'The Judge Returns' Jisung's sweet-and-salty performance momentarily erased weekend nights.
MBC's Fri-Sat drama 'The Judge Returns' set its own record high in viewership, riding a pleasant upward trend. At its center was Jisung, who perfectly transformed into Lee Han-young, a judge living life for the second time. The Lee Han-young he played is a character who erases the stained past of being a corrupt judge and, in his newly gained second life, runs to protect justice.
Jisung's true worth as a 'reliable actor' was proven again through earlier episodes. From a cold, corrupt judge loyal to shadowy power to, in an instant, a defendant who falls into suspicion for a murder and protests his innocence, to a returning person who cheers at getting a new chance — he flexibly portrayed the various facets of the character without growing tiresome, eliciting admiration.
'The Judge Returns' episodes 3-4 also highlighted Jisung's presence. From a satisfying knockout to a poignant lump-in-the-throat emotion and tension that raised heart rates, his versatile performance, as if all genres were combined, captured viewers' attention.
Lee Han-young (played by Jisung) officially set his path to realizing justice in motion. He struck and apprehended serial killer Kim Sang-jin (played by Bae In Hyuk) with his car, then put him on trial and developed the story in an engaging way.
Then Lee Han-young delivered a deep resonance and shiver to living rooms. The verdict he read in his heavy voice offered comfort that soothed the bereaved families' pain and handed merciless punishment to the perpetrator. Lee Han-young sentenced Kim Sang-jin to death, producing a thrilling sense of satisfaction.
Afterward, Lee Han-young also got hold of the military service corruption ledger involving the judiciary's great villain Kang Shin-jin (played by Park Hee-soon), which triggered a dopamine rush. Regardless of rank, he warned of severe punishment for those involved in military service corruption, and his stance against the cartel of malfeasance made viewers look forward to the next story.
Moreover, Lee Han-young's remorse-laden appearance left a deep impression. Seeing a grandmother who lost her granddaughter because of his wrongful ruling, he reflected on past days, and the past life of 'human Lee Han-young' tied to his father brought tears to everyone's eyes.
In this way, Jisung dominated the drama with acting that stood out for its control of tempo. He sent the tense fun soaring, and with perfectly timed humor added the 'sweet-and-salty moments' that kept viewers glued to the screen. It was, truly, a performance that captured the true taste of a refreshing return story.
Riding that momentum, 'The Judge Returns' ranked fifth in TV-OTT drama topicality on FUNdex, the official platform of Good Data Corporation, released in the drama's first week of broadcast, and Jisung also rose to third place in TV-OTT drama cast topicality, once again demonstrating the might of a 'box-office king.'
With curiosity rising about how Jisung will lead the remaining story, the MBC series 'The Judge Returns,' in which he stars, airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.<
[Photo] MBC
[OSEN]