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Criminal Minds: Episode 12

The NCI team faces a new type of challenge this episode—the criminals may already be behind bars, cutting out the physical chase, but the mystery remains. As the truth gets slowly uncovered amongst all the lies, can our heroes discern what’s real from what’s fake, or will another innocent life be lost?

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EPISODE 12 RECAP

Ki-hyung and Han-byul watch a cello performance in a small music hall, but while Han-byul is engrossed in the music, Ki-hyung winces as if in pain. In his office, Ki-hyung packs some files when Chief Director Baek comes in to hand him a new assignment.

The order comes directly from the Justice Department, and the higher-ups want the NCI team to settle the case quickly. With the increase in bizarre and brutal crimes, the government has recently decided to resume capital punishment, which means a few death row inmates will be executed in a couple of days. However, additional crimes were discovered that may be connected to some of the convicted criminals. As a result, the government thinks adding the NCI team is crucial in countering possible public backlash.

The case is about couple, Jo Young-hoon and Ahn Yeo-jin, who murdered and buried 12 women. As reported on the news, capital punishment on the two murderers has been finalized, and public interest in the case has grown. The NCI team watches the news report and wonders why they’ve been assigned to this case, which occurred 15 years ago.

Ki-hyung tells them that remains were found two days ago at a construction site, and according to the forensics, the murder and burial patterns match the other victims of Jo and Ahn. Since their execution was decided before the discovery, the government wants them to resolve the case as soon as possible.

The team splits up to investigate, and Hyun-joon goes to the couple’s old home with Min-young while the rest leave for the prison. Both groups discuss the case, highlighting the differences between Jo and Ahn. Unlike her husband who flaunted his crimes for the media, Ahn remained uncooperative and even flip-flopped on her testimony.

Min-young particularly shows no sympathies towards the criminals, especially Ahn, who confessed to murdering her two-year-old son, Shi-on. With only 38 hours left, Hyun-joon grimly says that the victims who aren’t found will never get their justice.

Ahn is escorted to a special solitary confinement room where two guards will constantly watch her. The warden gently asks Ahn what she would like for her final meal, but she wonders if she could see the full moon instead. The warden tells her that it’s against the rules, and Ahn silently enters the room.

Jo is also taken to his room, but acts much more brazenly than his wife—even scoffing at the warden. In voiceover, we hear Han asking if the recently discovered body is truly the last victim, and Ki-hyung answers, “Through profiling the culprits within the given time, finding out the truth is our job.”

With 35 hours left, Ki-hyung’s team arrives at the prison, and they give a quick presentation about the case and its two criminals. An unidentified female informant tipped the police off about Jo, and when the police interrogated him, they sensed his abnormal mentality. By the time the authorities arrived at his house, his son disappeared, but they discovered 12 dismembered bodies buried below his workroom.

The bodies were found wearing children’s clothes, and like other crimes committed by people with Lolita Complex, the victims’ arms and legs were cut off. Though Jo was reported to have a sexual disorder, the prosecutor notes that no reports were made about Ahn. Han explains that Ahn most likely suffers from hybristophilia (an attraction to criminals), and given Jo’s remorseless attitude, Ki-hyung says that Jo is likely under the delusion of full control over his victims and wife.

Hyun-joon and Min-young examine the couple’s deteriorating house, and she explains how Ahn lured the victims to Jo, who would then kill them. They enter Jo’s workroom, imagining what the place would have looked like in the past. Hyun-joon mentions Jo’s abusive parents, and wonders about Ahn’s childhood. Min-young points out that her mother refused all interviews, but Hyun-joon thinks she may have changed her mind given the circumstances.

The warden tells the NCI team that the prison officers refer to the hall in front of the condemned cells as the path to the underworld. Ki-hyung asks if Ahn saw Jo, and the warden explains that Ahn refused to meet anyone.

Ki-hyung enters Ahn’s cell, and she stares at her paintings on the wall—one of a young boy and the other of a river. He compliments her pictures, and Ahn finally faces Ki-hyung, asking him what he wants to know. He states, “I think it’s time the victims’ families found out why they had to die.”

