Why Her? (2022)

Amazing cast, dynamic story, badass female lead

Story
it's a revenge story that centers around a woman who though is whip smart and talented, is neglected and passed over only because she's a woman and she's not rich. but fear not, she's not pitiful, she has a plan to get back at these assholes that caused her so much misery

Ensemble cast
she gets her revenge not as a lone wolf, but by gathering a team of law students each one commited to justice and to each other

Romance
There is a quiet, sweet blossoming romance between Soo Jae and one of her former clients, now in the law clinic. their relationship is full of support and love. it's not a romcom, so not a lot of time is focused on their romance, but it lingers and gives life to the show

Ending
Satisfying. without disclosing spoilers i can say you will not be disappointed

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Thoughts

--People get really offended at a show that is for entertainment only. And if you're not going to watch at least the majority of the program, how can you give a legitimate rating??
--I rarely rewatch anything, so disregard that rating.
--Hwang In Youp is an amazing actor in my opinion
--I hate how K-dramas dumb down children
--I'm going to have to watch more of Bae In Hyuk! As Choi Yoon Sang, he kinda stole my heart!...
--...as did the character Na Se Ryun (Son Ji Hyun.)
--Ji Seung Hyun's character Choi Joo Wan was played much better than I realized....he was one of the most memorable for me, which surprises me. However, thinking about it, this character did lose his wife, daughter, father, job, and obviously his freedom all within a short period of time, so it should have been memorable I guess.
--I loved the camaraderie of the law students (group 8), the 2 that ran the cafe, and the assistant lawyer
--I am sorry that Gong Chan didn't have more screen time. I don't feel that this character was written as fully fleshed out as he should have been. I think Hwang In Youp did an amazing job considering. There was a lot of long dramatic scenes looking out of the window or over the ocean or whatever.....this time could have been better filled with a little more of the romance. It seemed more "hero-worship" than anything.
--Choi Yoon Sang's crush on Noona should have been more evident as well, but it was sweet, nonetheless.
--I loved the 3 sons friendship, even if they were stupid and controlled by their fathers. They were the actual 3 Musketeers in the show, unlike what the CEO said.
--The entirety of South Korea needs anger management. (Don't get me wrong, I love South Korea, but sheesh! the amount of slapping the kids around...and yes, it's a drama, but there's too much of it IRL.)
--Choi Joo Wan jumping over the couch to get to his father was so good, and Gong Chan revealing himself to his step-mother was heartbreaking.
--I kind of wanted it revealed in the disciplinary hearing that Gong Chan and Su Jae were actually working together to find the killer....I wanted a big dramatic scene, and it just didn't happen.

End of thoughts for now. :)

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I still don't know why her

It was exciting for a little bit and then it was just meh.
It was very predictable from the start but predictability is OK so long as the right decisions are made and the interest is kept. That's not what happened.

Some decisions were ridiculous, others infuriating. The ending is anticlimactic.

I still had some fun and enjoyed some of the secondary characters. There was too much emphasis on Oh Soo Jae. I know she was the main character but there comes a point where you can't have so many secondary characters and they simply disappear or are simply plot devices. Even the male lead wasn't a lead, he was a secondary character.

Still, I couldn't figure out why her. It's very random that this all happened to her.

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I mostly write reviews about dramas that I love or those which have a high rating. However, I really wanted to write one on Why Her.
The drama has the female lead that everyone wants to see; strong and powerful. Throughout the drama, Oh Soo Jae suffers so much but she still returns to the law firm knowing that's her only weapon to become stronger. She wants to take over everything that Choi Tae Gook has. I thought at first he was good and treated her well but that didn't really last long.
When her told her she had a stillbirth, I believed it. Who knew Jae Yi was her daughter. Honestly killing her was one of the worst things they did in this drama. She saw her daughter die twice.
The male lead's role was also okay to some extent. I feel as though it was quiet empty. Gong Chan's sisters case was linked with all the bad characters but in the end they didn't show what punishment the three men got who kidnapped his sister. The male lead never actually confronted anyone who was related to his sister's death.
In the end, Choi Tae Gook kills himself instead of getting the punishment he deserves. I always feel as though this kind of ending for someone who was evil throughout the whole drama is just very wrong. They do not repent.
Overall, the drama was not really fascinating and interesting. I skipped a lot of scenes to see the ending which was also not very satisfying.

