REVIEW: Awaken Episode 14

With only 2 episodes left, episode 14 is just as fast-paced and shocking as 13. As expected, Jung-woo is a step ahead of Oh Jung-hwan when he meets up with him to return his son. Even if it doesn’t seem that way at first. Jung-woo trades a captured Hye-won for Kyung-min, and when Jung-hwan tries to capture him too, he has Soon-goo rain bullets down from a nearby roof. I knew he’d have a backup plan!

Next Jung-woo and Hye-won find an unlikely ally in Lee Taek-jo, who lets them hide out at her apartment in exchange for the rest of Son Min-ho’s stolen slush fund. In this episode, characters I thought couldn’t be trusted surprise me, and characters I thought were turning over a new leaf trick me. Jang Yong-sik also ends up paying for his betrayal with his life.

---

What we learned this episode

• One of White Night’s founding fathers is a General named Yoo Kwon. He disappeared after the night of the tragedy, and happens to be Oh Jung-hwan’s father-in-law. He’s also the ninety-three year old in bed at the secret lab. I suspect he’s White Night’s president even though it hasn’t been confirmed.
• Jung-hwan is aging faster. If he doesn’t take his pills every six hours, it’ll get worse.
• Jang Yong-sik was a laborer at White Night.
• Serum from the kids in the initial White Night experiments can be used to counteract aging.
• In the preview: Oh Jung-hwan mentions a fourth child!!! Is my theory about Hye-won being from White Night correct? Did Dr. Gong smuggle her out, because he saw something special in her?

---

Yes to learning even more about White Night

I knew the old dude in bed at the lab was important. The camera kept zooming in on him. It’s been mentioned that Oh Jung-hwan joined White Night because of his father-in-law, so it’s nice to officially be introduced to General Yoo Kwon. Jung-hwan seems to be running the foundation in his place, and is reluctant to tell the other board members in case of a power struggle. It all makes sense.

I’m glad we get a little more insight on the scientific side of things as well. It’s interesting (and scary) that Dr. Jo Hyun-hee won’t need more kids for the time being if she can get her hands on Jung-woo, Jae-woong, or Jamie. Serum can be made from them. That’s why I kind of feel bad for Jae-woong at the end of the episode (even though his suffering doesn’t negate his terrible deeds).

---

Yes to the things I expected, and the things I didn’t

The things I expected:

-Oh Jung-hwan finding out Son Min-ho referred his teenaged son to a serial killer

I’m glad Jung-woo snitched on him during the meetup. I’d do the same. But I’m surprised Oh Jung-hwan let Son Min-ho off the hook— even if Kyung-min came back unharmed. Betrayal is betrayal, so if I was Jung-hwan, I wouldn’t want someone like Min-ho around me. Although, I guess not killing him paid off since it led to Jae-woong’s capture.

-Dr. Gong finding out Oh Jung-hwan kidnapped Hye-won

I didn’t expect Jung-hwan to just come out and tell him, but I guess he has no reason to hide it. He’s Dr. Gong’s superior. And Hye-won “kidnapped” his son first.

Dr. Gong’s reaction to the news is somewhat comforting. He seems to genuinely care for his daughter even though that doesn’t make him any less of a monster. It’s easy to care for your own family.

-Oh Jung-hwan using his influence to get Zoom In cancelled

I can’t believe he didn’t get it cancelled sooner. I wonder what Ji-wook’s going to do now.

-Jae-woong killing Jang Yong-sik for betraying him

I think it’s interesting that Jae-woong compares Yong-sik’s betrayal to Jung-woo and Jamie “abandoning” him. He really hates the “every man for himself” mentality.

I had a feeling he’d poison Yong-sik too. Aside from lucid dreaming, that seems to be his modus operandi. The first thing he did after escaping White Night was poison those villagers. Which is why I’d never accept a drink that’s already been opened from him. Yong-sik should’ve seen it coming.

-Jamie recognizing Yong-sik and linking him to Jae-woong

I’ve been waiting for someone to make this connection! I’m glad it led to her realizing Jae-woong lived at MODU as well. Her and Hye-won will surely find more clues.

The things I didn’t expect:

-Jung-woo giving Hye-won his VR glasses

I groaned the second he gave them to her. They’re going to be a memento after Jung-woo inevitably sacrifices himself at the end. I also think Hye-won will look through them again and find things that help her tie up the case. And also show that Jung-woo had feelings for her. That’s probably what’s in the locked drawer she couldn’t open before.

–Jae-woong getting caught on his way to meet Son Min-ho

I expected Oh Jung-hwan to get his hands on Jae-woong at some point, but I didn’t expect it to be on his way to meet Son Min-ho. It was basically an ambush within an ambush.

-Kim Min-jae setting up Jung-woo

After Oh Jung-hwan captures Jae-woong and chains him up, I’m not surprised Jung-woo appears and beats up most of his men like Batman. What catches me off guard is Min-jae shooting the tranquilizer into Jung-woo’s neck, because the last few episodes made it seem like he was going to betray White Night and switch sides. What were all those sad looks at the kids in the barrels for if he’s just going to continue to help the foundation? But I guess I can’t be too upset. I wanted a ruthless henchman, and I got him.

---

Yes to seeing some raw emotion from Jung-woo

He displays emotion, but it’s usually very subtle. So to see him shout in frustration when he went into the secret lab and found it cleared out tugged at my heartstrings. It shows just how badly Jung-woo wants to stop other kids from going through what he went through.

Another moment of raw emotion is when he sees Jo Hyun-hee for the first time in decades. The fear in his eyes is palpable. I’m so used to him being cheeky in the face of danger. It’s clear that Jo Hyun-hee is one of the few people he’s actually afraid of.

---

No to Hye-won technically being a civilian, but actively working on cases

It’s not a plot-wrecking inconsistency, but it does detract from the realism. If the public caught a whiff of this, there would be mass outrage. Hye-won quit the force, and I don’t recall her accepting her old job back, so to see her accompanying Jamie and the gang into MODU, and even wielding a gun that seems to be hers is unrealistic.

---

This was another great episode! Especially the end. I can’t wait to see Jung-woo interact with Jo Hyun-hee as an adult. And I need to know if the fourth child is Hye-won!

Another thing the drama needs to clarify is Jae-woong’s mental state. Where is the timid personality Yong-sik was abusing at the beginning? Was that a complete fabrication? It doesn’t seem like it since after Jae-woong ran away from Yong-sik, he got a splitting headache and the ruthless personality emerged. But since then, we haven’t seen him and we don’t know what triggers the switch. I really hope that’ll be explained before the show comes to an end.

More Awaken reviews

• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 13
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 12
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 11
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 10
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 9 (With Full Series Breakdown)
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 8
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 7
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 6
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 5
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 4
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 3
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 2
• REVIEW: Awaken Episode 1

Drama Milk contains ads and affiliate links that keep the lights on over here. The ads use cookies to aid in your viewing experience. If you like what you see then consider whitelisting us from your adblocking software so we can keep doing what we do!