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Incarnation of Money: Episode 23

Fighting in war isn’t always easy, especially if your morals and emotions are in constant conflict with each other. What if doing something right requires you to betray how you feel? On the other hand, what if your emotions force your hand to do something morally wrong? It’s questions like these that continue to plague our characters as the truth slowly unravels at their feet.

Maybe that pristine white vase isn’t as beautiful as you once thought when you realize that you’re holding a dirty rag in your hand.

EPISODE 23 RECAP

After their teary reunion, Jae-in apologizes in the car that her efforts in the war of revenge barely made a dent in Se-kwang’s armor. Cha-don tells her not to worry; he’s got a better idea: He’ll become a prosecutor again.

The hidden card he picked up in prison isn’t enough on its own; he needs the credentials to punish Se-kwang in a court of law. He thinks to himself, “We’ll fight with real swords in this last battle.”

Cha-don seeks Prosecutor General Jo’s help to push for his reinstatement as prosecutor. Their attention momentarily shifts to Se-kwang giving an interview on TV, rallying support from his fellow citizens to vote for him in the upcoming mayoral election.

Prosecutor General Jo spits up his drink after he learns the truth, and asks why they didn’t press the matter in the trial. Cha-don explains that it would have been pointless since Director Yoo was at the mercy of Se-kwang’s bidding, and probably couldn’t afford to lose the money he was promised.

Therefore, Cha-don needs to be reinstated as prosecutor in order to wring a proper confession out of Director Yoo.

Se-kwang is not happy to hear that Cha-don is now free thanks to Director Yoo’s revised testimony. He asks Director Yoo if he divulged anything else in court, and tells him to wait just a little longer – the world will be his once he becomes mayor. Then he makes the order to burn the paper trail of the embezzled bank accounts.

He returns to the car and Prosecutor Kwon fumes when he’s told that they have to wait until after the election, practically itching to do away with Cha-don or put him back behind bars. All they can do now is to prevent Cha-don from making a scene.

Meanwhile, Team Shudal has been keeping a close watch on their enemies nearby. Though the Traitagon is currently unaware that Cha-don has applied for reinstatement, Chief Yang worries that the interviewers will hold Cha-don’s corrupt past against him.

But Cha-don thinks it’s still worth a shot. He vows, “I’m going to genuinely try my best.”

He beats the interviewers to the punch and reveals himself to be the infamous Shudal. When asked why he seeks reinstatement, he honestly answers that he wishes to take responsibility for his former misdeeds.

It isn’t about the money either, he adds, since his lawyer salary was higher than when he was a prosecutor. I’ll say. Then Prosecutor General Jo pulls his weight around with the other interviewers (his compliments are a little overkill, to be honest) but it seems to work as they murmur their agreement.

Elsewhere, Se-kwang’s techie minion stuffs the Swiss bank account receipts in a bag just before Ji-hoo arrives, unaware that he’s dropped one in his hurry. Ji-hoo mistakes it for another ordinary financial document and places it in Se-kwang’s drawer.

We get an adorable moment as Dad smiles to see his wife nod off after he serenades her with his saxophone. That doesn’t last long because Boss Bok suddenly snaps awake, her memory returned.

She isn’t happy to see Dad and grabs a fistful of his shirt. He tries to plead for mercy through her cursing as she screams that he has no right to refer to himself as Jae-in’s father. He bolts when Jae-in steps in to break up the fight.

As for Jae-in, she’s relieved to see her mother back to her old self again and embraces her. She tells her mother that Dad has been her caretaker and dotes upon her “better that a husband would.”

When Jae-in teases that they look good together, her mother loudly protests never to let Dad back in again.

Their new humble abode caused by their financial ruin throws Boss Bok for a loop and she nearly blows a gasket once she’s filled in.

Assistant Kim asks after the receipts of the money she lent to her fellow literary members and she answers that it’s in her secret vault. Does every rich person have their own secret vault?

Unfortunately, they’ve already checked there and Boss Bok’s audio diary entries divulge nothing. So Boss Bok racks her brains for a minute before she declares that she hid it “there.”

Jae-in: “Where do you mean ‘there’?” Am getting eerie flashbacks of my own mother referring to “that friend” from “that time.” Her jaw drops when her mother tells her that they’ll be heading back to the Bok estate and will have to do some digging.

