Flower of Evil: Episode 4
by TeriYaki
In the pursuit of a murder suspect, our detective comes dangerously close to discovering that her husband isn’t who she thinks he is. Somehow, he manages to stay just one step ahead of her in his desperate bid to keep his past hidden. With more questions than answers, our heroine isn’t about to give up digging into the background of a serial killer, unaware that her dedication will threaten all that she holds dear.
EPISODE 4 RECAP
Ji-won and Hee-sung took refuge from a sudden rain storm under some eaves where she complained, “I’m wearing new clothes, new shoes, and I spent an hour styling my hair…So much for a first date.” Hee-sung confessed that he wasn’t interested in her but Ji-won protested, “Then why do you spend time with me on your day off?”
Others in the neighborhood assumed they were already dating and Ji-won suggested, “Has it ever occurred to you that you’re the only one who doesn’t know you like me?” Ji-won proposed a game of rock, paper, scissors to relieve the tension, with the loser having to stand in the rain for 30 seconds. Hee-sung dismissed the idea but Ji-won played anyway and won. With a laugh, she pushed Hee-sung into the rain and at the sight of her smile, he unknowingly smiled back.
They were both surprised and when Hee-sung turned away, he saw Do Min-seok’s black eyes staring at him from across the street. When Ji-won followed Hee-sung’s terrified gaze, Min-seok disappeared. Hee-sung demanded, “How could you like a guy like me,” and walked away, leaving behind a tearful Ji-won.
In the pharmacy, Hee-sung’s mother shouts that if people find out their secret, she’s kill herself in front of him. Taking a tonic from a nearby shelf, Hee-sung urges her to calm down.
Mom apologizes for slapping Hee-sung but when she learns that Ji-won is in charge of Nam Soon-kil’s murder case, she throws the bottle, “I warned you, didn’t I? I told you she’ll make things worse.” Sweeping up the glass, Hee-sung assures her that since the killer’s blood was found at the scene, the investigation won’t lead to Baek Hee-sung, “…as long as you continue to stay on my side.”
Before Hee-sung leaves, Mom complains that her house is too big for just two people and asks him to stop for by for dinner once in a while. Hee-sung reminds her, “It’s not just you two.”
When Hee-sung’s father walks through his front door, the housekeeper writes a note, “Your son needs to eat.” Dad heads to the secret room, its walls lined with the photos of the real Baek Hee-sung and his mathematics awards. After expertly connecting a feeding bag to a port in Hee-sung’s abdomen, Dad gently strokes his son’s hair.
At the police station, a review of Do Min-seok’s family register reveals the existence of a daughter, Hyun-soo’s older sister, Do Hae-soo.
A woman crouches beside the bloody body of a man lying at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. Blood dripping from her fingers, she asks, “It doesn’t hurt anymore, does it,” and the man’s eyes open when he answers, “It doesn’t sting. But it smells weird.”
When a director instructs Hae-soo to make the wound look fresher, we learn that she’s a makeup artist. Mildly frustrated, Hae-soo asks the director if he’s ever seen a murdered corpse before applying more fake blood. Hae-soo is interrupted when an assistant alerts her to a phone call.
Ji-won enters a café and locates Hae-soo right away (her real sis-in-law). Asked, “How did you know? Do I look similar to Do Min-seok,” Ji-won admits it was just a lucky guess and holds out her business card. Hae-soo ignores it and tells Ji-won, “After Hyun-soo disappeared in 2002, I never saw him again. For 18 years, I’ve met tons of cops and told them the same thing. Can I go now?”
That’s not Ji-won’s question, she wants to know about the buildings that belonged to Do Min-seok, suggesting that they weren’t sold to provide refuge for Hyun-soo. Hae-soo explains that she only sold her father’s land to pay the victims’ families, she left everything else alone because she didn’t want her father’s money.
After Hae-soo repeats, “I haven’t seen our Hyun-soo for 18 years already,” Ji-won asks why she sounds sad rather than resentful when speaking about her brother. Announcing that she needs to get back to to work, Hae-soo leaves without answering the question.
Moo-jin’s online search for Baek Hee-sung reveals that the name belonged to the son of a university hospital director and that he was a recognized math whiz. Moo-jin jumps when Ms. Kang leans close to ask, “What are you doing?” Tossing two huge cases on the table, Ms. Kang informs Moo-jin, “This is the father’s case and this is the son’s case,” and reminds him “I’m waiting for that exclusive.”
Hee-sung ignores a text from Moo-jin and when he walks out of the bathroom, Ji-won is waiting with his raincoat. He allows her to put it on him and after pulling up the hood, she laughs when Hee-sung asks if she thinks that he’s the killer. Ji-won explains, “When you came home like this…I didn’t recognize you at first…how did Nam Soon-kil recognize him right away?”
Hee-sung helpfully suggests, “Maybe he was mistaken,” but Ji-won wants the killer to be Do Hyun-soo so that she can be rewarded with a special promotion. Hee-sung looks worried when Ji-won sends him to bed first so she can work late.
Joining Ji-won on the couch, Hee-sung lays his head in her lap, “I want to sleep here tonight.” Hee-sung sees the file for the foreman’s murder on the coffee table as Ji-won questions if Do Min-seok’s kids were really unaware that their father was a serial killer. Ji-won deems the father and son the perfect case to study the role that DNA plays in antisocial personality disorder.
When Hee-sung asks about the case, Ji-won informs him that the Chinese restaurant owner will be working with a sketch artist on an updated image of Do Hyun-soo. Hee-sung gets Ji-won to lie down beside him and after studying his face, she brags that she’d know him from just his shadow.
When her eyes start to close, Hee-sung asks if Moo-jin is helping with the sketch too but Ji-won doesn’t remember telling him that Hyun-soo and Moo-jin knew each other. Hee-sung fibs that she mentioned that they were classmates and when Ji-won asks him not to share what she tells him, he promises, “Of course not.”
In Hee-sung’s hometown, an old woman sees a report on the Chinese restaurant murder. An appeal for the public’s help in identifying Do Hyun-soo gets her attention.
Ho-joon supervises the meeting with the sketch artist which isn’t going well because Moo-jin and the Chinese restaurant owner keep contradicting each other. Remembering that Hee-sung tasked him with sabotaging the sketch, Moo-jin helpfully volunteers that Hyun-soo has a scar on his forehead.
In the back of a taxi, Hee-sung watches another facial expressions video and practices looking sad. When he impersonates Moo-jin for a meeting with Nam Soon-kil’s widow, Hee-sung weeps when she mentions that he was the last person that her husband called, “If only I had picked up. I’m truly sorry.”
After Nam Soon-kil’s widow insists that he’s not to blame, Hee-sung asks why her husband was at the restaurant so late. She explains that once a week, her husband worked late on new recipes and when Hee-sung asks who else knew, she can’t think of anyone.
Back in the village, the old woman removes a photo from an album and in the background, Hee-sung/Hyun-soo has his arm around a very pregnant Ji-won. When the woman calls the police about the photo, Ji-won takes her call.
The Chinese restaurant owner complains that the police sketch doesn’t look anything like Do Hyun-soo. Ho-joon has doubts about Moo-jin’s recollection but he’s not lying when he insists, “I remember it as if I had met him yesterday.” After a call from Ji-won, Ho-joon announces that they no longer need the sketch and dismisses the men.
Hee-sung asks Nam Soon-kil’s widow to call if she remembers anything. He’s about to walk away when she remembers something, “The taxi!”
Because the old woman can’t text an image of the photo, Ji-won insists on picking it up personally. After instructing the woman not to show the photo to anyone, Ji-won hangs up and goes in search of Ho-joon.
Noticing the taxi driver’s tumbler, Jae-sub calls to remind him to pick it up. The taxi driver promises to come by later, even though he’s parked across the street from the police station. Placing an earpiece in his ear, the taxi driver hears Woo-chul tell Jae-sub, “Once we have Do Hyun-soo’s photo, the case will basically solve itself.”
In a flashback, Nam Soon-kil borrowed the taxi driver’s phone and recognized the faded, hand-painted fish tile attached to it. Nam Soon-kil remembered seeing a newer version of that tile hanging from Hyun-soo’s cassette player when they were roommates. After Nam Soon-kil uttered Do Hyun-soo’s name, the taxi driver pulled over. In the present, the taxi driver stares at the faded fish before driving away.
After the widow informed Hee-sung that her husband was picked up by the same taxi whenever he worked late, he gets a call from Moo-jin. Moo-jin delivers the bad news that a woman from their village recognized Hee-sung in a photo taken five years ago and Ji-won is on her way to pick it up.
