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Police Unit 38: Episode 12

This has been such an episode of reversals and reversals of reversals that I’m at a point where I’ve lost any ability to be coherent. That whirring you hear? It’s my brain spinning like a top trying to figure out everyone’s endgame, and whether my bears can live happily ever after or not. I’ll admit it, the show has me wrapped around its little finger, and damn if I don’t love every minute of it.

 
EPISODE 12 RECAP

Sung-il comes home at night and leaves tangerines by his sleeping mother. She wakes up, worried about him, but he tells her everything is fine as long as she’s well. Aw.

He’s brought out again by a phone call, which takes him back to the memory of Min-shik’s funeral and his wife’s inconsolable sobbing. Commissioner Ahn and Mayor Chun come to pay their respects but when they approach, Sung-il tells the mayor not to say a word.

They turn away, and Sung-il watches Chun a while before going to the condolence book and scrawling a resignation letter. But before he can deliver it, his wife catches him. She urges him not to do it—they still have to live, after all. She tugs it out of his clenched hand, while he struggles against tears. He ignores Ahn’s invitation to join them and strides out.

Returning to the present, Mayor Chun pours Sung-il a drink and regrets that they didn’t do this sooner. To Sung-il’s surprise, he knows about his secret activities and asks if he had meant to go as far as Chairman Choi, to do what Min-shik couldn’t. Sung-il replies that he’ll continue his work in the belief that everyone should pay their taxes. But Chun doesn’t believe getting rich people to cough up changes anything, because Sung-il’s fight isn’t against people who owe taxes, but money itself.

“Until money disappears from this world, that fight won’t end,” the mayor says. He’s just begun to build the city he envisions, where the people are happy. He says that people are more concerned when the few hundred in their pockets are threatened, not the millions and billions that they’ll never lay a finger on. So he’ll focus his fight there, rather than get tangled in a futile, endless war with the mega-rich.

Sung-il explains that it’s all stealing, whether you do it wearing a jumper or a necktie. Chun sighs. He says Sung-il can’t go the way of Min-shik. To surivive, he has to go back to the way he used to be. Sung-il sighs now, and says that someone on his team also said that to him, and he’ll give the mayor the same reply: He won’t go that low just to survive. With that, he leaves.

Commissioner Ahn is released from the police station while elsewhere Deok-bae meets with a Prosecutor Park to ask for the file on Chairman Choi Chul-woo. The prosecutor doesn’t know what to make of his plan to catch him, and Deok-bae tells him just to think of it as removing the pus from a wound.

Sitting across from Mi-joo, Sung-hee asks her why she wanted to meet. “I thought you should know,” Mi-joo says, and tells her how Jung-do got arrested and went to prison right after breaking up with her. He truly liked Sung-hee and it wasn’t a scam, like he’d said then.

Sung-hee swallows down her emotion to ask why she’s telling her this. Because oppa won’t, Mi-joo replies, and she doesn’t want Sung-hee to misunderstand, when they liked each other so much. “Although it was a little uncomfortable for me to see,” she finishes, with a self-deprecating smile.

Sung-hee suddenly realizes that Mi-joo liked him, too. “Still like,” Mi-joo corrects, although adding that she’s ready to put her feelings behind her—pining isn’t her style. Damn straight. Before Mi-joo leaves, Sung-hee asks her if something happened between Sung-il and Jung-do, but she doesn’t answer.

Jung-do visits his father in prison and tells him that there’s just Chairman Choi left to take down. Dad glances at him and then away. “I’m sorry, son,” he says. Jung-do struggles to master his feelings, and in a voice thick with emotion, he tells Dad to carry on speaking. Dad did everything he could, and his mother’s in a better place now. When he’s left alone, Dad cries in earnest.

Deok-bae joins Jung-do in his car and hands over the file on Chairman Choi. He reveals that Sung-il found out he was helping him and asks Jung-do if he really meant to get him in trouble, at which he at least has the grace to look ashamed. Remorseful over betraying his friend of thirty years, Deok-bae tells Jung-do that he doesn’t mean to see him anymore, after they finish this job. Jung-do accepts all this in uneasy silence.

Sung-il visits President Bang in custody, and asks him how he’s finding life behind bars. Finding him unrepentant, Sung-il tells him that he should apologize to the people he’s wronged. But his words have no effect at all on Bang, who rather thinks that Sung-il feels something lacking in his victory since Jung-do betrayed him.

He, on the other hand, totally understands why Chairman Choi cut him off, Bang says. So he’ll lose some money now but he’ll come out again and make twice that, while the little people struggle on, thinking they got “justice.” And struggle on they must, so that he and his cronies can keep skimming the cream from them, he says, brimming with smug satisfaction.

“You really are trash,” says Sung-il, but he guesses that the president’s verbosity is no more than grandstanding. He points out that six years ago, they couldn’t touch him, but now he’s likely to spend a good six years inside. And who’s to say how the world will change in that time?

About to leave, he advises Bang not to use his “I’ll remember that name” line on the guards, unless he wants a beating. Chuckling deeply to himself, President Bang says, “I’ll remember those words,” his laughter bordering on helpless.

Sung-il returns to his office, where the big news is that Commissioner Ahn got fired. A defeated-looking Ahn calls Sung-il to his room. While he packs up his desk, he dully remarks that it took ten years to rise to this position, but a mere day to come crashing down. Heaving a sigh, he says he did it just to live: His kid’s growing up and they’re expecting another.

He thought Sung-il was the one who brought him down, but notes bitterly that it was Chairman Choi after all, cutting them off to save his own skin. Choi’s next target, to Sung-il’s shock, is the tax bureau itself, which will be disbanded within the year. Ahn’s distress grows as he confesses how he did so many unsavory things, but they were all in an effort to protect this bureau.

He urges Sung-il to get Chairman Choi’s tax money, even if by trickery. Only by severing the link between Choi and the mayor can they save their department, he pleads. Sung-il looks troubled.

Jung-do stakes out Chairman Choi’s son, while examining the file. He calls up Deok-bae to find out what prosecutors had investigated the son for. Then Jung-do comes across a bank book under his paper, and his expression sobers.

He waits for Sung-hee at her house again. Handing over the bank book, he tells her that it’s President Bang’s unpaid local tax. He asks her to give it to Sung-il for him, which makes her wonder what’s up.

Giving him a keen look, she tells him about meeting Mi-joo, and what she’d said about him going to prison, and how he’d lied so as not to hurt her. Voice catching, she asks why, of all times, she had to to hear that now, after he betrayed Sung-il. He has this totally devastated expression and can’t even meet her eyes.