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Sleeping B!+ches Bite °Excellent°

Su Jae (SJ) “sure is acting up.” That's what her boss says after he finds out that she's snatched files & replaced them w/ manhwa (comics). Is the plot alittle outrageous? Sure. It actually holds together very well, but it's not free of logical problems. For instance, remains are found at a construction site when it makes no sense that the bad guys would have allowed them to be found. It's sloppy. Also, a tragedy occurs at the end of ep14 that feels especially painful & completely unnecessary. Though it lends to symmetry in the plot development, the scene is ham-handed.

However, there's plenty more + than -. The closing scene is beautiful. The music is excellent. ‘Beautiful’ by DOKO & ‘What about us' by HAJIN are both Shazamable. Craft-wise, they send messages w/ color. SJ's wardrobe is almost always black & white which represents the hard lines she's adopted over time. It begins in black & white. Our female lead is wearing white. Then the director introduces the color red: Red lipstick & red blood splatters. SJ wears rich blues for trials - apparently, juries everywhere like blue. All of a sudden, in ep3, she shows up in a bright peach suit. Maybe that doesn't sound pretty, but it looks fabulous on her. Why the color change? Well, she's had a significant emotion-altering interaction w/ Gong Chan. (It would be too difficult to describe it, you'll just have to watch it for yourself). She has softened up. By the show's end, she is in color regularly. She's freely living a full spectrum life.

WH is about Power & corruption & the abuse the powerful heap onto those below them… especially women. The context is the pressure cooker that is Korea. In ep1 we see a suicide: Korea has the 4th highest suicide rate in the world. Exams, constant bullying, gossip, & impossible parents are ubiquitous themes in Kdramas. Under extreme pressure most will hunker down & go w/ the flow, too many will commit suicide, & some may act out. When they try to toss SJ away w/ the trash, she decides to act out. Bravo!

Seo Hyun Jin plays SJ. I've seen her as a new, bright-eyed teacher in Black Dog-8.2 & a fed-up woman who can't get a break in Another Miss Oh-7.5. She's beautiful, but she's got that down-on-earth neighborhood girl quality to her which goes beyond looks or acting capability; it's presence. She can act, too. K-actors act w/ every muscle in their bodies. Her walk kills me in WH. She's stiff as a board, yet so eloquent. It is completely different from how she walks in other shows. Extraordinary. Her performance is the best thing about a very good show.

SJ is a trial attorney. A formidable one, specializing in undermining the credibility of an opposing witness's testimony. The more we learn of her backstory, the more her behavior makes sense. At the start she was a nobody who couldn't look her co-workers in the eye, but now /they're/ terrified of /her/. But the old-boys-club cannot tolerate this capable woman in their chauvinist sphere.

SJ's a fundamentally decent person w/ a dream to go all the way to the top - it's a dream that cannibalizes decency. Initially, she seems impervious to everything. We learn that she's been #refusing to show her fragile side. She's ‘gritted her teeth, held it in, & held her ground.’ Flashbacks show the sweet girl she was, the way her father brought her up, & the way her immediate underlings are fiercely loyal to her. Yet she's rude to a waiter, she's disdainful of children, & she's a monster to clients of opposing attorneys. She's starting to act like the 1%ers. Success, power & money are corrupting, indeed. In ep1 she's on the cusp of becoming a blood sucking parasite. But irony comes crashing down, splattering her & shaking her conscience loose. The crashing irony is a tragedy arising from one of her cases & public opinion turns toxic. Her boss sends her into hiding: She must ride out the scandal while being an adjunct prof at law school. The rich-and-powerfuls were happy to make use of her at their convenience, but now they're letting her know exactly what she is: Disposable. “I'll stand in a high place & look down on them all!” SJ screams her vow to the waves.