Meanwhile, Se-kwang visits his father’s grave (with his favorite walnuts) and boasts that despite his meager beginnings, he will soon become mayor. He vows to rise through the ranks and become president.

He swings by to see Bi-ryung per her request. She tells him that she’s given it some thought and now realizes that she’s been had by Cha-don’s tricks. She apologizes to Se-kwang for not trusting him sooner. Wait, this has to be an act, right?

Se-kwang pulls her into a hug and consoles her that it wasn’t her fault for being deceived. He’s surprised when she asks to be sent back to prison – surely the asylum is more comfortable?

Bi-ryung replies that it matters little to her now, and invites the chance to meet Cha-don face-to-face. When she urges that she be transferred immediately, he replies that it will take some time. So she pulls out the big guns and pleads with him with sad, puppy eyes. He agrees.

He notices her staring out the window and asks what she’s thinking. Bi-ryung denies it and places her head on his shoulder. But if her semi-blank expression is any indication, the cogs in her head are turning.

Sure enough, when the stop at a rest stop, Bi-ryung uses the opportunity to slip away via an opening through the ladies’ bathroom. Changed into different clothes (and in possession of Se-kwang’s wallet), she catches a ride with a truck driver, who just so happens to be a Se-kwang fanboy. Ha.

Se-kwang’s day has just gone from bad to worse when he hears that Cha-don has been reinstated as prosecutor (yay!). Bi-ryung wastes no time in accessing her security deposit box, where she’s stored away her jewelry collection.

Then we see her in a lavish hotel room, calling her son in the States. She jumps when there’s a knock at her door – a package that contains a pill.

Grasping it firmly in her hand, she seethes, “I’ll kill you by my own hands, Se-kwang.”

Prosecutor General Jo worries that they may have picked the wrong time to face their enemies, afraid of the possibility of public criticism. But Cha-don, who’s sporting a new ‘do, thinks differently – now is their chance to show the world how corrupt Se-kwang is.

Just then, Prosecutor Kwon storms into the office, enraged to see that Cha-don is in fact a prosecutor again. Grabbing Cha-don by the collar, Prosecutor Kwon shouts that he’ll have him fired soon enough.

Cha-don explains to him in a calm voice that his son left a trail of important clues with his dying breath: “Killer. Ji Se-kwang. Swiss bank account.” He adds that Hyuk’s efforts to investigate the embezzlement cost him his life.

Naturally, Prosecutor Kwon doesn’t believe him and he raises his first in response, ready to strike. Cha-don answers that it doesn’t matter whether the senior prosecutor believes him or not, since he’ll discover the truth.

Prosecutor Kwon is dragged out of the office, and Cha-don immediately asks for a warrant to arrest Se-kwang.

Prosecutor General Jo replies that it may be difficult since there are rumors floating around that Prosecutor Kwon will soon be elected as the next Chungrok Literary Society president, but Cha-don tells him that they needn’t worry.

That’s because Boss Bok is currently laying a smackdown on the Chungrok Literary Society members as she pulls out her accounting books and reminds them how much they’ve borrowed from her over the years. I love that she rounds off to the nearest ten million won like it’s pocket change.

She’s so upset with the men for betraying her that she has to consciously refrain from cursing out loud. So she turns the job over to Jae-in before she rises to leave.

And if Boss Bok weren’t badass enough as it is, she declines help from Assistant Kim in case someone sees.

Jae-in is not to be trifled with either, as she pointedly notes that no one from the literary society came to her aid when the savings bank went under. They jump to apologize for their lack of involvement.

So Jae-in agrees to accept their apologies in exchange for a favor. She turns to Congressman Oh and instructs him to grant Cha-don the arrest warrant.

As for the other two, they can collect signatures to object to Prosecutor Kwon’s nomination as the incoming president and prepare for a show that will reveal the truth behind the late Chairman Lee’s murder case sixteen years ago. Like mother, like daughter.

The Traitagon meets at a restaurant and watches Prosecutor Kwon drown his rage in drink. Se-kwang warns his sunbae not to be swayed by Cha-don’s words and isn’t pleased to hear that Bi-ryung is still missing.

