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Gaksital: Episode 13

The burden of a secret identity starts to take its toll, as our hero struggles to keep juggling all his roles without dropping any crucial balls. ‘Cause in this game, mistakes equal dead people. It presents an interesting dilemma, for a hero to have to decide where to draw the line—if there’s even a line. What happens when people start catching on to your mysterious disappearances and giving you the shifty-eye? How much pain can you stand by and watch being doled out, in the name of preserving that secret? Whose life is worth sacrificing to save your own?

It turns out, there’s a lot more to a secret identity than a costume and a dramatic entrance. If only it were that easy.

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EPISODE 13 RECAP

Gaksital and Mok Dan flee, leaving Shunji devastated. Also ragey.

Once they’ve traveled a safe distance, Mok Dan embraces Gaksital and tells him tearfully that she’s glad she got to see him before she left. Internally, she calls him “young master” and thinks, “I must leave now for my father’s sake, but I’ll pray that we meet again. When that day comes, I’ll ask to see your face.”

Kang-to holds her to him, thinking, “Boon-yi-ya, I have to let you go now, but stay alive. Whatever you do, I’ll find you. And I’ll protect you.” It’s a nice echo of his last words to her as children, perhaps signaling a reclamation of his childhood self. At least, it’s a step in the right direction.

Kang-to releases her and steps toward his horse, but Mok Dan holds him back, loath to let go. He cups her face in his hands, kissing her gently on the forehead. Then it’s time to leave, and she watches him ride off.

Shunji reads the message Mok Dan left for Gaksital informing him of her departure, recalling how she leveled his own gun at him to save the enemy. And how he witnessed Gaksital murdering his brother. He seethes.

Koiso reports that the search party couldn’t find any sign of Mok Dan in the woods. Shunji asks after Kang-to, and both men are puzzled to realize that he hasn’t been around all day. Oh no, you’ve pinged Shunji’s suspicion-radar. That seed of doubt grows with mention of Kang-to’s visit to the inn this morning—he kept circus members out of the room while he talked with Mok Dan. Alone, the two of them, “for a long time.”

Shunji thinks back to the last time Kang-to pulled a Clark Kent, appearing after the action was over with the excuse that he’d been at the club investigating the waiter who attacked him.

Shunji dashes off to check up on his suspicions. Uh-oh. Let’s hope our almost-hero is smart enough to stay one step ahead.

Kang-to nurses a drink at the Angel Club, where Lala/Rie joins him. He thanks her for saving his life with her warning. She replies that she was returning the favor; she doesn’t owe him anymore. He doesn’t know what she means by that, not remembering the time he defended her at the gisaeng house. That was back before she was Rie, when she refused to serve while in mourning for her father.

Lala wonders how he could forget almost dying, and he says sardonically that he’s almost died a lot. Lala sighs, “How unfair. Not knowing that, from the first moment I saw you while dressed in mourning…” She trails off and finishes the thought internally: “…I’ve been unable to forget you.”

Mention of mourning clothes jogs his memory, though, and he recognizes her as that gisaeng. He’d almost lost his job for his interference, though, and she notes that the day must’ve been a bad one for him.

An employee salutes Shunji upon arrival, which Kang-to hears. So when Lala excuses herself, he grabs her close, playboy mode on. He asks if she’s angry—he may have forgotten the gisaeng, but he never forgot the sizzling kiss between them.

Shunji checks Kang-to’s story with Madam Tasha: He didn’t come by to investigate the waiter-assassin after all. Whoops, that pokes a hole in his cover.

Kang-to sees Shunji approaching and gets even cozier, asking how a Korean woman became Japanese singer Lala. She flirts back, saying she doesn’t know if she can trust him. He replies, “If you can’t trust me, why did you reveal that you’re Korean?” Lala: “Are you thinking you’ve found my weakness?” Kang-to: “Bingo.”

Shunji interrupts, demanding to know why he didn’t capture Mok Dan at the inn as ordered. Kang-to feigns ignorance: “You didn’t capture her?” He’d found her already gone, so he assumed Shunji got to her first. Cringe. So many conflicting stories, so few plausible explanations…

Shunji takes issue with his blasé attitude, and Kang-to gets serious for a moment and apologizes. Shunji asks why he met Mok Dan this morning and lied about coming to the club.

Lala sizes up the situation and says coyly that it’s obvious why: They must be secret lovers, sneaking around. Kang-to’s voice hardens as he takes offense—how dare she pair him up with a Korean woman when “I’m Japanese down to my bones”? He leaves her with a cold warning: reserve those pretty lips for singing.

Outside, Shunji asks point-blank why Kang-to lied to him, and why he met Mok Dan in private. Oh phew, at least he’s addressing the lie right away, before Kang-to digs his grave deeper. So Kang-to “confides” that while on his way to Angel Club, he thought he spotted Damsari. That’s why he went to see Mok Dan, to see what she knew.

Shunji points out that he could have just told him the truth, but Kang-to answers that Shunji’s still in love with the girl. How could he just blurt a suspicion without confirmation, “and put you in more pain?” Oh, that’s a good one. It makes enough sense to convince Shunji, even though the deception also frustrates him: Shunji tells him not to worry about that anymore—the girl loves Gaksital, the man who killed his brother. But Kang-to had better not use his concern an excuse to lie next time, he warns.

Kono addresses his officers on the day of the big anniversary marking Japan’s colonization of Korea, on high alert given the event’s history of turbulence. He’s on edge, knowing the rebels have planned a disturbance today. Chief Kimura point out that none of the acts of terrorism has ever succeeded, which Kono finds less than comforting—the very fact that attempts are made is infuriating. He impresses upon his staff the importance of keeping this year’s anniversary terror-free, or else.

In private, the Kimuras confer. Shunji unfortunately has no intel to report; they never were able to figure out what the independence army is planning. Still, he assures Dad that they’ve got all their contingencies in place: “Thankfully, we know who we’re fighting.” Or DO you?

Koiso bursts in to report that the armory has been raided. Boxes stand emptied, weapons missing. There was only one non-policeman who entered the station yesterday, and Chief Kimura flashes back to the deliveryman he’d stopped: Damsari!

At the rebel hideout, independence soldiers disguise the stolen explosives, hiding them in gift boxes, cosmetic cases, and linings of clothing.

Kang-to sits at his desk, anxiously anticipating whatever mayhem is to come. He sees Koiso rushing by with Damsari’s mug shot, which tips him off that they must know the weapon raid was Damsari’s work. Damn.

