Bad Guys - Episode 4 (A VerySquee-ableCap)
Best episode yet, I think. What say you, ladies?
kakashi: Best episode yet, JoAnne. I loved it.
bcook: *hugs self with glee* It was just....THE BEST!!
Our beloved dogs hunt down a big beast, plus they make some serious bromantic strides. I actually can't decide which makes me happier! You know I'm all about the bromance, but that beast was pretty ghastly, and I'm glad, glad, glad they took her down.
kakashi: Let's hope there's no more of that organ trafficking stuff in the next episode. *shudders*
bcook: eung! That woman is just plain scary.
kakashi: Ohhhhh, I don't like this. Not one bit.
Jeong Mun sits in the church, perfectly lit from above (I keep murmuring in appreciation of the lighting all the time, yes), while Mi Young paces on her own special little circle of light. In his memories Jeong Mun is visiting an 'Errand Center' - he wants to find someone. He doesn't want to say why to the man who'll look, but in a flashback within his memory, we see that at some point in the past Jeong Mun had hired another man to follow him and discover if he really was committing murders or not. Awwww... this breaks my heart. *Glares at all you people calling him creepy* (I do hope for your sake he is as innocent as you think he is!). It's this man that he wants to find, now. And for what it's worth, I think that guy is a hell of a lot creepier than Jeong Mun!
kakashi: Hm, so I wonder ... why would that guy have disappeared? The plot thickens. A tiny little bit.
bcook: That guy didn't look trustworthy at all. I'm beginning to thing Joeng Mun isn't creepy. Just tortured. Yes. That's it. Tortured. *morals at rest*
Goo Tak urges Mi Young to sit; she's making him dizzy. He seems very calm about the situation, but she is quite worried that Woong Chul has now been missing for three hours. Goo Tak says his position is known (ankle bracelet) so what's the worry? He's been working hard to become human and he just needs the chance, which they can give him - so they should trust him and wait. Of course that doesn't sit well with Mi Young. She wants to know who'll be responsible if he's out there causing trouble. Of course, Goo Tak says, it will be me. I'm in charge. Unless you want me to give you the responsibility? he asks. Maybe she'd like to add some rank - that is why she joined the team, right?
kakashi: Has she? Maybe she has. I think she is also very loyal to Mr. Commissioner. Who else finds it amusing that Tae-soo gets to go to all kinds of places but when Woong-chul wants to go, everybody gets suspicious? I don't know, I'm much more afraid of Tae-soo, actually. Woong-chul may have fists of steel, but he seriously cannot lie.
bcook: Coz Tae-soo has a GreatWeakness. He's now as harmless as a puppy. Note to self: Make sure Jo never finds out my great weakness. Oppa will never be safe.
Woong Chul bursts through the door just then with a ridiculous story about being lost on the mountain with no road and random badger attacks (there we go ... lying, how you do not do it, brought to perfection). Mi Young points out that they know he was in town because of the anklet, and Woong Chul says none of it matters since he's back now anyway, and shouldn't his privacy be respected as a grown man? Goo Tak agrees, and has no intention of reporting his transgression. Mi Young flounces off in a rage, puffing her bangs out of her eyes like a school girl.
kakashi: Hahahahaa, she always explodes because of Woong-chul. Is he pushing your buttons, Miss? (He can push some of mine...)
bcook: That was the most undignified woman flounce I've ever seen. I had flashbacks to Detective Big Eyes aka cop incompetent from Who Are You.
The Thespian Bounce.
The two men share a brief look and then Goo Tak heads off to where ever it is he's always going to or coming from when they're in the church. Woong Chul turns and stares at Jeong Mun with a curious look on his face, and he's quick to pretend he wasn't looking at all once Jeong Mun faces him directly. We see that Warehouse Hyeong showed Woong Chul a photo of 'that serial killer Lee Jeong Mun' but we don't know what else might have been said.
kakashi: Oh shit.
Meanwhile, our (no, he is MINE!) (hehe) OUR Tae Soo is comparing a hospital room number to the slip of paper in his hand. His face is wide open as he watches the woman within. A little girl approaches and asks who he is. He sits (aww to be less imposing) and shushes her, but mom isn't sleeping and the little girl calls out to her. I'm sure we all felt the same twinge at Tae Soo's panicked face and his shy, embarrassed attitude around this woman who means so much to him.
kakashi: TT____TT. I feel both sorry for him and very apprehensive. He is a perfect killing machine, but around this woman, he completely lets down all his guards. Nobody dare to hurt him, hear me??!
bcook: Crap. Even the music changed. You know what that means? No? Yeah. Me neither.
They visit a little awkwardly (massive understatement). Tae Soo is surprised to learn that Goo Tak has been to visit and that the little girl, Da Rim, really likes to play with him. Tae Soo offers assurance that he'll come by often, and shares a wish that she would play with him also. The little girl is silent. Which makes me laugh, but awww. Park Seon-jeong thanks Tae Soo, who is surprised to learn that Goo Tak told her that Tae Soo saved her life. He stares at her, thinking back to her husband's funeral. I'm really hoping it's not that he killed him.
kakashi: Lol at the kid who throws Tae-soo an almost disdainful look. Awww at Tae-soo's face, when he realizes that Goo-tak actually gave him credit for doing something good for this woman. He is very surprised at that. And it makes him think. And finally ... if he has killed her husband, there is no happy ending for these two. Prepare yourselves, people.
bcook: I've been thinking about this (long day at work...lots of time to think) Maybe he didn't kill her husband, maybe he's at another funeral and walks past. Then see's her bawling her eyes out and starts thinking "will somebody ever love me like this?" and then maybe he follows her a bit to see how she's doing (which is why he knows to go to her house when he's wounded). Maybe? (Damn...I'm good. Maybe I should write a drama) I like it. I like it a lot.
Goo Tak and the Commissioner sit lakeside, sharing deep thoughts about the nature of men, fish, and their own abilities and limitations. It is agreed that while he is not 100% confident he'll succeed, Goo Tak is going to try to take down the entire trafficking organization. There's a bit at the end where the Commissioner looks more than a little creepy as he promises death to a hapless fish, mostly because it almost seems like he's promising it to Goo Tak, who's on his way back to his team. We'll see.
kakashi: Hmmm, I might be the only one here, but I don't pick up bad vibes from Commissioner. In fact, I think him and Goo-tak are true friends.
I don't actually feel any bad vibes, but I've been screwed before... Min That Fuck pretty much ensures I'll be suspicious for a while.
bcook: Hehe
Gathered now at church, Goo Tak and his pack of hunting dogs (plus pissy side kick Mi Young) run through his plan. He lays out the picture for them: There's a huge organization behind what they can see of this organ trafficking ring. The police know about it but haven't been able to do anything because they don't have any evidence. So what do they need to do? They need to collect evidence. They're going to start by capturing the middlemen, the ones they CAN see. They start tonight.
kakashi: I hope it's painful for those scumbags.
Donate all their testicles!
Cut to Woong Chul back at the noodle shop to collect the kidney guy, Jeong Mun in the alley to grab the lookout, and Tae Soo back at the whorehouse, very happy to make good on his promise to the sleezeball who likes to sell women and doesn't care for what.
kakashi: I cheer!
bcook: That was an awesome montage. I was getting a little worried though coz everything was going too well. I should have known.
