Although messy and circling at some points, Witch at Court claimed justice well-served, thanks to a strong cast portrayal.
Witch at Court strongly surged to a gripping finish as it uncovers corruption involving crime against women.
After all the hearings I attended in previous Korean legal dramas, I became less impatient with this series when it started dragging out halfway through its airing. If not for Ma Yi Deum’s tenacity which pushed me to bear the painstaking journey of taking down an indestructible villain, I would have not stayed faithful.
- Main Cast: Jung Ryeo Won | Yoon Hyun Min
- Network & Episode Count: KBS2 | 16 Episodes
- Official Website: Witch at Court KBS
- Streaming Sites: Netflix | Viu
- Thrill/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Miss Hammurabi | Partners | Law School
*Originally Published on Hellokpop in December 2017
Witch at Court Peak Points
Following the yardstick for courtroom dramas, Witch at Court provides side stories to support the main conflict of defeating the invincible antagonist. It is as if the heroine and the villain are at the other edge of a justice weighing scale, pulling it in and reversing it in with their outwitting game.
MA YI DEUM
The cheeky prosecutor is the life of Witch at Court party. She provides the smarts, attitude and direction to the narrative. She delightfully entertains while keeping her grit. Since she is the central character of the chronicle, those frustrating battles she overcomes serve as magical pills that wash out some inconsistencies and pointless exposures of the villain. She is one of the most memorable characters who has graced K-dramaland this year.
FUNNELED NARRATIVE
Different from the usual legal dramas which tackle various crimes, Witch at Court focuses on injustices suffered by women. Ma Yi Deum lost her mother who is a key witness to an inappropriate harassment case against Cho Gap Soo.
20 years later, Cho Gap Soo is running for mayoral candidacy and Ma Yi Deum stumbles on the truth about her mother’s disappearance through her senior prosecutor boss, who has been working to get the evil politician behind the bars.
The team works on the proceedings of women-related crimes, which connect to the core conflict involving the lead girl’s mother. From its onset, the drama presents where it is heading, so the audiences have a clear understanding that pinning down the villain and finding the heroine’s mother are the goals along the way.
Witch at Court Hitches
HALTED ROMANCE
The love arc for the main leads Ma Yi Deum and Yeo Jin Wook is cut mid-way when the story reveals that Jin Wook’s mother conspired with Gap Soo’s right hand in taking in Yi Deum’s mother as a mental patient in the hospital, where she is working in exchange of financial assistance promised by Gap Soo’s camp.
The ill-fated revelation involving the main leads’ mothers interrupts the budding romance. They hint at an ever-after for the love couple but it is hard to be happy after the grueling battle with the villain. Have they let the love flow along with solving the conflicts, it would have been more balanced storytelling. Plus the couple looks adorably awkward and cute onscreen.
MID-WAY CRISIS
Witch at Court opened with a bang when the preliminary side conflicts are successfully solved by the legal drama cast. But after so many cases pointing to the quest of outmaneuvering the adversary, it becomes exhausting halfway through its airing.
The final resolution made me forget to celebrate the good guys’ victory. I just heaved a sigh that it was finally over. It maintained its focus even when the disruptions slowed down the initial spirited tone. But the circling bumps impeded the fluidity of the story.
With at Court Series Afterthoughts
Witch at Court raked in a strong average of 10.6 ratings all through its 16-episode run, thanks to the outsmarting game that lasts until luck runs out on the opponent’s side. While the strong lead girl portrayal drove its winning moments, the construction of character connections through the legal cases tackled on the side stories spin the whole picture.
It made an impact by solidifying the edgy hall of justice tales. If you like legal dramas that are character-driven with less romance yet entertaining at the same time, feel free to visit Witch at Court anytime at your convenience.
Photos: KBS2
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