Room No. 9 ~ No Commutation. How About a Retrial?

“Room No. 9” is a 2018 Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, categorized as Crime, Mystery, Legal drama, and Romance; streaming on Tubi TV.

SUMMARY: WHAT IF the mother of the man you LOVE is the woman you HATE because you believe she ruined your father’s career, caused your mother to abandon you, and thus destroyed your happy home? There’s a possibility she might become your mother-in-law??? Something weirder? Did future mother-in-law and future daughter-in-law switch souls????

♦ Who is My Mother? You Ruined My Father! What Just Happened? (O.o)

“Room No. 9” is a high-security prison room where a lawyer, Eulji Hae-yi, and a death-row inmate, Jang Hwa-sa, meet to discuss the details of the criminal case. But before that happened, this happened.

Jang Hwa-sa is being evaluated and hoping to have her life sentence commuted. The only thing she wants is to be able to get out of prison and visit her ailing mother. She has been a model prisoner, and even the prisoners are hoping for a positive outcome. Most of the people serving on the review panel believed that her sentence was too harsh, and they were willing to approve the commutation. But there is one person on the panel who wants her to rot in jail!

If things were equal and fair, Eulji Hae-yi should not even be on the review panel. She is not objective for more than one reason.

• Reason 1 is professional: She wants to be a senior partner at a law firm, and she knows the head of that law firm does not want Jang Hwa-sa released. If she can prevent the commutation, that should ensure her chances of becoming a senior partner. Did she succeed in preventing the commutation? Yes. Yes, she did.
• Reason 2 is personal: She’s out for revenge. Eulji Hae-yi believes that Jang Hwa-sa bewitched her father. He was a genius prosecutor who could have been appointed as Prosecutor General if Jang Hwa-sa had not tricked (??) him into believing she was innocent. He not only ruined his career for that woman but also destroyed his marriage and family. Jang Hwa-sa’s sins were unforgivable. The fact that she was still behind bars gave Eulji Hae-yi a certain amount of satisfaction. But then Eulji Hae-yi is told that there will be a retrial and that she is the lawyer assigned to the case. WHAT?

That’s not the only complication. Eulji Hae-yi planned a birthday celebration for her boyfriend, Gi Yoo-jin. He’s a doctor, and he’s also the brother of the head of the law firm where she hopes to become a senior partner. On his birthday, a package is delivered. He recognized the box, but the contents inside the box baffled him. It was an old newspaper clipping about the trial of Jang Hwa-sa with the picture of a man. Eulji Hae-yi told him the man was his older half-brother.

Gi Yoo-jin didn’t even know he had an older half-brother. He also doesn’t know his biological mother because his father would never tell him. The article aroused his curiosity. Why was this sent to him on his birthday? Could it be? Is it possible that Jang Hwa-sa is his mother? Is he the son of a convicted murderer?

Eulji Hae-yi visited Jang Hwa-sa in Room No. 9, and properly introduced herself: first, as her lawyer, and then as the daughter of the man whose life and career had been ruined by a murderous seductress. That’s how Eulji Hae-yi saw her client. She explained to her carefully that a retrial could only be granted if one of 3 things existed:

1. Probable new evidence that can reverse the sentence can be found

2. When the crucial evidence that influenced the sentence can be proven as a fabrication

3. Your confession of killing the murder victim can be proven as a false confession by force

The explanation was clear and plain. However, what happened in Room No.9 during the legal consultation was not clear and plain, and probably can’t be explained. (O.o) Eulji Hae-yi was going over the details of the case from 34 years ago. There was a video recording, and Jang Hwa-sa recognized the man’s voice. Hearing his voice must have been traumatic because she fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

Eulji Hae-yi called for help, and doctors came into the room. One of the doctors was Gi Yoo-jin. He happened to be at the prison because he wanted to speak to Jang Hwa-sa. But it looked like he wouldn’t get the chance because she had a heart attack. While attempting to revive her, the weather outside changed suddenly, and the medical equipment started shooting sparks.

Eulji Hae-yi was frightened and tripped over the electric cord, trying to get away from the electrical sparks. She fell over and on top of an already unconscious Jang Hwa-sa. The fall knocked Eulji Hae-yi out, and now there were two (2) unconscious women lying on the floor. When they both regained consciousness, their souls had mysteriously switched bodies.

• Who knew what had happened?
• Who knew what would happen next?
• What about the retrial? (O.o)

Main Characters:

• Eulji Hae-yi (played by Kim Hee-sun, “Bitter Sweet Hell”, “Tomorrow”, “Alice”, “Remarriage and Desires”, “Tomorrow”)
• Jang Hwa-sa (played by Kim Hae-sook, “Alienoid 1 and 2”, “Along With the Gods 1 and 2”, “RV: Resurrected Victims”, “The Thieves”, “Tomorrow”, “Strong Girl Nam-Soon”, “Hotel King”, “My Demon”, “Mr. Plankton”, “Who Is She?”, “Gyeongseong Creature 1 and 2”, “Under The Queen’s Umbrella”, “Inspector Koo”, “Tower of Babel“, “My Father is Strange”)
• Gi Yoo-jin (played by Kim Young-kwang, “Mission: Possible”, “The Haunted Palace”, “Good Doctor”, “Pinocchio”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7 of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series: 9.4 out of 10 stars

(Not available on Viki in the USA.)

My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.

“Room No. 9″ is an awesome legal drama, and it is INTENSE! I watched a Kdrama titled “Room No. 7”, so I thought: ‘Eh! Let’s see what’s in Room No. 9.’

The two Korean dramas are nothing alike! The plot of a lawyer counseling a death-row inmate that she believes destroyed her father’s career would have been enough. But the story really took a turn when somehow their souls got switched, and they ended up in each other’s bodies. Who wants to “walk a mile in my shoes”?  It doesn’t help that all of the men involved with both women have “secrets”.  

• Quote per MDL reviewer: “Kim Hee-sun and Kim Hae-sook manage brilliantly to unite the characteristic aura of the other and thus perfectly embody the switch.”

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Good Ol’ Review: Kim Hee Seon and Kim Hae Sook Lead Fast-Paced, Emotional Mystery in “Room No. 9” | DryedMangoez.com

Review – Room No. 9 | The cat that watches TV

2018 Korean Drama Quick Reviews: “Bad Papa” & “Room No. 9” | Hello KPop

WTK REVIEW: Why “Room No. 9” Is A K-Drama Everyone Should Watch | What The Kpop

TRAILER/TEASER:

CJ ENM Global. “Room No. 9 | Official Trailer | CJ ENM.” YouTube, 29 Dec. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbyoBjMaChM.

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