Moo-jin shoves a voice recorder into a jacket pocket just as Hee-sung gets into his car. When Moo-jin asks if they can beat Ji-won, Hee-sung tells him, “I know for a fact that we’ll get there first…Because they won’t run any red lights.”
While stopped at a light, Ho-joon and Ji-won discuss Do Min-seok’s seventh victim, who was never found. Ji-won can’t understand why Do Min-seok committed suicide since it was the investigation into his death that led to the discovery of his victims. When she muses, “Do you think he really did commit suicide,” Ho-joon labels her doubt a conspiracy theory. Ji-won reminds him that the victims’ left thumbnails were never found, suggesting that Min-seok had an accomplice, someone like Do Hyun-soo.
As Moo-jin speeds through one red light after another, Hee-sung asks why he had Hae-soo’s necklace. Hae-soo returned the necklace when they broke up and Moo-jin claims to have forgotten about it until he found it in a drawer. When Hee-sung tells him that he threw it away, Moo-jin’s reaction suggets that the necklace meant something.
Remembering the recorder, Moo-jin asks, “How did Do Hyun-soo become Baek Hee-sung…How did you manage to fool Detective Cha?” After Hee-sung answers that Ji-won knows nothing about his past or that he’s abnormal, Moo-jin wants to know if he has any feelings for her, especially after having a child together.
Hee-sung recalls their first date as he shares that his dad is scared of Ji-won, “He won’t be able to come near me as long as she’s with me.” Pulling out the hidden recorder, Hee-sung deletes everything on it and warns, “If Ji-won ever finds out what you know, I might really kill you.”
Being back in the village triggers traumatic memories for Hee-sung — being bound to the tree as well as dragged before a twirling shaman in front of the entire village.
Parked outside of Oh Bok-ja’s house, Moo-jin goes over the plan as we see it played out. Moo-jin surprises Oh Bok-ja with a friendly visit and convinces her to show him the photo. After Moo-jin texts its location to Hee-sung, he steals it when Moo-jin lures Oh Bok-ja outside to greet the police. When Hee-sung gets away, he and Moo-jin reunite at a predetermined spot.
Hee-sung asks what happens if thing don’t go as planned but without a backup plan, they proceed. After Hee-sung hides in a small shed, Moo-jin approaches the house and sees that the front door is already open. Finding Oh Bok-ja with her arms and hands bound, Moo-jin runs to her side and gets hit on the back of the head.
From the shed, Hee-sung sees the intruder exit the house, wearing a black rain coat. The intruder runs when Ji-won and Ho-joon pull up and his rain coat is pulled off when Hee-sung chases after him. Catching the intruder, Hee-sung pulls off his mask, confused by the man’s greeting, “Do Hyun-soo…You may not know me, but you must know Jung Mi-sook well.”
Ji-won and Ho-joon see Min-joo’s car and wonder how he knew about their latest lead. Meanwhile, the intruder has a proposition for Hee-sung, “Let’s meet ourselves, without the cops… I’ll pick you up…in my cab…I’ve been waiting so long for this first date.” When Hee-sung is distracted by the sound of Ji-won’s voice, the taxi driver escapes.
Ji-won sees a black rain coat on the ground just as Hee-sung is about to jump over the back fence. When she shouts, “Do Hyun-soo,” he freezes and he has to force himself not to look at her before running away.
While Ho-joon tends to Moo-jin and Oh Bok-ja, Ji-won unknowingly chases after her husband. Keeping pace with Hee-sung as they run through the woods and onto a street, Ji-won follows him into a warehouse. From his hiding spot, Hee-sung watches as Ji-won reaches out to turn on an overhead light.
Picking up a hammer, Hee-sung sends it sailing through the air just as Ji-won flips the switch. When it hits the light, sparks fly and Hee-sung throws a blanket over Ji-won and pulls her to safety. In a struggle to free herself, Ji-won not only kicks Hee-sung between the legs, she tosses him across the aisle.
When Ji-won trips and falls into a set of shelves, Hee-sung shields her from the falling tools. Taking her handcuffs, Hee-sung secures Ji-won to another set of shelves and escapes before she can get the blanket off of her head.
Hee-sung calls Moo-jin, who announces the he almost died, to ask for information on Jung Mi-sook, a name that Moo-jin recognizes. After hanging up, Hee-sung realizes that he’s bleeding and steals a clean shirt from a nearby clothesline.
Ho-joon finds a humiliated Ji-won, amazed that she wasn’t hurt when he sees all of the tools on the ground. Ji-won learns that even the photo was taken, the killer isn’t Do Hyun-soo because the intruder needed the old woman to identify him in her photo.
After buying supplies in a convenience store, Hee-sung rents a room at the inn that the taxi driver mentioned. In his room, Hee-sung breaks the glass on a wall clock to create a makeshift weapon from a large shard and some tape.
In spite of the late hour, Ji-won meets with the local residents who have lots to say about Do Hyun-soo, “We should’ve continued the exorcism back then.” Ji-won has to explain that they’re not after Do Hyun-soo but someone who’s targeted him.
Ji-won asks if an outsider has asked about him but lots of people are interested in Do Hyun-soo — TV producers, journalists, writers, even police. When Ji-won asks about someone with a grudge, one woman mentions a a taxi driver.
Jae-sub is puzzled by dashcam footage that shows a taxi stopping and then driving off without anyone getting in or out, especially after the taxi driver said that he dropped someone off. Woo-chul gets a call from Ho-joon about the latest developments and Ji-won grabs the phone to ask him to confirm that the missing victim’s husband was a taxi driver.
Putting her on speaker, Woo-chul and Jae-sub learn that the husband visited the village often to search for his wife’s body. A flashback shows that the taxi driver was so obsessed with finding his wife’s body that when a local confronted him about his digging, he was beaten with the shovel.
It seems that the husband convinced himself that Do Hyun-soo was his father’s accomplice and knew where his wife was buried. What Ji-won can’t figure out is how the killer knew about Oh Bok-ja’s photo and when Jae-sub remembers the tumbler, he finds the listening device.
In a flashback to the night that Nam Soon-kil was killed, the raincoat clad driver climbed into the back seat of his waiting taxi and crawled into the driver’s seat, making look as if he’d been picked up. After returning to his hideout, he had a coughing fit in front of the wall plastered with the missing person flyers of his wife, Jung Mi-sook. When Jae-sub checks Jung Mi-sook’s file, her husband, Park Kyung-choon, is listed as a taxi driver.
On his way to pick up Hee-sung, Park Kyung-choon recalls telling Nam Soon-kil that he and his wife made the matching fish tiles. Jung Mi-sook’s phone was found in Mi-seok’s workshop but the tile was missing, and he realized, “…Do Hyun-su had it all along.” Park Kyung-choon thanked Nam Soon-kil, “The stuff you told me..It’s going to help me out a lot.”
While waiting for the taxi driver, Hee-sung gets a video call from his mother-in-law. When he answers it, Hee-sung is greeted by Eun-ha’s sobs, “I woke up, and you weren’t there.” Looking genuinely sad, Hee-sung explains to his daughter that something came up and when she wails, “I miss you,” he promises he’ll be there soon. Just as Hee-sung hangs up, Park Kyung-choon pulls up.
A patrol officer shows Ji-won a watch found in the warehouse, thinking that it’s hers. As Hee-sung walks towards Park Kyung-choon’s taxi, Ji-won finds H. S. Baek engraved on the watch‘s band, her gift to Hee-sung on his birthday.
COMMENTS
What a heart pounding episode as Ji-won came dangerously close to learning Hee-sung’s secret. Even though she discovers that Do Hyun-soo didn’t murder Nam Soon-kil, her interest in Do Min-seok’s case guarantees that it’s only a matter of time before she unearths the truth. Since Hee-sung is about to be caught in Park Kyung-choon’s web, I have a feeling that the truth is going to come out very soon. I have to admit that I’m surprised at how quickly Ji-won has been made aware of Do Hyun-soo’s life, which has me wondering, will the story about the real Baek Hee-sung eclipse the tragedy of the Do family? How else to explain the major freakout that Hee-sung’s “mother” experienced when she thought that her family’s secret was at risk?
Hee-sung may not be a math whiz, but he’s shrewdly intelligent, cool-headed and at times, ruthless. But he’s not without emotions, which is why he protected Ji-won during their tussle and wilted when he saw Eun-ha’s pitiful tears. He’s taken great pains to keep that haunting image of his father, Do Min-seok, at bay and we learned that’s why Hee-sung ended up with Ji-won, her smile banishes that ghost from his life. Ji-won is like the good angel who can only see the good in Hee-sung while Do Min-seok is the devil on his other shoulder, who stirs up bad feelings in him. Now that he’s been pulled back to the place where he grew up, the site of so much tragedy, how will that affect Hee-sung/Hyun-soo?
