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This post is by guest writer Stephanie Tien.
Truth Wins
Where is justice when those who are in power are corrupt and free to do whatever they want? Remember creates a compelling conflict around a murder case, pitting good against evil, innocent against immoral. When those who wield money and influence prey on those who are weak and helpless, one can’t help but root for the oppressed.
Remember is filled with emotionally wrought courtroom scenes and heart-warming narratives.
Remember is a courtroom drama that explores themes of family, loyalty, and corruption within the legal system. A father is framed for a murder that he did not commit but has very little hope of clearing his name when the opposition uses underhanded tactics to influence the case. To exacerbate the situation, the father unknowingly suffers from Alzheimer’s and cannot remember details of the events or properly defend himself. Therefore, it is left to the defendant’s son to outmaneuver the prosecution and overturn the verdict.
The acting in Remember is remarkable, down to the most minor characters. The drama is filled with emotionally wrought courtroom scenes in which characters must decide whether to uphold justice or to protect their own interests. The drama is also marked by numerous heart-warming narratives that reinforce the theme of a father’s love. Be forewarned: Remember is really good at offering little glimpses of hope and then pushing the viewer back down into despair.
Episodes 1-4 Review
Remember quickly sets up its key cast of characters and the wrenching story that threads them all together. It begins with Seo Jin Woo’s father, Seo Jae Hyuk, already incarcerated and suffering from acute Alzheimer’s. He can not even recognize that his defense attorney is in fact his own son. The death row inmate believes that he is guilty of homicide and declines Jin Woo’s (Yoo Seung Ho) offer to represent him in the upcoming retrial. However, Jin Woo is determined to clear his father’s name and convict the real murderer.
We then rewind back to when Jin Woo was a carefree high schooler and his father a free man. With no other family members, it’s clear that Jin Woo and his father share a loving and close-knit relationship. When Lee In Ah (Park Min Young) wrongly accuses Jin Woo of petty theft, we discover that Jin Woo has the uncanny ability to recall every single detail of a scene from his memory, a condition known as hyperthymesia.
At this time, Remember strategically discloses the details of the central murder, including the ultimate killer, who is heir to the influential Il Ho Group, Nam Gyu Man (Namgoong Min). Jae Hyuk, who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, takes the fall as the scapegoat. His only defense is a stuttering lawyer who clearly has no chance of winning.
Remember presents a lot of social commentary.
As you anxiously await the impending doom of the defendant, the brilliant lawyer Park Dong Ho (Park Sung Woong), with his amusing satoori accent, intervenes and steals the show. He knows how to navigate the corrupt system and outwit the criminals. In fact, he manages to snatch a confession from the murderer, which seems all too simple. Eventually, alliances are tested and disillusionment runs rampant. Witnesses are pressured into lying on the stand, and not one person is bold enough to help Jin Woo’s dad prove his innocence.
Overall, the first few episodes leave me feeling extremely frustrated and indignant towards powerful chaebol families. They can manipulate every situation and control each person’s destiny, to the point in which they can even bury murder! My sense of justice is completely ignited, and it saddens me to think that this type of corruption may actually exist in the legal system.
In my opinion, Remember presents a lot of social commentary, portraying how quickly people can turn against one another and how easily loyalty and integrity can be purchased. We also witness a fateful encounter between Jin Woo and Dong Ho that we expect will somehow rear its ugly head in future episodes.
Episodes 5-6 Review
Our story quickly leaps forward through a time skip and the key players meet again under very different circumstances. Four years later, In Ah is a prosecutor and Dong Ho works for Il Ho Group. Meanwhile, Jin Woo has obtained a law degree and decides to represent the Vice President of Il Ho Group in a sexual assault case. Jin Woo’s involvement comes as a shock, as he is defending the very same company who condemned his father. The three main characters: Jin Woo, Dong Ho, and In Ah reunite as courtroom rivals, which sparks a tense trial.
Overall, my favorite aspect of Remember are the courtroom scenes. The questioning of the witnesses is suspenseful (especially since you’re never quite sure how the witnesses will respond), and it’s impressive how Jin Woo exploits his super memory to refute the fabricated evidence and overpower his opposition. I also appreciate that Jin Woo engages in several minor cases that will eventually lead up to the ultimate case.
My favorite aspect of Remember are the courtroom scenes.
Episodes 7-10 Review
One by one, Jin Woo begins to target all of the witnesses who had testified against his father and convinces them to right their wrongs in order to provide grounds for a retrial. However, bad turns to worse when Jin Woo is suspected for murdering one of the key witnesses. The situation seems dire, as Jin Woo is on the run to elude the police, while still desperately trying to resurrect his father’s case.
