This review may contain spoilers
Pretty well done and very, very tragic all at the same time. This show had some of the best casting I've seen in a drama yet, and Dong Chi (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Kang Soo (Lee Tae Hwan) stole it away pretty quickly. The secondary cast was simply amazing in their roles, and they were almost more important than the leads to me. To be honest, I think of the leads, Kang Soo was the best all around actor although Dong Chi certainly did a wonderful job. But considering that Kang Soo is still a little new, he never once failed his role. They kept in character and made you feel that the emotions they displayed were real and honest. I felt like they had great chemistry, bouncing well off of one another and the rest of the cast members. The relationships between Kang Soo-Chang Gi and Dong Chi - Chief Moon were very well developed. The secondary cast also worked wonderfully with each other, and the script successfully used them as both plot developers and stress-relieving comedy at all the right places. Jang Won (Choi Woo Shik) and Gwang Mi (Jeong Hye Song) were dazzling in their roles and played their parts exceptionally. Without them, the story would have been far to dark and depressing, but with them it was the perfect mix of comedy and serious thought-proving storyline.I didn't actually really care at all for Han Yeol Moo (Baek Jin Hee), and she took away some of the points I would have given the show. I'm not sure if it was bad acting or bad scripts, but her character just didn't really work. I'm used to the female stars being, well stubborn sure, but mostly good-hearted, solid morals, and someone who thinks of others first. But Yeol Moo has little patience for other people, actively and deliberately hurt her mom, and had no respect for the rule of law or her superiors. I mean, I understand that the point is that when bad guys are in control, you may have to work the system. But she actually was willing to sentence another girl to death or to sacrifice up evidence just to get her and her boyfriend out of trouble. Although the show never dealt with it, she was sometimes quoting basically the same thought processes as the bad guys she wanted to stop. It didn't help that her expressions were non-existent or just felt off, I never felt that her feelings (anger or love alike) were actually real.
Korean Dramas usually focus on personal relationships, with the political message in the background. However, Pride and Prejudice definitely pulled its themes forward, with the romance and friendships being largely a secondary plotline. The show questions the theory that "the ends should justify the means" with both good and bad characters trying to argue their point using this premise. Is it okay to do bad things for a good ending? Or what if you only do something wrong because it is the "lesser evil?" The show pulled in themes of Corruption, Pride, Self-Entitlement, Good v. Evil, Bad Leadership, and knowing when to draw the line. I thought one of the most interesting points the show brought up was the question of what to do when you can't defeat the evil. Most shows want to portray the bad guys as defeatable, but that isn't really true. Whenever one bad guy is defeated, another one is probably going to follow shortly. Furthermore, if the bad guy you want is only a middle-man, is it worth your career to stop him when you know the leader will walk away? We want to put everything on the line only when the person we're chasing is the ultimate evil. But what if he isn't? What if there are 50 others worse than him running around waiting to be stopped later? Will you still risk everything to stop the one? I liked this show just because it made me think, and gave us some interesting things to talk about when it was over.
The plotline was somewhat standard KDrama fare, but also threw in a bunch of unique elements. For the first time ever, there wasn't much of a triangle. This wasn't about the romances; the show wanted you to focus more on the philosophical questions of morality and good citizenship instead. The crime itself was actually well set up and had lots of new or unique little twists and elements. It wasn't the simple murder; there were about ten layers to even plot development, with each character having their own side to tell. The bad guys who weren't really bad guys, the good guys who made horrible mistakes, the bad guys who were just bad guys, and the good guys who were so good as to be little earthly good. The show pulled them all in, asking you to look at humans, our ethical systems, and the important question of when can the right go wrong.
There were of course a few plot holes (especially with the ending being so rushed), but overall, I wasn't too disappointed with it. On the one hand, the weak ending was a really, really weak ending. It went too fast, it left a lot of loose ties, it didn't finish things at all. On the other hand, t was well written and well-designed, even if it left me crying and largely unsatisfied at the end. To be honest, I think it needed an unsatisfying ending, because that's the point. The battle is never over, the next generation simply takes over the reigns and pushes on.
