Partner

I had wanted to write about this Kdrama the moment I finished watching it, but well there were other things to do (like train for the x-country run and hmm watch other dramas…) so I’ve procrastinated till now. It being the fasting month, I’m at home 24h on weekends and I hardly have anything to do. Running under the hot sun is out (although I used to undergo even more strenuous stuff when I was training during fasting month way way back when I was in school). New episodes of dramas I’m watching will not be out till next week. So the only thing to do is to look back at dramas I’ve watched in the past couple of months. And among those I’ve watched recently, I think Partner reigns supreme. (Brilliant Legacy aka Shining Inheritance and City Hall were good too, but today I shall just focus on one drama.)

Actually, I can just field one reason and I’d be done with justifying why the drama was superb. Lee Dong Wook. Period.

But well, to stop there would make me seem so shallow. Moreover, a good-looking lead does not make a drama. At least not all by himself. So I shall talk about other reasons why the drama got the thumbs up from me. I really wonder why the audience reception back in South Korea wasn’t that good. Maybe people still prefer the overused rags to riches template or the conventional romantic comedy genre but I am proud of myself for gradually moving away from those kinda dramas. Well, occasionally they still entertain me but well, something like what Partner offered is what I look for in a drama these days.

Not that there wasn’t even an ounce of romance in this drama. In fact there were numerous touching moments that tugged at the heartstrings. Like the part where Lee Taejo (LDW’s character) held Kang Eunho’s (KHJ’s character) hands in the car when she’s sleeping (especially when this come right before the poignant scene in which Eunho expresses her gratitude in front of a sobbing Taejo who had just found out how her husband’s death was connected to his family’s law firm’s evil deeds). Another instance would be the scene at the hospital when they were accompanying a lady to confirm the death of the latter’s husband. But the good thing about this drama was that it didn’t let the romance between the leads overshadow the main story (which to me wasn’t the romance between Taejo and Eunho) and it constantly reminded the viewer that after all, it’s a legal drama.

Which brings me to the main point. That the intensity of the cases handled by the leads really got me glued to the screen, no matter how disappointed I was that the whole drama only lasted for 16 episodes. In all the cases, the writers would make it seem that the defence party would lose the case, making the viewer feel so uneasy and irritated at the fact that the guilty party would be let off scot-free. But just at the right moment, there’ll be new evidence or witnesses to settle the case once and for all. That the smart Taejo was usually the one who discovered something new made it even more thrilling. It just showed how smart this lawyer was even though he usually acted like he didn’t care. And the little expressions of victory on his face were enough to make me squeal like a teenage school girl haha.

Also, unlike previous legal dramas I’d watched where I’d feel like I’m watching mutually-exclusive cases episode after episode, the overriding theme of truth vs the corrupted nature of some large corporations in the business world really gelled well with the court cases. The extent to which the two big industry players, Jinsung PNC (God knows what they produced that they had to pollute the environment to such an extent) and Haeyoon Law Firm went to cover up their misdeeds was just classic. As in I can imagine it happening in the real world (dunno if it has anything to do with my Sociology background but the dirty world doesn’t surprise me as much anymore). Thank goodness there are still sane people around who believe in the truth which makes you feel there’s still hope.

Of the sane characters in the drama, I like Taejo the best. Well, apart from his dashing good lucks, his passion and more importantly, his belief in the truth makes him such a lovable lawyer. He always acts like he doesn’t care, especially earlier in the series but working with Eunho really brought his character to life I think. LDW was so good at expressing his feelings, most of the time with just his eyes. People who have watched the drama would know that there wasn’t even a single scene in which the two leads say the conventional ‘I love you’ or ‘I like you’.

Instead, they subscribed to the idea that action speaks louder than words. Protecting and defending each other…The chemistry between the 2 leads was just so perfect that people may forget they were just acting. And well, having Eunho defend the man she loves in court was brilliant, especially when early in the drama, she came across as someone who did not fit the bill (as a lawyer) because she was too human in that she tended to care too much about her clients’ feelings that she sometimes lost her sense of objectivity. I would think that in the real world, lawyers probably can’t survive that long in the profession and she’s probably better off as a social worker but hey she grew from strength and became more astute in looking for the right avenues to solve her cases.

Having said that, the people who made me cry were the other 2 lawyers whose love affair is actually just so wrong and makes me wonder why I even cried for them. Basically the guy (Taejo’s brother) is a husband who cheats on his wife and the girl is one who keeps seeing the guy even though her good friend (Taejo) tells her not to continue with a relationship that will just cause her to hurt even more. But along the way, bits and pieces of their personal flaws and their sad life stories are told to the audience and you get a sense of why they became like that. Still, I’m not one who approves their kind of love story. I just wish they were a bit braver in the past, especially the guy. That way they could have been happier people…But it’s good that he finally got his act together and did something for his brother at the very end of the drama. Shan’t say more about what he did cos the effect is best felt when you don’t know what’s going on. That one scene in the last episode just made my tears roll down all the way till the end.

So yep, Lee Dong Wook was not the only reason why I enjoyed watching Partner. The other supporting actors and actresses were just brilliant at bringing their characters to life. The evil father of the 2 guys, the evil Jinsung PNC people, the evil lawyer who capitalises on the helplessness of the poor, the evil witch who ordered for her husband’s supposed mistress to be killed…the list just goes on. You’ve just gotta watch the drama to understand how the intricacies and complexities of life can all be laid bare in court. Jealousy, insecurity, love, hate. Almost everything the human form is capable of feeling.

Of course, having LDW act as the witty lawyer ups the enjoyment level. He looks attractive in almost anything. As Han Jung Won (the female half of the adulterous pair) mentioned when she visited LDW in prison, how could it be that Taejo looked good even in prison garb? Haha and I just love his hairdo in the drama. He’s been having long hair for a couple of years and guys with long hair are not just not my cup of tea, even if they are good looking. Well he was cute in My Girl but what can I say, he was charming, smart and capable all rolled into one in Partner. It must be the lawyer persona hehe…

I can’t seem to end this post but before I spill the beans on the whole drama, I better end off. So, legal drama fans, watch it. LDW fans, watch it even more. And did I mention that the OST is good too? Nice songs played at the right moments. The song featured below is just one example. I even teared when listening to this song.

It’s just too bad LDW has just been drafted into the military. We’ll need to wait a couple of years to see him back in action. Hopefully by then his acting will be even more polished and he’ll probably be more macho too.

Tags: actors, dramas, KDramas, life, world of entertainment