dreamlovewrite
New Zealand
Suspicious Partner started out so strong that I was willing to overlook it being yet another legal k-drama, but sadly lost steam mid way when the main couple scenes picked up. I'm not sure if it's because of these 30 minute episodes meaning they can stuff more in and cut to different scenes in the second 30mins, but I find it that these types of shows tend to wander too far away to fit in scenes that in my opinion aren't very necessary to the flow of the story.
The actual story line is engaging, we have a tight knit of a main cast working in a law firm together after some major set backs in the career paths/lives of the two mains and an ongoing serial murder case. The law firm scenes provided amazing banter and life to this story, so watching for their office dynamics alone is most deserving to mention. It's one of the consistent parts to this drama that I like. Even when things change within the law firm in the end, it's amusing to see the same characters in the meeting room, and that no meeting is held successfully! The family aspect of the office is my favourite part. You have so many amazing characters in the firm that balance each other out. I love the genuine friendships that are formed, and the revival of lost ones as well as the story progresses.
You also have a main villain who was played expertly and was one of the main reasons I continued this drama. I'm not huge on this legal genre of late, but for me, Jung Hyun Soo was a worthy character that impacts you emotionally. Admittedly, when his scenes die down in the middle of the drama, so does the atmosphere for me. It's almost like whilst he is unable to be used in the storyline, the mains travel down this lacklustre path until he returns. Which, by then seems to be where the drama has lost all of it's steam. It seems to throw out the obvious routes for how it will go from here. All the same, up until the very end, Hyun Soo remains the most interesting character within this drama. I love how well Dong Ha has acted this broken person throughout and will be looking out for his acting pursuits in the future.
Sadly the romance, which started out strongly, with all the right tensions, turns into a hot mess during the second half. I get the reasoning behind the connection of their pasts placing pressure on the relationship, but Eun Bong Hee had been such a breath of fresh air as a character throughout, with her honest way of expressing herself, even when it landed her in hot water. I loved how true she was to herself. Sadly, when the secrets started to build, it was as if her character started to sink. Whilst there were still things in the second half of the drama that made me enjoy her, she lost some of her shine and became like many other female characters that are pining and still attempting to have their independence in a relationship that's been put on hold. I found No Ji Wook to be slightly better in the second half, though most of that probably stemmed from outside of their relationship, and how he wanted to protect all of his office family, and not just Bong Hee. Hyun Soo was really good at bringing out the best in Ji Wook. I must admit the one thing I did like about their romance is that they were grown ups in some respects, and made no hesitations to bring in more intimacy at the right times... nothing worse than watching an adult relationship develop mentally, and emotionally, without physical signs. It was naturally done, and I appreciated that.
Side characters at the prosecution center weren't always needed but I did like the connection within cases it offered. I also liked the friendship of the three girls at the end. It was nice to see even with all the bickering and hostility in the beginning/middle, they could all depend on each other to relax and hang out in the end. Some of the best kinds of dependable friends are the people who have truly seen you at your worst and still haven't truly shoved you away.
The music in this drama was alright, I found a couple of songs to be a bit boring, but otherwise complimented the show. The lighting was a bit off, especially in the romantic scenes, it was generally always aimed at showing the silhouettes, and it was in poor taste at some points in my opinion.
The ending was complete fluff, and whilst I appreciated it's consistency, I was already losing interest in the main couple's relationship by this stage that I found it to be a bit mundane.
8/10.
The actual story line is engaging, we have a tight knit of a main cast working in a law firm together after some major set backs in the career paths/lives of the two mains and an ongoing serial murder case. The law firm scenes provided amazing banter and life to this story, so watching for their office dynamics alone is most deserving to mention. It's one of the consistent parts to this drama that I like. Even when things change within the law firm in the end, it's amusing to see the same characters in the meeting room, and that no meeting is held successfully! The family aspect of the office is my favourite part. You have so many amazing characters in the firm that balance each other out. I love the genuine friendships that are formed, and the revival of lost ones as well as the story progresses.
You also have a main villain who was played expertly and was one of the main reasons I continued this drama. I'm not huge on this legal genre of late, but for me, Jung Hyun Soo was a worthy character that impacts you emotionally. Admittedly, when his scenes die down in the middle of the drama, so does the atmosphere for me. It's almost like whilst he is unable to be used in the storyline, the mains travel down this lacklustre path until he returns. Which, by then seems to be where the drama has lost all of it's steam. It seems to throw out the obvious routes for how it will go from here. All the same, up until the very end, Hyun Soo remains the most interesting character within this drama. I love how well Dong Ha has acted this broken person throughout and will be looking out for his acting pursuits in the future.
Sadly the romance, which started out strongly, with all the right tensions, turns into a hot mess during the second half. I get the reasoning behind the connection of their pasts placing pressure on the relationship, but Eun Bong Hee had been such a breath of fresh air as a character throughout, with her honest way of expressing herself, even when it landed her in hot water. I loved how true she was to herself. Sadly, when the secrets started to build, it was as if her character started to sink. Whilst there were still things in the second half of the drama that made me enjoy her, she lost some of her shine and became like many other female characters that are pining and still attempting to have their independence in a relationship that's been put on hold. I found No Ji Wook to be slightly better in the second half, though most of that probably stemmed from outside of their relationship, and how he wanted to protect all of his office family, and not just Bong Hee. Hyun Soo was really good at bringing out the best in Ji Wook. I must admit the one thing I did like about their romance is that they were grown ups in some respects, and made no hesitations to bring in more intimacy at the right times... nothing worse than watching an adult relationship develop mentally, and emotionally, without physical signs. It was naturally done, and I appreciated that.
Side characters at the prosecution center weren't always needed but I did like the connection within cases it offered. I also liked the friendship of the three girls at the end. It was nice to see even with all the bickering and hostility in the beginning/middle, they could all depend on each other to relax and hang out in the end. Some of the best kinds of dependable friends are the people who have truly seen you at your worst and still haven't truly shoved you away.
The music in this drama was alright, I found a couple of songs to be a bit boring, but otherwise complimented the show. The lighting was a bit off, especially in the romantic scenes, it was generally always aimed at showing the silhouettes, and it was in poor taste at some points in my opinion.
The ending was complete fluff, and whilst I appreciated it's consistency, I was already losing interest in the main couple's relationship by this stage that I found it to be a bit mundane.
8/10.
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