Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Devil Judge" Episode 2

The first episode of "The Devil Judge" surprised me somewhat by having the actual trial scene be given such little focus. In a way this is appropriate, because as anyone who works in television production knows, almost all of the work takes place off-screen. Far more time is spent doing prep work than is done actually filming. Still, the fact that the second episode doesn't feature a trial at all, and just dives deeper into the title character's mythology feels a bit odd.

Advertisement

There's two big setpieces here, both silly yet oddly appropriate for the inherently farcical setting. The first, in the present day, has our main characters confront some maniac in a yellow car. As with the first episode's vehicular madness, we are treated to Ga-on ineffectually following along at a distance while Yo-han actually solves the problem. The chase scene looks extremely cool, mostly due to the neo-Seoul backdrop than the car chase itself being all that impressive.

I wondered, watching Yo-han take out his hammer for the first time, whether it really makes sense for an allegedly legal-focused drama to have more car chases than trial scenes. Even "Vincenzo" had more legal scenes than this, despite the lawyer profession of the main characters being used more as a set-up to their wacky adventures than an important part of the overall narrative. It's unsettling how other characters are more interested in talking about how Yo-han's approach to the law is bad rather than offer their own compelling vision.

I'm honestly sure what the production team is even going for in regards to the devil judge's portrayal. A flashback that seems to suggest that school age Yo-han was a psychopath in training mainly just calls attention to how Yo-han is smart. He doesn't care what other people think. The evil plan he came up with was probably a better way of solving the problem than any other options available.

Presumably he will eventually run afoul of a more sympathetic victim. I'm mainly just struck how Yo-han isn't all that secretive. While other people are secretive on his behalf, trying to use Yo-han for his own ends, Yo-han himself doesn't really care. The guy confronts people immediately, makes his point and just leaves. Ga-on's very hapless will-they-or-won't-they stringing along of his long time girl cop friend Soo-hyeon (played by Park Gyu-young) makes him off as far more devious despite Yo-han being the one engaging in explicit criminal activity.

Review by William Schwartz

___________

"The Devil Judge" is directed by Choi Jeong-gyoo, written by Moon Yoo-suk, and features Ji Sung, Kim Min-jung, Park Jinyoung, Park Gyu-young, Ahn Nae-sang, Kim Jae-kyung. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/07/03~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:00 on tvN.

❎ Try Ad-free