It’s election day and at the prosecutor’s office, Cha-don and Prosecutor General Jo keep a close eye on the news coverage. They receive a call giving them the all-clear to arrest Se-kwang and immediately head out.

Ji-hoo is on her way out when another senior prosecutor tells her the news that Se-kwang is charged with murder and embezzlement. She’s further surprised that Cha-don is behind the order.

Se-kwang awaits the election results with his campaign team and the press that evening. It comes as no surprise that he wins the election by a landslide.

His moment of glory is cut short, however, when Cha-don walks in with a prosecution team, an arrest warrant in hand. Se-kwang is immediately handcuffed and he reminds Cha-don that the entire city is watching this unfold.

Cha-don is well aware of that and he retorts that it’s Se-kwang who has bit off more than he chew. Se-kwang shows off his handcuffs and declares to the media that the truth will be revealed and the citizens of Seoul will act as judges.

Once everyone files out of the room, Prosecutor Kwon calls for an emergency meeting of the literary society to free Se-kwang.

The Bok family watches the news coverages with feelings of unease, worried that this rash act will backfire on Cha-don. Assistant Kim argues that Se-kwang has won the election with over 60 percent of the votes, but Jae-in tells him to trust Cha-don.

Thanks to Boss Bok’s precautionary measures, no one shows up at the Chungrok meeting. The grave charges against Se-kwang make Professor Jeon uneasy and Prosecutor Kwon firmly assures him that the claims are false.

Just then, Jae-in shows up to announce that no one else will be present for the meeting and hands over the signatures which deny Prosecutor Kwon to become the Chungrok Literary Society president.

She then directs her words at Prosecutor Kwon, telling him that Hyuk’s death was a shock to her as well. “But do you know what’s even more ridiculous? That his father would help his murderer.”

Prosecutor Kwon shoots her a puzzled look, so she spells it out for him: Se-kwang is the one who killed Hyuk.

He can hardly believe her words and repeats out loud to himself that it can’t possibly be true.

Cha-don hilariously helps himself to Se-kwang’s one meal in the interrogation room as Se-kwang eyes him curiously – why isn’t he being interrogated for his charges? Cha-don leans back into his chair and tells him it’s obvious – Se-kwang will flatly deny the allegations.

He reminds Se-kwang of his words that the next time they meet, Se-kwang would be the criminal and he would be the judge. Se-kwang scoffs in response, slightly impressed.

But Se-kwang hasn’t been called an expert for naught – he’s interrogated countless criminals and those years of experience have turned his heart stone-cold. With a forced smile, he says, “You’re no match for me. I have a strong heart.”

It isn’t a confession that Cha-don is after and he predicts that Se-kwang’s supporters will tear their own idol apart. “Strong heart?” he laughs, “You better keep an eye on that demonic heart of evil.”

Standing behind the one-way mirror, we see Prosecutor General Jo and Prosecutor Kwon observe the interrogation session.

Director Yoo and Se-kwang cross paths on their way in and out of the interrogation room. On the other side of the mirror now, Cha-don tells Se-kwang that it ought to be interesting to see what Director Yoo might say in the hotseat.

Cha-don takes the stage and asks Director Yoo to name the charges Se-kwang is faced with. He tells Director Yoo that it’s useless to act strong, since the man already told him the entire story when they were in prison together. Director Yoo insists that he’ll never admit to it, to which Cha-don slyly replies, “That means you did confess to something.”

Since there is no such thing as a perfect crime, Cha-don informs Director Yoo of his mistake: he was the first eyewitness who also called the cops. Not only that, he dared to frame the act on a Korean prosecutor.

Director Yoo starts to sweat bullets as Cha-don now drills pointed questions to name Hyuk’s killer. “I told you last time!” Cha-don: “Say it again.” When Director Yoo tries to evade the question again, Cha-don slams a fist on the table.

That finally breaks Director Yoo’s resolve and he admits in a shaking voice that not only were Se-kwang’s hands bloody that night, he seemed agitated and threatened him.

Prosecutor Kwon’s eyes bug out in disbelief, and Cha-don slowly rises from his chair to face his senior officers. “You heard that, right? Hyuk’s murderer… is Ji Se-kwang.”

The truth finally settles in Prosecutor Kwon’s mind despite Se-kwang’s repeated attempts for the man not to be swayed. Prosecutor Kwon launches himself at Se-kwang and is promptly dragged outside by Team Shudal.

