Set in a dystopian version of South Korea, where courtroom trials are held through a live TV show, where the audience votes through an app if the guilty need to be punished or not. Chief Judge Kang dispenses cleverly appropriate but merciless justice, earning him the title Devil Judge.
After watching Beyond Evil we were ready to try something lighter. However, my attention was captured by this title and we stayed in a serious, dramatic world for our next series. It was really worth it since this multi-layered, fast paced story kept us talking about it in the days between watching episodes. At the heart of this exciting drama is justice — from a wide variety of vantage points.
Viewed through the eyes of junior judge Ga On, we learn about Judge Kang Yo Han, the titular Devil Judge. At times he seems like Batman, a hero of the people who is dispensing appropriate justice for those who trample the lttle guy. At other times he seems like the Joker, wreaking havoc for no reason other than sheer entertainment. Ga On is undercover as he tries to determine just what Judge Kang is up to.
There are a lot of plots in this but one of my favorites was watching Ga On become a humanizing influence on Kang and his sister, who are both quite antagonistic towards each other. The scenes where Ga On is cooking, playing games, helping them to see how to understand each other, and be a family are just lovely. And we see the payoff as the show continues.
The design, acting, pacing, and story were simply superb and kept us on the edge of our seats. We continually flipped over whether Judge Kang was Batman or the Joker. And just how did that church fire begin?
This was my favorite television show of the year.
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