[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Woman with a Suitcase" Episode 5

Working in the legal profession has always been important to Geum-joo. She's good at it, and she finds it fulfilling. But events as of late have made her question her work's role in her life and how it fits in. Mix that together with Bok-geo's burgeoning feelings for her and his secrets, and with Seok-woo's likability and we have one entertaining show.

Advertisement

Seok-woo has joined Golden Tree and the romantic triangle is starting to heat up. Seok-woo and Geum-joo have an easy rapport, a good working relationship, and most of all, they enjoy each other's company. Watching them on screen is utterly delightful. While Seok-woo is a mild-mannered second lead, he is no push over, and he is intelligent. Like Bok-geo, he is also a bit impulsive which makes his interactions with the hot-tempered Bok-geo amusing indeed. Ham Bok-geo is not quite as likable and expresses his feelings for Geum-joo like a kindergartner. He does the adult equivalent of pulling her pigtails and it's more obnoxious than it is cute. There are moments where he reveals his adult status like when he comforts her after her soon-to-be ex-husband is a royal jerk. He is thrown together with her because she does end up confiding in him about her personal life. Plus, Joo Jin-mo is in the posters with her, so I'm pretty sure I know who she ends up with. Lee Joon is sure giving me a run for my money though.

As for Hye-joo, at first she was the cute sister, and then she was the hateful upstart. Now she has more layers after admitting that she knows her behavior and jealousy and greed are awful. She's driven to try and best her older sister no matter the means. It's an understandable and relatable motive for her poor behavior as a sister and as a lawyer. I'm more interested in her now than ever because of the reveal of her emotions. She's no longer a beautiful mean robot, but an extremely flawed human being.

My big quibble with the show is with the main underlying mystery. Bok-geo got tangled up in something dangerous and quit being a lawyer, but he is still involved in the case. The same bad people who messed with his case messed with Geum-joo and landed her in jail. We see the villains following Bok-geo and his witness around. We see them torturing. But for some reason the man doing this horrible things, and the organization behind him, aren't as menacing as I'd like them to be. They feel removed from the bulk of the drama that is mostly focusing on the case-of-the week and Geum-joo's struggles.

Not that Geum-joo's struggles aren't interesting. They are more than that: they are some of the most real troubles I've seen in a while. She's a mature woman who is good at her job, dealing with divorce, and struggling to define herself way past her developing years. Great stuff.

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Woman with a Suitcase" is directed by Kang Dae-seon and Lee Jae-jin-II, written by Kwon Eum-mi, and starring Choi Ji-woo, Joo Jin-mo, Jeon Hye-bin, and Lee Joon.

Watch on Viki