Wait a minute – now you’ve got a suspect on the other side of a one-way mirror on his own.

Se-kwang takes this prime opportunity to speak into the mic. He informs Director Yoo that this confession doesn’t count since he was coerced to give it; it can easily be overturned in court.

Cha-don yells into the glass, asking if anyone is there as Se-kwang roars at Director Yoo to get his act together or he won’t receive a single penny. He bellows, “Resist! Hold your ground!” as he’s dragged out.

Fear washes over Cha-don’s face as he slowly turns his head towards Director Yoo. Oh crap, I don’t like that look on Director Yoo’s face.

Jae-in meets with the reporters in charge to shed light on the late chairman’s murder case. They inquire after the well-known news anchor and explain that disclosing real names could set themselves up for defamation charges.

Team Shudal is running out of time – the public believes Se-kwang is being persecuted and now Director Yoo remains tight-lipped. All they can hope for now is to discover evidence of the hidden embezzled funds so that Director Yoo will give up.

To make matters worse, they don’t have a search warrant to infiltrate Se-kwang’s house yet.

As soon as Cha-don steps outside, he runs into Ji-hoo, who confronts him about Se-kwang’s arrest. It doesn’t make any sense in her eyes since Se-kwang adored Hyuk and headed the embezzlement case himself. Well, that’s because you’re blinded by love.

Cha-don cuts her off and retorts that Se-kwang has stowed away the embezzled 41.7 million won in a Swiss bank account. And at that moment, she recalls the receipt she stuffed in Se-kwang’s desk drawer.

She tries to convince herself that it’s not true and declares that she would have been the first one to discover the existence of a secret bank account. The lady dost protest too much, and this time Cha-don notes her insistence as strange – how would she know of such a thing?

She answers: “Because he’s the man I’m going to marry.” Ji-hoo tells Cha-don to back off or she won’t stand for it.

Ji-hoo runs back to Se-kwang’s apartment and rifles through his desk drawer. Sure enough, the receipt is still there.

Tears well up in her eyes as she continues to tell herself that it can’t be true even with the receipt in her hands. Don’t you dare rip that up for love!

A little while later, Se-kwang walks into the room and sees Ji-hoo waiting for him. Her back turned away, she asks him, “As your girlfriend, what can I help you with?”

She turns around and says that there must be something he must want her to do. When Se-kwang says there isn’t, she shows him the receipt. In her head, she pleads with him to deny that the secret account actually belongs to him.

To her surprise, Se-kwang asks if Cha-don knows of the account yet. He repeats himself when Ji-hoo doesn’t initially answer, and then she finally ekes out, “Not yet.”

Se-kwang tells her that if this piece of evidence falls into Cha-don’s hands, he’ll be done for. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ask you for this kind of favor.”

Next thing we know, we see Ji-hoo sitting in her car with the receipt in one hand and a lighter in the other. Oh no, don’t you do what I think you’re going to do!

She brings the flame closer and closer to the corner… and then flips the lighter shut. Good girl. She cries into the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, Cha-don and his team march into Se-kwang’s apartment with a search warrant and pile his things into boxes.

Ji-hoo finds Cha-don waiting outside her place later that night and they relocate to a nearby park. Cha-don is the first to speak, acknowledging that this must be a tough time for her “because I know you’re tough on the outside, but weak on the inside.”

Cha-don tells her that their search turned up nothing, but the surveillance tapes revealed that someone else swung by just before his team arrived: Ji-hoo. Oho!

Ji-hoo’s eyes widen in surprise. Then Cha-don asks her to hand the Swiss bank account number over.

 
COMMENTS

Who would have thought that Ji-hoo would ever look upon her hoobae prosecutor with such contempt in her eyes? We were introduced to a no nonsense, smart, and driven prosecutor who wouldn’t settle for anything less than the truth, only to disappear for a short time and return to pine over her unrequited love. Her love for Se-kwang has clouded her clarity in the orb of justice and now, the two sides of her identity (as a legal representative and a woman in love) are at war with each other. The battle within herself is much more than just a small piece of paper she found in Se-kwang’s desk; her entire definition of justice hinges on Se-kwang’s representation of that idea. The betrayal speaks more than just her own heart, but affects the public at large.

