janec

I don't remember exactly, maybe someone will correct me. SDJ is a very intelligent and capable prosecutor who did not graduate from an elite university, so he has no connections to the prosecutorial elite and is off the grid. To have any chance of a career, he gave his loyalty to his boss to the point of doing things for him that were not necessarily clean. So he was corrupt, but in a group of other corrupts. So in season 1 he was a minor antagonist to the protagonist. There was a scandal that SDJ was part of, but he was just a minnow, on top of that I think everyone knew he was doing it out of loyalty to his boss, so you could say they let him off with a warning. He suffered a small punishment like exile from Seoul and his reputation suffered. Then SDJ started looking for a chance to return. He's really brilliant and hardworking, so he rummaged through some buried cases without knowing how dangerous they were to certain people and offered them to a certain high-ranking prosecutor. He wanted to be useful and find new connections. Unfortunately, in the middle of ongoing investigations, he disappeared. The main character's investigation into his disappearance was the pivot of s2 and showed how competent and loyal SDJ is as a prosecutor. His dedication gave him some points, but lacking decent connections, he couldn't return to the big leagues. If you associate Kang Won Chul, the guy worked together with him in season 1 (as one of his superiors), in season 2 he unintentionally contributed to SDJ's suffering, so in my opinion he owes him some debt and so a little, very little, but he protects him.

Should you watch Stranger? According to many, it is an absolutely excellent legal series, with armchair-pressing mysteries, totally gripping. Season two gets a little slower and more political, but in my opinion SDJ was the highlight of the season as a character who was the axis of the plot, even in parts where he wasn't on screen. Certainly watching Stranger will help you understand SDJ, his desperation and how difficult and fraught certain choices are for him. Although be forewarned, meeting the SDJ of 2017 may not be pleasant. Well, he was not an honest man then. But he was cute :)

This is the first drama in a very long time where I not only care about the fate of the main character, but I really root for him and when he faces injustice, I feel frustration. What can I say, I love SDJ. And to tell the truth, his tiny victories give me a lot of satisfaction.

By episode 6, no. After that, I don't expect it either. SDJ is a happily married, faithful husband. This is one of the very few k-dramas where there is no romance.

I also missed the relationship between HSM and HYJ, although my favorite scene was the one on the stairs when he felt bad and she looked after him. For me, it was not only a full understanding between them, but also that typical playful thread of affection (not romance). I really like how, despite the fact that they are both leading characters, they excellently manage to be supportive of each other. I value their friendship very highly.

Oh, I see. It's just that I'm watching season 2 right now, and here there are a lot of high profile cases, just shown through talks. We have the suspected murder of a police officer, we have a former prosecutor dead, we have high-profile tarnishing, so similar somewhat to season 1. Only here they're sort of handling things while investigating the missing SDJ. The approach is interesting, only the execution smacks of Covid 19. I remember watching it for the first time, I had the feeling that they were using a safe distance, that there were fewer people in the corridors and streets than there should have been. Perhaps the production actually had to be limited and the script adjusted, which is why this drama looks the way it does. I think many viewers wouldn't mind the political aspect of this season if it retained some of the dynamics and tension from season 1. In my opinion, what you want to convey is as important as how you convey it. If all the relationships between the characters in s2 are slow and awkward, the viewer will feel awkward too.
Anyway, I'm glad we have a new series in this franchise and I miss HSM a bit :)

To tell the truth, I don't understand what “author's true vision” means. In my country, children in school are taught “what the author wanted to say,” but in college I was taught to think “what the text conveys.” The author's true vision and what the viewer sees are very different things, because the author can fly in communicating his vision (I'm not talking about this series, just in general). As an author, I know that readers perceive certain scenes that I have written differently - some of them actually follow my lead, some see something different, but that, after all, does not diminish their experience. In the same way, as a reader/viewer, I prefer to get to know the story as I see it and not as the author tells me to look at it. If he failed in showing me what he wanted me to see, that's his fault, not mine, because he's the one who showed the world not accurately enough.
And HSM in the first season was very interesting to me. And I liked his interactions with SDJ in season two, although SDJ stole every scene then. That's probably why he got the whole series :)

In my opinion, this drama is much, much better than the second season of Stranger, which I am currently re-watching. Stranger 2 is saturated with politics and to be honest I'm not interested in 90% of what happens there. Don't get me wrong, they are interestingly leading suspects, just somehow I'm not interested in the corporate struggles of the protagonist's widow from the previous season or the dirty fight between the police and the prosecution. HSM, who was intriguing in season 1, falls flat in season 2 because we know everything about him. In season 2, it is SDJ who is the intriguing mystery uncovered during the investigation. For me, it is natural that with the change of ML to someone with a completely different personality (i.e., from someone calm and quiet to very dynamic) the whole character of the series also changes. I consider Stranger 1 to be one of the best dramas ever made, but its spin-off is so far a contender for an equally high place. Personally, I also find it very interesting that in the same universe you can put such different stories about rakishly different characters and do them in such an interesting, although different in climate way :)

I know it's still early to talk about it, but I would like a second season. It's been a long time since I've seen a drama that gives me so much entertainment :) Well-directed, with interesting action and a protagonist I really like and who has the potential for several more good seasons.

So in response, I took the trouble to rate each episode as I rate it :)

Different ML, different style, very high value. For me, each episode is intriguing and enjoyable to watch. Whether it will be a masterpiece, we'll find out after it's over. For now, it's going strong and in style.

