DramaAjumma

Episode 7 was really good and that ending... wow. The implications for future episodes is huge. Fantastic. That's what I wanted from the show. Before that the show was just treading water but the show really upped the ante in Episode 7 and did a couple of things I didn't expect.

The entire cast is doing a really good job.

I recommend Shadow Detective Parts 1 and 2 also on Disney Plus. It's really good. No romance but the acting is top notch. I also liked Decoy from earlier in the year.

I thought that the last couple of episodes were particularly bizarre. But I just found the Long Zhi character in general very hard to swallow.

Honestly they don't. All they have to do is add English Subs to their K content.

Not subbed as usual. :( Disney+ needs to get their act together.

LOL. The Golden Snake sequence reminded me a little of the Balrog scene in Moria.
And Ocean Guardian is a hoot.

It's the only reason why I've signed up with D+.

Probably a case of unmet expectations.

I'm finally done with this. Great performances by the cast. I appreciated the slightly more optimistic note at the end although I think the first season was tighter and maintained a higher level of realism. S2 was more of an exploration of guilt. It's amazing too that it managed to give every single one of the main characters individual arcs in 6 episodes.

I didn't like his romance dramas but Prison Playbook and DP are some of the best K dramas out there.

I personally don't find it that difficult to believe that Gi-cheul would make a play for Eui-jeong's affections. It's reasonably consistent with who he was... and has become. I don't think it's just nostalgia either because he is still wearing the pendant from their church days. The crucial aspect of his character to highlight here is that he's a risk taker or a gambler that's driven by resentments. While he is calculating and astute, he is also motivated by the need to gain a measure of respectability which we saw in Episode 1. He hated being trampled on by his wealthy clients and his immediate supervisor Sgt Jang so he staged a coup... which he got away with by waving around more money to the biggest noises in gangland. And then he did it again and won.

So what did he learn from those events? Well, money solves everything. And that fortune favours the brave. Money not only made everything possible in these instances but his risk-taking paid off.
A common trait about smart people is that they often overreach. Because they get away with wrongdoing repeatedly they are emboldened by their successes. It’s hard to say if Gi-cheul is egotistical enough to believe that he will win the girl as much as he likes the challenge of gaming the system. As far he's concerned he has already done what's impossible by founding the Gangnam Union and taking ownership of most of the nightclubs in the area. The irony of course is that while he believes he has a shot at the prize, he’s already lost the game.

His is a story of not just of greed but pride as well. Things have gone his way for too long and there are social consequences. No individual can do whatever they want without paying the price. He is already doing so for his lawlessness. He can't really trust anyone even his oldest friends. Even his allies could turn against him at any time. The lifestyle he's chosen comes at a cost.

Ultimately it doesn't matter what the audience thinks of him but what Eui-jeong thinks of him. She won't fall for him not just because he has become a threat to public order but because she perceives him as an impediment to her husband's safety. She serves not only as a lifeline but a moral compass for everyone involved (which includes Jun-mo's handler Capt Seok and the prosecutor-in-charge) and Gi-cheul. I tend to also agree with the idea that she will be the one to set him on a course to redemption if indeed that is possible.

It's certainly a testament to Wi Ha-jun's portrayal (and the script) that Gi-cheul garners a certain amount of sympathy.

It's pretty darn good.

My thoughts about Episodes 4-5 can be found here:
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-week-in-dramas-5-october-2023

He really should.

Wow. Thank you for your kind comments.

Xizhou suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be evil again. Okay. One step forward and five steps back.

Mother dearest is doing a superb job as Maleficent. Gaslighting and emotional blackmail 101. At this point I'm hoping either the men in white coats throw her into a padded cell or the boys in blue throw her behind bars.

I tend to agree more with your perspective of Gi-cheul. I also think his trajectory is fascinating because it's far more unpredictable. But the impact of Eui-jeong is another variable that will shake things up for him emotionally which could impact his relationship with his inner circle.

Really? People are actually rooting for Eui-jeong and Gi-cheul? That's the stuff of fanfiction.
I love Wi Ha-joon more than most people but there's no way Eui-jeong is ending up with Gi-cheul. He's done so many terrible things and at best he will end up behind bars.

Where is the evidence of that? Is there even the slightest hint of her corruption? ;)
The thing about plot twists is that they need to be logical and consistent with the rest of the story. They need to be built on what we already know. So far we don't know enough about Eui-jeong to say definitively that she's dirty although it is far more likely that she isn't.
If however your friend thinks that Eui-jeong's father and brothers are corrupt, I'd say they have a higher chance of being right because it's a common K drama trope. They are also rather stuck up about being "elite cops". One of them could possibly have a relationship with Gi-cheul since they probably went to church together. But it's very unlikely because he still doesn't know who Eui-jeong's real husband is.

That makes no sense since he's the one who started the current drugs operation in Gangnam. He also staged a bloody coup because of it. But it also doesn't explain what he would be going undercover for in the first place. What was the crime? And what about his buddies from high school that followed him into the "business"?

I know the law enforcement in SK is often depicted as highly incompetent but for the prosecutor and the cop not to know that there's another undercover agent already in place would really take the cake. :D

There are too many moving parts that don't fit.