Shunji works through the logic: Damsari’s good, but is he good enough to pull off such a theft without insider help? “When Gaksital carried off the man who tried to kill Lee Kang-to, he knew every corner of our station.” But… there’s only one Korean police officer…

Chief Kimura breathes, “Lee Kang-to.” Nooo! They decide that the theft must remain secret from everyone, “especially Kang-to.” Dad seems pleased that Shunji suspects Kang-to, because the devil enjoys killing puppies and bromance. Shunji answers that he’ll keep a close eye on him.

Kang-to flips through the VIP roster for the anniversary gala and finds Choi Tae-gon, Damsari’s cover name. He calls the government general to request Choi’s contact information and hears that the invitation came via the countess. Ah, are you trying to warn him? Go, warn! Warn like the wind!

Shunji gives his team their final instructions, stationing teams at every exit. He warns that rebels may disguise themselves as VIPs and puts himself on VIP watch. But Kang-to speaks up, insisting that he’s better suited for that—he knows what Damsari looks like. Eep! Do you know you’ve just made Shunji even more suspicious? Can’t you see the epic side-eye your BFF is shooting you?

Shunji warns him that if somebody he clears is a troublemaker, Kang-to will be on the hook. Kang-to vows to take responsibility.

Kang-to wonders why Shunji isn’t saying a word about the stolen arms, and eyes him suspiciously. Well, at least it’s mutual. Better to stab in fronts than backs, and all.

Damsari arrives at the count’s mansion with his cover wife on his arm, decked out in full black tie. His “secretary” is Mok Dan, which can’t be a good idea—doesn’t she remember she has TWO dogged cops on her tail? She’s told to wait in the car, but we all know that nobody ever waits in the car. It’s basically one rung below “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” on the list of Things To Say To Challenge Fate.

Sure enough, Mok Dan’s right there when Kang-to pulls up in the driveway. There’s a fraught moment as Mok Dan freezes, and Kang-to tries to figure out how to keep his cover intact. Without, yunno, beating his one true love bloody.

Kang-to opts for Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: Mok Dan ducks into the car and he passes by without sparing her another glance. For now she assumes he didn’t see her—he’d never just walk by if he did—but she worries that he’s sure to recognize Damsari.

Kang-to is presented to the count, and the two rebels avert their faces, hoping to escape the encounter unrecognized. Kang-to informs the count that police has received intel about Damsari’s plans to crash the anniversary gala, and requests permission to brief him of their plans to guard the event. Just to assuage their concerns, you know.

Ah, clever. With this excuse, Kang-to has found a way to warn Damsari while playing dumb, and the spies perk up their ears.

Damsari wonders why Kang-to hasn’t recognized him, but is relieved about it. Let’s just hope they don’t look this gift horse in them mouth—although, admittedly, I’d think more of their spy skills if they did. But then we’d be stuck in an endless loop of “Is this a trap?” and “Is this a trap meant to masquerade as a different trap?” till everyone’s worried themselves crazy.

Kang-to has brought along blueprints of the building and police diagrams of the security detail. He studiously keeps his gaze fixed on the count while the countess sends coy glances at the studly young officer. It’s a character detail I enjoy, since we’ve established her roving eye.

The countess asks why he’s giving them such special treatment, and Kang-to replies with a patriotic answer about protecting the two of them, who were important figures in this glorious Korean-Japanese union. Kang-to leaves hoping Damsari has been sufficiently warned into abandoning his scheme.

As Kang-to leaves, he again acts blind to the girl sitting in the car right next to his. Damsari and his accomplice are frankly surprised that they encountered Kang-to and kept their covers intact; it seems too good to be true. But Damsari reasons that he would have been arrested immediately if Kang-to had caught on.

With Kang-to’s elaborate description of the armed guard, Damsari decides it’s too dangerous; he’ll infiltrate the gala alone. His partner must escape with Boon-yi. But she’s committed to the cause, and as an extra precaution she swaps her case of cosmetic powder with the countess’s—now if the weapon inside is found, she won’t be the one implicated. Both speak as though they’re walking into certain death, but they’re willing to die for the mission.

Damsari half-pleads with her to change her mind, saying that if they both end up in heaven, he’ll ignore her. She just nods yes; after all, he has a partner waiting for him in heaven. Oh, interesting, so are they in love?

Damsari slips out of the house to send Mok Dan away. She protests, but he tells her of Kang-to’s report; their planned rendezvous has become impossible. She must leave the city right away.

Mok Dan worries how Dad will flee without his getaway crew, but he assures her that he’s been arrested and escaped seven times. So… you’re saying you have two lives left?

He hugs her goodbye, then heads back to join his party.

At Gaksital Central, Kang-to informs Baek Gun of the latest events; he’d wished success for the revolt, but now all he can do is hope that the insurgents ditch their plan. Baek Gun is convinced they’ll come anyway; they won’t let this chance go, even if they lose their lives.

In that event, Kang-to’s Plan B is to keep a close watch on the VIP list and confiscate any weapons: “That is the only way to save Damsari.”

Baek Gun argues the difficulty in accomplishing that without the police knowing; what if he’s the one caught? Kang-to: “Even if I am caught, I can’t just leave Damsari to die.” Baek Gun returns, “And I cannot leave you to die either, young master.” And the hero-go-round whirls on.

Police presence is high at the gala, where Kang-to mans the line checking the male VIPs. The ladies have their own line, but the countess and Damsari’s partner are waved through with barely any scrutiny. There are benefits to coming with Joseon’s most visible pro-Japanese social clique.

It’s not as easy for Damsari, who’s got a more famous face and a history with the police. He stands in Kang-to’s line awaiting his turn, holding his gift box, chatting extra-loudly with his powerful new buddies to give him a grand air. Shunji spots him and compares Damsari’s bespectacled disguise with his mug shot and looks at him suspiciously.

Kang-to hurriedly roots through the gift box, sweating bullets as he tries to find hidden weapons. We’d seen the insurgents packing the gift box, but Kang-to finds nothing.

Shunji steps in to request Damsari’s identification card. The count argues that such a precaution is unnecessary—they’re very good friends, he and the uber-wealthy gold-mine owner. Damsari produces his ID card, and Shunji compares it with the mug shot. Are you really going to let him through on account of that measly mustache? Am I going to have to take back what I said about you being smart?