I’m loving the uneasy alliance between Moo-jin and Hee-sung, especially when Moo-jin is taken aback by how well Hee-sung knows him. Moo-jin isn’t as smart as he thinks he is, and neither for that matter is Jae-sub. He fell for the taxi driver’s flattery and took care of the “forgotten” tumbler, allowing Park Kyung-choon access to the team’s information in real time. So embarrassing, a feeling that Ji-won experiences when Hee-sung uses her handcuffs to keep her from running after him. But it’s that up close and personal encounter that sows the seeds of suspicion in Ji-won’s mind, especially when she claimed that she’d recognize Hee-sung from his shadow. After Ho-joon points out that it was a miracle that Ji-won wasn’t hurt, she has to wonder why and that watch band provides a huge clue, but will she pursue it or chose to stay in the dark?
Ji-won’s question about Do Min-seok’s suicide means that nothing that we think we know is sound. Was Min-seok really a serial killer and/or the victim of murder himself? I’m fascinated by Ji-won’s angles when she approaches a case because she asks the most interesting questions. There are so many loose threads that are part of a much bigger picture and I think that it’s going to take both Ji-won’s and Hee-sung’s skills to bring everything into focus. I can’t wait to see that, but first, their lives are about to be turned upside down.
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Tags: Flower of Evil, Lee Jun-ki, Moon Chae-won
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1 Junie Bug
August 10, 2020 at 10:19 PM
THAT ENDING OMG YALL There is no way for Heesung to get out of the hole he inadvertently dug for himself. How many H.S. Baeks do you think they know?? I’m hoping that Jiwon becomes at least slightly suspicious of Heesung but the preview does hint that she’ll think that he’s only kidnapped. I know that previews never tell the whole story, though, so I’m very curious to see where they go from there.
This episode made me much more certain that Hyunsoo/Heesung took the blame for something that Haesoo did, say killing the foreman. The way she reacted to Jiwon showing up and talked about Hyunsoo during their conversation gave me the impression there were some undertones of her feeling guilty for or regretful about something. There is a lot we don't know about that initial case and if the show is pulling a "Heesung isn't a serial killer but just had a terrible childhood" (that exorcism-esque scene really emphasized this), then it's in his personality to take the blame for his sister especially since we’ve also seen him being very protective of her in their flashbacks.
Side note: can we please talk about how creepy his father was in that initial scene?? definitely giving me the creeps and, like mentioned in the ep 3 recap, Come Here and Hug Me vibes.
Again, I loved the scenes with Moojin and Heesung. There's something about their friend/partnership that's so much fun to watch and this episode was no exception. Moojin's efforts to mess up the police sketch and the scene in the car with the recorder were hilarious (though the latter being slightly scary haha). Their partnership is honestly the weirdest thing but they work really well together. The uneasiness that each feels toward the other creates a sort of dynamic that keeps them both on their toes and really establishes their frenemy-ship and it's probably why I enjoy them so much.
Another favorite part of this episode was the whole chasing/warehouse scene with Heesung and Jiwon. One thing that I thought was really ironic was how Jiwon said earlier in the episode that she could tell who Heesung was from only his shadow but when the moment came she couldn't. I kinda laughed there because of that lol But more on Jiwon, was I the only one surprised that Jiwon was actually moderately keeping up with Heesung?? I'm sure Lee Joongi was running slightly slower (because that guy's such an athlete in real life), but that scene was cool to watch. Everything that happened in the warehouse was a mix of suspense and hilarity (I felt so bad for Heesung at that point LOL). But, the fact that Heesung managed to get through that entire "fight" scene without hurting Jiwon and saved her from that falling toolbox does beg the question: is that a show of his affection for her? Does he actually care for her beyond her being a tool for survival? The slip in his composure with the smile in that flashback does support the idea that he does care for her but doesn't realize how much he does...
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Junie Bug
August 10, 2020 at 10:20 PM
Like many talked about in the previous episode, I’m expecting there to be that point when either Jiwon or Eunha gets attacked and he's going to realize his feelings and then indulge in his dark side that he supposedly inherited from his father to save them.
We didn’t get many answers on the whole “Hyunsoo taking over Heesung’s life” front, but I’d say everything else made up for that. I’d really like for them to provide more details on how exactly that whole thing happened because from what we’ve been given nothing really makes sense. And, the way Heesung’s mom is acting is very suspicious. She keeps on talking about “them” and bad mouthing Jiwon because she’s a detective? That entire scene in the pharmacy really didn't make sense to me because of all the holes that haven’t been discussed yet. I’m really hoping this week’s eps shed more light on that whole predicament.
But again overall, what an amazing show!! Lee Joongi and Moon Chaewon are doing the most and it’s definitely showing through. Seo Hyunwoo is perfectly casted and the nuances in his actions are really showcasing the hilarity of each episode. I’m very curious about the role Haesoo’s going to play. Jang Heejin is listed as one of the leads so it’s a given that she’ll show up a lot more often but will she immediately know that Heesung is Hyunsoo? Will she help him with his shenanigans? Will she play a part in keeping Jiwon in the dark about Heesung? Or, will she be the one shedding more light on Heesung’s actions to Jiwon and help Jiwon help Heesung face all the baggage he’s carrying because of their father?
I'm definitely laughing at too many points during this show but I'm gonna treat it as a defense mechanism against all the stress every other scene causes me LOL
Finally, thank you to TeriYaki for the recap!!
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cozybooks
August 10, 2020 at 10:44 PM
Ahh the exorcism scene!! I felt so bad for him then. What a terrible thing to experience, no wonder he doesn't really like most people. It also seemed like they'd just abandoned him at the tree after stoning him, I wonder how long it took him to get home after that.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:34 AM
Same! That scene made my heart hurt so much and definitely solidified the fact that his childhood was anything but good. I do wonder if they're going to continue to bring up these moments briefly in future episodes just to show us even more about how much he was damaged.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:34 AM
Is it terrible that I'm a sucker for tragic backstories, and am thouroughly enjoying seeing just how broken he is?
(Don't answer that, it's terrible, I'm reflecting on myself. Doesn't stop the young him from being a FANTASTIC actor as well)
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 6:24 PM
.... I'll just say that you're not alone and then quietly leave...
Maq
August 11, 2020 at 10:55 PM
I know this is horrible to say, but I kind of love it when you get a tragic character who, through a relationship with another person (whether a romantic relationship, a friendship, some kind of mentorship, or surrogate parent-child relationship), becomes a more complete person. I'll justify it by saying there's something in this type of plot point which, when done well, demonstrates how dependent humans are on relationships and how relationships can be healing and redemptive.
cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 11:27 PM
@smaltwalt yes, of course! That's a beautiful way of putting the sentiment. It definitely has nothing to do with enjoying feeling the anguish of fictional people ;) (and then the triumphant/vengeant? rise from the bottom)
Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 8:49 AM
Soo these two episodes definitely filled in more nuances to the whole MJ-HS dynamic! For me there were tonal mismatch on how they were interacting,in the first two episodes. I do like their uneasy alliance in the latest episodes and hope they continue this mutually distrusting relationship for selfish needs..
We know off the bat that MJ has some kinda connection to the case when JW's Hoobae first brings it up. And when he was confronted with HS in the metal shop ,the overriding sense I got was fear on MJ's side. At that time, I just thought they knew each other peripherally like kids in small towns tend to do and he was flustered to come f2f with a character he had written about. but that all obviously changed when we were shown MJ was bullying HS and I wondered why MJ had spent wayy too much time sipping tea with a murder suspect whom he had wronged in the past! And once he was tied up, MJ was at many times being a little too sassy and demanding (eg. Negotiating/demanding water to answer more of HS's questions and general familiar way of talking to him). Now that it turns out, MJ was courting HS's noona, the slightly entitled tone makes more sense. But that dynamic also makes what MJ eventually did worse? It wasn't just a pariah kid he was beating and tying up,but a kid he knew(ok,so HS didn't seem too keen on Noona's suitor in the brief scene of them as teenagers, but MJ clearly was going for the dongsaeng angle probably to curry more points with the GF.) From this EP, it looks like the tying up was a prelude to the exorcism ceremony so may be MJ and his cohort was told by the elders to keep the boy in check till the event was starting? Even if that's the case, it doesn't speak highly of his character that he aided the vilification of a boy that he atleast knew personally than most of the others. Was it a means of self preservation? To be the first to cast stones so that no one remembers his inconvenient connection to the troubled family? And where was noona at this time? Clearly she's more 'normal' passing of the Do siblings and she looked to get on with her peers. Was she more or less shielded from the family shame? NJ did hint that they broke up and his memory of her seems to be of teenage years. Did his mistreatment of her brother have anything to do with th breakup or did they cut ties watt before? Is her guilt more about not being able to protect li'l bro in the past or is it about letting him take the fall for something she's also got a huge hand in?
