‘Solomon’s Perjury’…A tightly packed, gripping tale of whodunit.
Spoilers Ahead…
I never watch Korean drama previews and select to watch them solely based on recommendations from friends, comments from the internet, if I am fond of one of the actors in it (not necessarily the lead), or if it’s the work of a famed director, who has helmed a popular project before.
With Solomon’s Perjury, the title itself was enough to instigate me to watch it.
King Solomon is a biblical figure who is famously known for the Judgement of Solomon, whereupon hearing two women claim to be the mother to the same child, he suggests to cut the child in half, and present each half to either of the women. While one woman is happy with this decision, the real mother wails and begs the king not to cut her son, but rather allows the other women to take him away. Solomon uses a lie, hence commits perjury, in order to find out the truth. The show takes this basis in a similar manner — whether it is police’s claim that Lee Soo Woo committed suicide, or Lee Joo Ri’s false accusation of murder on Choi Woo Hyuk, (which ultimately leads to a student trial) or Han Ji Hoon’s claim of not having any personal connections to Lee Soo Woo, so that he can redeem himself of his guilt over his friend’s death — all of these instance start with a lie, but its effect leads them to the truth.
The set up is quite similar to that of the usual legal shows, where the plot usually revolves around meetings in the prosecutor's office and the proceedings of a courtroom; but here, we have teenagers, fighting against the system to find out the truth behind their friend’s death, so the office is replaced by a club room, and the court to a gymnasium.
The trial (itself) is off to a rocky start. On the first day, they take many breaks, clarifying between themselves on how to lead the trial, and they squabble, and fight, and bicker if the decision refuses to go their way. At times, you see them getting carried away, acting as real lawyers, and at times, you see them as mere students, vulnerable and confused with what is going on, and what exactly to do. All this makes the courtroom proceedings a tad more interesting to watch. It isn’t now just about who’s right or who’s wrong, and because there are emotions involved, we also sway along with the character’s stance on the incident.
Han Ji Hoon (played by an extremely talented Jang Dong Yoon) is exceptional, and his character keeps you guessing on who’s the side he is on. Seo Ji Hoon has also done a commendable job as Bae Joon Young, who suffers because of his mentally ill mother and Seo Young Joo as Lee So Woo, who captures the essence of the character in a short role.
I was initially skeptical about the whole show being just about one incident, but in the first episode itself, we dive right into the plot. Right after Lee So Woo’s body is found, we are shown the whole school administration scuttling around to trying to cover up the incident, rather than solving it. But if there are adults trying to cover up the truth, there are adults willing to help out the young lawyers. After all, only when Reporter Park instigates Ko So Yeon to find out the truth behind her classmate's death, does she come up with the idea of a trial. Help is always there for the ones who want to try.