But Damsari’s been blustering about his extensive business plans and has the full backing of both the count and newspaperman Park. Shunji’s suspicions aren’t enough to outweigh a solid cover, so Shunji begs pardon and allows him through. The thing is, Damsari thinks to himself that Kang-to ought to recognize his name “Choi Tae-gon,” and yet Kang-to remains silent. He’s been on edge through the encounter, and breathes a sigh when Damsari is waved along.

Mok Dan argues with her driver/guard, Comrade Jo, wanting to go back and help her father. He says her presence only endangers her father and informs her of the other comrades who are stationed with their own missions. Furthermore, Damsari’s planned getaway has been compromised with the death of Comrade Park—the captured waiter who died saving Gaksital. Now she understands why he tried to assassinate Kang-to; eliminating Kang-to improves chances of a clean escape.

Mok Dan protests, “I want to help Father. I want to lay my life on the line and fight like him. I know all too well that he went to the gala to die. How could I walk away just to save myself?” She promises to do Comrade Park’s part, and Comrade Jo finally relents.

The governor general gives his address and raises the rally cry to the empire. Then Lala takes the stage to lead them in the Japanese national anthem.

Shunji keeps a sharp eye on Damsari through the anthem, and reacts immediately when Damsari reaches for his hat and the weapon hidden inside. Kang-to spots movement and jumps into action a split-second later, but Shunji’s got him beat and slashes at Damsari’s arm, confiscating the explosive.

Now Shunji recognizes Damsari with certainty and begins a cruel beatdown. It’s chilling, how deliberate his violence is—it’s not out-of-control fury, but calculated brutality.

Kang-to and Damsari’s wife watch in horror as he’s viciously beaten. Wife has a mission, though, and forces herself to continue it: She edges her way out of the room while everyone’s distracted.

Her departure is noticed by Kang-to and one other officer, who follows her down the hallway. And is swiftly knocked unconscious with a blow to the neck. Kang-to to the silent rescue.

Kang-to returns to the hall unnoticed, in time for Shunji to task him with finding Damsari’s accomplice. Kang-to keeps up the ruse by cursing to hear that she’s nowhere in sight. Gah, am I the only one yelling for an explosion to happen faster, so that Kang-to still has an alibi when it does?

Outside, Mok Dan sits in the getaway car anxiously. She sees a truckload of officers zoom by, a potentially ominous sign. Sigh, she’s not going to wait in the car, is she?

Following Damsari’s removal, the hall remains wound up tight with stress. Rie motions for the governor general to step in and liven things up with a toast. Governor Wada steps to the podium to urge the partygoers to not let some pesky Korean troublemaker ruin their big night, and raises his champagne in the air for a toast.

Then, his glass shatters. People scream and look for the source.

It’s Gaksital, standing at the entrance, his projectile flute-cane outstretched. Bad! Ass!

A full-scale battle breaks out between Gaksital and the police officers, who swarm him and get knocked down in turn. Attendees shriek and take cover. Gaksital is pretty fantastic in action and the scene blood-pumping, even though (or because?) half my brain is still fixated on how he’s going to whip up an explanation for Kang-to’s absence after the fact.

Chief Kimura grabs a gun and starts shooting wildly, so furious to get Gaksital that he doesn’t even care that he shoots down innocent men in the crossfire. Damn. I think that’s more shocking than anything else, that he doesn’t care about collateral damage… in a room full of the empire’s V-est VVVIPs. Gaksital has a way of bringing out that all-consuming rage.

Glasses shatter and furniture explodes, but Gaksital evades the shots with his tricky acrobatics.

The news reaches Shunji’s ears precious minutes later, while he’s leading his team out of the building with the captured Damsari in tow. Attendees hurry past him screaming about Gaksital, and he dashes back to the hall, leaving Damsari with Koiso. Oh no for Kang-to, but on the upside, this increases Damsari’s chances of escape considerably.

I do enjoy Rie’s glowering, deathly calm throughout the chaos, because it just seems so like her tough self to find this disturbance annoying. When the silly governor burns his cheek on a tabletop candle, he blubbers in pain until she chucks a glass of water in his face, disgusted. Ha.

Then silent bodyguard Katsuyama Jun makes his move, grabbing a samurai sword on display. Uh-oh. This guy’s badass, and the only thing stopping from leveling the playing field right quick is a cold word from Rie: “Wait. While we’re here, let’s see how skilled the empire’s police are.”

So Katsuyama stands down as Gaksital continues beating down every man who gets in his path, and Kimura keeps firing badly, even shooting his own policemen. Good lord, man, get a grip.

Gaksital knocks the gun out of Kimura’s hands, and frankly I’m relieved more for his police force than for Kang-to, who’s never going to be in danger as long as Kimura’s shooting. He’s much better with his sword, but Kang-to kicks it out of his hand and knocks Kimura down, then leaps in the air.

He uses the podium as a springboard and snatches the sword by its hilt at the top of its arc. In one sweeping motion, he brings the blade down on the banner commemorating Joseon’s colonization. Rrrrrrrip! So. Cool.

Kimura bolts up to attack Gaksital, but stops short when his sword is leveled at his neck. Shunji bursts into the hall just in time to see his father standing there defenseless, Gaksital’s hostage. Damn. That’s gotta be some nasty deja vu.

Shunji draws his gun. Dad gulps. Let’s hope you’re a better shot than he is…

Then Chief Kimura growls, “Shoot. Don’t worry about me. Shoot!”

Shunji shoots.

 
COMMENTS

Woot woot, an exciting episode! I get TWO awesome odd-numbered episodes in a row? What is in the water? (Not that I’m complaining.) It helps that this is the big event toward which the drama has been building up for weeks, so we got all the setup out of the way in previous episodes and dove right into the good stuff. And lots of that there were. Like…

Shunji suspects! The Is-Kang-to-Gaksital suspicion comes sooner than I’d expected, but you won’t find me balking—much better to make our characters smarter and more skeptical, than to keep them in the dark and running around in circles. How many times can we watch people scratching their heads at Clark Kent running in just after Superman leaves and not roll our eyes? We’d get bored with too many false alarms, especially since these real alarms are a helluva lot more exciting.

