Title: 파트너 | The Partner | Partner
Genre: Law | Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Network: KBS2
Broadcast Period: 2009-Jun-24 to 2009-Aug-13

Synopsis:

It is a story about Kang Hyun-Joo, a widow, naive, inexperienced lawyer, and a single mother with a son suffering from the same hereditary disease that caused the death of his father or so, she thought. She went to Seoul to find a career and a life for her and her son. She found work at Kim Yong-Su’s law firm through the recommendation of her adoptive father, Jo Hyung Rae. There she met Kim Jeong-Won, a brilliant and strong woman who’s been marred by her bad father and the love of her life, Lee-Yeong-Woo; Yun-Jun, a challenged-lawyer, who can’t seem to find a legal case that can make him achieve his ambition; Byeon Hang-Ro, who’s an associate lawyer but never came close to the level of legal expertise of his co-associates; Choi Sun-Yi, the legal secretary who has a secret crush to Yun Jun; and, Lee Tae-Jo, who’s a smart and cynical lawyer, who became the legal mentor of Kang Hyun-Joo. Lee Tae-Jo, although, a great lawyer and the son of the owner of one of the most prestigious legal firm and the brother of Lee Yeong-Woo. He left the legal firm of his father, Lee Jin-Pyo, due to a legal case that caused the death of his best friend. Together, Lee Tae-Jo and Kang Hyun-Joo became partners to legal battles in the courtroom and later on, will fight the biggest battle they both have to face in love and in life.

Characters:

• Kim Hyun Joo as Kang Eun Ho
• Lee Dong Wook as Lee Tae Jo
• Nam Da Reum as Young Tae Jo
• Choi Chul Ho as Lee Young Woo
• Noh Tae Yub as Younger Young Woo
• Lee Ha Nui as Han Jung Won
• Kim Dong Wook as Yoon Joon
• Shin Yi as Choi Soon Yi
• Park Chul Min as Byun Hang Ro
• Lee Won Jong as Kim Yong Soo
• Choi Soo Rin as Yoo Mi Yeon
• Lee Jung Kil as Lee Jin Pyo
• Song Jae Ho as Jo Hyung Rae
• Jung Yoon Suk as Oh Jae Dong
• Ga Deuk Hee as Oh Young Yi
• Kim Seung Wook as Hwang Yoon Bo
• Kim Shi Hyang as Kim Se Mi (Episode 1)
• Im Ji Kyu as Jung Jae Ho (Episode 1-3)
• Ahn Suk Hwan as Jae Ho’s Adoptive Father (Episode 1-3)
• Kim Mi Kyung as Jae Ho’s Mother (Episode 1-3)
• Im Seung Dae as Defendant Choi Soon Ki (Episode 3-7)
• Lee Hye Sook as Actress Jung Hye Suk (Episode 3-7)
• Oh Yong as Seo Jin Chul (Episode 3-7)
• Kim Na Young as Cartoonist Moon Soo Jung (Episode 4-6)
• Kim Gab Soo as Kwon Hee Soo (Episode 7-10)
• Kim Jung Nan as Kim Young Suk (Episode 7-10)
• Kang Kyung Hun as Jang Hyun Soo (Episode 8-13)
• Jo Hee Bong as Taxi Driver (Episode 9-13)
• Kim Young Ok as granny Go Myung Ja (Episode 9)
• Lee Hee Do as Lawyer Yoo Man Seung (Episode 10)
• Lee Dal Hyung as Goo Young Tae
• Jun Hae Ryong as Jin Sung Group’s Doctor
• Lee Sang Woo as Judge
• Ji Joo Yun
• Choi Won Tae

My Review:

