Red Swan: Episodes 5-6

by starrygazer

This week’s episodes went off with a bang. Quite literally! Our lead couple are definitely leaning on each other more… and becoming dangerously close, in more ways than one. It’s also becoming a little clearer who will be friend or foe when things finally come to a head. Meanwhile, I’m just here for the drama and general over-the-topness that is making this a really enjoyable watch.

 
EPISODES 5-6

Last week our show ended on a cliffhanger, with Wan-soo screaming when she goes into her mum’s cell, and Do-yoon running in to see what had happened. Wan-soo has a lot of resentment towards Mum, so she is shocked when her mum genuinely apologizes to her. It’s difficult for Wan-soo to see her in this situation and I think this surprises her. Wan-soo’s mum suddenly passes away, and that cliffhanger scream was from a very distressed Wan-soo.

Back in the lair of the Grand Palace, Wan-soo is summoned by Chairwoman Park. Chairwoman Park says she’s sorry about Wan-soo’s mum’s passing. However, Chairwoman Park follows this by demanding Wan-soo not attend her mother’s funeral. Instead Wan-soo is ordered to go with her to a meeting to “grease the wheels” with the Chinese ambassador for Chairwoman Park’s deal to go through. Wan-soo is so heartbroken she politely declines, telling Chairwoman Park she needs to say goodbye properly. Chairwoman Park is a nasty piece of work, which we already know, and goes on to threaten Wan-soo. Chairwoman Park suggests she could lock up Wan-soo and no one would ever know, or indeed Wan-soo’s brother… Yikes! That’s cold.

Wan-soo knows she has to play this little game and dutifully goes to the meeting, missing her mother’s funeral. In a rare moment of vulnerability, when she returns, Wan-soo decides to take her mother’s ashes and ask Do-yoon if he can take her somewhere. Do-yoon readily takes her, and they go radio silent – turning off their phones and the car’s GPS tracker. This throws the security team into disarray and Yong-kook is going berserk because they can’t locate Wan-soo.

In a touching scene, our lead couple have gone back to Wan-soo’s childhood home and she says her goodbye to her mum. Wan-soo also explains to Do-yoon that her son died — she just doesn’t like to acknowledge it, which is why Wan-soo tells people her son is in Switzerland. Do-yoon has this very calm and in control demeanor as a bodyguard, but he decides to comfort Wan-soo, which she allows. Once our lead couple are in each other’s arms, Do-yoon encourages Wan-soo to cry, saying it will make her heart ache less. This scene really hit me in the feels; our couple has great chemistry. This touching moment is marred slightly, however, by some hidden figure taking sneaky photos of them.

Circling back to the Grand Palace, upon their return Wan-soo and Do-yoon are met with a very upset Yong-kook. Yong-kook proceeds to insult Do-yoon by asking where he was with his wife and then punching Do-yoon. (The rich people in this show are pretty scary.) Chairwoman Park is looking at the secret photos taken of Wan-soo and Do-yoon earlier – I am not surprised it was her who gave the order at all. Chairwoman Park orders Mr. Park to do whatever Wan-soo tells him to with regards to Do-yoon’s employment, as Chairwoman Park is convinced Wan-soo will protect him, even though Yoon-kook demanded Do-yoon’s dismissal.

In an hilarious turn of events, Yong-kook enters and is slapped quite a few times by Chairwoman Park — not hard enough if you ask me. Chairwoman Park bellows at him for insinuating Wan-soo was having an affair when she is grieving, just because that’s what Yong-kook does doesn’t mean that’s the way Wan-soo behaves too. Now that did surprise me. Chairwoman Park explains to him that Wan-soo is holding the foundation hostage as it hides all of their “dirty laundry” (i.e., slush funds). If Wan-soo divorces him and exposes everything, Yong-kook will lose his inheritance and his management rights. Chairwoman Park is quite chilling when she tells him the only way to get Wan-soo out of the family is through death. At first Chairwoman Park didn’t want Wan-soo and Yong-kook to get divorced, then she did, and now she wants to kill Wan-soo. Make your mind up, woman!

Meanwhile, Wan-soo turns up at Do-yoon’s room and they have a very charged exchange. Do-yoon asks her to be “his woman” (oh my!), and to stop putting herself in danger. Wan-soo’s reaction to this is to ask Do-yoon to be “her man” instead because she needs him. He wants to know why she needs him, but Wan-soo says she’ll explain later, and she needs to fully trust him first. Do-yoon wants to know why she is doing this: is it for money, fame, or vanity? Wan-soo sincerely says she wants to help children in poverty because they remind her of herself — she couldn’t care less about anything else. Our heroine really is admirable trying to hold on to such pure intentions while living in this pit of vipers.

In a stroke of bad timing, Mr. Park knocks on the door and Do-yoon’s initial reaction is to hide Wan-soo, so he’s shocked when she invites Mr. Park in. This is definitely a smarter way to play this situation — after all they weren’t doing anything wrong. Mr. Park asks why Wan-soo is there and she tells him she received another threat from ISIS. She explains she can’t trust new faces, so he is not to swap Do-yoon for other security personnel. (Well played Wan-soo!)

After excusing herself, Wan-soo hears Mr. Park start yelling at Do-yoon for not telling him (at least) where they were going. Do-yoon is outraged, telling Mr. Park he is a human being before a bodyguard, and Wan-soo was needed to be able to grieve. Do-yoon is furious now, asking if this corrupt family has corrupted Mr. Park too? Mr. Park seems taken back by this and thaws his anger, asking Do-yoon if he’s okay and suggests he stays out of Yong-kook’s sight for a while. The more I see of Mr. Park, the more I get the feeling he’s more of a concerned father figure, not a bad guy. Mr. Park keeps warning Do-yoon to go back to the police and quit this job and it feels more protective than posturing.

