[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Dating Agency: Cyrano" Episode 2

The second episode slows down a bit as the action descends into cat-related hijinx. Unfortunately, this really isn't as interesting as it may sound. Even by the standards of the first episode it's difficult to sort out the importance of the cat in the overall scheme, and the chase scene that results just doesn't ring with quite the same urgency as the elaborate subway plot of the first episode. Or the more direct and effective cloak-and-dagger skulking about in this one.

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The first complete love manipulation is nearing its end, and the outlook is quite positive. We're given a progress report through the rather off-hand method of an imaginary action sequence courtesy of the intended target. This was, naturally, all according to plan, but it's hard to say as yet whether this is going to be a staple of the drama or if it was just the whimsy of the librarian (played by Lee Yoon-ji) and her overly pulpy imagination.

The question does come up as to how our detective (Im Hyung-joon) is possibly going to follow up on all these crazy charades in the context of an actual relationship, given that his intended partner nearly seems ready to jump up and follow in after him. The show is at an early enough point that it's hard to tell how much actual soul is going to go into these manipulations, rather than just having them be amusing.

For what it's worth, Min-Yeong is as focused as ever on getting to the bottom of love. She makes a rather surprising discovery about the personal nature of her new romantic comrade-in-arms, and while it's still safe to say Min-Yeong prefers their unconventional methods to that of a computer, she's still making up her mind about the exact way her influence will affect this group. Choi Soo-young continues to play the part with a lot of effort and energy, which works well since her character's doing the exact same thing.

There's another discovery made in this episode about Byeong-Hoon in particular. Not a terribly interesting one, unfortunately, but it's the first, best glimpse we get into just how well motivated he is. The scene also brings up the question of to what extent his super-cool attitude that we've seen so far is just what he's willing to deliberately show Min-Yeong. In any case, a good episode, poor use of cats notwithstanding, and the next love manipulation looks to be a lot of fun.

Review by William Schwartz

"Dating Agency: Cyrano" is directed by Kang Kyeong-hoon, written by Shin Jae-won and features Lee Jong-hyuk, Choi Soo-young, Hong Jong-hyun and Jo Yoon-woo.