Hyun-joon and Min-young visit Ahn’s mother, and she asks them why they’re here. Hyun-joon tells her that Ahn agreed to tell them why she killed those women, and asks for her time. The mother agrees to talk, and explains how her daughter had a normal life until she met that scumbag husband. She describes Ahn as gentle, smart, and artistic; and stares at Ahn’s paintings framed on her walls.

Hyun-joon asks if Ahn’s father abused her, and the mother admits her husband was rather strict. She asks them what’s the point of digging up the past, and Hyun-joon explains how learning Ahn’s history and relationships will help them understand why she was involved.

The mother confesses that her husband did beat Ahn, but not as much as he abused her. When asked why she didn’t run, she tells them that she had no place to go and was afraid of getting caught. Hyun-joon asks if she’s the one who reported Jo’s crime 15 years ago, but she shakes her head. However, she does know who did, and hands them a letter she received today.

While Ahn is escorted to the interrogation room, she praises Han for receiving a doctorate at such a young age, mentioning how proud his mom must be. In the hall, she crosses paths with Jo, who’s being interrogated elsewhere, and he excitedly yells at her to remember what he said. He screams about fate and how people will remember them forever, but Ahn gives Ki-hyung a steely gaze, accusing him for setting up this encounter. With a laugh, she asks if he figured anything out, and looks away in disgust.

Sun-woo interrogates Jo and tells him that he’s been diagnosed with severe antisocial personality disorder. He jokingly corrects her, saying that he has a sexual disorder, but Sun-woo stares blankly at him. He continues to try to get a rise out of her, mentioning how Sun-woo probably has a beautiful smile, but she ignores his remarks and asks if there are more victims.

Jo asks what he gets in return if he answers, and Sun-woo tells him that he’ll get a chance to ease the pain of the victims’ families. Jo laughs in disbelief.

In Ahn’s interrogation, Ki-hyung has her handcuffs removed, and asks what’s best about drawing. “Freedom,” she answers.

Min-young calls Ki-hyung to tell him about the letter Ahn wrote to her mother, and as she reads the contents, Ki-hyung decides to repeat the letter aloud for Ahn to hear. As he does, Ahn’s attitude suddenly shifts, and she demands that he stop reading her personal letter.

The letter talks about how she finally understood her mother—calling it her second greatest blessing—and then mentions that her first greatest blessing is far away. Ahn lunges at Ki-hyung, but Ki-hyung continues, “As a mother and as a woman, I didn’t fulfill my duty, so many children died.”

She attempts to grab Ki-hyung, but the guards pull her away as she screams at him to stop. Ki-hyung stops the guards from cuffing her back in her seat, and tells her that he doesn’t think she didn’t kill any of the victims. She says that she brought them to Jo, which makes her culpable.

Han defends her, saying she may not have known Jo’s true intentions, but she firmly believes that she should have known. Han begins to object, but Ki-hyung silences him. Addressing Ahn, he says that she appears to want the death penalty for a crime she didn’t commit.

The interrogations are put on hold, and Ki-hyung tells the group that they must approach the two criminals as mentally ill patients to understand them. Han explains Jo’s history with his abusive mother which caused him to create his own virtual reality on love, and Sun-woo mentions that he must be alone with his victims to activate this reality—thus implying that Ahn couldn’t have been with him during the murders.

Hyun-joon and Min-young join the team at the prison, informing everyone that Ahn was the anonymous informant from the past. Brandishing the letter, Hyun-joon believes Ahn couldn’t have killed all those people, but the warden doesn’t understand why she would lie. Han reasons that Ahn could be in a failed cognitive state that forces her to choose death when in danger, and Sun-woo says that culprits often make false confessions when being controlled.

However, they need more solid evidence to warrant a stay for Ahn, which means they must prove Jo as the killer of his and Ahn’s son. Watching Ahn through the monitor, Ki-hyung notes how she’s protecting her paintings like they’re her children, and says that they must find the meaning behind them.

The revival of capital punishment continues to be a hot topic, as people from both sides of the debate protest outside the prison. One reporter promises to stay until the last second for the victims’ sake, and Min-young turns off the television in frustration. They return their attention to Sun-woo’s interrogation, but she remains emptyhanded. Hyun-joon offers to switch places, and Min-young asks to join him.

