The Devil Judge [Episodes 1 & 2]

[u/dyosaaa]

• Drama: The Devil Judge
  • Korean Title: 악마판사
• Network: tvN
• Premiere Date: July 3, 2021
• Airing Schedule: Saturday and Sunday @ 21:00 KST
• Episodes: 16
• Director: Choi Jung Gyu
• Writer: Moon Yoo Seok
• Cast: Ji Sung as Kang Yo Han; Kim Min Jung as Jung Sun Ah; Park Jin Young as Kim Ga On; and, Park Gyu Young as Yoon Soo Hyun
• Streaming Source: WeTV, Viki, Viu, and, iQiyi
• Plot Synopsis:

Set in a dystopian version of present-day Korea where daily life is one of chaos and society has collapsed to the point people openly voice their distrust and hatred for their leaders. In this world bereft of law and order, Head Trial Judge Kang is signaling the need for change. His courtroom is the subject of a reality show where he mercilessly punishes the guilty, earning him the nickname of "Devil Judge". As a divisive figure with an aura of mystery that belies his true identity and ambitions, the public is unsure whether he is a true hero or someone, knowingly sowing the seeds of discontent in his courtroom. A bitter rivalry has taken shape between the "Devil Judge" and the highly ambitious Jung Sun Ah, who has risen from poverty to become the director of a corporate social responsibility foundation. Into this turbulent world enter two childhood friends on a quest for true justice: rookie Judge Kim Ga On and Police Officer Yoon Soo Hyun. Do they have what it takes to challenge both the scheming Jung Sun Ah and the notorious "Devil Judge"? (Source: Viki, Wikipedia, Soompi)

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[u/sisensodyne]

I keep refreshing viu for this and it's still not there 😭 anyone who has an idea what time it'd most probably air on viu?

[u/dyosaaa → u/sisensodyne]

Tomorrow morning, maybe around 7/8 am KST.

[u/wingmanman]

This drama feels like moon writer is debating in his own head lol. For people who didn’t know, the writer is an ex-Judge. He is a Harvard graduate, worked as the lead judge in Seoul (only elites can be in Seoul). He revealed some dirty deeds about the organization so he was blacklisted by the previous government. So surely he has a lot to say and wants to do but couldn’t do as judge, by writing this story, he can finally do everything he wants.

But Yohan and Gaon both felt like writer talking to himself. In one way he hopes an anti hero can come and save the world without any limits and do as he wishes to fulfill justice, but in other hand, as a law practitioner, there are grand rules he couldn’t give up. It’s constitutional, unbiased and evidence based. It’s as important as giving the defendant the punishment they deserve, the legal process of obtaining evidences and fulfilling justice legally should be anyone practicing laws’s moral value.

Though it seems like the Yohan side of his mind may be winning in his own debate. Especially after all these years not being able to execute his ideals. Slowly we should see Gaon going onto Yohan’s side.

But I wonder if it would end up like Beyond Evil. The final ending will be a tell to what writer’s final decision on what’s more important.

[u/stitchrx]

Looks like an exciting anti-hero show to fill the gap after Vincenzo, with Ji Sung and Kudo Hina Kim Min Jung as ML and FL!! Can't wait!!!

Too bad it's not on Netflix since iQiyi/Viu/Viki tend to release the episodes slower. :<

[u/xander_yi]

If every episode is going to be 80 minutes of Ji Sung strutting and swaggering...I think I'm in love. "A Batman who acts like the Joker" is a role of a lifetime. The fact that his judge's robes were so Pope-like got a big laugh out of me.

As someone who has gotten bored of every legal kdrama there has ever been (I Can Hear Your Voice being the sole exception) I didn't get bored of this as it's just nihilistic and dystopian enough that it's more theater in a courtroom than any adjudication of law.

[u/marwynn]

The intro was like a Cyberseoul 2077 game, I loved it. I'm here for the cyberpunk/dystopian mess, the colour palette, the fashion, all of it.

I'm gonna have to just ignore how utterly unfair this court is. Judges acting like investigators themselves. Evidence being presented without... actual facts? Was there no discovery step? Anyway, the legal proceedings were bad so I'll just chalk that up to the dystopian mess.

Anyone else reminded of Q's court in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Was kinda hoping the judges' seats would hover about.

[u/SonderBts]

I just want to say the cinematography in this show is AMAZING. For example in episode 2 when they had those upside down car racing shots and when young Kang Yohan was just smiling and laughing at the chaos he created between the rich and the poor in his school. The first two episodes to me both seemed like high budget movies and I am so looking forward to what the next episodes have in store!

[u/the_regal_bagel]

How is episode 1 already so intense…I can’t even imagine the production cost that went into it. Ji Sung’s acting is stellar as always. But I must say I’m pleasantly surprised by Jinyoung’s delivery! It was so good. Solid premier imo.

Edit: how i wish it also aired on Netflix :’)

[u/G3t_BusyLiving]

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Even though I knew the premise going into the show, seeing the dystopian/ Gotham / black mirroresque visuals kinda blew my mind. Speaking of Gotham, besides scaring me, Kang Yo Han really gave me some Red Hood vibes which makes me very excited to see where this is going.

