This episode’s opening sequence is significant. Professor Yang gets a phone number from the palm of the inmate who stabbed him, and is told to go to a restaurant. A briefcase is waiting for him, and inside is evidence relating to Professor Seo’s case. It really feels like the murderer has been revealed, and now it’s just a matter of pinning the evidence to him. I mean, if the murderer isn’t Lee Man-ho or Prosecutor Jin under Assemblyman Ko’s orders, it’ll be the biggest twist of 2021 thus far. However, if the screenwriter does want to take this route, then it could be Seung-jae or even someone from left field like Man-ho’s adult son.
The rest of episode 11 follows our beloved study group on their new journey as interns, and the jury selection process for Ye-seul’s trial.
What we learn in this episode
- When Yang visited the inmate who stabbed him in prison, the inmate acted uncooperative, but actually had a phone number written on the palm of his hand. Yang calls it, and is led to a restaurant where he finds a briefcase filled with evidence from Seo’s murder. Inside are the soles of two shoes, a needle, and Seo’s missing pen (that looks a lot like a camera).
- Meanwhile, Lee Man-ho goes to the home of the man he is working for. We don’t see the man’s face, but Man-ho reminds the man he promised to find his son in exchange for his help. He is then given a current picture of his adult son.
- Sol A’s stepdad was about to lose his organs to gambling debts, so her mom stepped in and asked Kang Dan to go to Assemblyman Ko for help (AKA money). But she didn’t know it would lead to Kang Dan having to go on the run.
- Professor Kim sends Assemblyman Ko a bill she’s been working on that would stop people from getting sued for defamation if what they’re saying is factual. This is relevant to the Bad FaMa case from earlier episodes, where the single mom was publishing personal info online about parents who refused to pay child support. In true villain fashion, Ko wants to use the trial and the passing of this bill to draw attention away from Ye-seul and Yeong-chang’s trial.
- Ko announces the Bad FaMa bill on TV, and compares it to Lee Man-ho trying to sue people for defamation for speaking the truth about him. Man-ho is also shown on the phone arguing with someone about them not living up to the deal they made. All of this culminates in him attacking Ko in a bathroom at the end of the episode.
Yes to Seo’s murder becoming even clearer
So, it’s established in the last episode that the meth may have been injected in Professor Seo’s body through his stomach. And now the very needle that was used and other pieces of evidence have fallen into Yang’s lap. Yang surmises that the person who injected Seo is familiar with organs, and as we know Lee Man-ho was previously arrested for organ trafficking.
But I don’t think Lee Man-ho is smart enough to come up with all of this on his own. He has to be working for Ko. It looks like the back of Ko’s head in the opening sequence, and at the end of the episode he says, “You can’t do this to me!”
Yes to the study group’s internships
Our babies are all grown up…and working for their enemies (or other unsavory people)! Sol A and B are working for Ko, Joon-hwi is working for Prosecutor Jin, and Ji-ho is working for the law firm trying to imprison Ye-seul. It annoys me, but like Sol A mentions, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Ko can’t stand Sol A, so as I was watching, I wondered how the screenwriter would get him to hire her, but it’s handled believably. Professor Kim essentially bribes Ko by giving him the Bad FaMa bill. Hats off to the screenwriter for not writing themselves into a corner!
With our protagonists now in the camps of their enemies, I have no doubt they’ll get lots of dirt.
Yes to Yangcrates charming the pants off the jury
Professor Yang is a good man, but we can’t deny that he rubs people the wrong way. So, much like Professor Kim, I was worried about how he was going to come across to the jury. Because facts and logic can only get you so far. There comes a point where you have to appeal to people, and Yang does! He’s amiable with the jury, and explains what the presumption of innocence truly means. He appeals to their rationality and stresses the importance of making decisions based on the evidence presented, and nothing else. See, even Yang knows that you attract more bees with honey than you do vinegar. He does another smart thing and reveals he’s currently on trial himself, so the prosecution won’t have a chance to use it to discredit him later.