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:28 AM
re: stoning to exorcism-- that'd be interesting! I had interpreted that as two separate events, triggered by driving past different locations in his hometown (there were some bright, colorful flags he looked at just before the transition to the exorcism).
I'm definitely curious about the MJ-sister relationship, can't wait to learn more about that.
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Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 10:04 AM
Oh, it very well could be two separate events. I kinda connected them in a sequence coz HS was in school uniforms in both. Also thought we were shown some kids being present at the 'ceremony' but may be that was just my imagination filling in the blanks in the narrative 😅 now that I write it down is weak sauce as event sequence! but yikes, if the events were all spaced out, the kid had a horrible 2002/3 in that town!!
I am curious about one thing. Is the teenage HS being played by another actor? During the dead fore-man scene in EP 2, I thought it was LJK himself with the creepy smile and even thought how convincingly young he looked in that scene, but in MJ's video diaries Nd later in the exorcism scene, it looks to be a younger actor?
cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:36 AM
@ashes2ashes I mean, it could very well have been sequential as well, I think it's a good theory too :)
And oh my heck I hadn't noticed that!! I'd assumed it was all a second actor (they do have a "young HS" actor... but was it LJG in the scene with the foreman?!!
Jushi
August 11, 2020 at 4:22 PM
@ashes2ashes all Hyun Su scenes from the past were acted out by a younger actor. Even the scene with the foreman.
I'm a broken record by now with amount of time I praised the casting. Haha! Even though the direction of the show is a little more conventional than expected, the level of thoughtfulness they've put to bring new life to this kind of trope is something that I truly appreciate.
Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 7:21 PM
Thanks @jushi for confirming. I'm embarrassed I made such a rookie mistake.Somehow I also completely missed that the teenage HS who was tied up was also not LJK.Which is idiotic coz MJ and HaeSoo were clearly being played by younger actors(duh!)
They have done a fantastic job casting someone with his physicality and erm face . can I claim a case of very specific face blindness to cover this goofup 😅
Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 9:59 AM
You bring up some really good points about the whole dynamic between the siblings and Moojin. I immediately thought her guilt was caused by him taking the fall for her but there's a whole other layer to consider if it was because she indirectly aided in the town's treatment of Hyunsoo. I'm also thinking that maybe Haesoo was shielded (like you said) and part of that was because of Moojin's infatuation with her. Maybe the town took it as her being "more" normal and didn't think it necessary to expel the bad spirits from her like they did to Hyunsoo because she was more removed from her father's actions.
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Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 10:25 AM
Oh Haesoo is definitely complicit in whatever happened with the foreman. I have also been leaning towards her being the actual culprit or at the very least,reason for the foreman's death. It's interesting that MJ and the police reports mention the weapon being found in his abandoned bag as being the evidence that has HS suspected as the murderer.No mention of noona as a witness! So she doesn't look to have corroborated his guilt. It could very well be that she was also ill treated due to the tainted family history and we haven't been shown it yet. She seems to hav done all the right things on paper,compensating the victim's families,not running away and changing her name, and general capability to keep away from being sus. May be her gender and ability to 'pass' helped her. It's also not clear if HS is in contact with her. MJ clearly has some unfinished business with the family, since he chose to write about the men and kept a keepsake of an ex from 18 years ago. I am looking forward to seeing MJ-Haesoo and the Do siblings interactions in present and post TLs.
cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:40 AM
re: normal noona - I just thought of this, but I was curious when we saw the videos of MJ and Hae-Soo because while she seemed like her dad would be angry, she didn't seem wary of him like she suspected him of being a serial killer. Which is interesting, since Hyun-Soo's memories seem to indicate that he knew his dad was a killer, and dad wanted him to follow in his footsteps a la Come and Hug Me.
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Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 7:13 PM
Yeah Noona's relationship with dad is gonna be telling. I am wondering if Dexter like dynamic is playing out here. That HS was born a bit different and dad was coaching him on the side to either act on his darker impulses or train him to pass? While the normal passing Haesoo was *cough**Debra**cough* allowed to blissfully live out her life, unaware of the dangers lurking near the art studio daddy dearest built for her?
From the brief glimpses of demonic dad, he seems to be on the first track but personally think it'd be a more nuanced story if both dad and son were misunderstood by the world and each other.
Beverly
August 10, 2020 at 11:22 PM
Yes to the running scene. I could completely believe she would be trained to fight or even self defense, but he is built like a grey hound. Once he was over that fence I thought he'd be out of sight.
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:06 AM
That fence flip! 😂 Been watching Arang and the Magistrate during the holidays, he does that stunt several times there too... Pretty sure that was a callback, it's funny to see it in a sageuk and then in a modern setting
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:35 AM
THAT FENCE FLIP I seriously burst into laughter because of how extra it seemed but at the same time loved it so much!
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:01 PM
Totally a parkour move! Not surprising though; LJG is super athletic and seems to have been trained a lot in martial arts (he always does his own stunts, right?).
Junie Bug
August 12, 2020 at 9:22 AM
@smaltwalt I think so! In the few I've seen him in, he seems to be the one doing everything which I absolutely love
cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 7:49 AM
Oh my heck really?? I was dying it was hilarious, but it's even better if he actually did it in another drama lololol
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soulsearch12
August 11, 2020 at 4:01 PM
For someone who has a leaner physique, Lee Joon Gi is very convincing and does well with his action sequences and scenes. Performing action well is another aspect that sometimes does not get praised enough especially if they are doing the stunts themselves, and LJG surprisedly pulls it off.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 6:28 PM
I read somewhere that Joongi has learned 4-5 different martial arts techniques and I'm sure that definitely helps. But, yes! You would not expect him to be able to pull it off as well as he is!
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soulsearch12
August 11, 2020 at 6:39 PM
That's hot tbh! I remember he had a bit role in the last or whatever Resident Evil film, and the lead actress praised him lol.
But yeah I also read that too, and it definitely shows in the action stuff he does, and esp. here when he jumps over the fence/runs/basement business.
Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 6:55 PM
@soulsearch12 Oh definitely! He's such a cutie and so bubbly in all the behind the scenes but also the fact that he seriously has the power to immobilize and disable his opponents is freaky LOL Don't want to get on his bad side!
Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:03 PM
I echo @soulsearch12: it's hot!
He's such a beagle in BTS and on varieties. He has so much going for him. My regret is not watching more of his stuff before now (something which I plan to rectify ASAP!).
soulsearch12
August 11, 2020 at 11:19 PM
@smaltwalt I remember his ex gf praised him on a talk show saying she knows why he's been a big star for so long is b/c of the way he treats people. He treats everyone the same with respect.
One thing though, I feel like compared to his other Hallyu peers, his career has sorta been a bit stagnant since Scarlet Hearts? I think him choosing a grey/shady character here is a good thing, and helps him break as much as he can from that OG flower boy image.
Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:37 PM
@soulsearch12, I but that he treats people really well! From what I've seen in various places, he seems to be a pretty kind, sociable guy.
I don't know much about his oeuvre. It does seem like he hasn't had much work since Scarlet Hearts</I (which, everybody tells me, was horrid). He had Lawless Lawyer, although I'm in no position to say whether that's a good show or not. One thing I've heard (I think he himself has said this) is that he's not considered handsome in Korean; I imagine this affects some of the projects he's offered.
soulsearch12
August 12, 2020 at 2:39 AM
@smaltwalt I find actor career talks so fun! He is the original flower boy icon, so he is perceived more as a pretty boy. However, because of the famous/hit film The King and The Clown, its sorta been both a blessing and hindrance to him, as he's been trying to break free from that image he has had when he was younger. His eyes are unique and he has a certain charm to him.
However, his projects since Scarlet Hearts (Not talking quality wise but star/buzz wise) have been under the radar in terms of buzz/critical acclaim. I remember my friend came across a pic of him a few months ago and was like "What happened to this guy? Is he still working? Which is crazy because back in the mid 00s to late 10s, he was a pretty big star.
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:03 AM
Heesung definitely cares for Jiwon. And she is fast! I also marveled at her speed while chasing him, I bet we'll see that skill if hers more often in the drama
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:37 AM
Like Beverly mentioned above, I really like how they're depicting Jiwon in a way that truly shows that she went through training. So many dramas have just forgone that making their FL weak or slow or unperceptive, so I'm glad this one is truly showcasing her skills.
