Teach You A Lesson Drama Review

Title: Teach You a Lesson

Other Titles : 참교육, Chamgyoyuk , Get Schooled , True Education , True Lessons

Network: Netflix

Country: South Korea

Episodes: 10

Broadcast Date: December 14, 2019 - February 16, 2020

Main Leads: 

• Kim Mu-yeol as Na Hwa-jin
• Lee Sung-min as Choi Gang-seok
• Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim
• Pyo Ji-hoon as Bong Geun-dae

Supporting:

• Kim Jong-soo as Hwang Gi-tae
• Lee Bong-jun as Cho Gyu-cheol
• Ha Young as Choi Ga Yun
• Kim Byung Chun as Lee Cheol Myeon

Synopsis :

School teachers have a hard time to discipline students and they often don’t even have the will to do so. The authority of the teachers in the classroom breaks down and this causes serious social issues. The National Assembly and the Minister of Education passes the Amendment to the Act on the Protection of Teachers' Rights. With the passage of the law, a new government organization, the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, is formed. Na Hwa Jin belongs to the Educational Rights Protection Bureau. His team is sent to different problem schools as supervisors. There, they can educate the students without any restrictions or limitations.

Review :

This drama kept popping up in my ads, so I finally gave in and watched "Teach You a Lesson" on Netflix. At first I thought it was going to be another Taxi Driver-type series. There are some parallels, but the drama is more about students, teachers, and the education system. I'd say it's more emotional, a more mellow take on the same idea.

The series has only 10 episodes, with each one being about an hour long. I actually watched the whole drama in a short weekend trip to Manila for EXO. I became so engrossed in the story that I found myself binge-watching it in any spare time I had. It’s the type of drama that has you wanting to watch “just one more episode.”

Each episode features a different case or story. I liked that each case was a different issue but still tied back to the main theme of the show. Some of the stories moved a bit faster than I expected, and I wouldn’t have minded a few of them getting a bit more time to develop, frankly. But, still, each episode was interesting enough to keep me glued.

Another aspect I liked was the chemistry between the main cast. I appreciated that the drama didn't push a romance into the story, and their teamwork felt authentic. It allowed the friendships and working relationships to shine. I think this was the first time I saw the lead actors together, and they worked really well as a team.

Will I see it again? For sure. Each episode takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You go from being frustrated to being relieved, from being sad to being hopeful. Though the drama handles serious topics, it also has lighter and funny moments to balance the mood.

I also liked the ending of Season 1. It definitely left me wanting more but felt complete enough to stand on its own if there isn’t a second season. Of course, I still hope Netflix gives us another season because I’d love to see more of these characters and the cases they take on.

In case you’re wondering, the drama is adapted from the manhwa "Get Schooled," by writer Yongtaek Chae and artist Garam Han. It was first published on Naver Webtoon in November 2020 and is still ongoing. I wanted to read it after finishing the drama, but I couldn’t find a revised edition in English. The most recent one I found hadn’t been updated in 2 years, so I’m hoping a more recent translation comes out soon.