One Thousand Dollar Lawyer (2022)

CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!

Writing this review is like writing an obituary.

The Show showed great promise in its infancy. Adolescent was a blast and overflowing with energy and potentials.
We went on wild rides with some interesting and engaging characters. It was lawyering without the law. Creative writing at its whimsical best. We get hints of a dark backstory but that only served to whet our appetite.

The Show matures with a 2 episodes arc of flashbacks which tells the origin story. It was bittersweet and hard hitting. It is meant to set up the last third of the Show for an impactful finale.

It was a mystery at the time why the tone and writing of the storyline changes drastically after the flashbacks. I know the phase “lost the plot” is cliché but I can’t think of any other way to describe the next few episodes. The Show dialled up the slapstick at the cost of narrative logic. It is fun to watch for a while, but it leaves me scratching my head.

I then started to hear about the Show being cut down from 14 to 12 episodes even though it was rating through the roof. However, any talk of a second season was quashed. News of cancelled screening and weird substitutions began to flood the news feeds. To say the fans are confused and upset is an understatement. Then came the rumours that the writer-nim has a fallout with the production company and there were chattering about shenanigans regarding multiple rewrites and rejections. It sort of fits in with what is happening but it is cold comfort. One suggestion is the writer-nim objected to the overuse of PPL and changes to the original plot for mass appeal. I'd agree that the PPL goes way beyond the bottles of water in the fridge trick. It was literally baked into the script. We have the leads ordering take-outs and then leisurely eating and commenting on the meal. It is totally egregious.

The next couple of eps felt rudderless. There are signs of life here and there. There are important revelations, and the plot moves along. At the same time, some subplots also disappeared even though you can sense why the writer-nim included them in the first place. They were discarded unceremoniously. By this stage, the Show was on life support. Ep.11 was a filler with little substance. It took 60mins to do what should have taken 10. This is a sad waste of screen time when you consider it is the penultimate episode.

By the time the finale arrives, I watched it with trepidation. Of course, we wanted a good and satisfying finish, but we also know the clock is ticking.

The final episode is rushed, there is no other way to say it. Everything that needs to happen, happened. It feels heavily scripted rather than clever and nuanced. It is like watching a checklist being ticked off. It got the job done but the Show deserved better. The “epilogue” on the island is unnecessary and out of place.

In terms of acting, the ML was outstanding. The first 2/3 of the Show really showcased his talents. He has great presence and comedic timing but when needed, he can bring on the feels too. His acting in the titular role is what hooked us. It is disappointing that it becomes more like a caricature towards the end.

I feel sorry for the FL. She was not given a fair go with her role. She has the visuals and is a competent actor in her own right but she is always Robbin to his Batman. There was a hint of attraction between the leads at one stage, but it is nixed after the flashback episodes. The SML was a complete waste of a role. There is a hint of a decent subplot in the beginning but it went nowhere and feels superfluous in the end.

It is a real shame that the Show declined in such a way. It shows all the signs of a smash hit in the making but has been brought low for some nefarious reasons. If it was delivered in full and as intended, it could have been an easy 9. RIP.
Rewatch is fairly pointless. Peace out.

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