I do dearly hope that Ji-hoo will come ’round, not because it’s just the eleventh hour, but because she has so much more to bring to the table. Now she’s no ordinary prosecutor, but a judge who acts a fulcrum between the seesaw of righteousness and corruption. We already know that she and Cha-don make a winning team and combining their efforts make them unstoppable. And though our main couple didn’t swing in this direction, I found their interactions far more electrifying since they saw eye to eye on changing the world through the eradication of corruption.

To my great relief, all of the women in this series have finally upped their game and give the men a run for their money. This makes me wish that we saw more of their badassery in earlier episodes rather than in the final act, but all the ladies are doing their part in this revenge plan, even spiteful Angelina/Bi-ryung. Thankfully, Boss Bok has made a temporary return in this episode, which seemed awfully convenient since Team Shudal were pulling at straws trying to figure out a way to get out of this situation. But because Alzheimer’s is ultimately a degenerative disease, we know that there must a Fate timer ticking down until her memory and identity slips further away from her.

So as we approach the final hour of this series, we’re left with more questions than answers in this war of revenge. Will justice prevail in a sea of swimming sharks ready to chomp or will the small fry dissipate and float away like bubbles?

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thanks for recapping this show.....

still need to watch this episode....will read the whole thing later..

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finally watched the episode......it was great as always.....

I liked the change of hairstyle for Kang Ji Hwan (finally!!)..

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Me too! Love his new hairdo - like you said finally. He looks really great in the new 'do....

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I didn't think he looked awful in that other hairstyle he was sporting through the series' run, but after seeing the new hairstyle, he definitely looks way better now.

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Yeah his new hairstyle looks great (similar to Hyuk's style). I didn't think he looked that bad either with his helmet hair. I think it's because there have been so many hair atrocities in kdramas and kdrama heroes having hairstyles that seem too celeb-like that I'm glad his helmet hair actually looks like a style some dude in real life would have after a cheap haircut at supercuts,

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Oof...I'm so sad this drama is over already. This is the only revenge drama I've seen where both the hero and villain are equally clever and tactful in every turn of events. How epic was that interrogation scene where we finally saw Se Kwang's facade crack?

I was just a tiny bit sad for the lack of lovey-dovey scenes between Jae-In and Cha-Don, but I think it's their brief but charming interaction that makes me feel like I can never get enough of them. I will be daydreaming about this couple for quiet a while even though it's ended!

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I don't know about tactful. But for well matched in cleverness, A Man's Story has two differently smart Hero and Villain.

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Great episode before the end! Normally, in these dramas, everything but the kitchen sink is piled in at the nth hour which totally frustrates me (or maybe I should learn to love a different genre)! The lack of love between our OTP was actually okay with me! Why? Because the story more than made up for it to me. If I can watch some JDramas that are totally devoid of any serious interaction but turn out to be great stories, I can definitely deal with this. From start to finish, I was truly satisfied and never bored.

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I'm so glad this drama didn't turn me down or slowing down and keep me sitting on the edge until the almost last breath. Quiet a constant.

Love they still uphold the other strings like forgotten-Angelina, Hyuk-death in order, the head gangster from the past, and the best part is they still show the "power" of Gentlemen Jingonge,madam Bok. Not like usual drama where they show some powerful man in beginning of series, but when something blows up, the powerful man just faded as the main hero rise with new super power.

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This is one of the few dramas that has kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. Most dramas have lost their momentum by the last two episodes. I hope this production team has already got a new drama up their sleeves!

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Amen!!

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Agree! Let's hope that they do - will be keeping a watch out for this production team, especially the Director and writers....

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this show has been pretty good overall. definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

my only gripe is how easily the criminals seem to manage to circumnavigate the judicial system-like EBR escaping way too easily.

i know it;s a fantasy/drama but it makes me think the Korean authorities but I get dizzy from too much suspension of belief.

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Although I love this drama there are indeed some instances when one has to suspend belief... i find the scene where Si Kwang sat in onto the "interrogation" of Director Yoo and he managed to get hold of the mic to yell threats to him - a bit too tad!! It is a plot to bring into the picture the importance of having the number of the swiss bank account...... but....

