And, so, we have our premise for Jugglers. Jwa Yoon Yi (Baek Jin Hee) is a top personal assistant for her boss until she’s caught in a scandal, left horrendously humiliated, and all but fired from her position. She’s eventually assigned to Nam Chi Won (Daniel Choi), an aloof and private man with a sort of dark past who absolutely refuses to have an assistant. They butt heads; they charm one another; they live happily ever after as boss/assistant until the end of their days.
Jugglers follows the trend that many kdramas seem to have: strong beginning, lackluster ending. Not everything was bad, the last half had enjoyable moments, but whatever they were trying to accomplish became muddled in rushed writing and disingenuous emotional moments.
And what were they trying to accomplish? Were they trying to show us that an off-balance relationship in the workplace can be done if there’s mutual respect? Supportive female relationships and women empowerment? How to deal with past trauma?
Jugglers” Concludes At The Top Of Its Time Slot In Terms Of Viewership Ratings
Okay, that’s not entirely true. I actually have no qualms with two co-workers dating each other or two people from different departments but on equal footing igniting a romance, but dramaland insists on giving us the boss/subordinate dynamic.
I’m not entirely sure why I keep coming back to office romances, but it was Daniel Choi and Baek Jin Hee and I’m weak to their charms.
I believe the drama was strong in establishing a real and respectful relationship between Yoon Yi and Chi Won. Chi Won is clear about not wanting someone all up in his business and Yoon Yi is wrong in pushing forward despite his protests. On that same strand, Chi Won is wrong in how he handles it; he basically acts like a child and hits Yoon Yi right where he knows it will hurt. On both ends, they are right in what they want but wrong in how they express it.
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After the initial hurdle, and, after communicating effectively with each other, the support for one another is wonderful to behold. Yoon Yi has a boss that considers her needs and comforts and doesn’t make her do demeaning tasks. Chi Won gains a confidante who shows a willful amount of consideration towards his goals even if they are difficult to get.
As a boss and an assistant, the writers created something worthwhile and long-lasting between the two. I’m just not convinced they created a romance of equal standing. It’s clear that Chi Won will always be her boss and Yoon Yi will always be his assistant. Some couple in the world has managed to make this work, dramaland has not.
To top it all off, any chemistry between the two is utterly ruined by a cringeworthy amount of aegyo and too many episodes of useless pining.
Justice (south Korean Tv Series)
Can we really call Hwangbo Yool (Lee Won Geun) and Wang Jung Ae (Kang Hye Jung) a couple? No. Can we call them friends who support and trust each other no matter what? YES.
Yool begins as a very childish chaebol heir. He doesn’t work hard, he’s obnoxious, and is terrible with boundaries. Jung Ae, though, lacks faith in herself and in her abilities, stemmed from a terrible marriage and years of being a housewife. Together they made a unique team. Yool gained a mother-like figure that supported him and Jung Ae found someone willing to give her a chance because of her perseverance.
It’s always worthwhile to find someone who will stand by your side no matter what. Their collective journey to find strength, to be confident in themselves, and gain their independence was exceptionally written.
Jugglers (tv Series 2017–2018)
Going into Jugglers, I believed this would be a drama that showed how assistants come together and support each other. When they showed that Yoon Yi had her own website with forums dedicated to how to work through problems, I was pulled in even further.
And Yoon Yi got the full brunt of it. She was humiliated by her boss’s wife in public for an affair she never had. Chi Won’s ex-wife did her best to undermine any feelings they may have had for one another and tried to break them up. And, if that wasn’t enough, one of her best friends, Ma Bo Na (Cha Joo Young), betrayed her in the ugliest and most brutal way possible.
We’re supposed to cling on to Bo Na’s claim that Yoon Yi has had an easy time and always get what she wants? That this is the reason Bo Na had to humiliate her in front of the entire company and put her source of income at risk? And it wasn’t even clear what her motives were. I still don’t know if her betrayal was for her dad or for her own success.
Jugglers: Episode 16 (final) » Dramabeans Korean Drama Recaps
And it’s not that any of these women were unsympathetic, but these attacks against Yoon Yi relied on stereotypes that women don’t get along, women are natural frenemies, and competition is naturally born between women. It’s unrealistic and dehumanizing.
I did like how supportive the core group of friends were in the beginning. I’m glad Bo Na got her redemption and Yoon Yi welcomed her back into her life with no needed explanations. And it was nice that Yoon Yi helped her former boss’s wife get her revenge.
But the writing for the women was bad and lazy. It’s time to retire the competitive women trope and welcome the women supporting women trope. And, if there must be competition, please give the audience a valid reason instead of throwing in obstacles for the sake of it.
Baek Jin Hee
In the beginning it was made clear to us that Nam Chi Won was deeply traumatized and one of his biggest triggers was fire. Later, we find out that not only was he the sole survivor of his family, his uncle also died in a fire while saving him. Like, woo boy, that’s a lot to tack on to a child before high school.
He lashed out at Yoon Yi at her surprise party, never apologized for said lashing out, and also never addresses his trauma. Everyone tells Yoon Yi about what happened to him and then he glosses over it. There was no discussion about how all of it affected him and still affects him.
Like, come on, it’s 2018, trauma is not a one-trick pony. It shouldn’t be used to keep your couple apart. Although, maybe I’m just spoiled by Just Between Lovers’ use of PTSD in its plot.
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Overall, Jugglers isn’t the worst drama I’ve ever watched. No, that title remains firmly in the hands of Nail Shop Paris. *shudders*
I enjoyed the dynamic between Daniel Choi and Baek Jin Hee, though I think it would have been better suited towards a melodrama than a romcom. I was excited for Yool and Jung Ae sticking to their guns. I applauded when those jerk-offs got their comeuppance. The side characters were hilarious and did ya’ll see Daniel Choi’s ass?
Most importantly, Jugglers gave me the glorious Artemis-like goddess that is Park Kyung Rye (Jung Hye In) and I would pay all the money in the world to see her in a K-Drama remake of She’s the Man.
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Jugglers gets a 6.5 for a strong beginning, a well-rounded ensemble cast, hiring Jung Hye In, a solid secondary lead plotline, and Nam Chi Won’s pettiness and savagery. Loses points for too much aegyo, using trauma flippantly, not utilizing Jung Hye In’s character enough, and no one actually apologizing to Yoon Yi for their terrible behavior against her.
As a stay at home mom and a kdrama addict, I’ve dedicated more of my growing free time to writing and continuing to learn more about sculpting and polymer clay. View all posts by Leticia Victoria
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