[Drama 2019-2020] Civil War of Prosecutors, 검사내전

[ck1Oz]

Wasn't this written by a real prosecutor? Not everyone needs to marry a colleague. Otherwise the whole office would be filled with office romances. I work in a department with conservatively close to 400 staff. Like literally my department. Not even a different section. Or different area. We occupy a set space.

 

And amongst all of us only under 30 staff are involved with each other. The numbers ebb and wane so 20 ppl would be a safe guess.

 

I am not sure if anyone flirts with each other but we are certainly close. And bicker and see each other socially.

 

And since the writer is famous for writing about real prosecutors vs for normal Kdrama plots; doesn't it make sense we need NOT have to have a romance? Or massive angst?

 

Although we have had scandals. My department head resigned several years ago. After refusing to bow to political pressure from the Minister. I haven't watched episode 11 by the way. I am just saying the writer's scenarios are not that way out.

 

Now gamer? Let me think...

 

We have had artists, musicians but no one famous. We had people doing heroic things true but no one famous. We had someone once who wrote software programmes? Only because we have a lot of colleagues with degrees in different fields.

 

I like this drama because it's just there. A group of colleagues working. Sometimes things are interesting. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes there are people whom you can't stand. And sometimes there are people who think our department suck. And yes we had have transfers from more famous cities or more glamorous sounding work places- same type of work- who think we are backward or not as advanced. Currently we have a fairly new hotshot transfer who came in from a more glamorous section of my work. Where their work is glamorous, and appear on tv more, and they think  they know EVERYTHING. Trust me I am carefully discreetly avoiding him. And get this he is younger but because he is more famous he is as cocky as our heroine. He gets the work done but doesn't tolerate nonsense. Thats why the female lead makes me laugh. She has the same expressions as him. He is there but thinks we are not the best.

 

Their clients are particular to their profession. Or to the city. So it's been interesting watching the cases. And I specifically like that it's not all Korean drama hyped out to the max plots. Nothing is clean cut; if it is messy it stays messy. Sometimes you can't clean up the consequences. We had one colleague kiss a female colleague once during a work social. Alcohol was involved of course. He had to move to another organization and the female colleague eventually finished another degree and switched jobs.

 

So the situations here are not that way out. Real life can be more strange and awkward than dramas. So I actually like it that things are mundane and routine. And you still get thrown a curveball when someone new transfers in. 

 

It takes years to adjust to working with someone in a small department. It has taken me over 15 years to accept some of my colleagues. Trust me, I had homicidal views in the beginning over their work ethics and performances. Now I just discreetly avoid talking to them. And don't participate in their attempts to be nice to me.

 

 

 

[widala]

11 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

@widala, I was thinking the exact same thing you wrote above. This drama got LSK and JRW to lead, two very established actors, and they are kinda of wasted here. There's not enough interaction between them, not enough of showcasing their strengths and weaknesses against each other. None of the main characters are developed enough and the whole drama leaves me rather unsatisfied. I need to feel some punch, or impact, or something. 

 

Yup. LSK and JRW are wasted here.

Not to undermine the other actors, because they're all great, but at the beginning, the selling point of this drama was LSK and JRW pairing.

The first episode's high rating proved that Korean viewers also very excited about it... 

It's just too bad this drama didn't make full use of them...

Maybe the writer is more generous to CMJ because at least she got some action, but LSW sometimes just exist in the background, doesn't feel like the lead at all...

Even Lee Sung Jae (Chief Cho) has more lines than LSK 

 

Seems like this drama tries to tackle many issues that could not fit in merely 16 episodes.

So, what we got is just some glimpses of them...

 

Episode 12 still cuts

Thankfully, episode 12 is much better imo. 

The rating for ep12 also increase to 3.5% yay

Although at first I was reluctant to watch it because of the new Branch Chief who is, you guess it, a scumbag. And I was afraid it will be full with office politics.

But, turns out this episode full of hearts and laughter too 

 

Spoiler!

Someone, or should I say, something from episode 1 makes an appearance in room 309... Dun dun dun

 

[Fabbo]

Noooo the ship is sinking

 

But looking at the preview there still might be a shot.

[Latte_Anyday]

For a romance to happen, Seong Woong needs to be single which he's not. I'm so done with adultery yo. @triplem Plus it's a stab at his ego if he were ever to hook up with Myung Joo!  He already feels intimidated & overshadowed by her so a relationship? Eh~ Myung Joo also seem closed-off? Like she's not showin' any indication of interest whatsoever to the opposite sex.   

     That branch chief is truly a POS.  He's typical of those who abuse their authority & flaunt it around to assert their dominance. Ugh. Poor Seong Woong again for getting punished - he was just doing his job. Although this drama doesn't seem to be heavy in content in comparison to other law related dramas, I enjoy the lighter moments which keeps me from dropping this. I also love the camaraderie of the team. 

