Drama Rating: 7/10 Neck Score: A+
I thought the premise was going to be too much like Switch, where they get a conman to impersonate a prosecutor who happens to be his doppelganger. While less fantastic, this wasn't so far behind as the ex-con twin brother of a judge is taking his place when he suddenly disappears. It does leave you to suspend your belief that no one noticed the difference when he suddenly doesn't know what he's doing and has a completely different personality, but I feel like that is necessary in any of this type of drama. Also, they did a descent job covering that sort of thing. He is a twin, so he knows enough about him to hack passwords and fake somethings. He's also a ex-con, which means he knows enough about the law and how judges act to BS his way around. But he still has a completely different personality. It not being common knowledge that he had a twin helps.
Anyway, this show was all about healing, growth, and justice. It had a rocky start, when we were still trying to figure out who everyone was and if this stealing his brother's spot was going to work, but after the second week of episodes, I was hooked. The dichotomy of a convict navigating the courtroom and passing judgement, all the while becoming increasingly disgusted with the hypocrisy and corruption of the field as well as becoming a champion of justice. We see him go from being excited about getting bribes to being disgusted that rich people get away with crap because they can bribe.
I really love the love story between these two people who were both hurt by the law, but who inspire each other to believe in justice and to find healing in the way that the law can protect if used correctly. He decided to use his stolen judge powers for good because he wants to be good for her, and she gains faith in the law and humanity because she sees how he loves and cares for people. That might be why everyone was so quick to accept him, since they went from having a cold, reserved boss to a suddenly warm and empathetic boss who actually cares about them appreciates their work. He also looks exactly like their boss, so why would you think it's a twin or a doppelganger when you know your boss is an only child? Just accept that your life is better and you suddenly love your boss. It's fine.
The bad guys were all the scum of the earth, and the second male lead was a whiny bitca. "Oh poor me, no one is giving me the respect I want, so I'mma stab my dad in the back." Sad, because I love Park Byung Eun, but he can play some nasty/annoying roles pretty good. Good job, man. There were also antagonists who did bad things, but had the opportunity to change. That was good. I liked how none of the cases were so heavy that I got tired of them. In fact there was a lot of good continuity between the cases, since a lot of them were tied together, or they played an important role in character development, etc.
Can I just say again that Yoon Si Yoon did a great job being both brothers? I didn't ever think of them as the same person, since they were very distinct characters. I also liked how I didn't 100% hate the judge hyung. He was a jerk, but you could see where he had failed and where he was trying to become better. I also liked that there never was a love triangle. You had the judge and his girl and you had the ex-con and his girl. Even when the judge girl thought he was his hyung, he never let anything happen. It was great, and I liked both girls too. I thought that the news anchor girl was a great character, and I loved how she called him out on his crap, and made him work for it. I especially loved that she scolded him and made him want to be better too. Lots of people becoming better. That's a sign of a good drama.