“Even if you play people with everything else, Jung-do-ya, a person’s heart isn’t a thing to play around with,” she tells him, eyes kind, “Not only does that hurt the other person, but it makes him lonely, too.” Shamefaced, he confesses that he once more has nothing to say to her. She tells him to give the book to Sung-il himself: “I think that’s the right thing to do.” He watches her go.

At work, Sung-il is haunted by the thought of the bureau being closed down. He looks around, taking in the sight of his hard-at-work colleagues, and the empty spots left by Chang-ho, Chief Kim, and even Sang-ho. On his way out, Deok-bae calls to tell him that he’s meeting Jung-do at a playground later—he should come.

Waiting with Deok-bae in his car, Sung-il asks if he’s doing this because he feels sorry towards him. Sighing, Deok-bae observes that Sung-il’s been the happiest he’s ever seen him since he started scamming people for taxes. Even if he’s disappointed in Deok-bae and Jung-do, he shouldn’t be hard on himself. The world is made up of more than just good and bad guys, he says, and people could be a bit of both, like them. Sung-il immediately retorts that Deok-bae is repulsively bad, lying to him like that. Haha.

Luckily for Deok-bae, that’s when Jung-do shows up. He asks Sung-il not to be too hard on the kid—both of them have their own hard situations that can’t be helped.

Jung-do gets to his feet when he sees Sung-il, who marches up to him and delivers a fierce blow that nearly knocks him down. Howling in pain, Jung-do tries to get a word in, but Sung-il pummels him, implacable. Whining pitifully, Jung-do throws a handful of sand in his eyes, and that’s done it: It’s an all-out, no-holds-barred tussle now, as Sung-il vents his feelings through his fists.

Sung-il fights with deadly seriousness, but Jung-do’s techniques are just hilarious. This is so funny and emotional at the same time. Sung-il’s trousers split from the force of his kicking! Jung-do clutches his ear—while Sung-il clutches his rear—and both men breathe hard while a crowd gathers and the police are called.

But trousers or no trousers, Sung-il goes after Jung-do again. A now-limping Jung-do keeps shouting apologies, entreating Sung-il to hear him out. At last, Sung-il agrees and proffers his hand, only to grab him in a headlock…noo, oh nooo! Jung-do bites him on the nipple and Sung-il screams. Throwing the young man off, he writhes on the sand, clutching his violated chest.

They roll on their backs like big babies, spitting resentfully at each other. Ohhh god, this is lolarious. Mid-flail, Jung-do shrugs off his jacket and throws it at Sung-il, presumably to protect his dignity (aw), and we hear the sound of approaching sirens.

At the police station, the men are locked up in the same cell where they continue their shouting match. Jung-do yells that he’s said sorry but Sung-il refuses to believe a word he says. They squabble loudly until an officer yells at them to shush.

Later, they slump on the floor, tired and hungry. Jung-do tells Sung-il that they can order takeout, which has ajusshi adorably excited, and I half-think he’s making it up until the food arrives. They share the meal, picking companionably from each other’s plates, ill feelings seemingly forgotten.

That night, they sleep sharing a single blanket, which Sung-il keeps tugging to himself. Exasperated, Jung-do gets another and loudly extols its softness. Sung-il confides hopefully that his is a bit smelly, until Jung-do shifts half of the new one over. Sung-il sighs happily, and both of them settle in at last.

Eyes closed and facing away, Jung-do offers Sung-il the bank book over his shoulder. He couldn’t bring himself to dispose of it like the rest, and says Sung-il should pay it in himself. Sitting up, Sung-il reflects ruefully that using him had been Jung-do’s real plan after all. Jung-do reassures him that Deok-bae never knew that part, but toootally denies that he felt bad about it. Uh-huh.

Sung-il wonders how he knew that he’d go after President Bang, but Jung-do says he didn’t, and is actually amused that Sung-il thought he managed to engineer that much. Eyes still closed, he tells him that a con’s success is all about adapting to the flow of events.

He now admits that President Bang had told him he’d simply retrieve his lost money through the mayor, had it been paid in in taxes, and so he had to find a way to take it away from him completely. He grumps about the pointlessness of their hard work, but reveals he’s going after Chairman Choi’s son.

Sung-il confides in return that the tax bureau is about to be dismantled. To protect it, he also wants to cut Chairman Choi off once and for all. “This time, let’s trust each other for real and go for it one more time. Let’s scam Chairman Choi,” he proposes, earnest.

Jung-do balks at the idea of getting such a huge amount as a hundred million dollars in a week or two, and then grins that it’s high time they got out of here. “How about it?” he asks, holding out a hand. Sung-il grips it. “Call,” he replies, and both men beam. Anyone else’s heart bursting? Jung-do waves their joined hands at the duty officer, proudly proclaiming that they’ve made up.

Their mission begins by staking out Chairman Choi’s son CHOI SANG-JOON. Choi’s money comes from armaments, and his company, Samjin Industries, is up to renew a contract with an American company called General Martin. It’ll be a triangular scam, Jung-do grins, just like Sung-il when he tried to buy that car. They’ll get in between Samjin and General Martin to take control of the contract, eventually funneling the money away for themselves.

But first, Jung-do takes Sung-il shopping for fancy clothes. He has to become General Martin’s Martin Kim, a newly-appointed agent responsible for brokering the deal. Jung-do coaches him on appearing sophisticated, and they cheer when he nails it.

Looking snappy as “Martin Kim,” Sung-il meets Choi Sang-joon. He’s not sure about renewing the contract, he says, but if Samjin throws in a little extra for each of their directors (totaling ninety million), he’ll do it. Cutting back to their strategy brief, Jung-do explains that Sang-joon’s got far more to lose if he can’t get the contract, but they’ll squeeze him a bit more to make him bite…

Police interrupt the meeting right then and take Sang-joon away on suspicion of drug use, while Sung-il looks on. Jung-do explains that he’s got a prior record that his dad got him off for, but since they made it up this time, Sang-joon will be out quickly enough.

Sung-il goes to see Sang-joon at the police station. Looking disappointed, he tells Sang-joon that if he accedes the extras he asked, he’ll overlook this little jaunt. Under pressure, Sang-joon agrees.

Meanwhile, Jung-do accosts the real Martin Kim at the airport. He explains that Sang-joon is away at the moment and so he’ll be handling the contract.

Between Sung-il and Jung-do, neither mark ever meets the other. That, Jung-do says with a grin, is how you do a con. The following days see them working intensively on their respective prey. They barely have time to exchange more than a few words, so busy are they passing papers back and forth between them as they hammer out the contract—until finally, everything is signed and sealed.

