Good Job (2022)

The Scooby-Doo Gang Minus A Goofy Dog

I was anticipating the reunion between Jung Il Woo and Yuri after being blown away by their pairing in Bossam: Steal the Fate. So when I saw that one of the genres was crime & mystery, I was looking forward to a detective show where both leads would deploy their abilities and work (and flirt) together to solve crimes and deal with the darker side of humanity.

Well, this show was that but not really that either. I can only say that it was a novel, mash-up of genres and had an interesting, chaotic dynamic about it. The show kicked off with great energy and mostly maintained the fast paced action throughout that kept me interested. I knew that there was comedy but I did not expect such silly, slapstick humor and ridiculous set ups. I supposed the opening credits in comic book style should have given me a hint that this show did not take itself seriously. Each episode required one to suspend disbelief, sit back and enjoy the ride which I totally did. I found every episode hilarious and entertaining.

Even though the show was all over the place, with tons of inconsistencies and plot holes, there was still a main storyline with the ML, Eun Seon Woo trying to find the murderer of his mother. Actually a prominent chaebol, Seon Woo opened a detective agency as a front for his investigation. Helping him was his sidekick and probably only friend, Yang Jin Mo, a brilliant lawyer who was also incredibly tech-savvy. I gotta say, Yang Jin Mo had the best lines throughout the show and Eum Moon Suk played this funny character very well.

Along the way, Seon Woo met Don Se Ra and ended up having her as part of his undercover team and while the romance between the two main leads took a slower path, culminating only in the last couple of episodes, Yang Jin Mo and Se Ra’s best friend and baker, Sa Na Hee played by Song San Eun, went on a much faster track.

The four main characters had great rapport and played off each other so well. Il Woo again impressed me with his ability to emote different feelings via his micro-expressions and his eyes, oh his eyes…Yuri took Don Se Ra, a character that I found irritating at first due to her self-righteous stubbornness and evolved her into a likable FL. The chemistry between Il Woo and Yuri did not disappoint! Even though I had hoped for more kisses to make up for the lack of in Bossam, I still enjoyed watching their interactions on screen. Jin Mo and Na Hee, on the other hand, made me cringe but also laughed a lot - their overacting and silly antics never failed to tickle my funny bone.

Really, these four reminded me of the Scooby-Doo gang minus a goofy dog. They even had a van that the real Scooby-Doo gang would be proud of! I was happy to see Lee Joon Hyuk who was also in Bossam as Director Hong. He was another character that delivered the right amount of comic relief.

The antagonists fell flat for me though with some wooden acting but Hong Woo Jin deserved kudos for playing a secret psychopath.

The music track was great - the opening song and the other ones were upbeat and lent an uplifting tone that was apparent throughout the show. For posterity, I added the list of songs below.

Overall, even though I can see why “Good Job” could be a hit or miss with most people, I would recommend that you give it a try. It is watchable, bingeable really with only 12 episodes, has many great moments and ends on a high note.

OST list:
Closer - JAY B & Youngjae (영재) | 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rheg1w0k3Us
https://open.spotify.com/album/4RxzSoaDzWmFEeJB2H23br?si=GxbNoKerROeB5f5YvmCEfA

Savior - Baekho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQAAqjzQbI
https://open.spotify.com/album/1Dvc61AhWBaCxtzWZvNcUh?si=LMSqeE2MQ16yOqsurlpRcw

하루 (A Day) - SUMMER CAKE (썸머케익)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pZnAmfnEHo
https://open.spotify.com/track/24thngWyztJ8opjZgam2DE?si=6ae7eb1324f24161

Spring ‘봄’ - Yerin (예린)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOqqlE20x5w
https://open.spotify.com/album/0W13rQuiY4xY5cISSa9uni?si=F5nHO9_1S9GxKwJJJIb3_w

Obvious (뻔해) - SOULSTAR (소울스타)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVvZ7NEvZBw
https://open.spotify.com/track/20eeWxB72UDma9z1nGk3Ah?si=c22c91920c9542e9

Like You 굿잡 - 찬주 (Chanju)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC0AqWa-eEA
https://open.spotify.com/album/0dnFHJfAFIirCZkXbu4AGS?si=LF2r3EwbR2qY6XnipPhJoQ

Key - Bryn (브린)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1nB6wwWsmk
https://open.spotify.com/track/54yc7L3u6ZeWofDvlWybZI?si=8e28553e995a497f

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Witty, enthusiastic … Great Job!

This show is so entertaining, I have seen my handful of comedies but this one does the best with balancing its themes. It has crime and mystery in it, but isn’t keeping a dark tone and is overall lighthearted and a really fun watch.

The comedy in this show is what sells it for me. It’s a more of a show don’t tell. I love the character dynamics as they all are great together. Lots of credit goes to the main trio and especially the leads. They clearly have the chemistry and I can tell they are comfortable with each other from being in different projects before. It’s amazing to me how they came together from a completely different drama, but take their new characters and add the charisma and charm and do it so well.

At first I was confused about Sun Woo being a chairman and a detective, but I found myself really loving the double identity there. With each persona he has his true personality seeps through, quick tempered and peculiar about things, but he isn’t a total jerk. He is very likeable as arrogant as he is because you know he was orphaned and had big shoes to fill. Se Ra is also very well done, she is her own woman with lots of passion. I like how they both have secrets and find them out very soon in the show. I can’t wait to see them get together and am already seeing so many sparks amidst the absurdity they go through together.

Overall this show is doing the comedy well and the mystery.. the two things it’s going for are understandable and it’s more than enjoyable to watch. Impressed by the acting by Kwon Yuri, SNSD girls are multitalented and so much fun. Jung Il Woo is very charming with this character and after watching Cinderella and the Four Knights I am happy to see him in a role that lets him be badass and fun, but also much more matured with this drama. So far a solid 9/10 hoping it doesn’t run itself dry (I don’t think it will)

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