Gap Dong Episode 16 - Intergations and Nunchucks

I just don't understand the theory "everyone can find redemption" ideal that seems to be prevalent in Korean dramas (or if it is not that, then they go the other direction that everyone related to you including your dog should die because of your sins concept) it is such a culture of extremes.  I don't know if it is because I am an American so have a cultural disconnect, or if I am maybe not empathetic enough, but in my opinion if someone killed 9 people then they need to be persecuted for it, end of discussion.  There is no trying to reason with them and make them reflect upon their sins before they are brought to justice.  No, you just arrest them (if you can) and they suffer for what they did.  I don't see the need for a heart to heart with the killers.  Why?  Is it going to change anything?  Get over yourself and just do your job.  I don't want a cop that wants to empathize with the criminals and I think this is one of the biggest problems I have with Moo Yeom as a character. Whether it is a pickpocket, or a serial killer, he wants to understand them and somehow fix them.  This is not a bad trait, per say, but when it comes to a crime thriller, I don't really want to deal with this.  I just want less chatting about life choices and more action.

Detective Gap Dong rejects Moo Yeom's suggestion that he turn himself in in order to be redeemed and free of the guilt (WOW, what a shocker), and is arrested.  When he protests that the statute of limitations has already passed (even if he was Gap Dong) they have no reason to hold him.  Moo Yeom replies that they are arresting him because he is a "menace to the public" instead.  Hmmm maybe my annoying neighbor who lives down the street and plays his music to loud is a serial killer and can be arrested as a "menace to the public".  Weak reasoning on the part of the cops with this one.

It's always the little things that seem to screw over the criminals.  In this case it is the double passports that DGD (Detective Gap Dong) possesses.   One of the loopholes to the statute of limitations is if the suspect had left the country for a certain number of days it is as if he was fleeing persecution.  Due to being a few days short, this originally did not relate to Detective Gap Dong, but the discovery of a 2nd passport under a different name, fixed that.  Or it would have, if they had not still been 8 days short.  So close, yet so far away from success.

"How can you work with the mentally ill, when you are ill yourself?"  Tae Oh says what we have all been wondering for weeks?  How is Dr Maria qualified to work with anyone (mentally ill or not) when she needs so much therapy herself.  Tae Oh questions her abilities when she gives him a diagnosis labeling him as normal (hmmmm even an unqualified blogger like myself would be wondering about that one).  He adds another layer of doubt when he questions her ability to see anything, especially when she thinks that the chief is Gap Dong.  After all, a killer can recognize another killer.  At least we can thank Dr Maria for bringing back the fight within Tae Oh.  Before this he had been timid and confused (which personally was annoying me) but it looks like badass khottie killer is back!  At least for now.

I really enjoyed the interrogation scene between DGD and Moo Yeom for the most part.  It was properly intense, valid questions were asked (although I notice that it was a lot of talking on Moo Yeom's part with only eye twitches from our killer), and proper procedure was being upheld (no beatings and or improper use of hammers involved).  But I should have known it was to good to last.  It was only a matter of time til Moo Yeom brought out the nunchucks.  HEHEHEHE  I swear he is like a magician that can magically make nunchucks appear at a moments notice.  He tells DGD that he should just finish things now and commit a 10th murder and go to jail.  Placing the nunchucks beside his hand, Moo Yeom taunts him trying to instigate an attack.  DGD just looks at him and pushes the nunchucks back, telling him to stop joking.

Tae Oh lures our ditzy teen, Ji Wool,  to meet with him.  Cranky and sick of dealing with his games, she puts on a tough facade and denies him his plea to help him emotionally.  At this point I am not sure if he was actually sincere in his request, or just using her to push buttons.  Either way he sure pushed Dr Maria's buttons, which resulted in her hurling death threats and practically frothing at the mouth with rage.  He correctly guesses that she must associate Ji Wool with her dead friend and continues to taunt til she storms out of his cell.  Yet another breech in ethics since I am pretty sure you are not supposed to threaten to murder your patients. 

She obviously has not calmed down when she begins her interrogation of DGD (is it normal to have victims be part of an investigation?  Especially when they are not part of the police department).  Instead of being able to get him to admit anything, she instead ends up looking like an emotionally crippled crazy girl.  I suspect I would feel a lot more for this scene if Dr Maria had not spent the last 16 episode driving me crazy with her stupid antics and overly large doe expressions.  Whatever the case, chalk one up for DGD, and sign up Dr Maria for some therapy sessions because one of the two obviously has some mental problems.... and I am not sure if it is the serial killer.

I am pretty sure that identification by touching one's hands is still not a legally accepted.  I can't believe that they are expecting us to buy into the idea that Crazy Dr Maria can remember exactly how the killers hands felt (especially when she could not remember his face) and then identify so said hands twenty years later.  I don't know about you, but my hands are a far cry from the way they were twenty years ago.  It is one of those things that changes with age.  But recognize him he does and then he taunts her asking "how did you win rock, paper, scissors?" with a smirk.  This sends the unstable ditz off her rocker again as she attempts to strangle him.  It is at this point that I am wishing that someone would just put this girl in a corner and give her a timeout.  Preferably for the last four episodes of the show.

But nope, instead of a time out, we have to suffer through her poor acting for a while longer.  Showing her adeptness at poor decision making skills, Dr Maria decides that it is the perfect time for to go back to work.  And in the non-sane state that she is in, she goes to visit Tae Oh, because that is just the smartest thing to do right now.  She tells him that she has the ability to get him out of this jail (Really?  You can turn back time from before he confessed to seven murders?) or put him on death row depending on what he does for her.  He asks what she wants and she replies that she wants him to rip out his hero's throat for her.  Is he going to spend all his day's as a pathetic copycat?  Again, if this character had not spent the last 16 episodes being so so so annoying I would have applauded this twist.  We get a tough killer Tae Oh back, and Dr Maria does something somewhat interesting.  However, since I have my "don't agree with anything this stupid girl does" rule in play, I have to suspect that somehow this is just going to turn into another annoying Dr Maria stunt.  To bad, since this is the first time I have found her interesting, in forever.

I have to admit that when Dr Han piped up that he was an accomplice in the 4th murder, I screamed at my TV.  WHAT THE HECK WRITERS!  Stop throwing in killers!  But the sacrificing of himself in order to keep DGD locked up was actually pretty smart.   By outing himself as an accomplice (there were two DNA samples found at the crime scene) he is able to keep the investigation going, where without his confession, DGD would have been released.  Add to that the fact that he had been out of the country for several years (which is added onto DGD's days out of country) and the statute of limitations law is revoked.    They can now officially arrest DGD.  Sorry writers for my wish that the kdrama gods would strike you down.  I rescind that wish.....at least for now.

Random Thoughts

My favorite line of the episode was when Moo Yeom said "I might have died if it was not for my nunchucks".  Oh writers, how you delight me with your nunchuck flavored wit.  Can I suggest that for your next project you do a drama about the love between a boy and his nunchucks?  I promise to tune in.

This concludes a solid episode for this un-solid drama.  I really enjoyed seeing how the writers were able to utilize the police procedures to actually be successful for once.  I have gotten so used to the cops being bumbling idiots, that it is almost a shock to see things going in their favor.  However with four episodes left and the penchant for these writers to take things in weird directions, I suspect we still have some killing left to do.  Because let's all admit that we kind of want to see Dr Maria killed off about now.

Kmuse

 Follow us on Facebook for info on all our newest recaps, posts and to join in our kdrama discussions. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-crazy-ahjummas/336988683021748?fref=ts