I watched this drama because one of the directors is Kim Won-Suk, the director of Misaeng and Signal. I have so much enjoyed these 2 dramas that I wanted to watch his other works while waiting for Wednesdays and Thursdays with abated breath for Descendants of the Sun. But, it seems his earlier works, like this K-Drama, is not as brilliant as his newer works. I guess, one has to practice to make it right and this is one of the K-Dramas he worked for to learn, gain experience and be great. Brilliance comes with practice and experience. In fairness, this K-Drama is not that bad but do need a lot of improvement. It started strong enough but as it goes through the 16 episodes I found a lot of the legal procedure farcical. Not sure if that really depicts how Korean legal system works but the more I see police procedural and legal K-dramas, the more I see and realize that it is very similar to what we have here in my own country, basically a farce. However, having said that I don’t know if the way K-Dramas depict this process has deviated from what is true for cinematic license. Unfortunately, the legal proceedings depicted on this K-Drama is quite frustrating because no matter how farcical justice is in the real world, legal procedures still work at certain level of professionalism. There’s a lot here you can’t do in a courtroom no matter how farce it is like grand standing and lawyers talking in a manner as if they are the ones giving testimony, allowing witnesses inside the courtroom during the testimony of other witnesses prior to their own testimony, and entering evidences not indicated or mentioned within the evidence presented by the prosecutor. After watching 11 episodes straight, I have to skip to the ending because I’m already getting bored and frustrated. I believe I mentioned to a lot of my reviews that if there’s one thing that irks me in K-Dramas is when a person or group of supposedly great and brilliant professionals like police or lawyers or doctors are acting strangely mediocre to what they claim to be their character should be.

So, What do I Like About this K-Drama?

(1) I like the story lines of the legal cases especially the first 2 from Episode 1 to 7.
(2) I like seeing characters that are similar to people I see in my real life. That there are those who looks great and good to the rest of the world but, actually, rotten on the inside. However, there’s reason/s why. People are not bad just for the sake of it, there’s a driving force and explanations why they turned out to be that way. Although, these may not be enough to justify their actions but we can at a certain extent understand them. We also don’t have the right to judge these people for we don’t know if we will not truly be like them if we were in their shoes for real. If there’s something I learned my life, that’s one of them.
(3) I like Lee Yeon-Woo’s character. It is not because I find him a good human being but his character is complex. He is not bad for the sake of just being bad. He is embattled within himself as he fight for his freedom to do what really makes him happy versus being a good son to his convoluted father, Lee Jin-Pyo. He paid the price for doing what is expected of him rather than being better a person.
(4) I like the loving and supportive gestures between Kang Eun-Ho and Lee Tae-Jo especially the holding hands. It was so simple but speaks volumes.

What I do Not Like About this K-Drama?
(1) I honestly, got irritated with the sub plots of the other characters especially Byeon Hang-Ro, Yun Jun and Choi Sun-Yi. It was so useless and obviously scene  fillers to prolong the story line up to 16 episodes. I’ve actually fast forward it when I see their faces because it is all nonsense except probably when Yun Jun left to work for Lee Jin-Pyo’s Law Firm and became a pawn to the legal battle in the ending.
(2) I hate semantics and there’s a lot of scenes like that here.
(3) There are a lot of the legal proceedings that exasperates me in a lot of instances.

Would I recommend this K-Drama? Maybe, if you have nothing better to do.

My Rating to this Drama
( See My Rating System: ) 2/5 Stars

OST:
01. Partner – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
02. 꿈꾸는 히어로 – Super Junior – K.R.Y.
03. 내게 사랑이 – Rumble Fish
04. One Person – Cha Soo Kyung (차수경)
05. 비겁한 사랑 – Lee Hyun Min (이현민)
06. 나는야 워킹맘– Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
07. 형제의 아픔 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
08. 순수한 열정 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
09. 불꽃 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
10. 사랑인지도 모르게 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
11. 반전을 노리다 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
12. 정의를 위하여 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
13. 냉철한 법정 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
14. 곁눈질 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
15. 욕망의 늪 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
16. 대결 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
17. Don’t Worry – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
18. 기억속 그들 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
19. 순이의 순애보 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
20. 또 하나의 사건 – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
21. Justice – Lee Pil Ho (이필호)
22. Promise – Kim Hyun Joo