[Drama 2021] The Devil Judge ⚖️ 악마판사

[Kvothe]

I can't believe Elliot Smith was used as the less-depressing music choice.

 

I'm relieved that Yohan got the necklace back (though I'm confused as to whose blood that was). That scene in the hospital was infuriating. Hard to believe they were THAT desperate for money. I wish we had gotten a scene with young Elijah.

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen two characters like Yohan and Sun Ah in a kdrama. That kind of love/hate relationship is usually reserved for soap operas/telenovellas. I'm all in favor of hate sex between them if that's the case.

 

Jin Joo's frustration felt a little hollow to me -- or at least the reasons she gave did. Not being informed of Yohan's plan to resign? That's the best we get for her reasons to be tempted over to the dark(er) side? I wonder if there's a bug/tracker/explosive device in that pearl necklace.

 

Ga On has thankfully made his choice and hopefully we can pick up the pace in the second half. Felt a little for his mentor as Ga On roasted him. "They should have done better." This episode did show how out of touch he is. The country is falling apart and his answer is to take down the live courtroom? There's a war going on and he's trying to fight with buckets and twigs.

 

The Team Yohan meeting was unexpected. Such catharsis when assistant guy said, "Don't pretend to be smart." I hope we see the young actress and the lawyer continue to play a role in the final 8 episodes.

[backstreetboysfan]

I hope Yohan and Ga on stay on the same team now.

[lilyphenix]

Episode 8: Elijah is in a wheel chair. There's no elevator where Ga On and Soo Hyun live, and Elijah's didn't seem to have any bodyguard or driver following her: so how did they make it to the top of the building?

 

 

[Maetawinz]

 

 

The Devil Judge  OST Part 2

Track Listing

01. Sondia –  Nightmare (악몽)

02. Sondia –  Nightmare (악몽) (Inst.)

 

 

 

[ferily]

I forgot to mention in my last post that I love the camera work and how it sets things up visually for the viewers. (i.e. camera angles, when Yo Han was in the car and adjusted the middle mirror to see who stopped him while driving in Episode 7... Things like that~) The cinematography is on point too

[lila21]

20 hours ago, reddragon said:

While the story moves along, there is no explanation why Ga On continues to live in Yo Han's house. Also, he doesn't have manners, barging into rooms, whether they are sleeping or having a discussion. He's not in his own house.

Yohan also has a responsibility and the right as the owner of the house to throw Gaon out of his house but he has not, and has been letting Gaon roam as he pleases. Yohan gets info about what is going on in his house thru Mr. Butler. If Yohan the master of the house stayed mum about Gaon's space invasion including bedrooms and office, then he has given inferred permission for Gaon to stay and act as he wants. The question is why??? 

 

11 hours ago, yonaomi123 said:

The constant invasion of physical spaces--Gaon roaming all over the Kang mansion, going directly into Yohan's bedroom like it's Gaon's bedroom instead, barging into his office at the court without knocking, asking questions of Yohan's niece and Yohan's nanny.

 

The constant invasion of personal space--Yohan has put his hands on his work subordinate too many times to recount and not all of them were violent responses to rude behavior from Gaon (and even if they were responses to rude behavior, slamming your new employee into a bookshelf for borrowing a book is not a typical response for a boss to have), so I'll just give a couple: the chin thing after Gaon apologizes for accusing him of fratricide, herding him both into the party and away from the quote "pack of lionesses" at the party in ep 4.

 

They both overstep the boundary line between strangers, between superior and subordinate, constantly.  And you have to wonder why.  My answer to why they act as they do is that a theme of the drama is: when does devotion turn into obsession? 

Yep, and Yohan who has kept to himself, distrusts people and only see them as tools for his games, has opened up in many ways towards Gaon. He even started to tease Elijah and approves of Gaon's budding brotherly relationship with Elijah. Somehow, even with their different interpretation of justice and the law, as two people who lost families that they loved, they are finding some common ground, a reason to bond? I have not seen obvert signs of obsession yet. With Yohan's distrustful personality, he thinks of people as tools to use, as what he does with the 3 stooges and the judges. But, maybe this will be the first time that Yohan will confront such emotion as "attraction" towards another, it is unfamiliar, he does not know how to play it, and thus he loses control and gets obsessed??

