Suspicious Partner (2017)

Slight spoiler warnings.

This was a really interesting k-drama to watch.

While I am a big fan of the storyline including lawyers and prosecutors and just overall getting insight on how the whole legal system works in Korea, I think the storyline was unnecessarily drawn out. The whole drama could’ve probably been concluded in 16 one hour episodes instead of 40 30 minute ones.

Without giving away the identity of the killer, I have to say this drama does an excellent job of making you sympathize with the character. I haven’t been this invested in a bad guy in soo long it was really refreshing.

Overall I would give this a relatively high rating however the length and considering the fact that the main lead sometimes got on my nerves lol, the overall rating is lowered a bit.
I wouldn’t rewatch but I would recommend it to those looking for a series including legal elements.

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I really like the first episode of this drama. It's fun to watch and made me want to watch the next episodes..
But I found the pace of the story was quite slow.. I like the story line, but 40 episodes are too much.
I think the plot will be more interesting if they shorten the lenght of the episodes.. I feel like some scenes were made just to prolong the story..
1. I like the story (if only it's shorten)
2. Good Acting perform by all leads involve (including the villian, he was really good)
I like mystery kind of drama, but I might not rewatch this drama again because it's too long. I fast forward some episodes while watching it.

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Why did people... like this?

Maybe I'm not being fair to this show as I didn't actually finish it, but that's because I actually just couldn't stand to watch any longer. Excepting the acting, because the actors did as good a job as they were able with the material, the plot, script, and characters were just bad. Some major issues I have with the show are:

Characters: Both main leads were difficult to tolerate, but what I really couldn't get over is how Bong Hee stalks Ji Wook for a good long stretch of episodes. I also wish if a kdrama makes a point to tell the audience that the female lead can kick some a*s, they should SHOW it. If they did later on and I just didn't get to that before I dropped, my bad. It just seems like the show wanted to have a "strong female lead" but then never actually made her be one. Not that strong female leads can't have vulnerable moments or flaws, it just seemed like Bong Hee was all flaws. I didn't find her stalking cute at all. I will say, as much as it was embarrassing to watch, I respected Bong Hee embracing her crazy ex gf status and reclaiming it in a way (until it got her to be a murder suspect whoops). Ji Wook I think I just didn't like because of how rude he was, and we share some polar opposite principles on the legal system and how it should and should not operate. That last one is just a me thing, though.

Overall Enjoyment: I'm sorry but what's happening in this show? From coworkers to murder suspect, to stalker, to business partners, to housemates...like I just was waiting for the show to be engaging and not forcibly have to watch. I think that was the problem at the end of the day was that I had to convince myself to keep watching and hoping it will get better. And I don't even mean in terms of the quality of the show or anything, but waiting until watching what was happening in the show not be tortuous and cringeworthy to witness. We literally just waited for Ji Wook to not be creeped out by Bong Hee in order for the romance to progress. And sorry but I just don't get butterflies from that type of romance.

Ultimately, I just could not keep watching Suspicious Partner. I felt like I was watching a trainwreck each episode of secondhand embarrassment. For me, nothing about the show was charming. Especially the whole cheating backstory with Ji Wook and his ex bestfriend and girlfriend. There was no character that was just fun to watch do their thing. To me, the entire main cast was just wholly unlikable and you can't really go anywhere if you don't enjoy watching any of the characters lol. I really don't understand why people liked this show so much. And this is coming from someone who was excited to watch it! But it is what it is and Chang Wook has the advantage of just standing there and looking cute for the drama to be successful. I just had to call it quits and stop wasting my time waiting to get to when I would enjoy watching the show :/

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Didn't do anything for me

I tried to like this drama because of Ji Chang Wook, but it didn't do it for me. Most of the characters are unlikable, the romance is lackluster, and the plot is draggy.

One of the biggest problems with the drama is Eun Bong Hee. She is a young professional who acts more like a pouty teenager than a lawyer. The writers don't help her character by giving her a slightly infantile personality with perpetually pouty lips and childish hobbies. I'm not sure why it is compelling to have a young adult write in a pink diary with stickers and a garden variety of emojis like she is in middle school. To make matters worse, she totally lacks any common sense and self-restraint by strolling around campus and singing songs about cursing and killing her cheating ex-boyfriend. The woman is a clumsy and immature mess, but we are supposed to think she is adorable.

