Miss Hammurabi Recap Episode 1

We caved, we decided to cover Miss Hammurabi after all for as long as we possibly can. It might get hard with Are You Human, Too premiering on June 4th, but we will try to make it work! So far this show has quirks and heart which I am here for. How can we not cover a show like that?

This episode was done without us stopping too many times because we wanted to get through episodes 1 and 2 as quickly as possible in order to get to same-day recap status. So, it isn’t as detailed with the conversations. I will post episode two later on today and probably episodes 3 and 4 tomorrow. Then we will be in full quickcap mode!

MUSIC: Miss Hammurabi Music List.
CHARACTER CHART: Shorthand Character Chart
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KDRAMA MISS HAMMURABI LIVE RECAP EPISODE 1
OPENING
We open with BR’s mother cleaning a lot of recognition awards. She softly tries to wake up her son to go on a blind date. He does not want to because it is his first day at his new department. Umma basically tells him to live better because he is a judge now.

He heads to the blind date reluctantly and meets a very chipper blind date ajumma who will introduce him to everyone. The first woman is not a good match. She stays home all the time and her father does not have an up and up business practice. The second woman is from a loan shark family (private banker). She is very aggressive and asks him a lot about dramas. Her hobby is collecting mountains with her mother. The third woman is the daughter of a senator. She and her mother as there. They laugh and yell and giggle about BR being a judge. But BR thinks he is selling himself for his parents.

Afterward, he goes to a piano to try and play a song. It is the only song he knows.

While riding the subway, we go into a flashback of college days. BR is reading by the window and COR is smiling as she looks at him. Then he does the same to her and he gives her a book called Killing the mockingbird.

A woman is talking very loudly about how great her kids’ American pronunciation is on the subway and is annoying everyone. BR is annoyed as well. Another woman comes and sits next to this woman, its COR. COR starts laughing and talking loudly right along with COR and tells her that her dog barks American style. SHe also imposes on a man next to her who was imposing on her. She is not a pushover.

Another flashback of BR and COR in school. COR is upset about her teacher’s actions during her lesson. She is on the verge of tears. It is basically the opposite of how she is now. COR fell for her instantly.

In the present, he hides his book as he looks at her stunned.

The subway gets crowded and an ajusshi stands next to a woman. He looks like a perv who will touch her butt. COR yells at him playfully and tells him that she made a video of it. A disturbance happens which cuts to the ajusshi walking away with his family jewels injured. COR tells the woman not to be scared of those bad guys, their thingy is “this” tiny.

She thanks COR for helping her, but it doesn’t look like she remembers him. They talk about going to work together as a judge which triggers her memory of him. She asks if he knows her? Park Chaohrum from the book club? He pretends like he just now remembers her.

Another flashback of the girls talking about how bad mannered BR is. He does not give any girl the time of day no matter how hard they try. he also annoys the boys because he makes 100s on everything. This makes everyone talk bad about him and ignore him. The only one he sees is COR.

In the present, he shakes her hand awkwardly but in his head, he counts down how long they have been apart. She tells him that they recognize each other with their strange names. He tells her that she shouldn’t call him Oppa in public court. She blinks a few times and says, okay. then she catches up with him as he walks off.

At the building, COR makes entering the building with her badge into this huge emotional moment. She takes it all in. They both go find the person they will be working with, Sae-sang. BR will be the right side judge and COR will be the left side judge. SS tells them that and then basically tells them to leave, he is way to busy with piles of paperwork.

Outside the office, they talk to SS’s secretary, Do-yeon. She is also very busy but she has a knack for multitasking and is able to answer BR and COR’s questions before they ask them. They go to their office where COR comments on BR’s painting (Goya), he likes it because it shows the stupidity and greed of people. Then he tells her that he will give her a tour of the building.

They walk around the huge government building and see all the small cases that people deal with. Like writing documents, not paying taxes, and a false witness case. BR tells COH that her family members will call her a lot. She will have to stop meeting people or taking phone calls. their work is seeing the bad side of people, not the good side. COR smiles and says she thinks she is ready.

She thanks him for the tour, but it does not look like she agrees with anything BR said.

Later, BR’s high school super sunbae comes in and demands a meeting with him. He graduated in like the 60s and wants to talk to BR. he is basically there for a handout. BR has to set this man straight and tells him that he will report him if he keeps talking about favors to him. The sunbae says he will fire BR. BR just says that this man can’t do anything to him because he is protected by the law.

BR leaves and goes to look out of his window.

VO – I hate people. Keeping this job forever means I will hate people forever. Can I live like this?

COR comes back from her tea time with rookies. She has a bright smile again and gets to work. They both go through a lot of paperwork at their desks. Later, BR checks his phone and sees that COR is an SNS star for kicking that subway guy in the groin. She gets called in by SS and yelled at for it due to the girl’s shirt being so short on the subway. COR thinks the man is bad, not the skirt. He asks if she has We/arae (which basically is asking her if she respects people older than herself). Then the phone call plays the song wee/arae, it is his wife. It has something to do with his daughter so he is happy to hear it.

The two judges stay standing there even though SS forgot all about them.

