Fly Dragon: Episode 3

by lovepark

Though their fees are low, our heroes still dream big as they tackle a case that could cause quite the uproar. Those in power made a mess of the world, and now it’s time for someone to force them to take responsibility for their actions. Whether our lead lawyer and reporter are up for the challenge, we’ll have to wait and see since they’re a bit busy quarreling with each other at the moment.

 
EPISODE 3 RECAP

Tae-yong and Sam-soo scream in righteous fury until Yoo-kyung puts the brakes on their shouting match. To make sure everyone is on the same page, she gives a quick recap of their situation. Mayor Kang contracted Daeseok Law Firm to handle all of Seoul’s legal matters, and Prosecutor Jang acts as the bridge between these two entities. Since the mayor’s son-in-law (aka, Prosecutor Jang) botched the Samjung case, the guilty party manipulating things behind the scenes is none other than Mayor Kang.

While Tae-yong applauds Yoo-kyung for her deduction skills, Sam-soo questions him about the law firm offer. Tae-yong tells them about the new position as their center director, and Sam-soo calls the lawyer a cheater for abandoning him. Glancing at Yoo-kyung, Tae-yong yells back that he wasn’t going to accept it.

They stop their fight as soon as Yoo-kyung scolds them for squabbling, and Tae-yong changes the topic to Myung-hee’s case. Yoo-kyung perks up at the name since she investigated the story as well, and Tae-yong jumps at the chance for a connection and invites her to the trial.

The day of Myung-hee’s trial arrives, and in court, the prosecutor recounts the night’s event, forcing Myung-hee to relive that scarring moment. The first witness on the stand is a cellmate from the detention center who testifies about Myung-hee sleeping all day. The prosecutor argues that this is the behavior of an unrepentant criminal, but Tae-yong offers another interpretation.

Unlike most situations, Tae-yong points out that the assailant and victims of domestic abuse live in the same place. In Myung-hee’s case, the attacks occurred at night, which meant for the first time in a long while, she was able to sleep without being hit. Tae-yong tells the jury that this is a common occurrence among abuse victims, and Myung-hee silently cries as she hears his explanation.

The next witness is the grandmother, and she tells the court that her son was very violent. She blames herself for not stopping him sooner and ruining her granddaughter’s life. For her final plea, Grandmother tells the jury that she still remembers a chick she killed when she was a teenager, so how much more will her granddaughter suffer because of this memory.

Myung-hee takes the stand last, and the prosecutor asks if she couldn’t have deescalated the situation. She says that she wasn’t thinking and got caught up in the moment. Seeing her father’s back reminded her of the times he used to beat her mother, and her testimony makes Sam-soo recall his own childhood trauma.

Instead of questioning, Tae-yong allows Myung-hee to share her last piece, and she tells the court of the time she was bullied for being poor. Her dad saved her and bought her new clothes, and that memory still plagues her—despite all his wrongdoings, she sometimes misses him.

For his closing argument, Tae-yong tells the jury that never once in South Korean history has the victim of abuse been acquitted on account of self-defense. He appeals to the fact that Myung-hee is a minor and female. He understands that overturning the precedent is difficult, but if we only follow the past, the world will never change.

Even after Tae-yong’s heartfelt speech, the jury rules her guilty and sentences her to two years in prison. Tae-yong apologizes to Myung-hee, but she thanks him for the explanation about her drowsiness since she was racked with guilt over it. From the audience, Sam-soo sighs since he feels indebted to Tae-yong after seeing him work so diligently for just an apple.

As they leave the court, Yoo-kyung offers to drive and praises Tae-yong for his defense, describing him as a drama character. She asks if he learned all this stuff in law school, and Sam-soo laughs since Tae-yong only graduated from high school. Clearing his throat, Tae-yong explains his principles to a good defense irrespective of education, and Sam-soo snores loudly in the back seat.

In his office, Tae-yong smiles while remembering Yoo-kyung, but his mood sours when he receives a message from Partner Kim. He hesitates over his decision as his family’s needs flash before his eyes, but he finally texts back his refusal. Partner Kim shares the response with Mayor Kang who is displeased with the outcome and threatens to annul the contract with the firm.

Having kept his end of the bargain, Tae-yong makes Sam-soo keep his promise to help and forces him to attend the big announcement of his new retrial. Though Tae-yong boasts about a large showing, only one reporter actually comes: Yoo-kyung.

Tae-yong hands his clients placards with his name front and center, and he begins his press release for the audience of one. The clients get turns to talk as well, and they loudly proclaim their innocence into the microphone. In an attempt to raise morale, Yoo-kyung ushers them to pose for pictures and makes Sam-soo join. Despite his initial reluctance, he smiles the brightest for the pictures.