I did worry that Shunji would be setting up a trap for Kang-to once he heard about the lie about meeting Mok Dan. I’m both relieved (for Kang-to’s sake) that Shunji revealed his doubts early enough for Kang-to to keep on top of his cover story, and nervous that Shunji will be planting that trap soon enough anyway. Because while Kang-to’s managed to lie his way convincingly out of tight spots thus far, Shunji definitely is shrewd—enough that in any Gaksital scene without Shunji, I find myself relaxing and enjoying the action sequences, only to tense right up whenever Shunji enters the scene. That’s good antagonism.

I enjoyed watching Kang-to’s growing struggle to maintain his Gaksital persona in this episode, and am looking forward to a lot more of that development in future episodes. I love that this masked crusader isn’t a confident, assured superhero who always seems to know what to do. Those stories are tons of fun, too, but there’s a starkness about Gaksital that I love. He has no idea where the lines are separating good from bad, or justifiable from not. And maybe those lines are all imaginary anyway; they may be clear for people living on the extreme ends of the ideology spectrum, like Damsari who lives and dies by the cause, and Kishokai which operates for its own power. But for the 99% who have to live in the middle ground, it’s a lot murkier knowing what the “right” thing is in a complicated, morally gray situation.

Heck, the very idea that the hero is part of that 99% is pretty damn compelling, because Kang-to’s not some lofty paragon, despite Gaksital’s reputation. He has his brother to thank for that, but it’s not his own identity. There’s something very noble about being that traditional hero who gives himself up for the greater good, sacrificing personal desires to fight for that ideal—but for this story, I’m intrigued with the dissonance between Kang-to’s true self and the way people see him (as Gaksital).

I’m still not sure whether he’ll become that noble hero in the end, but if he never does, I won’t be disappointed. The conflict is richer where we are, with Kang-to struggling with his burden and feeling powerless at times to step in, because the cause requires him to remain hidden. You can see the guilt in his face when he forces himself to remain in character as the Policeman Kang-to, because you can see him questioning whether he’s lying low for the cause or for himself. I look forward to seeing that play out—the idea perhaps these people are dying for an ideal that doesn’t exist. Will that propel him into then becoming that ideal? Or is that the burden of every hero, who’s really only human at the end of the day?

Okay, maybe not Clark Kent. But we’ve already established that he’s got some major believability issues to begin with, like passing off underwear as hero-pants.

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Thank you so much for the recap :)

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holy crap. the last scene with gaksital gave my heart such thrills.
*fistpump*

Thanks JB!

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kimura is such a sad, sad man.
firing aimlessly even though he's killing his own people?
definitely not human.

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Thanks for the recap! Off to read!

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"Okay, maybe not Clark Kent. But we’ve already established that he’s got some major believability issues to begin with, like passing off underwear as hero-pants. "

EPIC!

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I am still watching it! But dying to read the recap !! LOL Kang to briefting the Count but telling Damsari?! LOL Ingenious!! * shivers* Thank you for the recap javabeans!

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glad you got another good one. loootts of good stuff in here. many "please don't figure out what's going on right now!" moments when it came to shunji. i love what's going on in kangto right now. WHOOT. excited for tomorrow and the following episodes!

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Thanks for the recap JB.
This is a really intense episode. Kang To is in dire need of an alibi now that Shunji is on to him. I mean like, he should dress the bodyguard ahjussi with the gaksital outfits and wig made of horse hair (just like Dr Jin's) and have him causing ruckus somewhere to divert the attention from him. Especially since his absence in pivotal moment is so palpable now.

And finally! That scene between Rara and Kang To flashbacking to the incident at the gisaeng house confirms my presumption for Kang To's turning point from good to ruthless cop. But I wished it elaborated more on Kang To's motivation to save Rie at that point, knowing the consequences he might face later. Because, at least for me, it would help me understanding the decision he made to help Damsari and also why he wants the revolt to be successful. Like maaaaybe right now he's slowly going back to his old self where he might shared (used to share) the same ideology with his mom's and brother's.

Btw, I laughed at that scene where Shunji is cross checking Damsari's photo and his ID. His photo is just HI-larious. Props to Shunji who managed to keep a straight face when he was looking at that photo!

I wonder why Rie stopped his bodyguard from fighting Gaksital and said that this should be a good chance to analyze the Imperial Police skills. Hmmm... I wonder what kind of ulterior motives she might have behind this.

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"Kimura keeps firing badly, even shooting his own policemen. Good lord, man, get a grip."

I think he also shot some of the VIP guests. I saw a handful of black tuxedoed men fall to the ground during that shooting frenzy

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yeah. JB mentioned "doesn’t even care that he shoots down innocent men in the crossfire. "

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rie's gonna tell daddy-o in japan-o about kimura and empire guards. this is not gonna be good for kimura or kang-to.

good recap for an action packed epis. thanks.

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omg maya you pulled the thoughts right out of my head!
I was thinking of this plan where he dresses someone on the inside with gaksital's oufit while kang-to is there too so there are no suspicions. we seriously need some alibis.
im scared for our kang-to.

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I know... I mean, he had the perfect cover before since he was always fighting face to face with Gaksital. But now with his noticeable absence and his entanglement with Damsari, plus him not recognizing Damsari during the security check would just draw more and more attentions toward him. And I think he got a tad sloppier and hastier than before too.
Kang To~yaa pls find a way to hide your identity

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I don't think Shunji thinks he is Gaksital because there is too many previous encounters where Kang To was in plain site but I think they think (as Daddy Devil elluded to) that he is working with Damsari! I was hoping Baek Gun would have shown up as Gaksital myself. As he stated he wanted to make sure he did not die!

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Me too. I was wondering why she want to know how strong the police force are. She is after all a Josen person that was once got punished by the Jap. Maybe she is working secretly too like Damsari.

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I dunno but I'm finding the plot kinda repetitive-ish which is a shame since I enjoyed last week's episodes a lot.

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I agree.

The drama has become formulaic and predictive. This began with Episode 7.

Damsari has now become a mere caricature of his old self we loved in Episode 1, while writers debate what to do with Mokdan, the third wheel in the ensemble.

While the drama spent scant time to flesh out Lee Gang To's choice to become a new Gaksital, one could argue that it was intuitably logical. A much deeper plot hole lies with Shunji's transformation. That Gaksital killed my brother does not cut it, because Kenji and Shunji shared not a single scene of brotherly love until Lee Gang To murdered Kenji. Or that Shunji wanted to protect Mokdan is even more laughable.

The expansion of the drama into 28 epiosdes perversely works to slow down the writers, rather than to provide the writers with additional opportunity to pump more materials into the drama.