 

6 hours ago, KY L said:

I'm not sure what to make of Soohyun and Elijah's current storyline. It's great that Elijah finds a confidant and friend in Soohyun rather quickly. If it's meant to be a little side story to help buffer all the doom and gloom, then it worked. It'll be more interesting to the story if Elijah was secretly sent by Yohan to dig up Soohyun's motives instead.

Suhyeon's devotion on the other hand is on the verge of obsession. Her reason to become "friends" with Elijah whom she has never known or met except when Gaon took her out of the house without permission, smucks of trying to get herself in Yohan's house to guard "her man". She has been unsuccessfully trying to get Gaon out of the house. The only time she gets to see Gaon now is when he calls and asks her to do something for him. Poor Suhyeon. What will she do when she finally opens her mind to the possibility that Gaon is not into her?

 

7 hours ago, Maliah said:

In all of those, I really feel for Oh Jin Joo. Yo Han and Ga On keep her out of the loop and she detests it. Yo Han is invested in his schemes and doesn’t communicate with anyone other than Ga On. Ga On, on the other hand, is busy playing detective. Oh Jin Joo actually does her job but still gets sidelined. I won’t be surprised or blame her if she does jump ships to Sun Ah. Eventually, she’ll go back though when she is confronted with Sun Ah’s reality…..if she’s alive to do that. I don’t know why ,but I feel like death is looming over her. I really hope I’m wrong. 

 Oh my, Jin Joo is the one person whose background story has not been told except for what she herself has inferred that she is a country judge who lived in a bad neighborhood. From  what you said, if she joins Sun Ah, she might come out to be Sun Ah's reason for defeat. Maybe she will be the one to stop Sun Ah on her tracks and put her into prison. I hope she does not die doing it. 

[ferily]

Okay finished episode 8 and at first I had my suspicions and thought that Yo Han might’ve done the switching between the scammer guy (Do Young Chun) but I don’t think it was Yo Han.. I think Yo Han knew about the switch with the scammer, but withheld the information about the switch from Ga On to show him the corrupt world and how powerful people or like. So he used this situation to his advantage to bring Ga On on his side, which is why his sidekick/assistant said, do we really have to do this to Ga On. At least this is all what I interpreted while watching episode 8. Am I wrong and it really was Yo Han who did the switch? Lol. But Ga On did ask his prosecutor friend to look into the report about the funds or something for the scammer guy so that must prove that it wasn’t Yo Han? I need to hear what other people think about this.

 

Also anyone else have trust issues and was skeptical about Yo Han’s people story and when they were telling Ga On why they chose to work with Yo Han? I was thinking, omg I don’t know if I can trust them and their story. What if Yo Han told them to say it in front of Ga On to get Ga On’s sympathy and understanding lol.. I think I believe it to be true and Yo Han didn’t do anything….I think….

 

But can we just talk about at shot with Yo Han and Ga On looking back at the Professor?!? Omg so epic, I was dying  Ga On officially siding with Yo Han is epiccc and I can’t wait to see what the next few episodes have in stored for us with Yo Han and Ga On.

 

I admit though I was kind of upset and mad that Yo Han keeps using Ga On to his advantage and his own use. (I might be in the minority for this) I wish Ga On wouldn’t let himself be taken advantage of so easily but I guess that also comes along with his naivety.

 

Speaking of taking advantage, can we talk about Judge Oh and Sun Ah? Like the girl is SOOOO getting used by Sun Ah and basically brainwashing Jin Joo to getting her on her (Sun Ah) side. She’s totally Using Jin joo to put her against Yo Han..

 

Episode 8 was the halfway point of the drama and I have this belief that the halfway point or middle episode always is the most epic, has some turning point of the drama, or a significant plot point in the drama. I think The Devil Judge definitely shows that with Ga On officially siding with Yo Han. We just got episode 7 & 8 but can Saturday come already?  I want to see what happens in episode 9 and if Ga On really does kill Do Young Chun.