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This drama continues to bring into focus questions that we constantly asked ourselves when we are faced with a moral and/or emotional dilemma. It is time for Ji-Hoo to face the truth about her beloved Se Kwang - it is painful to watch her slowly having to face the real truth behind the "perfect guy" facade of Ji Se Kwang. How could it be? I should know as he is the man i am going to marry!! Sadly, it is always the wife who is the last to know when a husband is having an affair!!

I have faith in Ji-Hoo - she will overcome her moment of weakness and triumph over it and she will even become a better judge or prosecutor because of this as she would have experience in being "duped" and betrayed by the person whom she loves. We need to have the badass prosecutor back - the ONLY prosecutor who believes in TRUTH AND JUSTICE and upholds the law without any blemishes at all.

Loved your phrase Gummimochi - "Maybe that pristine white vase isn’t as beautiful as you once thought when you realize that you’re holding a dirty rag in your hand." or maybe the constant wiping of that vase will expose the hidden layers of dirt, decay and a black heart!

This episode showcase the return of the women - Bi Ryung is back with a vengeance. I loved how she played up to the ego of Se kwang and got him to agree to take her out of the mental place immediately. That man is so easy to twist around your finger once you have a finger on his pulse. Stroke his ego, pretend to go along with him and bang you have him but you must be smart to know how to play him. Bi Ryung played him well! Jae In is increasingly stepping up and her development is moving upstream by leaps and bound. She has learnt a lot through the bankruptcy of the savings bank and have to take charge in the wake of her mother's illness. She is really a force to be reckon with whey she dealt with the 3 men - they had no comeback. It is a big whip that she held - those records of loans is a big stick to wield. Boss BOK - i have missed her and she is, conveniently back (through plot machinations) to strike the fear in the hearts of the members of the CLS and she did. Well, Ji-Hoo is learning quickly on what justice means to her and which side will the axe fall? the side of justice which she has held up throughout her prosecutor days or her love for her man?

It is still nail bitting to the finish and is still keeping me very much interested.

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Omg I love love love this ep amazing ! Oh Gummimochi I've been waiting. For this the whole day !!! There are no words to discribe how eager I was for this ! Can't wait till tomo pls dont be late like other times it's the finale !
PS I hate watergate and Sundays ! There is never a recap on this site on these day just news ! Ahhh can't wait !

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I've been faithfully reading these recaps from the beginning, but never actually tuned into the show until this week! I realized I was too impatient to wait for the recaps, so I watched the final two episodes this morning! They were awesome! Thanks for recapping!

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So loved this episode!

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When Ji-Hoo showed Se Kwang the Swiss bank receipt and put it right in front of him, if I were Se Kwang, I would have grabbed it and eaten it. Maybe Ji-hoo kept a photocopy, but hey, what's for me to lose?

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I was actually expecting him to make a grab for the receipt. Or at the very least deny knowledge or any connection to it since it seemed that's all Ji Hoo was looking for.

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I guess he was just so sure Ji Hoo would love him enough to keep it a secret? Or maybe he was already going completely bonkers. I don't know. If it were me, I would've eaten it.

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LOL that would be quite a scene!! They would have to do emergency surgery to get the receipt from his innards! If he dies during surgery he will, literally, be killed by his own greed. The thought of this scene have me in stitches!!

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Wow this has been a wonderful ride. Thanks for the recaps Gummimochi they were so enjoyable. Thank you drama writers, directors and actors! I'll always rember Boss Bok.

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Awesome episode! I'm sad it's almost over, against my expectations, this drama ended up being so exciting~

The only thing I just have a little trouble believing is Eun Bi Ryeong walking around freely just like that. Rich and everything after selling off her jewelry.

But more importantly: you can just have killer-poison-pills delivered at your doorstep? (or in this case, hotel door)
... Really? Just like that?

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“And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way”

I know Sinatra will forgive me if I semi hijack his song for Cha Don. This has been one of the most enjoyable kdramas in quite a while. As with all things though, it will end not tooooo soon, but it will be missed.

The characters have been enjoyable, even the villains. The story line has been even and nicely paced. The humor just a nice touch when needed. The two main minds working against each other have been interesting to watch. The titter-totter that was their dance of back and forth, one is up the other down, then the roles reverse. The caliber of this one has just been so much more and above any things that has been presented in quite a while, or at least I have found to watch.

