One Dollar Lawyer (2022)

CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!

Writing this review is like writing an obituary.

The Show showed great promise in its infancy. Adolescent was a blast and overflowing with energy and potentials.
We went on wild rides with some interesting and engaging characters. It was lawyering without the law. Creative writing at its whimsical best. We get hints of a dark backstory but that only served to whet our appetite.

The Show matures with a 2 episodes arc of flashbacks which tells the origin story. It was bittersweet and hard hitting. It is meant to set up the last third of the Show for an impactful finale.

It was a mystery at the time why the tone and writing of the storyline changes drastically after the flashbacks. I know the phase “lost the plot” is cliché but I can’t think of any other way to describe the next few episodes. The Show dialled up the slapstick at the cost of narrative logic. It is fun to watch for a while, but it leaves me scratching my head.

I then started to hear about the Show being cut down from 14 to 12 episodes even though it was rating through the roof. However, any talk of a second season was quashed. News of cancelled screening and weird substitutions began to flood the news feeds. To say the fans are confused and upset is an understatement. Then came the rumours that the writer-nim has a fallout with the production company and there were chattering about shenanigans regarding multiple rewrites and rejections. It sort of fits in with what is happening but it is cold comfort. One suggestion is the writer-nim objected to the overuse of PPL and changes to the original plot for mass appeal. I'd agree that the PPL goes way beyond the bottles of water in the fridge trick. It was literally baked into the script. We have the leads ordering take-outs and then leisurely eating and commenting on the meal. It is totally egregious.

The next couple of eps felt rudderless. There are signs of life here and there. There are important revelations, and the plot moves along. At the same time, some subplots also disappeared even though you can sense why the writer-nim included them in the first place. They were discarded unceremoniously. By this stage, the Show was on life support. Ep.11 was a filler with little substance. It took 60mins to do what should have taken 10. This is a sad waste of screen time when you consider it is the penultimate episode.

By the time the finale arrives, I watched it with trepidation. Of course, we wanted a good and satisfying finish, but we also know the clock is ticking.

The final episode is rushed, there is no other way to say it. Everything that needs to happen, happened. It feels heavily scripted rather than clever and nuanced. It is like watching a checklist being ticked off. It got the job done but the Show deserved better. The “epilogue” on the island is unnecessary and out of place.

In terms of acting, the ML was outstanding. The first 2/3 of the Show really showcased his talents. He has great presence and comedic timing but when needed, he can bring on the feels too. His acting in the titular role is what hooked us. It is disappointing that it becomes more like a caricature towards the end.

I feel sorry for the FL. She was not given a fair go with her role. She has the visuals and is a competent actor in her own right but she is always Robbin to his Batman. There was a hint of attraction between the leads at one stage, but it is nixed after the flashback episodes. The SML was a complete waste of a role. There is a hint of a decent subplot in the beginning but it went nowhere and feels superfluous in the end.

It is a real shame that the Show declined in such a way. It shows all the signs of a smash hit in the making but has been brought low for some nefarious reasons. If it was delivered in full and as intended, it could have been an easy 9. RIP.
Rewatch is fairly pointless. Peace out.

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Well written plot with well versed actors

Before going into the story if you want to know about watching it i recommend it strongly for ppl who love court dramas with unique way of winning
With out of box ideas not just fighting with "truth always prevails " plot
Actors played their part really well and namkoong min really is versatile i loved every part of his acting
Story will make u hooked in ep1 it started as a comedy and ep12 ended with a comedy note but because of particular 2 ep and actors chemistry you may find yourself you can't laugh like before becoz you know what that smile on ML meant for
Story has good comedy, little action, bromance,lots of thinking,and a heart wrenching pain for 3ep atleast
Music plays a major role in that particular 2ep and helps with the story

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Superhero Lawyer Origins Story

One thing’s for certain. I don’t think I would have watched this if it hadn’t been for Namgoong Min and I don’t think I would have stuck it out to the end if it weren’t for him as well. It’s not complete waste but for many reasons it never reaches its potential. Nor does it transcend its comic booky roots. When the show is good it’s fun. Even somewhat poignant. At various points in the narrative when the show transitions from arc to arc, there’s far more filler than I am personally comfortable with. I can only conclude that this project was a Namgoong Min vehicle that showcases his versatility as an actor at home with both comedy and melodrama. The relative success of the One Dollar Lawyer largely relies on the lead actor’s ability to pull off a variety of idiosyncratic or slapstick moments and Namgoong Min does his best to acquit himself in every instance.