 

Okay finally, the making film for episode 7 & 8 came out:

 

Some key points from the making:

 

- It was the chairman Seo last filming so we see a farewell message from him.

- Cute Jinyoung and Gyuyoung moment and trying to figure out the walking scene between Ga On and Soo Hyun

- Jisung always being such a good sunbae and giving advice to Jinyoung on how to act out his angry scene (Jisung always tends to do this too )

- Min Jung giving the idea of Sun Ah first writing the Chinese character on the board but not knowing how to finish it so she writes it in Korean. also during that scene was tearing up haha..

 

I love these makings 

 

[Sleepy Owl]

EVENT ALERT! As many of the dramas are on a break for Olympics, we thought it will be fun to have an Olympics theme poll. What sports would you participate in if you were a super athlete? Join us for some sports related fun and chatter! 

 

 

re: @partyon, @Sleepy Owl, @confusedheart326, @agenth, @Lmangla 

[LeftCoastOppa]

Okay help me out here guys - after watching & re-watching the scene a few times ... Did Sun-Ah actually stab Yo-Han when he was choking her in his office?  After Ga-On breaks them up Yo-Han pulls what looks like a bloody hair pin from his side ... but nothing else is ever shown, or discussed ... what happened there

 

 

I may be in the minority, but I hope Ga-On's joining Yo-Han's cause, is a ruse.  I want Ga-On to fight to make the system right again, not give in to the idea its just a game to be won.  

 

... looks like another long wait for the next episode

[lila21]

On 7/26/2021 at 5:13 AM, LeftCoastOppa said:

I may be in the minority, but I hope Ga-On's joining Yo-Han's cause, is a ruse.  I want Ga-On to fight to make the system right again, not give in to the idea its just a game to be won.  

 

Me too. Poor Judge Min, after all his mentoring he loses his student, his hope to fight for an independent judicial system. Joseon now has lawless vigilantes led by Yohan vs lawless politicians led by a crazed, obsessed Sun Ah who takes Jin Joo on her side. A wing-ding president who is a cheat, begs for donations for his fraudulent projects, yells fake news of reports about him, gives fake and unreasonable answers to reporters during a presser, is zenophobic, blames the "foreigners" for the unrest of the country, hmmmmmm .... does this sound familiar ehhhh???

I still hope that Gaon is working with his mentor to fight for a just system. A judicial system that is independent of the other bodies of government, therefore freed of influence

[rocher22]

I laughed when that director sent a finger heart to Yohan.

But it seems to be a unrequited love.

 

*****

 

 

[qynn]

6 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

Okay help me out here guys - after watching & re-watching the scene a few times ... Did Sun-Ah actually stab Yo-Han when he was choking her in his office?  After Ga-On breaks them up Yo-Han pulls what looks like a bloody hair pin from his side ... but nothing else is ever shown, or discussed ... what happened there

 

Yes, she stabbed him with the brooch pin she had on her jacket. 

[yonaomi123]

I wonder if Gaon has told Suhyeon about him taking Yohan’s hand?  Even if he hasn’t, I’m sure Professor Min is going to recruit her to convince Gaon to come back, but will it work?

 

The funny thing to me about Suhyeon and Gaon’s relationship is that they are really terrible at stopping?  Her own chief says she can be overzealous sometimes, and Gaon is pretty much the same.  So if he’s really gone over to Yohan’s way of playing the game, and it isn’t a ruse, I can’t see it going well for Gaon or Yohan.  As much disruption that Gaon caused in Yohan’s life, I bet Suhyeon will be a thousand times more disruptive.  Part of me wonders if she is befriending Elijah not just because she’s a good person with really strong protective instincts, but also because she wants to have another person in the Kang mansion who might let her in, if Gaon refuses.

[Sleepy Owl]

Well, firstly, I have doubts about Ga On switching on Yo Han's side, but also confused since he just starts believing things very early. Having reached the halfway point, I can say that so far by the looks of it Ga On has proved to be very easy to manipulate. 