On to Phase Two: Goo Tak says now that they've taken out the middlemen, what happens? Chaos, of course. The consumers will have to deal directly with the producers, and that's going to be a mess. Back out for another round of catch the criminals! I particularly enjoy Jeong Mun, who finds his assigned targets in a deep freeze and locks them in until they are useless to fight back.
kakashi: About that ... I mean ... how frigging SCARY was he in this scene?! That slight smile when he turned down the volume ... I don't know, JoAnne. I wouldn't let him into my house, that's for sure. I think if you aren't collecting organs you're probably fine.
bcook: It was perfect though. Just enough time. I love how they all threw down the handcuffs. Like "I know you don't want more of this so just handcuff yourselves already"
That church is getting crowded! Our guys have apparently brought a bunch of completely innocent, never been in trouble guys to their meeting spot, if you listen to the captives. Woong Chul ain't having none of that, though. He thinks they all need a good education at a fine local institution-namely, the local prison. In the meantime, they should all shut up and keep their heads and eyes lowered. As he leaves the room in disgust, there's another odd moment between him and Jeong Mun. Woong Chul - at first I thought he was nervous, but it's more that he seems uneasy or uncomfortable about Jeong Mun. Perhaps even guilty. *chews nails*
kakashi: I didn't understand why they brought all these people into the church? And you're not going to do something stupid, Woong-chul, right?
bcook: He can't. The bro-love is strong in that one. I hope.
Gangsters do everything with their brothers. *mind wanders*
Goo Tak and the Commissioner sit on a park bench reviewing the file for one Hwang Geong Sun, who is apparently the big boss for this organization they're trying to bring down. She used to run a brothel, for which she went to prison. Immediately after she got out she started up this organ selling business; she's been doing it for seven years and she's got a lot of the local police force in her pocket, but they don't know who exactly.
kakashi: There we go. So that's the reason why the organ sellers in episode 3 were so carefree. No fear of the police.
bcook: Also explains why all those guys were at the church not at police station.
Commissioner wants to know if the organization will really be shut down if she's gone, and Goo Tak assures him that it will be. They agree that they need to move quickly so that her police accomplices don't have a chance to protect her, and Goo Tak reveals that they'll go after her tonight.
kakashi: No rest for the wicked! I might have squeed a little in anticipation.
Mi Young is trying to get one of the prisoners to give up ''Madam Hwang's'' whereabouts. I laugh because they're doing the interrogation in a confessional. The prisoner (it's Hammer from Yoo-na's Street!) claims to know nothing and he's skeptical of the whole situation anyway, pointing out that the location is weird and there are a lot of fake cops these days. He'll only talk to her if they move to the police station. That's ok, she says. Don't talk. But I'm pretty sure you'll regret not talking to me.
bcook: Dun Dun Duuuuh.
Mi Young leaves, and Tae Soo enters (oh. I see what she meant ... emphasis on the "me"). Since we've just met, he says, I'll give you three chances. Where's Madam Hwang? Innocence is professed. BAM! Tae Soo nails the guy's hand to the table using a pen. That's once, he says. Let's try again. The man is very loyal, though, and refuses to say. BAM! Different pen, different hand, same result. 'That's twice. Now for the third: I don't really care about where Madam Hwang is, but about that question you had...'
kakashi: I'm such a Tae-soo kyaagirl. I find this insanely hot, even though it's so brutal.
Oh me too. And when he punts someone across the room during a fight.
bcook: I was just gawping and then wondered (very briefly) why they blurred out the hand when it was sooo obvious what he was doing.
Tae Soo refers to the criminal's earlier claim that Mi Young didn't look like she was really a cop. He assures the man that Mi Young, is, indeed, the police. He continues on in a conversational tone (while taking notes with a pencil...). 'Look at me. Do I look like a cop? I am not. I'm not a cop at all. So killing someone like you, that wouldn't be a problem for me at all. And hey, I've given you your three chances. Guess what.'
kakashi: I squee so hard it's embarrassing. I might have watched this particular scene several times, too.
Like anyone wouldn't understand. LOOK at that man.
He stands and looms over the table, throwing his arm back with pen in hand. As he lunges forward the panicked man screams 'I'll talk I'll talk I'll talk!' Tae Soo was quite scary, so I don't blame him. Even so, Tae Soo takes that pen he'd been holding and jams it through the guy's right hand, just because he can.
kakashi: It's for justice. Yes.
bcook: Not gonna lie, I squeeked in surprise. Didn't know that was possible. Is a squeak a squee?
If you squeaked with squee intent, yes.
The world's creepiest woman is in a room somewhere (make her go away!!!), having the world's creepiest conversation with a confused little boy. She tells him that the human body is marvelous and priceless, and she asks him how much an eye is worth. The kid has no idea, but Creepella sure does. $230,000 - the exact amount this little boy's dad owes to her. But daddy doesn't have the money so he says he can't pay her, and isn't that a bad thing? Isn't it bad to borrow money and not pay it back? (poor kid is just there, quietly creeped out. I'm here, quietly creeped out) They bring dad in tied to a wheelchair, cut and bleeding. The kid is now actively terrified and cries for his father. Horrifica - Madam Hwang, of course - tells the poor child that he'll have to be daddy's eyes for him from now on, since they're going to take his in payment. As they wheel the dad out, the kid reaches to follow him, completely terrified. Creepzilla holds him back: he's too young to see something like that. He is, but I think he'd be less scarred by watching them surgically remove his father's eyes than he will be by spending one more second with that snake-faced monster.
kakashi: What a horrifying scene. I was even expecting them to start ripping his dad's eyes out right in front of him.
bcook: What's the use of holding the kid back? You've already told him what you're going to do. It's not like kids don't have imaginations.
Downstairs, Goo Tak, Mi Young, and The Boys have arrived in a van driven by Errand Boy Cop (the one Tae-soo took the phone from. Hehe. I still laugh at that scene) (I don't trust that bastid.) They're going in, but Mi Young will stay at the van with the driver and monitor the situation. They're allowed access by a clearly suspicious phalanx of body guards, and they get permission to visit 'Hwang Geong Sun noona' but only after they've surrendered their cell phones.
kakashi: Huh. Why? No pictures allowed?
CreepMistress is poking at her weird face, wondering if she should get her eyes lifted (make her go awayyyy!). She's been doing it off and on since we first saw her, and it just makes my skin crawl every time she moves her skin around (I kept expecting some gruesome ritual with her and children's blood) (I'm pretty sure it's some underhanded dig at the fact that her face is all plastic surguried up. Which makes me feels sad coz she's probably a nice woman). She's notified that our guys have arrived - are we to assume that she was expecting them? I think so, because she asks her personal body guard, Chief Lee, where she can go to watch the CCTV monitors. (He's cute and familiar: Squeeglets, go!)
kakashi: Not familar to me. But that's not surprising, seeing you watch about 100times more shows than I.
bcook: Yup. Never seen him before.