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I'm not buying I-hate-Gaksital-because-you-are-killing-my brother's conflict either. But I buy his love for his whole family and his pride for his identity as Japanese people... And that's motivated him to catch up Gaksital. The plot maybe repititive, but the character is not.

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If so, the writers will have to flesh that out of Shunji.

It is as if the drama skipped a few indispensable dramatic steps, which became painfully clear to me when, towards the end of Episode 12, Sun Wha begged Shunji to stop and Shunji assaulted Sun Wha to the ground. This was a perfect opportunity for the drama to make that connection, but it did not.

As it stands now, Shunji is a "new and improved" version of his dead broher, far worse and far more viscious in every regard than Kenji. In comparison, Kenji now looks far more humane. What the drama fails to do is show us how and why this was inevitable, indeed necessary, for Shunji, whereas it did an excellen job everlier when it convinced us as to why Lee Gang To did what he did before he became a Gaksital.

I get that Shunji wants to capture Gaksital for his father, for his slain brother or for Japan. That explains why he became an Imperial Police Officer. But it still does not explain why Shunji has to sell his soul in the process.

It is as if Episode 6, the epic one, drained all senses and ideas from the production team. Indeed, I suspect that the only major plot left for the drama to enact is to bring about Gaksital's inevitable demise in the hands of his Japanese enemies and/or unsuspecting Koreans (who earlier burnt his dead mother and brother to the ground) in the most horrifying, tear-jerking way as possible. All else will be a sideshow, filling up the next 14 episodes leading to the finale.

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Also, he has this extra hate for Gaksital just by the mere fact that Mok Dan chose this person who killed his brother over him.

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At this point, does Shunji even think about, or even remember, Mokdan? I wonder.

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His tears at the beginning showed that he did. But I see your point. Watching Shunji evolve into a character worse than his brother has become unimaginable but definitely the route the writers are going.

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I think it's a combination of many tiny details/events that pushed Shunji's transformation. What stood out the most for me was the scene from episode 12 where Shunji and Kangto laid in bed crying and he confided his true feelings. He said if he could just catch Gaksital he would take off the uniform immediately and return to the children like he had planned and that's why he didn't even say goodbye to them. This tells me that he sees capturing Gaksital as his way out. He had put on the uniform (unwillingly) to save Mok-Dan and to appease his father, not really to avenge his brother though it may be part of the reason. Right now, he is tied down by his duty to his family and even guilt over his brother's death (kind of like Kangto's guilt in a way). Kenji had died for the family's cause (and Japan's), whereas Shunji himself had never actively aligned himself with his family and always avoided his duty as a Japanese and as a Kimura especially. So I think his desperation to free himself serves as his initial motivation to capture Gaksital, and the more he realizes his own darkness, the more desperate he becomes to end it all. But after a while, with Mok Dan pointing the gun at him and her apparent feelings for Gaksital, I think he is now also driven by jealousy, pride, and vengence. From Shunji's perspective, there are a lot of reasons to hate Gaksital.

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I think it's a combination of many subtle details/events that pushed Shunji's transformation. What stood out the most for me was the scene from episode 12 where Shunji and Kangto laid in bed crying and he confided his true feelings. He said if he could just catch Gaksital he would take off the uniform immediately and return to the children like he had planned and that's why he didn't even say goodbye to them. This tells me that he sees capturing Gaksital as his way out. He had put on the uniform (unwillingly) to save Mok-Dan and to appease his father, not really to avenge his brother though it may be part of the reason. Right now, he is tied down by his duty to his family and even guilt over his brother's death (kind of like Kangto's guilt in a way). Kenji had died for the family's cause (and Japan's), whereas Shunji himself had never actively aligned himself with his family and always avoided his duty as a Japanese and as a Kimura especially. So I think his desperation to free himself serves as his initial motivation to capture Gaksital, and the more he realizes his own darkness, the more desperate he becomes to end it all. But after a while, with Mok Dan pointing the gun at him and her apparent feelings for Gaksital, I think he is now also driven by jealousy, pride, and vengence. From Shunji's perspective, there are a lot of reasons to hate Gaksital.

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I find Shunji's character to be equally ripe with conflict as Kang To and a nice contrast. I wonder if it's a case of being shaped by the mask as opposed to shaping the mask (both literally for Kang To and figuratively for Shunji). I don't think the drama has yet crossed the line with Shunji into one dimensional evil territory in that I liked that he was upfront (this time) with Kang To about lying to him and he was visibly thrown by Kang To's excuse (about Mok dan). The cold calculated beating in this episode was scary though...so now I'm just as intrigued about where they will take Shunji's character in the next couple of episodes. Just Please SHow, Don't kill the bromance!! :(

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I think the only predictive thing is that Kang To won't die so early . He is the main role! The way that he maintains gaksital alive and at the same time helps Dam Sa Ri ,is not so easy to guess.

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i still don't get why lee kang to decided to grace the gala with the gaksital's presence. To save dam sari? too late. To finish the independence army's goal of terrorizing? To keep dam sari and his partner safer? Someone enlighten me, please.

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I think he just want the revolt to be successful, since it's a huge event that will receive spotlights from everywhere. So to have the event ruined would somewhat irk the Japanese government. He said do during his conversation with the bodyguard ahjussi.
And maybe he's trying to draw the attention away from Damsari's partner and buy her some time to escape?

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so JB can have more bad-ass episodes.
i'm not complainin', cause gaksital is so badass. and his fighting scenes are welcome any day.

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I like the action scenes, and I like the Kangto versus Shunji rivalry, but I do find the plot has become kind of repetitive. Capture Mok-dan. Release Mok-dan. Gaksital-versus-Shunji action scene at the end of every episode. In a way, I feel like the plot is moving forward, and not moving at all at the same time. I just wish the writers discovered more creative ways to push the plot forward.

Also, what's up with setting Mok-dan up in that secretary disguise? How on earth was that a smart idea -__-;; Shunji's like obsessed with her, and the entire police force knows her face. I was just shaking my head throughout all that.

Don't get me wrong. I still like Gaksital, and will continue watching :) Just wanted to throw that out there though.

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Thrown and caught! I thought it was a dumb move as she is well known and Shunji's obsession!

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Okay, maybe I'm the only one but I have to comment that Rie's bodygaurd is seriously HOT.

Now that's out of the way on to the drama. Another fabulous episode with bad-ass action. And plenty of tension between the (former) friends. Shunji is so smart that he is the perfect antagonist. If it had been Kenji, I wouldn't worry for KangTo at all.