Jo immediately expresses his disapproval of Hyun-joon as his new interrogator, but brightens when Min-young enters. She introduces herself, and Jo creepily comments on her beauty and voice. Hyun-joon orders him to sit, but Jo only takes a seat when Min-young tells him to.

Ki-hyung returns to interrogate Ahn alone, and she apologizes for her earlier behavior. He accepts her apology with a smile, and she compliments him on it, guessing correctly that he doesn’t smile often. He supposes the same of her.

A prison officer brings in several of Ahn’s paintings, and Ki-hyung starts to analyze them. She calls painting a personal hobby, but looks unsettled when Ki-hyung holds up a painting of roses and deduces that she drew twelve roses to represent the victims.

He tells her that she’s wrong, however, since another victim was discovered yesterday, which would be the thirteenth. In fact, he reasons that she doesn’t know anything about the victims because she was too busy working, and that even her confession about leading them to Jo’s workroom was false. Despite this clear alibi, Ahn was still convicted of the crimes because of her confession. Ki-hyung asks for an explanation, promising that Jo can’t hurt her.

Jo, meanwhile, stares at Min-young and says that he wanted to hug someone with a face like hers before dying. He proposes a bargain: He’ll tell them everything about the women he buried if he can smell Min-young’s hair. Hyun-joon tells him to stop fooling around, but Min-young agrees to the terms.

Ki-hyung asks why Ahn lied about killing her son Shi-on, but she says that she never did. He asks where she buried him, then, but she avoids his questions, asking about his children instead. Ki-hyung tells her to stop changing the subject and answer him.

The guards hold back Jo as he inches closer to Min-young to sniff her hair. After his allotted time is up, the guards throw him back to his seat—now it’s Jo’s turn to uphold his side of their agreement.

Ki-hyung mentions how Shi-on should be around 16 if he were alive, but Jo eliminated the chance for him to grow. Ahn refuses to play along and asks about Ki-hyung’s wife. He tells her that he doesn’t have one, but she points out the wedding ring on his finger.

Ignoring her observation, Ki-hyung shares his beliefs about her innocence, but she says that everyone is guilty but children. She asks again about his own kids, and Ki-hyung tells her about Han-byul. Shifting his questions, Ki-hyung asks if she murdered Shi-on to protect him from Jo, but Ahn only tells Ki-hyung that he’s in a better place.

Jo announces that there aren’t any more victims, and laughs while banging his head on the table. Hyun-joon ends the interrogation, but as he gets up, he lies to Jo that Ahn’s execution was postponed. They don’t have enough evidence to prove that she killed her son, but Jo doesn’t believe the lies, stating firmly that she did. He offers to show them where their son is buried.

Sun-woo and Han oversee the excavation at the site Jo mentioned, and they notice an arched gate similar to the one in Jo’s workroom. Han deduces the symbolic meaning of the gate as the mother’s womb, indicating Jo’s simultaneous abhorrence and desire for his mother.

A skull is uncovered at the site, but it belongs to a 19-year-old high school student, not Shi-on. With only eight hours left until the executions, the NCI team wonders why Jo would have told them the location of another victim. Ki-hyung assumes that Jo did it to make sure Ahn is his last victim. Nana tells the group that Ahn used to tutor the student, and Ki-hyung leaves the room.

He informs Ahn about the murdered high school student, and Ahn drops her pencil in shock. Meanwhile, Hyun-joon confronts Jo about his lie, and asks if there are more victims. Jo tells him to pray for him instead of asking such questions, and orders his guard to take Hyun-joon away. Before he leaves, Hyun-joon tells Jo that it isn’t over yet, but Jo throws his words right back at him.

Ki-hyung admires Ahn’s paintings, commenting on the basket in her river picture and the age of the boy in the other. He pointedly asks if the painting is from her imagination, or whether she painted it while looking at Shi-on in real life. Ahn just asks to be alone in her remaining hours, and calls the guards when Ki-hyung presses her for answers about where her son is now.

Returning to their temporary office, Ki-hyung asks Nana to replay his interrogation of Ahn, and he finally realizes something: “Exodus 2:3.” Ahn didn’t bury her son, because like Moses, Shi-on survived. Sun-woo notes how Shi-on’s name is also biblical (“Zion”), suggesting that Ahn instinctively knew her son was in danger the moment he was born. With only a few hours left, the team needs to find evidence of Shi-on’s existence if they wish to delay Ahn’s execution.