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This drama is a lot more powerful than people think the messages that it is passing through are too deep to describe. The political propaganda the interdependence of media, politics, the law, and businesses. It is in some sense reality.
The story could have developed faster I think at some point it dragged on while the finish was a bit too fast- they should have used 2 episodes to develop what happened in the last episode.
As for characters I really liked prosecutor Koo and chief Moon. Yeol Moo was annoying sometimes it felt as if she had no emotions, she cried very well I have to admit but her interest towards Koo was invisible/ non existent. She looked more interested in the kid Kang Soo. I also really liked Kang Soo, he played his character very well, in order to judge him as an actor I will have to see him in different roles, because I don't know if he played this role very well because his personality is as such or because he is such a good actor.
Romance
I preferred the second lead couple it was funnier as I said before yeol moo was so just not into it that it seemed like she was faking that she liked him. They were funnier and I could see chemistry between them ( strange chemistry but existent).
If you like crime DEFINITELY watch it if you re into sappy romance SKIP ! this aint for you :)
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and because i like law+romance dramas :D
Pride and prejudice was so great to the point where i recommend it to everyone i knew .. but when i watched the last episode it left me with the feeling that this is not the last episode .. everything feels so rushed.. more like left me hanging on cliff :/
I advice you to only watch the first 20 episode and imagine the last episode in your head :)
In the first 20 episode The actors did a great jop in their characters .. sometime i even forget that they're actors but real prosecutors .. but i really can't say that for the last episode
The cast is awesome .. as i said before i only watched it because of Choi Jin Hyuk .. and later i found out that Baek Jin Hee is the one who acted as the queen in empress ki so i loved the cast even more ..
I really can't rate the music since i really can't tell XD
As for me I'm definitely not gonna watch it again
The overall rate is for the first 20 episode ... as for the last episode is down below 4 :/
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The only saving grace in this drama is the excellent cast. The Chois are beautiful actors. Although, I must say it is hard to believe that Choi Min Soo would play dog to any master, but he makes Chief Moon believable. Choi Jin Hyuk is a perfect flawed hero as Koo Dong Chi. He is too cute and has a great chemistry with Baek Jin Hee who is one of my favorite actresses. She doesn't disappoint as Han Yeol Moo. There are a few things I didn't like about the way they wrote her character, but that isn't her fault. All of the actors were good. If it weren't for the acting, then I would have dropped this drama at some point. Although my curiosity may have kept me watching.
The music was fine.
I will never rewatch this.
I don't recommend this drama unless you want to watch the Chois. They both have better dramas though.
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If you want a show with mystery, some humor and ongoing intrigue, even if it comes with uninteresting characters, boring or confusing plot elements and a lacking love line, watch it. If you’d rather good relationships and character development, then skip.
THE STORY
I’m very torn about this drama. On the one side, the main leads suffer from a serious identity crisis. Dongchi starts out looking like pompous player, and ends up being devoid of any personality. Yeolmoo starts out being, let’s say it as it is, unbearable, then loses all character, then somehow ends up showing a cute side completely at odds with her initial portrait. I get turned off by shows with titles out of nowhere, and let me tell you that there is no pride in this drama; nor is there any prejudice, or any resemblance with Jane Austen’s novel. And the love story, although coherent, lacked fluidity and romance. We don’t know why Yeolmoo likes Dongchi (except that he’s dashing and confesses his interest for her every other day), and instead of gradually giving into her feelings, we just get the impression that her love is a switch and one second it’s off, the next it’s on.
On the other side, Pride and Prejudice is a good example of suspense and mystery gone right. Cases that the characters investigate are all connected, slowly weaving a huge, dark and complex spider web. There’s never-ending plot twists, breaking the assumption that dramas can’t escape some predictability, and the main conflicts that the characters face, namely corruption among the political and legal elite, are both daunting and realistic. The secondary couple is also cute and fun, even though the characters separately are not very likable. So the bottom line is? Although I wasn’t in love with this drama, it still peaked my interest enough to get me to watch it all the way to the end.
