Gap Dong Episode 18 - This Drama has Offically Jumped the Shark

So this show has jumped the shark, gone and hunted the shark, took pictures with the shark, and stuffed the shark, mounting it upon a wall.  That is how utterly incomprehensible this episode is.  And since it has not gone down in a humorous ball of flames, but rather a drizzly smoldering moldy mess, I will be adding some humor in through comics and meme's.  So at least there is something worth checking out in this recap.

Moo Yeom might have called the two Gap Dongs together, but it is definitely Tae Oh who is running the show.  He mocks both of them for wanting to use him, but when he gets down to the nitty gritty and asks who out of the two, can save his life?  It is Moo Yeom who is forced to back down.  That is something I have always had a problem with in regards to the whole serial killer consultant situation.  

How does this actually benefit Tae Oh at all?  It is not as if Moo Yeom can release him from jail (or maybe he can in this crazy story) since he is already a confessed murderer.  But at the same time, how is DGD (Detective Gap Dong) going to save his life either?  Probably Dr Oh could take the death penalty off the table by her "professional" diagnosis (imagine sarcasm wrapping itself around the word professional) but I could see her recanting her offer of help the second he actually did what she wanted.  So around and around we go, trying to figure out who Tae Oh is eventually going to side with.

"He's a cornered monster, so he will take big risks."  This was a reference about DGD made by Yang Chul Gon.  And yet, I don't see DGD taking big risks quiet yet.  Probably because of the simple minds of his foes.  It is obviously not a huge problem into tricking them with the multiple disorder theory, the simplicity of the therapists questions is somewhat maddening to this viewer (at least it was not Dr Maria, doing the testing).

Therapy 101 with Ma Ji Wool continues with the use of the block of wood which is now full of nails.  Tae Oh comments that he was not aware there was this much anger and need to kill within him.  Ji Wool starts taking out all the nails and shows him the block now full of holes.  "These are the scars you have made with your hate and your killing."  She questions if he feels shame?  He just walks away and says that it is time to stop.  

Hmmmm  I wonder if anyone told her that you can't just easily cure a psychopath.  Especially by trying to create emotions, that he does not have.  I would give her kudos for trying, if the whole idea was not so stupid.  It's like throwing a tiger and a gazelle into a pit together and telling the tiger to not eat the gazelle, have this lettuce instead.  I can guarantee that the gazelle is going to be dinner 10 out of 10 times.

Did anyone else feel that the whole courtroom conviction of Dr Han scene was one huge hot mess?  From what I have had to piece together, they have to convict Dr Han of being an accomplice in order to have the length of time needed to loophole through the statute of limitations law.  Seeing how they know he is innocent of the crime, how is this any different than faking a lab result to convict DGD.  One of them would have been a conviction based on a lie, and the other...........would have been a conviction based on a lie, oh crap, there is a flaw in their thinking (what a surprise).  

And while we are discussing things I have problems with in regards to this scene, let's just lay it all out.  One, they are obviously putting DGD on trial and not Dr Han.  Two, why would this trial be televised all over the city.  I am pretty sure that would be violating DGD's civil rights since he has not been convicted of any crimes and they have outed him on national TV.  Three, what the heck is the monk doing, letting poor impressionable mini orphan monks, watch a serial killer murder trial.  I am pretty sure that is how people like Tae Oh are made.  And lastly, the Jekyll and Hyde performance on the witness stand was so over the top (along with everyone's reactions) that it made me cringe.

After the courtroom debacle we flash to a room with Dr Maria and her mother sobbing.  Dr Maria holds a small bottle in her hands, and sobs out "Mother, what were you going to do with this?"  Her mother, also heavily sobbing, replies that she was going to kill him.  WHAT?  Now even the 3rd range characters are turning homicidal.  If I thought this was really how society was, I would opt to become a shut in, living out my years on Domino's pizza and ramyun.  Maybe the writers were not loved enough as children, and that is why they are insisting in turning every character into a murderer.