As the sun sets, Ahn looks out through her barred window with a solemn expression. In the execution room, the guards take their place around a noose and chair set in the middle of the room.

Nana looks through all the police and hospital records for any reports on an abandoned child, but can’t find any that match Shi-on’s circumstances. Hyun-joon guesses that Ahn is lying about her son since Jo is still alive. Han wonders if Ahn may not know Shi-on’s whereabouts, but Ki-hyung firmly believing that she knows.

The time has come, and Jo haughtily announces the start of the “grand show” when the guards come to his door. Ki-hyung pulls aside the warden, asking him for five minutes in Ahn’s room, and after some pleading, the warden agrees to bend the rules one last time.

The warden fulfills Ahn’s last wish to see the full moon—breaking protocol—and the sight of the moon makes Ahn yearn for life. While Ahn is outside, Ki-hyung quickly ransacks her room but can’t find any clues inside her furniture or possessions.

Ahn recalls how her mother used to tell her tales about the rabbit who lived on the moon, and the warden jovially reminisces with her. Like her mother, Ahn also told her son about the rabbit, but wonders if he still remembers her or the tale she told. “But no matter where we are, we’re looking at the same moon. That’s what I told him,” she comments wistfully.

Remembering how Ahn held onto the painting of the boy, Ki-hyung takes it down from the wall and discovers the paper peeling in the back. He pulls back the sheet, revealing a photo of a young man. The five minutes is up, and Ahn thanks the warden for this unforgettable gift before heading back to her room.

Ki-hyung brings the photo to the team, and Nana asks if it’s really Shi-on. Pressed for time, Min-young offers to ask the media to help find him.

Jo is taken out of his cell for his execution, and the priest asks if want to find peace in the lord. Jo yells for Ahn, telling her that he’ll wait for her there, and then staring at Hyun-joon, he brags about finding peace nineteen times already. As he walks away, Jo shouts into the prison for Ahn not be afraid since they’ll last forever. Hyun-joon tells the warden that Jo just confessed to killing six more people.

In her last moments, Ahn brushes her hair and hugs the painting of Shi-on. She turns the canvas around, but to her surprise, she finds the picture of Shi-on missing.

The guards take Jo to the execution room and place him on the chair underneath the noose. The warden asks if he has any last words, but Jo simply laughs.

Hyun-joon barges in right at the last moment, and Jo brags that he won. Hyun-joon holds up the picture of Shi-on and tells him this is the son he believes he killed: “Your delusion is over. You have lost completely.”

Jo doesn’t believe him, insisting that he won and that it’s impossible because he killed him. He babbles that they’ll never find out where the body is, and screams as his head is covered and the button is pushed—the deed is done.

 
COMMENTS

What an interesting concept for a case. The normal procedure and motivations are flipped on their heads this time around as the NCI team interrogates captured criminals and vows to save a culprit from a wrongful end. I found Ahn to be an interesting character who clearly feels guilt for something she didn’t commit. In fact, she’s also a victim of Jo, but she chose to accept the charges ultimately to save her child. As the NCI team mentioned, she’s kept this secret for fifteen years, and I doubt she’ll reveal anything, choosing death to protect her son. Part of the problem the show hasn’t addressed yet are the implications of Shi-on being alive and probably not knowing his real parents.

If they force Ahn to admit her innocence, that means Shi-on’s identity will also be revealed, intentionally or unintentionally, to the world. They may touch on this in the next episode since the case isn’t over, but it seems like this could be one of the major motivating factors keeping Ahn from admitting the truth. While it’s true that Jo is still alive and could hurt her son, it’s not the physical aspect of Jo—because in all honesty, there’s really little Jo can do on that front—but the consequences of being labeled and associated with him that could damage Shi-on and his future. Because of that, a happy ending seems unlikely, and our team might face another failure.

