Lawyers are awesome, but they tend to be, at best, background characters in speculative fiction. With a few notable exceptions, including Daredevil and She-Hulk, lawyers are not normally the heroes in fantasy adventures. So, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the premise of one of the latest K-dramas, Phantom Lawyer. Netflix’s Phantom Lawyer is a sweet, change of pace adventure about a newly minted attorney who can see ghosts. As a result, he quickly gets caught up in each deceased person’s need for justice. Despite its cozy comedy set up, each segment delivers plenty of adventure and drama, as well as a big emotional hit that will have you reaching for your tissues.
Newly licensed lawyer Shin I-rang is smart, kind, and personable, but he is rejected for employment by all of the law firms in town, despite his solid qualifications. He soon realizes his misfortune is due to the reputation of his beloved father who died years ago as a disgraced, corrupt attorney. (Put a pin in that because it will drive much of the narrative in the later episodes.) I-rang decides to open his own firm but can only afford an office building previously owned by a shaman. The space is haunted by the spirits of various ghosts who appear only to him and can involuntarily possess him at times when the ghost gets particularly stressed out. Although I-rang is initially reluctant to interact with them, he gradually builds connections with various ghosts who need resolution and justice before they can move on to the afterlife. With the help of a priest who was previously a shaman, I-rang begins to understand the strangeness of his encounters with dead people. Each ghost’s story is explored and resolved over pair of two episodes segments in the sixteen episode series. Most stories are murder mysteries but some ghosts die in other ways that are still entangled with a resolution in the justice system. I-rang is frequently opposed by the no-nonsense, high powered attorney Ha-Nyun. Over time she becomes disillusioned by her firm’s tactics and becomes intrigued by I-rang’s unique ability to access hidden information about the deceased. This leads to jealousy from her managing attorney whose father is a former close friend of I-rang’s disgraced father. Although, I-rang initially keeps the ghosts a secret, he eventually reveals the truth to his supportive brother in law who is a part time actor. The brother-in-law is primarily a comic relief characters who uses his acting skills to help I-rang in various schemes to help his dead clients. I-rang also regularly enlists the aid of a progressive priest, Father Matthew, who is an ex-shaman and helps with managing the ghosts transition to the afterlife. Ha-Nyun and I-rang are both often aided by the support of the by-the-book police investigator Kim Hyun-Woo, whose quiet awesomeness makes him one of my favorite characters on the show. There is a very slow burn enemies to love-interest story between Ha-Nyun and I-rang, and both Ha-Nyun and I-rang bond over their own emotional trauma from the death of close family members.
The series is primarily a comedy but each victim’s story involves significant emotional intensity that catches you by surprise as the plot evolves. Unlike most traditional murder mysteries, the victims in Phantom Lawyer take an active role in seeking their own justice, often directly helping with the investigation and supporting I-rang when he gets discouraged. This self-determination keeps the story positive despite some very stressful circumstances. Each two episode segment involves the death of a completely different type of character and has a Law & Order type set up with a death and mystery. However, in addition to each victim’s story, the series has a larger story arc for both Ha-Nyun personal tragedy and ultimately I-rang’s confrontation with his dead father. These big story arcs add depth to the series with both the extra layer of plot and the intense emotions.
However, despite the clever storytelling, the show’s primarily comedic tone wears thin at times and the obligatory hijinks sometimes slows the pacing of the story. If you are watching Phantom Lawyer with subtitles on Netflix, you may want to set the show to 1.25 and speed throughout any extended shenanigans and then slow back down to normal speed when the real action and emotional intensity resumes. Fortunately, lead actor Yoo Yeon-seok does a great job of delivering the physical humor of being possessed by a range of characters (from a grumpy ancient shoemaker to an angsty teen girl K-Pop star to an energetic grade schooler) while also pulling off intense tear-jerker moments. There are also some moments where both Ha-Nyun and I-rang make dangerous choices that seem particularly unrealistic given their day jobs as lawyers.
Despite some pacing issues, Phantom Lawyer is an entertaining foray into lawyers as heroes and the law as a heroic option in a fantastical story. The focus moves beyond the technicalities of courtroom arguments and shows each victim and each surviving family member as authentic human beings. The series doesn’t shy away from the sad stories and upsetting fact patterns that unfortunately reflect the reality of life. But, by giving the victims a voice and some onscreen self-determination, we get a story that is ultimately uplifting and satisfying, especially if you’re a fan of lawyers.
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The Math
Highlights:
- Balance of comedy and emotional intensity
- Skippable hijinks
- Clever storytelling with plenty of adventure
Nerd Coefficient: 7/10
POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.