We cut briefly to Chairman Choi now, who gives his son an approving pat.

At work the next morning, Sung-il gets called to Mayor Chun’s office. On the way, Sang-joon calls him to confirm that the ninety million has been transferred. Sung-il in turn wakes Jung-do up to tell him. Mission complete, but what is this strange feeling?

In his office, the mayor asks Sung-il if he enjoyed toying with Chairman Choi’s son.

At the same time, Deok-bae finds a throng of investigators swarming over his entire workstation. Prosecutor Park rises with a smirk: He heard Deok-bae had filched a file and handed it over to a swindler, he says. Shocked, Deok-bae is taken away.

Chairman Choi enjoys a game of baduk and observes to his secretary that people’s downfalls come from the things they care about most, be it their school, their province, or their children.

“Chairman Choi…has no children,” Mayor Chun tells Sung-il. Sung-il’s eyes widen, and Chun reveals the whole thing was a trap to catch them. “That’s why you should have stopped when I told you,” he chides.

Jung-do waits for the elevator outside his apartment when he notices that he’s being watched. So as not to give himself away, he pretends a casual phone call while keeping his eye on their reflections. Suddenly, he breaks for it, hurling himself down the stairs while his trackers pursue. He even whips out his belt to tie the door shut, but more men are in the lobby, and they run him down. He fights back desperately, to no avail.

At City Hall, Sung-il moves to go, but the mayor tells him it’s already too late. Elsewhere, Commissioner Ahn receives an envelope from someone. Et tu, Ahn?! Chun reminds Sung-il that his fight against money is futile as long as money exists. Does he understand now, who he’s trying to fight?

As if to prove the point, we now witness Chairman Choi receive a report from Prosecutor Park, whom he clearly has in his pocket. The old jackal hangs up the phone, and looking straight into the camera, he smiles.

Sung-il tries to excuse himself to go to Jung-do, but Chun tells him to testify against him in court instead—it’s the only way he can survive. Sung-il argues but Chun snarls that he said he didn’t want to lose any more of his people. Lowering his voice, he tells him again to testify, and go back to the way things were before. Sung-il’s agitation grows, and Chun tells him Jung-do’s already in custody, believing Sung-il betrayed him.

At that, Sung-il bolts straight to the police station, where he finds Jung-do, rumpled and cuffed. Jung-do gives him a sardonic smile, “Ajusshi, I heard you sold me out.” Before Sung-il can reply, Jung-do flies at him, screaming in fury and devastation: “You said let’s not betray each other!” Several officers leap in to drag him off, and they take him away, still screaming.

After a stiff drink, Sung-il goes back to Mayor Chun. He finds out that Ahn was in on the plot, too. Chun explains that he had to make Sung-il act, so that he could step on him. Sung-il asks why he wants to save him now, then. “Since you’ve been stepped on once, you won’t rise up a second time,” Chun says. His casual tone really freezes my marrow.

Pained, Sung-il considers this a long moment. Hanging his head, he agrees: He’ll testify against Jung-do and live as Chun says. But in exchange, he asks him for the tax bureau to be spared.

On the day of his trial, Jung-do is led into the courthouse in a prison jumpsuit. Sung-il also arrives, suited up and expression heavy. Jung-do stares at him in the stand while he takes the oath, but Sung-il doesn’t look at him.

Prosecutor Park questions him about Jung-do’s activities, and Sung-il’s every answer is damning. He finally meets Jung-do’s eyes when he’s asked if Jung-do deliberately approached him. “Yes, that’s right,” he says. Sob. Why are you doing this, papa bear? Jung-do, too, stares in disbelief.

“The defendant, Yang Jung-do, is sentenced to ten years in prison,” declares the judge, lowering his gavel. After the officials file out, Jung-do looks over at Sung-il, raw with betrayal, as the guards take him away.

COMMENTS

I have to believe Sung-il is playing a longer game, otherwise this betrayal flies in the face of everything we’ve come to know and love about him…I think? Because as much as he’s said that he wouldn’t go so low to save his own skin, my worry is that he might be seeing it as a question of the greater good, to save everyone in his department at baby bear’s expense.

But could Jung-do be pulling the biggest scam of all? The way this episode deliberately deconstructed the image of Jung-do as an omnipotent string-puller makes me think we were being primed to see him as fallible, but whether that’s to set us up for an epic fakeout or ready us for his failure is anybody’s guess. I should have known by now that a soaring high only comes before a dashing low, but even knowing the pattern, I can’t say that I feel manipulated. These characters are just that real. I’ve got to hand it to you, show. As much as I hate you hurting my bears, I love it. Then I remember that this is Episode 12, and therefore the requisite crisis point. This is as bad as it gets, right?

Although it’s hard to rewind from this terrible bromantic schism, of course there’s much more to this episode. I was totally blindsided by the revelation that Chairman Choi has no son. What a ruse. Even if I’d had an inkling that he was onto them, that’s not what I’d have imagined. It’s a stroke of writing genius that perfectly communicates the totally different level on which Choi operates, the biggest of big fish. Go back and watch that whole segment again now—it’s a wholly different experience. The quantity of sly smiles alone should have tipped us off.

On a slightly different note, I am dying to know if Sung-il’s trousers were meant to rip (surely not!) or if that was just a fantastic bit of ad-libbing after the fact. But this is where the meta meets the drama and the awesome multiplies, because I think what Jung-do said—about the essence of succeeding at a con being in adapting to the flow of circumstance—that’s exactly how Seo In-gook treats his acting. I think the cast as a whole has consistently nailed it, though. Vitally, Ma Dong-seok and Sooyoung both bring a really natural and intuitive chemistry of their own, and combined with Seo, everything about their interactions just come so alive.

What I love about the Sung-il/Jung-do relationship is how it exists on so many levels and is so mutual: as student and mentor, father and son, friends and brothers. It’s why the betrayal, if it is a betrayal, would cut so deep. Jung-do, who doesn’t trust anyone, trusts papa bear. That’s another reason I’m holding out for this to be intentional. He can’t so easily believe Sung-il would betray him when it goes against everything he knows about him. Maybe Jung-do needs to return to jail for a reason, and all this plays into the next stage of his plan. After all, we know from Jae-sung that Jung-do is capable of playing a role for a long, long time.