I’m also curious about what the show will do about Jo’s last confession about killing more people. It seems like the police can’t actually find the victims without the confession from the criminal, and in a sense, Hyun-joon’s worry has flourished. Maybe Jo will win in the end, though that’s a grim thought to have. If it’s true that more people are dead, those victims will never get the justice they deserve. However, these grand concepts of “justice” and “freedom” become murky in this scenario, making the audience question what these things truly mean. While Jo is clearly a despicable human being, it’s a bit more complicated with Ahn. She seems innocent, and as for now, it does appear that she isn’t culpable for her husband’s horrid crimes. But is the “freedom” she longs for truly outside the prison bars? While the episode has a lack of action in terms of chases and physical movements, I actually didn’t miss it that much. I appreciated the questions the show raised, and don’t mind not getting answers if the show chooses to leave it up for debate.

I mentioned this in the previous episode, but Hyun-joon hasn’t really been shining as a character as he did before. His interactions with Jo weren’t nearly as interesting as the interactions between Ahn and Ki-hyung. Part of the reason seems to be that I’m starting to lose focus on his character and his ideals. I don’t quite know what motivates Hyun-joon or his life outside of the NCI team. Whereas for Ki-hyung, I know his traumatic history and what haunts him at night. I understand his worries and doubts, so when he talks with Ahn, the inner conflict and hidden meanings behind their words and unspoken connection between the two characters doesn’t need to be explicitly displayed because the show has already developed different aspects of Ki-hyung as a character. Granted, I’m a huge fan of Sohn Hyun-joo, so I really enjoy Ki-hyung as a character. However, I want to know the rest of the team, too, and I think the clock is ticking against the show to hurry on that front.

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What terrifies me more is their method of death penalty - by hanging, seriously?

I also got tired by the too many exposure of Min Young especially the last episode also had her but that hair sniffing scene is really creepy.

Basing on the previews, I hope Lee Jun Ki would be given his time to shine but I do hope Moon Chae Won and the other cast would be also given their own time.

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Ok, I have tried my best to separate the original show from this version, and so far, I have been moderately successful. But Riding the Lightning, the episode on which this was based, is my most absolute favorite episode of Criminal Minds EVER--so much so that I refused to rewatch it again because the original watching experience was just too precious to me.

I loved loved loved Riding the Lightning. It was tense and emotionally fraught, with wonderful performances and a heartbreaking story. When the preview last week showed that the Korean version may be doing this episode, I was so apprehensive, because I wanted them to do right by it. Sadly, to me, they didn't. The things I loved most about the original ep--the tension, the emotions, it just wasn't there. I hate that they made one of Criminal Minds' best episodes so.... boring. The broad strokes were there, but they failed to capture the mood and essence of the story. I chalk this up to bad editing, really. And directing, maybe. Even some of the performances left a lot to be desired. Jo is cartoonishly maniac, as an example. I also didn't get the feeling that they were fighting against the clock--it wasn't in the way they were speaking or acting, and it zapped the tension away.

To be fair, I think my love for the story (I remember it clearly, though I've forgotten some of the minute details) contributed a bit to how boring the ep was for me, since I knew all the twists. But I remember guessing the twist early on in the original, and it didn't really affect my viewing experience then. I really think this show is edited badly. Like, why would they end there?? And then show the rest of the remaining story in the preview? LIKE WHUT?

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I rewatch the original CM as a past-time when I don't want to get into anything new, and coincidentally I rewatched this episode today! It's still brilliant and (SPOILERISH - I still cried buckets at the end.) Even knowing what was coming, it's an awesome episode.

I actually wondered if CMK would cover this episode, because I wasn't sure if Korea had death row, and they did cover it! Not sure about execution by hanging though - seems kind of old-fashioned and dramatic, unless Korea really does death row by hanging then I guess that's the Korean relevance.

Other comments: the hair sniffing "bet" was also in the original, except it didn't actually take place. So CMK added the, er, creepy twist. I think that's fine, except I don't see how that added anything to the plot.

The writing, directing, and editing is definitely what's wrong about CMK. Even in the original especially during its heyday, you didn't have the best actors in the lineup (people still complain about JJ up to the present), but sometimes the writing, team dynamics, brilliant unsubs and emotional pull really made up for it. So tbh, I don't blame the actors for CMK at all. It's a shame.

