The series wrecked me with each episode, but I'm so happy it exists. I have never seen a story based around a serial killer that would show the repercussions of his actions as deeply as this one did. It's so easy to focus on the evil of a "monster", but the evil of ordinary men is no less scary than that of a serial killer. And sometimes even good people can cause deep damage to others.
I'm perfectly satisfied with the finale. I think they did everything just right. They stayed true to real events (statue of limitations), while also adding hopeful fictional elements.
In my opinion, Tae Ju is a wonderful protagonist because he is both strong and fallible. I'm thankful that he did not try to justify his mistakes or hide behind excuses. I absolutely love how he admits to Gi Hwan that he became a scarecrow just like him. I respect the writing choice of making Tae Ju's reputation severely damaged and the students leaving all sorts of crap on the walls for him, and that he accepts it as his punishment. Not all of it is deserved, but his inner integrity is strong enough not to hide from it.
I love Tae Ju's last scene with Gi Hwan. How he says to him that he will come visit if Gi Hwan repents, and Gi Hwan basically says that will never happen. But Tae Ju still says to Officer Lee that he hopes to return someday. Tae Ju's faith in humanity is both foolish and touching.
And that dream in the end is the most bittersweet thing ever. What a great series.
I can't get over how amazing Park Hae Soo's acting is in episode 11. I would like to highlight the scene where Tae Ju meets Young Beom.
The way he keeps looking at him shocked. But when Young Beom turns, Tae Ju immediately lowers his head. His quiet "Yes" when Young Beom recognizes him as a profiler. The way his hands shake slightly as he takes Young Beom's card. And especially his voice and eyes when he says "Nice to meet you." That last moment hits right in the feels.
After watching episode 11, I just have to praise them for showing how far and wide were the consequences of one man's actions. I mean, the serial killer. So many people were affected by what he's done. Even 30 years later, the aftereffects of his crimes continue to wreck havoc on people's lives. The series communicates this idea so well.
I know people are unhappy with Sun Young, but I really liked how they wrote her storyline from purely psychological perspective. I was worried she would be miserable and abused in the Cha household. But they did something really interesting with her. She IS miserable, but not because she was abused. She is miserable because she compromised her morals, and she knows it.
The angst of Young Beom's storyline is so well done. When he confronted Tae Ju at the end of the episode and the students were gathering around to listen, it made everything so much worse. I expected him to accuse Tae Ju, but I thought it's going to be a one-on-one confrontation. I did not expect him to trash Tae Ju's reputation in front of students who probably respected him.
I think in the last episode Si Young will finally reach a point where he will come clean about his crimes.
Tae Ju was the first to recognize that separate murders were actually a serial murder case. He saved one innocent man (a thief) from jail. He found additional victims and saw through the scarecrow disguise.
The father who mercilessly beats his own kid and threatens to throw him and his mother out on the streets is treated by parts of the fandom as "Sun Young was right to go to him; he'll protect her." I wish I could share that optimism. Maybe he'll mellow out in his old age and won't abuse her like he did with everyone else.
I had similar hopes for Si Young and thought maybe, just maybe, he'll treat Tae Ju right this time. But then he goes and buries him alive. Will Cha Mu Jin do better? For Sun Young's sake, I hope he will.
I get why Sun Young went to her father. I don't blame her. But those who defend her choice never once express concerns for Sun Young's wellbeing in the Cha family. If the writer is kind to her, Sun Young won't be miserable. But realistically, she should be.
This family abuses the hell out of each other. They do not love her or respect her or care about her. She's gonna be lucky if they'll just ignore her and her son. I hope they won't marry her off against her will to some asshole. I hope her son won't be influenced by the Cha men to become like them. I hope the writer is kind to Sun Young, even if it's unrealistic.
Why do some people blame Tae Ju for Gi Beom's death? He defended Gi Beom against suspicions, while the two cops already secretly detained him. He argued that there was no direct evidence against Gi Beom and opposed the arrest warrant. He only agreed to issue a search warrant after the two cops told him that Gi Beom "escaped" from the scene of the crime.
Only Si Young and the two cops knew about his whereabouts. Everyone else thought Gi Beom was on the run. By the time the two cops "found" Gi Beom, they already forced a confession out of him. When Tae Ju caught the two cops in the act of beating Gi Beom, he realized that they lied about Gi Beom's earlier "escape" and were actually detaining him all this time. He fought for his release since then.
The only person that Tae Ju is guilty towards is Seok Man.
I cut Tae-ju some slack for his emotionality because he is operating completely alone. He has no support whatsoever from the police force. As his former chief said to him, you need to have partners that you can rely on in cases like this. But Tae-ju has none. The police force (and the prosecution) are actively working against him most of the time. He's not a genius detective ala Sherlock. He's just one man against the system.
The song is episode 7 is performed by Park Hae Soo. The official music video is on YouTube. It contains scenes from episodes 1-7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs1DV5CEgPQ
Episodes 7 and 8 were so hard to watch. Powerful acting from everyone.