THE ACTING
Mmm…I hate to say it, but I feel the same way about Choi Jinhyuk as I did with his character, Dongchi. He’s handsome and might have some good acting skills, but he doesn’t know how to show them, because all the roles I’ve seen him in look similar, not to say identical, and lack some unique character. Baek Jinhee I know can act well, anyone who’s seen her in Empress Ki knows it. Why she would take on such a bland role, I don’t know. Well, I do. I would take it too, if I had to be with Choi Jinhyuk, but you know what I mean. The rest of the cast did quite well though, especially the older generation. And you can expect a Good kiss (notice the capital G) between the leads.
THE MUSIC
Nothing great, but alright in context.
REWATCHABLE VALUE
I’m going to say just average. The intrigues might be interesting, but the drama is not gripping. I wasn’t dying to watch each episode then, and I’m not dying to rewatch the show now.
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This review may contain spoilers
I just do not understand why this drama isn't rated higher. Pride and Prejudice is a really good drama, i don't get why there were so many complaints about it when it originally aired. I remember everyone going on and on about how the ending was so terrible and how it ruined the drama, but tht isn't the case at all.First of all, let me just state tht if I understood Korean fluently, I definitely would have rated this drama much higher. It's intriguing and captivating, but it is definitely not an easy watch. It's rather complicated if I do say so myself. Even with subtitles, it's hard to follow what's going on if ur not paying attention. It requires extreme attention to detail, because points tht the drama makes in earlier episodes come back later. Also, this is not a marathon type of drama. Yeah, ur gonna wanna know what happens nxt, but the episodes are rather long and heavy with details tht u need to give urself time to ingest it. I honestly believe tht after a couple of viewings, I'd rate this drama higher, but this drama is 21 eps long and each episode is about an hour. Each episode is like a movie, there was not a single filler episode.
Now on to the actual story. Han Yeol Moo is a trainee prosecutor who started to work for the Civil Service Team. She became a prosecutor so she could catch the person who murdered her younger brother. There, romantic feelings are rekindled with Koo Dong Chi. Together they investigate the cold case of her younger brother's murder, and find out tht it's actually quite complicated. The characters are great, I didn't hate a single one. They're interactions with one another are so much fun to watch, my favorite probably being the Chief Moon Hee Man. This is a serious drama, with lots of serious themes and detective work going on, but there are genuinely funny moments as well. And the romantic moments are actually really cute and sweet. But if you're looking for a romance drama, this is not it.
I can't really say much about Pride and Prejudice without providing major spoilers, so I'll just leave u all with this. This drama has absolutely nothing to do with Jane Austen or her novel. If you're looking for a mindless watch, this is not it. The drama is complicated, complex even, but it's really good all the same. The best advice I could give anyone when watching this is to space out the episodes, and pay attention to everything. Every tiny detail is important. Try ur best to remember names as well (write them down if u have to). I really don't think this drama's for everyone. But it's not because it's bad. It's because of the genre I think. If u don't mind a long drama with long episodes, and u enjoy dramas where ur required to think and serious themes are explored, then i'd say give it a shot. And if u have the time of course. This is not one of those dramas where u'd skip everything for.
I liked this drama. I enjoyed the story, loved the characters, and the interactions we're some of the best i've ever seen. The ending isn't disappointing either. It ends in a kind of ambiguous way, but not really. I wasn't disappointed. Could it have been better? Probably, but it's really not so terrible. This drama proves to me tht u can't just take ppl's word for things. You have to watch for urself and come up with ur own conclusions.
Also, if u love those type of dramas where u can't tell who the bad guy is, this is it! I don't know about anyone else, but it makes it really fun for me!
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The Good
I will have to admit, this drama is confusing- especially at the beginning where so many things are happening but you have no idea what is going on- it may discourage you and not want to watch it but trust me, it gets cleared up later on! And oh my lordy- for once, the secrets that both Kang Soo and Dong Chi have are told out loud and it doesn't drag on for the entire drama!
I really like the crime mysteries in this drama since it's not just a simple crime- the murders are hidden underneath layers and layers of complications which make it even more interesting as all the problems tie in together.
