AnthideAgiusMuscat

The script of POJ is an adaption so the remarks about character development not "evoluting" in certain directions are simply "uninformed" remarks.
IMO one either takes the drama at face value & clearly states a dislike for the various tropes used to craft the work or one gets access to the original IP & establishes whether the film version is a faithful transposition to screen or a bloated mess which destroyed an existing work which had already found a readership strong enough to warrant a film version.
No one is stupid in film industry & even less their financial backers .. neither time nor money is spent on obviously lame horses so some remarks only expose the narrow mind of the commenter & not the incompetence of the script writer(s), actors or anyone else remotely connected to POJ. And I believe this holds true for every drama not just POJ .....

Miles Wei was one of first Chinese actors that caught my interest when I started watching C dramas. MW's aura strongly reminded me of some of the film greats that I had watched when still barely a teenager (I'm now in my mid 60s!). The actors were mostly American or British. The characters they brought to the screen were elegant but at the same time self disparaging; sometimes silly or stubborn but at the core honest, genuine & a blessing to have on your side during a crisis. Just the way, any self respecting woman hopes her male "connections" will be & prove to be over time.
I have seen criticism online that Miles Wei repeats himself from rom com to rom com. My take is that he has "created" a recognisable icon ... no one expects James Bond to be anything other than James Bond now do they? Miles Wei's rom com onscreen avatar is likewise reassuring familiar ...... One thing however is sure, MW is now on top of his game & the visibility he enjoys today has been hard won.
Nothing is left but for us to sit back & enjoy watching this talented man go thru the motions. None are "novel" but they are nonetheless worth the time we spend in his "company".

This series was riddled with exaggerations which took all the bit & credibility out of the narrative.
The ML discovering that he had a undetected cardiopathy which unless he seriously changed his life style would shorten his life would have been plausible but that the ML within such a short time lapse goes from having no significant health problems to needing a heart transplant is definitely not!
Also the various ethical & psychological issues inherent to organ donation, both for the doner or the recipient were heavily "glossed over" in the case of the second "life" donation: of dying father to "dying" son. The concepts of a "living" will were imaginatively stretched to include a very particular "last" wish (legacy) which other family members were expected to respect regardless of any other considerations. I very much doubt that such an act is permissible for a myriad of reasons. What a messy end to a 50 episode series; the script writer could have done much much better.

I wrote in the Hallmark style not under the Hallmark banner!

I would say those who anticipated indulging in a soulful Kdrama are now really pissed off because this series is an off the shelf American "romcom" in the Hallmark style. International audiences will probably not be all that "turned off" & the American viewers likely much intrigued by the several handsome but unfamiliar male protagonists .... there are at least three ... a South Korean; a Japanese; at least one native Italian.

The Italian locations leave a strong positive impression even on those already familiar with the very well preserved & truly beautiful late medieval & renaissance Italian cities ... the series is indeed a good PR exercise for these places & various other touristic ventures: olive oil making, wine yard touring, weddings held in historical locations.

IMO the soundtrack is chaotic & unremarkable but it is not the insult to South Korean musicianship others have declared it to be. The jury is also out whether AI was utilised in this instance .... old fashioned editing certainly was but other production techniques ........

And on a final note: where is it written that each Kdrama has to also deliver an original OST that lingers in the mind, perhaps longer than the drama itself?

Context is key if the narrative is to be understood as intended. Police & legal systems differ from country to country. What is procedure or process in the USA is not so in South Korea. This is the least one should keep in mind. Regardless of all considerations, right or wrong prevailing, viewers of a drama are perforce audience to the creation penned by the script writer(s)!

The scriptwriter of BTB is an ambitious Lady who tried to convey that even those who seem to be self assured might be plagued by a hidden unmet & long standing "need".
The visceral need to be "acknowledged/appreciated for just being themselves (with no regard to neither their age & current social status nor a disparity of these attributes with the other).
The connection between the ML & FL falls into this very special category. Using the romance or sexual attraction lens to consider their relationship distorts what is deep & unique, downgrading it IMO to something banal, ordinary.

Possibly you believe ageism is confined to the world of employment but nothing is less true. It is a form of subjective discrimination which can pop up in almost any sort of human interaction. In reality who is "cute" heavily depends on who is looking at whom .... the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" was not coined by accident! Reading thru your posts, it is obvious you delight in sprouting abuse at those foolish enough to mistake your posts as sincere comment ... well rest assured that I for one will not take the bait & provide you with further opportunity to aim any more of it in my direction!

Be careful with insults; they tend to boomerang!

What is so annoying? Having a few home truths played out on screen in a discreet but realistic manner? Ageism is a destructive sentiment; no good comes of it.

Alba Batista is a Portuguese actress (today 28 yes old) who married Chris Evans (now 44 yes old) in 2023. The age gap obviously neither bothers or disgusts either of the two.

My post was not in direct response to yours. I simply posited my own thoughts & conclusions, such as they are.

Now that all the episodes have aired, it results that when interviewed the ML actor states that the romantic element between the ML & the FL was deliberately softened to make the flow of events & narrative more "palatable" for the main target audience (domestic, S Korean). In essence the scriptwriter, director & main actors auto censored the "original script" not to create too many waves domestically. The creative team obviously had no appetite for the risk involved in running counter to still deeply held social prejudices & notions with regards to marriage & sexual relationships between older men/younger women. Doing so was after all not the "main" thrust of the script!
The keen interest in & approval of the drama of the Netflix audiences was hoped for but its extent probably a surprise for those behind the project. In the end the overall tone may have "suited" the original home audience but fell short of fully meeting the "evolved" & more broad-minded expectations of the Netflix audience.

