Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

8 November 24, 2023November 24, 2023

by mistyisles

As our vigilante hero and his not-quite-allies are slowly learning, the well of corruption runs deep. Exposing the truth, bringing evil to justice, and staying alive while doing it is beginning to look like an impossible task — but let’s be real, none of these people chose their path because it was easy.

EPISODES 5-6

Turns out, the girl who gave Ji-yong an alibi has no idea who Kang-ok is. In fact, she assumed Ji-yong was the one who hired her for the gig. When Kang-ok calls, Ji-yong says he’s not interested in meeting today after all — but he knows Kang-ok has cloned his phone, so he’ll reconsider if Kang-ok sends him a clone of Heon’s phone in exchange. Kang-ok feels the need to ask if Ji-yong plans on killing both Heon and him, but despite Ji-yong’s noncommittal answer, he does as requested.

Meanwhile, Mi-ryeo’s investigation takes her and a fellow reporter to a storage container filled with cryptocurrency servers. Before they can do much poking around, however, they’re discovered, and the other reporter ultimately sacrifices himself so Mi-ryeo can get away. By the time she returns with the police, the container — servers, murdered reporter, and all — has been cleared out.

Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

Fortunately, Mi-ryeo got some footage of the servers. She airs the whole story, linking those servers to the evil, pig-keeping CHAIRMAN KIM SAM-DOO (Yoon Kyung-ho). She and her boss get chewed out for it (Chairman Kim has friends in very high places), but Mi-ryeo isn’t backing down. Not even after an attempted kidnapping and a warning from Heon, who rescues her just in time.

The attempted kidnapper doesn’t have much information to spill, but Heon strong-arms a few names out of him, along with a hideout location. And by “hideout” I really mean “corpse disposal headquarters.” Yep, this is where Chairman Kim keeps his pigs! Heon is, of course, wildly outnumbered, but he quickly takes the henchmen down and then parks himself in a chair to wait for more police to arrive. The next day, news outlet report the discovery and shutdown of a “Vigilante Murder Factory,” home base for the Vigilante — who was actually, according to Heon’s investigative team, an entire organization. Case closed.

Except not, because Ji-yong isn’t pleased to have been written out of the story. So while tracking down and stealing some of Chairman Kim’s top-secret ledgers, he also kills one of Chairman Kim’s minions — a serial rapist — and leaves behind the same bloody message he left at the scene of his first officially publicized Vigilante kill. Mi-ryeo cheers, Kang-ok beams with pride, and Heon seeks Ji-yong out for another, more explicit (and physical) confrontation.

At first, Ji-yong speaks from the shadows, pointing out that the law protects the wrong people (criminals instead of their victims) and asking if it’s wrong of him to save innocent lives by unlawfully punishing repeat offenders. Heon lets him vent, but though he admits he understands Ji-yong’s feelings as a fellow human, his allegiance is to his duty as a police officer — which means he’s obligated to label Ji-yong a traitor for challenging the justice system.

The verbal fight comes to blows, and skilled as Ji-yong may be, he’s no match for Heon’s strength. After beating Ji-yong to the ground, Heon wraps his hands around Ji-yong’s throat and tells him to die… but symbolically. He wants to “kill” the Vigilante here, and for Ji-yong to join him as an officer of the law. Ji-yong, however, stands by what he considers to be his calling. But if Heon can show him that justice exists under the law, he’ll put the Vigilante to rest.

In the aftermath of all this, both Heon and Mi-ryeo are forced to step down from their positions. With some help from Kang-ok (at Ji-yong’s request), Mi-ryeo sets up her own independent news station, “V News,” dedicated to the pursuit of truth at any cost. “We’re all Vigilantes,” she says of anyone who listens and helps bring the truth to light, and adds pointedly that she will never commit suicide — so if she dies, it’s murder.

Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

While preparing to take down his next target, Ji-yong spots Kang-ok stalking him and gives chase. Again, Kang-ok begs to join forces. This time, Ji-yong agrees, but makes him unmask first as a show of good faith. Then they sit down to plan together.

The target this time is fraudulent PASTOR SHIN JONG-UN (Seung Eui-yeol), who handles Chairman Kim’s money to be used for bribing politicians. Ji-yong plans to kill Pastor Shin, inciting attention and outrage, and then follow up with evidence against Chairman Kim himself once it’s too sensational to be swept under the rug. Kang-ok frets that this plan will only get Ji-yong killed, but Ji-yong figures fighting to expose this level of corruption isn’t a bad way to go.

