.jpg)
Synopsis: Once a sought-after actress, Oh Yoon-seo (Yoo In-na) finds herself reluctantly accepting a position as temporary secretary. Unbeknownst to those around her, this isn't an attempt at a career change. Rather, this is all an effort order to gain experience as she preps for an upcoming tv role and what may be her last chance to break back into show business. You see, Yoon-seo's acting career is on hiatus after her image recovers from her being involved in a highly publicized drug scandal. While she was acquitted of all charges, she wasn't left unscathed. Given her acting talents were average before the scandal, her agency and script writers feel Yoon-seo is missing depth as an actress; working in an office environment will provide her with the hands on experience needed for the role.
She is ultimately paired up with Lee Dong-wook's character, Kwon Jung-rok, the law firm’s ace. The personalities between the two couldn’t be more different than cotton candy and broccoli. While the office is enamored with having a movie star in their midst, Jung-rok, the no-nonsense, prickly lawyer (who is later compared and lovingly referred to a hedgehog) is the exception. Interactions, such as failing to know how to answer a traditional office phone or even run a printer, causes him to be rightly frustrated and dismissive. Her entre into the office doesn't do her any favors either; her attire is more befitting for a highly paid call girl instead of an actress who wants to be taken seriously. Short skirts are traded for less fitted, but more fitting, business casual looks, and eventually, our underdog heroine begins to work her charm on those around her, especially Jung-rok. Their relationship turns into a secret office romance. All the while, Jung-rok is preparing for a high profile murder case, involving a marital stabbing. The opposing prosecutor happens to be his college friend and previous, one-sided love interest (who also happens to be his best friend‘s girlfriend). With the mix of thematic courtroom proceedings, natural romantic development between our main characters (and sub characters!), as well as a few dramatic reveals along the way, this drama will undoubtedly touch, if not capture your heart!
My One Minute Review: What I love about Korean Rom-coms and dramas is how they often attempt to balance the silly scenes with deeper themes. As most run around 15-20 hours, directors and writers have ample time to dive into broken marriages, substance abuse, adolescent joblessness, you name it as sub-text within the story. These can make typical two hour Hollywood romantic comedies seem shallow, short, and soft when it comes to creating a compelling stories (seriously, K-dramas have ruined the silver screen for me!). This drama was missing this bingeworthy magic, As I mentioned in a previous post it failed to hook me in the first few episodes, but something in the series kept me coming back (I watched this 1-2 episodes at at a time, spaced over a couple of weeks). Touch Your Heart hits a lot of high notes, as the name implies: touches the heartstrings, and hits a positive chord at the end of the score. However, pay attention too closely to the baseline and you'll note some dissonance in the harmony. I find myself torn between a highly likable show, including an variety of memorable sub-characters, set against feelings of disappointment around the ineptitude of the main heroine. At the end of the day, if you love Romantic Comedies and don't look to closely at the flaws, then you'll be delighted with this light and light-hearted drama.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Character Development:
By far, my biggest critique is the character development. There was a lot of set-up and anticipation after our lead actors had such great chemistry and connection in Goblin. Undoubtedly, you'll feel and see the same connection in this show, but nowhere near the depth. Pardon me while I get on my soapbox here for a moment and dive into my critiques. One one-hand, we have a character who is near perfection, and on the other hand is nearly perfect imperfection. You may have guessed it, but our female lead is the latter.
It's not hard to understand how Oh Yoon-seo could be South Korea's Sweetheart. I've met pancakes less syrupy and sweet than our feminine starlet. This pink-obsessed, heart-shaped sticky-note user is consistently adorable throughout the series. Her upbeat, can-do attitude is what shatters the stony outer shell of our turtle-esque lawyer, Jung-rok. The complaint is how her character is in constant need of rescue, shelter, or protection. Whether it's our hero lawyer, over-bearing manager, entertainment CEO, or the law firm's owner, we see our leading lady tied to a stronger, more capable male lead. More than once in this series you'll hear the phrase "What do we do now?" because she is portrayed as helpless in dangerous situations and complacent in antagonistic or condescending environments. At least once per episode, someone infers, jokes, or directly calls out Yoon-seo's inability to act and that she owes her popularity to her physical appearance. She herself expresses her own disappointment at only winning awards for popularity instead of her acting abilities. There are redeeming moments and some development around her character, but these are more revelations around past situations, e.g. that she is a victim of a stalker and isn't a drug user as the scandals imply. For a series made in 2019, I would've hoped for our starring female role to be more than faceted than vacuous demoiselles of the past.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Jung-rok. The development around his character very much felt like Yin and Yang, or the counter balance to the incapability of Yeon-soo. Where she is portrayed as indecisive, Jung-rok is quick to take action. He rescues our leading lady multiple times throughout the series, and this smart, hard-working male counterpart is all business. In comparison, while Yeon-soo is portrayed as an average actress, Jung-rok is proportionally portrayed as a model employee and expert in his field. He takes his job seriously, and his own performance even more seriously. The toughest cases and most demanding workloads are given to him, as he has the best track record and highest amount of winning cases. Maybe he has some flaws in the romance department? Guess again. Underneath his granite-like exterior, just like the soft underbelly of a hedgehog, is a sweet, attentive, and empathetic boyfriend, just waiting to be discovered by Yeon-soo. When her career is back on track, he even self-sacrifices his own happiness and breaks up with her so she won’t have another scandal about dating her boss. His only shortcoming is failure and misjudgement around the identity of the correct assailant in the major trial story arc. But, the direction of the show excuses this and allows himself to quickly redeem himself as he goes against all odds to represent the misjudged party in a future appeal.