After reading Yoo-kyung’s article, Tae-yong calls one of the clients, Choi Jae-pil, and takes him to the dentist to get dental implants. Since Tae-yong has a trial, he calls Sam-soo to escort Jae-pil and his wife back to the station, and Sam-soo obliges in spite of his grumblings.

Since Jae-pil’s wife is pregnant, Sam-soo suggests taking a taxi, but the couple scolds him for squandering money. Going beyond Tae-yong’s request, Sam-soo accompanies the couple on the train, and he uses this time to interview Jae-pil.

He asks about his parents who are both disabled and learns that they died while he was imprisoned. Flashing back, Jae-pil pleaded with Prosecutor Jang to let him go since he needed to look after his parents, and hearing him cry, Prosecutor Jang noted in the case file that he seemed a bit “stupid.”

Sam-soo looks over his notes and nearly curses out the prosecutor until he catches the couple staring at him curiously. He laughs it off, and the couple chuckles along, even though they don’t know why. As Sam-soo drops them off at their house, Jae-pil hands him a bag of his wife’s favorite snack as thanks, and Sam-soo takes it gratefully.

On his walk back, Sam-soo answers a call from CEO Moon who berates him for refusing his offer. Hearing him ramble, Sam-soo asks if he’s quoting The Godfather and guesses his ex-boss never finished the movie. He shares another message from the film: people who fight for money can never defeat those who fight for themselves.

Now that Sam-soo has been “paid” for his services, he can’t back down, so he tags along with Tae-yong to meet Ms. Choi, the victim from the Samjung case. Ms. Choi tells them about the day the robbers broke in and how they killed the grandmother.

Tae-yong asks about the money that was reported stolen, but Ms. Choi tells him that she actually found the missing sum outside her house, which the real robbers dropped during their escape. However, when she found the money, the detectives in charge called her and said the criminals were caught… along with the money. Ms. Choi was skeptical about the claim, but the detectives stopped her from coming in to verify their identities.

Tae-yong asks when she knew the real culprits weren’t caught, and she tells them that a year after the innocent boys were arrested, a prosecutor in Busan called her. Back in 2014, Prosecutor HWANG MIN-KYUNG (Ahn Shi-ha) apprehended the real murders of the Sam-jung case, and with her steely gaze, she managed to get the last assailant to confess.

While she recorded their conversation, Prosecutor Jang barged into the room and released the men. Luckily, Prosecutor Hwang was smart enough to hide the recorder, but she was powerless to stop the injustice before her eyes. In the end, she entrusted the recording to Ms. Choi in hopes for a future when they could right this wrong.

Sam-soo asks Ms. Choi if she would be willing to meet the clients, but she doesn’t have the courage to face them. When asked about the rest of her family, she tells them that she got divorced and separated from her child because of her PTSD.

On their way home, Tae-yong guilt-trips Sam-soo about losing the precious recording and offers to forgive him if he introduces him to a philanthropist. Sam-soo yells his frustrations into the air and barks at the lawyer to stop pestering him.

Even at this late hour, Tae-yong returns to work, but he suddenly gets a call from Soo-chul, the de facto leader of three clients. He’s been arrested, and Tae-yong promises to come down first thing tomorrow. He calls Sam-soo to update him on their plans, and Sam-soo complains about the workload to Jin-shil. She wishes him luck, but Sam-soo wonders if that’s all she can give him.

Early next morning, Jin-shil gets a text, and she yells at Sam-soo to leave because her father is visiting. He grabs his things and rushes out just as her father arrives. Quick on his feet, Sam-soo pretends to be a delivery person, but his guise doesn’t cover the fact that a pair of his shoes are still in her house.

Tae-yong finds Sam-soo waiting outside the police station, and they run inside to meet with Soo-chul and Detective Jung Hae-yeol. Tae-yong recognizes the name as one of the officers in charge of the Samjung case, so he hides the fact that Sam-soo is a reporter.

Soo-chul is charged for assault and property damage, and Detective Jung shows them the CCTV footage of Soo-chul’s mother destroying watermelons at a supermarket. When an employee pushed her and called her crazy, Soo-chul attacked the man. After bystanders pulled him off, the scene reminded him of his childhood, and Soo-chul fled.

Sam-soo asks if the detective knows Soo-chul since he speaks so informally (read: rudely) to him, and Detective Jung says that they go way back. Chief Oh Jae-soo walks in, and Tae-yong recognizes his name as well from the Samjung case. Chief Oh calls for a press conference, and Tae-yong jumps into action, sending Sam-soo to the supermarket to settle with the victim while he manages things here.

