Drama Review: A New Leaf Episodes 3-4

I was hesitant to start a review on this one, but this week really cemented it for me. I am liking the fine balance between the more serious scenes that deal with the firm's clients to the more comedic ones with Ji Yoon trying to help Seok Joo around the office.

Amnesia plots in dramas usually leave a bad taste in my mouth, I really don't like them but since this is apart of the core plot then it's a welcome one. Seok Joo doesn't know who he is as a person, but still retains his knowledge as a lawyer, but with him not remembering his cold former self then we are now seeing him struggle. Like Ji Yoon told her friend about not fitting in at the firm, we are seeing that Seok Joo is having similar difficulties. With him not knowing the kind of person he was 3 days ago, he's not sure about what to do and why he made certain decisions. The case for this week left him dumbfounded and unsure why he would do something like give out a random price intentionally, had he not lost his memory he would have been able to give quick answers. However, he had to go through mountains of paperwork to figure things out, luckily for him he's still a quick learner and was able to come up with a solution albeit not as quick as before. This entire accident has left him feeling like he shouldn't be working at the firm, but Young Woo doesn't want him to quit. I don't see him not accepting the resignation letter as a bad thing, if Seok Joo were to successfully quit then he'd probably have too much free time and not work towards regaining his memory.

With Ji Yoon now assigned to help him, the misunderstandings at work are piling up. Honestly, this part is well done and doesn't overwhelm the main plot of the show. For now, it doesn't seem like a forced love line and I am thankful for that. As of now, it's just a work relationship which can possibly evolve into a romantic one, but I won't be sad if we don't get it. I'm just happy with everyone at work thinking they have some type of relationship when in reality it's nonexistent. It doesn't help that their CEO seems close with her and how she's following around a top attorney and she's not allowed to tell anyone about the true nature of his accident, so she can't exactly clear anything up right now. Just how long this will go on, I'm not sure but I will enjoy it while I can. We got some background on Ji Yoon's family and learned how intertwined she is with Seok Joo, not sure if she's even fully aware of everything that went on so it's going to be very interesting when she leaves the firm with Seok Joo and learn from her family about what happened. This will definitely come up later in the show otherwise, why mention it?

Am I the only one who is bothered by the fact that Chae Jung Ahn's character hasn't even been mentioned yet? I understand her not showing up, but it hasn't even been hinted that Seok Joo is engaged. Even Young Woo seems amused at the fact that he may have been with Ji Yoon, but nothing has been alluded to Seok Joo having a fiancee. Young Woo told him that he wasn't married, but why not mention that he's engaged especially to someone from money like Yoon Jeong Seon. We didn't see her in the preview for episode 5 so maybe she shows up in episode 6. This makes me think she won't have that great of an impact on the plot itself and she's just a side character, I could be wrong so I hope they at least throw hints at it soon.

This show isn't perfect, but with 4 episodes in, I can say it's very promising. The lawyers are actually working and aside from that little office gossip, nothing is stopping these attorneys from doing their jobs which is very nice to see. I am happy to at least see the writer showing them doing something other than plotting someone's downfall or getting caught in a meaningless love triangle. With 16 more episodes to air, let's just hope the writer continues on this great path.