In an effort to shake things up, Do-yoon heads out to the local gambling den run by the Eight Star Gang. Do-yoon gives the excuse of meeting the boss and says he is from Hwa-in, but makes his face known to the security camera in the hopes of getting a rise out of Mr. Park. As expected, Mr. Park later calls Do-yoon to his office and asks him what he was doing going to the gambling den. Do-yoon is as honest as ever, asking Mr. Park if he ordered Ju-hyuk’s death. Do-yoon tells him he saw him in Manila at the gang’s headquarters with a bag full of cash.

Do-yoon proceeds to ask Mr. Park about Chairman Kim’s death, as that is what Ju-hyuk was investigating before he died. Mr. Park is affronted that Do-yoon thinks he had anything to do with Ju-hyuk’s death, explaining he was running money laundering errands for Yong-kook and that Chairman Kim died during “intercourse” so Mr. Park helped cover it up. (Talk about a bomb shell!) Do-yoon asks how Mr. Park knows that’s what the bag of money was for… which is a very good point. Mr. Park looks like this thought never even entered his head, and I have a suspicion he will be devastated if he was unintentionally instrumental in Ju-hyuk’s death.

Also stirring things up, Wan-soo decides to shoot a makeup commercial to tank Chairwoman Park’s business deal, which goes down like a lead balloon! Yong-min (Yong-kook’s brother) and his venomous wife are at the Grand Palace to complain about the ad — and the sister-in-law is Yong-kook’s ex-fiancée by the way! Gasps! This whole exchange is really interesting because you see Yong-kook defend Wan-soo, and I believe he does have some level of affection for her. In the next strange turn of events, Chairwoman Park acts as mediator between Wan-soo and Yong-min + wife, and these are sides we haven’t really seen from either character before.

This week we get some insight on Mr. Han, too, who seems to be the “fixer” for the family… and Chairwoman Park’s longtime bit on the side. Yikes. He has different loyalities, and is pushing for Yong-min to take over the NOW Foundation. Yong-min doesn’t want to spend his life laundering money for his brother to inherit everything – a little bit of the green-eyed monster appearing here.

When Mr. Han informs Chairwoman Park that Yong-kook is laundering money through some dangerous people to make his own slush funds, she doesn’t seem bothered by this at all. Chairwoman Park’s priorities are all over the place. Her character boils down to selfishness and greed but I doubt she’s actually smart enough to implement some of the scheming that is going on.

After prodding a few bears, Wan-soo is being driven by her security detail when drones start attacking her car. Thankfully, Do-yoon is driving and manages to masterfully dodge quite a few of them. Unfortunately, whilst distracted by a drone above them, a second drone goes underneath the car and blows it up. Their car rolls and lands on its head. Do-yoon gets out and frantically pulls Wan-soo from the wreckage. Cut to: Do-yoon carrying her off in his arms when the car explodes, firing shrapnel into Do-yoon’s back (The K2, is that you?).

At the hospital, Do-yoon has surgery and survives — how? — I have no idea! Wan-soo wakes up and makes the mistake of asking Yong-kook how he is (meaning Do-yoon). Wan-soo quickly deflects and Yong-kook leaves and looks in on Do-yoon full of jealousy. LOL.

Do-yoon seems to be in luck here as the person who orchestrated the attack — the female security guard that he works with, LEE JIN (Jung Joo-yeon) — is creeping up on him ready to finish the job. Jin is stopped by Yong-kook’s arrival and she then notices the CCTV camera in Do-yoon’s room. She goes out to call whoever gave her the orders, saying the mission failed. (Do you have your suspicions on who this is? Because I certainly do!) Wan-soo goes to see Do-yoon before she leaves the hospital and they have another touching moment where they hold each other and she declares that she trusts him completely. (Rightfully so.)

Do-yoon is soon discharged from hospital, and this man must have superhuman healing, because there were some huge pieces of metal protruding from his back and he’s walking around like it was nothing. Anyway, he returns to the Grand Palace and Mr. Park goes to check on him. Do-yoon is begging Mr. Park to help him with the case and Mr. Park tells him to leave and go back to the police — he doesn’t want to lose Do-yoon too, bless him. Mr. Park does tell Do-yoon he has made another drop at the gambling den. It seems Mr. Park is now questioning exactly what it is he’s being asked to do.

Still trying to get some leverage over the situation, Wan-soo asks Do-yoon to go into Mr. Han’s quarters and retrieve the ledgers for the NOW Foundation, containing the evidence of the slush funds. Wan-soo had asked her brother, but he didn’t want to get involved, telling her if anything gets exposed both of them will end up in jail as patsies.

Do-yoon has to jump through a few hoops to get the ledgers, but he does, and immediately takes them to Wan-soo’s office. Just then, the prosecutors barge in with their big blue boxes, a search and seizure warrant, and a warrant for her brother’s arrest for embezzlement. Mr. Han, you sly old fox, his plan must have always been to set up Wan-soo’s brother if the ledgers ever got taken. Can’t wait to see the shockers coming our way next week.

 
RELATED POSTS

• Premiere Watch: Red Swan
• Kim Haneul and Rain fight for a better world in Red Swan
• News bites: June 23, 2024
• Rain becomes Kim Haneul’s bodyguard in Red Swan
• News bites: June 13, 2024
• Rain stands by Kim Haneul in Disney+’s Red Swan
• News bites: June 10, 2024
• News bites: June 4, 2024
• News bites: May 27, 2023