 

I still want to know why Yo Han wants him in his team so desperately. I am not gonna buy "Oh he looks just like my late brother, I loved him, he needs to be with me" kind of plot. Seeing the kind of person Yo Han is, he wants Ga On on his side for a reason. I just hope it is strong enough for me to really believe it was worth of Yo Han being on the receiving end of all those insults, shouting and assumptions. 

 

Coming to the prison and criminal exchange plot, I was fine with Ga On having confusions and doubts. Well, he already suspects Yo Han on several levels, so of course the first person who must have come to his mind to be behind the switch must have been Yo Han himself. But overall, doubting each and every step and trying to follow the fair play is something I don't understand. Funny thing is, while acting all self righteous and talking about how one needs to do investigations by book, without any foul play etc., dude has been doing the same to get dirt on Yo Han. Its funny, since he has been too vocal about this to him, and also quite vocal about "one shouldn't jump on Conclusions" while he has been doing it since start. 

 

I still feel his mentor is not the same righteous guy he feels like he is. I am not too sure how Ga On suddenly came to the conclusion to join Yo Han's side, but I felt like he came to know about something which his mentor was also part of, and decided to not take his side this time. Maybe its just me, but I felt it was just too sudden. For it to be this sudden, and seeing him talk with his mentor that way, I am sure something big happened. 

 

I liked how Yo Han replied "If I would tell it to you, you would suspect me" when Ga On confronted him for not revealing more details on the criminal switch. Of course he would do it. And that's why I am more interested to know about his motive behind wanting Ga On in his team, since I am sure even after choosing his side, he will continue his doubt game.

 

Coming to Soo Hyun, well, her character is yet to do be involved in the drama and has been having limited screentime. But I do agree with @yonaomi123 Chingu, that she has befriended Elijah with some motive behind it. Seeing how she is still hell bent on going after Yo Han and suspecting him for several things, I am sure she has befriended Elijah for the same. Also seeing how she asked about that hidden file 5 minutes into their first meeting. So if this is happening, well, it is not different that using a minor for their own benefit, and I don't really know if Yo Han knows about her taking Elijah out, even during night time or if he does come to know about it, will he take any action or not. We have seen him being super sensitive when it comes to Elijah, and I feel like the last scene where she was holding the gun, while I understand she did it being a cop, but she also put Elijah in danger who can't even run away on her own if things go south. 

 

I also wonder if Yo Han really knows about Jin Joo being already in Sun Ah's hands. Is he not including her in his plan since he no longer considers her as his associate judge or is he underestimating her? Jin Joo will clearly cause disruptions in the live trial and question his judgements, maybe even on camera. Ambition is a strong thing and Sun Ah is continuously making her ambitious. Or is it that Yo Han knows about it all, and knows how to win her back and is letting Sun Ah enjoy her game for a while? I am not too sure, but Yo Han is gonna suffer at least one big defeat because of either Jin Joo or Ga On turning rogue again. 

 

Not sure if I am the only one, but I actually believe the stories behind Yo Han's team members. We do know the story of the guy working for him and that his father was wrongly accused and punished by Cha Kyung Hee. So I do believe others too. They could have lied about it, but it would be a risky move since knowing Ga On, he would initially believe their story but would also try to verify them. Also just like the lawyer said, "after everything is done, I will confess and pay for my crimes", I think everyone in the team could be planning the same. 

 

Looking forward to the next episode. 

