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Black Out: Episode 9

In the wake of a new tragedy, everyone scrambles to find someone to blame. The good news is that decade-old lies are being exposed one by one; the bad news is that each truth unearthed reveals yet another person complicit in the horrible events that were once blamed on our poor protagonist. But the best news? He’s not alone anymore, and his new ally isn’t one to let any criminal, no matter how well-defended, off the hook.

 
EPISODE 9

Thanks to Chief Hyun’s selfishness, Geon-oh is dead, and his suicide note (plus a partial confession that Chief Hyun throttles out of Byung-mu) reveals a few more crucial keys to the puzzle. Geon-oh had returned to the warehouse just after Byung-mu and Min-soo assaulted Bo-young. In his panic over realizing what his “friends” had just done, he’d startled her. She fled down the stairs, tripped, and hit her head. When Geon-oh tried to call for help, the other two stopped him. They were all interrupted by a fourth person, but we don’t get to see that part just yet — though we do get a few more clues sprinkled throughout the episode. Not least of which is that Chief Hyun made an appearance at the warehouse sometime during that night’s events, and that Geon-oh’s note urges him to tell the truth for once.

While Chief Hyun stews on the tragic consequences of his choices, Na-kyeom tells Bo-young’s parents about Byung-mu and Min-soo. Interestingly, she tells them that evidence was found to convict both men of assault and murder. Even more interestingly, once Dong-min and Jae-hee rush off in tears to confirm her words, Na-kyeom’s own tears give way to a satisfied smirk.

The police are rushing to the warehouse when Bo-young’s parents arrive at the station, but Chief Hyun’s right-hand man KIM HEE-DO (Jang Won-young) stays behind to “set the record straight.” I’ve gone back and forth on what to think about this guy, but now I’m fully convinced he knows what really happened and is actively covering for Chief Hyun. Not only does he bend over backwards to pin the murder on Jung-woo and insist there’s no need to reopen the case, but he also has the gall to claim the sexual assault was somehow consensual. Bo-young’s parents handle that about as well as they handle hearing a similar argument from Byung-mu and Min-soo’s fathers (read: not well at all), and for once I don’t blame them one bit.

Speaking of those two fathers, they continue to spend a lot of time groveling. Even at Geon-oh’s funeral, they beg Chief Hyun to go easy on their sons and plead with Dong-min to accept monetary compensation in lieu of further investigation (Dong-min eventually accepts, and takes out his rage on Jae-hee when she accuses him of profiting off their daughter’s death).

Chief Hyun is disgusted by their audacity, but he has Assemblywoman Ye breathing down his neck, warning him not to let the case garner widespread attention all over again. Turns out, this isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation — she was the one who ordered Chief Hyun to close Jung-woo’s case as quickly and quietly as possible. So, after Byung-mu and Min-soo are released from custody, Chief Hyun drives Min-soo out to the middle of nowhere and threatens him into throwing Byung-mu under the bus.

So where is Jung-woo while all this is going on? Well, he spends a good part of the episode unconscious in the hospital, having been hit by a car while chasing Geon-oh down for answers. As a result, Sang-cheol has to break the news to him about Geon-oh’s death a few days after the fact. He tries to do it gently (though he’s not very good at gentleness), and it’s a good thing he does it in person, because he then has to stop Jung-woo from running off and doing something rash. And oof, Byun Yo-han’s portrayal of being hit by a wave of shock turning to grief turning to rage is just masterfully done.

Sang-cheol also lets Jung-woo stay with him for the time being, pays his hospital bill, and lends him a change of clothes, and the two (finally!) put their heads together to re-examine the rushed investigation of eleven years ago. Right away, they identify three important scraps of information. The first is that none of the three boys present at the warehouse that night could drive, which means someone else must have helped them move Bo-young’s body to the abandoned school. The second is that whoever the driver was, they crashed Jung-woo’s car into a light pole in the process, and no photos of the damage were included in the investigation files. And finally, two shovels were included among the crime scene photos — but they weren’t in the car earlier that day, and they were removed not long after.

Jung-woo is in the middle of confronting Byung-mu about the matter of the driver when the police arrive to arrest Byung-mu due to Min-soo’s “confession.” As they drag him away, Byung-mu yells that Na-kyeom was the real mastermind. And there might just be some truth to that claim, because when Jung-woo questions her about it, she turns on the waterworks and tells him Byung-mu has been blackmailing her all this time… but a flashback shows us that she’s lying about going straight home that night. She was right there in the warehouse when Bo-young died.

I’m all for Byung-mu being punished — unlike Jung-woo, he deserves the betrayal and vilification — but it’s quite horrifying how quick these people are to identify a scapegoat and run with it rather than root out all the parties involved. Jung-woo was an easy target eleven years ago because of his memory blackout, and Byung-mu is an easy target now because he’s shown himself to be an undeniably awful person; meanwhile, all the other less-obviously-awful people carry on looking out for themselves and pretending to care about justice.