The show has measured out its villains by degrees, in a way in which I find really fascinating. The idea that money is the root of all evil is nothing new, but its sheer amorality and power as an entity makes a serious comment on the way society operates. The show opened, back with Ma Jin-seok, with his statement that money makes people do anything, and we watch it happen, over and over, like an inescapable truth. But between Chairman Choi and Mayor Chun, Chun frightens me more, the way Peter Pettigrew characters always do. You always know where you are with ordinary evil, even of the extraordinary kind, which you never quite do with someone like Chun.

Mayor Chun presents an even more interesting picture for several reasons. I think he’s been played as a cipher quite deliberately, but at the same time, he revealed a degree of morality in trying to stand up to President Bang a few episodes ago. He’s clearly an unwilling accomplice and he wants to be good, but the problem is that he took a bite of the apple, and this is an apple you can’t spit out. He’s one of many enablers that prop up people like Choi, and so he’s trapped by his own mistakes and weaknesses. It creates a level of cognitive dissonance that the mind refuses to tolerate, leading him to his present fanatical state and self-defeating methods for saving his people (where “saving” means “breaking”). It’s no small irony that he proves Chairman Choi’s words: If not for Sung-hee, Chun might have gone to war. It’s also ironic that to protect her, he sacrifices a person she would sacrifice herself to protect.

Sung-hee’s role is not actually a large one, but she certainly makes it count. Neither a set piece nor a plot device, she’s a character with her own will, and important for her own sake. Everything about her is genuine and transparent, making her a lot like Sung-il that way. There’s a reason lurking in there for why they’re perfect matches for Jung-do, with an equal argument for why he’s perfect for them. But it’s evident in every word of her interactions with Jung-do now that she’s not hung up on him. It makes her refreshingly unclichéd, and I love what this says about her character—she’s mature and practical, but also emotionally strong and compassionate. All I’ve got to wish for now is a bit more Mi-joo, because she’s awesome, too—tough, smart, and loyal.

Although the runtime fluctuates episode to episode, I can only appreciate that the show gives itself room to breathe and fills its small moments with meaning. And rare is the show whose small moments build a cohesive, complex, and deeply moving whole. It doesn’t watch the clock, and neither do we.

 
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Saya you are the best! Thanks a lot for catching up!

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And a recapper who uses Harry Potter references? I am a fan for life now! :D

It is so true what you said about how time flows in this show. I later realized that I had been watching the show for 1 hour and 16 minutes without once looking at the time!

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lol same here - Harry Potter fangirl for life <3

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Saya, I am blown away by your recap and your uber-intelligent comments at the end. Simply, WOW.

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While reading the recap I was like, is that really a HP reference or am I seeing things now ??
Ahhhh my two worlds colliding <3
Thank you Saya !!

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Yayyyy! We're up to date on this! I really did not want to watch this drama in the beginning because of my oh-so-long list of things to watch... But as I sit in my small little room shared with three other resident doctors... I can't help but squeal over Seo In Guk at 3am. LOL. I think my job might be in danger. Thank you Saya!

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SIG! SIG ! SIG!

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SIG! At any time!

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Thanks for the recap! I can't believe how deep this show goes - as soon as we think we have it figured out, the writer pulls the rug out from under us again. The whole darn show is a kansas city shuffle, you gotta admire a drama about con men that practically cons the audience!

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The whole show is scam! Just like the moon landing!

The only real things are MDS and SIG!

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Truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuth

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+ 1000000000000 light year!

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lol this really seems to be 'question the truth' season on dramaland.

First this, then W - they've been spinning us around so thoroughly I'm half surprised I even remember my own name!

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Saya,
Thanks for the recap. I will have to say, this whole episode gave me a Game of Thrones moment of sadness to see the bromance go by the way of death, but I'm hoping it's more of a sleep type. As you hope, so do I hope, that we get an awesome come back ploy!

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I can't help but think that there is yet another layer to this, and this is all a setup for the super-scam of the century. I can't believe our Bear would betray like that unless he has something else up his sleeve.

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Yes, that's what my MIND is thinking, but when I see Jungdo's FACE when he confronts Sungil in the police station and the courtroom, I think the betrayal is real, because even Jungdo can't be that good of an actor, can he?

Well, I don't know anything anymore. At least your brain is still making whirring noises, Saya, mine is dead silent.

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I would like to think that it's Sung il (and Sung Hee?) that's plotting the con this time, with Jung Do as blindsided as Sung Il was. This reversal of roles teaches all of them a lesson and it drives character evolution into full gear.

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Yes agree. And that anguished fight when JD first saw Sung-Il at the police station - that was so intense!! JD completely lost it. It was his response that convinced me the betrayal was likely real :(

But with this show it's really not possible to know.

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There was a comment in a previous thread that this show has been consistent so far in putting our guys in danger only to reveal that Jung-do was in control all along... to the point that setbacks don't have that much weight anymore. You just trust Super Conman Jung-do to pop up and be fine and explain all the maneuvering they did in the next ep.

I think I feel the same way towards our heroes now. I can't help but think that they allowed Jung-do's arrest so Sung-il can bargain with the Mayor to keep the Tax Office intact.

PLUS! There's this reaaaaaaaaaally short interval in the final seconds of ep12 where Papa Bear's :( starts to turn into a :| and his eye twitches a little. Is it a wink? That's a wink! That must be a wink, right???

Is it PU38's final con to us? To make us hallucinate secret bromantic winks?

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yay! recaps caught up thanks to our lovely recappers!

yesterday I watched ep 11 and I was scared of chairman choi. today I'm just wrapping my head around all the possible scenarios. the show's got me good... friday come soon!

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oops, this was supposed to be somewhere else.

but yeah, about that slightest forming of a wink - I also thought I saw something there!

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I would more feel confident that it was all part of the plan if the preview for next week [SPOILER?]...

I'm certainly hoping that it's all part of the plan. But like you said, the previous fake outs have made the current setbacks feel a little less dire. So an actual betrayal might be needed.

This show is a 16 episoder, right? I've suddenly realized we only have two weeks left ?

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Whoops! Didn't realize previews were considered spoiler territory. Sorry!

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It's all a lie. Don't drink the koolaid!

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But they've tricked me so much already! I'm worried they're tricking me into thinking that they've tricking me, when they haven't tricked me, thus tricking me again!

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Just don't believe them! The chances of them telling the truth is 0.00001% anyway.

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Mary, I wish I'd read your comment more carefully before I wrote my comment (#24.) Yeah, we thought that was a wink, too.

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I saw that! There's another one below too. I'm just glad we're not imagining things. Or at least, I'm glad we're imagining things together.

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I couldn't believe what was happening, and than Papa Bear's face in the last scene!!!. That was a wink, or wasn't it? I re-winded it again and again. But what the hell does it mean. Would he really go to prison just to save the Tax office? I can't wait to see more. But I also don't want it to end. Just four more episodes, but I looooove this show so much.

