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letmereadinpeace4 · 1 year ago

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Why you should watch Law School?

Last year or about, I found myself searching for a new drama to watch. As I was scrolling on Netflix, I happened to look at a drama called Law School. Nothing in particular predisposed me to watch it: I am not particularly fond of the judiciary system as a setting, there was no mention of any romance, and the summary was rather vague. However, either because of the reference to an investigation in the summary, because of the preview pictures or, more likely, because I was bored, I decided to watch the first episode.

This turned out to be a great decision, and I watched the rest in about three or four days (a great feat for me, as I only do this kind of binging if the story captivates me).

Law School, as the name implies, takes place in a law school. We follow a group of law students and their criminal law professor, Yang Jong Hoon (aka Yangcrates as he is nicknamed by the students) as they face various legal cases, not the least among which is the murder of one of the most eminent professor of the university, a murder that Professor Yang is suspected of committing.

As the show progresses, the students will face the limits of the law and the way it can be used by powerful people to serve their own interests, but they will also discover their future role in the legal world and the responsibility they have in shaping the future.

This summary can seem rather vague, and it is, but that is because the drama covers so many themes, focuses on so many characters and so many plot lines, that it is practically impossible to summarize it succinctly.

Regarding the plot, it is well structured and well paced. There is never a dull moment, the plot twists are effective, and it is fairly credible as a law drama; not being realistic to the point of boring the viewer, not being outlandish to the point that it feels more like a soap opera (strong side eye to HTGAWM), yet still being entertaining and “dramatic” enough to pull the viewer in. The plot lines flow naturally from one to another and they are given the right amount of time to develop and resolve.

Regarding the depiction of the law setting, I am nowhere near qualified enough to tell whether the characters’ actions or behavior in a court of law are realistic or not, although I strongly suspect that some things are exaggerated for dramatic effect and the sake of the plot. It did not pull me out of the story, but some people who are more familiar with the judicial system might find more to criticize. One thing I appreciated was that the students are actually shown studying and struggling with all-nighters, exams, grades and all the constraints of actually being in law school. Very few of the students are actually perfect or even great students, in fact most of them are quite average in terms of grades. Compared to all the dramas where the characters are supposed to be in university and are never shown studying except when the plot requires it, this was extremely refreshing and relatable to see.

However, while the plot itself is good and effective, the two strengths of the drama are its characters and its themes.

The characters are well-written and interesting. They feel distinct from one another, with each character having their own strengths, weaknesses, desires, struggles and viewpoints on the law system. They also have incredible chemistry with one another, with the stand outs being the relationship between Kang Sol A and Han Joon Hwi’s, the relationship between Kang Sol A and Kang Sol B, the relationship between Kang Sol A and Jeon Ye Seul and the relationship between Han Joon Hwi and Seo Ji Ho.

To properly demonstrate how good these characters are, I will here introduce three of them, who can be considered to be the most important in terms of screen time. Note that they are far from being the only major characters, and that some characters (especially Jeon Ye Seul) cannot be introduced without spoiling the story.

Kang Sol A (another character is also named Kang Sol, so they receive the “A” and “B” to distinguish them from one another) is as close to a protagonist as you can get in this drama, at least when it comes to the student side, and she fulfills that role effectively. A former delinquent, due to a complicated familial environment, she is determined to pursue justice and is struggling with the limitations of the law, especially as powerful people and criminal exploits its loopholes to their own advantage. This strong sense is justice is completed by a strong loyalty to her friends and a determination to help them, which makes her the moral center among her group of friends. Despite these qualities, she is an average to bad student, often struggling with studying and grades. While this is often used as a way to provide comedy in more serious moments, it also serves to contrast her with other characters who are better students, but whose relationship with the law is more complex.