Next thing we know, Chief Lee is downstairs to greet our guys. Goo Tak will be escorted to see Madam Hwang and he suggests that while he's doing that, the other guys be shown the workroom 'so they can cover for you in the future.' Uh huh, that didn't sound suspicious at all, Goo Tak. Whatever, because Chief Lee agrees to it (since they know exactly who they are and couldn't agree more to the split up). Since there are two work rooms, Tae Soo will go to one and Jeong Mun and Woong Chul the other (what, more split ups?! You fools! Stay together!!). I'd think it was cute how they refer to each other as Officer Jeong, Officer Park, and Officer Lee, but you know something bad's about to happen. Giggling isn't possible right now.
kakashi: I did giggle a bit, though. They're so bad at playing cops.
Jeong Mun thinks something's weird (his brain, maybe?) (Yah!) but Woong Chul thinks their escorts are behaving fine. Ohhh, Teddy. In the elevator, Chief Lee asks which station Goo Tak is from. Way too casually. Yongsan, Goo Tak replies. Walking down a hallway, Tae Soo wants to know how much farther to the workroom. No matter how often he asks, the answer is 'just a bit farther.' He's not only pretty, he's smart, our Tae Soo. He knows something is up, and excuses himself to the bathroom.
kakashi: He is beautiful, like a tiger. And so alert ... if he's not with that woman.
bcook: He walked into the bathroom and I felt kinda sorry for that goon.
Look at that pretty face. I hope his shirt is dirty and he's going to take it off to rinse the stain.
In the elevator, Goo Tak notices Chief Lee's hand as it disappears inside his jacket, and stealthily pulls out his own weapon in response. What? They confiscate cell phones but not weapons? Oy. Jeong Mun asks his escorts where they're going, and when he gets no response he says out loud that they've been discovered. Immediately, Goo Tak and Chief Lee begin to struggle inside the elevator, and a gunshot rings out. Jeong Mun whispers 'be alert' to Tae Soo through a hidden mic just as the escorts turn on him and Woong Chul.
kakashi: Actually, you made me go back and check about this hidden mic thing. Not that I mind. I could watch this 50 times and wouldn't get bored. So indeed, there seem to be hidden mics. Only that nobody uses them after this.
bcook: There were hidden mic's? I wasn't sure because... wouldn't they have been tested for them?
I watched it again (for making gifs and pics). It's possible he just raised his hand for boxing. Could be but to me it looked like he ducked his head to speak, too. We'll never know! As for never using them again...it could have been the total black out?
Woong Chullie is kicking butt but Jeong Mun gets in a few good punches, too. He fights like a boxer, though. I don't think that works for long on the street (He's the educated man's serial killer ok). Back in the bathroom, Tae Soo takes care of his guy pretty handily, but we expect that by now. In the elevator, Goo Tak and Lee seem more evenly matched, but Goo Tak has that gun, and when he points it at Lee I laugh at how betrayed Lee looks to find himself on the losing side of things.
kakashi: I totally expected Goo-tak to shoot him.
bcook: He did. Just not dead.
Tae Soo, confiscated cell phone in hand, saunters out of the bathroom unscathed. Woong Chul dispatches the last of his group and then turns to Jeong Mun in obvious distress: they had knives! How could they pull knives on the police? (lol) Jeong Mun the quick thinker fills him in - their cover was blown before they ever got there. They run through the list of people who knew about the plan. The four of them, plus Mi Young, the Police Commissioner, and the SWAT team captain. Jeong Mun says if wasn't any of those, then...
bcook: I was pretty convinced it was the SWAT team captain actually. But wasn't surprised when..
The scene switches to the van. The driver? No! Yes! (I always hated him!!!) Mi Young gets a call from Tae Soo alerting her to the situation inside, and tells her to call the Commissioner. As soon as she hangs up, the dirtbag driver knocks her unconscious, then calls Madam Hwang to let her know he's taken care of things. She tells him to finish it off any way he sees fit and then turns back to the wall of monitors she's watching. Creepy bitch, she seriously gives me the heebie jeebies.
kakashi: Uh-oh, not good. Not good at all.
The elevator door opens and Goo Talk walks out, of course. Lee is dazed and bloody, handcuffed to the handrail. When Goo Tak asks if he can contact Hwang on the walkie talkie he's confiscated, Lee gasps that they'll never make it out alive. Sure, sure, sure. Goo Talk walks down the hall, notices the cameras, and stops. There's a tense and seriously awesome moment where his face gets all snarly and sort of melts into ugliness (claps wildly. BadAss Ahjusshi), and Madam Hwang watches him very much like a snake would. He points his gun at the camera and tells her to listen up: he's going to catch her. Then he shoots out the camera and... there's just no other way to describe this. She freaks the fuck out. Seriously. If I never see that face or hear that noise again, it will be too soon.
kakashi: It was overdone. But very effective. And since this show is about the difference between man and beast, I guess the beasts in human forms get to be extra beastly to drive this point home.
bcook: It took a while to figure out exactly what her face was doing. Seeing as how her forehead can't move. Botox - messing with facial expressions since 1980
Even worse, though, she recovers almost immediately, staring at her face in the mirror and pouting about her wrinkles. This woman is intensely awful and weird. On the monitor, we see Woong Chul and Jeong Mun walking down the hallway. Something about them is just so reassuring by this point - Woong Chul's bulk hurrying behind as Jeong Mun's long legs go striding along, his hands in his pockets.
kakashi: The whole setting would work really well as a Western, too. Or a saeguk. Oh! Love the idea.
Woong Chul wants to know where they're going. Jeong Mun reminds him that there should be a SWAT team nearby, and they need to get to them. There must be an exit on the ground floor, at least. But what about Oh Goo Tak and Tae Soo, Woong Chul worries. (awwww - awwwwwww, he is already feeling so much loyalty!) Jeong Mun tells him if they stay there, they can't help. They have to go get help in order to help the other two. He tells Woong Chul that right now, they need more officers, not just two convicts.
kakashi: That's smart thinking. Totally expected of a psycho-genius, of course. So far, we've seen Woong-chul click with Goo-tak and now with Jung-moon ... will he get along with Tae-soo next? Let's hope so!
bcook: I saw bro-love in the preview for episode 5!
The SWAT team arrives at an empty parking garage, one assumes near the building where our guys are trapped (I foolishly thought they had been lured into a trap). Any feeling of relief you might have should dissipate the minute the captain opens his mouth, though, since his first words are 'Guns leave evidence behind. Use a knife instead.' I'm guessing he doesn't mean on the gangsters. Shit. Yeah, they're greeted by a gangster, and then the captain gets on the phone with CreepMistress SnakeBitch. She gives him the go-ahead and invites him over for tea sometime. Yes, literally.
kakashi: So the situation just got a whole lotta worse for our guys.
For some reason, there's a dozen kids in the room with Hwang (as said ... her obsession with perfect skin reminded me of that movie? not sure, where a woman kills children and drinks their blood. Or bathes in their blood?) (O__o and you watched that movie because...?)(There's the true story of that Slovak?Hungarian? noblewoman, Bathory, who bathed in the blood of virgins to stay young...) She tells them to deliver her message exactly, but I have no idea why because the minute they run off to do what she says, she gets on the intercom and rallies her troops (those gangs do use children as messengers though. And maybe the kids whispered something different than what she was saying?). It is eerie. She introduces herself and says that they've been infiltrated by lying criminals posing as police, who have beaten and harmed members of their organization and who want to harm the rest. She apologizes for interrupting their important work, but these men need to be caught, and so she's taken special measures.
bcook: This just had Judge Dredd (the new version. You should watch it. Quite Good) vibes. It's well shot but seriously it's almost word for word a copy of the speech the bad chick gives to the apartment building.