The actors are amazing- they portrayed their character really well- and I'm quite impressed with Dong Chi and Kang Soo and their bromance as they really nailed their characters and their emotions. They are quite well-rounded as it didn't just seem like they were reading their scripts, but actual people who are prosecutors and investigators in real life. Special mention: Chief Moon- oh man, how can a man suit a role more than him? He was one of the most interesting characters I found- as he always speaks and acts in riddles. Many people aren't fond of his psycho character, and I was a part of that group...at first. You would think that Chief moon is psychotic and bipolar at times and whether he is one of the bad guys or good guys, wondering what his goal really is under all the manipulation, as he is truly confusing- but his backstory and his actions are far more interesting later on as everything is revealed later on!
The instrumentals are one of the best ones I've heard as it really is a mood-setter. They have a good variety of sinister and emotional music- I applaud the artists who created the soundtracks as I am going to for surely download them!
The Bad
As much as I am used to watching the female leads usually being stubborn and far from rational at times, I should be used to it- but still, I can't help but become beyond irritated at the female lead. We all heard the story- something bad happened as a person becomes a prosecutor to find justice- however, the female lead is far from rational as her personal emotions interferes with justice- but thankfully that's just the first few episodes before she smartens up and takes her role seriously!
One thing that irritated me the most about her character was that her thought processes and actions of willing to do the 'wrong' thing just to help herself and the people around her follows the same methods of bad guys, so what made her better than the guys that she tries to capture if she's willing to hurt other people?
The only main other issue I had with this was the confusion. Oh boy- seriously, many things happen at once without a good explanation (until the end) makes this drama quite hard to follow at times as you wonder just what is going on. Because of this, many have dropped this drama- but please give it a try since it gets more interesting later on!
Overall?
With these dramas- you would think there would be an astounding amount of romance, but nope- don't expect too much of that. Yes there are moments where there is romance and endearing moments that make you squeal, but in comparison with other dramas, the main focus is about political corruptness, manipulation, good vs evil and what justice really means. If you're a good guy doing bad things for the sake of goodness, are the actions justified? Are wrongdoings for the sake of justice really considered good?
As much as it was totally confusing at first as it sent my brain on overdrive trying to figure out what was happening, this drama is underrated as it is one of the few mystery dramas that I actually like. Despite what other people say; I think you should give this drama a watch as it certainly deserves a watch!
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So, where to start…
If you look at the basic story alone, it’s actually a quite interesting case. I was really curious about all the new revelations and how things were connected. But the writers messed up the whole concept of “keeping suspense”. There was none. And if this wasn’t enough already, it felt like they were going backwards with the thrill and make it even more boring.
First of all, there was the constant power struggle between the bad side characters. It was chaotic and obscure to a point where it reached the level of a sleeping pill. It made you unable to get interested in all the schemes they were weaving whenever it was needed. And what made it even more tiring was the acting in those cases. It had such a monotone tune without even one attempt to accelerate the intensity or change certain expressions in the characters to make them more dimensional. I would have been happy about some independent single cases to loosen that grey, depressing atmosphere of the drama and get the drama back to life.
Secondly, the main characters. Even though I liked that bit romance they had added to the story, I was not satisfied with the rest of their behavior. Choi Jin Hyuk did a good job with his acting, but I was not always fond of his character. I liked him during his private time when he was not working at some case. Those times he was enjoyable to watch. But whenever he was doing some prosecutor stuff, he got on my nerves because he was always picking a fight with his supervisor, was disobedient and got in trouble all the time.
Baek Jin Hee… I liked her so much in Missing 9, but here she’s rather a disappointment. Her acting was boring and could have been way more expressive. She looked like a wet puppy most times. At the same time her eyes seemed uninterested in the surroundings and the dialogues and it felt like there was a child doing some grown-up stuff (nooo, not what you guys think). Her character seemed out of place. She was timid and without any confidence. There was always someone who cut her short and she obediently let it happen. At times she was like a child and very stubborn when it came to her own case. Her approach to solve that one was in no way clever and the most ridiculous thing was that she and her team displayed the whole progress on a board in their office room for everyone to see.
Choi Min Soo… He was great. I liked his acting a lot and his character was seriously interesting. He made mistakes in the past and tried to hide them, it was never sure on what side he was on, but deep down you knew that he had some good will roots. Sometimes though, he was a bit exaggerating and acting too extreme. He was on the verge of the abusing his power towards his subordinates (most of all whenever he was angry with the female lead he invaded her personal space to a point where it should be called “harassing”). That was the only thing I hated about him.