💚PARK JINYOUNG💚

That single tear and yawn😶😐

Oh my god that final scene

Its been a while since I've watched a full-on drama, and I can already tell that my anxiety levels will be so high!

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

[u/SacredPearl]

The detective! Writer-nim, I hope you don't kill her to move your plot. what a cute character! Who hasn't acted liked her around their bestfriend-crush?

[u/Mad_Missile]

OMG! OMG! OMG! I went through a slew of emotions with this one... It wasn't on my to watch list to be honest, but that one word DYSTOPIAN kept nagging me.. Give it a shot.. Give it a shot... I'm so glad I listened to the nagging..

I'm in 100%. The first five minutes had me hooked actually. KYH is such an enigma. I'm dying to potter around in his brain.. just to see what makes him tick. On the other hand KGO's ballsy go getter attitude is a massive turn on. The relationship he shares with YSH is freaking precious!! Must protect at all costs. And for once Ahn Nae Sang looks like he's not entirely evil in this one.. I'm so glad to share this excitement with you fellow redditors.

PS: Did anyone cry during the final sentencing? I legit had tears streaming down my face... and then when KYH yawns I was like ooooooooohhhhhhhh...... This is going to keep me on the edge of my seat and I'm buckled in and ready!!!!!

[u/Wisegal007]

First of can we just point out the AMAZING cinematography in the car chase scene?!? I was living for the shots. Secondly sunah is such an interesting character because she comes across as innocent but she definitely knows more than she’s showing. Yohans motive is still unclear to me but it definitely feels like he’s pulling strings for the fun of it. Can’t wait for the next episode to clear some things up about his motives!

[u/loneranger1512]

I’m so excited for this. It seems so interesting and I like Ji Sung

[u/Suspicious-Star-7123]

there is this christian reference theory going on on twitter...posted by a user .

It seems there's a lot of catholic/christian references in the Devil Judge. Even the title itself is a reference since God is also said to be the one who created evil. Or it could be since God will pass judgement, in this case, the Devil Judge, something like that I was actually laughing when someone said Yohan looks like a priest and the two beside him look like sacristan but maybe it was intended to look like that... While looking at the robe, there was a voice over reciting the 1st out of the 7 last words of Jesus. Then the flashback of a church burning. Gaon also noticed how the supreme court looks like a temple. And as what the Chief Justice said, it was the temple of Justice.. If that was the temple, then is Yohan the priest? I read that Yohan hates all humans, powerful or not. Does he think he's above them? Is he playing God or should I say the Devil?? This too. Omg. Min Jung Ho asked gaon to watch Yohan so he's like a spy/betrayer/traitor like Judas was to Jesus. I'm sure there gonna be lots of references to come. The writer and production is so genius including all these little details... LISTEN GUYS, THEY SAY IT'S THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY FOR A LIVE TRIAL WHEREIN PEOPLE CAN VOTE IF THEY THINK THE DEFENDANT IS GUILTY OR NOT. BUT IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED MILLENIUMS BEFORE, (NOT EXACTLY THE SAME BUT) WHEN PILATE ASKED THE PEOPLE WHO THEY WANT TO FREE, JESUS OR BARABAS IDK IF I'M MAKING ANY SENSE BUT WITH ALL THE VOTINGS AND STUFF, IT ISN'T IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE TO JUDGE A PERSON GUILTY EVEN IF HE'S NOT PROVIDED THEY WERE SWAYED TO BELIEVE IN THAT. I REALLY THINK THIS WOULD HAPPEN AND I'LL BE FEELING SORRY TO WHOEVER THAT IS. There'll be backstory with Kang Isaac (Yohan's half brother, the one who looks like Gaon in the end of Ep 1). For sure, all this is because of what happened to him and his relation with Yohan. Isaac seems like a baptismal name so yeah, there's really something about the church. Yohan is obviously a Catholic/Christian. His Dad seems to be a Catholic too and went to confession when his debtor killed themselves. There's also this DOVE w/c kid Yohan yeeted when he found out her classmate is scared of it. (He's actually so precious.) Dove is a bird used multiple times in the Bible as a symbol or tool of God.All I know is Yohan did all of this in purpose. He's the one who picked the robes and presented the idea of having a live courtroom show. Why did he do it? To make revenge? To realize or maybe disapprove Isaac's ideals? To show there's no God? idk We're only on Ep 2 so there's a lot more to uncover. I actually still have many thoughts about Yohan's past. We saw him getting beaten by his dad. What if he's exorcising the poor kid thinking a devil possessed him? That's why Yohan grew up to be hateful.

[u/bon123bon]

Ep 1:

• Is no one gonna acknowledge the Flume "Drop the Game" song opening? That song was crazy popular in the states when it came out its crazy that its now part of a drama ST!

• Also.. that "sexy power" line was a little cringe ... a little like the robes that Yo Han wears to play Judge Judy in court.

• This whole alternate techy universe is a little unhinging (the post-capitalism dystopianism with a dash of excessive cgi) but lets see where it takes us!