Thanks for the re-cap JB. So glad you got another good episode.

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Yes, please!

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Oh yeah, you know its coming and I can't wait. Even more, I would like for it to turn out Rie has some samurai skills of her own and somehow she and Gakistal have a one on one. Fighting, I mean.

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Oh no, no no no haha You're not the only one . He can guard my body anyday ;)
I Love this drama the pase and the tension its so good. I'M dreading the day when Mok dan finds out her first love is Kang to. Poor girl shes been to hell and back ( mostly from him ) It's going to kill her when she figures it out. I even tear up a bit when I see how heartbroken Kang to is about everything thats happened now that he knows shes Boon yi. Thats good acting when you can hate someone for all the evil they did and still hope that SOMEHOW his love will find a way.

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OMO me too. I wanna see Mok Dan's reaction when she discovers that her deep love and deep hate are for the same person . Would she forgive Kang To? But i'm more curios in HOW this is going to happen. I keep imagining. I would like to see MD discovering ,without KT knowing . Or perhaps ,after hurting him or something like this. Let's wait and cheer for this moment .

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There was a good article not to long ago about the tall silent actor...the one you always remember in a drama.
I agree with you...he steals every scene he is in...have you noticed the lustful way he eyes Rie?

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YES! He's got the yummiest eyes ever. He just smolders when he looks at her.

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I'm sorry, I need to get this out --

PARK KI-WOONG!!! <3 How I've missed you! You should always choose awesome projects like this! So underrated, yet he's such an amazing actor~ :) <3 <3 <3

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SO GOOD! Just finished the episode - loved being able to read your thoughts so soon after, while it was fresh in my mind.

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Yeeesshhh..I'm so excited for tomorrow's episode! :) Thank you for the recap, which I've finally started reading after seeing the show.

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The action's building up and our leads are really doing a fine job with their characters. But parts of the writing is giving me eyerolls and headshakes.

I got a major problem with Damsari and Mok Dan's disguises. Seriously, they expect to get away or accomplish their great mission with such lame disguises?Maybe those were the days where spectacles were a luxury and lasik unheard of(where is Dr Jin? went too far back? ok)

Maybe Kimura and sons have some genetic eyesight problem. None of them can hit a target with their shooting.
We all saw what a poor shooter Kenji was, if he had been more accurate, he might still be alive today.
Shunji is more lethal with his sword than gun. He missed real bad in last week's episode. Lucky Mok Dan had the gun cuz one boy hits every time he shoots while the other misses every time he shoots.
Poor eyesight is my only explanantion why S couldn't recognise Damsari from that ridiculous ID! I was so cracked up and yet Shunji was deadpan. He really should have been in that 1N2D episode, he would have stared at Bird PD ID without any fuss.
Kimura? Is he serious? He asked Shunji to shoot at him knowing how great his aiming is? Maybe cuz he knows he will hit nowhere near anyone he is aiming. So, it's just to distract Gaksital.

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LOL Kang To at the first episode did a horrible job for use a gun as well... He was become better after the plot required him to shoot our heroine and killed his hyung

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"Maybe Kimura and sons have some genetic eyesight problem. None of them can hit a target with their shooting."-- got that right. Don't the Imperial Police require range re-certification or something because that whole family can't shoot a lick!

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Move over Mok Dan and Rie! There's a cougar after your man. And boy does the countess really like strong men to contrast her feeble husband.

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LOL! Can't blame her though. :D

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hahhaah lol @ "there's a cougar after your man" lol again

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i like how in the very first screen shot of this post, kangto's blocking the 'AN' in 'ANGEL' so you can only see 'GEL'... right above two heads of neatly gelled hair.

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lol. didn't notice. maybe they need to change the name of the club to GEL CLUB after all. everyone going there wears gel anyways. lol

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I WAS GONNA SAY THAT TOO HAHAHA!!
it was too perfect to be true lol!

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Thank you so much for the recap!

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I agree with @BB, @Dominique, @Eternal..
If I may add, the ending of some episodes are basically similar: gaksital is (almost) caught.
Also, joo won's frowned starts to annoy me. Anyone notice this? He's frowned in almost all his scenes. Who knows, when he's the gaksital, behind his mask,he's also frowned. I can endure his shouty acting, but his frowned really bothers me.
If you haven't watched this drama, and only read the recaps, you can look at his forehead in the screencaps above or in the previous episodes recaps.

Love and peace.

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Alll the men and even the women in Gaksital frowned. They seriously need a botox injection after filming.

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Yup! He does frown a lot. And I think he also frowned a lot since the first episode but it wasn't that visible because of his emo-fringe. But then On the upside, he also starts to smile a lot too :D. It's weird that I'm watching 2 dramas with two frowning leads at the same day (So Ji Sub from Ghost)
And yeah I agree that the plot is getting repetitive but I figure that it's normal given its "secret hero" theme. The hero must be put in some situation where there seems to be no way out.

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It's true, Joowon is frowning a lot. But I think it's because his character got too much weight on his shoulders
1) His Best of Friends is getting highly suspicious of him
2) His GirlFriend is not at all suspicious of him
3) His Future Father In Law is suspicious of him for not recognising his poor disguise but not suspicious why he dropped the HINT.
4) His LKT-Gaksital-LKT switching is getting suspiciously impossible

I suspect if the script/storyline is different, Joowon's frown will disappear faster than his tight pants whenever Gaksital appears.

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I guess the frown is needed in this kind of tension drama.

He frows a lot in Baker King but in Ojak Brothers, it's his dimple that blown me away. Aigoo.

Here in Gaksital, it's both. The frown and the dimple.. But, wait the nice shiny hair and yeah, the suit. Hoho.

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And the pants? :D

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he he. me like the pants. hot

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Omg!! I totally agree!! The frown's been annoying me too.. so much so that I just want to reach into my screen and smoothen his forehead out. Just watching his scrunched up eyebrows looks so painful it almost gives me a headache -.-" HA, I actually prefer Joo Won behind the mask...he has such soulful eyes and he's finally starting to own the gaksital face (as in the mask doesn't look weird on him as it did when he first put it on when hyung died)

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One of the things of this drama that i'm addicted is Kang To's gaze : is so intense that makes me want to cry . It must be very hard to Joo Won to express through his eyes the pain ,the retracted love ,the false hate at the same time.Show all this feelings mixed ,it's not an easy task. Considering the actor's personality demonstrated in another shows and interviews , it's a GREAT work that we have here .