Despite the title and the marketing campaign around this, the drama is undoubtedly a superhero origins story with detective elements. There’s very little of the legal side of things in this despite the dominant role that lawyers and prosecutors play here. The show highlights a variety of crimes but the show’s main character spends very little time in the courtroom even if he sees himself as a advocate for the voiceless. In fact Cheon Ji-hun has all the hallmarks of a superhero in the tradition of Batman and Spiderman. Indeed he is a composite of various ones that we’ve seen in the last two decades. Even the Big Bad in this instance, feels like a localized cartoon version of the Joker and the Green Goblin. Ji-hun’s above-average intelligence, perseverance and fearlessness (his superpowers) is generally what saves the day. When he leaves behind his job as prosecutor because of the death of a loved one, he immediately puts on a pair of sunglasses as if to indicate that he’s taken on the mantle left to him by said loved one. It then follows that his hairstyle, fashion sense and manner become more flamboyant as he dons the One Dollar Lawyer persona. They are his cape and cowl as it were. It’s a significant psychological moment for Ji-hun when (like Bats) the new persona becomes a mask that conceals the seething rage, inconsolable grief and the desire for revenge. But more like Spiderman, the devil-may-care personality allows him to be more ostentatious, talkative and witty. He is a man with a wound in search of a balm. There is temporary relief to be found in helping people who can’t afford to fork up for a half decent lawyer but the festering wound runs deep. In the long run the sort of clientele that he attracts as the One Dollar Lawyer serves as a reminder to him that the world doesn’t have to be that relentless battleground where the powerful run roughshod over the weak.

Much of this show is about Cheon Ji-hun’s quest to find closure and healing from the tragedies that have afflicted him in recent years. Once he gets his resolution from personally apprehending the Big Bad, this forever cements his identity as the One Dollar Lawyer. It defines him as much as he defines it. He builds the character from an empty slate and the character becomes a skin to inhabit when he transforms into the man of the people — helping those who are backed into a corner and do his eleventh hour save. It is a journey he begins because it helps him connect with his beloved Ju-yeon and her ideals. Later it becomes his own mission and ultimately a life changing decision.

His closest associates are Sa Mu-jang (the office manager) and Baek Ma-ri (probationary lawyer) who seem like an unlikely addition to the show’s primary trio. As is customary with these sorts of set-ups, Ma-ri and Ji-hun don’t get along at first because they come from different places with different life experiences. Initially it seems that the study of the law is the only thing they have in common. The practice of it, however, becomes another matter entirely. It seems to me too that the show wants to have a bet each way or leave room for a second series with regards to Ma-ri’s dynamic with Ji-hun. There’s no overt/resolved romance between them but the show teases out the idea all throughout that there could be “more” once Ji-hun moves on (or if he ever does) from his past. I’m of the view that theirs is a teacher-apprentice relationship and it’s really for the best. Clearly that’s how Ji-hun sees her. Also Ma-ri’s role in this seems to be a thankless one of following Ji-hun around, acting as a sounding board, plying him with questions and letting him show off with impunity.

Even though I enjoy much of the humour in this, the show seems to be at its best when it takes on a more serious tone. On hindsight much of the humour seems unnecessary or misplaced. There are these deliberate inserts of levity that feel random and disconnected with the larger story. Often this applies to moments where the main characters sit around and shoot the breeze. Sure, there are slow days when the trio have to wait for clients to show up so that the show can go on the road but yeah, it feels odd to have bits of random dialogue thrown in just for comedic effect. What this says to me in effect is that the world building is not as confident as it should be.

The series hits its peak at around Episode 8 and while I wouldn’t say that it goes downhill after that, it doesn’t have the same zing. It also doesn’t help that Episode 11 feels like a prolonged exercise in time wasting until the not-too-bad finale — when Ji-hun is done with his sabbatical and decides it’s time to go after the true villain of the piece.

It’s not a great show by any metric but not a terrible one either. For some it will be a hard slog in parts and some perhaps like me some will persevere to the end for the love of Namgoong Min.