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Yes, that's what some people are saying -- it's all a part of a long con. But going to jail for 10 years is a very very VERY long con. If it is indeed just a long con, Jungdo is extremely dedicated.

But then again you're right about the wink (just watched it again 10x), and also the last time Jungdo visited his dad he told him that he wouldn't be able to see him for a long time. Did he know he would be in jail? Did they know Choi was conning them with the fake son and are conning the conman who's conning them for conning him?

OK, I'm going to stop before I hurt myself.

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I'm hanging on those words. why tell his father that after the last con he won't see him for a long time? it must be because jung do still has an ace up his sleeve, right?

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When I saw it, I thought he said that because he knew he was going to do time, but I *assumed* it was because he meant to turn himself in after finishing everything. So I didn't put too much stock in it then but now YES please be evidence that you didn't mess up!

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I thought Sung Il was about to smile. I think it's Sung Il who will pull off a big con, which even Jung Do isn't aware of.

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Yes, I think so too.
And if all of this was really part of Jung Do's plan, then why didn't anyone from his con team agree to help him except Mi Joo. I think they're gonna help eventually but maybe after Sung Il explains to them what really happened and what exactly he intends to do.

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This is kind of like the 1990 film, The Grifters, which explained that there are two types of cons, the short and the long. A classic example of the short con is what Jung-do does with Sung-il when he wants to buy a used car. Jung-do puts himself between the buyer and the seller but he's not doing it to get in, scam the money and get out quick. He's doing it to get Sung-il's attention. It's been set up to fail right from the beginning. Sung-il has been manipulated and led step by step by Jung-do and Deok-bae into participating in a series of what are basic short cons to get tax evaders to pay up. But maybe the real purpose is a long con being moved forward through a series of failed short cons.

What Jung-do and Sung-il do to Chairman Choi is essentially what Jung-do did with the used car. They put themselves between the "buyer" of a contract and the "seller" of the same contract. Everything done so far has been a variant of this short con. And obviously Sung-il, who has already participated in various cons and has proven to be pretty good at it, is in on the deal this time. He's become a master of the bland "you guys are too smart for me, I surrender" facial expression. Mayor Chun even wonders aloud if he can be trusted and then does it anyway which is a characteristic of a good con artist. People trust them against their own better instincts. They allow the short cons to fail, lull the marks into thinking that they have won and are safe while the long con continues. Jung-do even tells Sung-il that a true conman's brilliance lies not in the con itself but how he reacts to changes in events and uses them to his advantage.

This show is outstanding! Ma Dong-seok and Ahn Nae-sung are such great actors that the mere raising of one eyebrow conveys volumes. But everyone is good in their roles, especially Seo In-guk who manages to portray both a smarty-pants wise guy and a coldly calculating operator all at the same time. I keep hoping he's actually a National Intelligence Service operative working deep under cover to bring down the venal criminality of Chairman Choi and his bureaucratic lackeys. Is this too much to hope for? Instead of a conman, can he please be a cop instead? It would make my fondness for Jung-do just so much more rewarding.

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Now I'm convinced that if Jung Do did save Chairman Wang's life, he did it to get his attention. The plot that endangered Chairman Wang's life might even be part of the con itself. Thus, Jung Do has positioned himself in between Chairman Wang and Chairman Choi respectively with the prospect of conning both their assess. Aha!

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*respectively as either buyer or seller (in allussion to your second paragraph). This is skilled plot manipulation.

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I'm finding the "saved Chairman Wang's life twice" part suspect too. Jung-do was just a normal, small-time conman before he entered prison. How could he have saved Wang's life? And twice at that?

I'm just worried that he orchestrated it to get in Wang's good graces, and wonder what will happen when Wang discovers that fact.

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At this point, i wouldn't be shocked if the writer pulls that and then a "oh but chairman wang knows, too". But he's using Jung Do as his one man army and sung il has got to save the day. (Or jung do's dad?) i mean why did the writer leave jung do's dad alive in prison? A million things can be pulled out from that arc too

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I can't help but hope for this too after his connection with Deok Bae was revealed. JD has also been protective of SH. Hopefully this is his reason for not being totally open and honest with her.

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Omg this show!!! Here I am thinking I was gonna just get a simple show about seo inguk and his crew swindlin' people to collect taxes---I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The story is so much more intricate and detailed than that. So many twists and turns. Everything is so much more complicated than I expected, but in a good way. It's like I'm always at the edge of my seat. Seo InGuk is just *swoon*. I'm so in love with this guy. Sad that this show is over in two weeks!

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That was a great analysis of this episode.
I love how natural Seo In Gook is in this show. His natural cockiness and cheekiness makes him so hard to resist. I think he shines in this genre, because he is a natural conman. The last time he was so appealing was in High School King of Savvy, where he was also running a con of sorts. Nobody does it like he does.

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It's not the conman vibe. The actors (I'm including MDS and the others) in this show are naturally capable of comedy and this effortless zeal. They dive into everything they do with glee and it shows.

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Did anyone else catch the smile/smirk on Sung-il's face right before it cut to the end of the episode? That made me think there was a bigger plan in the works, but at the same time, I'm unsure. We can only hope ><

The show's been great so far and I really, really loved the playground fight scene, it really made me laugh out loud to see them flailing around.

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Con a friend to make your ennemies believe you're on their side, then con them !
sung il ahjushi fighting <3

Glad you caught up <3

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Seldom do i watch an epi without subs...but i did this time. And all i did was squeal...at jung do and SIG...at bromance and Mijoo!!

The show has manyy twists and they all make sense in the end, but expecting the court scene as a fake out would be too much, eh?
But in ten years(longg) time jung do can operate from inside.. After knowing what happened to his family and mother' death i wouldnt mind him conning anyone. His past made him

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I knew the con was going too smoothly... It just seemed so fast and working too perfectly and I knew there are still four episodes left. I wasn't surprised that things went completely down the drain, but man -- I sure didn't expect such a giant and painfully awesome twist like that! Writer-nim, why do you torture us all like that?! I was a complete wreck at the end when Sung-Il betrayed Jung-Do, and Jung-Do looked like his soul had completely broken. Please, Sung-Il -- HAVE A MASTER PLAN.

Definitely the highlight of the episode for me was Sung-Il and Jung-Do's playground fight. Dear lawd, they were like five-year-old boys with the sand-throwing, lame wrestling, and Jung-Do adorable high-pitched pleas. ("Hyung!" I died, I just DIED.) I watched that scene so many times because it was friggin hilarious. When the show does do comedy, it's gold.

