> A dark and gritty suspense drama that comes with its share of heartbreak. An absolute must-watch

Chaebol Villains!, Dump Trucks! , Amnesia! , Corrupt Prosecutors! we have seen it all in many K-Dramas that either fall into a melodrama, makjang (Money Flower) and Comedy (Shopping Louis) but Defendant has all the three elements in it with no non-sense characters or filler scenes. Defendant shows that an Attorney doesn't need to trust the client but should do their best to find the truth.

PLOT
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Without being particularly original or unique, defendant feels completely one of a kind. Part a legal-crime thriller part melodrama, Defendant is solely a two-man show. On the one hand, it centers on a prosecutor –the hero- who finds himself in prison, is accused of murdering his wife and child and dealing with memory lose on top of everything else. On the other hand, it focuses on a wicked man –the villain- who tries desperately to get away with his crimes. The drama develops partly as a mystery and later as an endless manhunt between the two as the one tries to destroy the other.

During this journey we begin to judge , understand and feel along with Defendant and how he fights for justice and retrial.First half of the drama takes places in prison. I sincerely appreciated the fact that the drama did not spend time with court and other boring legal procedures but rather looked everything from a different personal-dramatic view of the hero delving deep into his troubled thoughts regarding his indictment. The memory loss plot is just a device to drive the story nothing more, so don’t worry about things dragging out a lot. The amnesia plot was handled in a very refreshing way in my opinion.

Second half of the drama is way more engaging, more dramatic, more lively filled with tension, angst and twists. The acting is luscious and you will never get bored of seeing the turning tables and schemes between the 2 lead characters. The drama is melodramatic without being mawkish, but there are also comic scenes and characters to relieve the tension and they succeeded without ridiculing it. There are quite a few characters implicated in all this making the drama that much more thrilling and mysterious. There is no romance in the story and that doesn't take away anything from its potential as its not even needed /suits the pacing ; believe me you won’t even care!

CAST
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Ji Sung as Park Jeong Woo - I am a huge fan of him since Kill me Heal me ; he was disappointing in Dr.John ; but he outdid himself in this drama. I can't imagine any other actor in this role - it was simply perfect for him! In my eyes this was his greatest work yet and it showcased his best acting abilities yet! I loved his character and his determination to remember & prove himself innocent [spoiler]and find Park ha-Yeon[/spoiler]. You could see every single emotion flash across his face. Brilliant acting.

Uhm Ki Joon as Cha Min Ho - you can't really get a better actor to play the villain role in a drama. A great actor for sure! He and Ji Sung were perfect acting partners - and they had great acting chemistry (heck, the entire cast had great chemistry). I love villains who are pure villain - they make you love to hate them. (if that sounds right - a pure villain with no heart one can only loathe but a villain who does have some heart - makes you hate them but in a way care more about their character - even though you can't wait to see them pay for their crimes). I would love to see these two in another drama together again.

Shin Rin Ah as Ha Yeon (Jeong Woo's daughter) this child is brilliant in her acting - she will make you cry, she's so good and cute. She's a natural and I am excited to see her in many roles.

Jo Jae Yun as Cheol Shik aka. ==Optimus Prime== aka Optimus Choel- the best side-kick one could ever wish for! I love this actor ihe always makes me laugh in the dramas he's in - he's like your comedy relief from all the suspense lol and his bromance with Ji Sung in this is so nice! I sometimes wish he was in every drama I watched lol

Jeong Woo's merry band of prison inmates and the resilient Seo Eun Hye all brought their own flavor to the show.

Kwon Yu-ri as Seo Eun-Hye although is the third important character but she had very little impact on screen ; understandably there is no scope for romance in the show ; it is a disappointment there is no strong background on her character and i skipped most of her interactions with the Aunt.

Hyun-Kyung as Na Yeon-Hee also has an impactful role **no spoilers**



OST
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"I Love You Baby" will have a whole new meaning to you after watching this drama and you'll always be reminded of Cheol Shik whenever you hear this song . "Till The End" has LINKINPARK vibes and every scene where its played has special impact and helped me be awake binge the show in 24 hours without sleep.


VERDICT
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This drama has a deep underlying message about how family makes or breaks you. How people are willing to go to every length to save their loved ones and how it's never too late for justice. With an extremely satisfying ending; giving closure to all the characters and answer to your every question, Defendant takes a spot among dramas that are consistently amazing from start to finish.

Despite your preferred drama genre, defendant is a drama that cannot be easily put to words, it should be watched. Therefore, I recommend it to everyone. It is emotional, exciting, thrilling, mysterious and intriguing. I