Drama Review: A New Leaf Episodes 5-6

For some reason, I am liking the pacing of this show. I'm enjoying how attentive the writer is to detail and is taking their time to set the entire plot up. I can appreciate it and hopefully we see more of this in future dramas. 

I read some who didn't like episodes 5 and 6, but I enjoyed for the simple fact that it did slow down and began to show us exactly how much not knowing who you are is affecting Seok Joo. It bothers him to hear about himself from other people and just how "cold" and "ruthless" he was before. To others he's still like that and it's almost like he wants to scream "I have amnesia! I don't know who I am anymore!" just to get someone to understand how he's feeling. The only person he used to trust was himself (and partially Young Woo) and now he's put everything into Ji Yoon. He told her he trusts her now and this will set the ball rolling for her to completely be on his side in the coming episodes. She already tells him or at least makes comments about his former jerky self and it's quite satisfying to see especially since he wasn't too sure as to why she didn't like him before. It's like moving to a new city and finding that one person who is willing to spend time with you, you only trust them since they're taking their time to help you through the newness of everything. However, considering Ji Yoon is also new to the firm it's a new environment to her as well. They're like the new kids in school and are sticking together to help get through it all. So they're completely reliant on each other whether she wants to realize it or not. 

Now with Young Woo moving her next door to Seok Joo, this will cause an even greater misunderstanding within their office and can give life to a possible romance (if the writer is moving towards that angle), nothing is for certain since everything can just be laid out for them to be great partners. What I do think though is that Jeon Ji Won will somehow use Ji Yoon's crush on him for his advantage. What that is, I don't know but that's the point. He's a grey character and the way he looked at Ji Yoon and Seok Joo didn't sit well with me. It wasn't jealousy, but he was calculating the situation and how he should approach it. He now knows how close (or not close) Ji Yoon is with Seok Joo. I could be wrong and he could end up being a great ally to them once both leave the firm, but for now I won't trust Mr. Sexy Judge (as someone in the Soompi thread calls him) until I have proof he's not manipulative.

What I am noticing about this drama is that the writer is using real cases here. Much like US's Law&Order series, some of the cases here are inspired by real life ones in South Korea. Many people who are awesome to do deeper digging noticed what similarities they have to real life events such as the oil spill case which really happened and the sexual assault one was more recent. This one makes you think and even though some things make us angry with how they're handled, things like this happen on a daily basis whether we want to acknowledge them or not.

This drama isn't all that serious and has its funny moments too and that perfect comedic timing is Sang Tae, Seok Joo's only friend and someone he wanted Ji Yoon to look into because he can't see how he had low standards for friends. His scenes don't overpower the tone of the drama and adds something light in every other scene. He's also helping to fuel the constant whispers and misunderstandings about Seok Joo and Ji Yoon's (nonexistent) relationship. 

How are you liking this drama's pace? Is it too slow or do you like your dramas to take their sweet time? Discuss it in the comments below or look on the right side bar & start a conversation with me on Twitter!