Blind: Episodes 5-6

by mistyisles

On the run and desperate, our detective is about to learn exactly who he can — and can’t — count on in his time of need. As the murders multiply, so do the potential murderers, so he’s going to need all the help he can get just to stay alive, let alone gather evidence.

 
EPISODES 5-6

Sung-joon has managed to escape Moon-kang, but he’s barely staying upright at this point. He drags himself to a payphone and tries to call his partner, who doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have many other options, but he does have Eun-ki’s business card — and her promise of help any time as thanks for saving her life.

Despite having seen the news, Eun-ki answers his call and goes to find him. By the time she arrives, Sung-joon has hidden under a nearby tarp, nearly unconscious from the blood loss. But as she helps him into her van, a car approaches — Moon-kang. Thinking fast, Eun-ki hides Sung-joon out of the way and pretends to be drunk and waiting on a designated driver. It works, and Moon-kang leaves annoyed but none the wiser.

Eun-ki takes Sung-joon back to the children’s center where she’s been staying since the hostage incident and tends to his wounds (though she does tie him down just to be on the safe side). Once he finally wakes up and orients himself, he borrows her phone to read the news.

Only then does he realize just how much he’s being accused of — and how many people have died. Worst and most puzzling is that Man-chun’s son was also killed. Sung-joon had found him face-down in the tub and resuscitated him just before the other detective arrived on the scene.

For now, however, Sung-joon is safe. Eun-ki has hidden him in the storage building, and as long as he stays inside and out of sight, he should be fine. Except, of course, that the van Eun-ki drove had the name of the center painted on it, and Moon-kang is too careful not to investigate. But Eun-ki bluffs her way through just enough to convince him to leave again.

While all this unfolds, we finally get some important confirmations. Sung-joon is indeed Yoon-jae, though he doesn’t seem to remember much, if anything, about Hope Welfare. And while there could still be a twist in store, it’s probably pretty safe at this point to say Sung-joon is not the Joker Killer (thank goodness!).

As for the great Hope Welfare escape, we learn two more important details: 1) #11 appears to have been Yoon-jae’s actual older brother, and 2) #7 sold them out to Mad Dog in exchange for his own release. Hence the tragic failure of their plan.

Now that Eun-ki has a little more information at her disposal, she suggests they reach out to Sung-hoon for help. Sung-joon figures it’s pointless, given Sung-hoon’s unrelenting principles, but he agrees to try. Eun-ki sneaks a note to Sung-hoon… and he hands it right over to the detectives.

But it’s all a ruse. Sung-hoon knows the only way to pull this off is to fool even Sung-joon, so he lets the detectives set up a trap for Sung-joon to walk right into. But aw, a few of the detectives, including Sung-joon’s partner, are in on Sung-hoon’s plan, and they help Sung-joon evade capture.

Sung-joon is devastated, until Eun-ki meets him back at the children’s center with Sung-hoon in tow. With tears in his eyes, Sung-joon jumps up to hug him (aww). But Sung-hoon clarifies that he’s only in this to catch the true culprit — and he’s still not 100% convinced it isn’t Sung-joon.

So Sung-joon starts winning him over with evidence. That fingernail (which he found near the crime scene, phew) may have the killer’s DNA on it, and he already turned it in for testing. There’s also an audio file of Man-chun’s conversation with the killer, which is currently in Moon-kang’s possession.

Sung-joon goes to Moon-kang’s house to search for the file. Unfortunately, Moon-kang catches him, but Sung-joon escapes again by a hair. Even more unfortunately, someone else has already swiped — and burned — the USB with the file. In the wake of yet another failure, Moon-kang snaps, taking his rage out on his poor wife and, ultimately, accidentally killing her.

Meanwhile, Soon-gil, still angry over a road rage incident the night of the trail, has been stalking one of the troubled teens Eun-ki’s working with. He finally gets her in his taxi and drives her out to the woods to murder her (!). The girl calls Eun-ki for help, and Eun-ki rallies the police. When Eun-ki finds her, she’s badly beaten, but still alive.

From the girl’s description, they’re able to pinpoint Soon-gil. But a shadowy figure — #7, all grown up — gets to him first. Sung-joon finds Soon-gil’s front door open and Soon-gil dead inside. He also finds Soon-gil’s phone hidden away to record the whole thing.

While Sung-hoon mulls over the recording, Sung-joon sneaks back to Soon-gil’s house and walks through the murder based on audio cues. Something feels off, though, until Sung-hoon has a burst of inspiration and calls to suggest Sung-joon match the sound going downstairs. As he does, he finds himself shuffling unevenly. The killer has a limp. And so did one of the jurors.

I have to say, this was my favorite pair of episodes Blind has given us yet. Sung-joon and Eun-ki make a fabulous team, even more so when you add Sung-hoon’s straight-lacedness into the mix, and their quieter scenes added some much-needed levity to all the murdering. Plus, I’m a sucker for a wrongly accused fugitive.

Even though Sung-joon started the episode with almost no one to turn to, it was sweet seeing just how many people had his back by the end, from his fellow officers (minus one) to the mortician to the restaurant ajumma.

While Sung-hoon isn’t totally off my suspect list just yet, I do think he cares more about his little brother than he lets on. He was definitely affected when Sung-joon described his kidnapping and torture, and he did come through in some big ways when Sung-joon needed him.

And now I’m a little bit in love with this investigative trio (the scene where Sung-hoon supplied Sung-joon with everything from handcuffs to a motorcycle and Sung-joon just looked so proud was my favorite of the week!), so I’ll be almost as devastated as Sung-joon himself if Sung-hoon does turn out to be a killer.

Anyway, Sung-hoon isn’t the only suspicious character of the bunch. There is, of course, our limping juror, who very well could be #7 (though I’ll be surprised if he’s also the Joker Killer himself). And there’s also one juror who keeps flying under the radar and yet always seems to be present: the young office worker who was conveniently late to the gathering the night of Soon-gil’s murder.

Something about him felt a bit too perfectly charming from the very start, and his convenient but not totally verifiable excuses are starting to pile up. But he seems to have taken an interest in Eun-ki, so if his stories do start showing holes, I imagine she’ll be the first to notice.

 
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