SCANDAL! hahaaaaa, they plagiarized?!
But as Kakashi points out, this is actually based on fact, so you can't give Judge Dredd credit for the detail.
The building has been cut off, all doors and windows are blocked. Internet has been cut, as have both cell phones and landlines. There is no way to get in or out, and there is no way to communicate with anyone on the outside (This is exactly what happens in the Judge Dredd Movie.)(Also in Die Hard and any number of other movies.) Our guys hear bits and pieces of this through the walkie talkies of downed gangsters, and hurry off to find each other before the gangsters find them. As incentive, Hwang explains that not only are they not police, they're actually criminals - so no one will care if someone kills them. And whoever does manage that and brings their bodies to her on the 15th floor, that person will have a chance to become a permanent member of her organization, a position that will come with a big raise. Gangsters begin flooding into the hallways like rats pouring off a sinking ship.
kakashi: She is a really well-written villain, this Madame Hwang. I mean, she could just have said "kill them", but her way is MUCH meaner, overall.
Why are we LOOKING at her.
Goo Tak is in room reviewing blue prints, and Woong Chul is hurrying down a hallway with Jeong Mun. Just as Jeong Mun notices something and turns down an offshoot, Woong Chul is attacked by a gang of thugs with bats and other assorted weapons. Even Teddy Ahjussi can't stand against that and things look pretty bad until Jeong Mun comes flying into the melee with a huge framed picture that he uses to knock people off Woong Chul. (Yay! Hit 'em!) He grabs his hand and pulls him up quickly, flinging him into the outer hall (he helps him again!!!!). Before he can get himself free, though, someone stabs him. There's this moment of slow motion where Woong Chul watches Jeong Mun's face freeze and you just KNOW he's dead... except he makes a superhuman effort to throw the guys off and then Woong Chul joins the fight and of course they get away.
kakashi: ... because it's only episode 4. It was horrible when Psycho Kid was stabbed! Horrible! I mean, I find him very creepy, but he is also the weakest among them when it comes to fighting. And the youngest! You don't hurt the young'uns!
Jeong Mun is really hurt though. Woong Chul has to support him as they make their way down yet another hallway, while somewhere else in the building Goo Tak has found his way to the Security Room with all the CCTV monitors. That poor guy doesn't know anything about anything. He's just the IT guy, not part of the organ business. Goo Tak makes it clear that just knowing about it and doing nothing makes him equally guilty, and says he'll give him one chance: where is that woman now?
kakashi: Goo-tak even lectures complete strangers. Nice.
bcook: Sometimes *feels shame for saying this* BadAss Ahjusshi talks too damn much.
Woong Chul is trying to reassure Jeong Mun and find him some place to rest out of the way. He tells him he's been stabbed so many times, it just feels like a needle prick by now. They do find a place... unfortunately it's full of dead organ 'donors'. After a moment of hesitation, they move forward into the room and Woong Chul helps ease Jeong Mun into a sitting position. Woong Chul asks if he's okay, and Jeong Min tells him it's just a needle prick and... maybe...tries to smile? (Everyone, squee.)
kakashi: It was an attempt at humor indeed! He doesn't make me squee though. This whole scene was pretty unsqueeable, in fact.
bcook: Don't hold back! I feel some bromance coming along.
Woong Chul has a question he's been wanting to ask Jeong Mun. That time before, when the locksmith hurt him - why did Jeong Mun stay and help instead of running after the locksmith and winning the penalty reduction for himself? Yes, we wondered about that too. Jeong Mun answers the question with a question: what would Woong Chul have done in his place? Woong Chul doesn't answer, just shakes his head with an expression of discomfort. Jeong Mun asks if Woong Chul knows why he took this job, and Woong Chul says of course, they all took the job so they could get their prison sentences reduced.
kakashi: Nope. Not psycho.
Jeong Mun says no, HE took the job so he could learn about himself. He wants to know if he's a murderer or not, and if he is a murderer but he can save people, will that touch his heart? That's his reason for doing this. (Anybody else catch that? He said will it. Nothing about it has. Creep watch is back on) Woong Chul says all that is too complicated and he should just work on reducing his sentence, but he seems a bit ashamed, to me. As for Jeong Mun, don't go thinking you can all get on the 'Not So Creepy After All' train, because we left the station LONG ago.
kakashi: Hahaha, JoAnne. Jung-moon is creepy even if he's sad. But I agree, his situation is tragic, any way you turn it.
Woong Chul leaves to check out the situation, so of course it's just seconds before the SWAT team arrives. Woong Chul overhears proof that they're bad guys, but he hesitates a moment and we flash back to the warehouse. It seems that Jeong Mun the serial killer happened to have killed the child of a gangster big wig, and Woong Chul has been tasked with taking him out. He has two weeks to do it, and if he fails, then he's dead. In the present, Woong Chul turns and walks away. Nooooo.
kakashi: WTF NOOOOOOoooooo! Woong-chul! Don't do this! Go back in and save Psycho!
But of course, just when we think Jeong Mun is a goner Woong Chul comes bursting into the room, ready to fight all the bad guys for his brother in crime-fighting. Before the asskicking commences, though, the gangster gives the cops a tongue-lashing. Some things just aren't done, he says, and they've crossed a line. I love it!
kakashi: Again with the morals. They may be criminals (yes, your Jung-moonie too, JoAnne!), but they have a strong moral compass.
Jeong Mun is too weak to help, and it's a lot of cops to fight even for Woong Chul although he's at least holding his own for the moment. The SWAT captain pulls his weapon out - why am I not surprised that he didn't follow his own rule? - and is about to shoot Woong Chul when Tae Soo appears out of nowhere, grabs the gun right out of his hand, and beats him with it. Even in the middle of a fight, he calls out to Woong Chul that he just saved his life, grinning. (So cute)
kakashi: They have this competition going, these two. Tae-soo was totally gloating, going ... hahaaa, see what I did, hyung? But in comparison to episode 1, there is no bite to it anymore. It's a friendly competition now. There's respect.
bcook: It was just so cute!
The two guys make short work of the cops and head over to Jeong Mun. How much do you love that they've taken to calling him Psycho now? They fuss over him a bit (BROMANCE!) and then thoughts turn toward Goo Tak; they wonder if he's been caught and whether he even has his own organs anymore. Of course, this is when Goo Tak walks in claiming that his job has already taken his liver and his gallbladder, so there's nothing left to grab.
kakashi: I was very glad to see Goo-tak. Without him, it's only half the fun.