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There was a disclaimer at the start of the episode that this scenario was just fictional, right?

And for the hanging. I just thought it's a bit of un-modern? It feels like I was transported back in the Joseon dynasty (But almost everyone there just drank the poison) and I just can't help but remember Tanashiri's death by hanging on Empress Ki.

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Korea still hangs people for the death penalty :/

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I agree, the writing, directing, and especially editing is bad and dragging the drama down. And it's a shame, really, coz the talented actors are wasted. I can't forgive how they edited this episode so badly that it was so boring.

And yes, me too, I cried buckets when I watched the original!!!! Which is why I never watched it again because it was so emotionally draining an episode!!! In all my rewatches of Criminal Minds, I always skip it lol. But now I might have to watch it again to wash the taste of this ep off my mind huhu

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Toatally agree with You, I just don't understand writers, they have like hundreds of episodes to chose from, stories that will be better suited for Korean environment, why chose one that presented such unrealistic scenario that they need to as disclaimer at the start of episode. This drama is such a disappointment, the production team had such an easy job, recognizable brand and abundance of ready stories that they only need to choose and tailor for Korean reality and they screw up royally.

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I think I've said this before, but I do wonder if the writer and production team are fans of the original Criminal Minds and if they've watched all that many episodes. Or if they just thought the Criminal Minds premise was interesting and just googled some of the episode summaries. The drama sometimes is what I imagine what would happen if someone asks me to talk about a book that I've only read cliffnotes for.

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I agree with you. This episode from the original was also one of my favourite because the emotions portrayed by the actors/actresses were great and very touching. I don't think it's an easy task to make something so good better or re-make something with the exact same feelings/sentiments.
If only this Korean version doesn't try so hard to copy everything but start out as a new department with the US BAU's success as inspiration, they could have different storylines and characters.
I liked Reid's character but the Korean's version is so annoying. They should have casted Ahn Jae-Hyeon as Lee Han as his characteristics are more similar to Reid (adorable though socially awkward).
I've already dropped this series but now even reading the recaps and comments have me gritting my teeth in frustration because I was so.... looking forward to enjoying this show earlier (Anyway, a big thanks to lovepark for the recaps)

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I haven't seen the original Criminal Minds so I can't compare but even to me, this episode was kinda boring, I mean I know it was supposed to be a race to prove the woman's innocence and find her sonam, but seriously, instead of some action and real profiling, all we got was Ki Hyung asking her the sake question 50 times.
So overall the episode felt anticlimactic.
Also where was Ha Sun Woo and Lee Han?! Why does it feel like they keep getting sidelined for Min Young? Like I thought her job was just like the spokesperson to the media, Ha Sun Woo should've been in the interrogation scene with Hyun Joon since she is actually more experienced as a profiler and investigator.

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I was starting to get a little bored with chasing loose serial killers every episode and my interest waned a bit in episode 11, so I really like this switch to getting info from a captured serial killer and to exonerate the serial killer's accomplice.

That hairsniffing scene was really weird. Actually it felt really weird that we barely got to see much of Sun-woo's interrogation scene. Then Hyun-joon was pretty much like "I'll give it a try" and Min-young, who works in PR and is just studying this stuff, is like "I'll join you [for no reason at all]...and I'll show up like 5 seconds after you walk through the door even though we were both heading together to the interrogation room". And then everyone was like fine with Min-young letting that creep sniff her hair. Or maybe the NCI team should have planned it that way, so it doesn't feel so random. Maybe they should have switched out MinYoung for Sunwoo and just combined the Sunwoo and Hyun-joon interrogation scenes?

I've been starting to make my peace with the NCI team being relegated to supporting role and letting the bad guys/victims shine. The actors for the husband and wife definitely did not disappoint. But it's starting to chafe at me that Sunwoo hasn't gotten much to do for weeks while Min-young is being shown a bit too much and in confusing ways. LJK gets his fun action scenes once a week (and damn does LJK look amazing doing them), but MCW must be so bored. So must Go Yoon.

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Is it my imagination or have they suddenly decided to shove Min-young down our throats?

Please, make it stop.

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Hey beanies, I am ttravelling out of the country so I don't have time to make any real comparisons for the next few weeks. But this episode was based on the season 1 episode "Riding the Lightning"!

