Just Finished Watching "Pride And Prejudice" (KDrama)

Well, for some people, the title Pride and Prejudice is a reference to Jane Austen's novel from the 1800s. No, it's not even a direct adaptation or remake or whatever. The novel did make a cameo in early episodes but it's hardly a novel of three daughters. Rather, it's about lawyers and prosecutors who are dealing with two issues that get along in their work - hence the title! Director Kim Jin-Min and writer Lee Hyun Joo try their best to balance serious themes with occasional comedy (hence the first episode) in contrast to the dark world of Orion Cinema Network. Yup, Choi Jin Hyuk appears as prosecutor who runs into his on/off love interest played by Baek Jin Hee. Jin Hee is rather plain-looking but she delivers when she needs too. Also, there are some mysteries from the time the main characters Dong Chi and Yul Moo were children.

There's some gray morality when Mr. Moon is hard to classify. Actor Choi Min Soo plays Mr. Moon rather well. You get irritated with Mr. Moon when he needs to do so. Mr. Moon seems to be involved in a case and his attitude makes you think he is. However, Mr. Moon is invested in protecting his crew at the same time. So, what's really his role? It's hard to talk bout Mr. Moon without talking about major spoilers. Yup, you need to watch the whole series to really figure out his role and what happens next. He's sort of a morally ambiguous Walking Spoiler.

What's also amazing is that the show actually does have some weird connections. For instance, two boys died and the other survived. Protagonist Yul Moo wants to find who killed her brother. But could somebody be her brother in the cast? Kang Soo (Lee Taiwan ahem Tae Wan) survived while another child died. Could he be the brother or was the brother dead all along? Just a hint - there's also some accidental incest because somebody got adopted. Just a bit of a spoiler - Kang Soo is actually Yul Moo's brother who had an identity change. But how that happened? Well, I won't spill it!

The show itself has some stuff that I'd enjoy. The love story of Dong Chi and Yul Moo is not overemphasized like your typical Korean drama. Instead, a lot of stuff gets dedicated to uncovering secret agendas that led to the present day. I also love how Yul Moo starts off as petty and vindictive yet she becomes more mature as the series goes on. The backstory of Dong Chi giving up medical school to become a lawyer is another. They also uncover clues against certain crimes that happened some time ago. They also struggle with their pride and prejudice (hence the title) in their pursuit of justice in a corruption-ridden society. Jin Hyuk just got prepared for his partnership with Jin A Nana in Justice five years later in this series.

The show may be so 2014 but it doesn't mean it's not worth watching. These days, I do feel like viewers of Korean drama need to go beyond the love stories. This one has very little romance and more on the crime-suspense factor. Some events require suspension of disbelief which also adds to why it's worth watching.