Hwang In Youp (The Sound of Magic) is Gong Chan. He's changed his appearance, so SJ doesn't recognize him, but she represented him years ago for a murder case in which he was innocent. The reason he's in law school is because she inspired him all those years ago. He comes on strong & it works rather well. The romance gets crankin pretty quickly. In fairness, Gong Chan seems to have had it bad for yrs. But when SJ learns who he truly is, what will she think?

Heo Joon Ho (Missing: The Other Side-8.3) owns the law firm as Choi Tae Gook. He seems level & fair, but he is something else behind closed doors. His sons admire SJ. Bae In Hyuk (My Roommate Is a Gumiho) plays Choi Yoon Sang, his youngest son & admirer of SJ. What dimples! An avg student, in the past she tutored him. Now he sits in the back row of her new class. Lee Cheol-Min (My Only Love Song-8.7, Love to Hate You-8.9, Mr. Queen-9 & dozens more) usually plays a goof but he does a nice job as a “bad guy” in this. Everything about him is completely different. Even though I recognized him I still had to look it up to be sure. The director is Park Soo Jin of The Hymn of Death-8.4, While You Were Sleeping-7.3, & Dr. Romantic.

It all gets off to a very rocky start. SJ is no softie & the students‘ initial response is to rebel. SJ shows up at her 1st class w/ about a minute left. She writes on the chalkboard: “I will never let my client go to jail.” Chalk drop. She exits. In class 2 she brings them case files & assigns complete verdict analyses. It's only 50% of their grade(!) “How do we do it?” One student wants guidance. “Figure it out,” is her laconic response. Immediately, her class is under threat of being canceled, but she's no rookie. Putting college students in their place is child's play & she's never going to spoon feed her students.

The class is seated by GPA & formed accordingly into teams for group projects. The last row of the last students form their motley group; then they form a bond. Two of those students already have a connection to SJ - her boss's son & her forgotten former client. Other members of the motley team are a middle-aged woman who is a former cop, a girl who was sexually harassed by a prof, & another boy who was weak. The student council bullied him and he refused to testify on behalf of his abused friend for fear that it would affect his standing at school. SJ gives him strength enough to find his footing.

The theme is to treasure those you love & live a clean life worthy of them to avoid future regrets. This is also very much a girl-power show. SJ is a minority w/ educational & background disadvantages. It's a higher hurdle in Korea than it is in the USA. Like other minorities, she gets no benefit of the doubt, no head start, & zero 2nd chances. No room for error. It's a triple-thick glass ceiling. She has to be 10×s as good as her competition. She'll have to make some pretty bold moves.

It's true that women's rights aren't settled in the USA, but Asia is worse. Stalking & harassment protection are decades behind the USA. SJ is reluctant to help the student that was molested because the chance of success is slimmer than SJ's legs. She encourages the student to focus on her goal & nothing else. That's practical advice & sometimes it's the best course. But there's another side to the coin. Gong Chan challenges SJ. He points out that if the prof gets away w/ it then he'll do it again. “Then it won't be {Professor Seo’s} wrongdoing, but ours,” he explains.
When no one challenges powerful abusers they just get emboldened. Weakness enables evil. To be a woman is to be subjected to sexual misconduct, indignity, molestation… or worse. Besides the off-color, inappropriate remarks, there's the inappropriate touching. Men shouldn't be touching you, ladies. I know what it's like to have that happen & freeze in the moment, only to be furious at myself later for not doing anything. It often happens in a place where the power balance is out of whack, like a doctor's office. If you break their nose or knee their groin that is what they deserve. We should start a dense fund. Maybe someone has.