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Creepy lady is typecast as a reluctant, bitter mother of criminals. I could've sworn I saw her in the exact same role in Tunnel and like ten other crime dramas in the past. It's like deja vu.

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Yeah and I actually find her WAY less creepy after watching her backstory on a tv program... she rescues dogs and I believe has 60 or so fosters/rescues on a rotating basis. They also looked really well taken care of so it wasn't a hoarding situation (which I initially suspected). Plus her mom has Alzheimer's and the actress (Lee Yong Nyeo) takes care of her on her own...

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I want more of Hyun-Joon is it so much to ask, ok now this is out of the way I feel more relaxed ^_^ ..... so there something really bothered me is it just me or ....... did you noticed ahn mother that there was something about her she stares when she was looking at Min-young .......

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Maybe, just maybe, they gave extra scenes of Min Young a little bit more than Sun Woo because they would probably focus into Hyun Joon's first love case in their last 3-4 episodes, when the time comes, Hyun Joon and Sun woo can get all of the screen time that they need..

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Wow...so this is the show that made me delurk. I typically just read the comments but this time, I wanted to say my two cents worth.
This is actually my favourite episode so far. Like the majority of ppl I don't think this is the best crime kdrama ever and I was getting a bit tired of all the gruesome stuff so this was a nice change of pace. I've not watched the original so there's that but I have to say I wasn't bored at all. What I took from the show was that catching the bad guys or saving lives doesn't always have to be dramatic or action-y..probably oftentimes a lot of the clues are in the mundane conversations we have. I really liked the conversation between ki hyung and ahn about their children for example. I felt it said a lot about who ahn really was and that quiet scene was kinda tragic and heartbreaking because some of it was the sorta small talk you have between any two people about their kids. Here though, you know that's so far from being the case.

The other thing that I really liked about this episode was that I felt I got to see LJG in a different light. I'm a big fan of his (the only reason why I'm still watching) and I thought that his scenes here which were quieter than what I'm typically used to with him were really good. I half expected him to punch the guy during the interrogation scene (because oppa = action) but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way.
I do wonder at moon chae won's lack of scenes though.
But anyway, I still liked it. :P

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I loved this episode in the original. It's a bit too bad, in my opinion, that Son Hyun Joo is too stoic compared to Gideon's almost fatherly vibe.

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Yeah.. I loved Gideon's character (in this episode and the rest that he's in). Too bad he left the series.

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I like this episode much better than episode 11.. I haven't seen the original CM, so there's nothing for me to be disappointed if the Korean version didn't live up to the original.. I'm still hooked and enjoying it. In the upcoming episode, i guess we'll see more of LJG's character's development..

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This is a Korean drama so adapting the american style drama just doesn't suit the target audience in my opinion. The lack of continuity in every other episode and lack of character development don't entice people to keep watching. It works in america cos their dramas have 100 seasons spanning over 100 years. Korean drama just get it over and done with in 20 episodes or so. i would think this drama would be better off being an original drama with an original story (not a drama of mini stories) . Oh well, i hope they learnt their lesson through the ratings.

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I agree with you to some degree, I feel CM-Korea biggest mistake is lack of character development which is usually what makes kdramas different from American series. It's also true, however, that this drama is a new experiment, the cases are more interesting than most of other kdrama crimes, where 99% of cases are related to political corruption... I really like that the criminals in this drama are only psychopaths and are not related to any political group, which makes them more believable... I also like that they didn't shy from showing the true DARKNESS of criminals... I still hope for some character development in upcoming episodes

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It seems that character development is being pushed aside as they try to fit in cases from the original. They're trying to get the most out of the brand they've bought rather than creating a whole story. I really wanted to watch and enjoy the show but it feels to me like the time of this kind of show is passed or it could just be me being over the serial killer thing.

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Excuse me!! why do you compare it with the american one?!?!?!?
I don't think that it's a good comparison..
the original has 12 seasons ,but the korean one is just 20 ep..
Let's be fair... just think how it is hard to choose from almost 138 eps..
I myself think it will be a good idea without comparing with the original one... just enjoy the korean ..if you don't,you had better not watch the korean.. let's enjoy it..thanks

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