Summary
A decent episode that moves things along without much fanfare.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama series Divorce Attorney Shin Season 1 Episode 3, which contains spoilers.
In episode three, it felt like Divorce Attorney Shin was dedicated to progressing the plot. We now know Ae-ran intends to get a divorce, that Seo-jin (Han Hye-jin) is working at Sung-han’s (Cho Seung-woo) law firm to ensure she has proof of employment, and we’ve figured out Yu-seok (Jeon Bae-soo) has something to do with attorney Shin’s nephew being potentially kept away from him. It certainly wasn’t the most engaging of chapters, but there was plenty to be intrigued by, at least.
Divorce Attorney Shin Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
As hungover Sung-han deals with the embarrassment felt from having his drunken piano performance pick up steam online, which includes him grilling Sae-bom at work over the videos she watches, Seo-jin seizes the chance to take her son to school. Yet it’s a reasonably awkward car journey, mainly when Hyeon-u appears adamant he won’t be taking up music lessons again.
Ae-ran wants a divorce
Next, Ae-ran’s mother-in-law – who was beaten in the last episode – manages to pin the blame on her “damn pushover” son before insisting she gets a lengthy (at least two weeks) hospital stay diagnosis despite her fine health, purely for the purposes of manipulation. Concurrently, Sung-han agitatedly asks the uploader of his piano performance to take the video down. Following that, a shaky Ae-ran comes in for a divorce consultation with the attorney, hoping to get a head-start on her husband, given it looks like one of the two is likely to start the proceedings to separate imminently.
Continuing, Ae-ran hears a divorce suit will be difficult due to the attack on her elderly in-law. In addition, it’ll be challenging for the worn-down breadwinner to get a division of property rights, too, because the building her husband technically owns was transferred to his mother when he had feared bankruptcy. One thing is clear, though, Attorney Shin’s prospective client is determined, particularly given her distress at the thought of her children being subject to the same misery she has been through.
While Seo-jin fails to be convinced explicit live-streaming content should be her next career move, Jeong-sik tracks his two friends down at a regularly visited noodle restaurant to request they pay him back for yesterday’s hefty alcohol bill they ended up leaving him to sort out. Then, we watch as Sung-han continues to be embarrassed by his viral video, especially when the idea of him having a recital is floated around.
During an argument, Ae-ran starts to see her husband’s true colours when he uses her mother’s widow status and work ethic, in addition to strange predictions about her potential grievances regarding his failed business, as a reason to disregard her pain. “You’re no different from your mother,” the breadwinner says, now entirely fed up with the 20 years of mistreatment she’s suffered through. As such, Ae-ran agrees to apologise to her elderly in-law, but only once she has separated from her husband and gained part of the property she believes she is entitled to.
Sung-han looks into Ae-ran, and Seo-jin gets a job
The next day, Jeong-sik is sent to Ae-ran’s neighbourhood by Sung-han so that more context can be gathered on his prospective client’s situation. Here, it’s established the breadwinner’s mother-in-law is “notorious” for her fussiness and that the soon-to-be divorcee manages the elder’s building, which means constant work. “She lives like a servant, not a daughter-in-law,” Jeong-sik hears from a hair salon owner amongst gossip about how she would’ve “run away ages ago” if they were Ae-ran. This, in turn, is all fed back to Sung-han, who appears sympathetic.
As Hyeong-geun meets with Ji-eun, who asks him to file for divorce due to her love for another man, Sung-han explains to Ae-ran the need for her to have proof she’s been verbally abused by her mother-in-law. Such evidence may have to come via testimony from one of her daughters, and the breadwinner also needs to try and get a hold of a notarised document to prove the building she wishes to have a slice of really does belong to her husband.
READ: Divorce Attorney Shin Season 1 Episode 2 Recap
After a quick introduction to Gi-yeong and Ha-yul (the former is a boy with links to Sung-han, the latter an excitable girl kept away from her sibling, who is made to continue studying even at night), we move forward. Here, attorney Shin can still not have the video of his drunken piano performance taken down, with the uploader too excited by the number of views the video is getting.
Needing proof of employment as part of her custody victory, Seo-jin appears at Sung-han’s office seeking a job, undeterred by the prospect of low pay. Unfortunately, the attorney is sceptical about hiring the former DJ on account of his (and his colleague’s) current overall lack of busyness. However, she manages to convince the boss she’d be a useful employee by fixing their long-standing door issue. Thus, Seo-jin is hired, with the appeal being she can assist with general tasks.
Yu-seok sits down with Sung-han
Next, Yu-seok visits Sung-han, teasing the divorce attorney about what might be done once he has finished colouring his grapes in (Sung-han has one left to fill, meaning he needs to win one more case). “Living in the past only eats away at you,” the smug guest says before being rushed into explaining that Shin will no longer be allowed a monthly visit from Gi-yeong. This, it turns out, is because of the youngster’s stepmom – said to be a PR director of Yu-seok’s law firm – insisting the boy is kept away from the former pianist.
Following some vague arguing and clarification that Sung-han became a lawyer to “get to the bottom” of his sister’s divorce, Yu-seok leaves the office of his adversary, who claims to be motivated by “rage.” Later, the Geumhwa Law Firm partner requests his “top intern” looks into attorney Shin’s next case, hoping to squash his enemy’s chance at colouring in his final grape.
Divorce Attorney Shin Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
While Ae-ran is caught poking around the house for documents by her husband, Sung-han is swept up in the past again. He dreams of Ju-hwa playing the piano next to him, organising a trip to Vienna with Gi-yeong, only to swiftly realise he’s alone. There are then more hints made regarding the woman’s tragic death prior to the episode ending with attorney Shin weeping at what he has recalled in his sleep.
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