As much as I like Ji Chang Wook as an actor, I didn't feel any romantic chemistry between the main couple. His acting is diverse with a variety of emotions. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Nam Ji Hyun. She isn't very good at conveying emotion and has one default confused look with pouty lips. Their interactions often feel like an adult talking to a teenager, making the romantic chemistry very bland. Moreover, some of their actions are confusing. He doesn't reciprocate her feelings right away. But, when he does, she refuses to accept them even though she is still in love with him. The writers obviously try to add tension to the plot but, instead, make the characters act illogical.

The villain is the only character who is interesting. This is the first time I saw Dong Ha in a role and he absolutely nailed it.

The continuous Papa John's product placement is off-putting.

This was a one-time watch for me. The 20/40 episode extended run time dragged the pacing. The show would've benefited from better editing.

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If you like love sick dramas then you'll love this

I tried watching this because it was considered to be have suspense and action with romance on the side. Unfortunately it's majority oozing, drippy romance with a touch of comedy and very little suspense.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who came to watch this because of The K 2 and Healer.

I was disappointed because the first 21 episodes I watched were the same lovey dovey eye roll that I have tried to avoid in a lot of Kdramas.

Now when I first started watching Kdramas which was last June or July of 2020 I became hooked. Not because of the romance but the action and drama itself.

This one I just couldn't stomach because of the main female lead. A lot of Kdramas always have the female lead playing the love sick idiot and it's really ad nauseum for me.

If I was a lovesick preteen or teenager then this would've worked but I'm no longer that. I also don't mind a little romance but this was overly done.

It will have to go on the back burner for the time being for me.

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Super Drama, Super Chemistry

I know I was 7 years late to have this review, but this drama of Ji chang wook really hit me so hard. I love the story
suspense thriller and law drama. The support role cast and even the OST.
I already watched some dramas of JCW but the prosecutor image was really suitable for him plus the fact that
his chemistry between Nam jihyun is absolutely perfect eventhough there's age gap between them.
I will surely rewatch this drama over and over again. I wish they end as a real couple in real life (so delulu me hahaha)
Noh Ji Hyuk and Bong Hee (my fave character so far)

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although it's predictable but it's so amusing , funny  ,delightful with lots of romance & friend ship
the beautiful thing  in this drama that the law cases in the back seats
or it is  related to the main roles so it  doesn't drag u away  from the main stories
for me this drama is the  type i do really love with fast event's & happy ending

SPOILER

what bothered me much that the story of the second leads didn't take it's place well
& i don't know how the misunderstanding come from  if they didn't  cheated him actually
they didn't explain  that part  they left it to our imagination & why  didn't  Choi Tae Joon Confess to   Ji Chang Wook  with the truth of what had happened really
 why he bears that his friend accused him with betrayal  ??
till the end i was waiting to tell us the truth about what had happened between choi tae & ji chang ex-gf

that's only the reason that made me give it 9.5 instead of full 10

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SNOOZE :(((((((((((

I LOVE Ji Chang Wook!! And I started watching it bc of him and the highish rating this drama received...

But, honestly - I really think the main lead and FML just DID NOT mesh AT ALL. Partially bc of her acting and partially bc I think the type of character she had to portray just didn't go well the character the main lead was!

Also, I did finish it through to give it a fair review - but I did skim through A LOT. Maybe bc it was an older drama but it was SUPER draggy and some parts were just simply *boring* and redundant.

The storyline itself was pretty interesting at first but it sort of fell off... It was going well and then suddenly it went off tangent for a few episodes (with some future-seeing dude) or idk... I think it was to tie in more in-depth feelings for the characters but... still feel like the story was weak.

I think it was OKAY watching it bc Ji Chang Wook was super handsome/adorable but def would not recommend wasting time for a re-watch.

If you want to finish through - you can keep it in the background - bc the story is pretty simple to follow through and don't need to pay attention to too much detail (it will all make sense in the end etc etc).

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This was precious, and everything is alright in the world. Granted, Suspicious Partner wasn’t a perfect show but it was a good one, particularly when it came to presenting well-rounded characters and their personal journey to become whoever they were meant to be. Let’s put the romance aside for a moment and concentrate on what this show really did right, which was giving each character their own personal story and life, apart from the main murder-mystery story and couple. It wasn’t all about one or two people, it was about all of them, which is why it was so easy to fall in love with each and every one of the characters the more you got to know them with each passing week.