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Enjoyed it but a bit sad it struggled in the 2nd half

Clearly something messy was happening behind the scenes because this series felt like 2 different shows! In the first few episodes it was a quirky and lighthearted legal comedy (with lots of the fun things I adored about “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” — office buddy shenanigans, learning about their clients and solving the cases) but then the pivot to the ML’s backstory and introducing a villain kinda felt like they wanted to be “Vincenzo”?

Personally I thought the comedy and the characters were the best part of the show and I’m sad they obviously thought a need to turn into a legal “thriller”. The change was jarring and while the second half was interesting, it was super rushed and most of all I missed the energy of the first half.

It was a good show. But it could have been GREAT.

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a 16 part drama turned into rushed 12 part drama with bits of comedy

I was into Bad Prosecutor initially as it was a comedy. Then we had 2 episodes of backstory which was kind of heavy. Then we were told it was no longer 16 episodes but instead only going to be 16.

It then felt rushed and you could see that the pace had changed. The last episode wrapped things up neatly and ended on a comedic note.

The story line and the acting were great which saved this series.

I don't see the re-watch value for this but there are some funny moments and the bones of the story are solid. Just a shame that behind the scenes or post production decisions robbed us of 4 episodes

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Small team, big heart

One Dollar Lawyer wastes no time: we jump right into the tale of our low-fee lawyer, and see his eccentric ways play out first-hand. The drama excels at random offhanded moments of comedy, and that’s totally what I’m here for.

Namgoong Min, of course, is just excelling and having the time of his life here, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Kim Ji-eun, and their interactions when they start working together is superb. On the other hand, Park Jin woo is mostly known for his more serious roles but here you get to see him in full comedy, delivering some a very funny performance. Choi Dae Hoon plays the prosecutor dork trying really hard to be cool without realizing his honesty and hard work are exactly what make him one of the best characters in this show. Finally, Gong Min Jung shines as the smart and cool as a cucumber prosecutor, the perfect fold to her colleague and our lead's eccentric ways.

All in all, this was a drama full of nuance comedy, that really excelled when it decided to get more into the drama or thriller genre. Far from boring, dragged out, or overly violent, the cases were more about helping people in need (mostly people who society discriminates against), but we also have a bigger plot related to our hero's tragic origin story.

The standout guest roles go to Lee Chung ah and Nam Myung Ryul is what's probably the most heartbreaking performances of the entire drama.

I recommend it !

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I would want a lawyer like Cheon too!!

I had little expectation for this show as I had just recovered from the awful Doctor Lawyer.

The story is about a quirky lawyer who charges only 1000 won of consultation fee to his clients. He is crazily goofy with mysterious background but clearly has an exceptional investigative techniques. While FL is a pampered granddaughter of a lawfirm moghul who is also a lawyer in training. She first met ML in the courtroom as he represented a pickpocket suspect while she the prosecutor in training. They started off really bad and she had real horrible impression of him. As her training term ended in the prosecution office, she was expected to finish training in a lawfirm, which her grandfather moghul tasked her to go to ML’s firm instead of the his lawfirm, the Baek Law Firm. That is the start of their adventure unraveling the ugly reality of white collar criminal world.

I especially ship the love story in this show although it was shown as ML’s past only. In this part of the story, ML as the junior prosecutor was really quiet, cold and reserved but fierce in the courtroom. He didnt make many friends at work, and people call him the crazy person from seong dong. He didnt speak to people unnecessarily and Lee Juyeong, an attorney from Baek Law Firm, represented the person he was prosecuting, and called him an antisocial. But she was attracted to him after their first courtroom session, and kept appearing around him when he least expected it. She didnt look desperate or clingy, just curious and fascinated at how ML carries himself. She wanted to be friends with him, and said that if she managed to make him smile for the third time, he would have to go on a date with her. LJY managed to make him smile three times, and they stayed friends for two years before he went down on his knees to ask for her hand in marriage. That scene was truly unexpected cuz ML had always been reserved and cold, he never really express how he feels to others. Although his proposal had been sudden, i could feel the spark between them. It proves that you dont need any awkward proximity scenes between the ML and his love interest to show that they fell for each other, and you dont need staring contests between the them to display their deep love for each other. Mind you, they dont even share romantic, cheesy dialogue with each other, the most romantic thing they did was to hold each others’ hand, and yet i could feel their chemistry and love for each other. It’s truly beautiful and I cried hard when the incident happened which robbed her from ML. The story started off so goofy of ML as the attorney that I never expected how emotional the scenes from ML’s past would be.