As far as Hyung-shik and the second murder are concerned, there still hasn’t been much movement. Someone frightens Hyung-shik even more by sending him a ring in the mail. And a flashback reveals that Jung-woo’s friends — Na-kyeom included — felt neglected after he started dating Da-eun and resented that she was all he could think about that fateful day.

While it seems clear the two girls were murdered by different people, I’m not convinced it was entirely coincidental they happened on the same night. I do, however, think Jung-woo is right that Su-oh holds the key. The problem, of course, is that he’s locked up in the hospital (he wasn’t allowed to attend Geon-oh’s funeral, and it’s possible no one even told him his brother is dead!) and Chief Hyun already burned his painting of the crime scene. But he’s been eyeing those art supplies Seol convinced Hyung-shik to give him, and I have a feeling it won’t be much longer before he takes matters into his own hands.

 
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This drama has 14 episodes and I'm surprised how we still don't know anything about the second murder.

Byeong-Moo and Min-Soo's fathers are the worst people on Earth and I'm not surprised their sons are so bad. They acted as good citizen when they knew what their sons did, found them disguting excuses, protected them by throwing Jung-Woo away. They let Sim Dong-Min harassing Jung-Woo's mother during 10 years.

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Once again this week, I can hardly decide which character I find the most disgusting. In addition to the perpetrators, the shortlist includes bootlicker Kim Hee-do and the parents of the two rapists, who have the unbelievable audacity to lie to the victims' parents and make someone else pay for what their children have done. It's quite satisfying to see them at each other's throats.

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I am MASSIVELY annoyed that episode 10 was postponed for some variety show!!

That being said: the show gets better with each episode. Just when you think you have seen the worst, there is somebody surpassing the previous levels of deceit and general obnoxiousness.

I like that if you know the original crime novel, it is hard to predict the plot of the drama, as the writer-nim made so many changes (imho for the better).

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SMH, just awful awful people. My goodness there are not enough horrible words for all the horrible people in this drama. Jealousy is is the underlying theme in all of this. There is nothing else. I am thinking the Congresswoman is involved in the coverup. After they put Bo Young in the sewer, the doctor must have killed Da Eun, and the Congresswoman asked the Chief to do something about it. So he took her DNA and put it in the shed. Then poor Jung Woo became the patsy, smh. Maybe Da Eun isn't dead, just in some psychiatric facility.

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I've been thinking about Da-eun's body not being found. But if Deok-mi was involved with what happened to her too, I wonder if she'd leave her alive.

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Hmmmmm, that is true too. That would work if the Doctor killed Da Eun and left her body at the shed and Deok Mi came later on. Can't wait to find out.

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Well we have 5 more episodes so I'm prepared for what seems obvious to not actually be true. Just don't know how much lower these people will sink and how much of that my blood pressure can take 😓.

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Right? There are cleaner landfills. Disgusting.

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Like a kill and drop station? Sounds like it could be a profitable business model...

K-drop Station
I'll go and hire Kim ji-hoon for the ad campaign.

link to my business crowdfunding campaign: http://www.givemeallyourcoins.com/kill-and-drop-station (it's not a real link, please don't click)

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lol.

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I got impatient and bought the original book titled The Snow White must die. Now I have a dilemma whether should I see the story unravel or read.

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The book is different, mainly because the main characters are the cops and not really the villagers, even if we get their POV.

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I read the book (having been impatient as well), and it is still difficult to predict what will happen in the drama, as there are so many alterations to the original material.

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Guys, I just found out that German television ZDF has another take on "Snow white must die" as one of their "Taunuskrimis" (available for free in their mediathek).

It is intriguing to watch how many parallel universes can be created from one book, as the plot in this adaptation is again different from book and kdrama.🤣🤣

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Because I can no longer find the book (I clearly have too many books) and I couldn't remember the content, I watched this television version a few weeks ago as ‘preparation’. It's a fairly cut-down version, e.g. it's only about one murder.

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Oooh, I am curious.

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Do we actually know why there's only 1 episode this week? (well last weekend technically)./ The lack of symmetry is oddly disturbing.

I'm mentally stressing at the thought there will be a solitary 14th episode.

PS: No, I'm not normal, thanks for asking.

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It is Chuseok holiday week, and the drama was paused in favour of some stupid variety show no one wants to watch....

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So so So So good. I LOVE this drama and can hardly wait for each new episode. Think Mouse, think Beyond Evil. I binged the first 8 and its driving me crazy waiting for each new episode. Thanks for the great recaps @mistyisles. I had to stop watching the American drama Succession, because each and every character was so awful (even if brilliantly written and acted and some of the dark humor was amazing) but the people in this town give the Succession folks a run for their money. The only "fun" part is to watch them turn their awful selves on each other in desperation.

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