I’d compare this to one of those timed cooking shows. For metaphorical purposes, let’s say the direction and challenge is to make a taco dish. Some chefs put all of their efforts into making a superb single flavored taco. While the more zealous of chefs try to impress the judges by making two different types of tacos, in the same allotted time. While it’s meant to impress, in more often than not reality, this actually gives the judges more options to taste and critique. This is how I feel about Touch Your Heart. I think this is why I found the show so dichotomous. You have excellent actors combined with poor character development, or rather, this is a romantic comedy, trying to disguise itself as a romantic drama. I’m expecting a good romcom taco, but I’m served two different drama tacos on the same plate. With the cute filters and sound effects in one scene, then turning to a stalker & drug abuse induced scene, then back to cute office antics, and then flash to tear-jerking courtroom circumstances, it's not hard to feel emotionally confused. While there is a lot to love in this show, there is also a lot to critique, especially when illuminate the reliance on outdated stereotypes (which I feel in this case is more due to the director and writers vs. the actor portrayal).
Okay, let's pause the negativity around character development and tacos (I mean who doesn't love tacos?) and have a round of applause for Lawyer Choi and Lawyer Dan. These two lovable co-workers in Jung-rok's law firm are dorkily adorable. You may not see this sub-romance plot coming (personally, I didn't. I thought Lawyer Dan was going to end up with Yoon-seo's oppa manager), but it's a barrel of laughs. The comedic timing between the couple is golden. Their over-the-top characteristics and mannerisms would be unbearable in reality, but their chemistry and banter repeatedly steals the spotlight. If you're like me, you'll end up rooting for them more than the central characters.
Thoughts on the Story Line: This drama follows some the tried and true recipes for romantic comedies, but does a nice job of avoiding some of the pitfalls you see in the genre. While an office romance (where our fated couple overcome their mutual dislike for each other) isn't something we haven't seen before, there is an undeniable pull to this series. Maybe it's the organic and believable romance that develops between the two: there isn't any typical curtain reveals or relationship manipulation between our starry-eyed couple. Rather, we have a couple with low to no baggage, meeting in an office and discovering the best aspects of eachother. I tend to be drawn to the dramatic and unexpected, and I have been spoiled with the sheer amount of K-dramas which are able to do this in the unrealistic genre of romantic comedies. Looking through that filter, I'm personally disappointed around the character development, but if I remove my personal preferences and evaluate this as a fun rom-com, then it's stellar.
An apex of the series is getting to see the primary murder trial, and subsequent appeal for the convicted party, unfold. The acting is top-notch, and veteran K-drama lovers, like myself, can usually predict the outcome of a series. I was genuinely surprised at the turn of events, and how they approached the storytelling. As the viewer, you get to be the judge and jury within the trials. Because Jung-rok is the defense attorney, your predisposition is to root for him to win. However, the evidence and revelations push you to think twice about your assessment of guilty or not guilty. The fact that his close friend is the prosecution, as well as the final conviction (not going to spoil it for you), leaves you with the impression you made the wrong call, regardless. There are no winners here,
It's a credit to the all of the acting talent involved on how they balanced the sugary sweetness and cheddar cheesiness with just the right amount of drama. At some points, I wonder if this show was intended to poke fun at other dramas and cliches by including farcical stereotypes and common plotlines that we love, and sometimes, love to hate! The first few episodes are all about setting up the relationship between, Jung-rok and Yoon-seo, as well as letting you get to know the larger sub-cast. There are just enough hints to let you know some deeper problems are afoot.
Parting Thoughts on the Details: Soundtrack, Costumes, Set Design, and Investment Value
Continuing with my split review here, there are some little moments and details, such as how Jung-rok keeps the hand-written sticky notes on his desk throughout the series or how he puts his online pen name as Mr. Hedgehog (throwing back to an earlier episode) are the small details that boost its appeal. These, and the plethora of different sets and locations demonstrate the love, attention, and budget which was given to the show. On the not-so-good review of the details, there isn't a lot to talk about when it comes to the costumes and set design. With the exception of Yeon-soo's wardrobe. These stand out, but not in a good way. I think they were attempting to keep her out of place in an office setting, by doing a mix of actress fashionista, but still sprinkling in office typical choices. Seriously, what law office secretary is going to where a mini-skirt paired with puffed sleeves shirt? Speaking about ridiculous, let's talk about the advertising in this series, which can be described in two words: not subtle. Chanel lip gloss for men? Maxim coffee for richness and luxury? Jestina jewlery for the lady in your life? I guess they do a good job at brand recognition, but it doesn't want to make me buy it. The drama is in the details, and the blatant attempt for you buy the products is another detail that slaps you in the face. Personally, this drama will doesn't have a lot re-watch value (for me). While a fun ride, lots of laughs, and perfectly timed dramatic moments, this was a an enjoyable one-time affair.
Comments