I totally love love love the supporting character Na Yejin, the senior of ML in the prosecution service. Her character was so laid back in the beginning i thought she’s just a minor neglectable role. Damn she appeared more and more towards the end and became ML’s key in prosecution to take down the bad guys. I love her cool and yet take no nonsense character. I love her attitude, her expressions, the way she talks, well everything about her! The actress is really good.

ML is shown to be goofy and acts like a coward, but when needed he could fight his way out and take down the enemy. They dont have much of fighting scenes, but it doesnt bother me as an action packed freak, because this show is anything but boring.

I hope there’d be season 2 although i highly doubt it. I wish more of kdrama would follow american series format that renews every year, like The First Responder or Taxi. Kdrama has lots of promising and good series that can be a syndicate, like Prosecutor for Justice, GRID, The First Responder and Taxi, but they rarely go for it. It’s just too bad.

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Average story saved by Actors and Direction but destroyed by chopping off episodes.

Story: Story revolves around the JH(ML), a lawyer who charges only 1000 Won from his clients who are mostly those who can't afford a lawyer. It's his story about why he do what he is been doing and solving cases.

Characters: JH(ML): We see him as a really funny and non serious guy who is very intelligent and uses unorthodox ways to solve cases. But he has a really serious and sad side too which we see in the flashback.
MR(FL): She is forced to work for the ML by her grandfather, she is the sane one from the office trio. She is also funny and gets annoyed with the ML much often.
MJ: He works with the ML and behave very much similar to the ML often. He is very loyal and always looks out for the ML.

Acting: NGM: As always be is amazing, his comedy, expressions and breaking the forth wall is really funny. He is extremely good with the serious or sad scenes too. He has an amazing chemistry with KJE and his love interest from past. But sometimes his comedy felt a little over the top, a little bit of over acting when he does comedy.
KJE: She is really awesome, most of the time she has to get annoyed because of the ML and she does it so funnily. She has amazing back and forth with NMG. She doesn't have any serious scenes but she is really good at doing comedy.

Likes: 1) Amazing chemistry between the two leads. Their back and forth is so funny and interesting to watch.
2)There are few really good cases that were solved.
3)The comedy and friendship between the Trio, that is JH, MR and MJ.
4)Backstory, it is nothing new but really interesting to watch because of the acting and the new characters introduced.
5) Really loved the OST here.
6) Amazing switching of emotions by NGM, at one time he is very sad and serious and just is a blink he is behaving different.
7) Beautiful chemistry between NGM and Lee Chung Ah(his fiance in drama).
There are many other stuff to like also.

Dislike:1)Episodes were cut from 16 to 14 and then again to 12. So they story was not executed properly.
2) Villian not properly developed and lack in his character.
3)The FL is very much underused here, she is really talented actor but here she is a main supporting character.
4)Some comedy scenes felt very over the top.
5) Extremely low focus on characters other than the ML.
6)There are only 12 episodes yet you will find one or two filler episodes.

Overall: It's definitely an above average drama but it could have been a lot better if there were few more episodes. The story felt incomplete and the characters other than the trio were put in without much of thinking. If you want to watch a drama which has comedy, some crime solving and couple of serious episodes then you will like this.

Note: The last episode that is episode 12 was a really well done and executed really good. Due to less episode the drama felt rushed.

Rating as critique: 8.5
Rating as casual viewer:9

Also, the drama was cut short because of some issue between the production company and the writer.

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Decent but the end just fizzled out

This story was decent, but not great. The reason I would not recommend watching it is because the end just sort of fizzled out. Like others noted, it is like they cut down the number of episodes and just let things end without much satisfaction for the audience. The actual ending few minutes was lame and added nothing to the series. We were like "What the heck was that?"

The big bright spot for me was the acting of Kim Ji-Eun. She was awesome, with spot of comedic timing, cute expressiveness, and energy. The ML, Namkoon Min was pretty good too, but was not a big deal for me.

Spoiler:
It *seemed* like they were gearing up for some romance between the leads, but nothing. Nada. Very disappointing.

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