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Why do I think Boon Yi's dad is a communist. Was this ever established?

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Because he's referring to his partners as comrades? It's never established, but the "comrade" reference does clue us in to that conclusion.

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But that reference is weak.

What I understand is that no matter what Damsari's and his companions' political beliefs are, there is one common goal and that is independence.

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What about being communist?

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Ooohh... more holes in his disguise, I'm worried for him. Another amazing episode.

Thanks Javabeans!

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Thanks for the recap.Gaksital has gotten to the stage where I hide my face while watching it.If there's such a thing.Sigh.

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Man.. Damsari is one fine ajusshi *wink wink*

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lol ia.

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So true!

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Amazing episode once again, I was constantly on the edge of my seat on so many scenes here.
I'm so worried about Kang To being discovered but at the same time it was hard to see him do nothing when Damsari was getting beat up, i hope he can escape later. What will be KT's excuse for not recognizing the guy he'd always arrested and his disappearance when Gaksital showed up, yeah i think his cover is going down the drain soon enough.

tanks for the recaps JB!

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thanks*

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I don't know. but when I watch the Gaksital mask closely.. It's really makes your face unrecognized. Like handsome attractive guy like Joo Won a.k.a Lee Kang To become like ordinary guy and unattractive guy. But, baby... Your pouty lips is irresistible.

Cougar Countess eyeing on Kang To. Wink.

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For some reason I want to see more scene with the Cougar Countess and Kang To. XD

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Great recap!
I have to say that this was an awesome episode. It went by so fast though, and I didn't want it to end. XD
I can't wait to see tomorrow's episode.

I definitely like seeing Kang To's struggles. I also like that this drama doesn't seem to drag things out for too long and make the characters seem completely stupid. It's reasonable that Kang To would be suspected with all of his disappearances and whatnot.

I'm interested in finding out more of Damsari's thoughts on the fact that Kang To didn't mention anything when he should've recognized the name.

And I have to add that I love seeing scenes with either Baek Gun or the bodyguard guy.

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There are a lot of hotties in this show. But I just gotta say.. Dam Sa Ri is fucking fine. I have ajusshi crush on him fursure. so cute/handsome.

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Uh huh? He was super adorable in family honor!

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Hi there..

I'm partly agree with Dominigue. I think the transformation of Gang To is quite logical. He killed his own brother, and that's a traumatic exp. And now that he's no longer have a family, he's beginning to loose his reason to he loyal to Japan. And, someone actually died for him last week, just bcoz he's gaaksital. All of these experiences are slowly changing his way of thinking.

But I agree that Shunji's transformation is a plot hole. I too cant find enough reasons for this. Yeah, it is acceptable..but still, I think it is too fast and too drastical

Anyway, still like gaksital and joo won, and having no problems with his frowning or anything :). His kissing MD's forehead is very touching and full of emotion. I can feel his repressed emotion through his eyes and face, eventhough it is covered by a mask

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Seriously, one of my favourite recaps ever! Thank you a million times over!

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I still think that DSR is going to be the first one to put the pieces together about KT. DSR is smart and an experienced agent. He is already questioning what's up with KT who he knows is also pretty quick witted. He may not make the connection that KT is Gaksital right away, but I don't think it will be long before DSR realizes that KT is helping them.

Thanks JB. I'm glad you got another awesome episode! :)

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Hi

can someone explain Rie's role and the organisation - kishioi she's working for? Why does she get to have a bodyguard (whos so delicious)??

thanks!

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She's the (adopted) daughter of the organization's chairman. Hence the delicious bodyguard :D

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Shunji still don't know the real Rie. Right?

I the show when most secrets don't stay too long. Like Rie was a gisaeng and Kang To remember saving her before. I want any of the boys to suspect Rie as soon as possible. Or Boon Yi, I hope she remember Rie's face.

I check out the preview and read the translation, Damsari being held by Shunji and Mok Dan said that they can use Shunji, I don't know what action/method will they use.

Will Mok Dan apologize to Shunji and pretend to likes him. The new bad person Shunji is still fragile at heart.

It will be awesome if Shunji and Mok Dan to go on a date infront of Kang To. Hah. Let's see what is Kang To's reaction. But, at the same time, Mok Dan will meet Gaksital Kang To in the woods.

Argh girl, you're so lucky! BTW, Mok Dan looks beautiful in this episode :-)

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wow the episodes are getting better & better!

first thought, I know Shunji is smart ... but what are they gonna do with the drama if Shunji finds out kang-to is gaksital already? its a little too soon? but i don't want the story to get dragged on ... so i hope shunji isn't suspicious of kang-to for too long. Either he finds out or get some definite "answers" from kang-to that he's got nothing to do with gaksital.

also .... i want more of Rie & Kang-to! i hope when she realizes kang-to is gaksital, she'll help him. This is sadly an OTP that won't happen :'(

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I thought this episode was sloppily written. Surely, there could have been better ways to give Kangto an alibi. I like that I'm getting more of our lovely actors but the plot needs to move more. Them disguises got to level up man!

I've said before Shunji's transformation was not a smooth one. They should have explained it more and/or explore more of his complexes because i'm very sure Park Ki Woong can deliver. Now, he just seems like a crazy spurned lover boy, which is just sad given how the set up for his character was much more interesting.

I hope we level up the plot writer(s)-nim! LAnd make the resistance fighters and Mok Dan smarter! Like Shunji! Not some all brawns no brain gang! Gaksital is still awesome though. :D

Thanks for the recap :D

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there's still so much more the writer can do with the story so i'm really glad it got an extension. Hope the writer keeps up the good work. I would like to see:

1. More of Rie - Kang-to and maybe a comradeship?

2. Emotional developments of Mok Dan once she realizes Gaksital is Kang-to

3. How the Joseon people react/accept that Kang-to is Gaksital (if they ever find out) and perhaps how sorry that citizen feels for burning down Kang-to's home & "killing" his family?

4. How Shunji & Kang-to's friendship mends? If their friendship doesn't mend, perhaps one or both of them will probably die in the end?

I don't know anything about the Manhwa, so I'm wondering if Gaksital is going to be a tragic hero ... It's quite possible he'll die in the last episode ... but hopefully not. But I won't be too sad if it is reasonable & done well.