A good society is one where the people stand up to wrongs. We shouldn't let anger control us, though, as there will never be an end to wrongs on earth, and none of us are mistake-free. “Is the world a fair place? Unfortunately, the world is never fair. So is it impartial? Not even for a moment. The era of unfairness & partiality will continue. Perhaps it may become worse. However, everyone, we have our last bastion. That is the law - In the world that's never fair, where things have never been impartial. While applying the law to everyone fairly & impartially, all of you must fulfill your duties & responsibilities. Lawyers must rectify the law that waivers in the face of money & power & defend justice.” Beautiful words from baddie, Choi Tae Gook. True words - even when spoken by one of the perpetrators of partiality & unfairness. It's fascinating how intelligent, successful & wealthy people know how to say the right things. They've severed their hearts from their brains, though. They act upset about the awful state of things, but since the world's been good to them, they easily accept it as fait accompli. People for whom the system is working are never motivated to change it. They step over the homeless & never give it another thought. It's called compartmentalization. They still thoroughly believe themselves to be right & decent & good. The human heart is quite deceptive & we are all blind to our own stuff.

In the end, SJ adopts a more others-focused life and steps put of the rat cage. Her conclusion: “The fact that every day is entirely mine. That I move & decide w/ my own will. The results are also entirely mine. Those things were more decent than I thought. Whether the results are good or bad, I rejoice in the good things, & if not, I just say, “so what?”, curse, & move on… I'm content w/ myself living this way.”

Smart girl.


QUOTES

I'm so sick & tired of money.

A single “I believe you” can help a person breathe & move on.

Nothing is more powerful than honesty.

Don't give power to the greedy; don't give money to the ignorant; & don't give a sword to the insane.

“It was a shameful life, looking back.“

I didn't want to suck.

His pride in cooking is almost a disease.


〰🖍 IMHO

RATINGS
Directing 8
Writing 8
Acting 8.5
Romance 7.6
Flutters 5
Art 7
Sound & music 8.4
Ending 8.3

LEVELS
Warmth 4
Action 4.5
Laughs 2
Tears 4.5
Fright 2.3
Tension & Anxiety 3.5
Gore 2
Thought provocation 4.8
Snores 0

📣8 📝8 🎭8.5 💓7.6 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊8.4 🔚8.3 ▪ 🌞4 ⚡4.5 😅2 😭4.5 😱2.3 😯3.5 🤢2 🤔4.8 💤0

Age 15+
R-rated language, F💣s
Murder, affairs, pregnancies, violence.

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-📺? Sure someday

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Crazy Love-7.8,
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Another Miss Oh-7.5,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Inspector Koo-8.4,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
Hospital Playlist-9, Black Dog: Being A Teacher-8.2, Law School-8,When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Call It Love-8.4, Blood Free-8.5
My Mister 9.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9

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"One and Done"

I feel as if some in this review section have been a bit too harsh or rather too generous so I will try to provide an unbiased yet biased review ;) I will try my best to also not spoil a lot (be as vague as possible) in case some of y'all reading have yet to watch.

This drama is definitely one to watch given that the actress, Seo Hyun Jin, really shines in a way that I would say is memorable. Her acting is not only very natural but she knows how to show complexity without it being confusing as--by principle--people are 3D or even 4D. I would say that the ending is also satisfying to watch as everything unravels in favor of the protagonists and as they say " justice is served". However, I do not think this show is one that can be watched over and over again.

First off, there's a lot of plot twists that I believe can only be exciting when watching the first time around. If you watch it for the second time it simply won't have the same effect nor will it be as thrilling. It could even be characterized as rather predictable especially given the fact that the oldest son of Choi Tae Guk is the biggest scum and is also pretty much behind a lot of the crime along with his despicable father. Also the plot twist at the very end, I wont say what it is, but in retrospect also predictable. The other plot twist of Soo Jae's daughter, again typical plot twist that we all knew was coming except the death was a bit much, not sure what it added to the story.

Second of all, there were some points that I felt were so unnecessary. Like Bae In Hyuk's character... he's a decent actor but the character just was not much of anything. He was pretty useless to be honest and the story could have done without him. I think the writer could have written his character to be more of a threat to Soo Jae's and Gong Chan's relationship if they wanted to but ofc given the inherent thriller/law/mystery plot that was already going on I see why they don't, which is why I say in the end that it should've been an omitted character. I feel bad too for saying that as I do like the actor and kind of wish to see him grab some better roles.

There were also a lot of side characters that I would say gave too much to keep track of, but that part is just my opinion (like everything else in this review :0).