He knew how to find them from the CCTV (and I'm wondering where Madam Hwang was, because that's where she was supposed to be, right? I assumed there were several control rooms) and when Tae Soo asks if Goo Tak has a plan to get them out, the answer is yes, he has one idea. He wonders if they'll follow him, though. He uses a blueprint to show the guys a path to an emergency elevator, only ever used by Madam Wang's VIP clients. It's been out of order for a month, though.
kakashi: I guess the security guard told him that, right?
bcook: Again... straight outta Judge Dredd. Did the writers JUST watch it? I do this with love people. They wrote it well, shot it well, it makes sense but it's straight out of a movie! I mean there's borrowing premise and then there's straight up copying.
Woong Chul thinks they should forget the broken elevator, use the one for the parking garage, and make a run for it. Tae Soo points out that they'd be stopped on every floor by gangsters wanting to fight. Does he want to die on the ground floor? (Part of their thing is Tae-soo showing Woong-chul who the smarter guy is, hehe) Whatever, Goo Tak says. The VIP elevator will only work for 30 seconds - but for those 30 seconds, it DOES work - and right now, it's on the 3d floor just like them. Jeong Mun repeats the plan: Take the broken elevator to the 15th floor, grab Hwang, and use her as a hostage to help them escape. Yup, that's it, that's the plan. Oh but first, Goo Tak says, someone has to go to the 5th floor and turn the power on for that elevator.
kakashi: It's all rather Mission Impossible. So glad Tom Cruise isn't around, though. Oooh - we have Korean Bill Clinton. Is there a Korean Tom Cruise?
Of course it's Tae Soo since he's quick and smart and Woong Chul is currently serving as a crutch for 'Jeong Munnie' as Goo Tak has taken to calling him. (Everybody squees. People! They're a team now!!! ) Sure enough, on the way Tae Soo deals handily with a number of gangsters, looking cool while he does it. (♥♥♥♥) He quickly rejoins the cut wires and restores power to the elevator (and everything else, it seems, since the hallway lights are back on) where our intrepid crew steps in and begins their journey. Goo Tak begins the 30-second countdown, and the scene fades to black... only to re-open in the woods, with Traitor Driver Kim digging a hole and Mi Young struggling to escape the ropes that bind her.
kakashi: Fuck him! He had a choice what to do with her ... and he is planning to kill her?!
bcook: Seems like bury her alive. That's a mighty small piece of glass though and begs the question... where the heck did that come from?
In the woods, Driver Kim is still digging his hole. He stops to take a drink of water and - wait. Who drives to the woods, drags an unconscious woman out of a van, grabs a shovel to dig the hole he's going to BURY HER in... and then thinks 'Oh, right. Gotta stay hydrated! 'Cause man...digging graves is thirsty work.' (Maybe he does this kinda thing often, JoAnne, and hence knows how thirsty you get. It's damn hard work!) (erm...PPL?). No. Anyway, he stops to have a sip and realizes Mi Young ain't there any more. Ooops. He stares at the discard ropes like they'll tell him something and here comes Mi Young out of nowhere with the shovel to whack him senseless. Yes! I like her for a minute. She grabs the phone and finally puts through that call to the commissioner.
kakashi: I hope she killed him. No, I don't mean that. I'm a peace loving person. But ... well.
bcook: Ten points and a name drop in the next squeecap to the squeeglet who gives the name of the other brand that was blatantly ppl'd in this episode. Hint. I tweeted about it.
Back in the elevator, Goo Tak continues to count. The elevator shudders and jolts, but continues to rise. They reach the 15th floor! Goo Tak strides into Madam Hwang's office and makes short work of her body guard. I love that foot to the chest move. I'm guessing he was sore the next day...that's quite a stretch for an older guy (I know 65 year old guys that do the Iron Man. So I'm sure Kim Song-joong can do a little kicking). Creepy Creeper is sitting there poking at her face in the mirror again, and Goo Tak opens with 'Wow, you've really aged.' (I laughed hard) She tells him he might arrest her, but he'll never get out of there alive. Fine, says Goo Tak. Let's die together. I'm ready to go. I don't believe you, Goo Tak. You still have to catch the one who killed your daughter.
Seriously, there are so many gangsters. They're coming from EVERYWHERE. When the elevator hits the ground floor (and where did they pick up TaeSoo, anyway? Maybe he jumped in from above? You know, all cool killer like? Ah, no ... he wasn't in the elevator with them) the doors open to a lobby that is positively swarming with bad guys. The expression on our guy's faces all registers exactly the same: Oh, shit. But Goo Tak presses forward: if you don't want to see your boss die, then let us through. Nobody moves. Move! he says. No one budges.
kakashi: Very oh shit, this moment. They don't stand a fucking chance. And they know it.
bcook: They were about to back down. If he'd cocked the trigger they'd have totally parted but then...
Ohhh, shit is right. This woman is CRAZY. It doesn't matter if I die, she says. I have a new proposal for everyone. Which ever one of you brings me these guys dead can have MY job. Even then, the gangsters hesitate. She commands them one more time, though, and everyone rushes forward. It's chaos! Our guys do okay for a minute - more than ok, really - but it's three (three and a half, because Jeong Mun tries to help) against about a hundred, and that can't work for long.
kakashi: My Tae-soooooooooo!
bcook: It was pretty awesome. The slow mo, the punching, the skillz. I was surprised the sprinklers didn't go off dousing them all in water so that their shirts (white of course. Yes Woong Chul will suddenly have a white shirt) would cling to their tight muscles and their hair would do that stick together doing that thing that hair tends to do and then... *blinks rapidly* Oh right. Sorry. *cough* carry on.
Jeong Mun is the first to go down, and then Goo Tak falls to his knees just as we hear sirens approaching. Lots of sirens. Lots of sirens, lots of cops, and the commissioner - and they all stand there and watch the melee inside through the plate glass windows. Am I the only one afraid that ALL they will do is watch until it's too late for our doggies?
kakashi: You should have heard me scream "go in and save them you fucking idiots!"
bcook: Yes! I was all "Are you just going to stand there with your guns gae saekias??!
Oh me too. Me too.
But no: the commissioner gives a signal, the honest SWAT team breaks through the windows, and everyone rushes in. Commissioner fires a bullet in the air and orders everyone to stand still; the next one to move gets a bullet to the head. Wow, when they stop moving there's not that many gangsters standing, is there? Woong Chul gives a sigh of relief and belts the guy closest to him.
kakashi: This show does very well with the comic relief. Thanks.
bcook: hehe. That was pretty awesome.
The commissioner approaches Goo Tak and asks if he's okay. (He's clearly not, but he's also not anywhere near dead.) When asked, the commissioner admits he can't even remember the last time he held a gun. He's way more comfortable with a baseball bat, and says that whether it's fighting or fishing, it requires skilled hands. Goo Tak laughs. Tae Soo laughs (like sunshine). Woong Chul gives a small disgusted grin, and Jeong Mun tries really hard to make his face do that thing, that thing where your lips move but you're not talking, but it's soooo hard, and he gives up. I'll give you pass, little psycho puppy. You've been stabbed.
kakashi: Yes, he is trying. But since he's a Psycho, he just cannot feel like we feel.
bcook: Oh was he trying to smile? I thought that was a grimace of pain. A "seriously guys...I've been stabbed here. WHERE'S THE MEDIC???!!!" kind of grimace.