So Ji-yong attacks Pastor Shin in his own sanctuary. Pastor Shin tries to bargain for his life by asking what Ji-yong wants, to which Ji-yong’s reply is simple: “An uprising.” He wants the weak and victimized to see what he’s done and be emboldened to defend themselves.

Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

Kang-ok delivers the evidence Ji-yong gathered about Pastor Shin’s crimes to Mi-ryeo so she can ensure it doesn’t just get buried. But her next broadcast is cut short by none other than Heon, who berates her for making things worse — not to mention endangering herself — for the sake of views and ratings. Mi-ryeo, of course, doesn’t agree about the “making things worse” part, but putting her life in danger is a risk she’s more than willing to make.

Throughout these episodes, Heon has been tracking down the man who killed Mi-ryeo’s fellow reporter. Now, as Heon leaves Mi-ryeo’s office, that man finds him. He’s as quick as Heon is strong — plus he’s got a gigantic strongman of his own — and soon Heon slumps against the wall, bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Just before his assailants finish him off, however, they’re driven away… by Ji-yong.

Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

In the first episode, when Ji-yong killed his mother’s murderer, I wondered who the “big bad” of the series would turn out to be, and now I think we have our answer. Chairman Kim, who has even the president of Police University in his pocket, is the epitome of Ji-yong’s preferred targets: repeat offenders who slither out of consequences while their victims continue to suffer. It’s no wonder everyone from Ji-yong to Mi-ryeo to Heon are ending up uniting against him in their own ways.

And that, interestingly enough, makes Kang-ok the odd man out. Sure, he’s helping Ji-yong plot against Chairman Kim, but I get the impression he’s only doing it for Ji-yong. Whether that’s because he’s more closely linked to Chairman Kim than he lets on or because he simply doesn’t care, I suppose we’ll find out next week.

Still, interesting as Kang-ok is, I’m most invested in the dynamic between Ji-yong and Heon. Heon may feel like both an unstoppable force and an immovable object at times, but Ji-yong’s words seemed to get under his skin, and his frustration — with the corruption in the force, with Ji-yong turning to vigilantism, and perhaps with himself — was palpable. I genuinely hope Ji-yong rescued him in time, because I’d love to see them officially joining forces at last, even (especially?) if it’s from opposite sides of the law.

Vigilante: Episodes 5-6

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1 jerrykuvira

November 25, 2023 at 1:40 AM

I love love Mi-ryeo's(Kim So-jin) hair. It's been a while an unnatural hair color complemented an actor's looks in my books.

Heon decoding Ji-yong alt-identity was quick. And all these alliances - holy or unholy, grudging or willing - are a fun to see unfold.

And can I say I have no issues with kicking crime's butt either with the law or vigilantism. In both cases, the pursuit is justice. Again, in both cases, we have people who take advantage of the medium to pursue their own selfish interests. Both can be and actually are overridden by selfserving individuals who are out for their selfish interests alone. So I can't really say saying the law is imperfect in this regard absolves it from that fact. Which is why I hope this drama proves to be one that makes a different social commentary on the matter.

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2 Kafiyah Bello

November 25, 2023 at 3:15 AM

I am glad we now know Ji Yong doesn't care if he gets caught. His ultimate goal is to show the law is deliberately imperfect and that he is simply correcting that. The recklessness with which he shows his face makes sense, he has nothing to lose and is willing to die for that. He on seems to want to protect him and prevent him from dying, so their dynamic should be interesting moving forward.

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3 minnie

November 25, 2023 at 5:17 AM

Why are the main characters so darn full of themselves and unlikeable?

Ji-yong is a student with barely any life experience. He did not study law or has actually worked as a cop. So where does he get his superior knowledge about the flaws of the legal system? Because he helps his professor part-time to develop an app? And what makes Ji-yong think he is the chosen one to be above the law and "correct" any wrongdoings?

Mi-ryeo considers herself the epitome of courage, although she consistently depends on/feeds off others (first on the murdered reporter to save her, then Kang-ok to give her a studio, and then on Jeon to chase away the killers, etc.). The scene where she shrugs off the murder of her colleague and compares it to the PD accepting fancy dinner invitations as bribes: what a psychopath she is.

