like a baby throughout most of it. It was really well done. It had none of the cliches of a typical K-drama. The musical score was in a supporting role, and there were long stretches without any at all. The characters were beautifully drawn, to the point where they seemed fully real and fleshed out. The insight into adoption and what makes a true family was beautifully done. And the real highlight was the special bond between the three friends. This will appeal to viewers who like long meditative pieces about the human condition, but those that are averse to real grief and sadness will have a tough slog.

This kind of drama is right up my alley, and deserves to be considered among the best of of late 2010's K-drama. I was immediately enthralled by the fact that they got right to the point by the end of the first episode. No wallowing in pain and despair for the 1st 5 episodes, no dragging things out in a will-they-won't-they, no love triangles to get in the way of our leads. The high-powered business scheming was largely off-screen, and only served to motivate character development. Do-jae's family were a welcome surprise, especially the grandfather -- what would have been a domineering, power-hungry figure in most dramas was a lovable, misunderstood character that really loved his family. The subversion of these tropes was a delight. Seo Hyun-jin and Lee Min-Kee did a great job, and their chemistry was really believable. After seeing him here and in Because This is My First Life, I really enjoy Lee's acting and character choices. He's like the Leonard Nimoy of Korea to me. My only critique is I really liked the supporting characters and would have enjoyed seeing more from them, especially Lee Da-Hee's character.

How much you like this show will depend on how much you like screwball comedies in the vein of US films of the '30s and '40s, and the brilliant What's Up Doc? in '72. Granted, the screwball is done through the lens of the Korean psyche, spoofing the commoner tropes of the genre -- but at the same time delivering on everything we love about K-drama. Overall, really well done, with the only nits that some of the screwball felt a bit over the top, and the ending felt a bit abrupt. I could have actually used another couple episodes to flesh things out a bit more.