As they load prisoners into vans, Goo Tak approaches Madam Hwang and tells her she'll probably spend her 70th birthday in prison...if she lives that long. She assures him she'll eat healthy and will certainly do so. He spits in disgust and says it's a pity he can't hit a woman. Mi Young has no such restriction, though, and flies in out of nowhere to smack her good. I laugh and like her for the second time. Goo Tak compliments her right hook and Mi Young says there's nothing she can't do.
kakashi: I want more of her. I don't like her being that 5th wheel that doesn't matter at all.
bcook: That was a bit of a surprise. Wish the camera had lingered.
Across the street, someone is observing. Into the phone, he says that 'he' is still alive, and they should watch for a while. Oh no...
kakashi: Fuck you, gangsters! Leave them alone!
Our gang gets into the van - do you love how they always take the same seats? I do! Goo Tak observes that they're taking home some of the wounds and none of the glory, and suggests that they go get some hangover soup. Umm... don't they need to treat Jeong Mun's stab wound?
kakashi: I guess the bleeding has stopped. Get some soup into him, see if it leaks ... if not, all is fine. Lol. Yeah, totally! How could they have forgotten about Psycho?! (It's possible he got some treatment while they loaded prisoners into vans though. Let's go with that)
bcook: I think so. I saw an ambulance in the back.
You may need to go to the hospital with a cold. But never with a knife wound. Never.
kakashi: It was an episode about bromance through and through, yes. For the first time, they didn't just think about reducing their sentence, but they actually had to fight for their lives - and it forged them together as a team. From now on, being egoistic dicks will be much harder.
bcook: I hope there are still flashes of egoistic dictitude though. They can't be transformed in just 4 episodes! Even if it's a shorter length drama. The case conflicts are good but it's the bro-fights that keep us coming back no?
As for the show, well, this episode delivered in SPADES on the excitement front. That woman was terrifying and their predicament had me on the edge of my seat. With criminals so bad to catch, Kakashi is right - our boys look like boy scouts. The atmospheric sets, lighting, and music really add to the tension, and the director/writer know just how to break it up with the odd moment of gallows humor. I hope it's doing well in the ratings - does anyone know where it's at?
kakashi: Oh, it's doing extremely well. Episode got 3.55%. That's REALLY good for cable. Hey, in fact, we've had some network shows recently that barely got more! Of course, it's much too early to talk about a second season ... but I don't care! Give me a second season!
bcook: I don't think there'll be a second season Kakashi. These guys are blowing up (well BadAss Ahjusshi is already a big deal), next is movies and then the ultimate goal! Love interest for an idol in a KBS drama. /sarcasm.
But they all already do movies, and Park Hae Jin is particularly popular in China, too, right? Whatever. I love this drama like it was made of chocolate and would happily watch many more episodes than we are promised.
kakashi: Best episode yet, JoAnne. I loved it.
bcook: *hugs self with glee* It was just....THE BEST!!
kakashi: Let's hope there's no more of that organ trafficking stuff in the next episode. *shudders*
bcook: eung! That woman is just plain scary.
Episode Four: Too Many Bad Guys
The van containing Woong Chul and his unknown captors has arrived at a nondescript warehouse. A bound, hooded Woong Chul is forced to his knees on the warehouse floor, where his hood is roughly removed. True to form, he's claiming to have memorized faces and offers promises of certain death. *heatbeams* That is, until a dapper man greets him with 'Long time no see, Woong Chul.' Our biggest hunting dog recognizes the man and greets him with a puzzled 'Hyeongnim..' We aren't privy to the conversation that follows.kakashi: Ohhhhh, I don't like this. Not one bit.
kakashi: Hm, so I wonder ... why would that guy have disappeared? The plot thickens. A tiny little bit.
bcook: That guy didn't look trustworthy at all. I'm beginning to thing Joeng Mun isn't creepy. Just tortured. Yes. That's it. Tortured. *morals at rest*
kakashi: Has she? Maybe she has. I think she is also very loyal to Mr. Commissioner. Who else finds it amusing that Tae-soo gets to go to all kinds of places but when Woong-chul wants to go, everybody gets suspicious? I don't know, I'm much more afraid of Tae-soo, actually. Woong-chul may have fists of steel, but he seriously cannot lie.
bcook: Coz Tae-soo has a GreatWeakness. He's now as harmless as a puppy. Note to self: Make sure Jo never finds out my great weakness. Oppa will never be safe.
kakashi: Hahahahaa, she always explodes because of Woong-chul. Is he pushing your buttons, Miss? (He can push some of mine...)
bcook: That was the most undignified woman flounce I've ever seen. I had flashbacks to Detective Big Eyes aka cop incompetent from Who Are You.
The Thespian Bounce.
kakashi: Oh shit.
kakashi: TT____TT. I feel both sorry for him and very apprehensive. He is a perfect killing machine, but around this woman, he completely lets down all his guards. Nobody dare to hurt him, hear me??!
bcook: Crap. Even the music changed. You know what that means? No? Yeah. Me neither.
kakashi: Lol at the kid who throws Tae-soo an almost disdainful look. Awww at Tae-soo's face, when he realizes that Goo-tak actually gave him credit for doing something good for this woman. He is very surprised at that. And it makes him think. And finally ... if he has killed her husband, there is no happy ending for these two. Prepare yourselves, people.
bcook: I've been thinking about this (long day at work...lots of time to think) Maybe he didn't kill her husband, maybe he's at another funeral and walks past. Then see's her bawling her eyes out and starts thinking "will somebody ever love me like this?" and then maybe he follows her a bit to see how she's doing (which is why he knows to go to her house when he's wounded). Maybe? (Damn...I'm good. Maybe I should write a drama) I like it. I like it a lot.
kakashi: Hmmm, I might be the only one here, but I don't pick up bad vibes from Commissioner. In fact, I think him and Goo-tak are true friends.
I don't actually feel any bad vibes, but I've been screwed before... Min That Fuck pretty much ensures I'll be suspicious for a while.
bcook: Hehe
These pictures made me laugh and are perfect
kakashi: I hope it's painful for those scumbags.
Donate all their testicles!
kakashi: I cheer!
bcook: That was an awesome montage. I was getting a little worried though coz everything was going too well. I should have known.
kakashi: About that ... I mean ... how frigging SCARY was he in this scene?! That slight smile when he turned down the volume ... I don't know, JoAnne. I wouldn't let him into my house, that's for sure. I think if you aren't collecting organs you're probably fine.
bcook: It was perfect though. Just enough time. I love how they all threw down the handcuffs. Like "I know you don't want more of this so just handcuff yourselves already"
That church is getting crowded! Our guys have apparently brought a bunch of completely innocent, never been in trouble guys to their meeting spot, if you listen to the captives. Woong Chul ain't having none of that, though. He thinks they all need a good education at a fine local institution-namely, the local prison. In the meantime, they should all shut up and keep their heads and eyes lowered. As he leaves the room in disgust, there's another odd moment between him and Jeong Mun. Woong Chul - at first I thought he was nervous, but it's more that he seems uneasy or uncomfortable about Jeong Mun. Perhaps even guilty. *chews nails*kakashi: I didn't understand why they brought all these people into the church? And you're not going to do something stupid, Woong-chul, right?
bcook: He can't. The bro-love is strong in that one. I hope.
