Hold onto your hankies! Two Weeks is an action packed melodrama that tugs on all the major heartstrings: a (cute-as-a-button) dying child with just two weeks left to live unless a donor comes forward to save her; a father, who didn’t know he had a daughter, who has lived the wasted gangster life of an orphan with no family; a cop with a heart, who wants to marry the beautiful young mother and be a father to the (cute-as-a-button) child; a prosecutor willing to throw her life away to catch the villain who really killed her father.

Now take said villain, have him murder the friend of the prosecutor, frame the dad who’s willing and wanting to donate his bone marrow to save his newly found (cute-as-a-button) daughter, and for fun, let’s have the cop who wants to save the child chase after the framed man, not knowing he is the innocent savior of his daughter-to-be.

 

Two weeks.

 

 

 

Storyline/Synopsis: My Rating 7/10

Jang Tae-san has lived his life as an orphan thug. Forced by a gangster boss (Moon Il-suk) to do jail time in his place, Tae-san spends time in prison, rather than endangering the woman he loves. Years later he finds he has a daughter who is dying and needs his bone marrow. He desperately wants to donate, but the mob boss has just framed him once again, never imagining that Tae-san might fight back this time.

The most adorable small child on planet earth (Lee Chae-mi) plays the eminently endearing Seo Soo-jin, Tae-san’s brave little daughter, fighting cancer, cheering her father on. Twisted turns of events keep Tae-san running from the law in hopes of preserving his precious body long enough to save his precious daughter.

 

Script/Acting: My Rating 7/10

A well constructed, albeit twisted and complex plot, kept viewers guessing throughout the series. Plot-twists, revelations, melodramatic moments – all the classic devices were used to great effect to create a memorable drama.

The middle episodes of the drama, however, amount to a long drawn-out chase scene, with Tae-san narrowly escaping capture, over and over again. While the episodes were somewhat exciting, they were also a bit tiring, to some extent. High hopes for a dramatic ending in standard ‘melo’ fashion fizzled into a relatively satisfying, if soft, ending that tied up all loose ends without any of the angst expected from a drama that showed all the signs of being a major tearjerker.

Lee Joon-ki (Arang and the Magistrate, Iljimae) was a wonderfully complex in his portrayal of Jang Tae-san. Thug-with-a-conscience, unwilling participant in his own life, he fell into a way of life that he felt helpless to escape. The motivation of a dying daughter provided him with the bravado needed to confront the man controlling his life. The role of Jang Tae-san was an interesting one: humble, yet fierce in his loyalty; unwilling to believe he could be loved, yet loving unconditionally; unable to kill, but with a fierce desire to exact justice. His character was completely appealing and believable.

Kim So-yun (IRIS, Prosecutor Princess) was Park Jae-kyung, the prosecutor whose father was killed by Moon Il-suk, the mobster, and who vowed vengeance against him and his co-conspirator, the politically connected and seemingly upstanding Jo Seo-hee. Holding them accountable for their misdeeds became something of a life work for Prosecutor Park, and many personal sacrifices were made to capture them. She was one of the few who knew from the start than Jang Tae-san was jailed in place of Moon Il-suk for her father’s murder. Her character was required to walk a delicate line between upholding justice, assisting an innocent man on the run, and figuring who to trust in a corrupt world.

Jang Tae-san’s ex-girlfriend, mother of his daughter, was Seo In-hye, played by Park Ha-sun (Time Slip Dr. Jin, Dong Yi). Another interesting role, In-hye was atypical in her ability to see past Tae-san’s outer appearance and into his soul. She sacrificed her family to be with Tae-san and had his child despite his apparent abandonment. Raising her daughter alone, she showed strength, and eventually came to rely on Detective Im Seung-woo, a man who was drawn to her fortitude.

Ryu Soo-young (Rascal Sons, My Princess) was Im Seung-woo, fiancé to In-hye, the detective with a soft spot a mile wide for Soo-jin, In-hye’s daughter. Yet another complex character, Seung-woo was a man with integrity, determined to catch the criminal Jang Tae-sang by any means, and agonized when he comes to realize the truth of the convoluted circumstances. His integrity was stretched thin by the difficult events, and his faith in the people he loves severely tested by long-held secrets. The character was depicted with insight and a true feeling for the dramatic emotional nature of the situations.

 

Kim Hye-ok (Time Slip Dr. Jin, Scent of a Woman), who played Jo Seo-hee, was the political powerhouse who, to all outward appearances was a humble and good woman. She often plays women with integrity, and sometimes women with difficult personalities. This, however, one of the first dramas where she is seen as a truly malevolent character and the portrayal was unsettlingly convincing.

 

Her partner in crime, Moon Il-suk, was played by Jo Min-ki (Five Fingers, The Great Seer). Although the character was rather one-dimensional, he was quite convincing in his evil intentions.

 

The adorable Lee Chae-mi (Cruel Palace, Still You) was Seo Soo-jin, daughter to Seo In-hye and Jang Tae-san. With refined acting skills that belie her young (7) years, she successfully won hearts from the first time she appeared on screen.

 

Music: My Rating 7/10

“Run” Nell  hhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeLxgn_Nhbw

“Love Leaves” Ahn Ye-seul  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3L_7hUd37s

“The Day You Come” Yoo Seung-woo  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi88F-y2agg

“Hitting My Heart” Kim Bo-kyung  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V83YbuX_WWg

“This Is the Person” Dick Punks  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9toD0cjVPvA

“Turning” Toxic  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LN3ZVZzDgA

“Don’t Cry My Love” The One  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWyoeWDwak0

 

Overall Charisma: My Rating 7/10

A heartwarming, yet gripping drama, Two Weeks is worth watching. While the eternal chase was somewhat tiresome at times, it was, in fact, the point of the drama, and episodes did not fail to  capture attention. Most characters were engaging and well developed. The weak, predictable ending was disappointing, but sensible in that the story progressed to logical conclusions. And Miss Cute-as-a-Button is worth every moment of viewing time!

 

 Happy Drama Watching!

 

 

Director: Son Hyung-suk, Choi Jung-kyu

Writer: So Hyun-kyung