I really liked that scene where Tae Ju is laughing after learning that Si Young's mother was also a bar hostess, as his bullying flashes through his mind.
I also really liked how they written the scene where Sun Yeong tells Tae Ju that in her mind she knows it was not his fault, but in her heart she still blames him. It's painful, but it's true from where she is right now emotionally.
The scene where Si Young tells Tae Ju that he's no match for him in ruthlessness was also great. For the first half of the series, he was pushing for them to be friends and partners. And part of him probably genuinely desired that. You would think he would hesitate hurting Tae Ju again. But nope, he threw him under the bus without mercy.
this is based on real story and it shows how police wasnt able to find the killer at the time and the tragedy…
There is a spoiler image floating on social media that shows who the killer is. I don't know how it got leaked, but it sucks that it did and people post it without warning.
I'm perfectly satisfied with the finale. I think they did everything just right. They stayed true to real events (statue of limitations), while also adding hopeful fictional elements.
In my opinion, Tae Ju is a wonderful protagonist because he is both strong and fallible. I'm thankful that he did not try to justify his mistakes or hide behind excuses. I absolutely love how he admits to Gi Hwan that he became a scarecrow just like him. I respect the writing choice of making Tae Ju's reputation severely damaged and the students leaving all sorts of crap on the walls for him, and that he accepts it as his punishment. Not all of it is deserved, but his inner integrity is strong enough not to hide from it.
I love Tae Ju's last scene with Gi Hwan. How he says to him that he will come visit if Gi Hwan repents, and Gi Hwan basically says that will never happen. But Tae Ju still says to Officer Lee that he hopes to return someday. Tae Ju's faith in humanity is both foolish and touching.
And that dream in the end is the most bittersweet thing ever. What a great series.
The way he keeps looking at him shocked. But when Young Beom turns, Tae Ju immediately lowers his head. His quiet "Yes" when Young Beom recognizes him as a profiler. The way his hands shake slightly as he takes Young Beom's card. And especially his voice and eyes when he says "Nice to meet you." That last moment hits right in the feels.
He let his mistress and their daughter live in poverty, starving, but the daughter still says, "He was good to me. I have no regrets."
He probably committed many crimes, but got away with it.
After watching episode 11, I just have to praise them for showing how far and wide were the consequences of one man's actions. I mean, the serial killer. So many people were affected by what he's done. Even 30 years later, the aftereffects of his crimes continue to wreck havoc on people's lives. The series communicates this idea so well.
I know people are unhappy with Sun Young, but I really liked how they wrote her storyline from purely psychological perspective. I was worried she would be miserable and abused in the Cha household. But they did something really interesting with her. She IS miserable, but not because she was abused. She is miserable because she compromised her morals, and she knows it.
The angst of Young Beom's storyline is so well done. When he confronted Tae Ju at the end of the episode and the students were gathering around to listen, it made everything so much worse. I expected him to accuse Tae Ju, but I thought it's going to be a one-on-one confrontation. I did not expect him to trash Tae Ju's reputation in front of students who probably respected him.
I think in the last episode Si Young will finally reach a point where he will come clean about his crimes.
He made a mistake with Seok Man.
Episode 8. She literally calls him Gi Beom's murderer and slaps him and his fiance.
He buried him alive for real.
I had similar hopes for Si Young and thought maybe, just maybe, he'll treat Tae Ju right this time. But then he goes and buries him alive. Will Cha Mu Jin do better? For Sun Young's sake, I hope he will.
This family abuses the hell out of each other. They do not love her or respect her or care about her. She's gonna be lucky if they'll just ignore her and her son. I hope they won't marry her off against her will to some asshole. I hope her son won't be influenced by the Cha men to become like them. I hope the writer is kind to Sun Young, even if it's unrealistic.
Only Si Young and the two cops knew about his whereabouts. Everyone else thought Gi Beom was on the run. By the time the two cops "found" Gi Beom, they already forced a confession out of him. When Tae Ju caught the two cops in the act of beating Gi Beom, he realized that they lied about Gi Beom's earlier "escape" and were actually detaining him all this time. He fought for his release since then.
The only person that Tae Ju is guilty towards is Seok Man.
It's also available on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7icd7QiHU67dijWJ2tE09G
I really liked that scene where Tae Ju is laughing after learning that Si Young's mother was also a bar hostess, as his bullying flashes through his mind.
I also really liked how they written the scene where Sun Yeong tells Tae Ju that in her mind she knows it was not his fault, but in her heart she still blames him. It's painful, but it's true from where she is right now emotionally.
The scene where Si Young tells Tae Ju that he's no match for him in ruthlessness was also great. For the first half of the series, he was pushing for them to be friends and partners. And part of him probably genuinely desired that. You would think he would hesitate hurting Tae Ju again. But nope, he threw him under the bus without mercy.