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Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 8:11 AM
That chase scene..I was getting phantom sympathetic stitches for both of our leads as they went like flashing through the village. It's a good thing there wasn't any traffic on the road😂
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 10:00 AM
Hahaha honestly! I got tired just watching them!
peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 12:48 AM
I'm actually most impressed by his resolve to not let her know who he is during the fight by keeping absolutly silent during all of their struggles and espescially when she kicked him in the nuts.
I don't think many men would endure that silently even if their secret identity was at risk of being exposed.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:39 AM
I did not know who I was rooting for during that scene because I really wanted Jiwon to figure it out but at the same time I wanted Heesung to live till another day.
It's Lee Joongi/Hyunsoo, his resolve is definitely unmatched LOL
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:07 PM
What I'm hoping for is that Ji-won will find out but will trust Hyun-soo. I want for her to be the first person not to condemn him.
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Junie Bug
August 12, 2020 at 9:28 AM
That would be such a powerful scene. I have a feeling we'll get something like that and it'll go with the image of Hyunsoo being a mistreated/misunderstood guy.
cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:41 AM
Lol right? He was impressively silent during that scene.
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:05 PM
I winced and mentally though that Ji-won would probably regret that cheap shot if they decide to have another kid later.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 11:25 PM
Oh my heck that's hilarious ㅠㅠ
2 Eazal
August 10, 2020 at 10:20 PM
Wow, I didn't expect the truth (as HeeSung being HyunSoo) revealed so soon, but here we go. JiWon must know already, there's no other explanation.
We were introduced this week to HaeSoo and what we learned makes me believe even more that it was her the one who killed the man back in their young days. She feels guilty about what happened, and is still protecting her little brother.
It's amazing how many copycats can be to the real murders. I don't think they can use this again, so I guess we are going into the investigation of the original murders. I mean, is really DMS dead? We've been told he committed suicide, but... was the body found and was recognizable? Is he still alive? Will he come back? This idea just came to mind while writing this.
Still a bit disappointed HS is not a real psycho, though *sighs*
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Junie Bug
August 10, 2020 at 10:33 PM
I have to agree with your last point. The show could've set up something like that perfectly and I would've loved it, but at this point their plot points are going in a completely different direction and it really is disappointing.
You bring up a really good point about DMS. What we know right now is what everyone knows as the supposed truth, however, there is so many details in the case that haven't been shared that makes it hard to trust anything we know, especially about the fate of DMS.
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:11 PM
I feel like I would've been very sad if Hyun-soo was a serial killer with this set-up.
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jillian
August 10, 2020 at 10:43 PM
I was actually prepared for LJK to be a full psycho serial killer. I dont mind the romance angle but want to see LJK tackle such a dark role. But alas, we get this misunderstood character who has a lot to hide.
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:15 PM
Agreed, a morally ambiguous or a morally complex character would have been interesting. I still think he should try it. He'd probably do a good job. But I can't say I'm disappointed with this route.
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drabea
January 17, 2021 at 7:02 PM
Maq loves Crystal Sugar stewed with Snow Pear, " a morally ambiguous or a morally complex character would have been interesting."
<- Have you watched I REMEMBER YOU, with Park Bo Gum doing a brilliant job as such a character?
The recaps and Beanie comments are essential to getting the most from the complicated story.
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Maq
January 17, 2021 at 8:33 PM
No, I haven't watched I Remember You, although it is on my list!
Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:32 AM
See what you mean: he's definitely not a psycho, just had really bad parents (like, er... 90% of Dramaland inhabitants?), so this drama will probably not be very original. Anyway, I'm kind of happy, because I can't really swoon over a serial killer (Joe in You very much creeped me out) and I'm super into Heesung and Jiwon together... As antagonists and as a couple
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:13 PM
This one million percent. I feel like the set up with Ji-won and Eun-ha would result in conflicted feelings if Hyun-soo were a serial killer. It would still probably be compelling and might even be a better drama as a whole, but I think I would still be a bit miffed.
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peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 12:56 AM
I think he does have Antisocial Personality Disorder... making him technically a sociopath I think. I hope the show sticks with this because it gives more dimensions to HS.
But I don't think he is a murderer... yet. I also am somewhat disapointed by that, but like many of you I don't think I could be crushing on LJG in good conscience if he was in fact a serial killer.
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:18 PM
Agreed with all of this. I think this will still end up being a good drama, even without LJG being a serial killer.
I feel like I've had crushed on serial killers in K-dramas before, as completely scary and repellent as that may seem. I really liked Psychopath Diary and I found PSH attractive in that role (although he was an atypical serial killer to be sure).
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Kafiyah Bello
August 11, 2020 at 5:41 AM
I'm not really all that disappointed most tv programs don't do psychopaths well, I can think of exactly three examples. Alice from Luther, Hannibal lector from Hannibal, and Joe from You. (As a lead character, I've never seen The Fall but i heard that was good too) I only liked 2 of the 3 shows. You was awful and the FL was a bland moron, soo, I didn't bother with season 2, haha. So this is fine with me because I have yet to see a proper psychopath in a kdrama.
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Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:03 AM
Alice in Luther was a total psycho, lunatic and anything you want to call her.
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Kafiyah Bello
August 11, 2020 at 8:27 AM
I loved her, lol, she was just so very very awful. Ruth Wilson was a revelation.
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amara
August 14, 2020 at 3:45 PM
man i thought she ruined the series so bad lmao and i fucking love s1 of that show but
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 7:03 AM
FL in You was totally infuriating 😂
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peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 7:26 AM
The first two seasons of The Fall were a masterpiece the third not so much. ML was a seriously hot serial killer... I felt kinda guilty for liking him. But the story was top-notch.
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Jushi
August 11, 2020 at 8:38 AM
When I first read the synopsis of this show, the first thing that came to mind actually was The Fall. Its first season was exceptionally well made. 2 and 3 were okay. But the whole cast was really good.
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:23 PM
I liked the first season of Hannibal, but I didn't like the rest.
I think there are movie villains whom I would consider good examples of psychopathy. The Joker in The Dark Knight is a great, though trite, example. Same with Sir Anthony Hopkins' version of Hannibal Lector.
And if we widen the aperture enough, I think there are some animated characters who are okay psychopaths. The anime Monster, for example, has a really compelling and scary psychopathic killer.
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soulsearch12
August 12, 2020 at 2:55 AM
First season of You was surprisedly quite good. I thought it would be a background watch, but I got so invested that I finished S1 in one night :O Meanwhile S2, I got up to Ep 4 or 5 and stopped. It got too up its own head, and Joe was more annoying than ever. That being said, I love seeing the commenters here in this thread allude to other Western shows too. Sometimes, you need some grit that Western shows have to combat the melodrama of K-dramas. It defitnely adds more to the convo when viewing or commenting on these forums with other tv shows from other countries!
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:11 PM
I definitely think Ji-won knows or has a strong intuition. There have been too many circumstantial hints: the soup, the raincoat, the watch straps, etc. I think she's a bit like the wife of the adulterous lawyer. She knows something's up, but she doesn't want for her good life to crumble.
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3 jillian
August 10, 2020 at 10:37 PM
I like that you compared Ji Won and DMS to the angel/devil to Hee Sung's conscience. The way I look at it, JW may be right that HS really like her without realizing it. His actions during that tussle show that he genuinely cares for his wife so there is hope to their relationship. We just need to uncover the mystery of the serial killings, the coma!heesung, his fake parents, his father and estrangement with his real sister. I also wonder about the content of that video that HS got from MJ's apartment. It must be really big to put MJ in line.
Plus LJK is really rocking the tough guy elfin look.
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cozybooks
August 10, 2020 at 10:41 PM
Mmm that's true, there's also the contents on the video! I'm glad there's still a lot that's really shrouded in mystery going on, it keeps me invested
PS LJG is the best tough elf I've seen on the small screen. Also the best looking vampire, too.
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Diana Hansen
August 11, 2020 at 7:27 AM
LJG is a very good actor to make me believe in his character while staring at that handsome face!
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:33 AM
Mwahahahahaha right? I'm actually really impressed by his control over facial expressions, since we get to watch him slowly mimicking the video. I tried doing that and following along this last episode, it was hard!!
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4 YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
August 10, 2020 at 10:38 PM
"I’m wearing new clothes, new shoes, and I spent an hour styling my hair."
This prompted a fresh barrage of thoughts in my head.
So many questions.