 

Chingus, the poll for ep 7 and 8 is up.  Please don't forget to vote 

 

Tagging: @larus, @backstreetboysfan, @Maetawinz, @ferily, @ponderings, @LeftCoastOppa, @qynn, @admonike, @noor1, @andy78, @tulip06, @marrez1, @Ameera Ali, @taekwang, @Di_Ya, @Dddddddnnnnnnrrrrrrrr, @Madu Mita, @lebeaucouple, @Mic gon, @lilyphenix, @blademan, @Runa Chatterjee, @lila21, @smhelen, @mystic62, @rocher22, @Thong Thin, @Alice_Mady, @blue003, @ammu82, @Maliah, @KY L, @Kvothe, @reddragon, @yonaomi123

 

re: @Lmangla, @partyon, @agenth, @confusedheart326

[ferily]

2 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

Well, firstly, I have doubts about Ga On switching on Yo Han's side, but also confused since he just starts believing things very early. Having reached the halfway point, I can say that so far by the looks of it Ga On has proved to be very easy to manipulate. 

I think it's because his parents death and the scammer who caused his parent's death had a huge impact on his life and all these years, Ga On thought the scammer was in prison and serving his time. He believed that this was what the system is and how it is, but after seeing that a switch happen, everything he basically believed in was stomped all over and crushed. Of course he was skeptical at first about the switch, which is why he did some digging in the financial reports for Do Young Chun, and after he found out from his prosecutor friend that it wasn't Yo Han, I think that's what motivated him to side with Yo Han. He slowly realized how messy and bad the system can be and he has been by Yo Han's side for awhile so maybe he has some affection for him?  cough anyways... So I think this is what finally motivates Ga On to work with Yo Han. Even if he's siding with Yo Han, I'm sure he doesn't completely believe or trust Yo Han fully but Ga On has a goal of finding out who exactly switched Do Young Chun and Yo Han can help accomplish that goal. These are all my thoughts though

 

2 hours ago, Sleepy Owl said:

I still want to know why Yo Han wants him in his team so desperately. I am not gonna buy "Oh he looks just like my late brother, I loved him, he needs to be with me" kind of plot. Seeing the kind of person Yo Han is, he wants Ga On on his side for a reason. I just hope it is strong enough for me to really believe it was worth of Yo Han being on the receiving end of all those insults, shouting and assumptions. 

Yo Han mentioned that Ga On is someone who he either will side with or destroy if Ga On gets in his way, so I think that's why he chooses to bring Ga On to his side. I don't think it's because of Ga On looking like his hyung.

[noor1]

Ok, I'm dumping this drama, it has tested my patience with a weak script, illogical storylines, irritating characters and arcs (except for Yo Han) and seems like a starring launch pad vehicle for the GOT singer-turned-actor, considering how much focus is on his role, and he is not worth investing 3 hours of my weekend on. Bad robotic acting by all, except for Ji Sung. Ep.s 7-8 were meh. I'll check out what Ji Sung stars in next year.  See you all on some other thread! 

 

[qynn]

18 hours ago, ferily said:

Yo Han mentioned that Ga On is someone who he either will side with or destroy if Ga On gets in his way, so I think that's why he chooses to bring Ga On to his side. I don't think it's because of Ga On looking like his hyung.

I think Ga-on might have caught Yohan's attention when he was looking for sidekicks because he looked like his hyung and then he found out about his past and decided he was someone he could bring to his side. Yeah, Ga-on was annoying with all the accusations but Yo-han had a plan for turning him. If it didn't work, Yo-han would have destroyed him. 

[Sleepy Owl]

@ferily, @qynn Chingus, I still think there is more to Yo Han wanting him on his side. Yo Han approved him to be his associate judge just like Jin Joo was (I don't think they would be with him without his approval), and for both I thought there was a reason for them getting chosen. Just like I didn't really think Jin Joo was selected just for the show purpose as she thought she was initially. Maybe I am wrong here, and Yo Han really chose her since he thought she wouldn't really do much, and doesn't really know much about Sun Ah working on him (which I doubt actually). I think he knows about it, but somehow is just letting Sun Ah continue with her game. 

 

Coming to Ga On, as I said I really think there is more to him than it is being shown. We've got three sides here (at least for now), it is the righteous guys (Judge Min and some others so far), Team Yo Han and Team Foundation and others. I highly doubt Ga On would join the Foundation guys as long as his mentor is not really part of them and would convince him to. At the same time, when Big judges like Judge Min are already against Yo Han, I don't really think Ga On would be able to do anything significant against Yo Han if he wasn't part of his bench. Seeing how tolerant Yo Han has been with him and how desperate he is for him to choose his side, I expect there to be some really good reason for the same. 