Han Joon Hwi is the most prominent male character in the student side. While Kang Sol A counts amount the “worst” students in her class, Han Joon Hwi is probably the best. He is charismatic, intelligent, funny with something of a troll side, and shares Kang Sol A’s determination for justice. However, Han Joon Hwi is in a different position, as his sense of justice has been challenged by the illegal actions of a member of his family, causing him to struggle between his affection for them and his belief that criminals should be punished. This moral dilemma causes him to be somewhat distant from other people despite his jovial attitude, rarely opening up about his true feelings and often hiding important clues and facts during investigations. He is a good counterpart to Kang Sol A, with whom he has the closest relationship with. While they are strongly implied to have romantic feelings for one another, nothing is ever resolved and the drama does not dwell too much into it, something that I am personally grateful for, as I think it would have taken a space that is better utilized elsewhere

Kang Sol B is Kang Sol A’s roommate and like Han Joon Hwi, she is one of the best students. However, while Han Joon Hwi and Kang Sol A share a strong sense of justice, Kang Sol B’s vision of justice is more complex. She is willing to be deceptive and commit illegal actions if it can suit her purposes. Furthermore, she is a far colder and distant character, whose ambition is clear to see. However, she is portrayed in a very sympathetic manner and never becomes a villain or even an antagonist. We are introduced to her familial environment and we get to understand how her family, especially her mother, has shaped the way she is. Throughout the drama, she grows into a friendlier, more balanced person, and slowly breaks free from toxic influences and patterns of thinking, to the point that she has one of the biggest character growth in the drama.

This cast of student is guided by Professor Yang Jong Hoon, who teaches criminal law, and by Professor Kim Eun Sook, who teaches civil law.

Yang Jong Hoon is one of the best teachers I have seen in media and probably one of the best characters in the drama, at the very least one of my favorites. While he is a strict and demanding teacher, he is also incredibly devoted to his work and to his students. His goal, as a teacher, is to push them to mature and to give their absolute best. However, when his students are “attacked”, he is quick to defend them against anything, no matter how powerful the threat may seem. Yang Jong Hoon takes his responsibility as a teacher very seriously, especially as it pertains to his students’ understanding of how the law works and what goals it should aspire to. Like Kang Sol A, he has a strong sense of justice, but his, due to his older age and his experiences of the judicial system, is far more mature. He is aware of how the law can be exploited, where the judicial system fails and how it can be exploited by greedy and powerful people, but is determined to teach his students that they should constantly strive for justice. The speeches he makes while in court, both as a lawyer and as a defendant, are some of my favorite moments of his, where his aspiration for justice shines wonderfully. He can also be quite eccentric, especially when he teaches. One of his best moments is when he brings the court case he is involved with as a murder suspect in class, and asks them to study it. Truly a wonderful moment.

Yang Jong Hoon shares his role as mentor with Professor Kim Eun Sook, who is probably my favorite character and a wonderfully written one. Kim Eun Sook shares Yang Jong Hoon’s sense of justice, but she can be far more cunning than him. She knows how to trick powerful people into doing things that benefit her while not compromising her morals. This aspect of her makes for delightful scenes where she is playing antagonists like fiddles all to benefit her and her students. Kim Eun Sook also displays a deep knowledge of the limitations of the law, especially when it comes to the protection of vulnerable people such as women in abusive relationships for example. She handles situations like this with grace and empathy, determined to protect her “clients” but also well aware that she sometimes needs to think outside the box to get the best results.

While this is a much less important aspect of her character, I strongly appreciate that there is absolutely no romance between her and Professor Yang and that she is played by a middle aged actress with a middle age body, and not by a younger more conventionally beautiful actress.

When it comes to the antagonists, it is difficult to talk about them without spoilers. I will however say that they are well-written and painfully realistic, which adds to the feelings of frustration we and the characters sometimes have when we see them scheme to not face the consequences of their actions. They are meant to show how the law can be exploited by powerful people and how these same people can gain sympathy from the public. The drama does not shy away from showing the damage they can do and how despicable and self-serving these people are. The fact that there are people in this world who are in similar positions and use similar tactics makes them all the more easier to hate.

