If you are looking for a great novel about enemies and lovers that combines with the trail of exes and lovers, look no further than “Strangers Again”. The story tells about two divorce lawyers, Oh Ha Ra (Kang Sora) and Goo Eun Beom (Jang Seung Jo), who were once married to each other after 10 years of dating, but recently divorced. Although they haven’t seen each other for a couple of years, Goo Eun Beom comes to work at the same law firm as Oh Ha Ra. Here are a few things we liked and one thing we hated in the first two episodes!
Attention: spoilers ahead!
LIKE: Chemistry between the main characters
While any great Korean drama needs chemistry between the main characters to entice viewers, the tension that arises between the characters in the tropes of “enemies to lovers” and “ex-lovers” requires that the leading couple have a hot spark. Fortunately, Kang Sora and Jang Seung Jo presented this to the public. They have intense fight scenes that are paramount to the lovers’ enemies, but they also have that great camaraderie in their characters that you need for ex-lovers. There is not just hatred between them; there is also a ten-year friendship and acquaintance between them. It’s tempting to watch and makes you want more — how will Oh Ha Ra and Gu Eun Bom grow back together? Will Oh Ha Ra be able to forgive Gu Eun Bom for turning his back on their marriage? Time will show.
LOVE: Strong female relationships
Small things are more pleasant to watch than strong female relationships in Korean dramas. When it comes to romantic dramas, female characters are often pitted against each other. Fortunately, “Strangers Again” shows us not one, but two strong relationships between women in the first two episodes. Oh Ha Ra has funny but important conversations with his colleague and close friend Kang Bi Chwi (Cho Eun Ji), as well as a serious and meaningful conversation with his boss Hong Ye Rae (Gil Hae Yeon). Since their close friendships have already been established, it will be interesting to see how they will react and support each other while the rest of the story unfolds.
HATED: Oh Ha Ra does not shine as the “goddess of litigation”
In the premiere episodes of Strangers Again, almost every description of the drama called Oh Ha Ra “the goddess of litigation.” And although she had a few scenes in which she completely owned the courtroom, it was hard not to notice that many of the winning scenes seemed to be supporting Goo Eun Beom instead. For example, in the first case of divorce in the series, Oh Ha Ra struggles to present his client’s extreme jealousy as something that was not the reason for the couple’s divorce. Instead of looking for a loophole herself — as one might think, since she is the “goddess of litigation” in the series — Goo Eun Beom finds it instead. And in the second divorce case, she comments on how she could sue the opposite board for being inappropriate during their meetings, but again, Goo Eun Beom does it instead.
Although this does not mean that Goo Eun Beom does not deserve to shine — after all, the description of the drama also indicates that he is an excellent lawyer — these moments devalued the title of “goddess of litigation”, which should be known about Oh Ha Ra. za. She’s a well-known and confident lawyer within the show, so shouldn’t she have had such moments to win and save herself? Fortunately, these are only the first two episodes, so hopefully she will show her important moment (or moments) and demonstrate all her legal savvy and intelligence in the following episodes.
