Gap Dong Episode 15 - Is a secret really a secret if everyone knows it?

It's times like this that I regret that I do not drink alcohol.  I suspect that being slightly buzzed would have improved thing considerably when watching this episode.  I just don't know what it is.  All the elements one needs for a top crime thriller are present.  Captivating characters......check, Intelligent well thought out murders....check  Good vs Evil.....Check   Super dynamic bad guys.......Check.  And yet when all the elements are combined, things are still just slightly off.  It is as if the drama is a waltz, the characters are trying to dance the waltz, but the music is reggae.  The beats just don't match and turn into a hot mess.

Now that I have watched the conclusion to our chicken fight (consisting of Tae Oh and Moo Yeom driving cars to a cliff's edge and whoever goes closest wins) I am still as confused as I was when I saw the cliffhanger last week (no pun intended).  Why is this really necessary for the plot?  I think the whole "serial killer consultant" is just a bad idea in the first place. But if you were really wanting to go that route, I am pretty sure being out of prison would be enough incentive.  Driving towards the cliff's edge, with the bet being that the loser has to catch Gap Dong, is just stupid.  As far as I can tell we only get 4 things out of this segment.  1. The writers still remember the bullet in Moo Yeom's brain and it is causing him problems.  2. Tae Oh looks amazingly hot in that leather jacket.  3. Tae Oh wants to live (although I think dangling him over the edge of the cliff would have gotten the same realization without risking lives).  4. The director really really wanted a location shot at this isolated airport since he thought his stars staring off into the distance at a cliff face would be cool.

The question of the day:  Is a secret really a secret if everyone knows it? Since between Dr Maria and Moo Yeom's blabbing, EVERYONE KNOWS.  And by everyone, I do mean 95% of the characters in the drama are told that Cha Do Hyeok is really Gap Dong.  The only one not in the know that I could tell was our ditz Ji-Wool and the female cop with the glasses.  It makes you wonder how long they expected Detective Gap Dong to not notice that something is off.  It is hard enough for one or two people to act natural, but a whole police station?

Tae Oh is milking the situation for all its worth, and tells Moo Yeom that he needs proof that DGD (Detective Gap Dong) is the real deal.  So first order of business is to trick DGD into meeting with Tae Oh, that way Tae Oh can use his super psycho killer skills to understand what makes Moo Yeom tick.  Does anyone see how this can turn out so so bad.  Putting two killers (one who idolizes the other) in a room together and expect to control the situation is just insanity.  And sure enough Tae Oh simply says that he can't believe that DGD is really Gap Dong since he seems completely normal.  Of course later on we see the extension of the scene (I am really enjoying these repeat scenes from a different perspective and wish they had been doing this through the whole drama) where, through his actions, Tae Oh lets DGD know that he truly does know who Gap Dong is.  Somehow I don't think that Tae Oh is going to really be that good of an asset in catching Gap Dong.

Did anyone else wonder at the random timing of Yang Chul-Gon's trip to Japan?  His excuse that he was going to go  see his ex-wife seemed flimsy at best.  A man who had already sacrificed his family and honor to catch Gap Dong, is not going to start caring at this late date.  Instead of being a doting ex-husband, he is actually contacting the police labs in Japan where the original DNA had been sent to twenty years earlier.  They provided him with a viable sample and he heads on home DNA in hand.  Good thing Japan is not as lackadaisical with their DNA samples as Korea.  It always amazes me the ineptitude of the cops on kdramas.  If you were judging the cops and justice system by what we see in kdramas we would all be so screwed.

We have a second theme/question that evolves towards the end of this episode.  To Frame or Not to Frame?  Team Moo Yeom now has a DNA sample, however they are almost positive that it is not a match to DGD since he is very at ease with the thought of a DNA test.  Tae Oh suggests that since they know that he is Gap Dong, why don't they just fabricate the test sample so it comes out as a positive match.  That way they get justice, even if it is slightly unethical.  Moo Yeom of course refuses immediately but Dr Maria actually thinks that it is a viable option.  Being a victim of Gap Dong, she is determined to have her justice one way or another.  I have a new rule of thumb that I will start living my life by.  If Dr Maria thinks it is a good idea.............then it is NOT a good idea.  In fact it is a horrible idea. Nothing this women does is ever a good idea.  I would like you to name me one instance in this drama where her actions were sane and reasonable.  

Yang Chul-Gon is also on board the "frame GDG" train (Of course we have always known his actions have been suspect... he killed someone accidentally when trying to catch Gap Dong for crying out loud).  So that leaves Moo Yeom to be the voice of reason in the group.  I really enjoyed how he pointed out that if they did catch Gap Dong, they could not be proud of their achievements since it would be tainted.

The secret is out!  Not that this surprises anyone, except maybe Dr Maria and Moo Yeom.  DGD gets notice that people are looking into his visa records.  He also has offered Tae Oh a chance to switch sides (see.... not a good idea to put them together you stupid cops) and help him in return for answers on how to stop the killing urges.  

My guess is that DGD is still a mile ahead of those trying to catch him.  It is one thing to suspect who Gap Dong is, it is a whole other thing when it comes to getting concrete evidence.  Which is proven when Moo Yeom confronts DGD and tells him that they were going to attempt a DNA testing with their Gap Dong suspect.  He just smirks and says "wouldn't Gap Dong make sure that the DNA evidence would not lead to him?"  An answer to the DNA question is given and now the cops are back to square one.  Now it is time to get creative and figure out how to prove the truth without becoming villains themselves.

Kmuse

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