ilovedramas293

Again, I like your points, but the drama so far has not neglected that. Even in the latest episode LHY remembers those painful moments, so clearly it has to be addressed at some point for him to fully want to be with her. From what I've seen so far, his ex-wife has had to put up a tough exterior because of her horrible family. She clearly knows anyone she marries will be a puppet of her family, which is why she even warns LHY to stay away from her, when she starts to genuinely like him. We have seen a lot of changes in the ex-wife in this second life, because LHY is sticking to the person he wants to be. If you look again at the first episode, the ex-wife only stopped caring about LHY, because he himself changed and became a puppet of her family rather than a proper husband and life partner for her.

Yeah he's crushing on her.

What else am I supposed to assume when you say "everything gets so confusing" ?

What doesn't make sense? It all makes sense so far. Literally everything falls under his main goal to make sure Kang Sin Jin doesn't get to the top as he wants to rid the root of the corruption.

Yeah I'm not bothering defending, especially when you say there's no purpose to the other four main characters when they clearly have their own stories, personalities, and goals. They drive the plot forward in so many ways. If you don't see that, your opinion is just invalid.

It's very good!

Doctor John was fantastic, but I don't mind the chemistry between the ex-wife and LHY in this drama. I found her annoying at first, but she's really mellowed down when she's with him.

Sounds like it, but you gotta spoiler your comment

Not much, but yes there's moments with the ML and his ex-wife. Very cute moments with great development for the two!

I'm not going to lie, I have been having a hard time finding kdramas that are consistently good from beginning to end since there's such a dump of them being made recently...but The Judge Returns has been a fantastic experience every episode. Ji Sung has seriously picked a winner with this script. The writing, acting, characters, and pacing has been so good that I've been rewatching episodes and I'm still drawn in. This feels like a mix of Taxi Driver and Stranger which I absolutely love. It never gets boring, but there's always something new happening. There's also so many wonderful characters/actors like Kang Sin Jin that have performed to the max and have pulled me in with all of their interactions, actions, and stories. I can't stop smiling whenever I see LHY and KSJ talking with one another, even casually, cause they're so equal when it comes to their intellect, but one is the extreme version of the other which makes things very interesting as their ideologies and clever thoughts battle it out.

I feel so sad that the show is ending next week. Feels like there's so much left to explore and I wouldn't even mind if we had gotten 16 episodes. Ending might be unfortunately rushed, since there's only two episodes left, but so many storylines to conclude like taking down Haenel, the shadow government, KSJ, and resolving things with Se Hui.

Actually, he hasn't come out. My bad for making that comment without first researching, but there is a high likelihood he is gay.

Honestly JS is killing Han Young's role. There is this zen like calm demeanour, with a certain playfulness on the top of being extremely smart and observant. This weekend was also a blast! First episode felt like it was out of Taxi Driver with all the heist & action, while the second episode felt like Stranger as it was extremely suspenseful from beginning to end. Amazing how this drama continues to balance the comedy, emotional moments, and the suspense with politics. We also get more surprises from both Kang Sin Jin and Han Young, and the mind games between them continue to stay very interesting. Love the parallels and interactions between them, as KSJ still seems to be like what LHY would have become if he continued on his corrupt path. I loved seeing the squad bonding for the first time in this drama, and I think they redeemed his past-wife so well with her even warning Han Young that he'll be exploited and worked to the grave if he gets with her, despite her wanting to be with him. It's the first genuine moment we see from her, and then I almost cried when she felt so out of place wanting to have fun and be with LHY and his friends, but her status got in the way, and she secretly ran off with LHY trying to chase after her. I think LHY is also starting to recognize her real, vulnerable self being exposed in front of him which was trapped behind this fake tough spoiled exterior of hers. She only lets this wall down in front of LHY, because he's the one she's grown most comfortable to be with as her real self. More background information on how it was like growing up in the Haenal family would probably help, but her parents were probably very cold to them. I do wonder how they'll wrap this up in the last 4 episodes. There's so much going on right now and those previews look like they'll be putting LHY into a very tough spot now that KSJ is catching onto everything.

Is the storyline here good?