     Ms. Sun & Mr. Kim got a Love 02O budding romance goin' on but Ms. Sun is no damsel in distress ha-ha. I LoL when Mr. Kim asked where the windy hill is?! He couldn't find it on the map LoL!    

[Fabbo]

Yeah POS was exactly the description i wanted to use. I would have respected it if he just thought all those korean workplace rituals etc are unnecessary and behind its time. If he just wanted to focus on the work. But that's clearly all bs and he is way too busy kissing up to the higher ups. 

 

Btw has the actor of that slimy former prosecutor, now lawyer ever played someone nice?

[Guest]

@Latte_Anyday lol! No adulterous romance of course , I had wished he wasn’t married.

But it is what it is.  

 

Yay ! @stroppyse Glad you’re watching. One of the things I love about this drama is the family like relationship btwn the team . Even CMJ in spite of how cold she comes across would still join them for meals & I think she’s somewhat thawing a little ...not sure if you’ve watched eps 12 yet , but it was rather heartwarming to see them come by to LSW’s office with food & all when he was made to stay for night duty . It got them into trouble of course but it underlined how close they were. 
 

eps 12 was way better for me . New chief reminds me of those awful bosses who like to micro manage & rather than earn respect , demands it . His approach is somewhat passive aggressive, and he creates division to control his staff . Really the worst kind . While smart & self-preserving CMJ found an indirect way to have the case closed , I am glad LSW stood his ground & rebelled . Chief Cho of course was the MVP choosing to stand behind his staff in spite of knowing the serious consequences of going against the boss .

 

oh dear ! kim pro ...did he just kill the offline romance? But can’t he tell SMR is a gem off & online ? Or was he afraid to lose what he had online ? However I don’t think it’s sinking just yet since the preview shows more interactions btwn them next week . Looking forward to it ! 

[widala]

Episode 11 recap from Dramabeans

 

http://www.dramabeans.com/2020/01/diary-of-a-prosecutor-episode-11/

 

Diary of a Prosecutor: Episode 11

by quirkycase

The new assignments are posted, and things are about to change for our Jinyeong branch. One of our prosecutors looks back over his career and is forced to ask some tough questions with regards to his past. When it comes to putting away a dangerous criminal, do the ends justify the means? What exactly makes a good prosecutor?

[sadiesmith]

20 hours ago, stroppyse said:

One other thing that I noticed, our group of prosecutors call each other "Kim Pro", "Cha Pro", etc. In Korean, the way you properly use a professional title is actually their last name followed by their official title, so it's actually Kim CEO or Park President or Lee Doctor, so when they're addressed by a non-colleague, they're actually addressed as Kim Prosecutor, all of it in Korean. So, the shortened Korean addressing would be Kim Pro in Korean, however, they're actually using the English word for prosecutor but shortening it to "Pro" as the title. I think this is a further sign of collegial informality since English tends to be considered less formal than the Korean titles. Just something I noted in this drama.

 

It took me a few episodes before I understood they were calling each other "Pro" which literally is short for "prosecutor." To add to your observation, at least in the earlier episodes if not recent ones, they used the Korean term for prosecutor to address Cha Myung Joo. So instead of addressing her with the more informal "Cha Pro," they call her "Cha Geomsa," which I think is the formal way of addressing a prosecutor. I haven't paid attention if they finally switched over to calling her "Cha Pro" now that they have gotten somewhat closer to her.

[widala]

On 1/29/2020 at 8:12 AM, widala said:

Side story involving Pro Hong and the video influencer is rather pointless imo. Didn't reveal anything about Pro Hong, like other character oriented episode. But, it seemed the case haven't reach conclusions yet, maybe there's more to it in future episode?

 

Sorry, I'm quoting my own post.

 

I was reading the comments in the Ep 11 recap from Dramabeans, and one of the commenters wrote this :

"

I thought it was an interesting contrast - between the video that they're all making to celebrate Chief Kim and the inane, pointless videos that the annoying video guy was making. I'm disappointed we didn't get to see Myung-joo defeat this guy... and also a bit horrified - like what if Myung-joo was also no match for him? We'll never know! It's really hard to fight stupid.

"

 

This gave me new perspective about that video streamer's story.

At first I thought it was pointless because I'm guessing it'll be focusing on Pro Hong. But, turned out it also have another message, like the commenter pointed above.

I'm sorry, Drama, for underestimating you 

[silvermine]

I just love this drama. And all the shenanigans which go on in the prosecutor’s office in the little town (a very pretty little town if I may say so - some of the outdoor shots of the sunset, rooftop etc. are really nice). In the beginning I too was looking out for the romance angle, but few episodes down, and its absence didn’t bother me one way or the other. I honestly don’t miss it.  Each episode is so wittily done. 
 