As I have said before, the second great strength of the show is its themes. Unlike some dramas, TV shows and movies who portray the judicial system in either a cynical or an idealistic way, I would say that Law School depicts the judicial system in an inspirational way. As I have said throughout this review, the drama is not afraid to show the limits of the law, how it can be used to oppress people such as victims and protesters, how it is imperfect and flawed, and how the judicial system can be corrupted by powerful people like politicians for their own self-serving reasons. We see the police fail to investigate a crime properly, being pressured to solve the crime quickly and to put the blame on an innocent man, we see victims being re-traumatized in court, we see people who are fighting to protect innocents being put on trial because of their methods, we see how attorneys can be bought and how they can deceive the jury with rhetorical skills, we even see witnesses and defendants failing to use their rights because no one explained it to them, and thus damaging their cases. We see how the law can be unjust and corrupted and how it can hurt people.

And yet, the drama does not stop there. The drama shows how good and moral people can work to protect people, how they can fight to pass legislation to protect people, how the law can be changed and improved, how it is a work constantly in progress and how it must constantly adapt to new situations and cases. Instead of falling into a cynical pit, the drama uses the fact that the characters are students and teachers to show how future generations can improve a broken system and protect the marginalized and the victims. In today’s world where we are constantly confronted with the failures of our judicial system, this drama reminds us that there is still hope, and I respect it for this message.

I cannot in good faith end this review without talking about one of the most powerful plot line in the drama. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but for those who have not watched the drama or do not want to be spoiled, you can stop now.

CONTENT WARNING : The following will contain references to abusive relationships, sexual assault, recording of sexual intercourse without the parties’ consent, blackmail with a recording of sexual intercourse, and references to the judicial system’s awful treatment of victims of rape and of abusive relationships. Please proceed with caution.

One running plot line from the very beginning of the drama is Jeon Ye Seul’s abusive relationship with her boyfriend, a young man named Ko Young Chang who is the only son of a powerful family. This plot line culminates with him blackmailing her with a recording of him sexually assaulting her, and her seriously injuring him while trying to prevent him from uploading it online.

This is not the first time that law dramas and TV shows have dealt with sexual assault and abusive relationships. In fact, we have a whole spin off of Law&Order specially dedicated to that. However this is by far the most sensitive depiction of this topic I have ever watched.

By spending a respectful amount of time on the portrayal of the abusive relationship itself, the drama shows us how Jeon Ye Seul is pressured into staying in the relationship even as she is harmed both physically and psychologically. It also shows the mentality of the abuser, how he manipulates his victim and finds justification for his actions. When Ko Young Chang ends up injured, Jeon Ye Seul is so broken mentally that she cannot even bring herself to defend herself against his lawsuit, let alone press charges herself. In this moment, the support of her professors is wonderfully depicted, as they refute every justification she brings up in his defense.

“Jeon Ye Seul: It wasn’t an assault. We were in love.

Kim Eun Sook: It’s sexual assault to film you secretly.

Jeon Ye Seul: Please don’t put it like that. How is spending time with someone I love….

Kim Eun Sook: […] The moment you were forced to have intercourse and began to hide signs of assault behind your sunglasses, you couldn’t call it love.”

“Jeon Ye Seul: I know he hurt me, but he’s paying for it already.

Yang Jong Hoon: Let’s get the facts straight. He’s not paying for what he did to you. While committing the crime, an accident happened. It’s his own fault, not yours.”

We are confronted, painfully, with how the judicial system hurts Jeon Ye Seul. How the invasive questions, hypothesis and suspicions re-traumatize her. How Ko Young Chang and his father (a politician) do all they can to hurt her. Yet, her classmates and her professors rally around her and this support eventually gives her the strength to acknowledge the abuse and the rape. The climax of this plot line is a wonderfully written defense of Jeon Ye Seul during her trial, first by herself (the moment she finally expresses her anger gives me chills every time) and then by Professor Yang. The harm he caused her, the pain she endures and the anger she feels are perfectly portrayed and the resolution of the case is a victory for her, but also for future victims who may face the same situation. While it takes her the rest of the drama to fully recover, she ends the drama counseling a woman in an abusive marriage, which is the most perfect resolution I could think of.

I would like to end this review with a quote by Professor Yang, which in my opinion perfectly captures both his perception of this duty as a teacher and the message the drama is trying to convey.

“As a professor who teaches criminal law, I never tell my students that the law is just. What makes the law just are the judges’ decisions based on the presumption of innocence and the law of evidence. That is what I tell my students!”