My biggest issue with this drama is the romance plot line. It was way too rushed, not enough development. I also feel like Hwang In Yeop is a pretty strong actor as some scenes were very telling of his range. I really believe that the script is what failed here. They make his character strong but not too strong? I think that the writer should have written Gong Chan to be a "harder" person given all the trauma he went through. It would have made a lot more sense if he didn't get close to people easily and was slightly unapproachable. I also think that there shouldn't have been strong feelings for Soo Jae off the bat. It should have been gradual as Soo Jae would slowly open herself up to him. I also get that she was the only one who believed in him but I don't see where that's grounds for strong feelings, perhaps an admiration for her and her speciality which is why he delves into law himself in addition to the injustice he faced.

I'm gonna be honest I've seen In Yeop act with other actresses and have pretty good chemistry but here the chemistry just wasn't as strong. It has nothing to do with the 'noona romance' aspect, their ages aren't really an issue at all, it's just nothing was developed properly and it was kind of just thrown in your face. IN FACT they could've done without the whole romance and just focused on the actual plot because that was pretty good.

What I will say as I close this off is that the actor of the antagonist Choi Tae Guk gives a phenomenal performance that is chilling. That's it.

All in all I give a 7/10. Its good for a one time watch but it's not the BEST law drama I've seen. If you're a huge fan of Seo Hyun Jin though you should watch it. She really is a dedicated actress.

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Another TYPICAL Korean "BIG" FL drama...

Hmm so I finished the drama in like 3~4 days, I think the acting are all great but the plot is kinda so so for me... I wished they could come out of the overused typical Korean trope but overall I would say its still a well produced show.

For me I do feel Seo Hyunjin does suit better with a more mature looking actor rather than Hwang In Yeop even though he acted really well too! I'm definitely not saying he didn't perform well for this role but rather he look kinda too young for his age, I do think an actor who looks more mature than the given age would work better for the pairing!

And for the typical setup that I not even surprise anymore... No matter how smart and daring the FL is, they always become the "small" woman when the ML comes into picture... And Heo Jun Ho's character unconditional acceptance and tolerance towards his older son was honestly quite disappointing for me. If the plot could add a little detail such that Choi Tae Gook showed signs of wavering to the older son and thinking of letting the younger son take over the company would definitely give the story much more tension towards the climax. The supporting characters too had too little to no presence which I feel can be done better!

What I was confused while watching the drama is the fact that Choi Tae Gook went through so much to frame Gong Chan during his trial but ended up finding another scapegoat to replace him in jail... I was like WHY??? Maybe I've missed some scenes while I was distracted but I really don't get it or is it just because they heard rumors about a new programme will dig into their matter? Honestly, they could have just think of other ways and make Gong Chan serve jail term all the way instead of creating more trouble for themselves...

Another thing that I find it odd is where in the world did Gong Chan saved so much money that he could buy an entire building? Even if he was worked really hard at the seafood market and was very thrifty, its nearly impossible that he could purchase a building in Seoul not forgetting how bloody expensive their real estates are...

I really loved Seo Hyun Jin's role in Beauty Inside and I think that drama will forever stay as the best out of all her works... I do hope both Seo HyunJin and Hwang In Yeop will get even better opportunities but for the drama I can only say its the starting few episodes that managed to clinched viewership!

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A promising start, and then dragged to the end

The series had a lot to offer at first - a powerful woman boss, Hwang In Yeop, a gripping revenge/law/courtroom drama and some elements of a whodunnit mystery. I was gripped for the first four episodes. But goodness, it went downhill after that! The story went around in circles and repeated the same tired storylines, cliches and tropes from then on till the last episode when things were resolved. Every episode brought in the same problem for the hundredth time with no intent of resolution, increased intensity or decreased intensity - just the same problem hashed again and again. Even though the female lead character was written very well, the FL could not act beyond her shocked wide-eyed look.

Romance was completely unnecessary to the plot. In my mothertongue there is a saying that 'when you put random unmatched things together, it creates poison'. This is what an unnecessary romance did to this series. Plus a few copouts to the storyline like the white truck of doom to solve things much too easily.