I also like the veteran supporting actors, i.e. Kim Na Woon who played the mother of the female lead. Or Son Chang Min who was equally entertaining as Choi Min Soo. Also, Choi Woo Shik was a funny character as well. He was not without flaws and it was fun to see him trying to escape the “going up against my superiors”-road every time.
Also, the father of the female lead. I didn’t like the actor in “King of Baking”, but here he was very impressive, even though his screen-time was very short.
On the other hand I was not happy with the clothing of the females in this. Call me prude, but it was totally inappropriate for them to wear extremely short skirts and do the “I’m too sexy for this job”-dance.
Overall a drama with a good start and an interesting idea. But failed pacing without suspense, bad placed revealing of secrets and a consistently grayish atmosphere made the drama a tiring journey.
But most of all: Why the hell are people allowed to prosecute cases they are involved in themselves?! And then the ending… What was that?
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I like a plot that focuses on little missions throughout the drama. It keeps it interesting and there’s something always happening. Their cases are not very predictable, there’s a lot of rabbit trails, so it makes for a pretty good detective story. The later episodes get a bit laden down with roundabout prosecutor politics.
This drama kind of has a weird feeling. This drama makes the profession of prosecuting cool.
Things move fast in the first episode. You can see frenemies and alliances form.
The pacing just slices through the usual of Kdramas. It’s not drawn out. By the end of the first episode, the two leads are already extending civility to each other.
I like that the team learns to work functionally together pretty quick. One of the things I really liked were how the team was so nice to kids.
Both main characters have their limits to respecting authority. They’re quite audacious actually and I like it for the change.
The main leads have an interesting dynamic of all being invested in their cases even when they’re not getting along. They don’t want to miss out.
The personal reveals are really satisfying.
Those last episodes are SO GOOD for the unraveling of the plot and the emotion behind it.
Dong Chi
“Were you fooling me then? Because I wasn’t playing with you.”
Choi Jin Hyuk is my bias. So I feel like I can’t say much about his role. I’m always going to be on his side. He plays his characters so coolly. His facial expressions are so awesome. I just like the way he portrays Dong Chi and makes use of the blank face just as well as he does the more emotional ones.
I think his character is fun. Yeol Moo shoots him down and he just gets right back up. I also find him to be really sharp and quick on his feet.
He starts off with the usual meanness of a Kdrama hero, at least he’s honest though. He does flirt with her, which is a relief, instead of just taking his frustration out on her. He also lets her fight her own battles and doesn’t always have to rescue her.
I just really felt like he was a refreshingly direct kind of guy who’s honest when he wants to be nice and doesn’t play games.
I like that Dong Chi doesn’t steal Yeol Moo’s thunder. I like that he tries to include her in the work.
He’s quite level-headed with her after he gets over his initial hurt. In a way, he’s not selfish at all. He’s thinking about her welfare most of the time. It can definitely be a little strong-handed, but at least he’s not a jackass.
Dong Chi is the senior prosecutor and the first born of the office if you like. He knows what the chief prosecutor means and doesn’t mean and he knows how much to push.
Romance
I like the way it developed. How much Yeol Moo despised Dong Chi, and how she came to respect him, trust him, and appreciate him.
Dong Chi has always liked Yeol Moo so there wasn’t such a progression. It was almost like he was just biding his time. His funny way of flirting is pretty cute. And he’s so easy going with his pursuit of her. He plays the game well.
Some of his advances is cringey due to his caveman approaches but other times he just is perfect. It’s not so much the push and pull but rather he is flexible to when he holds onto her and when he lets her go.
If Yeol Moo wants to talk shop, he’ll talk shop.
Yeol Moo and Dong Chi are interesting. And I liked how Dong Chi still has some of that overconsideration that is so appealing.
“I’m sorry for making you make hard decisions.”
Kang Soo
“He has been nice ever since he was little.”