This show is gold, period.

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Hahaha, best fight scene ever. No wonder Jungdo keeps running from people instead of fighting, because he fights like a little girl. I wonder how much of it was scripted and how much was ad-libbed. I'm thinking what Saya said, at least the pants split was unscripted. Hope there's a BTS for this scene!

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Knowing these two I think script just said: "Fight scene between Jung-do and Sung-il on the playground, police gets called." The rest...all SIG and MDS because come on which respectable writer and PD comes up with stuff like that? "You hit my ear", "You stepped on me", "Why did you do that", "My nipples!"
Pfffft, I couldn't breathe during that whole scene, these two are killing me and I wanna see the bts of it.
Can we please add a favorite fight category to the beanie awards, this has to be rewarded. :-D

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Absolutly. It was even better than the fight in Bridget Jones Diary.

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omg I think I watched that film well over a decade ago, so I went and youtubed for the scene...hilarious. But nowhere near as full of feels as this one!

enjoy! https://youtu.be/6gxOffgz6VI

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The part I love was in the prison cell, when Jung-do pretended that he couldn't hear properly because Sung-il had hit his ear. So like a defiant little brother, taunting his hyung.

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I know, I'd love to get some behind the scenes footage! It really wouldn't surprise me if they ad-libbed quite a lot. It would actually make it even more perfect if the pants split was accidental!

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Fight scenes hall of fame:

1. Seo Inguk vs Ma Dongsuk (Police Unit 38)
2. Choi Wooshik vs Im Seulong (Hogu's Love)
3. Byun Yohan vs the ex-girlfriends (Ex-Girlfriend Club)

I died when Sungil kicked upwards while laying on his back on the ground and Jungho just flailed his hands as he backed away. Pure Gold!

They have to show us the BTS! They wouldn't be so cruel to withhold all that awesomeness from us, would they?

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Lol I love all the fights you mention. Jungdo and Sungil's fight this episode is hilariously immature given how the actors are thriller fan faves. xD

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That first half of the episode leading up to them meeting up was so dark and I thought they would play up the angst more... Then they fight at a playground. And then just when I thought it couldn't get any better Sung-Il pants rip, and Jung-Do bit his nipple. I just LOST it!

This show constantly surprises me in how they subvert the viewer's expectations, so I just stopped analyzing what's next and let the show unravel itself. And as much as I want more I think I'll be mentally exhausted (in a good way!) by the time the show is done.

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Did I just watch Seo In Guk "pretty woman" Ma Dong Seok? ?

These guys clearly have never heard of the concept of "ride or die". Boys... you love each other... stop betraying one another when it hurts you so much.

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"Oh, it's the usual kdrama make-over... with Ma Dong Seok?!" That was great.

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Sung Il: "I can't raise my hands."
Jung Do: "You look like a leaf."
Pffft LOL Best shopping scene in kdrama!

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I was actually really really expecting the famous sound to come out

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I am enjoying this show so much. I agree with most here that don't remember looking at the clock. It even makes me want to look up previous works of the writer.

Thank you db recappers for catching up. Your recaps are making many people happy.

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This better be part of the MASTER PLAN Jung-do and Sung-Il.

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Seriously, I can only survive this program reading the recaps. Actually watching it would send me to the hospital.

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Am I the only one thinking something passed between JD and SI when they tussled in the police station? A secret message or instructions from the master conman to his beloved Ahjussi disciple?

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Totally possible, I thought that too! But I wondered *what* JD could have to pass on to ajusshi...any ideas?

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Instructions on how to bite Chairman Choi in the proverbial nipple?

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I actually cackled.

But really... what precisely was in the bank book Jung-do passed to Sung-il? I really feel like one or both of them has a grand master plan, but at this point I don't even have the energy to try to figure it out. The plot's going to surprise us no matter what.

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LOL, a good one. And turn him into a zombie a la Busan Express.

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I think so too! I just can't accept that this isn't something planned. Once he got caught there was some plan started I'm thinking...hoping!

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Does anybody know:
What's Sung Hee's relationship with the Mayor? They have the same last name. It's been suggested that they are related?
Why does Sung Il call the Mayor "Hyung"? They must go back quite a ways for him to be able to call the Mayor by such a familiar term.

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Sung-hee is the Mayor's daughter. :)

It's not implicitly said anywhere iirc, but they must have worked together or at least have known each other well before the mayor started moving up in the world.

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The Sunghee's birth secret thing is the last thing I wanted ever. One of the major reasons why I like Sunghee as a character is because of her dogged pursuit of justice and protection over her team leader even though she's risking her job. If she's the mayor's daughter, suddenly her brazen move to bail Sungil and cover up for him doesn't seem as impressive anymore because she would probably be saved by her father anyway.

I'm hoping Sunghee is just an ordinary government worker unrelated to any of the big wigs.

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what I really like about how they handled this is that it's NOT a birth *secret*. It's just a fact, and it's never really been either overplayed or underplayed. It was never actively concealed any more than it was actively 'discovered', which changes it entirely. It's one of the fantastic touches in PU that makes you feel like you landed in its fully-formed universe, where everything *isn't* explained to you, you just get to know it little by little.

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Perhaps "birth secret" is the wrong word to use, but my point is I do not want Sunghee to secretly be a privileged daughter. I wouldn't care for her to be in strained relationship with her father, because that wouldn't make her fight so heroic.

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This drama, Beautiful Mind, and W - Two Worlds will be the death of me. These 3 are the best airing drama at the moment for its quality-wise!

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Thank you so much for the recap!

This episode was such a wild rollercoaster ride, both emotionally and with the stunning reveals. Like Saya, I'd never guessed that Choi didn't actually have a son. And et tu, Ahn, indeed! I was actually feeling a tiny bit *sorry* for the man during his scene with Sung-il--and then it was all gone by the end of the episode.

The playground fight and the follow up in the jail cell ("I said I can't hear you!") had me absolutely howling, oh my God. Some of the absolutely funniest moments in a kdrama, ever, right there.

I keep hoping that the betrayal is part of a long con too, but it's impossible to know with this show. I kept waiting and praying for Sung-il or Jung-do to wink at each other in the courtroom, but alas, no obvious signs came. Waiting desperately for the weekend to find out if it was all part of a scheme or if Sung-il really did sacrifice Jung-do for the good of his tax team.

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I don't know what's behind it, but I refuse to believe this betrayal.

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Saya, I love love love reading your comments! So insightful and coherent and gives so much depth to the story. Thanks very much!