Playing the role of legal assistant, Sam-soo apologizes to the supermarket employee and compensates him for the injury and losses. The costs net Sam-soo 1,500,000 won (approximately $1,300), which leaves him with less than a third of that in his account. At the station, Tae-yong blocks the reporters from entering and shares a tip about an entertainment agency drug case instead.

Once Soo-chul is released, Tae-yong treats him and his mother to a meal. Soo-chul explains that his mother has schizophrenia, and ever since he went to jail, she gets angry at watermelons. Afterwards, Tae-yong and Sam-soo follow the family to their house and are shocked by the poor state of things, but to Soo-chul, this has always been home.

Before they leave, Soo-chul tells them that when he was little, he would run away with his sisters whenever their father would get violent. While they hid, he would steal a watermelon from the fields to eat, and he credits his speed to all that running.

His story still doesn’t explain his mother’s anger towards watermelons, so he shares the rest of his tale. He stole 30,000 won (roughly $27) from a watermelon truck, and because of that incident, he got caught by Detective Jung who then blamed him for the Samjung case.

Sam-soo can’t believe he got framed over such a paltry sum and wonders why this wasn’t recorded in the police case file. Soo-chul glumly tells them that they didn’t write down anything he said—the police didn’t care about the truth. After hearing about his hardships, Tae-yong offers to lend Soo-chul money so that he can move to a better place.

During the drive back, Sam-soo disapproves of Tae-yong overstepping his boundaries since his clients need to be self-sufficient, but Tae-yong argues that even he isn’t well-off despite passing the bar exam. He explains how these retrials take years, and Sam-soo balks when he hears that the last one took five years. Tae-yong claims to have informed Sam-soo of this detail, but the latter insists that he didn’t.

Tae-yong and Sam-soo sit down to discuss their future plan, but of course, it all boils down to the same goal: getting a philanthropist. After their unproductive meeting, Sam-soo goes home to Jin-shil and asks how things went with her father. He suggests introducing himself to her family, but he doesn’t even have enough money to pay his half of their living expense let alone get married.

When Tae-yong comes home, his younger sister asks about his new job since their landlord wants to raise the rent or deposit. She wonders if they have to move again or use her savings, but Tae-yong assures her that he’s got it all covered.

Back at Jin-shil’s place, she finds Sam-soo texting a female at this late hour, and her hint of jealousy makes him giddy. He proclaims that he only chases after the “truth” (jinshil in Korean), and any doubts of infidelity are flung out the window as Yoo-kyung texts Sam-soo back that his request for 500,000 won (approximately $450) sounds depressing. Yoo-kyung then messages Tae-yong, worried about her senior, but Tae-yong tells her not to worry.

Having exhausted his resources, Sam-soo drops by a bath house and turns to his mom for money. She tells him to wait in her room while she finishes up work, but Sam-soo can’t open the door and crouches outside, instead. After Mom hands him the money, she asks why he was fired, but Sam-soo runs away before having to answer.

Also in need of money, Tae-yong meets with the dentist from before who offers the lawyer 20,000,000 won (approximately $18,000). Tae-yong thanks him for the generous amount, but it comes with a price: the dentist wants him to sue twenty people, including his in-laws. Pfft.

Tae-yong meets with Partner Kim about the settlement for the Samjung case, and the lawyer tells him that they would be reimbursed on two conditions: give up the retrial and stop publicizing the case. Tae-yong asks if Mayor Kang is behind the offer, but Partner Kim doesn’t answer. Once Tae-yong leaves, Partner Kim notifies the mayor, certain that the case will be settled.

While Sam-soo accompanies Tae-yong to the bank, he sees the latter’s account which is in the negative. Thus, Sam-soo can’t help but be critical of the lawyer as he shows Soo-chul to his new apartment and brags about having good credit.

At a café, Sam-soo asks how much the other side offered him, which results in roughly a million dollars to Soo-chul and $700k to the others. The amount is a clear attempt from their enemies to stop them, and Sam-soo accuses Tae-yong of wanting to settle. However, Tae-yong claims that winning the retrial benefits him the most.

When the clients join them, Tae-yong mentions how long these retrials take and informs them of the settlement offer. Once he shares the actual amount, their jaws drop. After their meeting, Sam-soo eats ice cream outside a convenience store with Tae-yong and sighs over the fact that the clients accepted the deal in a heartbeat.

Sam-soo asks how much Tae-yong made from the settlement, and Tae-yong asks if it would be alright for him to accept the money. As they get up to part ways, Prosecutor Jang calls Sam-soo, and Tae-yong remembers the last time he saw the call and gives him the evil eye. Meanwhile, Sam-soo hears from Prosecutor Jang about Tae-yong getting offered a large fee for mediating the settlement, and now both men are glaring at each other, convinced of the other side’s betrayal.