#law school kdrama #kdrama #letmerantinpeace

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sxfik · 4 years ago

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Helloooo. Lemme start by saying how awesome fantastic amazing your fics are. I have a solhwi ask/prompt if it's not a problem. What would the study group's reaction be to established solhwi + bonus for prof kim and yangs reactions. Any headcanon or fic you can write about this please.

wicked love, leaves me blind

read on ao3 • masterlist

a/n: aaaa thank you so much for the kind words and the request! there's slight canon divergence in this and i decided on a more head canon format for this fic. this turned out kinda longer than expected but AAA my mind really ran with this prompt lmaooo. without much further adieu, i hope you like this <333

it's been 2 weeks since joon hwi confessed to her, running to her house in the middle of the night, panicked and afraid after the news of lee man ho hunting down professor yang

after the man had run from the scene, joon hwi was sure that he'd come back to his house, not afraid to hurt anyone on the way there. and in an instant, he started running, taking off towards her house without a second thought

by time he had reached her house, he was drenched in sweat, his heart thundering out of his chest in panic, in fear and in hope, that she was all right. he knocked frantically on the door of her house, hoping, praying that she was alright.

and to his relief, sol opened the door, her hair put up in the familiar messy bun. she yawned as she opened the door languidly, still wearing the hanguk law school sweatshirt he had once loaned her during a sleepless night of studying.

"han joon hwi? what are you doing here, it's lat-"

he lunged for her without a thought, gathering her in his arms and pressing her close to his body. she's alive, she's okay, chorused in his head as he shuddered out a breath of relief. she let out a soft oof but relaxed into him, her arms coming around his waist in a familiar way

he pulled away after what seemed like not long enough of a hug, and maybe it was the adrenaline, or the pure euphoria of finding her safe and in one piece that pushed him towards her lips, kissing her with fevor.

and after a shocked moment, she kissed him back, drinking him in, tugging him closer, desperate for more, more, more

and the rest was, well, history. it didn't take long after for the two of them to confess to each other, understanding that they needed each other in their life.

so it's been 2 weeks since han joon hwi confessed to her. really, they meant to keep their relationship secret. in the midst of their fight against assemblyman ko, the case against lee man ho and the mystery of what really happened the night of the hit-and-run case, they agreed that it was easier to keep it under wraps

after all, it was a new relationship to both of them. it wasn't like they hadn't dated other people, but what sol and joon hwi had was a carefully built friendship that was founded in trust and care for each other. and making it public, could only do them more damage as they become leverage against each other if their case goes south.

they only had one, very, very small, problem.

they were awful at keeping their hands off each other

alone time was very scarce for the both of them. with joon hwi being highly ranked, he was always pulled into every study session and every discussion in the school. not to mention, he had his own studies to maintain, alongside working at the legal clinic and helping professor yang with the mystery that had plagued the school.

kang sol's case was no different. she had to slave over her assignments, spending every spare moment at the school library, pouring over her text books. the moment not spent there was split between working to gather money for her mother and byeol, the legal clinic and assemblyman ko's case. not to mention her digging into kang dan's whereabouts as much as she could.

every single time they had together, there were too many people around for their tastes. during their busiest days, they had settled for subtle touches and stealing glances at each other whenever possible

so they spent their spare moments, huddled in the corridors, catching up on each other's days, making out and getting some time alone.

they'd make all kinds of excuses to leave early or walk each other to their dorm rooms, trying to maximize all their time with each other. every time they made to each other's rooms, they'd linger at the entrance, trying to see each other for just one more second.

and it was no wonder that when they first got caught, sol was pinned against the stairwell wall, joon hwi's lips buried in her neck. his fingers ghosted the hem of her shirt as she was pulled him closer to her and then...

clang!

the two broke apart, startled at the noise, their faces red. joon hwi's usual bangs were disheveled, sol's messy bun now loose and her hair cascading down her shoulders.

the two of them turned their head towards the noise only to find ye-beom and bok-gi, the latter's mouth gaping open like a fish. ye-beom on the other hand, stopped sucking on his lollypop, eyes wide as they looked at each other then looked back at the couple who were caught red handed.

bok-gi's hands were still frozen as the plate that fell from his hands lay at his feet and for what felt like eternity, there was absolute silence.

and then chaos.