Gangsters do everything with their brothers. *mind wanders*
If you look at this picture just right....hahahahahah
Goo Tak and the Commissioner sit on a park bench reviewing the file for one Hwang Geong Sun, who is apparently the big boss for this organization they're trying to bring down. She used to run a brothel, for which she went to prison. Immediately after she got out she started up this organ selling business; she's been doing it for seven years and she's got a lot of the local police force in her pocket, but they don't know who exactly.
kakashi: There we go. So that's the reason why the organ sellers in episode 3 were so carefree. No fear of the police.
bcook: Also explains why all those guys were at the church not at police station.
kakashi: No rest for the wicked! I might have squeed a little in anticipation.
Mi Young is trying to get one of the prisoners to give up ''Madam Hwang's'' whereabouts. I laugh because they're doing the interrogation in a confessional. The prisoner (it's Hammer from Yoo-na's Street!) claims to know nothing and he's skeptical of the whole situation anyway, pointing out that the location is weird and there are a lot of fake cops these days. He'll only talk to her if they move to the police station. That's ok, she says. Don't talk. But I'm pretty sure you'll regret not talking to me.
bcook: Dun Dun Duuuuh.
kakashi: I'm such a Tae-soo kyaagirl. I find this insanely hot, even though it's so brutal.
Oh me too. And when he punts someone across the room during a fight.
bcook: I was just gawping and then wondered (very briefly) why they blurred out the hand when it was sooo obvious what he was doing.
kakashi: I squee so hard it's embarrassing. I might have watched this particular scene several times, too.
Like anyone wouldn't understand. LOOK at that man.
kakashi: It's for justice. Yes.
bcook: Not gonna lie, I squeeked in surprise. Didn't know that was possible. Is a squeak a squee?
If you squeaked with squee intent, yes.
The world's creepiest woman is in a room somewhere (make her go away!!!), having the world's creepiest conversation with a confused little boy. She tells him that the human body is marvelous and priceless, and she asks him how much an eye is worth. The kid has no idea, but Creepella sure does. $230,000 - the exact amount this little boy's dad owes to her. But daddy doesn't have the money so he says he can't pay her, and isn't that a bad thing? Isn't it bad to borrow money and not pay it back? (poor kid is just there, quietly creeped out. I'm here, quietly creeped out) They bring dad in tied to a wheelchair, cut and bleeding. The kid is now actively terrified and cries for his father. Horrifica - Madam Hwang, of course - tells the poor child that he'll have to be daddy's eyes for him from now on, since they're going to take his in payment. As they wheel the dad out, the kid reaches to follow him, completely terrified. Creepzilla holds him back: he's too young to see something like that. He is, but I think he'd be less scarred by watching them surgically remove his father's eyes than he will be by spending one more second with that snake-faced monster.
kakashi: What a horrifying scene. I was even expecting them to start ripping his dad's eyes out right in front of him.
bcook: What's the use of holding the kid back? You've already told him what you're going to do. It's not like kids don't have imaginations.
kakashi: Huh. Why? No pictures allowed?
kakashi: Not familar to me. But that's not surprising, seeing you watch about 100times more shows than I.
bcook: Yup. Never seen him before.
kakashi: I did giggle a bit, though. They're so bad at playing cops.
kakashi: He is beautiful, like a tiger. And so alert ... if he's not with that woman.
bcook: He walked into the bathroom and I felt kinda sorry for that goon.
Look at that pretty face. I hope his shirt is dirty and he's going to take it off to rinse the stain.
kakashi: Actually, you made me go back and check about this hidden mic thing. Not that I mind. I could watch this 50 times and wouldn't get bored. So indeed, there seem to be hidden mics. Only that nobody uses them after this.
bcook: There were hidden mic's? I wasn't sure because... wouldn't they have been tested for them?
I watched it again (for making gifs and pics). It's possible he just raised his hand for boxing. Could be but to me it looked like he ducked his head to speak, too. We'll never know! As for never using them again...it could have been the total black out?
kakashi: I totally expected Goo-tak to shoot him.
bcook: He did. Just not dead.
Tae Soo, confiscated cell phone in hand, saunters out of the bathroom unscathed. Woong Chul dispatches the last of his group and then turns to Jeong Mun in obvious distress: they had knives! How could they pull knives on the police? (lol) Jeong Mun the quick thinker fills him in - their cover was blown before they ever got there. They run through the list of people who knew about the plan. The four of them, plus Mi Young, the Police Commissioner, and the SWAT team captain. Jeong Mun says if wasn't any of those, then...
bcook: I was pretty convinced it was the SWAT team captain actually. But wasn't surprised when..
The scene switches to the van. The driver? No! Yes! (I always hated him!!!) Mi Young gets a call from Tae Soo alerting her to the situation inside, and tells her to call the Commissioner. As soon as she hangs up, the dirtbag driver knocks her unconscious, then calls Madam Hwang to let her know he's taken care of things. She tells him to finish it off any way he sees fit and then turns back to the wall of monitors she's watching. Creepy bitch, she seriously gives me the heebie jeebies.
kakashi: Uh-oh, not good. Not good at all.
The elevator door opens and Goo Talk walks out, of course. Lee is dazed and bloody, handcuffed to the handrail. When Goo Tak asks if he can contact Hwang on the walkie talkie he's confiscated, Lee gasps that they'll never make it out alive. Sure, sure, sure. Goo Talk walks down the hall, notices the cameras, and stops. There's a tense and seriously awesome moment where his face gets all snarly and sort of melts into ugliness (claps wildly. BadAss Ahjusshi), and Madam Hwang watches him very much like a snake would. He points his gun at the camera and tells her to listen up: he's going to catch her. Then he shoots out the camera and... there's just no other way to describe this. She freaks the fuck out. Seriously. If I never see that face or hear that noise again, it will be too soon.
kakashi: It was overdone. But very effective. And since this show is about the difference between man and beast, I guess the beasts in human forms get to be extra beastly to drive this point home.
bcook: It took a while to figure out exactly what her face was doing. Seeing as how her forehead can't move. Botox - messing with facial expressions since 1980
kakashi: The whole setting would work really well as a Western, too. Or a saeguk. Oh! Love the idea.
kakashi: That's smart thinking. Totally expected of a psycho-genius, of course. So far, we've seen Woong-chul click with Goo-tak and now with Jung-moon ... will he get along with Tae-soo next? Let's hope so!
bcook: I saw bro-love in the preview for episode 5!
The SWAT team arrives at an empty parking garage, one assumes near the building where our guys are trapped (I foolishly thought they had been lured into a trap). Any feeling of relief you might have should dissipate the minute the captain opens his mouth, though, since his first words are 'Guns leave evidence behind. Use a knife instead.' I'm guessing he doesn't mean on the gangsters. Shit. Yeah, they're greeted by a gangster, and then the captain gets on the phone with CreepMistress SnakeBitch. She gives him the go-ahead and invites him over for tea sometime. Yes, literally.
kakashi: So the situation just got a whole lotta worse for our guys.
bcook: This just had Judge Dredd (the new version. You should watch it. Quite Good) vibes. It's well shot but seriously it's almost word for word a copy of the speech the bad chick gives to the apartment building.