There were a few good things though - the romance up to Ep 4 was decent, I could almost believe they wanted to be together (until it became stalkerish later on). The actual storyline started off quite interesting. My favourite part was all the scenes the villain appeared - Heo Joon Ho is such a fantastic actor! His drunken walk scene may be the best-acted scene I've watched recently. Kudos to him.

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Why Oh So Jae?

The drama caught my attention in ep 1, when Park So Young fell down from the rooftop of TK firm . I was hooked since then onwards by the well written, well- sequence and organized plot till the end. I wasn't watching it for the romance between the main female lead and the male lead though. So , it was a drama which we could see how an OH So Jae went through a journey of finding who she is, what she is made of and her degree of mental and emotional resilient when she was subjected to a lot of wrong doings by the evil CEO Cho Tae Guk and other bad guys. Love to see her using her wits to take all the bad guys down for good. At the end , the answer to Why Her - is answered in the very essence of this cool, courageous lady lawyer ...

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Indeed why her ?

I liked this drama and when i looked it up, not many people liked it. The main reason why i wtched this drama was because of Hwang in yeop, i needed to see him as a main lead. And i wasnt dissapointed in that area. He was a really good mainlead, he was the type of person the MFL needed. They were a very cute couple. I enjoyed those little moments when they were together.
I also made the surprising discovery that Bae In Yuk was starring in this drama as well. I enjoyed seeing him in My Roomate Is a Gumiho. And in this drama he was again a 2nd lead, but i think that he fits the description too well. I would like to see him as a ML in a drama. He is good at acting i think.

Now i can see why people disliked this drama, it felt like only bad things- except the ML- was happening to her. And quite frankly wasnt sure if she was indeed a good lawyer or the reason she succeeded to get rid of her ennemies was because she was really good or they were just really dumb. The plotand plot twists werent surprising, i dont watch a lot of law/mistery kdrama because i feel like they are all the same. its always someone who has a son who rapes/murder someone and everything else is their rich parent covering it up and tangling everyone in the mess their son made. So the plot was really predictable and really the "plot twists" werent impressive. But strangely it was addicting to watch, i wanted to know what happened next and if she succeeded to be happy in the end. And the epilogue wasn't long enough. With all that hapened to her we deserved to see her happy a little longer. Because seeing that her ennemie escaped justice once again by comitting suicide wasn't really something that was needed.

I would reccomend it if you dont watch law kdrama that often because i think you will find it better, if you watched a lot of kdrama surrounding the law genre, you may find it boring.

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Good Production Quality Does Not Guarantee a Good Drama

Neither does having big name actors if you don't use them well.

The 1 dimensional "evil chairman", "corrupt assemblyman", "greedy CEO" with "incompetent heir" and his "plotting wife" trying to put him in a position of power... It's boring.

They push the same problem on the female lead. She's icy outside, soft inside. But a) they wrote her character way over the top and b) she doesn't really act how they characterize her. She lets the ML cross the line and boss her around constantly despite being a "strong, smart female lead"... This guy is swooping in to take care of her constantly-- and in ways that make no sense.

For example, he demands that she stay at his house after the break in-- and she just lets him boss her around? Why wouldn't she go to a hotel? Of all people, she should know how bad this looks to sleep at *her student's* apartment.

Too much repeated suspension of disbelief pulls me out of the story.

- Highschool grad happens to be a prodigy in practicing law and is about to be promoted to CEO of one of the biggest firms in the country... While around, or even under, the age of 30.
- Convenient CCTV wherever they're needed-- repeatedly. Law students just happen to find the car that was driving behind the guys fighting over their fumbled break in attempt.
- First month law students (with the lowest marks in the class) break into a file that professionals couldn't get into... Just by typing in random passwords?
- Their whole "class" experience is... lectures when she feels like it, writes one line on the board and walks out, has them do detective work for her, talks about random cases she's involved in in the news. It just makes no sense and would never fly.

Ultimately, the story feels too forced and unnatural. The characters have the wooden-ness of puppets rather than people.

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