 
COMMENTS

The crux of this episode seems to be about the idea of self-sufficiency in a broken world. Sam-soo scolds Tae-yong for coddling his clients, but Tae-yong explains how even after passing the bar exam, he still can’t support himself. He goes on to explain that people from much better backgrounds are struggling as well, but in their cases, they have family to help them. However, for the Samjung case men and our two leads, none of them have that luxury. The show reveals the pervasive nature of poverty, and the generational impact it has. One’s upbringing may not predetermine the future, but it clearly has a strong influence on the direction one’s life can take. Of the three men, this episode focused on leader Soo-chul and loud but earnest Jae-pil.

Soo-chul made a mistake, no doubt, but the consequences of his actions were overblown and unjust. Ever since his childhood, Soo-chul was only taught to run and hide from his problems, and it’s this lack of social skills that led to his arrest. Detective Jung apprehended the young man solely on the basis of him running away, and ultimately, bad luck and poor timing ruined Soo-chul’s life. In his case, the show depicts how the judicial system disproportionately harms the poor and sheds light on the corruptness of multiple, intertwined institutions. As for Jae-pil, through him we see the rampant ableism of society as people like Prosecutor Jang immediately look down on him because of his intellectual disability and ignore his cries as incoherent ramblings. The show also highlights how foolish it is to blame the poor for their circumstances. Poverty isn’t always the direct result of a person’s actions nor is it reflective of their intelligence. However, when the dominant narrative is about “self-sufficiency,” it becomes easier to blame victims for their situations and overlook their plight. Jae-pil and his wife may have disabilities, but they seem like diligent people who are frugal with their money and have a positive approach to life. Like Soo-chul, bad luck has plagued Jae-pil and put him in this situation, and the entities that should have protected him, failed him instead.

While the clients offer a view of what happens to the poor when they meet unfair circumstances, Tae-yong and Sam-soo are examples of the opposite—the rags-to-riches or “dragon from the brook” (as the show title alludes to) cases. Both of them came from humble backgrounds to achieve modest success, but even their stories aren’t grand tales of overcoming one’s station in life. In fact, Tae-yong and Sam-soo struggle (one is broke while the other is unemployed), and while it’s not overtly stated, either of our leads could have just as easily ended up as one of the clients if things played out differently. This is also why Tae-yong and Sam-soo are able to go above and beyond their call of duty for these complete strangers because their stories don’t feel so different from their own. They realize that life isn’t fair, and while their compassion may come from a mix of pity and empathy, it fuels them to right the wrongs they see in the world, starting with the Samjung case. Alas, Tae-yong and Sam-soo have barely known each other, and as a result, neither of them really trusts the other quite yet. At times, they sync up so perfectly, tackling their problems like a well-oiled machine by dividing and conquering, but they’re also always on edge, expecting the other party to betray them like everyone else. In all honesty, their distrust makes sense (note: In the last recap, I mistakenly thought the car scene was Tae-yong’s phone, but it was actually Sam-soo’s phone. My bad!), and life has taught them not to lean on others for support. However, I doubt petty squabbles among themselves will lead them to victory, so they better learn how to trust.

For the most part, the show is lighthearted and entertaining, but since the drama is based on real events and life histories, it makes sense that not everything ends in rainbows and roses. It seems that Myung-hee’s case has come to a close since it fulfilled its part in the story. First, it introduced our characters (Sam-soo and Yoo-kyung) and helped bridge the leads together before they tackled their main case. Second, it added a certain solemnity to the tone of the show and splashed a dose of reality to what seemed like a larger-than-life character. I was unaware of the history of abuse victim cases in South Korea, but after hearing that, I still expected a magical ending for our young middle school student even if it was unrealistic. However, the show chose Tae-yong to lose because the world doesn’t change that easily. While Yoo-kyung was impressed with his defense and called him a drama lead, even in this world of fiction, not everything is possible. Be that as it may, Tae-yong made history once before, and I’m sure this time, he can do it again, especially with Sam-soo at his side to catch him a nice philanthropist.

RELATED POSTS

• Fighting the odds, Bae Sung-woo and Kwon Sang-woo pair up in legal comedy Fly Dragon
• Premiere Watch: Kairos, Penthouse, Fly Dragon
• Kwon Sang-woo, Bae Sung-woo fight corruption in Fly From Rags to Riches
• Script Reading for SBS’s Fly From Rags to Riches with Kwon Sang-woo, Bae Sung-woo, and Jung Woong-in
• Kwon Sang-woo, Bae Sung-woo form partnership for Fly From Rags to Riches