"you two- when did you- how- what-" both of them started firing their questions rapid-fire.

the couple, who's faces were strawberry red, shushed them the best they could, looking around frantically to ensure no one else would here the commotion.

it took around 10 minutes for the boys to calm down, still reeling from what they witnessed

slowly, the couple explained that they were dating, and satisfying some of their curiosity before letting the boys go, with the stern warning of never repeating any of this information to anyone.

predictably, their whole study group knew about sol A and joon hwi the very next day.

of course, while ye-beom and bok-gi were huge gossips, they made sure the news didn't reach outside their sphere.

the next day, sol and joon hwi were the first ones to walk into the hideout, attempting to put up their "we're best friends! no relationship here!" facade up early, while the rest of the group quietly shuffled in.

they were good for the first 5 minutes (in reality they didn't last even 2 minutes) but joon hwi just can't keep his eyes off of her, especially when she's working through arguments for the case

the lovesick display lasts about... 10 minutes before Sol B stands up from her chair abruptly, causing everyone to jump in their seats.

as always, her face is neutral, but she spins to face ji ho, as the boy adjusted his glasses on his face so he could look up at her

"you own me 20 dollars" she simply stated at him, her hand outstretched

"what, no way i'm paying that" ji ho moved back, his face shocked that she even remembered

"you bet that they would take 3 months to confess, and i bet at 6 months— "

"it's been way longer than 6 months!"

"mine was closer"

"i think," ye-seul interjected as she took her seat at the table, heading back from her project work for professor kim's class, "that you both owe me 20 dollars. from what I remember, i bet that they would take longer!"

a chaotic clamber erupted as each member argued who owed who money, who bet on what,

"yah, ye-seul, how could you bet on me like that!" Sol interrupted the clamor, spinning to look at her best friend in shock and disbelief.

"sorry, unnie. it was too tempting of an offer for me to turn down" she replied, not looking the least bit apologetic.

joon hwi grinned at sol A as she looked around flabbergasted at their friends, before he grabbed her idle hand and held it up.

"just so we can fend off any confusion, sol is now my girlfriend. sorry we didn't get to tell you earlier, but to make up, we'll treat you to a dinner after all this mess is offered."

their group cheered at that, never being the one to turn down an offer for free food

it was bliss for the couple after that, and relief too. they could both agree that keeping a relationship under wraps was much harder than they could handle, with so much of this being new to them alongside the chaos of their lives

telling their friends took the pressure off, at least allowing themselves to indulge in each other without having to be extra careful of who was watching.

theirs was a blinding love. it was blinding bliss, it was peace.

bonus +1:

professor kim was a busy woman, but she always had the time for her students. taking the time to know each and every one of them was something she took pride in as a teacher.

but out of all her students, the study group lead by han joon hwi consisted of her favorite students that she taught. as a result of professor seo's unfortunate death and the reveal of everything that assemblyman ko had orchestrated, professor kim found herself around those kids more and more.

nevertheless, it was another day, another case to navigate at the legal clinic. it was a busy afternoon at hanguk law school, and professor kim's star students, sol and joon hwi huddled together trying to find the best way for the property case at hand

she had always had a soft spot for those two, ever since their class first semester when sol A blurted out a judgement and joon hwi, out of nowhere supported her. of all her years of teaching, she hadn't found a duo that was more hardworking, passionate and loyal than the two of them

Sol A was not her brightest student but she had tenacity and passion that more than made up for it. She could spot the hardworking girl, hunched over her textbooks hours after every other student had left.

Professor Kim had always found that some of the brightest students in her class would make for the worst in the field. because, being a lawyer wasn't about memorizing the codes or adhering to the rigid structure that many assumed the law to be. it was to offer kindness, compassion and understanding that they were humans first, before they could be judged by the law

and she knew that Sol A was one such girl who had that. She had watched as she defended Yang, even when the detectives and prosecutor were trying to close up the case and force him down as the perpetrator. even when joon hwi was accused, Sol stood by his side, pursing every route possible to prove his innocence. At every turn, she stood up for those who needed sympathy and kindness from the law; for those that the law would have hurt.