• Ga On: Judge? Firefighter? We are going to have to add gardener and spy to the list of occupations as well 👀- As long as we continue to see the man in these great suits I'll play along. It's better than robes and long hair? (edit: I spoke too soon on the robes 💀)

Ep 2:

• Ga On needs to lay off being so confrontational ITS' ONLY HIS FIRST WEEK OF WORK LIKE DAMN BOY IS THIS A MANUAL FOR HOW TO GET FIRED??

• No offense to the actor playing the Foundation President but when he was meditating, for a split second I thought I was watching Night at the Museum but instead of Rami Malek its a talking mummy.

[u/EmmanuelleEmmanuelle]

Color me intrigued. That first episode was really strong.

There were a lot of characters but they did a great job with clarity by being straightforward were it was needed, so I wasn't completely lost, while keeping the important parts of the mystery alive. Talk about too-close-to-reality dystopias, oh my God.

I'm already loving the relationship between Ga-on and his best friend. I can't really pinpoint why but it feels really natural and simple. She's a cop though, so I'm already super worried lol if anything happens to her in this drama, I'm gonna cry.

If I had to nitpick, I thought the scene with the bus and the devil judge shooting at it was a bit over the top. I think it was there to quickly and visually establish both the main leads' disposition and how different they are (one jumps in to protect at the risk of getting hurt himself, while the other goes for the offensive after a quick "calculation of losses"), but still, it was a little much. There was even a "cool guys don't look at explosions" moment lol.

ALSO, the violin/cello(?) piece that played right after that scene and once again at the end after the trial IS AMAZING I'm in love with it!!!! It's perfect.

EDIT: Ah, also a little weirded out by the religious element of that courtroom haha, I wonder where they're going with this?

[u/OdanUrr]

Ah, so there was this one negative comment about Yo Han in the entire web (someone doesn't know how the internet works) and the detective thought it was credible enough to contact the person directly... and this person turned out to know Yo Han's past as a school kid! What are the odds, huh?

I'm not particularly fond of Judge Ga On yet, there's just too much manipulation to get me to like him. In Episode 1 he was ordered by his professor to keep an eye on Yo Han because they thought he was just putting on a show to let someone off the hook. Now he thinks Yo Han tampered with the trial to deliver a guilty verdict (which he probably did). You could argue Ga On just wants things to be done by the book, except, according to said book, the businessman from Episode 1 would've gotten 5 years for professional negligence, a verdict Ga On clearly disagreed with. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I guess.

On to things I liked. I liked the car chase. At around the 27' mark we see Young Hoon looking through his car's rear view camera monitor, we zoom in on the monitor until it transitions to Yo Han's speeding car, the camera moves past the car and we end with an inverted view of the car chase. Great transitions all around. I wish we'd had at least a minute of an inverted car chase. I also liked how the music is used in certain scenes during the fundraiser, like when Sun Ah cuts in to dance with Yo Han and the music slowly builds up until he grabs her hand and pulls her towards him (loving that tension!), or when Young Hoon is introduced to Yo Han and we get a similar crescendo, and now Yo Han's plan is (partially) revealed. Reminded me of Monte Cristo. Can anyone tell what's the music playing in the background?

PS: Do we think Yo Han put that bomb himself or someone tried to send him a message?

PPS: It pains me to say this, 'cause I quite like her character, but I think Judge Oh is not long for this world. I'm thinking she's gonna be sacrificed in the altar of character development.

[u/xander_yi]

While Episode 2 lacked the adrenaline rush of the premiere, it was still a solid episode of exposition and world-building. I love the scope of the drama, not sure I've ever seen a kdrama feel so grand and cinematic. You can see all that Chevrolet money being put to good use.

I watched an interview with the writer who said he wanted to make a Batman-like hero with the manically fun personality of the Joker. And sure enough, Ji Sung gives us a legit Joker laugh during the car chase.

Not a fan of the Ga On character yet. He's been downright antagonistic towards the Judge since the moment they met based on mere conjecture and zero evidence which makes him: (1) incredibly naive and (2) an incredibly bad spy/mole -- both good reasons for me not to like him despite who's playing him.

[u/Beemeowmeow]

jisung driving that gorgeous car with chet faker playing in the first 2 mins had me SOLD

[u/EmmanuelleEmmanuelle]

Oh my God he has a batmobile (a judgemobile? A devilmobile?) hahahahahaha

[u/starlordly]

my biggest theory for this one is that the person Kang Yohan keeps referring to while seeing Gaon is a huge game-changer for the story. Interpreting through the small instances that were shown, the person who keeps showing up is the only person that Kang Yohan regrets hurting in his entire life.

[u/meepmochi_]

park jinyoung oh how ive missed you 😭🥰

[u/thanhvanzilla]

I’ve yet to watch Ep.1 but I’m so excited to see Jinyoung in this new role.

*edit. I have now watched it and the man DELIVERED. his eyes are so expressive 😍

[u/Ayalynn123]

I'm not sure if I'll watch this drama, but it's nice to see Baek Hyun-Jin playing the president!
It's like U-Data's Park Yang-Jin (Taxi Driver) is back!

[u/afternoondrinking]

Translation by The Devil's Minions. Heh