How long did HMM style his hair? Would that rain cause his hair colour to run? Would it mean that he has to shampoo his rain-dampened hair? What shampoo does he use? Is it a clean, fresh, citrusy scent? Or is it mysterious and musky, sparking even more questions? Does he use a hair conditioner? Does it come on its own, in a bottle? Or is it a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner blend? Did he snip his own hair? How did he cut his hair? With a razor blade? Scissors? Or that hammer that he's always brandishing but never ever uses? How does he muffle his voice on the balcony so his wife who's barely a few feet away, can't hear him, but I, the befuddled viewer, can, loud and clear? And why am I obsessed with these little details when there's so much more going on? Like pushing your wife so hard she falls? Fleeing from her into the dark? Fetching your kid from your mum-in-law with a stolen shirt AND a gaping wound which probably needs to be stitched? That is, if you manage to get away from a psycho taxi driver who's out to kill you?
Like I said. So. Many. Questions.
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Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:05 AM
It didn't understand why she had to mention the hair.
I could understand she talked about the new shoes, because the rain my ruin them... but her hair? And... really? One hour just to get her hair like that? C'mon!
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5 cozybooks
August 10, 2020 at 10:39 PM
Great episode, great recap! I loved the moment when HS said why he was with Ji-Won--that when she's nearby, his father can't show up. It seems like the perfect balance for his character, that seems to feel things to some extent but is largely ruled by what is beneficial to him.
I have to admit I swooned a little bit too when he ran to cover her from all the falling tools.
And, finally, I'm also SO curious where the show will head now, since it seems like we know who the second "copycat" killer is, and we're fairly certain HS isn't a serial killer... I still really want to know more about JW past, maybe there's something there?
OH MY HECK or maybe the real Hee-Sung is a serial killer, and when he wakes up bad things will happen!! That'd make sense with the "twin brother" part of the plot, too!
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:28 PM
I also found it swoony when he seemed to genuinely become disturbed by his daughter's crying. He feels things!
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6 cozybooks
August 10, 2020 at 10:46 PM
Ah! Quick comment about the necklace conversation in the car--if I'm remembering right didn't Moo-Jin say "it was something her boyfriend gave to her, why? I took it back" implying that he was her boyfriend and that's why he's upset HS tossed it out?
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jillian
August 10, 2020 at 11:12 PM
I think it was implied that MJ dated his sister as shown by the numerous videos he has of her or with her.
Two more episodes this week. Hopefully it answers some of our questions and not throw more mysteries at us.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:50 AM
Ah, I looked up the scene again, but didn't reply here I replied down below, sorry!
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:19 AM
It looks like MJ dated Haesoo, he even calls Hyunsoo brother in law in one of the videos, and he's not over her, by the look on his face when HS tosses the necklace... The video seems to be pretty compromising (my bet is that MJ found out about Dad's murders and said nothing to protect his friends). I'm really enjoying HS and MJ's reluctant collaboration, they really know each other, and it's super funny to see how they push each others buttons (HS's face at MJ's plan, he!)
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YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
August 11, 2020 at 12:38 AM
That's the thing I don't understand. If MJ was in love with Hae soo, why was he bullying her brother?
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:47 AM
I don't know. In the videos, they seem to be friends. Maybe he bullied him to save himself from village suspicions? Maybe HS was bullied for his whole life for being a weirdo and MJ was friendly with him in private and an a**hole in public? Too soon to know, I guess
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peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 1:08 AM
I think it was peer pressure that made him bully HS after everybody found out that his dad was a serial murderer. Peer Pressure is a strong force that can sway even good people.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:54 AM
True... and if their personalities were so different it's possible he also didn't like HS so much anyway.
Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:07 AM
Maybe it was before he dated HeeSoo?
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:47 AM
Ok, I just looked up the scene, he said, 'is that really hers? I bought it for her, and when we broke up I took it back". So he was definitely her boyfriend at some point (well, I guess since they use the word break up to meet just going different ways as well so it could still be vague).
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7 Kris vty
August 10, 2020 at 10:55 PM
My theory: the real serial killing has something to do with the original comatose Baek Heesung. Otherwise, why would his parents take in Hyun soo?
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jillian
August 10, 2020 at 11:13 PM
hmmm interesting. So the serial killing ended with him being comatosed instead of DMS' death.
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peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 1:12 AM
I don't think the timeline checks out. If I remember correctly HS was working for quite a while (a few months?) at that chinese restaurant and that car crash happend at the end after which for whatever reason his fake parents decided to make him a fake HS.
So the killings stopped long before they needed a fake HS.
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Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:08 AM
Exactly, he had been running for years before he took BHS's place. My bet is that BHS was the one driving the car that caused the accident or was somehow involved in it.
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Jushi
August 11, 2020 at 9:08 AM
It was on the third year after he left home. Same theory; that it might be Hee Sung who accidentally hit him. The question however is why is he the one in the coma. Unless they didn't show (yet) that the car swerved. Haha! Also, there's something suspicious about him being a math genius. Overachiever Hee Sung sort of reminded me of Sky Castle and the cray cray tutor.
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8 soulsearch12
August 10, 2020 at 11:04 PM
I have been enjoying the show thus far, fast paced with the plot moving along quite well. However, ep 5 and 6 will say a lot about what lies ahead. I hope that it is able to balance out the melodrama with his wife/child, and the scary/eerie stuff with his mental game he has with his dead dad/himself. If the show veers too much into the melodrama, then I will be disappointed.
Hee-sung may not be flat out evil, but he is not a saint either. He locked up his high school friend for days, (he did feed him) but still, something is off with him. I would put him in the anti-hero category for now, as I am still anti iffy on where his allegiances lie. My only hope is the show centers on him as much as they can, or if they do the cases that it'll be a parallel to his struggle/main character.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:47 AM
I definitely agree with your first point. The family aspect is interesting in and of itself but the Heesung/Hyunsoo's background and the story of his father, the original case, and his sister is what's keeping me here. There's so much they play around with and I really hope they execute it well.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 9:57 AM
Agreed, I don't think he's a saint either... he's added traffic violations and resisting arrest/assaulting a cop to his list of crimes this week ahahahaha
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Maq
August 11, 2020 at 11:31 PM
And stealing clothing!
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9 DrakorFIlm
August 11, 2020 at 12:09 AM
I think I have to watch this drama
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10 Lyra64
August 11, 2020 at 12:13 AM
Really great ep. So intense.
I'm not sure the English subtitle was correct, but hee-sung said on the moo-Jin car: "she had to stay by my side, my father is afraid about her".
I was really interested by the 'afraid'.
I don't know why but I thought it's not the smile and happiness of Ji won who banished the ghost.
But her really dark part on her who can afraid the scary gosht dad. And it's kind of scary and really interesting if it's the case.
But maybe I'm wrong.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:04 AM
Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, the viki subtitles are really accurate on that part, that he absolutely needs her, that his father is scared of her, and if she's by him then his dad can't get close/come near.
I could see it easily going down the route of "she's too pure, so he doesn't stay" but I agree it would be way cool/interesting and imo make more sense if it was because his dad ghost was actually scared of her like she had a worst past.
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11 panshel
August 11, 2020 at 12:24 AM
So much for recognizing him even from his shadow. After Hee-sung's Spider-Man on the building yesterday, I feel every episode will have a close call between husband and wife. But now with his watch found in the warehouse, Ji-won would be "taking the blue pill" like the wife in our first case if she doesn't start suspecting Hee-sung. He doesn't even have an alibi since Mom and Eun-ha video called him. Ji-won calls Hee-sung "oppa," but she's really the same age as his noona, and she was already shocked when she found out Moo-jin was one year younger than her.
Our frenemies continue to be my favorite, and I'm glad Hee-sung has Moo-jin on his side. I expected the good news to be Moo-jin successfully sabotaged the sketch. Did Moo-jin unintentionally help Do Min-seok commit murder? I was freaking out when Hee-sung watched his facial expressions video in the taxi. Psychopath alert. Since his birthday dinner, I suspected Hee-sung's parents to not be his parents, but my theory was they were actors like a con when Dad said they're all in the same boat. Mom seems to genuinely like Hee-sung (Hyun-soo) apologizing for slapping him and inviting him to eat with them at their house.
Thanks much for the recap, @TeriYaki!
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Fly Colours
August 11, 2020 at 12:39 AM
I think Mom is his real mom, who went on to marry ComaHeesung's Dad after PsychoDad disappeared (he may be alive somewhere, who knows?)... ComaHeesung is probably a bit older than Jiwon, so when HS took up his identity and met her, she started calling him Oppa although in reality he's a bit younger
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Eazal
August 11, 2020 at 6:11 AM
Oh, I like this one!
