Why Her? (2022)

Gripping until the very end.

I haven't written a review in a while but I feel compelled to write one now since I consistently failed to understand the scathing reviews after each episode. Why Her? was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. The acting is wonderful with no exception. The soundtrack is really beautiful and perfectly fits the atmosphere. We get a really strong, resilient, and flawed FM and deeply wronged yet sweet, loving, and intelligent ML.

I will say that I had higher hopes for the romance. Although, since the most common critique I read was that the romance was out of place, this should sound like a positive point for those less interested in this part of the drama. I thought their chemistry was greatly enjoyable and to me, their story was set to be absolutely incredible. It started off so strong in the first half but, in the end, I was sad not to see more development for them, especially with Gong Chan appearing less in the last quarter of the show.

I'm not entirely sure what else to say to convince others that this drama is worth their time, other than I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and that I'm not about to forget about these characters anytime soon.

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Tough character!

Soo jae is a tough character and she’s really an optimistic person that will do everything to chase her dream, so from reading the plot, I think you should get an idea of how soo jae is. I get it and i have no problem with her character as I watched this. The only problem is gong chan.

I don't like seeing weak female characters in dramas. Besides, she suffered so much because of that bastard. Even in real life, you can be a different person when people throw shit at you and use you. She is very naïve when she starts working, and that’s HOW MOST OF OF US ARE when we start working and face the real cruel world. Experience teaches us to be more mature, and that’s how Soo Jae learns.

What I don't like is gong chan’s character. Not the actor but his character in this drama is a pure disappointment. But I can see his character development towards the last 2 episodes bc he looks more reliable and someone you can depend on only at the last 2 episodes lol.

For me, this kdrama started very well, a bit meh in the middle, but improved in the last 2 episodes. I guess some people are dropping this kdrama because of the plot story in the middle, and I admit it's a bit meh in the middle.

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I loved it

I was ready to watch even before it's release only because of Seo Hyun Jin but when I started the ep 1, (I don't check trailer or plotline, I just choose drama and watch it)
I found the drama will be very much political, full of different people name, full of incidents, full of relations. I hate those type of dramas. But still everything hooked me on and I continued thinking that I can just skip the unwanted scenes. But because the story revolves around few people and few cases, so it was easier to remember everything and relate. People are hating on it because it doesn't have much law. Dude it is because it is not a law drama, it's kinda biographical drama based on Oh Soo Jae's life, suffering and her decisions.

The story was fine, OSTs were good and actors did best. Production was good too.

DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED WATCHING -SPOILERS ALERT !!

Even though it got partially happy ending (loosing her child will always make her suffer) but still somehow it felt sad. It must be because of Heo Joon ho as his acting was so good, even though he really did evil things but his suicide felt bittersweet. He was definitely ashamed and embarrassed that's why he killed himself or else he would had gone to prison and planned again to ruin everyone's life.

All actors did amazing role ofc our oh soo jae did the best. The characters were poorly written. The story revolved around two cases and made sixteen damn episodes. But the revealation in the last two episodes seemed fair. Even though people were angry about how bad guys won in all of the 14 episodes and only last two eps were about revenge, if she didn't reveal all of it in front of general public in a huge stage, she would had got sabotaged by others.
People are hating the romance in it. I would call relationship than romance. She really needed a person to live her unconditionally and support her after coming across with those disgusting people.

Even though the drama could have been so better if the screenwriters did better job. Still, still it will be my favourite drama of the year.

AND I REALLY LIKED THE RUNAWAY SHOW AT THE ENDING CREDITS LOL!!!

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A Very Gripping Drama

It was good and it all wrapped up quite nicely. The romance was the little ray of light peaking through the melancholy cracks of darkness that was this drama. This poor woman...The show had a way of lulling you with legalistic mumbo jumbo, and sulleness, and then right before you had the urge to bail or skim, BAM!! Something traumatic would suddenly occur and suck you right back in. The unravel of it all was entirely satisfactory, every video and voice recording didn't leave the slightest doubt and I relished every minute of finally seeing that evil man get his come upins. It normally wouldn't be my type of drama, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

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Why her? A complicated and interesting female lead character... that's why.

"Why Her" is about corporate greed, ruthless power, and revenge. TK Law Firm is the setting for one of the most corrupt and toxic work environments and one truly entertaining evil villain. It stars Seo Hyun Jin as Oh Soo Jae, literally another Miss Oh (lol), and the "Her" in question in the title. I loved her cold, clever, poker-faced lawyer character, who seems pretty ruthless but is living with some painful demons. She truly is one of my favorite actresses in KDramaland and this drama showcases a lot of her talent well. However, I am not the biggest fan of dramas with major corruption plots, and although this drama does attempt to incorporate some romance as well, the underdog fighting against a major corporate power trope started to drag and the mystery behind it all was too confusing for too long. The writing is a bit messy, but with such strong performances, I stayed invested till the end.