The man’s a genius and knows what to do whenever he enters a courtroom. I shouldn’t have been worried.
No to the detailed jury selection process
I know, I know. We’re watching a show called Law School, so of course there are certain things the drama will show in detail. I just wish the jury selection process hadn’t been one of them. I found it boring, and thought it went on for too long. I wouldn’t have minded a brief explanation, and maybe one or two scenes as an example, but it felt like the whole latter portion of this episode was dedicated to it. I would’ve preferred the opening arguments for Ye-seul’s case to be longer.
I’m also annoyed that Sol A thought it’d be a good idea to get her mom on the jury of a very sensitive case involving her friend. Sometimes I really don’t know what this girl is thinking. This is only going to complicate things, and hurt the case. All so her mom can make a quick buck.
With that said, this wasn’t my favorite episode. It was just okay. The beginning was interesting, but then it spent too much time on the jury selection bit. I’m also over Sol B’s plagiarism storyline. At this point, it’s dragged on for way too long and I no longer even care whether she did it or not. I hope episode 12 picks up and maintains a steady pace throughout the episode. I’m also curious about what’s going to happen now that Yang has walked in on Man-ho trying to strangle Ko in the bathroom. Is the show going to confirm they’re working together or continue to string us along?
I had to watch the episode twice two understand how the Bad FaMa bill relates to Man-ho. But this review was able to clear my confusion haha. I didn’t mind the jury selection because I wanted to know how it works in S.Korea. But yeah it did drag on for a bit and I couldn’t help but cringe at Sol A’s mom’s reactions and comments. And did Sol A want her mom to be picked to make easy money or to make sure she’s on their side. I really didn’t expect Prof Yang to provoke Man-ho like that. And in the preview for next ep., Prof. Yang is resigning as defense counsel?! Regardless, I can’t wait for episode 12!! >0<
Author
I’m glad some things were cleared up for you 🙂 I had to rewind the Bad FaMa scenes a couple times to understand it myself. But basically, if Assemblyman Ko passes it, things will become harder for Man-ho and he’s mad about that since they’re probably working together. It felt like a betrayal to Man-ho. Plus, I don’t think Ko held up his end of the deal regarding finding Man-ho’s son. It looks like he just said, “Here, take this picture.” XD
It looked like Sol A helped her mom get picked, because she felt bad causing her to lose out on money. But I could be wrong. If Sol A actually chose her to help, then it looks like we know her mom better than she does LOL. I can’t see that lady helping out with anything.
As for end of the episode, it was so intense! But I’m not surprised that Yang is trying to provoke Man-ho. Sometimes he uses that tactic and it works, so I hope Man-ho spills everything. I wonder what makes Yang quit in the next episode though! I have a feeling he might quit, because Ye-seul might want to go easy on Yeong-chang >.< It's not easy being in her shoes.
Ah haha it’s starting to make sense now. Hopefully, the writers have a reasonable explanation to put Sol A’s mom on the juror list and would actually help Ye-seul’s case. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got our theories right when they reveal it. XD
I watched episode 12 as soon as it was released on Netflix and it’s more intense than ep. 11! And a lot of unexpected (shocking) points were made. I somehow feel bad for Man-ho in some cases but he’s gone too far even if he’s desperate in finding his son. And I learned in watching this drama that things are never what it seems to be at first glance. We need more puzzle pieces, more questions, and only 4 episodes left.
Comparing the tv ratings for Forest of Secrets (Stranger) and Law School in AsianWiki, they almost have similar ratings. Hopefully, the latter would get a second season. Though, Stranger won awards and green-lit a 2nd season. I trust the writers would have more material for us if things don’t get resolved by ep. 16. Regardless, I can’t wait to dive deeper into Kang Dan’s Arc!
Thanks again for the in-depth reviews! UwU
Author
I can’t wait to catch up tonight! The new reviews will be out soon.