Kang-Ok is smart, rich, has computer skills, is trained like an MMA-fighter and makes sure he is wearing a mask so as not to be recognised by random witnesses - and needs Ji-yong exactly for what? Unless this turns into a BL-drama at some point, I do not get the reason for Kang-Ok's fanboying over Ji-yong.

This is one of the dramas I cannot stop watching right now as I am asking myself how such a load of crap will end.

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Too cynical for my own good.

November 25, 2023 at 6:40 PM

Well in my opinion, the righteousness works for Jiyong as a young inexperienced person with a traumatizing upbringing. Youth and righteousness usually go hand-in-hand after all. And the "chosen one" part is simple, he was the only one doing it at first, then it started a "movement", so he thinks he should keep doing it.

As for Kangok, he needs motivation to actual use his skills. Dude clearly is a loose cannon and only in it for the thrill, judging up to now.

Mi-ryeo has always been that way since the start, she was set up deliberately gray. Realistically, what alone can she do, she needs financial support, and a reporter having multiple connections and sources doesnt cancel out from her courage. Whether her courage came from ambition to be a righteous reporter or a star reporter, that remains to be seen.

Overall the characters are decently complex and actually is pretty reality-aligned. The show did well in creating this heightened world imo.

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minnie

November 26, 2023 at 12:22 PM

I agree when it comes to the self-righteousness of young people (I guess we have all been there, *cough, cough*).

Going on to kill people is another dimension entirely (and not at all as easy as television would like us to believe). Another point: the crimes of the perpetrators the Vigilante punished so far do not carry the death penalty or life in prison even if the maximum sentence is applied.

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4 aicaramba

November 25, 2023 at 6:38 AM

I'm enjoying how Ji Yong is written to be similar to a psychopath, at least how they're portrayed in popular media (I'm no psychologist)
-no sense of self-preservation
-escalating severity of crime
-seems to get satisfaction out of what he does
-proud and territorial of his work
-keeps a social facade
-violent (obviously)
-thinks he's so smart and won't get caught
-lacks conscience, blames his victims and believes they deserve his punishment

While there are signs of empathy with his victim's victims, what seems to drive him to kill is his desire to be the hero, and not really wanting to help the victims.

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5 jillian

November 25, 2023 at 12:44 PM

I like the possibility of Heon and Ji Yong teaming up. As amusing Kang Ok's fanboying of Ji Yong is, I get the feeling that their partneship may not last. Kang Ok is a loose cannon and possibly a psychopath. Kang Ok may negatively influence Ji Yong. If Ji Yong ends up teaming with Heon, Kang Ok may get jealous and turn against Ji Yong in the end. I feel that Heon is a better choice though, if their goals in correcting the system will align. I hope Heon survives the attack so that possibility can happen.

I am not sure what to feel about Mi Ryeo. She is reckless, ambitious and complicit to the crimes of the vigilante. She has questionable moral compass and only driven by the ratings game.

I messed up in identifying the actor playing Chairman Kim, I thought it was the older LJH. Its actually Yoon Kyung Ho. He seems to be a nice guy irl based on the scenes in Unexpected Business S3.

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6 Britney

November 25, 2023 at 3:57 PM

I have mixed feelings and I don't know how to explain it because on the one hand, I look forward to this show each week and it's engaging and entertaining to watch. The characters are good and tough and I think people WOULD want people like them to exist (to some extent). The other hand is I feel like something is missing but I don't know what it is. I guess sometimes it really does feel like a comic but I was expecting more realism? Like I was expecting/assuming the monster cop was gonna set up someone else, maybe Ji Yong's classmate/roommate (cause seriously what was with all the looks and lingering shots last week then?!) but I was not expecting them to try to play off the pig using corrupt business guy and his organization as the vigilante. That doesn't even make sense to me! Especially when the real vigilante was very easily able to disprove they were related to that.

I honestly don't know cause as I was writing that, I realized setting up the roommate would defeat the purpose since he's also a young, upright handsome man haha.

I seem to always like the confrontations between Ji Yong and Heon the most. They both bring valid points (which is so messed up, disheartening, and sad on their own. Sigh). It's a frustrating situation.

I'm not sure if the reporter really has true journalistic integrity or if she's driven by views & ratings. Maybe it's both; I mean two things can exist at the same time.

I still don't trust the fanboy.