Seo Hyun Jin is matched with Hwang In Youp as Gong Chan. He is clearly enamored with Lawyer Oh but it takes a further dive into their pasts to learn why that is. I liked their characters and their story. I loved the idea of accepting each other, flaws and all, but I admit the two didn't have much chemistry. For me, it wasn't the age gap or the teacher-student scenario that made this couple not work that well. It was more the lack of excitement between the two besides comforting each other. Scenes that should have caused butterflies felt forced. They honestly felt more like siblings, and if this drama removed romance from the plot completely it wouldn't have made any difference for me.

Although there are great side characters and ensemble performances the true male lead of this drama is Heo Joon Ho as
Choi Tae Gook. He is so excellent at being THE WORST human. He could have easily been played over the top but Choi Tae Gook had depth and range. Even minor things about his character, like his snacking all the time, made his performance so impressive. Still, even his evildoings started feeling repetitive until the last few episodes. I think it took a little too long to reveal the past, which made me wonder how intense this would have been as a movie instead of being dragged out for 16 episodes. There were just too many meeting and plotting scenes that slowed down the pace. There were also so many side characters. Some got too much screen time (like petty coworkers) and others not enough (like Gong Chan's cute hyungs).

Would I watch this drama again? Probably not. I kept watching to first learn how ambitious Lawyer Oh rose to her position and then to see how her power play with Choi Tae Gook would resolve... they really were perfect rivals! I was bored by who owned what and who backed who and only slightly interested in the unresolved murder plots. There were no moments I would want to rewatch, and although a second viewing may make some things much clearer that I may have missed the first time, I would be tempted to skip too many scenes.

Overall if you like law and crime melodramas then this one is worth watching. If you like flawed powerful women leads then this drama delivers. If you want romance you will likely be disappointed. The student lawyer scenes definitely gave me "How to get away with Murder" vibes, and there are some Olivia Pope sensibilities in the way Soo Jae "handles" every situation. I at first expected a strong woman in a male-dominated field storyline but by the first episode, we see that things are far deeper and nastier. What or who would you sacrifice or compromise to secure and protect your own power? That's the main question. Soo Jae goes through so much in this drama with such composure that I couldn’t decide if that made her cool or tragic. Probably both. I laughed, cried, and cheered her on even when her methods were questionable. If you are a fan of Seo Hyun Jin this is worth watching for her performance, but I wish the corruption plot wasn't needlessly complicated and the love story was stronger. I'm glad I watched although I understand why this drama kinda flew under the radar. If you adjust your expectations, embrace Tae Gook's snacking and drinking prowess, Soo Jae's resting b*@$# face, and Gong Chan's puppy dog eyes as they all play this game of mental chess, there's still a lot to keep you entertained. Oh Soo Jae's evolution and Choi Tae Gook's impending reckoning are the whys that make this drama worth watching and why I will still recommend this drama despite its flaws. Why her? A complicated and interesting female lead character... that's why.

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Why??

This drama really stuck to it's name and had me asking why each time. I was so angry and frustrated each time and wondered how soojae had lived her life, honestly I wouldn't want to walk a mile in her a shoes in any lifetime. It was a plot so complex yet so simple, the wickedness of man was emphasised each step of the way.

when one person of interest on one of her cases unalives themselves by jumping off the building, right into soojae's way I might add, she is labelled as a monster by society and of course her boss asks her to lay low for a while and she doesn't take it well, seeing as she is the star lawyer, the ace of the company) which is where we meet another one of our protagonists, Gong Chan.

He's carrying raw fish and accidentaly drops it and one lands near soojae's heel, needing an outlet for her emotions, he apologises profusely but she slaps him hard. once, twice and on the third he stops her, not angry but with a look of understanding.

she leaves quickly without apologizing. Turns out this isn't the first time our protagonists have met. Gong Chan, previously went by kim Dong-gu, he was on trial for raping and murdering his stepsister. He had lost all hope, given everyone we convinced he did it even his mother, until soojae appeared as his legal counsel, she was a rookie, she uttered 3 magic words that changed his whole outlook on his future 'I believe you

When they went to court, with external influence, Dong-gu lost the case, and was imprisoned but released soon after when the actual perpetrator was found. When he returned to society the name Dong-gu was still associated with the murder, so he decided to change it.

Thereafter he worked hard and applied to law school, his reason was to find someone. Cut back to today, he reports to class and oh soojae's his lecturer.