SCANDAL! hahaaaaa, they plagiarized?!
But as Kakashi points out, this is actually based on fact, so you can't give Judge Dredd credit for the detail.
kakashi: She is a really well-written villain, this Madame Hwang. I mean, she could just have said "kill them", but her way is MUCH meaner, overall.
Why are we LOOKING at her.
kakashi: ... because it's only episode 4. It was horrible when Psycho Kid was stabbed! Horrible! I mean, I find him very creepy, but he is also the weakest among them when it comes to fighting. And the youngest! You don't hurt the young'uns!
kakashi: Goo-tak even lectures complete strangers. Nice.
bcook: Sometimes *feels shame for saying this* BadAss Ahjusshi talks too damn much.
kakashi: It was an attempt at humor indeed! He doesn't make me squee though. This whole scene was pretty unsqueeable, in fact.
bcook: Don't hold back! I feel some bromance coming along.
kakashi: Nope. Not psycho.
kakashi: Hahaha, JoAnne. Jung-moon is creepy even if he's sad. But I agree, his situation is tragic, any way you turn it.
Woong Chul leaves to check out the situation, so of course it's just seconds before the SWAT team arrives. Woong Chul overhears proof that they're bad guys, but he hesitates a moment and we flash back to the warehouse. It seems that Jeong Mun the serial killer happened to have killed the child of a gangster big wig, and Woong Chul has been tasked with taking him out. He has two weeks to do it, and if he fails, then he's dead. In the present, Woong Chul turns and walks away. Nooooo.
kakashi: WTF NOOOOOOoooooo! Woong-chul! Don't do this! Go back in and save Psycho!
kakashi: Again with the morals. They may be criminals (yes, your Jung-moonie too, JoAnne!), but they have a strong moral compass.
kakashi: They have this competition going, these two. Tae-soo was totally gloating, going ... hahaaa, see what I did, hyung? But in comparison to episode 1, there is no bite to it anymore. It's a friendly competition now. There's respect.
bcook: It was just so cute!
kakashi: I was very glad to see Goo-tak. Without him, it's only half the fun.
kakashi: I guess the security guard told him that, right?
bcook: Again... straight outta Judge Dredd. Did the writers JUST watch it? I do this with love people. They wrote it well, shot it well, it makes sense but it's straight out of a movie! I mean there's borrowing premise and then there's straight up copying.
kakashi: It's all rather Mission Impossible. So glad Tom Cruise isn't around, though. Oooh - we have Korean Bill Clinton. Is there a Korean Tom Cruise?
kakashi: Fuck him! He had a choice what to do with her ... and he is planning to kill her?!
bcook: Seems like bury her alive. That's a mighty small piece of glass though and begs the question... where the heck did that come from?
kakashi: I hope she killed him. No, I don't mean that. I'm a peace loving person. But ... well.
bcook: Ten points and a name drop in the next squeecap to the squeeglet who gives the name of the other brand that was blatantly ppl'd in this episode. Hint. I tweeted about it.
kakashi: Very oh shit, this moment. They don't stand a fucking chance. And they know it.
bcook: They were about to back down. If he'd cocked the trigger they'd have totally parted but then...
kakashi: My Tae-soooooooooo!
bcook: It was pretty awesome. The slow mo, the punching, the skillz. I was surprised the sprinklers didn't go off dousing them all in water so that their shirts (white of course. Yes Woong Chul will suddenly have a white shirt) would cling to their tight muscles and their hair would do that stick together doing that thing that hair tends to do and then... *blinks rapidly* Oh right. Sorry. *cough* carry on.
kakashi: You should have heard me scream "go in and save them you fucking idiots!"
bcook: Yes! I was all "Are you just going to stand there with your guns gae saekias??!
Oh me too. Me too.
But no: the commissioner gives a signal, the honest SWAT team breaks through the windows, and everyone rushes in. Commissioner fires a bullet in the air and orders everyone to stand still; the next one to move gets a bullet to the head. Wow, when they stop moving there's not that many gangsters standing, is there? Woong Chul gives a sigh of relief and belts the guy closest to him.
kakashi: This show does very well with the comic relief. Thanks.
bcook: hehe. That was pretty awesome.
kakashi: Yes, he is trying. But since he's a Psycho, he just cannot feel like we feel.
bcook: Oh was he trying to smile? I thought that was a grimace of pain. A "seriously guys...I've been stabbed here. WHERE'S THE MEDIC???!!!" kind of grimace.
kakashi: I want more of her. I don't like her being that 5th wheel that doesn't matter at all.
bcook: That was a bit of a surprise. Wish the camera had lingered.
kakashi: Fuck you, gangsters! Leave them alone!
Our gang gets into the van - do you love how they always take the same seats? I do! Goo Tak observes that they're taking home some of the wounds and none of the glory, and suggests that they go get some hangover soup. Umm... don't they need to treat Jeong Mun's stab wound?
kakashi: I guess the bleeding has stopped. Get some soup into him, see if it leaks ... if not, all is fine. Lol. Yeah, totally! How could they have forgotten about Psycho?! (It's possible he got some treatment while they loaded prisoners into vans though. Let's go with that)
bcook: I think so. I saw an ambulance in the back.
You may need to go to the hospital with a cold. But never with a knife wound. Never.
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I see serious progress on the bromance front. Woong Chul and Jeong Mun both have made decisions each to the save the other when they could have turned away and just saved themselves, and Woong Chul has done that despite serious reasons to choose NOT to do it. Tae Soo actually seems to enjoy having partners and almost thrives on the fighting - he gets a look of glee on his face, almost. Jeong Mun, seriously... his predicament tugs at my heart. What would it be like, to not know something so basic about yourself? And am I alone in thinking that I can actually see them all as real cops? I know it wouldn't happen, but they'd have been great at it. I really want them all to survive and make good lives for themselves, dammit.kakashi: It was an episode about bromance through and through, yes. For the first time, they didn't just think about reducing their sentence, but they actually had to fight for their lives - and it forged them together as a team. From now on, being egoistic dicks will be much harder.
bcook: I hope there are still flashes of egoistic dictitude though. They can't be transformed in just 4 episodes! Even if it's a shorter length drama. The case conflicts are good but it's the bro-fights that keep us coming back no?
As for the show, well, this episode delivered in SPADES on the excitement front. That woman was terrifying and their predicament had me on the edge of my seat. With criminals so bad to catch, Kakashi is right - our boys look like boy scouts. The atmospheric sets, lighting, and music really add to the tension, and the director/writer know just how to break it up with the odd moment of gallows humor. I hope it's doing well in the ratings - does anyone know where it's at?
kakashi: Oh, it's doing extremely well. Episode got 3.55%. That's REALLY good for cable. Hey, in fact, we've had some network shows recently that barely got more! Of course, it's much too early to talk about a second season ... but I don't care! Give me a second season!
bcook: I don't think there'll be a second season Kakashi. These guys are blowing up (well BadAss Ahjusshi is already a big deal), next is movies and then the ultimate goal! Love interest for an idol in a KBS drama. /sarcasm.
But they all already do movies, and Park Hae Jin is particularly popular in China, too, right? Whatever. I love this drama like it was made of chocolate and would happily watch many more episodes than we are promised.