At least when this drama is over I can still see Joo Won on 1N2D xP

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Star , I'm totally with you .This exactly the SAME i'm expecting for .
Maybe Kang To won't die .Capital Scandal was a tragic drama too , and I thought "Kang Ji Hwan"(i don't remember the name of his character) would die ,but he didn't . There's still hope for our hero. hahaha.

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Such a good drama, I wish Mok dan found out about Gaksital 's identity already. Thank you!

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...and at the end Shunji shoots, he's not a good shooter from what I remember. That's good.

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LOL. yeah, it's funny how they all are not good shooters (Taro, Kenji, Shunji). I guess it's in Kimura's bloodline! XD

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Damsari or rather the actor was in Family Honour. In case there are any of you who haven't watched it. Since suddenly today, we are noticing him :-)

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Gah, I was on edge for the majority of the episode. Even though some claim "plot holes," which I can somewhat see where they're coming from, I don't agree. An extremely logical show is no fun. Did you forget you're watching a kdrama? I've thoroughly enjoyed these recent eps more than ever.

I am getting a little annoyed with Mok Dan though and I totally see why some people are rooting for the Rie & Kang To OTP. I'm not super sold on the romance but I'm enjoying the action enough that it fully compensates in my book.

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Badass episode! I know it felt repetitive that almost ever episode ends with BM at a standoff with the police, but this time, DAMN, Best. Action. Sequence. Ever.
I also don't mind because for all the repetition the writer puts in, there's always some sort of progression to the plot. I cannot WAIT to see what happens next - will the bomb really explode? will MD leave town? will Shunji finally clocked in on KT's frequent absence? will at least ONE person find out BM's real identity? Guuuh, sooo many questions!

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Actually I can accept Shunji transformation. Even though his brother is killed by Gaksital, he become a police to save Mok Dan. In the process, his father has put the family name in order to make Shunji a police officer. Doesn't it mean that his father has put the family name on the line because of Shunji's selfish reason? Shunji should feel responsible for his father's reputation.He tries to catch gaksital not only for revenge, but also for his responsibility. I think this is where his craziness started.
He is desperate for gaksital, he want to finish it fast and return. But for that, he become someone who he isn't. However, he only get hates from Mok Dan, the girl who was the reason why he has to change in the first place. To make it worse, this girl is fall in love with the subject of his revenge. The disappointment and jealousy change him even more as he has no way to return to.

That's why I never be able to hate Shunji. He wants to be good, but he has no one to guide him. Maybe Mok Dan is the first reason why he become a good person, but she hates him now. Certainly not his father too....i hope later Gang To can melt his heart and make him a good person again.

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yes. we're thinking the same thing.
I can't blame Shunji and I won't hate him.
poor Shunji :(

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you have pointed out some point that I didn't noticed. Maybe you're right, it's part of his responsibility for his family, I believe the one that influenced his transformation the most is not Kenji's death, thought initially this event lead him to become who he is now. But It's his father. And i believe he hates gaksital because he thinks Gaksital were the one that makes Kang To lost his family, see bike scene in epi 7 ? buti really hope the writers not making him become a totallt crazy villain... Please writers, give his character enough depth to make him more human.

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Catch gaksital it's an obsession, a "disease" that it was transported from Kang To to Shunji . That scene in which KT kicks his brother wildly proves the path to madness that he was taking ,and that now Shunji IS taking.

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it was soooo bad ass seeing Gaksital standing there in all his finery after interrupting the gov-general's toast... love the action & all but I'm finding myself unconsciously frowning a lot during & after watching this show, I call it the Gaksital effect... now i'm off to massage my forehead...

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Can a person have multiple heart attacks in one sitting of Gaksital?

Yes.

I seriously think I lost 20 years of my life!

I mean, half the time I kept thinking Kang-to is caught, but then he cleverly thinks of a good alibi.

Then he's under suspicion from his best friend yet he thankfully manages to catch on.

It's like the most intense and epic game of cat and mouse I have ever seen v.v

I dunno if I'm impressed with Shunji for figuring out so much this far, or if I'm mad at him cuz I want Kang-to to keep his identity for a little longer.

Actually, until the end of the series.

Only because watching Kang-to freak out when he thinks they know his identity is so awesome :P

Thanks for the recap JB! It seems you've finally got the more action packed episode of the week.... or is it?

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THANK YOU!! I really love Kang To more than anything now (tho I could never hate him =D ) I really hope Mok Dan finds out soon because I hate how his family n Mok Dan treat him horrible - which is reasonable - but I feel so bad for him!

And I LOVE how you choose LEDApple song!!!!!!! I've only been in luv with 2 K-POP bands - SS501 n LEDApple n the song just happens to be the one that KeonU did as a solo- cauz he was my favorite member n yet he just recently left the band =( I cried so much cauz he left so it made me so hype when u put it up because it makes me so happy!! =) =) Thanks Javabeans =D

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Gaksital!!!!!! i know he's not going to get caught but every freaking episode is killing me with suspense... i'm thinking too that the writers have started to drag the storyline to complete the extra episodes, i hope it's just my imagination and the plot continues to unravel clearly and interesting.
thanx for the recap JB :)

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this show is giving me a heartattack, i don't think i can take much more..

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This is the drama I've been anticipating from week to week. I wonder if there are stunt doubles or the leads do their own stunts. All that high flying kicks are awesome!

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epic stuff of cuz but most importantly anybody else notice just how manly and sexy (and Lee Sun Gyun esque lols) Comrade Jo's voice is?!!! yup! me be shallow like that!

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Shunji is becoming so unhinged, it´s scary. His beatdown of Damsari was almost as violent as Kang-to´s of Kenji, and Damsari didn´t even kill his mom or anything, sheesh.

Also, word of advice to Kang-to, Rie is not someone you want to fuck with, so watch it, lol.

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This episode had my heart pumping. LOUD.
I loved this episode soooo much, imma watch it again!

GAKSITAAAAL HWAITINGGG! <3

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Funny how yesterday i watched a segment on e news abt Christian Louboutin and in it he said he opened his first shop in 1990...now picture my reaction (gasp!) when i saw Mok Dan strutting her red soles, hello wardrobe??!!!

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i had the same thought watching the beginning of the last episode and seeing those red soles!

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Another suspense packed ep. Nice!
Judging from the previews.... Muahaha!!! Gang To may have another useful card up his sleeve: the countess!
Shunji is getting more scary. Good that he is the smart Kimura though, it keeps the plot moving.

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