A lawyer whose clients are ghosts, I’m all in.
Phantom Lawyer, a new legal drama, which premiered on March 13 (Netflix), stars Yoon Yeon-Seok (Mr. Sunshine; When the Phone Rings) as Shin I-Rang, a beleaguered lawyer trying to escape the maligned past of his father. When he opens his own law office in the former house of a shaman, hilarity ensues as Yi-Rang begins to receive ghosts as clients.
Not So Spooky Beginnings
The show opens with I-Rang in a courtroom. There is an image of a bloodied young woman. The ghost of that woman is buzzing around Yi-Rang, whispering the truth of her death to him while furiously begging the lawyer to fight for her and give her justice. Yi-rang seems unfazed. How did he get this way?
The episode takes us back one year prior. I-Rang is on a job interview and is hopeful. He returns home, and we learn he lives with his mother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. His mother owns a butcher shop and restaurant with her daughter, and his brother-in-law makes a living as a background actor. They are hopeful that he gets the job and even celebrate with drinks and food on the house, only for Yi-Rang to get a text saying he didn’t get the job.
A determined I-Rang goes on several more interviews, all of which are failures; his final interview is at Taebaek Law Firm, where he is blatantly rejected by partner Han Na-Hyun (played by Esom). She has no problem rejecting I-rang sharing that his father, who died 20 years ago, was accused of being a corrupt prosecutor, and with the judge and prosecutor who “uncovered” his father’s crimes still working, Na-Hyun remarks that I-Rang will continue to be rejected, and he should essentially move on.
Undaunted, I-Rang decides to open his own law office. With little money, he makes a deal with his mother’s landlord to use some of her butcher shop’s deposit towards his office. With some subterfuge and poorly placed wallpaper, the landlord offloads a former shaman’s home onto I-Rang.
After innocently lighting a leftover incense and falling asleep, Yi-Rang wakes to a man in his office. I-Rang’s excitement quickly fades when he realizes that this man is not a new client (Heo Sung-Tae, Squid Game)but a ghost who doesn’t know who he is or how he died. Hilarity ensues for the rest of the episode as I-Rang, with the help of a former shaman turned Catholic priest, learns that not only can he see ghosts, but he can also become possessed when these ghosts are in a heightened state of human desire: anger, love, or even food cravings.
Throughout the episode, I-Rang must deal with inopportune possessions, explaining why he is talking to himself, and just how to prosecute the case of his new and very unalive client. By the end of the episode, the viewer is left with numerous questions that we look forward to being answered as the show goes on:
- Will Han Na-Hyun continue to be Yi-Rang’s number one op, or will there be a fledgling enemies-to-lovers trope appearing? What fuels her, and why is she so determined?
- Will Yi-Rang’s mother ever find out about the deal he made with the landlord?
- How was it even possible that Yi-Rang essentially became a shaman? Can anyone become one from simply smelling a particular incense?
Should You Watch It?
Overall, Phantom Lawyer is essentially a legal procedural show that explores the human condition, just with ghosts. Of course, the ultimate case Yi-Rang will have to defend will be his father’s. Was his father really a corrupt prosecutor, or did his father die in order to silence secrets he uncovered?
If you are concerned about seeing the heavy themes of death, unmet justice, and the tales that dead men can’t tell, don’t worry, Phantom Lawyer so far has found the perfect balance of tackling the themes of the legal system with witty and slapstick comedy. Yoon Yeo-Seon shines in this role so far. He embodies the innocent determination of his character with tenderness and comedic timing. It took me a moment to realize he was the same guy from When the Phone Rings. All in all, I am looking forward to watching each episode. Eight episodes have already been released, so I have a bit of catching up to do. If you have been on the fence about watching Phantom Lawyer, please don’t wait. Watch it.
FIRST IMPRESSION RATING: OBSESSED: Emotionally Attached, Unfortunately 🫠❤️
