[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Pinocchio" Episode 19

The creative decision to keep Beom-jo's thought process in the dark is a bit of a questionable one here, since the cliffhanger only has emotional urgency provided you have a big emotional attachment to his character. It's been a common problem lately, "Pinocchio" spreading too much of its characters around and just being overly balanced in their exposure. Admittedly, my estimation of the cliffhanger went up a bit when I realized the significance of using In-ha to deliver the message.

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Even so, "Pinocchio" is at this point so wrapped up in the emotional issues that there's not much significant exploration of journalism ethics anymore- the discussion mostly covers the same beats that this drama has managed so far. Again, this is at least partially because most of the outstanding questions have already been answered and the main mystery is the exact way the plot will resolve. Like last episode, a lot of this one feels more like filler for approaching the ending than it does interesting material in its own right. Consider the heavy emphasis on comic relief.

Good comic relief, for whatever that's worth. Lee Yu-bi actually has pretty good comedic timing and delivery. Which is fortunate, given that she doesn't really have anything else to do here. Even amidst all of the general high-stakes drama "Pinocchio" is very intent on showcasing the current depth of the character relationships. Outside of the ones involving confessed criminals, there hasn't really been that much movement since the first episode.

I think one one level that's probably a big part of the appeal regarding the Dal-po / In-ha pairing, even as it bears obvious quasi-incestuous implications. Aside from the occasional brief bit of Dal-po paternalistically taking care of In-ha, neither of them has acted particularly obsessively romantically. To the contrary, even when on opposing side, Dal-po and In-ha have an excellent working relationship with one another that seems to exist outside excitement and danger. Which actually makes for a decently appealing fantasy.

Thinking back on that particular point, and especially the way "Pinocchio" has dealt with family relationships to date, I'm willing to consider that perhaps in the interpersonal relationship realm this drama has actually been quite consistently good. Solid is a good descriptor for "Pinocchio" overall. I've never really been particularly angry at any of its plot points, just sometimes slightly disappointed. Perhaps the subtlety is where the drama's strength really lies, though. After all, there's more to life than ethics in journalism.

Review by William Schwartz

"Pinocchio" is directed by Jo Soo-won and Sin Seung-woo, written by Park Hye-ryeon and features Lee Jong-suk, Park Shin-hye, Kim Young-kwang, Lee Yu-bi, Lee Pil-mo, Kang Shin-il and many more.

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