Early Access: Confession E1 (Patreon)

E1. I have to admit that the only reason I have this show on my radar, is because Junho's in it. However, I've heard that this one's a pretty solid show, objectively speaking, and that Show gets better and better as it goes, so I'm feeling pretty good about this one, right off the bat.

For a start, and to address the fangirl question in the room: YES. So far, it is absolutely worth seeing Junho in this one.

On a very shallow note, I think he looks verryy handsome in this. Even though the suits that his character Do Hyun wears, aren't particularly luxe or sharp, and even though his hair isn't particularly coiffed to vibe polished, he manages to look extremely handsome, and I find myself involuntarily breaking into a fangirl smile, each time he appears on my screen.

Which, yes, means that I'm smiling like a ridiculous goof through most of this episode, ha. ESPECIALLY when Junho unleashes that blink-and-you-miss-it eyebrow quirk, which we see twice, this episode. Flail. 🤩

He's also rocking the ultra competent lawyer thing really well, and with a side of poignance, too, with his character's dad being on death row and refusing to see him. I love a capable protagonist, and so far, Do Hyun is hitting all the right notes for me.

I love how steady, focused, calm, measured and unflappable he is, in the face of prejudice, rudeness &/or unexpected developments. He appears to have his emotions well under control, and that appears to be standing him in good stead, so far in our story. And, like I alluded to earlier, I just get a thrill whenever Show demonstrates Do Hyun's competence.

In terms of the case at hand, I have mixed feelings about it.

In principle, I am curious to know whether or not Do Hyun's client Han Jong Goo is guilty of the two murders that the police are accusing him of.

From the first half of the episode, it appears like Han Jong Goo really is innocent, and Do Hyun had cleared him of wrongful charges. But things don't look so clear, in the second half of this episode, after the 5-year time skip.

On the one hand, it could be that Han Jong Goo really is that unfortunate, that he's being wrongly accused for murder, a second time. Or, it could be that someone's actively trying to frame him for the same style of murder, and had waited for his release from jail, to commit this second murder.

On the other hand, there's that snippet from the episode preview, where we see him say that it's really not him, this time. Ohh. Does this indicate then, that the first time, it really had been him?

I'm interested to know the truth of the matter, although I have to admit that I sniggered at the court proceedings in the first murder case, where the police tried to use the fact that Han Jong Goo was able to open the sliding door without issues, as circumstantial evidence. Like, how did they manage to present that, so dramatically, with a straight face? 😂

As a result of how laughable this is, the vitriol that the police officers throw in Do Hyun's direction feels extremely exaggerated, as well. I mean, all Do Hyun had done, was exercise some simple logic - which any lawyer worth his salt should have been able to do, to refute the ridiculous "evidence" that was being presented. Did the police expect anything less, from a decent lawyer?

On this point, I have to keep reminding myself that the police had been convinced that Han Jong Goo was the murderer, and that's why they had grasped at any and all straws, to present as evidence in court. Even if it's something as ridiculous as the manner in which Han Jong Goo opens a door. I still think this is pretty weak writing, but I'm willing to roll with it. 🙄

I feel like my opinion of the police officers is likely to evolve, depending on how the case goes. Right now, they look pretty biased to me, with the way they keep insisting that Han Jong Goo is the murderer, even though they don't have rock solid evidence. In their hands, it almost seems like Han Jong Goo is guilty until proven innocent.

However, if they're proven right in the end, that Han Jong Goo is indeed the murderer, then perhaps we can think of their insistence as more of a seasoned gut instinct, rather than impatience and prejudice.

I'm intrigued by Yoo Jae Myung, as our other protagonist, opposite Junho. I've found Yoo Jae Myung increasingly interesting to watch, in recent years, and I'm quite excited, really, to see him face off with Junho.

Yoo Jae Myung's character Chun Ho resigns from his Team Leader role, when Do Hyun gets the charges dropped against Han Jong Goo, but it looks like he's still very much invested in the case, even after leaving the police force.

I'm curious to know his thoughts, which he stops short of sharing with his ex-colleague Geun Pyo. It seems that he has something to say about Han Jong Goo's recent arrest, and my gut instinct tells me that whatever he has to say, will be interesting.

I'd also like to know what Chun Ho has gained, from his own investigation so far.

On another note, I am extremely curious to know more about Do Hyun's new assistant Madame Jin. Clearly, she has an agenda for wanting to work with Do Hyun. I mean, she looks like a well-heeled Chaebol Madam, particularly with her being driven around by a chauffeur and all. Why would she be so determined to work with Do Hyun?

Is she.. his long-lost mother..? Or perhaps, she's connected to his father, and wants to help him crack his father's case?

I also wanted to say, I could not recognize Shin Hyun Bin as Yoo Ri, even though I knew going in, that it was her. That's pretty incredible.

That said, I have to admit that I'm not liking Yoo Ri very much, so far. I dislike how she's so invasive and inconsiderate, when it comes to Do Hyun. Not only does she repeatedly interrupt his sleep by banging on his office door until he opens it, she refuses to leave when he asks her to, and then she presumes to make decisions in his absence, even though it's clear that he would rather that she not do that.

I am extremely curious to know how she's connected to Do Hyun, and why he's so tolerant of her very intrusive behavior. I am also hoping against hope, that there is no loveline between her and Do Hyun. 😬

Last but not least, I'm going to assume that our closing scene, of that Truck of Doom ramming into Do Hyun's side of the cab, is a dream - because Do Hyun looks fine in the preview for the next episode. Plus, it's only episode 1. It's a given, that Do Hyun's going to be ok, because he's our protagonist. Thank goodness for little logical crutches like these. 😁

All in all, this was a pretty solid episode, considering that I'd heard that this show starts off rather weak, but gets stronger and better as it goes. This was.. far from as bad as I'd feared. With some lens adjustments for court proceedings that I personally found quite ridiculous, I can honestly say that I'm curious to know more, and actually actively looking forward to the next episode.

But of course, part of that has to do with it being an opportunity to see Junho looking as fine as he does in this. But you already knew that, right? 😍

Next episode notes will be out on: Tuesday, 15 Feb 2022!