'Pro Bono'? A Thrilling Twist Hidden Behind an Unfamiliar Title When I first encountered the title of this drama, I tilted my head in confusion. 'Pro Bono'? Unless you work in the legal field, it's a word that might feel somewhat unfamiliar. Watching the trailer, it clearly looked like a stylish legal drama starring Jung Kyung-ho, but the nuance of the title felt more like a documentary or an educational program. The premise of a former judge becoming a lawyer seemed common, but once I started watching, I realized this drama is anything but ordinary. Just like the title, which comes from the Latin phrase 'Pro Bono Publico' (for the public good), this work tells the story of a special task force fighting solely for 'public interest' in a law firm world dominated by money and power. I became convinced after just two episodes that if you can get past the barrier of the title, it offers a dopamine rush more thrilling than any other legal drama.
Former Judge Turned Writer Moon Yoo-seok Turns Concern into Anticipation Honestly, before it aired, I had more concerns than expectations. The writer, Moon Yoo-seok, is a former chief judge who was recognized for his writing skills through the bestseller Individualism Declaration and the drama Ms. Hammurabi. He has a unique background of resigning from the bench to become a full-time writer. However, his previous work The Devil Judge received mixed reviews for its somewhat cartoonish and excessive settings, and Vigilante, which he participated in as a creator, was also said to fall short of expectations. I was worried that the title of "a legal drama written by a judge" would now flow into "self-replication" or "injecting enlightening messages" rather than freshness. But this time, 'Pro Bono' pleasantly betrayed my expectations by very smartly mixing the writer's unique realism with popular entertainment.
A Somewhat Rough Opening in Episode 1, But Unstoppable Progression To be honest, there was a point in the early part of Episode 1 that made me scratch my head. It was due to the setting where the protagonist, Kang David (played by Jung Kyung-ho), falls into a trap. The development where 1 billion won in cash is suddenly discovered in the trunk of a successful judge's car, leading him to take off his robes, felt too sudden and artificial. It seemed so clunky that I wondered, "Is this really a script written by a former judge?" However, this somewhat forced opening was merely a very fast device to drive the protagonist to the edge of a cliff. The drama does not drag this process out boringly but handles it with lightning speed, focusing on the process of Kang David being kicked out of the "castle" called the court and thrown into the "law firm" which is like the wild. If you endure the roughness of Episode 1, the real story begins in Episode 2.
An Elite Judge Who Dreamed of the Supreme Court Becomes a Public Interest Lawyer Kang David, played by actor Jung Kyung-ho, is not the "righteous Candy-type lawyer" (plucky underdog) we often see. He was an elite judge who dreamed of becoming a Supreme Court Justice, was good at organizational life, was moderately snobbish, and had undeniable skills. Such a man faces a disgraceful exit due to a false accusation and finds himself in a situation where he cannot even open a law practice for a year (due to the Attorney-at-Law Act, etc.). At this time, the large law firm 'O&Partners' reaches out to him. It is the position of the head of the 'Pro Bono Center'. Kang David makes a "deal" to take charge of the law firm's public interest activities for image laundering for a year, in exchange for a recommendation for a Supreme Court Justice candidate a year later. The setting that he becomes a public interest lawyer for his own reputation recovery and ambition, not out of pure sense of justice, makes the character much more three-dimensional and attractive.
Immersion Exploded from Episode 2, This is a 'Real' Legal Drama If Episode 1 was like a prequel explaining the characters and situation, Episode 2 marks the beginning of a full-scale legal action drama. And from this point on, the immersion of the drama rises vertically. It is also the moment where the fact that the writer is a former judge shines the brightest. It excludes the fantasies often committed by legal dramas, such as lawyers doing investigations like detectives or overturning trials by appealing to emotions in court. Instead, it shows a development alive with details such as actual litigation procedures, the importance of written arguments, and strategies utilizing the judge's psychology. Realistic legal knowledge that makes you think, "Ah, you can get out of that situation like that," is melted into the episodes, satisfying intellectual curiosity while not missing dramatic tension.
The Writer Who Said There Was No "Preferential Treatment", Dissects Its Reality I understand that writer Moon Yoo-seok has argued through past interviews and books that "preferential treatment for retired officials (Jeon-gwan-ye-u) like in the movies does not exist." However, in this drama, he shows nakedly how that 'preferential treatment' operates in reality or how it can be used. It is not simply like "I'm your senior, so let me off the hook." It is chillingly realistic to see influence exercised by meticulously calculating the relationship with a direct superior, the tendency of the relevant panel of judges, and the power dynamics within the court. The protagonist, Kang David, knows the mechanism better than anyone because he was a judge, and it is even more interesting because he dares to bring out a subject that the writer himself had considered taboo for the sake of dramatic fun, showing him using it in reverse to put opponents in trouble or occupy a favorable position.
Go Away Stuffy Judges, The Birth of a Trickster Armed with Flexibility The image of a lawyer who was a former judge that we usually think of is often stuffy, memorizing only the law codes, and inflexible. But Kang David is different. He plays within the boundaries of the law but is skilled at walking a tightrope on that line. Based on his experience as a judge, he pierces the opponent's guard, saying, "Judges hate this kind of written brief," or "If you submit this evidence at this timing, the judge will think like this." Sometimes he engages in public opinion warfare, and sometimes he does not hesitate to use somewhat unconventional methods, such as catching the opponent's weakness and using it as a negotiation card. It gives the pleasure of a character who "looked like a model student but turned out to be the best fighter." With actor Jung Kyung-ho's unique sly acting added, a "capable character" that you can't hate and want to cheer for was born.
Cider Development Without Frustration, A Satisfying Blow to the Social Elite It is a mistake to think that the content will be boring or merely instructive just because it is a free defense for the 'public interest'. The episode covered in Episode 2 dealt with the abuse of power and corruption of a figure in the social leadership class, and the process of resolving this was truly refreshing. The sight of David fighting against huge power on behalf of powerless victims gives a catharsis of bringing down Goliath, just like his name. In particular, the ending where he overturns a legally disadvantageous situation with a brilliant idea gave viewers a coolness like pouring "Cider" (soda). A development that smashes the opponent with logic and strategy without forced emotion or melodrama seems to be the flavor that viewers want most these days.
Ratings Skyrocketed from 4.5% to 6.2%, There is a Reason for Word of Mouth The fun of a drama is proven by ratings. The viewership rating, which started smoothly at 4.5% in Episode 1, jumped to 6.2% in just two episodes. The fact that it rose by 1.7% points in a single day is proof that not only did the viewers who watched Episode 1 not leave, but a significant number of new viewers flowed in after hearing the word of mouth that "this is fun." It dispelled the unfamiliarity and concerns of the beginning in just two episodes and emerged as a dark horse responsible for the weekend evening. The fact that it shows such an upward trend despite the competitive time slot means that the power of the story and the passionate acting of the actors worked properly. As full-scale episodes proceed in the future, the upward trend in ratings is expected to be even steeper.
Remaining 10 Episodes, The Reason I Wait for the Weekend 'Pro Bono' is planned for a total of 12 episodes. Although it has just passed the beginning, I plan to watch the remaining 10 episodes live until the end. I like legal dramas very much, but it has been a long time since I saw a work that balanced such realistic details and dramatic fun. Curiosity trails about what kind of social issues the cases that Kang David and the O&Partners Public Interest Team will solve in the future will contain, and whether Kang David will be able to achieve his dream of becoming a Supreme Court Justice after leaving the law firm in a year, or whether he will be reborn as a true lawyer. For those who want to start lightly and fall into heavy fun, I strongly recommend binge-watching 'Pro Bono' this weekend.
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