It is really a slice of life drama.  While a lot of humour is thrown in, which no doubt makes it engaging for the viewer, and while it is about prosecutors, the office politics shown there could happen in any corporate setting and internationally at that. It is totally relatable.  The characters have all been portrayed very realistically!

 

And then the actors - LSK is such an amazing actor. I have liked him right from my Coffee Prince days, not to mention Pasta where he was the lead. Actually, all the actors have done a great job.

I can’t wait for the next episodes

 

 

[widala]

Episode 12 recap from Dramabeans

 

http://www.dramabeans.com/2020/01/diary-of-a-prosecutor-episode-12/

 

Diary of a Prosecutor: Episode 12

by quirkycase

There’s a new boss in town, and he’s not what everyone anticipated. Team 2 gets off on the wrong foot and struggles to adjust to the new office politics. The new boss makes some questionable decisions regarding our team’s cases and expects to be followed without question. And this right after their former boss encouraged them to question everything.

[imgreatgal]

On 1/30/2020 at 3:32 PM, triplem said:

eps 12 was way better for me . New chief reminds me of those awful bosses who like to micro manage & rather than earn respect , demands it . His approach is somewhat passive aggressive, and he creates division to control his staff . Really the worst kind . While smart & self-preserving CMJ found an indirect way to have the case closed , I am glad LSW stood his ground & rebelled . Chief Cho of course was the MVP choosing to stand behind his staff in spite of knowing the serious consequences of going against the boss .

divide and rule, that is what the new chief is doing if you ask me. He knew very well that Chief Cho and Chief Nam and LSW and CMJ weren't on the best terms and he is just using one against the other. He sees them as unlikely to oppose him if they are divided. I see him as a coward here and whaddya know he was running like one at the end of ep12 lol 

[sadiesmith]

Something is about to go down between these two. I hope it's satisfying. Give me something intense already!

 

[widala]

7 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

Something is about to go down between these two. I hope it's satisfying. Give me something intense already!

 

Finally got to see them in the robe 

 

But, I just found out in ep 12 that prosecutors for investigation are different from those who do trials.

I thought they're the same person or in the same team...

The more you know

[0ly40]

preview feb 4

 

[Latte_Anyday]

Am I seeing things!? 'Cause the unthinkable happened! Myung Joo was actually..nice to Seong Woong??!! @triplem time to pop that champagne no LoL.

     That poor restaurant lady though.. how could she be so gullible? I knew the old lady was too good to be true. It'd be too late when the truth comes out, she'd end up like the pastor...maybe worse. Also that young lady who got blackmailed into unauthorised release of her privacy. These scammers often prey on the weak & vulnerable. In my country, even smart career women aren't spared. 

     Meanwhile, Mi Ran & Kim Pro are killing me looks like Myung Joo knows but pretends to cast a blind eye.  

[Fabbo]

Didn't the restaurant lady get quite some money at the end? And that was after she handed over her money in cash. Is this some weird twist like oh not everything is a scam? I didn't even understand the model behind her proposition. How were they supposed to make money if it's not a scam? Are they in need of stooges?

 

I kind of want to know more about the scam where they pretend to belong to the NIS and the Blue House. Very imaginative and would make for a great story.

 

I had quite a chuckle when i saw that she set the whole town on fire

I had tears of laughter during some of those scenes. On the verge of being cringey but not quite. But very much oddly sweet.

And i was waiting for their argument on the rooftop we saw in the preview for this episode. (I linked it below)

 

Spoiler

 

 

I guess it got cut or did i miss it somehow? I didn't know they would still make changes after they even air the preview. Or maybe it's from a later episode? Anyway it's a bit weird.

 

 

Found this on instagram

 

 

[imgreatgal]

10 hours ago, Fabbo said:

Didn't the restaurant lady get quite some money at the end? And that was after she handed over her money in cash. Is this some weird twist like oh not everything is a scam? I didn't even understand the model behind her proposition. How were they supposed to make money if it's not a scam? Are they in need of stooges?

It is a scam. I believe it's like a Ponzi's scheme. The old lady goes around getting new investors like the ahjumma, then she pays off the earlier backers and it goes on until she fails to get more new investors to join and thats when her schemes unravels.

[Fabbo]

And what was the theoretical idea to make money they use to convince people?

[lu09]

On 2/3/2020 at 7:33 AM, widala said:

 

Finally got to see them in the robe 

 

But, I just found out in ep 12 that prosecutors for investigation are different from those who do trials.

I thought they're the same person or in the same team...

The more you know

I know... I was like What???? There is a difference??? I didn't know either. All legal dramas I have watched had all prosecutors during everything including trials and investigations. I'm glad we are learning new things about prosecutors everytime.