[REVIEW] SBS TV series "Salaryman, Cho Han Ji" - 1st Episode

Scene from SBS TV series "Salaryman, Cho Han Ji" [SBS]

SBS TV series "Salaryman, Cho Han Ji" - Monday/Tuesday 9:55 p.m.
"Salaryman, Cho Han Ji" started with a mysterious death and the main male and female character, accused as suspects, got arrested at the funeral. Then the clock climbs back to three months ago and each of the characters, all intense in their own way, started constructing the show's story. To Yoo Bang (Lee Beom-soo), who as a spy is taking part in the clinical test of a new medicine for eternal youth and immortality in order to make money for his mother's surgery and to get a recommendation for entering a major firm, his father's dream of him going to college and then a decent company is a yoke for him. Beck Yeo-chi (Jung Ryeo-won), who although disinterested in her grandfather Jin Shi-hwang's (Lee Duk-hwa) firm will succeed him one day as his gem, uses the wealth she is born into to shout out "You are fired!" as easily as she breathes. Hang-woo (Jung Gyu-woon), who has penetrated into the company as a spy to steal the new medicine his competing firm is creating and Woo-hee (Hong Soo-hyun) who is in charge of the experiments, are desperate to protect their careers by proving their capabilities.

The story of how an ordinary and kind-hearted main character struggles to see success is no longer refreshing. But "Salaryman, Cho Han Ji" is interesting in that it depicts on its characters' conflicts and strategies for getting ahead in the world by referring to historical Chinese novel "Cho Han Ji." The characters each have unexpected elements about them including Yoo Bang who is naive yet devious, Yeo-chi who seems innocent yet is hysteric, and Hang-woo who is a cool-headed elite yet got stabbed in the back by Yoo Bang. And this, mixed with the humor which has intentionally been exaggerated, gives the show a unique sort of power with its brilliance. Hence this will be a salaryman drama worth heeding attention to.

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