 

Let's hope they do show. For me, the episodes 7 and 8 were kinda messy in terms of writing. Maybe it is a bridge to the next half of the drama, but I hope writing gets better here. 

[KY L]

On 7/26/2021 at 6:46 PM, ferily said:

I think it's because his parents death and the scammer who caused his parent's death had a huge impact on his life and all these years, Ga On thought the scammer was in prison and serving his time. He believed that this was what the system is and how it is, but after seeing that a switch happen, everything he basically believed in was stomped all over and crushed. Of course he was skeptical at first about the switch, which is why he did some digging in the financial reports for Do Young Chun, and after he found out from his prosecutor friend that it wasn't Yo Han, I think that's what motivated him to side with Yo Han. He slowly realized how messy and bad the system can be and he has been by Yo Han's side for awhile so maybe he has some affection for him?  

 

Yo Han mentioned that Ga On is someone who he either will side with or destroy if Ga On gets in his way, so I think that's why he chooses to bring Ga On to his side. I don't think it's because of Ga On looking like his hyung.

 

Yeah, I have the same train of thought. If I keep second-guessing everyone's motives, then I'll never fully enjoy the drama or make sense of the story. Lol. I also think Gaon has some sympathy for the family, especially for Elijah, but also extended a bit of it to Yohan as well. 

 

I love a good vigilante justice story, (think Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), so I'm all for Gaon awakening and teaming up with Yohan. This isn't world like Forest of Secrets/Stranger where there's still a functioning judicial system in place to check against and correct corruption. It's an idealistic thought that won't come into fruition without a substantial amount of government reform. And that's just not the story that I signed up for, the drama is called the Devil Judge, and I want to see the Devil do his work, lol!

 

We've been given enough clues to understand that Yohan is morally gray. And we can also confirm that making the maid fall out the window wasn't just for "fun", he was protecting his family. He's not afraid to break the rules to win the game, and we'll find out how far is too far for even him.

[lila21]

Somehow a world of vigilantes and unscrupuluos politicians with everyone for their own benefit and for themselves would make a society deteriorate, would it not? People will be walking around blowing up other people whom they do not like or disagree with. Both sides of the fence are encouraging people to do so. Violence is erupting because everyone thinks the other has done them wrong thru gossip in the internet or the television broadcasts. The judicial system is constructed to be independent of the other branches of government and public pressure as possible but the officials such as Minister of Justice Cha is corrupted. I suspect that is what Jin Joo still believes in, an independent functioning justice system and what she wants, the same as Professor Min who also believes that a fair judicial branch of the government can still be restored. We still do not know Jin Jo's background story the formation of her beliefs and who her mentors were. Was there a specific reason for her selection to be a co-judge in the public hearings? If she truly believes in a fair justice system, then I think she will be the strongest opponent to Sun Ah. Just because Sun Ah is now working with the justice system and trying to get chummy with Jin Joo does not mean that Jin Joo is on her side. From what Jin Joo has said and done, she seems to be a character who strongly believes in the fairness of the judicial system of the government she works for. She works hard, is friendly and caring of the people she works with but also strongly cares for the job she does and what that job represents. That makes her a very strong opponent to Sun Ah when she gets to know her, but also to Yohan. If that is the case, then she is the character who can represent the statue carrying the weighing scale blindfolded in the hall of justice, best. I also now think that she will be the one to bring a change in Yohan to work together to restore a justice system that is free of influence of the other governing systems and politicians. Maybe Jin Joo and Yohan will end up as close friends afterall. As for Gaon, he is hard to read because he himself does not know his own mind. What does he really want. He is now in Yohan's camp but when chaos arises or if Yohan does something he does not approve of,  he questions Yo han and runs to his girlfriend and his mentor then back to Yohan. Yohan plays him like a yoyo.

I am anticipating the story of Jin Joo, we have had enough of Gaon.