The Weekend Binge: "Miss Night and Day"

Jung Eun-ji, Lee Jung-eun, and Choi Jin-Hyuk star in Netflix’s Miss Night and Day, a fantasy-crime-rom-com drama that gives plenty of laughs and enough feel-good moments throughout its 16-episode run. 

The Plot

Lee Mi-jin (Jung Eun-ji, Work Later, Drink Now) has had no luck qualifying for a stable government job for years. Through some fantastical twist of fate that involves a cat, she finds herself waking up in the body of a senior citizen (Lee Jung-eun, Parasite) and returning to her current body as soon as the sun sets. When a special senior internship program at the prosecutor’s office comes up, Mi-jin grabs the opportunity and assumes the identity of her long-missing aunt, Lim Sun. Things get complicated when Mi-jin becomes the main witness in a serial murder and must work with Lim Sun’s boss, prosecutor Gye Ji-ung (Choi Jin-hyuk, Devilish Charm), whom Mi-jin is starting to fall in love with. 

The Review

There’s nothing particularly new that Miss Night and Day brings to the table, or in this case the screen. Fantasy romances with crimes to be solved are a dime a dozen in k-dramaland…Behind Your Touch, Girl Who Sees Scents, My Lovely Liar, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon to name a few. So Miss Night and Day must rely on its solid cast, good chemistry, and likable characters to keep audiences tuned in week after week. Luckily,  veteran actress Lee Jung-eun’s comedic timing and her vulnerability shine through at just the perfect moments. She can easily wring laughs and well as the occasional tear as she deftly switches from one scene to another. 

Office gossip gives a whole other layer to the noona romance

What's a k-drama without an umbrella scene?

Playing a woman who just wants the world to give her one chance to prove herself, Jung Eun-ji  is relatable and therefore believable. Without the fancy glamour filters that k-dramas are so fond of using and devoid of trendy city fashion, Jung’s performance conveys warmth and sincerity, making all of us root for her. And then there’s Choi Jin-hyuk whose charm and physique cannot be disguised by any kind of simplified wardrobe. He interacts with the elderly Lim Sun and the blushing Mi-jin with as much self-assurance as tenderness making both (even if they are the same character) fall in love with him even more. 

The criminal storyline serves as the backdrop for all the characters to interact with each other. And while the mystery is neither mind-blowing nor particularly creative, it does serve its purpose of providing somberness to balance the absurdity of the body-morphing premise. 

All in all, Miss Night and Day is a good watch. Those of us who have been k-drama fans for long will not find it extraordinarily memorable, but it does offer what we’ve always loved about k-dramas— good romantic chemistry, some laugh-out-loud comedy, a dash of dramatic tension, and enough fantasy to highlight the best parts about being human in an ordinary world. 

Stream if you're in for a multi-genre experience.

Skip if you're squeamish about serial killers.