Mum is mum... interesting.
If Psychodad is not dead, that would be very interesting.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 7:42 AM
I thought they mentioned that his real mom was killed by Psychodad? That she was one of his last victims before supposedly committing suicide?
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panshel
August 11, 2020 at 8:51 AM
In Episode 1, Moo-jin told Ji-won and Ho-joon that the bones of Do Min-seok's wife were found in the mountains like his seven victims. But since all his victims have been identified, chances are Mom is still an unsolved case.
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Junie Bug
August 11, 2020 at 10:03 AM
Ohhh, makes sense! Thanks for the clarification :)
panshel
August 11, 2020 at 9:15 AM
So your theory is Hyun-soo and Hee-sung are stepbrothers?
Hee-sung was born in 1982.
Hae-soo and Ji-won were born in 1984.
Hyun-soo and Moo-jin were born in 1985.
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Vespertyne29
August 12, 2020 at 1:33 PM
I saw a "family tree" of all the characters, their ages, and their relationships, and Baek Hee-sung is listed as being 39 (and that's the birthday that was just celebrated), while Do Hyun-soo is 36, as is Moo-jin, and Ji-won is a year older, at 37.
But Hyun-soo's sister, Hae-soo, is listed as being 37. For some reason, I first thought there was a reference to her as Hyun-soo's twin sister. But then it seems that either Hyun-soo or Hae-soo referred to her as being his older sister. So I'm not sure about that one. The chart I saw seems to be an "official" character chart, but I'm not sure where it was generated.
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peachnita
August 11, 2020 at 1:20 AM
Oh, I didn't catch the age thingy... although they've made several hints to it in hindsight. Like her checking his ID and commenting that he looks young for his age.
It might also be a joke with LJG looking still mid-20s when he is actually 38...
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:07 AM
Literally. Does the man not age? I'm dead. He's like Ji-Sung, who also looks WAY young for his age.
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Vespertyne29
August 12, 2020 at 2:03 PM
It's been amazing to me, watching this year's "come back" dramas, with the guys who returned from their 2 years of military service in late 2019 or early 2020. Almost all of them look exactly the same age as they did 2 years ago - and some of them look the same as they did 5 or 6 years ago, or even better! The ones I particularly noticed as looking as handsome, or even more handsome, and young as ever are Lee Min-ho, Kim Soo-hyun and now Lee Joon-gi. (I also have to add that it's rare that I like bleached blond hair on Asian men, but on Lee Joon-gi, it was super sexy! And that blond, elfin style hair cut suits his quirky, fey beauty).
JCW looked a bit older, but he's not as handsome to me as he was when he filmed Healer and the K2, and less so - although still very nice looking - in recent photos. Jung Il-woo, who is a favorite of mine, looks the same age, but his face -which has always been roundish - looks fuller/heavier. I wonder if he takes any type of medication for his brain aneurysm that might cause swelling/water retention?
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sargevee
August 14, 2020 at 12:40 PM
I will add Yoon Shi Yoon to that list. I know hes been back for a while and hes been looking so fine since.
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12 Anon
August 11, 2020 at 12:34 AM
Yeesss. This is the ep that got me hooked on this show. I seem to be in the minority here (okay, maybe I'm alone, lol) but I wasn't really ready to jump into this drama without the assurance that the lead wasn't really serial killer. Because I wanted a lead I could root for/care about, and plus, the idea of female lead and the adorable baby having to face that kind of trauma was not what I was looking for at the moment.
As others have said, it's awesome how early Jiwon is onto the case, cause I'm looking forward to the hubby/wife teamup and for the development of emotional honesty in this relationship. Considering his condition, it'll be a tough ride, but that's the kind of good angst I'm down for.
And as an aside, how awesome is Lee Joon Gi here? I've been a fan since my college days (when he wore those crazy hairdos haha) and have seen many of his dramas, but as much as I enjoy watching him, I was always taken out of the action by his tendency to overact. He's always had such raw talent, and he's always been extremely charismatic, endearing and engaging onscreen, with moments of brilliance. But I always felt, if he could just dial it back sometimes, from 100 to maybe 75, he'd be consistently, really good.
And that's what he's doing here. This is the most mellow, mature and subtle performance I can recall seeing from him.
I think it's a combo of his age/experience, fact that the role calls for understatement, and the director (I don't love the technical direction, it's a little off-putting at times, but the acting direction is quite good. The director clearly knows what he wants from the actors and it seems to be subtlety and nuance above all else.)
For example, scene in ep 1 where MJ comes to the studio, and Heesung has his back turned was really moving. For a character who doesn't believe he shows emotion, his expression was so quietly devastated. You could feel his dread at the prospect of facing his past ( both generally, and in this specific person) and his distress and terror (tempered with bone deep resignation) at the prospect that the jig was up and he would finally lose his family...it was so subtle but so visceral, I rewound it several times. And that moment when he finally chokes MJ to sleep and you a flicker of panic, fear, and guilt in his eyes as the violence he committed sinks in. Just really, really good stuff.
Anyway, sorry to speil, but I went from very tentatively picking this up (after being spoiled for ep 3) to rather enjoying it.
Also, it looks like we're coming around to that opening scene where he's in the bathouse pool? I'm really wondering how Jiwon's going to react? Considering they've known each other for so long (14 years?) I'm sure she's had an inkling that something was off about him, though she might have attributed it to his bizarre "parents". Anyway, this week's installments should be pretty interesting...
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:12 AM
I was almost the same way about Hyun-Soo, I also really don't want for Ji-Won to have to pick up the pieces of her marriage if he's killed others. And Eun-Ha? She's so cute and idolizes her dad...
...and yet on the other hand I love the idea of him not being the nice man he pretends to be. So far, I feel like the show is playing that line so well.
I'm interested to see where things go after here, esp. since the voiceover at the time of the bathhouse scene seemed to imply she'd caught on to him by that point. So she might not think of him as a "victim" by then?
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Anon
August 11, 2020 at 1:09 PM
I feel the same way about that foreshadowing. There's no possible way Jiwon could believe him to be anyone other than Do Hyun-Soo after she tracks him down and rescues him from the taxi driver. The show has established that she's way too smart and detail oriented to make excuses. And if the narrative respects Jiwon as a character, she's going to figure it out and confront him, and hopefully, see through his lies.
I feel like, at that point, she'll want to get to the bottom of his history herself. She shouldn't be able to take his word for anything anymore. He'd have to put in some serious work to earn any semblance of trust, but I feel he might care enough about the relationship to do that work.
I totally feel you about Hyun-Soo's character toeing a line, because he clearly isn't a simple, "nice" man, and that's what makes the scenario interesting. But I think what's good about this story is it's showing that Hyun-Soo's behavior is on a spectrum, and there's a lot of space between being a straight up murderer, and being an innocent, nice person. At the moment, he's neither. Sure it looks like he's never actually committed murder (I also think he might have been covering for his sister), and he seems to be genuinely fearful of having his family taken away, but he lives behind a mask that he puts on to gain acceptance. And he lies, and manipulates constantly, and has serious issues with both his conscience and with empathy (which is true to his apparent Aspd). He's by no means the person he pretends be. But I appreciate the fact that the show is depicting him to be a seriously morally compromised person who's done some seriously messed up things without having to make him a murderer. What he's done is disturbing enough, but unlike serial murder, his sins leave plenty of room for growth and atonement. Especially if Jiwon refuses to take any more nonsense and holds him accountable for everything he's done. And if this is where we're headed, I'm really looking forward to that nuanced journey.
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Jushi
August 12, 2020 at 3:34 AM
In line with my sentiment which I've mentioned in the previous recap, what makes this show extra compelling (atleast for me) is that almost every single character in the story is grey. All of them are within the spectrum, so to speak, of good and evil. And all of them are moving within the spectrum as the story progresses. It's not just Hyun Su who's toeing the line actually, but almost everyone around him. And though his disability already makes him more susceptible to criminality, his normal counterparts are just as guilty.
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Anon
August 12, 2020 at 12:49 PM
Yeah, that's what gets me, especially about Moo-jin. He seems innocuous enough, but that flashback was absolutely horrific. Tying anyone (yet alone your girlfriend's brother) to a tree and stoning them is frighteningly pathological behavior. And the fact that he said it was just normal kid stuff? Um, no fam. There is nothing normal about that. Atm, nothing we've seen Hyun-soo do even comes close to that level of disturbing. So I'm really curious what kind of skeletons are in Moo-jin's closet (not literally, I hope, lol).
