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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Prime Minister and I" Episode 9

I guess Yool must have dismissed most of his bodyguards while we weren't paying attention- it's the only reason I can come up with for how he's able to keep popping up out of nowhere in places where no one is expecting to see him. Not to mention the rather shoddy security at the banquet which opens this episode up. That could have had rather unfortunate political implications. Not to mention career problems- even tabloid reporters know better than to try and play gotcha with world leaders.

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Fortunately, "The Prime Minister and I" is not attempting to be a photorealistic drama about the implications of sham marriages in serious situations, so none of this is a major problem. It contradicts earlier episodes, sure, but there's a specific point to the change. It establishes that Yool now considers it important to be with the people he cares about and is making that more of a priority in his daily life.

The proactive attitude he shows off is great, because it just makes everything about the drama so slick. Both in the sense that we've got these great smooth transitions between conflicting plot points and comedy, but also in that it makes the man look unassailable. Yool is just plain more confident when Da-jeong is close by. It makes him look like a leader, which is terribly convenient when the cameras are around.

We also get more of a strong sense of empathy fro Da-jeong, who not only notices the various emotional changes, but acts according to what she learns too. The main conflict this episode is a light one. However, this is mainly because Yool and Da-jeong are acting like sensible adults rather than children who fall into surliness the minute they receive questionable information from a dubious source.

This gives us plenty of time for cute little setpieces that, from a technical level, are kind of pointless, yet are still just so darn cute in the way they symbolize greater character development. Pay attention to the way Yool acts in regards to sports and sports instruction. Before, he just came off as really mean and strict. But now, there's a sense of heart and warmth. Not a very big sense, mind you, just remember that Yool is still on a trajectory of character growth and right now everything is looking up. It will take more than a mere scheme to derail this sequence.

Review by William Schwartz

"The Prime Minister and I" is directed by Lee So-yeon-I and written by Kim Eun-hee and Yoon Eun-kyeong and features Lee Beom-soo, Yoona, Yoon Si-yoon and Chae Jung-an.

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