We learn to be cynical of Father Baek and Guseonwon right away. Not only is the lighting and the music cueing us to do so, the little details seal the deal in the back of our minds. Baek is always doing nice things in places where he can be seen. He is friendly with his congregation especially if they are of some use to him. The man with stomach cancer was able to give him a verry thick envelope of money. The old man who he bathed is father to a senator. Everything he does is calculated.

The shaman, as well, is set up as a con man. He knows what Sang Mi’s family is there for because he’s been told, yet he still attempts to exploit the mother’s illness for profit.

The people who sell miracles chill us to the bone because they are the most clear-eyed of them all, and they use that to wield power over others. The world building in this show fascinates me because it is so relentless. The way they set up the lines of good versus bad and then throw all these victims in the grey area feels so true to life. It adds so much tension and dread to the plot because, as the audience, we know that there is no way everyone who deserves a happy ending can get one. It’s simply impossible.