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Pierce Conran

This article contains spoilers.
2.5/5 stars
Lead cast: Park Shin-hye, Kim Jae-young
Latest Nielsen rating: 11.9 per cent
The Judge from Hell is a fun and irreverent legal K-drama about a sassy demon banished to Earth where she must preside over human court cases. It has a few gruesome twists.
In the role of the titular character, Park Shin-hye struts around dressed to the nines, rolling her eyes at exasperated lawyers and judges while clutching her beloved cola cans.


Unfortunately, the fun does not last forever. Park’s demon Justicia, who takes over the body of the human judge Kang Bit-na on Earth shortly after her murder, eventually grows a conscience.
The prospect of an eternal demon with a moral compass may raise eyebrows, but the structure of the story makes the transition acceptable.
Justicia presides over countless cases as Bit-na, where she witnesses the inequities of human society.
Not only does she get a first-hand look at people’s wicked behaviour, but her judicial status also affords her insight into a corrupt legal system which often fails to punish wrongdoers.
Far less convincing than her moral development are her burgeoning feelings for doe-eyed detective Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young).

With his high cheekbones and moral rectitude, the youthful Da-on scarcely cracks a smile throughout the show, spending most of his time staring daggers at Justicia.
He eventually gets under her skin, and while Park does her best to sell this transition, it is hard to understand what she sees in a character who only seems to have one emotion – indignation.
Da-on is not the only character with limited facial expressions. Also in Bit-na’s orbit is her demon assistant Gremory (Kim Ah-young), who is actually Venato – a demon who punishes other demons who exhibit human emotions.
Venato does not display human emotions. The grin etched on her face is only shaken occasionally, by clichéd demonic cackles. She shares these with Paimon (Choi Dae-hoon), a demon who briefly poses as Da-on’s new team captain Jang Mun-jae.
A more effective character is Justicia’s assistant Valak (Kim In-kwon), who provides much of the show’s comic relief.

The Judge in Hell is largely about the humanisation of Justicia, but it attempts to liven up that trajectory with a mysterious but derivative serial killer case.
A murderer known only as J has viciously victimised many, including Da-on’s parents – hence the detective’s perpetually sour mien.
Tragedy strikes again for Da-on when J returns and murders his beloved team captain Kim So-young (Kim Hye-hwa), who took him in as a child.
In typical K-drama fashion, the killer is revealed to be someone connected to both Bit-na and Justicia.
Bit-na used to be engaged to construction firm executive Jung Tae-gyu (Lee Kyu-han), the son of powerful assemblyman Jung Jae-gul (Kim Hong-pa).

In Jae-gul and Tae-kyu’s mansion, Justicia discovers a hidden area where stepping through a magical painting leads to a room adorned with severed limbs belonging to the victims of J.
It is revealed that Tae-kyu killed his father Jae-gul 26 years ago, at which point Satan (played in a cameo by Park Ho-san) showed up to take over the latter’s body.
He promises Tae-kyu power and riches if he will help him with his master plan, which involves collecting body parts. Tae-kyu, who is poor at that point, accepts the deal – and becomes J.
The Judge from Hell joins shows recent shows such as The Impossible Heir and Flex X Cop in vilifying members of the social elite who grew up poor. In these shows, poverty is repeatedly and disturbingly portrayed as a corrupting disease.
The main problem with all the show’s twists and reveals is how anticlimactic they are.
The unmasking and takedown of J do not offer Justicia an opportunity to grow. Instead, they only serve to offer closure for Da-on, without contributing much to his character development, as he is not always involved in the case, even in the finale.

Following J’s arrest, The Judge from Hell unspools for two more episodes, offering a disappointing mix of emotional hesitation and treacly codas, including Justicia’s three-year holiday on Earth.
The show finally bows out with a half-hearted tease at a continuation, when Justicia is offered another deal: kill 10 more sinners in the space of a year in return for becoming human.
The Judge from Hell is streaming on Disney+.


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Park Shin-hye’s spirited turn as a demon who develops human feelings is failed by unconvincing characters and inconsequential twists


Park Shin-hye’s spirited turn as a demon who develops human feelings is failed by unconvincing characters and inconsequential twists.


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Review | Disney+ K-drama The Judge from Hell review: Park Shin-hye can’t halt death spiral

Park Shin-hye’s spirited turn as a demon who develops human feelings is failed by unconvincing characters and inconsequential twists