We were introduced to Ji-wook as a grumpy, hard-ass prosecutor but soon found out he had vulnerabilities that ran deep into his past and soul. Ji-wook, though, wasn’t a wounded hero. He was a well adjusted young man, from a loving and caring family, with a flair for angry rants and soft spot for dirty but pretty leading ladies. He wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes -which I’m glad Bong-hee called him on it today- and learnt from them. At the end of the day, he was a better man that the one we met in the first episode.

Same goes for Bong-hee who from the first scene was shown as a badass, independent and courageous young woman but if you look deeper you could see she had insecurities about her personal and emotional life that she needed to overcome in order to become a more grounded person. Bong-hee never once disappointed me, even when I wanted to tell her to make up her mind quicker, because if she always did something right was to respect her own times and admit when she was wrong.

Ji-wook and Bong-hee are going into my TOP 5 list of Favourite Couples of all time. Their chemistry exploded in the screen ever since the subway pervert indirectly push them together (Where is that guy? I wish I could have seen him one las time!). Maybe it was fate that made their paths cross several times but ultimately it was their choice to stay in each other’s lives. They kept on choosing each other over and over again, even when everything was going to hell and they made some questionable decisions, they kept fighting for each other because of the love and friendship they shared. And if that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

All of this it’s really important to me to have in Dramaland because I don’t want perfect characters that don’t show improvement, a difference or understanding of who they are as people, between who when the show started and when the show ended.

The law firm shenanigans were one of the highlights of the show, of course, but then again every time more than two characters got together in the same place, you knew something good was going to happen. I love how at the end they just kept on running their business on Ji-wook’s house even after he and Chief Bang were long gone, back to the prosecutor office’s. Like it was a matter of fact that it was the place to be and grow for them. CEO Byun remains one of the best Dramaland Fathers, funny and caring, who in his own way wished only the best for his kids. Same goes for Chief Bang, the most extraordinary Ship Captain I have seen in years, he was the perfect Hyung for all the crazy lawyers.

I wish Yoo-jung could have been better explored, especially because it would have give her more redeeming qualities and I would have grow to understand her motivations better. To this day, Yoo-jung remains the woman who did a wrong and ran away, and didn’t properly apologize to either man. I do get she took her punishment quietly, in a way that because she had no other friends other than Eun-hyuk and Ji-wook, by going away she ostracized herself but in contrast and comparison to what Eun-hyuk went through to get his friend back, she falls short.

I spent a good portion of this show wishing for Eun-hyuk to be showered in love and I got what I wanted, just not how I thought it would look. I like the idea of Eun-hyuk and Yoo-jung starting over because they need to get to know each other as adults in order to figure out if they want to be in a relationship, especially her who had never seen him as a love interest before. But I thought the writer would break the Second Leads Get Together Law and actually make him realize he can do better with someone else *coughJi-haecough*

As I mentioned in a past review, I think Ji-hae was one of the better and most improved characters through out the show. Her growth is clear when instead of making a move on Eun-hyuk, knowing he’s with Yoo-jung, she makes the choice to try to move on from her feelings for him.

The frenemy-ship between Bong-hee and Ji-hae was another highlight for me, and every week I was looking forward to see what these two would do. I love that Bong-hee ended up living in Ji-hae’s apartment for a year and I wish I could have seen more of that living arrangement, the same way I would have love for the three girls to form a bond sooner so we could have gotten more drinking scenes of them, and their exasperated men picking them up. Pffft!

Of course I cannot possible end this without mentioning Hyun-soo. This writer has a knack for creating complex criminal characters in a way that you actually grow to care for, despite their actions. There wasn’t a moment in which I didn’t try to figure out Hyun-soo’s motivations or mind, what had happened in his life for him to become a serial killer. Or what had happened to that young girl he loved so much. The truth gutted me because even when I didn’t agree nor validated his actions, I understood in some level where he was coming from.

With such a compelling story and charismatic cast, Suspicious Partner it’s a show I will make sure to come back to again, and again. And again.

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I really enjoyed the loveline in this drama, as it was very cute and swoon-worthy.

JCW's makeup was too much, but I enjoyed staring at him in this drama all the same. NJH was an adorable main lead and the progression of their romance was believable.

As many reviews said, I agree that the beginning was strong and steam dropped off as the writing focuses on resolution rather than storytelling,

Watch this one for the romance and not for the crime-solving. Also there are frustrating one-dimensional characters in the supporting cast such as the chief prosecutor and the 3rd female lead.

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