Love this to show to bits and so glad you guys caught up! I get equally excited to see the recaps of this show as I do when I see the new episodes out :D

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I am in a heat haze so my commentary is restricted to crazy stuff this week but yay Saya for catching up!

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Thanks for the recap saya. Woohoo, now we can speculate until our heads explode without spoiling anyone. :-P

First of all, how awesome is Mi-joo?! This writer really knows how to create great female characters no matter how much screen time they're given.

Then the highlight of this episode...the best fight scene in history, move aside Jackie Chan and co. I was on the floor snorting and dying of laughter. :-D
And as if it wasn't enough Writer-nim, you lock them in the same cell, have them share a blanket AND let them discuss their plans in it with the police officer within earshot?! You have no shame, Mister, no shame whatsoever. lol

And urgh, I knew Ahn that snake wasn't trustworthy for one second. He did it to protect the bureau?! What a buck load of cowpoop. You deserve a portion of thorny skin disease!

There's no way Jung-do will spend the next 10 years in prison, I absolutely refuse to believe that. Chairman in prison must play a significant role in the final 4 episodes, they show him in almost every episode or at least mention his name, this has to be some sort of grandmaster plan.

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At the last frame I was so bummed, but my husband said, "look, isn't that a wink, or the start of a wink?"

And yeah, isn't the teddy bear a.l.m.o.s.t. smiling in the freeze frame ending?

I hope so.

I love this show.

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Your husband is hoping it's all a setup too >___<

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We all are. I was staring at the screen so long after the episode was over....waiting for the punchline that wouldn't come.

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Congrats to the cast and crew for finally beating Bad Guys. in ratings. I've been rooting for Unit 38 to do that and this episode did it!
Hope it'll hit 5% this weekend or the next.

Ma Dong Seok is on a roll. Train to Busan is also breaking all kinds of records in Korea's Box-office.

I've never been a fan of SIG but he is growing on me here. Looking forward to his next project.

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If that 10years imprisonment cliffhanger doesn't make people tune in this week then I'm sure that at least the final will break the 5% mark. :-)

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OoOooh, nooo! :((( This drama is literally killing me! *sob sob

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Thank u for the recap Saya!

Ep 12 was a STUNNER!!

i watched it right after it was uploaded without subs and then waited until it was 99% subbed to watch it again - like eating the last piece of chocolate i had in me - i had to SAVOR it!

Man! This show is good - it was NOT just your brain whirring Saya - mine was too!

The fight scene was EPICLY funny!! Beat the last funny one i saw in Heart2Heart! Winning move was to bite SI's nipple!!! BWAAAHAHAH!

I hope out gang get Chairman Choi and his minions GOOD!

Mayor Chun is truly a scary guy - don't know if he can be salvaged/saved.

i will watch Ep 12 again tonight so that Friday doesn't seem so far away.

Thanks DB for catching up with the recaps!!!

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now I can whine all I want.

AND I WANT MIN! We need him. Please come save your ex-hyung. I can´t think of anyone else who could help get him out of this.

This episode was a bait. They put our mind to sleep with the cute and funny and then .... Beware of this show. When you start feeling good about things, something is wrong. On the other hand what gives me hope is when things start to seem bad, there is usually an unexpected twist. But, but! He bit his nipple muahahaa. That was the best frenematch (frenemies having a match) that I ever saw!

and I can´t watch this weeks´ episodes cause I am at a festival for 4 days and nights

Sung Il has passed the exam and can now be the boss. Teacher Jung Do has been overtrown by his student. Such a blow.

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oh the nipple-biting is GOLD! now, I can never unsee it whenever I see someone headlocking someone. hahaha XD

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"Sung Il has passed the exam and can now be the boss. Teacher Jung Do has been overtrown by his student. Such a blow."

LOL, i whole heartedly agree! What if the wink is what makes Jung Do realize it's a con???

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I fully expected Sung-il to give Jung-do a tiny wink or a slight curl up of his mouth as he left the courtroom, to let his friend know he had a plan - but I think he tried to convey it with his eyes and Jung-do didn't get it. Best if he doesn't right now.

Here's what I don't understand: I remember clearly in the previous episode (10?) when Madame ah was on the phone before the money flinging, telling someone like, 'don't worry, the money we are flinging came from the chairman'... which means that she still has the $50 million for taxes safely in her account and the money they threw off the roof was "surplus, expendable" money from the very rich old chairman who is helping them all behind the scenes. I hope this gets revealed later!

Love this drama SO MUCH. This and Beautiful Mind are my crack dramas right now. So intelligent and complicated. Just love it!

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it's either Jung-Do didn't get it or he was so absorbed in acting.

though I would really love if Papa Bear is pulling out some con that Jung-Do is no longer aware of. that would make his character grow in epic proportions.

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And right after I thought there wouldn't be any trick left that could still take me by surprise, it's time for the baddie team to con the viewers. *slow clap* Well done, show, well done.

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And, I really have to say, again, I loved how the women behaved this episode. Sunghee and Mijoo had a nice, rational conversation and Mijoo was honest about liking Jungdo but cleanly gave him up. And then Sunghee with Jungdo later, calmly confronting him with the truth and no hysterics. Such a contrast to the two boys wrestling on the playground and fighting over a smelly blanket.

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Agreed. Add the badawesomeness of Madame Noh, her daughter, and even Bang Min Ah. Heck, even Bang Ho Seok's wife is quite an empowered character.

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Yes! A+ to this show for depicting strong, powerful and dignified women!

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That fight scene between SIG and Ma Dong Seok was freaking hilarious ! I mean talk about a guy throwing sand and biting someone. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!

Love Ma Dong Seok's English, his voice sounds so smooth, I could listen to him all day.

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I know! his accent is so spot on! I've watched some BTS and found out that MDS actually lived in the states, which probably explains his smooth English.

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My fave fighting scene ever!! LOL! That nipple bite took the cake! Nothing like a nip of breast to build the bromance! Can we have the boys in the playground one more time??? :D

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Hahaha I'm cracking up again as I read this rofl!

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about the betrayal:

when I looked back in the prison scene, Jung-Do and Sung-Il talked about "really" trusting each other and pointed out that the city hall might catch up soon. I guess, in this part, they are already aware that the bad guys will already predict their next move, which they predictably did to coax them into thinking that they have the upper hand.

also, Sung-Il's subtle wink at the end is not just planted there for nothin' as this show never waste no nothin'

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Thanks so much for the excellent recap Saya! Both you and festerfaster have made such a great effort in your busy schedules to catch up with episodes it is greatly appreciated, expecially now that we are onto the last 4 episodes which I know will bring twist after twist!!