Thus far, the drama has done a thorough job in establishing the plot development and character motivation. Jin Woo’s love for his father and his revenge, driven by anger and betrayal, is very convincing. He definitely has a plan up his sleeves, and we await eagerly to see how he will overthrow the seemingly invulnerable Il Ho Group. I’m genuinely terrified by the killer, but I’m also feeling assured because Jin Woo displays just as much fierceness as the villain.
Conversely, Dong Ho has really taken a backseat in his role. His decisions appear very timid and cowardly and his resolve is shaky, which doesn’t seem consistent with his initial audacity and intrepidness. I feel like Dong Ho is concealing a long-term strategy, and he’s just waiting for the right moment to attack. However, I’m growing wary of his complacency and inaction.
Finally, we also gain more insight to the makings of our despicable killer. He acts like a spoiled, entitled prince, throwing temper tantrums and treating everyone around him like trash. Unfortunately, his father is far more cold-hearted, to the degree that he would be willing to abandon his offspring to achieve his own agenda. I almost feel an ounce of compassion and sympathy for the murderer, knowing how twisted his mindset must be growing up with a father like that.
I can watch this scene without audio or subtitles and still be crying up a storm.
The most grueling scenes, however, were witnessing the father’s atrocious treatment in jail. Once again, I’m disheartened as I wonder if this type of injustice and corruption really occurs in prisons across the world. Finally, a shocking turn of events leaves us in disbelief. I can watch this scene without audio or subtitles and still be crying up a storm. And I respect how Remember is not afraid to take risks.
Episodes 11-13 Review
After Jin Woo is blindsided by so much disappointment, Remember finally shifts its tone. We begin to see glimpses of hope for our protagonist, as he rallies supporters to help him attack Il Ho Group. The killer also makes some grave mistakes when he takes his anger out on his henchmen, thereby creating new enemies. It’s clear that he is no longer completely in control of the situation, and his crew is starting to unravel.
Yet, even as things are starting to work in Jin Woo’s favor, he is also suffering from Alzheimer’s and his condition is rapidly worsening. The drama’s title is ironic because as Jin Woo employs his super memory to vindicate his father, he is starting to lose his own memory of these events. The symptoms of Jin Woo’s Alzheimer’s are integrated very seamlessly and realistically.
Jin Woo and In Ah’s relationship also gradually matures, and I think it’s handled very tastefully. Their romance is communicated subtly and progresses within the context of the case, rather than as a separate side story that becomes a tangent. In Ah is probably one of my favorite female characters of all times. There’s nothing extraordinary about her, but she serves as such an essential emotional support for Jin Woo.
Episodes 14-17 Review
This section of the storyline drags for me, and I think Remember could have easily been truncated. I know I voiced that the antagonists were too dominant in the first half of the drama, but now they suddenly become very dull with no strategy. For example, they recognize that In Ha is the key to threatening Jin Woo, yet they never effectively attack her. The problem that I have here is inconsistency. It’s difficult to believe that Il Ho Group, who was so aggressive in the first half of the drama, just sits around and waits as Jin Woo counterattacks.
By the same token, it’s very touching to see many minor characters grow and develop. For example, the stuttering lawyer who initially represents Jae Hyuk overcomes his impediment when he gives an emotional closing statement. Not only that, it’s liberating to see characters who have been silenced to submission finally find their own voice and speak up for themselves.
Episodes 18-20 Review
The ending is a bit underwhelming in my opinion. I had previously imagined an epic courtroom battle between Jin Woo and the killer. However, the truth unravels so quickly, and since most of the evidence has already been brought to light, the murderer swiftly receives his sentence. All the other perpetrators also receive their punishment, and ultimately, justice prevails.
It’s uplifting, though too little too late, to see the killer’s father finally show emotion for his son for the first time. In the end, Remember speaks of the love between a father and a son, even if it’s not always expressed in a healthy way.
I finally understand what In Ha means when she repeatedly asserts that “the truth can win over the facts.” I thought that was an oxymoron because I had believed that the truth and the facts were synonymous. I applaud Remember for successfully portraying how the courtroom does not always present facts that reflect the truth. Although it’s a sobering reality, Remember also presents a hopeful glimpse of the few who will fight to defend the truth to protect their loved ones.
Overall, Remember delivers great emotional acting and brings an interesting twist to the usual courtroom drama. Although the drama exposes so much corruption and dishonesty, it’s more importantly a story about redemption, and in the end, truth wins.
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