Should there ever be a chance for someone to watch their first kdrama, I would not hesitate to recommend this as a must see!!!!

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hey, I'm also always wondering and considering which kdrama I could recommend to a newcomer ^_^
This is also on my list :)

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This episode was such a joke that I think I lost some brain cells along the way. What began as a battle of wits when Cha Don regained his memories degenerated into blunders and a pathethic ploy of childish tactics. Cha Don, you NOW decide to become a prosecutor in order to indict Se Kwang? Really? Shouldn't that have been your first goal when Angelina failed to testify aganst Se Kwang? And miraculously, Cha Don's granted a reappointment when such a thing shouldn't have been feasible given his track record. If two sentences worth of a "refreshing" speech is all it takes, then it made all his past troubles not worth the efforts he went through. Then Cha Don went through so much trouble of running around as a wanted man, turned himself in, served prison, and beat up inmates all for a measly slip of paper that could have been obtained during a trial through a search warrant. Talk about elaborate schemes. This drama is definitely not Revenge and Justice 101.

Anyways, that's merely a small portion of my complaints. I'd rather not go on listing every flaw but I'd say, this show is disappointing. I recently started watching Giant and I am almost halfway done. With the way characters, relationships, and schemes have been constructed in that drama, I'd have a hard time believing the writer of this drama is the same one for Giant; that is a much smarter script with characters you can understand and like at varying levels. So if IoM was engaging for you guys, then definitely give Giant a try because that is perhaps thousand times better.

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Given that Giant is perhaps thousand times better and is written by the same writer - i will definitely give it a try. I hesitated given the total number of episodes for Giant.

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The 60 episodes also kept me turning away but trust me, it's a gem. I regretted not watching sooner. What this show lacked, Giant had it.

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I agree that there were some major plot holes in IOM. For example, they would never allow a prosecutor to try a case against his girlfriend. Or at least, that would certainly never happen in the U.S., and I don't think Korea's legal system is so different. I also found it laughable that Cha Don was reinstated as a prosecutor so quickly. Really?

That said, I think anytime you watch a Kdrama you have to suspend disbelief, and this one was entertaining enough that I was able to ignore those nagging questions and just go with it. I enjoyed the humor, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the drama.

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I think given that he has all these connections, it doesn't seem too unbelievable he was reinstated that quickly. Though yeah, they should have made him work harder for it. Or at least have him directly twist some arms.

And I'm not sure if the public knew SeKwang and Angelina were in a relationship with each other. Speaking of suspension of disbelief, I'm not sure how it in Korea, but I always got the feeling that US lawyers and prosecutors are split up according to specialty/area. I never understood what kind of specialty Cha Don was in. SeKwang seemed focus on city corruption in the beginning, but then he also did two murder cases. Looks like they can do everything!

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Rachel, to be honest, I don't know much about the law but the very basic gist of it that I think every average person knows. That's why, I can be fooled by the show several times and thus find it enjoyable. However, when even that basic stuff doesn't hold ground in the drama, then it's really hard for me to take the show seriously. Like asianromance said, it's not that unbelievable that Cha Don could get reinstated as prosecutor given how he managed to have so many connections during his corruption days and can use that in favor of him. Instead, he gave a measly little speech that along with Prosecutor General Jo's lavish lathering of praise, earned him immediate support. If the show had him go through a little more trouble or shown him using his connections, I'd have at least felt a connection to the story.

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I chose to believe that there was more influence from other.... influential people to get him reinstated, because that makes this plot work for me. It's not like he got reinstated on the spot after the interview.. right?

Though it's true that it's a bit of a stretch, it honestly didn't bother me that much. Angelina's escape bothered me a little more.

But in the end, at this point I've already had a great time watching this drama so the obvious flaws don't really matter that much anymore.

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@Saturtledaisy - i am also enjoying this drama and having a great time that the "flaws" do not bother me too much at this point.

@daydreamer - if this is a 40 episode drama, like you have indicated earlier, then there will be time enough to work out the plot lines regarding his reinstatement as a prosecutor through the special recruitment process e.g. Cha Don using his connections and pulling a few strings and even Jae In using the CLS to ensure his reinstatement. If this is a 40 episode drama - then i would also like to see more of a background story to Angelina - her circumstances, her kid in the USA and more of Ji-Hoo as well. It would have given each of these characters a more rounded arc then what we have now, which truth be told, was frustratingly little.