I hope just that is enough to help you get Into this drama, it's gut wrenching and amazing!!!

I have always loved legal dramas and this one did not disappoint!

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Instead of "Why Her?" how about "Why Any of This?"

This will be brief.

Seo Hyun Jin does, for a good stretch, some of her best work.

Hong Ji Yoon, refreshingly, has a strong guest spot in episode 1.

These two are in a scene together that is very much the high point of the show. And to its credit, any part of the first episode involving either of these two actors is very, very good.

And to the show's credit, that momentum from the opening episode keeps the intrigue up as all the backstories and setups are brought out.

But once the primary narratives are fully underway, this is an awful, terrible, bad and [insert the negative adjective of your choosing here. Actually, as many as you like.] show. Just a few of the issues...

The relationship between Seo Hyun Jin and Hwang In Youp has as much heat as the rings of Saturn. Which are, just in case that's not a clear metaphor, made of ice floating in the cold vacuum of space.

Hwang In Youp as Gong Chan seems to have no idea what to do with the character. It's all overdone makeup and hair, awkward shocked expressions and head-tilted stares at Seo Hyun Jin. And that's largely the fault of a poorly created character. If there were any element of reality in this production, Gong Chang would have been hauled away and locked up as a stalker by the 20 minute mark of episode 3. Of course, Hwang In Youp seems uncomfortable. He's supposed to be a hero but all of his behavior is gross at best and criminal at worst.

Heo Joon Ho has the chops to be a super evil bad guy. But the setup is so ridiculous that it's unbearable to watch. And much of that is because Lee Kyung Young is one of his cohorts. The only plausible explanation for how he shows up in every show of this genre is that his wife is the casting director and would prefer that he not be around her at home.

Bae In Hyuk is also listed as a lead and here's the exhaustive list of the qualities that he brings:
1. He is present.
2. He says the words from the script.
That's the end of the list. The is not even a subatomic particle of effort beyond showing up and reciting the lines.

This review could continue at exhaustive length with further failures and faults of "Why Her?" but in the interest of remaining somewhat compliant with the "This will be brief" opening, the review will conclude with "Why? How about no. Just No.".

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No thoughts, head-empty... but seriously, what is this romantic relationship?

I think creators need to uphold moral responsibility while designing their characters. This felt like a horrible attempt at creating a 'badass feminist woman' because there is nothing badass about victim-blaming and acting crude towards survivors of sexual assault and/or individuals who are at risk for suicide.

And need I even get into the relationship dynamics of the two leads? We really did not need a student-teacher relationship. The professor obviously holds more power and authority, while the student just keeps invading her privacy. It is almost uncomfortable to watch because I just can't see those two bonding under any circumstances. Additionally, they keep repeating similar scenes, especially the one where Soo Jae gets in trouble and calls Gong Chan who rushes to save her. I have literally seen this at least thrice in the first seven episodes. Please stop this misery.

This drama could have focused more on courtroom cases and addressed the struggles of women in breaking the glass ceiling. Yet, it chose to divert all its attention toward some poorly formed romantic relationship that thrives in every conflict.

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Better title "Why Me?" As in, "why am I stuck watching this show?"

This show started out great! I was at the end of episode two, at which time I had just a couple of issues, and I texted a friend and said that this was the type of show that I could lose sleep over just to binge watch. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last much longer. I spent a lot of time angry with the writers as I watched this, and I never felt like they redeemed themselves.

I'll start with my positives:
Acting - all of the acting was good, but especially Soo Hyun Jin as Oh Soo Jae. Oh, my goodness, I hated her at the beginning. I did wonder why that, in order for a woman to be strong and successful, they have to be a complete B***ch, but the brief times of humanity were understated and suited her personality completely. The writers did a good job here, in giving us back story following some of her worst moments that would clarify what actually happened. Heo Joon Ho as Choi Tae Gook was amazing. He was the embodiment of evil. I don't like watching this type of character, especially since he doesn't even pretend to be a good guy, but he just drew me in. Then there is Bae In Hyuk as Choi Yoon Sang - he fascinates me. I've seen him in numerous things, and there's something about that little lisp he has... and, finally, Han Joo Hyun as Choi Jae Yi - what a precious little girl!
Found families - between Gong Chan and his hyungs, and the law school students working together, I enjoyed these relationships. I just wish they were developed better/further.