13 february
August 11, 2020 at 2:14 AM
I loveeee how the story is moving in a fast pace. From the preview i guess we'll get the opening scene from the first episode in the next one and i thought we'd only get to see them in the second half.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 6:31 PM
... I thought I'd commented on this earlier? Lol anyway, I'm also loving the fast pace, I get bogged down in slower paced dramas unless it's meant to be a humanizing slice of life piece.
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february
August 11, 2020 at 8:52 PM
For the plot to be unfolding this early in the series it only means there are more story and secret to be revealed and i'm looking forward to that 😁
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14 Jezz
August 11, 2020 at 2:29 AM
A sad ending in this episode. :(
I knew that everyone deserved to cry because in my opinion, it was being tagged as suspenseful couple so people might understand how evil flowers as saw as a title referred or discovered them. My prediction for the beginning of fifth episode is might be the saddest scene as same as end of episode four.
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15 february
August 11, 2020 at 2:51 AM
In the kakao interview with the cast LJG mentioned something about how the 4 leads have to deal with secret from their past. I am so looking forward to learn more about Jiwon backstory.
Also, when asked about the genre of the drama MCW said that it is 80:20 melodrama to thriller and i think her best roles so far are all in melodrama so yesss bring it on this i what i signed up for. I'm so invested in the story and we're only on episode 4.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:16 AM
Ohh, thanks for the 80:20 input! I don't mind melodrama if it's done well (Just Between Lovers, Smile Has Left Your Eyes) so if they go that route I'll still be happy--mostly because it hints that Ji-Won DOES have a dark secretive past to be delved into.
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16 Jezz
August 11, 2020 at 3:19 AM
One of my fave stars that supported on FOE was Song Hoon.
https://www.asianwiki.com/Song_Hoon_(actor)
He was now credited to most dramas than movies. In 2020, I counted 11 dramas he ever appeared.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:19 AM
Oh, he's cool!
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17 Ammu
August 11, 2020 at 6:01 AM
What a gripping episode!! There were moments when even though I thought Heesung likely wouldn't be caught, I still felt nervous. The last scene with him waiting for the taxi driver... I'm definitely nervous about that.
Again, I am really liking the intro scenes we get with Heesung and Jiwon's background story together, to learn more about them and also how they came together.
It's interesting that this drama takes the premise of a "pained past" and shows trauma in a really different way. We still don't know everything about Heesung yet but it's clear there was a lot of very painful trauma, isolation... which makes sense why trust is so difficult and he has to stay so vigilant.
I continue to be amazed and awed with Lee Junki's acting - when he was practicing those expressions and spoke to the restaurant owner's wife, he seemed like a completely different person!! And yet you could see how much he practiced to portray that persona to her. Really eager (and nervous) for the episodes this week! Thank you for the recap!
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18 Lixie
August 11, 2020 at 7:12 AM
Are there any theories about his ignorance of human expressions? These past weeks eps showed he is no psycho or sociopath, he is not even narcissistic! He's the almost that basic cold hero with a dark past at this moment. I'm not really complaining though, if drama won't have a real psycho it's better to not pretend he is one which is why the emotions things is still a bit weird.
I also enjoy the reporter and HS together but I thought they became frenemies too quickly, drama has a more realistic setting and most people would not go from being kidnapped and believing the kidnapper is about to kill them to having such easy conversations with same person.
I get distracted by silly things in this show. The pretty lipstick LJK is always wearing, it would be so funny if his wife made a comment about this, the fact he is so skinny but we have to believe he tosses the reporter around, or the fact the scenes from their past were so endearing.
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sorrynotsorry
August 11, 2020 at 7:56 AM
Whether he has a personality disorder or just processes emotions differently, we don't know. I think the drama is going to go toward the wife wondering if he really does love her or is he just faking it to fake having a normal life.
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haze
August 11, 2020 at 9:12 AM
A lot of people think he has antisocial personality disorder but if you look up its symptoms, he actually does not meet any of them. An antisocial is often violent and hostile, without care for others, impulsive, lack of empathy etc. Heesong does not display any of this. If he performed any violence, that's acting out of defense. The closest personality disorder to his character would be a Schizoid Personality Disorder "Schizoid personality disorder is one of many personality disorders. It can cause individuals to seem distant and emotionless, rarely engaging in social situations or pursuing relationships with other people." OR he could just be a traumatized individual with a lot of emotional, physical and mental scars.
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Lixie
August 11, 2020 at 10:03 AM
Yes, he can't have this anymore, it doesn't match his behavior. The first episodes made it seem possible, taunted us with that but third and fourth ep completely changed the way his character acted, showing emotions and even concern for somewhat distant people. The question about the expression of emotions is mostly because a violent past would not change the way he understands them.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 10:26 AM
seriously. Interesting, since the show seems to peg him as anti-social personality disorder, but I agree he's shown concern for his daughter hearing things, protecting his wife from physical danger, you could also interpret his poking holes in MJ's plan to get the picture as partial concern for the old woman.
re: Schizoid Personality Disorder sounds interesting, I wonder if it could be classified as a kind of anti-social personality disorder. Off to research!
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Lixie
August 11, 2020 at 2:17 PM
I think after these eps show is going much more toward a person dealing with a traumatic past, he seems to be afraid of his father's ghost and he's reluctant to physically hurt others. A psycho doesn't have to want to kill anyone but being directly attacked by the roommate and having enough self-control and or moral conscience to hold himself back? It's unlikely, I also think he was showing a bit of concern for the fake mother and she even slapped him, what he felt wasn't just indifference or amusement and no anger. What psycho would do that? Where is the arrogance and lack of empathy? No, that psycho thing was just a tease.
Ashes2Ashes
August 11, 2020 at 7:01 PM
Yeah this was one of the reasons I was weary after EP 3. He very clearly showed signs of trauma when the father character appeared to egg him on for the kill when he had SK pegged down.he seemed to recoil from the apparition and the act of violence. Also in the past scenes with JW, he appeared more shocked than stoic when she confessed. The opening scenes in EP 4 with them in the past again shows him as more of a tsundere with a scarred past than a ASP sufferer. Someone who's scared to feel would be more accurate than someone who doesn't process emotions at this point. But then he does use those videos to coach himself. May be he doesn't trust his emotions and actions thanks to daddy dearest's coaching and thinks he needs to seem more 'real' to pass? 🤷
Lixie
August 11, 2020 at 7:15 PM
@ashes2ashes
Yes, those were also on my mind, he really had a lot of small emotional responses on ep 3 and 4 that would not fit the classic psychopath and sociopath anymore. Maybe drama will backtrack but these last eps seemed to say he only has some kind trouble in his past.
haze
August 11, 2020 at 10:29 AM
He could have counseling and slowly heal his trauma to be able to really "feel." He understands the emotions that's why he "practices" them. He just doesn't genuinely feel it yet or he has not examined himself closely to recognize or acknowledge the "feeling" because he is so caught up with the identity he is consciously maintaining. In the beginning, he is concerned the most of keeping his role as a father and a husband but when he steps back and look at himself, he will be able to "feel."
My other theory in his lack of "feeling" is because of guilt if he indeed committed something bad in the past (not necessarily killing) or it could also be guilt for being the son of a murderer. It is not uncommon for children to bear the guilt for their parents' sins. He probably thought that he should be the one to atone for his father's sins. With this in mind, having to "feel" like love or happiness serves a redemption for him, but he doesn't think he deserves them.
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cozybooks
August 11, 2020 at 6:34 PM
I had another thought--he seems to have worked really hard on overcoming some of his troubles with empathy and emotion. Is it possible that Anti-Social Personality Disorder was his original diagnosis like the show says and we're just seeing the result of his hard work over the years to get away from some of those symptoms? Things like being impulsive and violent. From what other characters have said, he was a lot more prone to "payback" and things like that when he was younger. I think it's possible that he DID have that diagnosis, but is working hard on changing himself.
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Lixie
August 11, 2020 at 6:54 PM
I don't think if he really had this he would be able to have so many detailed emotions for people like the roommate and the fake mother, at least, that's what the 'rules' about them seem to say.
sargevee
August 14, 2020 at 9:12 PM
Im also curious as to whar condition he has since i dont think hes a psychopath or a sociopath. We can clearly see he cares for his family. Ive been reading up a condition called alexythimia where people are unable to recognize their emotions. Think this could be what theyre going for here.
In totally uooked on the story and cant wait for our OTP to be working together eventually (which I can sense is where theyre headed)
cozybooks
August 15, 2020 at 1:29 AM
@sargevee aaah I'd love it if they ended up working together, I think they'd make even more of a power couple if she knew and could accept it and then they could work to protect their daughter and clear his name and it would be so nice. No sad endings, please!!