But it is a drama and i am still having a whale of a time watching this.....

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I think Incarnation of Money is a good (maybe grade B) drama, but when you think about what the writers have been capable of before, yeah, it really is disappointing.

I feel like the writers have been having a pacing issue with IOM. It was slow in the beginning, like laying down pieces and plotting for a 40 episode drama. Then it seemed like they sped things up to catch up, which made some parts exciting and others a little lacking because they should have been a well-thought-out and well-developed reveal.

I thought this was still a good episode despite some leaps of logic (Boss Bok's return is the big sticking point. seems like 2 months of alzheimers. and then a week of return. if she's going to get her senses back, they should have had her go in and out of her fog. *cringe* why make her ill in the first place?!). As for all the stuff surrounding Cha Don's reinstatement - I think he just needed the prison scenes to get the accountant dude to lay down the probable cause for investigation. And there were a lot of wheels that had to be greased and a lot of pieces in place in order for them to get that search warrant on SeKwang and to get that piece of paper. And in the end, it wasn't wit or smarts that help the winning side, but a little luck, some loyal friends, and a crapload of money to help grease the wheels because most human beings are weak.

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"And in the end, it wasn’t wit or smarts that help the winning side, but a little luck, some loyal friends, and a crapload of money to help grease the wheels because most human beings are weak."

LOL! Well said....I guess, if this show probably had 40 more episodes, it would have gone the Giant way, laying down every piece of development in the story in a meticulous manner. Maybe that would have been better, who knows.

Like you, I think the pacing is the problem too. It seems like sometimes the writer, in speeding up the pace, stretched the logic a little too much in favor of bringing about a situation/condition. I also think there was a sudden change in the script somewhere early on, around episode 3, that caused the uneven tone of the show.

Anyways, I don't hate this show per se (as it seems from my comments). I just tend to feel disappointed because I saw a lot of potential and it kept growing my expectations only to not even meet up to them. This episode wasn't entirely bad....just that it could've been better.

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Thanks for the recap, gummimochi! I thought this was a good episode, though a little rushed - like we're going down a bunch of bullet points. The events could have been better fleshed out into two episodes and we could still feel the excitement and tension as Cha Don finally positions himself strategically enough to knock down SeKwang. Definitely a great episode to highlight the ladies:
Boss Bok: I cringe at your sudden convenient return from alzheimers. Wish the writers didn't give you that pointless disease. However, I love seeing you lay a smackdown on the CLS. If you didn't have alzheimer's, I would declare you the winner of the drama since you have all the dirt on everyone powerful. Besides money, information is power.

Jae-In: Love seeing you follow in your mother's footsteps. I cheered you on in the last episode when you got into a physical fight with SeKwang's groupies. I love seeing you channeling your sometimes embarrassing persistence into something useful. Your newfound poise and confidence is louder than any screeching.

Ji-hoo: I love the callback to your earlier dilemma with investigating Prosecutor Kwon. How ironic that the example Ji Se Kwang has set for you has been so ingrained that it is the one thing that may convince you to hang him. It takes an enormous strength of will and moral fiber to not burn that evidence, especially since you've pine after him for years.

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I forgot to mention Angelina. I didn't think you were capable of lying to Sekwang like that and doing a prison break. So you actually have a little bit of brain underneath all that hair.

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Loool....and I love, love, love your comments. This was a highlight comment. Totally agree with you on Boss Bok....the disease was sooo unnecessary since the show was going to bring the same end result anyways.

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This has been a cleaver piece of work from start to finish, with hardly any down time.

JH won't disappoint because to a great degree her love for SK was based on the belief that he was what he appeared to be, and not the lowlife scum he really is. With this realization she will do the right thing.

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Smart Se Kwang was one-upped by Angelina!! Woohoo....
Loving this episode because it was exciting.

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Yep - i loved that he was dubbed by Angelina who has used her acting skills for her escape. He has only himself to blame - once you know how to stroke his giant ego and seemingly playing along with his views/opinions one can actually hookwinked him. That's what Angelina did - more power to her.

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