Now for the negatives: SPOILERS!)
1) For me the biggest elephant in the room - why the heck did they use two different actors for the male lead?!?! The younger version of Gong Chan looked older than the Hwang In Youp version! They didn't resemble each other in any way. I kept waiting, throughout the show, for the writers to give us an explanation, but that never happened. It actually seemed like one actor dropped out and Hwang In Youp stepped in at the last minute. I know that's not the case, but that's what it looked like to me. When Oh Soo Jae says to herself, "Why didn't I recognize him?"
2) Romance - They would have been better off leaving the romance out of this show, for many reasons. First, the age disparity - perhaps not so much in chronological age, but in emotional age. He was like a puppy chasing after her, and he seemed more like a high school student than a college student. Plus, the fact that she was a lawyer settled in her career already. And he liked her because she believed in him? That's it? The fact that he kept telling her she was "cool" cemented his immaturity. We had a few brief scenes with them together as a couple. The rest of the time he was either saving her, trying to save her, or holding her while she cried. This was definitely not a give and take relationship. I didn't ship them at all as a couple, to be honest. He called her "Professor" throughout the entire show. At some point in time, if you are truly in a relationship, you use first names!
I loved watching Hwang In Youp, but his character was not well-written.
3) Plethora of bad guys/evil characters. Probably a ratio of more than 2:1. There were so many names to keep straight (especially all the people in the same families), from the past and in the present. Each seemed more evil than the last. The number of things that these people got away with was astounding - multiple people get away with murder (literally), yet they want to draw attention to themselves by bringing her before a disciplinary committee?! And for all the evil done, minimal consequences.
4) Unnecessarily complicated storylines. It seemed like every few minutes they introduced a new character to confuse us. I lost count of the number of storylines that I was trying to keep track of.
5) The direction they took Bae In Hyuk's character Choi Yoon Sang - this one was hard for me to swallow. He likes her, he specifically mentions that he has finally found, in Gong Chan, someone that he can be friends with, yet he threatens pouts and blindsides these characters!? With so many bad guys, I would have much preferred he remain a constant in the ever-changing lives of the two main leads.
6) Too much drinking. Is no one able to solve problems without binge drinking?
7) Vulgar language. I don't know if these were actually the words or just due to the translators, but I don't find bad language necessary.
8) "Stupid heroine" moments. Your office has been broken into, yet you go on in. The guy that attacked you in said office runs out, but rather than leave you go to the roof?!?! What was that about!? Someone calls you to meet him at a deserted place late at night and you go by yourself. Apparently, she's never watched any type of horror film - the stupid characters are usually the first to die.
9) Wow, the labs were doing a booming business in this show. The number of paternity tests and DNA tests that were being run were ridiculous. And finding out that Choi Jae Yi was actually her daughter? I saw it coming from a mile away, and it really made me mad. It just seemed like something else to throw into this mess of a story.
Which brings me to -
10) The truck of doom. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hated this. It was just mean and could have been avoided completely if the stupid paternity storyline hadn't been introduced in the first place.

So, upon reflection, for me, the writing was where the problems were. I'd say, if you have a high tolerance for things that are implausible, watch this show for the excellent acting.

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Great series, one of the best I've seen so far.

Those of you who are critiquing the romance between the male and female leads need to go back and watch episodes 1 and 2.

They have a long history.

And if you can't say anything positive about the actors and actresses please just say nothing. Let's live in love.

Most of us just watch the shows for pleasure, we don't need all the hate, if you don't like it just don't watch it.

Most of us cannot begin to do what these actors and actresses are doing but we are very quick to criticize, from their looks to their skills, PLEASE stop.

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Will keep you coming back!

This story is one where you will want to keep watching to know what exactly happened, and how it all played out.
I really loved all the characters in this story! They played their parts very well! They're intriguing, deeply flawed, and it shows how corrupt the world can be.
Soo Jae is such a strong woman, who gets put through hell and back again. Seo Hyun Jin's acting in this is absolutely phenomenal!
Gong Chan is a character whose life has been turned upside down and who is trying to put everything back together again and find the truth.
Choi Tae Guk is a smart, calculating, manipulative man who has all the right connections, so he's able to get what he wants.
We follow these characters as they seek revenge, the truth, and in the midst of it all, trying to find happiness and redemption!

This is a mystery, law drama, with romance. I was hooked from the very beginning. This story definitely kept me coming back! I was invested in the story, the characters, and how it would all play out. This drama was fine with the romance, but it would’ve been fine without it as well. People either love or hate the romance aspect. Personally, I enjoyed the romance aspect, but I can understand why people wouldn’t. There was a particular scene where Gong Chan had something that belong to Soo Jae, and he should've handed it over, but instead he kept it because he wanted to "protect her". I'm sorry but she's a strong woman who is and has been protecting herself. She knows what she's doing so what made him think otherwise? That annoyed me! But that was really the only instance for me. This drama was definitely not perfect. It has it's flaws, but overall an enjoyable one.

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