I think this is all Jung-do and Chairman Wang's set up and Sung-il is in on it too. Like the comments above, when Jung-do told his dad he won't be seeing him for a while it was because he knew he was going back to jail as part of the grand plan. There's kind of a set formula going in each episode where the audience is conned into thinking one way and hooray, it was all part of Jung-do's plan! I'm just wondering if the writer is doing this on purpose so they can end the show with an even more shocking twist.

I'm soooo enjoying the ride though!! I can't wait to see Chairman Choi and the rest of the baddies (whoever they are because I'm totally confused with Mayor Chun) behind bars!! I'm looking forward to seeing Jung-do's team back in the action too. Sung-il and Jung-do win best bromance for me. Love them!!!

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Just want to share this beautiful video about Jungdo and Sunghee... the lyrics is so fitting for their story. The song was sung by Seo Inguk too, so it feels like he really sings his heart out to Sunghee

https://youtu.be/yWjYRA-FSCA

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Aw, nice. Thanks for the link.

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Oh my God, Saya, you write this recap so so so brilliantly beautiful!!! Not sure if that's the right English tho, but then we had "lolarious", really lol it self, so genius of you Saya.

Watching this drama for me, feels like building a card house. You build. It falls. Again and again. Each with accumulating excitement, tension, adrenaline rush and hard heart beats that makes your head spinning in full speed. Truly an eye opening to the definition of MIND BLOWING. I felt like the writer hit me in my face when Mayor Chun said that Chairman Choi has no children. Ugh.

That line from Sung Hee, "the other person gets hurt, and you become lonely," ouchhh, that is down right painful. Jung Do is indeed lonely. He chose to leave everyone, not to trust everyone, and walk by himself. The fact that he started to trust Sung Il, only to be betrayed, as we can assume from this ep, made it more painful for Jung Do.

I love SIG in IRY but I must say that he has exceeded his performance there here in this drama. That looks on his eyes on that very last scene. Gosh. Made me shudder.

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they really don't let up on us, do they?! Give us an episode of a return to bromance - and a literal playground fight like little kids, the trousers ripping lol- and then throw this at us at the end.

Have to run to work but I keep saying it, and it is no less true - this show really will be the death of me.

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Also, Ma Dong-seok's English is unexpectedly really good - though I love that the narrative worked up to it by having Sung-il actually study English in the early episodes.

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Yes I noticed that lovely continuity as well! Truly a well thought-out show.

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The writer is driving me insane with being so brilliantly twisted
on too many levels. Ack!
I expect no less from the writer of Bad Guys.

The playground biffo was such hoot. I just about killed myself laughing. And then the awwwww moment in the holding cell where our boys bonded over blankets and food.
Bromance never looked so cute.

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SIG''s acting at the court scene is just beyond amazing. The looks in his eyes when BI is testifying against him is a mix of despair, anger and sadness which hit me so hard. If this is all set up by JD, I must say a good con artist is also a good actor.

And the fight scene is super hilarious!! I expected some action scenes as good as those in Bad Guys (whose actions scenes are the best I've ever seen in kdramas, 10 times better than big 3 channels) and I was later a bit disappointed the production somehow deliberately avoid all violent scenes, given SIG and MDS are both good action actors. But here comes this fight scene! It's so fitting the characters. JD never relies on physical strength, he always pulls tricks even in a fight. The nipple biting is just epic. All of a sudden I understood the writer's purpose, the whole PU38 is about using brain which is very different from Bad Guys in which violence is beaten by violence.

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I really want to know the back story of that chairman in prison...all along we were told that the chairman in prison was telling jungdo to con those people then it turns out police deobak was involved in it...so if it's jungdo's plan with deobak helping...why is the chairman helping jungdo? Earlier episodes say jungdo saved the chairman's life twice but jungdo met him in prison right? Who's so daring to order him killed twice while in prison?

And the whole story just seems to fall too into place for the last bit of this episode...it feels like a CON again on us viewers... ha! Writer nim...I have smarten up to your scams ( I hope? )

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Yeay! Behind the scene of episode 11 and 12! Although, sadly, there is no playground fight scene here. But it's still fun

http://program.interest.me/ocn/taxteam38/3/Vod/View/161378

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I clicked on your link and all I saw was a chevy commercial.

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Hang in there. It appears after the ad.

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i really cant wait for the next episode on Friday. i know this won't end easily and this story is soooo unpredictable. i'm affraid of Chairman Choi, seems like he'll do anything to save his life by destroying people's life.

Good job for the actors!

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Impressive, passionate analysis Saya! I was quite struck with your POV on the mayor because it adds more layers to Sung Hee's character. There was a part in EP12 that features her in deep thought and I wondered why that was.... if not the writer's way of positioning her into a bigger con for the finale.

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Saya, thank you for your recap and insightful comments! I am so glad DB has been able to catch up with episodes.

I really like how the story of our noncouple JungHee is playing out. If they spent more time on this, it wouldn't have been as effective and it would have dampened the caper fun mood of the show. But as bits and pieces that we are getting at just the right time - it has become a story that I can't help but feel invested in and wish a happy ending for. I would also have to commend SIG and Sooyoung for making the small screentime for their love story as believable and as heart-aching as they are making it now.

About today's twist (side note: I am not sure it is accurate to call it a twist when we are all already probably expecting a twist just not that twist), please have a smart, kick ass plan Papa Bear! I mean, I understand that after all that has happened, he would finally be disillusioned and just give up. But, he is Papa Bear - that one guy who chose not to accept bribes and refused to lay low just because he was told to.

Can't wait for this week's eps! Drama, please be good until the end!

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I wonder if the JungHee couple ship will ever set sail...

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I think I would soooort of be okay with it not happening...onscreen. As long as we're left with the hope that they do get to start over. I really think they will. She's over her past relationship with him, but if they got another chance, no lies and total transparency, I think they have a really, really good chance of living happily ever after. Can't believe how much I ship this quietest of almost-romances.

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Yeah same here, i'm quite sure I won't see some hand holding mush but any scene with intense tensions between these two is enough to send me squealing. And i'm sure these two can pull it off, acting wise. A wee bit more please pd-nims.

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I totally agree. I am a fan of open endings done right where the audience can fill the endings themselves just given a great idea of the characters' directions.

Eg for dots, I would have been happy for the ending to be the scene of the hospital staff greeting each other on their first day back in Korea.

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Haha i cracked at et u? Ahn!
But the ending left me thinking et u, sung-il?

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