Kang Soo is a really fabulous character. He is incredibly docile but he’s also very fierce when it comes to his loved ones. I enjoyed his complexity. Kang Soo is always helping people silently like his chivalry is a matter of course.
I like how quick Kang Soo is to take care of Yeol Moo.
One of the best scenes that really shows who Kang Soo is is in episode 7 after Kang Soo goes through a crisis and his grandmother is telling him to straighten his shoulders and his surrogate father is backing the grandmother up.
Actually Kang Soo’s story is probably the most horrific out of everyone’s back stories. The way Kang Soo’s history relates to everyone around him is just crazy. I like that even though it must hurt he doesn’t hold it in to himself and he lets the people around him know.
I liked how Yeol Moo and Kang Soo started getting grouped together as Dong Chi’s kids and Yeol Moo and Kang Soo would look at each other in their love and concern for Dong Chi with a silent, “We’re worried about Dong Chi.” expression.
Kang Soo and Chan is always gold but there’s this beautiful scene where Chan isn’t even in screen but it’s just his hand comforting Kang Soo and it’s so touching. Actually, Kang Soo getting comforted is one of the best things in this show because people relate to him differently. I love that one of the keys to Yeol Moo’s mother was talking Kang Soo out of his sorrow and survivor guilt.
Yeol Moo
Yeol Moo is not your usual flighty, sensitive heroine. She can take a punch. Right from the start she’s got a tough personality. She gets the prize for calmest reaction to forced kiss.
I liked her acting. Her grief has aged her. She has her reasons for everything she does.
Similar to me, she is attracted to competency. She hears a lot about Dong Chi from the people closest to him. And that’s the main thing that helps shift her opinion of him.
I like the way she puts her differences aside and is able to work with him pretty well.
Sometimes she’s so hot-headed that it frustrates me she won’t listen to Dong Chi’s experience and advice and just takes everything he says as a personal attack or chalks it up to him just being evil and heartless.
It’s a bit unusual to see the heroine compromise. Most of the time we see such a pure and righteous heroine who stalwartly never gives up on her values. But Yeol Moo goes against that.
I like how Yeol Moo is in her relationship with Dong Chi when they decide to date.
Gwang Mi
I like this character. She’s smart and subtle and she works with the buffoon airheaded character but she’s the brains of the office.
Random Thoughts
I really like the feel of Episode 19 where the Chief and Dong Chi are battling but not really battling it out. I love how clever Dong Chi is at seeing through his chief. There’s a lot of cat and mouse. But there’s also a strong undercurrent of family and emotion and how unforgiveable it is to Dong Chi that because of his chief, he had to let his father see him in handcuffs.
Even Yeol Moo comes out swinging in a rather impressive way using her brains and people’s perspective of her.
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Waste of time
What caught me is the name "Pride and Prejudice" which doesn't really mean much in the drama. This drama is very depressing. It felt like a slow death. The story is not engaging enough and 21 episodes are too much, it felt like a waste of time. Most of the characters' actions don't make sense, just pushing the story to where the writer wants.End of review.
Sorry, my drama list needed an assay so I had to repeat my review to get accepted.
What caught me is the name "Pride and Prejudice" which doesn't really mean much in the drama. This drama is very depressing. It felt like a slow death. The story is not engaging enough and 21 episodes are too much, it felt like a waste of time. Most of the characters' actions don't make sense, just pushing the story to where the writer wants.
What caught me is the name "Pride and Prejudice" which doesn't really mean much in the drama. This drama is very depressing. It felt like a slow death. The story is not engaging enough and 21 episodes are too much, it felt like a waste of time. Most of the characters' actions don't make sense, just pushing the story to where the writer wants.
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Ambiguous Ending
I think the storyline was good. There are aspects that channels my curiosity as well as wants me to try and figure out what the ending will be like. Due to that I watched the entire drama. However, when it came to the end on finding out who killed the child, I thought it was getting even more interesting until I reached the final 10 minutes of the last episode. I found it a bit ambiguous because it seemed that the head prosecutor also play apart in the murder. If it is not, then what is the meaning of the flashback scene in the final minutes of the show. Also it cause me to bring up questions such as who is the man in the back of the head prosecutor car, is he a foe or an ally?Was this review helpful to you?