The phycological insights buried in episodes of Beyond the Bar are many & some too complex to "quickly" outline. The scriptwriter presents us with an intricate tapestry of human interactions ... a few instinctive; others determined by circumstances or engaged in to follow social convention.
Is one really obliged to follow social norms that result in personal unhappiness rather than to take the "road least travelled"? Can blind loyalty be toxic rather than empowering?
From the comments posted in this forum, it becomes obvious that the understanding of many of what is love is very narrow .... limited to just sexual love which form of love is too often "inward looking" & an exercise in self indulgence rather than the ultimate form of connection with another human being.
Those still curious about the protagonists of Beyond the Bar should consider that with regards to Lawyer Yun, we have only been given "scrapes" and all the good stuff has not been "served".
Is Lawyer Yun inside his head only rational & controlled? If so, how can one explain his "violent" reaction to the clear evidence of child or animal abuse and his going the extra mile to vindicate the "victims".
The audience is not made privy to Lawyer Yun's life journey other than he is divorced and that his choice of a soulmate had proved over time to be seriously "flawed". A seemingly suave individual is cornered by a "past" intimate (a manipulative ex-wife) & under duress pushed to start seeking a life companion he does not believe he really requires. There is obviously so much more to Lawyer Yun than his prowess in the legal arena ... he is a "deep" character that the scriptwriter has deliberately not explored.
The signs that drama opus "Beyond the Bar" might not prove to be a one time wonder are very promising indeed.

We have been left with an open ended closing statement: Love is not a static emotion but one in constant evolution .... as will be one's understanding of it, whatever the outcome, good or bad ... This drama is a rarity .... it resonates with everyone but definitely not in the same manner or degree. All depends on one's own life experiences & how these have defined one's understanding of how love could or should be ..... fickle? enduring? supportive? demanding? selfish? selfless? .... the list is endless

Much has been written here about the dynamics of the interactions (romantic or otherwise) between the two "pairings" .... ML & FL and second ML & second FL. The careful observer however will have deduced by now that the intent of the scriptwriter is to express her conviction that a sincere, selfless "love" sentiment cares for no barrier, be it that of age, life experience or societal pressures & expectations.
Two souls who have "given up" on love come into the orbit of two "younger" individuals who initially had no interest in "identifying" much less engaging with a potential life companion (even casual sexual encounters are off their agenda). The younger counterparts however eventually see past the outer "cold" persona projected by the older protagonists in self defence against further "hurt" to that already endured, to the "inner deserving core" of their supposedly older & wiser "mentors". Both "youngsters" will decide to barge in where angels would have hesitated to thread. Why? Because true love & romance is not about "suitable" age gaps, a healthy earning potential or having a socially prestigious family lineage. It is about having the willingness to support & appreciate the other whilst being fully aware of both their "virtues" & "warts". The Italians have a saying: se sono rose, fiorerano! (if they are roses, they will bloom!).
The graphics of the opening sequence to each episode say it all: to have a whole "heart" one needs all the "pieces" & not just any pieces but ones that fit with each other in every aspect!

Too many posting here have mistaken a fictional drama for a montage of candid camera footage! As it is, the scriptwriter has cannibalized her own life/work experience for the benefit of the audience. This why so much of what is played out on screen feels so raw, real & relatable. One thing however should be clear by now: the scriptwriter wanted to drive home the idea that lawyers are not a super breed; they muddle their way through life (work & personal) like everyone else. Contrary to popular belief, they definitely do not exist or function in isolation 24/7 from the rest of humanity. So what could be more "real & natural" than occasionally offloading the workplace (or personal) dilemmas into the ear of a trusted confidant? Few, if honest, will not have done just that at some stage of their lives ....

As more comments roll in, I am noticing a bizarre trend. The same drama is being viewed as either not a reflection of reality or too candy candy! I am guessing that 99% of those writing here have never been inside a real Court room in any capacity. Court sessions are not drama sets: any theatrics will be deemed in contempt of the Court. Admissable evidence or information must satisfy pre-determined criteria established by the lawmakers ... this means that even hard copy independently certified documentation is at times dismissed as irrelevant to the case by the Court.
Too many forget or do not want to acknowledge that the natural sense of justice or what seems right and justice at Law do not always overlap 100%. This drama illustrates this point over & over again. The scriptwriter is a formal practicing lawyer. The material that has found its way onto our screens is based on her lived past professional journey & experiences .... this is why the outcomes are imperfect or partial as they so often are in real life.

To give credit where it is due:
the opening graphics of each episode include a "small" masterpiece .... jigsaw puzzle shaped fragments coming together to form a "whole" heart. Without a functioning, healthy heart there is no life or the semblance of a life worth living. The fragments, of course, are the various hues of love: platonic, unconditional, dutiful, idealistic, erotic, selfish, manipulative ...... the list is long!

From the comments posted, my wild guess is that few of those writing are in their 60s (like myself) .... natives of the Mediterranean ... or familiar with the output of European writers eg Andrea Camilleri (the creator of Comissario Montalbano) or lifelong admirers of Agatha Christie and her creations.
Anyone with chocolate box PDA on their mind should keep well away from dramas where the fulcrum is the twisted path persons are destined to follow in their lives or where life events push individuals to realise that there are few "absolutes" or immutable beliefs. In life practically nothing is sure except that everyone consciously or unconsciously is in a lifelong pursuit of love & connection.