Once again, episode five teaches me something I didn’t know, and tries to make me eat my words! But I’m holding fast to my beliefs. Experience with crime dramas has taught me to be patient. But that doesn’t mean a few things didn’t catch me off guard and I’m not thrilled with the darker tone the show is taking.
Yes to the inside job
I didn’t expect the person decoding the forewarned murders and sending them to Ji-wook to be someone from the police station. I thought it was convenience store guy for sure! I also can’t believe Ji-wook realizes it because the paper the person used matches paper from the station. This is a huge clue, and it comes into play at the end of the episode.
Yes to…blood creating oxygen?
I’m so impressed with the amount of research that’s gone into this drama. I liked science as a kid and thought I paid attention in class, but apparently not well enough. I had no idea hydrogen peroxide and blood made water, thus making oxygen.
That explains how Jung-woo, Son Min-ho and his housekeeper, and Woo-chun were able to breathe in the safe while the fire raged outside. This scientific revelation prompts a lot of questions though. And brings me to my biggest “yes” thus far…
YES TO JUNG-WOO BEING EVEN MORE OF AN ANTI-HERO THAN WE THOUGHT!
If you recall, my “no” for episode three was crime shows trying to make the audience suspect the main character when they seldom follow through. So what happens in this episode is pretty exciting! As Jamie recounts, if Jung-woo’s innocent how does he know about the safe, and the fact that it isn’t ventilated? We see a flashback of him looking at blueprints of Son Min-ho’s house, but I can’t tell if the safe’s drawn in or not. In addition to that, why is the hydrogen peroxide readily available? Why did Jung-woo glance at his watch before running into the burning house? All of this suggests he knew he’d wind up in the safe. Then there’s the fact that every time Jamie accused him of being the murderer, he never denied it. Just deflected.
Is Jung-woo the killer? Did he make Attorney Nam Woo-chun set fire to Son Min-ho’s mansion? Now that he’s alone with the businessman at an undisclosed safe house, will he try to kill him again?
Ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled with this development, but I still don’t think Jung-woo’s the killer. I just think he’s even more of an anti-hero than we thought. And lacks empathy. He looked downright scary and was practically smirking when Woo-chun died at the hospital. But there’s going to be an explanation. I just know it. Hye-won’s closing voiceover (“He may be scary, but he’s no criminal. Believe in him.”) and the fact her dad told her bad people can change is a big clue. It’s priming the audience to sympathize with questionable things Jung-woo may have done in the past. I think the reason Woo-chun looked so terrified was probably because he realized Jung-woo wasn’t human. So, even though I don’t think the drama will make Jung-woo the villain, it’s exciting that it gets as close as it can.
No to Jung-woo turning Hye-won down
I’m not sure if it’s the way the scene’s written or filmed, but something about it feels incongruent with the rest of the drama. Maybe it’s because it’s happening too soon? I mean, we’re only five episodes in so the audience hasn’t had enough time to experience the depth of Hye-won’s feelings for Jung-woo. I’d even argue at this point he’s spent more time with Jamie than her. So this scene feels abrupt. It feels like something that should be happening in episode ten or something.
All in all, I enjoyed this episode. Especially the dark peek into Jung-woo’s character. Again, I don’t think he’s the villain, but I’m sure he probably thinks he’s a monster due to his special abilities. I really hope the drama doesn’t turn into Hye-won essentially trying to “save” him and appeal to his humanity.
As for Jamie, we still don’t know who kidnapped her, but she’s operated on, so I’m curious to see what happens next.