Waiting another week for the next two episodes is going to kill me! This weekend was such a roller-coaster in terms of how everything is being set up. The cast is really fantastic and despite being huge, everyone is getting so much great screentime where they carry out their roles to perfection. I really love Kang Sin-Jin the most right now. He's such an interesting antagonist, and I didn’t expect to end up liking Kang Sin Jin this much, but his character continues to really grow on me ever since we learned more about his backstory. The actor himself really hides his intentions well, and you can't see what he's even planning on the surface sometimes. Sometimes he seems deranged and furious, but other times he seems so innocent like he truly is just bonding with LHY. He honestly feels like the version of Lee Han Yeong that could’ve existed if he fully stayed on his corrupt path, and it's nice to see the two bond, despite not being able to fully trust each other. What makes him interesting is that he still believes in equality under the law, but that he just thinks the only way to get there is by taking control of the law himself. The back-and-forth mind games between Kang Sin Jin and Lee Han Yeong are one of my favorite parts of the show. The way they manipulate people around them and clash with their enemies makes everything feel like a high-stakes chess match. I also really like that Lee Han Yeong knows what he’s trying to prevent from his past life. It makes his choices feel way more urgent and desperate, especially when he tries to get ahead of things before they happen again. I was skeptical at first, but JS really knows how to pick his scripts! He definitely found a winner. It's a shame it's not getting more attention, because the first 2 episodes give a very different impression from the rest of the drama. I'm glad this is getting a lot of viewership in Korea at least.

Anyways, enough about them. I loved seeing the little bromance developing between Lee Han Yeong and Park Cheol Wu this weekend too! The prosecutor trying to deny that they're almost close friends was funny to me. Also looks like Kim Jin A is getting more and more screentime now that Lee Han Yeong is pulling her into his plans. Seeing Se Hui really jealous was so hilarious. They honestly balance the action, seriousness, and comedic parts of each episode so well. Although his past life was nothing but bleak and depressing, his second life is so much more well-rounded. I also loved the action this weekend as well, and I have to say the way JS takes off his glasses and masks himself for it really gives off a cool superhero identity. He even has his own signature lines as a judge. Overall super entertaining and I'm not sure where this drama is going to go from here.

Yes, I'm so lost on what's going to happen next. It doesn't help that Kang Sin-Jin's actor is so great at hiding his intentions. Sometimes he seems deranged, other times surpressed, and other times he's so innocent as if he truly bonds with Han-young over their grudges and childhoods.

It's not clear yet. He does seem to have some loving memories of her from his past life like when they ate out at the same place they do in Ep7, but because he let Haenal fully take control over him, their relationship was horribly cold. She is turning over a new leaf though in this life, and he does need someone like her on his side for the power he needs over Haenal. I actually really like the chemistry between them. It's cute seeing her get so jealous and small moments like Lee Han Yeong looking at her intently to signal her to say "thanks" really made me laugh. He's the definition of "I can fix her." Also there's 3 female leads. The reporter, Kim Jin A, and Se Hui from what I see. All of them have their own roles and are fantastic actresses.

I read somewhere that he does end up back with his ex-wife and she does get a redemption arc.

I doubt it. Kim Jin A here is very serious, and there's no hints of romantic interest between the two

OMG yes, this comment. Ji Sung's judge fashion and hair is hilariously fitting for his character. He's literally a troublemaker and jester in his 2nd life.

This drama just keeps getting better with every episode. Episodes 5 and 6 were genuinely so good. I didn’t expect to end up liking Kang Sin Jin this much, but his character really grew on me once we learned more about his backstory. He honestly feels like the version of Lee Han Yeong that could’ve existed if he fully stayed on his corrupt path. What makes him interesting is that he still believes in equality under the law, but that he just thinks the only way to get there is by taking control of the law himself. The back-and-forth mind games between Kang Sin Jin and Lee Han Yeong are one of my favorite parts of the show. The way they manipulate people around them and clash with their enemies makes everything feel like a high-stakes chess match. I also really like that Lee Han Yeong knows what he’s trying to prevent from his past life. It makes his choices feel way more urgent and desperate, especially when he tries to get ahead of things before they happen again.

I also love how he’s slowly using everyone who wronged him in his first life against themselves. Even things like that video with his past wife ended up being used in his favor, when I originally thought it was for a totally different reason. Him getting involved with Haenal on his own terms is great to see. I actually think his past wife might get a redemption arc, which I wouldn’t mind at all. Her chemistry with Lee Han Yeong is great, and now that he understands how he was controlled in the past, their dynamic feels a lot more interesting.

Also really appreciate that the show doesn’t forget the mistakes he made before either, especially when it comes to the scenes with his parents, or with the grandmother and her granddaughter. Those moments make him feel human. And I can’t get over how his childhood friend is so sweet and loyal despite literally being a gang boss. Won Jin A’s reasons for going after Jang Tae Shik are finally clicking now, and she really feels like a main character herself. There’s just so much depth across the cast.

This drama seriously deserves more attention. Loving how unexpected things actually happen, Lee Han Yeong isn’t always in control, and he genuinely grows as a person. JS plays him so well too with how he can be playful, clever, remorseful, and intense when he needs to be. His character feels smart without being unrealistically perfect, and even the morally questionable things he does are on his own terms for the greater good in this life.