Yes, it's just that I was asked about my preference, not some abstract general truth, so I referred to my preference. And yes, this is my own very private dislike of this drama. I forced myself to watch episode 5, and I still don't care about anyone in this drama, nor does any secret matter to me. So please don't tell me or others that I am running some kind of hate campaign against the Doubt drama. When someone expressed surprise that I liked one drama and not the other I simply politely explained why. But if expressing a private opinion in response to such a question is, in your opinion, heit, then please report my comment to the moderators and let them decide :) And if you don't want to pursue the topic, just don't pursue it or me. Thank you.

This is your point of view.

I understand that you do not like the lack of development of the main character. Actually there is no such thing, although it surprises me that you ask a person who thinks these dramas are bad and has stopped watching them :)
In any case, I don't know where you get the idea that the earth is a beautiful place where everyone wants to be. Well, it isn't, otherwise there wouldn't be murders and suicides. In hell Justitia was a powerful demon who could do pretty much anything she wanted, now she's on some dirty, boring earth, locked in some human's body (bleh) and has to do the job of some cleaner. Punishment is about making someone uncomfortable, in pain, suffering, humiliation, not about teaching them something. There is no penitentiary system in hell, there is only punishment bringing suffering. It is hell after all

Well, she is not an angel after all, but a demon :) And the fact that killing goes easily for her kind of goes in a package with being a demon. It's so generally accepted that demon = evil.

I wouldn't go that far :) I perfectly understand why this drama can appeal. This is a drama 100% in the style of popular webnovels. There used to be such a popular series about vampires, which is now ridiculed even by former fans. It sells and there is a lot of it on the market, it's just not a genre done with much commitment and skill. I don't like it, I rate it low, but if I were younger and had seen less good productions, I might like this drama :)

SDJ is a character I've liked for a long time (since Stranger). He was a bit of a slimy weasel at the time, but I could perfectly understand his motivation, his goals, and to me he was a guy who had a good heart but just started making some not-so-good choices. He paid for it, and painfully, and is now trying to return to Seoul and the respect of others honestly. As for me, he is a charming, likable character who I am happy to root for. She's still a weasel, but at least he's funny. About the protagonist of Doubts I know practically nothing. He's boring, slow and thinks his daughter is a murderer. I have no reason to root for him. If this drama had shown earlier how ML was happy with his family and then tragedy came, then I could have sympathized with him, understood his problems and doubts, but there was none of that. I was not given a basis to care about ML or FL. That's the main difference.

The other difference is the whole setting, the supporting characters. And here I will disagree with you, because I think there are a lot of interesting characters around SDJ. I love that young prosecutor and his interactions with SDJ. That police officer who suspects SDJ but cooperates with him is also excellent. I'm waiting to see when D.A. Kim will develop, as they are clearly going somewhere with her character. In Doubts there is no dynamic between the characters further down the line.

Another difference, but first the similarities: the murdered teenager and the mysterious money. In this drama, we got to know the victim. We know that SDJ had a positive relationship with her. We know that her father was worried about her, so the moment I learned that she was dead, I felt a little sorry for her. In Doubts, I don't care about the victim or her murderer, because it's some unknown number in the statistics for me. I don't know if it was a nice girl. The victim doesn't matter to me.

The pace and atmosphere are the final differences. SDJ is a very dynamic character who gets into trouble, but everything follows from something. There is action, there is reaction. In Doubt, there's just the unveiling of the shred of mystery by the screenwriters. It's slow and dark, while in SDJ it's very diverse, fast-paced, energetic. I don't mind dark dramas, but here the connection with any of the characters was definitely missing for me, so the darkness doesn't give me atmosphere just causes irritation, while watching SDJ is exciting fun for me :)

I definitely agree. I understand why others may like this drama, but that doesn't mean it will appeal to everyone :)

That's why I said “I'm not belittling the suffering of people who have PTSD.” Nevertheless, the misuse of the term in dramas is rampant and often confused with less serious problems, because they call everything PTSD. But I think I understand what you mean. For me personally, SDJ gives the impression that that event is a badge of honor for him (the scene in the hospital). Something like “my suffering was worth this moment of glory.” Maybe the reward of recognition was stronger for him than the trauma, he finally felt appreciated and proud that he even risked his life as a prosecutor for the cause. This certainly helped him overcome any potential emotional problems.
By the way, I laughed a lot at this drama, but I don't treat it as a comedy. Maybe the humor is written so naturally that I treat it as normal life situations rather than comedy. There was also a lot of humor in Stranger and it was definitely not a comedy. But of course these are just my own feelings :)

I couldn't wait and watched episodes 5-6 without subtitles. I didn't understand much (although I guessed a lot from the context and body language), but I still had a great time :)

First of all, the previous incident happened what, 4-5 years ago? That's enough time for a person to get over it. Secondly, PTSD is a complete exaggeration made either to make psychologists feel important or the TV series look interesting. I'm not belittling the suffering of people who have PTSD, but most people after some traumatic experience grit their teeth and move on, if they have any problems, it's usually not PTSD. This knowledge I know just from the mouth of a psychologist, an expert witness called in court to determine the emotional state of the perpetrators and the victim. More PTSD is encountered in TV series than in real life and yes, even in a life-threatening situation in a shocking and traumatic way. The experience of trauma does not develop PTSD at all that often.