The second episode of Divorce Attorney Shin follows the conclusion of Seo-jin’s case, which brings back painful memories for Sung-han. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.
Recap
In court, Seo-jin is shamed by her husband’s lawyer for not settling during the divorce mediation and continuing to put her son through agony, even though he was taken to the hospital, by going to trial.
However, it is shown that she wanted to quit, but Sung-han convinced her not to do so for her son’s future happiness. He even wants her to fight for the equal division of property because he believes that she should take what is hers.
Before the trial, Sung-han met Hyeon-u once again. Sung-han understood what Hyeon-u was going through and told him to leave his parents as soon as he can move out, the way Sung-han left for Germany.
He then asks him if he could be left with one person in the world, who would it be, and Hyeon-u says that he wants it to be his mother. Hyeon-u confesses that he thought his mother might die.
He had seen her standing on the balcony when she thought no one was watching. He knows that she was in pain, and he was also in pain.
Hyeon-u is aware that Sung-han knows what Hyeon-u saw on his father’s phone and why he threw it away. Sung-han comforts him but truthfully tells him that what he has seen will not go away easily.
Sung-han thinks Hyeon-u should keep himself busy. Sung-han listens to music to suppress his unwanted thoughts and memories. Sung-han finally asks Hyeon-u whether Seo-jin’s video was shown to Hyeon-u on his father’s phone or did Hyeon-u look it up on his own.
Back in the courtroom, Sung-han presents Hyeon-u’s journal in court, which states that he is unhappy living with his father. He then asks Mr. Kang to take the stand and questions him about showing Hyeon-u Seo-jin’s sex tape.
Mr. Kang starts cursing Seo-jin and admits that he did indeed show his son the video. A devastated Seo-jin slaps him in court and then passes out.
She is taken to the hospital, where Sung-han tells her that Hyeon-u called him to his school and gave him the journal. Hyeon-u still wants to live with her. Furthermore, they won the case. Seo-jin is ready to beg Hyeon-u for forgiveness.
She tries to earn his forgiveness at home by cooking for him. She apologizes to him because he had to see that video and cries. Hyeon-u hugs his mother and things seem to get better between them.
The end of the case brings back Sung-han’s own painful memories, and he tries to keep his thoughts at bay by listening to his favorite music. However, he is not alone for much longer, as Hyeong-geun and Jeong-sik come to keep him company.
As the friends drink together, it is revealed that Hyeong-geun needs to finalize his divorce. They spend the rest of the evening drinking and bickering.
A cleaning lady outside Sung-han’s office asks him about the cost of getting a divorce. The cleaning lady manages the building owned by her mother-in-law and does all the cleaning and maintenance work.
The woman and her two daughters are mentally abused by her mother-in-law. The woman works all day because the family needs to pay off their mortgages, while her husband stays idle at home because his mother does not even let him help with the household chores.
The woman asks him to speak to his mother and tell her to stop insulting their daughters, but her meek husband cannot do much. Her mother-in-law now plans to move in with them and rent her upstairs apartment out to get some extra cash.
The woman talks to her husband once again, as she does not want her daughters to live inconveniently because of his mother. At night, when her younger daughter argues with her mother-in-law, the mother-in-law gets furious and starts insulting her again.
The daughter wants her father to defend them, but he does not speak up. It is revealed that when his business failed, the family was left with nothing but debts, and the mother-in-law allowed them to live in one of her apartments.
The argument escalates, and the mother-in-law starts hitting the woman’s daughter. The woman warns her to stop, but she does not listen. Eventually, the furious woman starts hitting her mother-in-law the way she hit her daughter.
Meanwhile, Sung-han meets a former student, who asks him when he is returning to Germany, but the former professor has no plans to do so. Seo-jin also visits Sung-han to thank him.
When he asks her about her marriage, she tells him that her brother was a gambling addict and was friends with Mr. Kang. The two started a company together, and her brother used the company funds to gamble.
The company was about to go bankrupt, but her now ex-husband stepped up and sold his house to save it. She then married him. There was a time when she decided to leave him, but then her brother died.
He got drunk and died in a car accident. This scared her, and she decided to stay with Mr. Kang. Before leaving, Seo-jin gives Sung-han a new name; she calls him Mr. Competent.
There is a workout grape chart in Sung-han’s office; it seems like he colors one grape after winning a case. Now, there is just one uncolored grape left.
While drinking together, Hyeong-geun, without naming the person, asks Sung-han if he is going to fight the person when all the grapes get colored, and Sung-han tells him that he will fight.
The scene shifts to a woman’s office. This woman is Director Jin Yeong-ju. She asks a man to coax Sung-han about something. A girl named Ha-yul has been asking a lot of questions lately. Ha-yul loves her brother, who is apparently her half-sibling.
Ha-yul wants to do everything with him. She smiles when her brother goes to meet his uncle and does not smile again until he returns. Yeong-ju asks a man to sort this out for her, and the man agrees, as he has been curious about Sung-han, a pianist who became an attorney.
A drunk Sung-han tells Hyeong-geun that he will kill the person who is the subject of their discussion. This individual has something to do with two people, Ju-hwa and Gi-yeong, who are dear to Sung-han.
While walking alone at night, Sung-han comes across a piano and starts playing it. He remembers the time when he used to play it on stage, and it becomes evident that he is in pain.
Review
- The court scene where Seo-jin finds out what her husband did was heartbreaking. The performances by the actors, the writing, and the direction worked well to make it an impactful scene.
- There is a sense of sadness and loneliness that lingers around the protagonist. The episode provides a rest for the protagonist and the viewers with the scene where his two friends keep him company and make him feel better.
- The new story introduced in this episode accurately documents the mental abuse that several people face at their homes. The audience will feel the growing frustration and anger of the characters that affect their later actions.
- The episode introduces new characters, but it is not done smoothly. The information provided gets too confusing, as there are a lot of bits and pieces revealed without any concrete information.
Divorce Attorney Shin season 1 episode 2
Director:
Lee Jae-hoon
Date Created:
2023-03-05 23:35
Also Read: Divorce Attorney Shin season 1 episode 1 recap & review