Joon Hwi was no different. the first time she saw him, she assumed him to be a cold, callous genius who had no time for anyone but himself. but oh, how wrong she was. Joon hwi was quiet the opposite. Even while being a generally reserved student, he had an inviting energy surrounding him that made every one like him, despite the intense competition at school

from the first day, it was clear he wasn't here for the marks or the validation of his teachers: it was passion and self motivation that drove him. it was clear that he was built to practice law, his mind was always sharp for legal terms and loopholes. but joon hwi always went the extra mile for his friends, always gave an extra hand to help, even when they didn't necessarily need it.

she could see it in him during Ye-Seul's case, eager to help her. she could see it when Ji Ho's father's suicide case came out, how eager he was to help and comfort his roommate.

but most of all, she could see it with Sol A. she wasn't sure when she had noticed their closeness, but she could see them walking the halls together, a smile spread across both their faces or them arguing across the table at the legal clinic, trying to work out the best method.

she could see it in the way Joon Hwi watched Sol, an almost lovesick smile on his face when she smiled or when she finally got the answers she was searching for. Professor Kim also knew, from her years of watching professor yang and prosecutor bae dance around each other, that it would be rare if they confessed to each other

so it was very odd when she looked across from her stack of papers to find joon hwi holding sol's hand as he flipped through the case file in front of him, both of them hyper focused into the details

maybe it was pure curiosity, maybe it was a taste for chaos that motivated her to call out "oh, are you two finally dating?" expecting their flustered and embarrassed reactions

but instead, she was met with a beaming smile from Joon Hwi that answered all the questions she had. Kang Sol on the other hand was left glaring and sputtering at her new boyfriend.

it was funny and gleeful, watching two of her favored students find a new life together, forging a new path.

and it was also pure relief for her, that she wouldn't have to deal with another professor yang and prosecutor bae situation

bonus +2:

the cold wind whipped around them as the couple accompanied professor yang back to campus. another night, another mystery, another trip to the police station to give witness statements

tonight was no different as the truth of the hit-and-run case started revealing itself, and the professor had accompanied the two students in silence, contemplative of all that has happened, the puzzle pieces slowly clicking together

professor yang was never meant to be a professor, in fact he hates the title itself. what he was meant for was to interrogate, to dig up clues and find out exactly who the culprit is and use the law to prove why they were guilty. for him, one's feelings did not matter, it was always about the evidence presented in front of him and how it could be interpreted.

it didn't mean he didn't care about his students, quite the opposite. it just meant that he wasn't the nurturing type as professor kim was. the one to always meddle in student affairs or keep track of how his students were doing outside of class

but with the two students walking beside him, they were the ones that he wanted to see succeed. they were the ones he was the most proud of as they presented their cases in public, finding their own ways to fight against injustice.

he was proud of them and in his heart, he knew it reminded him of a certain set of school mates, ones that were attached at the hip, a regret he has carried with him until he met her again on the court floor.

so maybe it was the deliriousness of all they had went through together or pure stupidity that made him pause in the tracks. his students continued on for a moment but then paused in their tracks, turning around to see what had stopped their professors.

"Kang Sol A." he nodded towards her.

"Han Joon Hwi." he nodded towards him.

"Congratulations on your new relationship"

he paused after, looking up at his students, both of them wide eyed that Professor Yang of all people, congratulated them on this.

and then, as if making it worse, he smiled.

Kang Sol's mouth dropped open, her hands reaching up to her eyes to rub them as if she was hallucinating what she saw.

Han Joon Hwi was incredulous, blurting out "Professor, have you been taking methamphetamines again?"

"Professor Yang has taken WHAT?" Sol whipped her head around, the sight of her professor expressing glee was already too much for her to handle but the news that he has taken meth just drove her head into overdrive.

the two were stuck in their positions, as their professor moved forward, brushing past them as if this event had never happened.

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