After much scientific study (or at least one test and a replay of the courtroom tape) all of the medical professionals pat themselves on the back and agree that DGD is indeed suffering from a multiple personality disorder.  Something that seems to relieve Dr Maria (I don't know why since that does not change her victim status. She was still almost killed by a serial killer whether he was truly a psychopath or just the persona of a psychopath).  All of her new found peace is destroyed only a few minutes later as she realizes that DGD made a blunder on the timeline in his performance, meaning that he does NOT have multiple personality disorder.   Maybe they should have taken more than an hour to diagnose, then they would not have set free a mass murderer out into the population AGAIN.

The two Gap Dongs start having a conversation via instant message.  Tae Oh wants to know the secret to his freedom (being free of the urge to kill) and in turn will let DGD know what the police have planned.  DGD just wants to leave the country before he is convicted of any crimes.  Their banter goes back and forth until they jointly get their killing urges triggered and start thinking of "completion".  Completion of their murderous rampages under the guise of poor mental health.  I am not sure if this was bad translating or just bad writing (putting my money on the latter), but it seems that they are saying if they do a huge murder in front of everyone, and are designated "mentally challenged" then they escape from a lot of their punishment.  But don't quote me on that since this segment, like a lot of others this episode, is slightly disjointed in content.

Just as Tae Oh gets the go ahead to go kill someone in a public place (in order to get a mentally imbalanced diagnosis and escape death row) in walks ditzy little victim Ji Wool.  Oblivious to the murderous undertones, she blankly goes about "fixing" Tae Oh via balloon and art therapy.  

He suggests leaving (and just takes off the anklet) and travels to the hair salon for a mid episode hairstyle change (Something that I can always get behind, even if it does not make any flipping sense).  The police are actually following the couple, watching and plotting, some type of sting.  Although why they need to do some type of sting on Tae Oh who is almost on death row is beyond me.

Ji Wool had convinced Moo Yeom that she needed to prove that Tae Oh could indeed change.  So she would take him out and give him the chance to make her the 9th victim (Did I miss one somewhere?  I was pretty sure we never got an 8th murder) and Moo Yeom agrees.  He simply tells her that she will need to take responsibility for the situation.  HUH?  So to ease some twits mind, you are going to let loose a serial killer into the population to do a psychological study?  You know in those romantic vampire stories, where the 400 year old vampire (who you would assume has a lot of wisdom and life experience) gives into the teenager who is throwing a temper tantrum to get her way (usually about doing something life threatening and stupid)?  Yup, I feel like I am trapped in that type of a story right now.  Just without the hottie vampire distracting me from the females stupidity.  It is no surprise to anyone, except maybe Ji Wool, when Tae Oh has her tied up to a tree, waiting for Dr Maria to arrive.  Although there is hope since Tae Oh is blowing up is anti murder balloon and seeming to still be undecided as to what he is actually going to do.  

DGD goes to kill Moo Yeom at the pool, but instead finds a unexpectedly buxom detective instead (seriously who swims laps in that sexpot swimsuit, it looks like the neanderthal is coming out in the writers yet again, when it comes to women characters).  Moo Yeom comes out behind DGD and sends the swimming detective (with her gun) out of the room.  Moo Yeom then goads DGD into attacking and stealing his gun.  The two fight off screen and the silence is broken with a gunshot.  THANK GOODNESS THIS EPISODE IS OVER!

I do not understand most of the reasoning behind the last twenty minutes of this episode.  Why would they ever chance Tae Oh killing anyone when they already have him dead to rights.  It just does not make sense.  Also, how cruel is it to purposefully tempt him (when you know he is actively struggling with this mental illness) and push his triggers just to prove a point.  I am kind of sick with the writers way of thinking.  I am blaming the writers since they are the ones who are coming up with all this ethically sick plots that are cruel to people with mental illnesses, women, and promoting a kind of stupid brand of justice.  I am so thankful that the drama ends next week.  I am not sure how much of this nonsense I can put up with before going bald from grabbing my hair in angst (the this show sucks angst, not the good kind of drama angst).  So be sure to join me for what I assume is going to be one flipping mess of a finale.  We can all get through this if we hold hands and finish together.

Til next week, 
Kmuse

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