Later on, BR talks to one of his colleagues, BW, at work who is his friend from high school. The first male assistant clerk comes in and delivers some paperwork to the friend which makes the friend tell BR about him. He thinks equal jobs are good, but why does it have to be his office. But he gets back to the task at hand which is talking about SS and his decisions.

We see several of the decisions SS makes. SS is basically in a state of constant anger while in his seat.

The high school friend tells BR that SS has a big complex. he is older than the other judges because he wants to be a judge longer. His college wasn’t good either so he doesn’t have many friends there. Everyone goes to Seoul law school there. But his colleague says he is a hybrid because he went to Korea University Engineering school. He is basically bragging about himself so BR gets mad at him and leaves.

The friend thinks BR will have a hard time because his department is full of strange people who will create a lot of issues.

We cut directly to Judge Gon-dae who is out drinking a lot of other judges. They basically talk about how they all became judges while still in school. BW is with them as well. It looks like GD is a great boss for him because he is introducing him to a lot of other judges and not giving him a hard time at all.

Meanwhile, COR and BR work hard while at work. BR heads home for the day and COR thanks him for helping her out that day. While leaving, BR is approached by a woman who needs help. BR tells her that she should appeal. the woman slaps him in a rage and screams that her son died. BR thinks his day was bad and ended badly. It was his first day in the civil department (he transferred to that department).

He gets home and learns that this mother is having a hard time with getting money. It looks like they took a lot of loans to help with BR’s studies possibly? Or maybe his father creates a lot of issues because BR yells in frustration about his father signing a loan for one of his fathers’ friends.

BR’s salary is only $3,300 a month, so he cannot easily help out with all the bills they have. He plops on his bed and thinks about meeting with someone who wanted to hire him as a lawyer. But BR turned him down. Another man comes in who looks like a big gangster. This man is one of this law firms clients and he is a pyramid scheme “businessman”. BR is disgusted at the sight of the gangster and tells them that he is leaving. He cannot defend a person like him.

BR hops out of his mini flashback and goes to sleep.

VO – I don’t like people too much, I don’t like people sitting next to me. So I go to the corner, the thing I hate the most is sitting together. When I was little I hated holidays. But I can’t live on an island by myself, I have to live with other people.

COR shows up in front of BR with a delightful plaid outfit and a short skirt. But she is wearing black stocking. She tells him that she wants to stand out more because he told her that their field is difficult. She quotes an author who said she can be the egg that hits the glass ceiling and breaks. She will face things with her own style. She has a bag over her shoulder as well, it is something special she prepared to stand out.

They walk to the building. the woman is there who slapped BR. Her son died during surgery but there wasn’t enough evidence of malpractice.

COR walks into the building confidently. Everyone looks at her outfit. No eyes miss her outfit. SS asks her what in the world she is thinking off. COR tells her it is a nice day, is she breaking the law wearing this? Oh, okay, she will change into better clothing since he hates it so much.

She goes into the bathroom and changes into a complete hijab. then she asks SS if she looks okay? these are the most conservative clothing that she could find. Your right, women shouldn’t show any skin to make men guilty. GD was walking by at that moment and is scared by the sudden appearance of COR. But he shakes it off and heads to his office. COR asks SS which outfit SS likes more, the short skirt or the hijab? SS just aigoo’s as he walks away.

COR goes to her desk and puts up a happy painting. She majored in piano in college and then became a judge. She puts a lot of feminist books on her desk and tells BR that she got those clothes while backpacking. She adds an Indian god of Justice to her desk as well. But she grumbles because her feet hurt from wearing high heels. BR has a band-aid but he does not give it to her.

Later, they start to talk about the halmoni’s case who is standing outside. COR wants to look into it, but BR says a lot of people die from surgery. He also thinks Halmoni didn’t prepare for trial properly. They argue about it because COE is an Idealist who wants to change the world but BR is pessimistic. he mocks her as a rich person.

Afterwork, BR sees COR talking to the woman and comforting her. She cries with her as the woman just tells her all about her problems. BR tries to pull COR away. He tells her that this woman is not normal. COR just hits his arms away and tells BR that her son died during surgery but no one explained it to her. Do you think she can be normal when her son died without even saying goodbye to her? how is that normal? What is normal?

VO – To understand someone, we have to think from that person’s perspective. We have to be that person and walk around as that person. (How to Kill a Mockingbird).

MORNING
BR goes on another blind date. the woman and her child talk about their father/husband who is in the media. BR tells them that his father is a drunk and he just studies hard. he knows who he is, he just tries to survive while taking care of his family and that is all he wants. he is not a good person for your precious family, sorry.

He goes to the subway and thinks about COR. He goes into another flashback of COR playing the piano in her shy way. He watches her playing at a recital and smiles. In the subway, he smiles as well.

Flashback of BR’s drunk appa taking off one of his primary school awards off the wall. Drunk appa thinks their son will be a great judge one day. Umma just yells at him for messing up the wall. It looks like his appa is a good person but got caught up in a bad situation.

The award on the wall is a “Good Child” award for helping one of his friends. So BR is a good person who has turned sour about life.

Fade Out

CHARACTER CHART