Another week of twists and turns, and it seems like this one murder case is going be dragged out over the entire length of the drama. What keeps me watching, though, are the shifting dynamic between our central ensemble of characters as they learn more about each other—and the implausible ways they’re all tangled together.
EPISODES 5-6 WEECAP
I won’t lie, the drama goes from one unlikely twist to another this week, which is all about Kang Sol B and her incredibly upsetting family unit. Her mom is a literal monster—parental emotional blackmail is a K-drama staple, but carrying pills around in her purse so she can be ready to threaten to kill herself at a moment’s notice? That’s a new low.
The Vice Dean is right about how badly his wife and daughter need therapy, though going to the same appointment is a terrible idea. The plagiarism motive was nicely set up, and I almost wish Sol B had been the killer, because after six episodes spent on one murder case, I’m starting to lose my patience with these endless fake-outs.
I think part of my issue with this show is its tone. The scenes related to the murder case, and now also The Mystery of Kang Dan, have a soapy, over-the-top feel that could be enjoyable if it didn’t feel so self-serious.
This almost feels unfair given the difference in quality between the shows, but if you compare Law School with the dramatic tone of Vincenzo, or even SKY Castle, those dramas undercut their high-stakes melodrama with a sharp, self-aware humor that just makes it more enjoyable. But here, the intensity is pitched jarringly high, ironically making even legitimately serious moments feel overwrought.
It’s a shame, given how different those scenes are in tone from the slice-of-life campus stuff that I’m really here for. If this show was 80% students moaning about grades and internships, and Joon-hwi and Sol A flirting like dorks over law briefs, I would be so much happier. Give me more of Joon-hwi standing guard outside Sol A’s house and being terrified by the tiniest little fluffy dog ever.
Although the part of that I don’t like is that the pedophile is still hanging around and increasingly insinuating himself in these people’s lives. It seems like they’re milking scenes of him menacing poor little Byul just to add to the creepy atmosphere, and that feels…vile and upsetting. (I did like Joon-hwi silently standing and moving between Sol A and the creep during the trial though. A+ swoony boyfriend material.)
If it weren’t for the sheer pleasure of watching Jong-hoon play everyone around him like fiddles—even if his puzzle-making process is laughably unrealistic—I’d have totally lost interest in the murder case by now. That and how he constantly low-key torments his useless lawyer PARK GEUN-TAE (Lee Chun-hee).
I’m here for the study group drama, Bok-ki noticing how Joon-hwi teases Sol A, and Sol A trying to stage an intervention between Ye-seul and her abusive boyfriend. I’m even enjoying the awkward relationship between the Kang Sols, especially now that Sol A has realized how incredibly toxic Sol B’s home life is, and seems to have to resolved to be her roommate’s protector with her usual reckless altruism. Even if that means being temporarily misconstrued as the Vice Dean’s daughter.