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Rescue Me: Episode 10

Once she realizes that running away won’t help her escape Guseonwon’s clutches, Sang-mi changes her strategy. She’s determined to expose the evil cult’s true nature to the world and destroy the institution once and for all—a task made more difficult by Guseonwon’s far-reaching influence in the town. Lucky for her, she has four determined boys on her side, and one in particular willing to risk it all.

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EPISODE 10 RECAP

We open with a bird’s-eye view of the Guseonwon van driving back from the police station, having recovered Sang-mi. Everyone sits in silence except for Disciple Kang, who prays fervently, while Sang-mi looks surprisingly calm.

When they arrive, Sang-mi gets off the van and stops at the bottom of the steps to stare at the Guseonwon sign. Brows still furrowed with concern, Disciple Kang gently takes Sang-mi’s arm and reminds her that service has already started. Sang-mi glances at her hand on her arm before smiling confidently at Disciple Kang: “I’ll go up on my own.”

We return to Joon-gu and Dong-chul’s fight against Lee Jin-suk’s gangsters. The narrow hallway is strewn with injured gangsters who slowly rise as new arrivals armed with wooden clubs rush in behind them. Panting, Joon-gu tells Dong-chul to go into the room to look for the account books while he keeps the others at bay.

When he enters the room, Dong-chul’s eyes widen in shock to see his nightclub friend, Dae-shik, inside. In a steady voice, Dae-shik reminds Dong-chul that he works for Jin-suk and warns him against taking the account books. Dong-chul is visibly shaken by his loyalty to his friend, but then a sound from outside the door reminds him of his debt to Joon-gu.

Inside the church, Father Baek’s sermon on the importance of repentance is interrupted by the arrival of Sang-mi and her escorts. The believers murmur to each other and stare before Father Baek calls on everyone to welcome Sang-mi back with applause. The group approaches Father Baek, who asks why Sang-mi returned willingly.

“Do you think I came back because I wanted to?” Sang-mi demands through clenched teeth, dropping all honorifics and making no pretense at etiquette. She looks Father Baek dead in the eyes as she continues, “It’s not grace or salvation if you coerce me into submission. The true evil is you. I came back to protect my mother!”

With a raised hand, Father Baek silences the ruffled congregation and responds that Sang-mi’s attitude is caused by the devil. Sang-mi screams that she’s tired of hearing about the devil before turning to address the believers: “You should all get ahold of yourselves. You’ve given him all your houses, money, land, and everything else… do you think that’s salvation?” She pleads with them to go home, see their families, and leave the church.

At that final remark, Father Baek roughly grabs Sang-mi by her hair and announces that he will no longer watch Sang-mi’s soul perish. When Sang-mi fights back and calls him insane, Father Baek just yanks Sang-mi’s head back even harder and tells her, “Sang-mi, you are not the pure soul we used to know anymore.”

Disciple Kang looks conflicted while Dad agrees loudly that Sang-mi is not the daughter he knew.

“I am never going to be defeated by you,” Sang-mi spits, and Father Baek turns to Disciple Kang as he recounts the time when her daughter had said the same thing as Sang-mi. He marvels that New Heaven’s God must have put Disciple Kang through the hardship of losing her daughter in order to prepare her to train Sang-mi to become Spiritual Mother.

After a shaken Disciple Kang agrees that she’ll do everything to help Sang-mi become Spiritual Mother, Father Baek pushes Sang-mi down to her knees in front of the congregation and places his hand on top of her head.

His voice rising steadily, Father Baek performs something like an exorcism as he and Dad begin “speaking in tongues,” and what starts as a light patting of Sang-mi’s back from Disciples Kang and Jo turns into a beating, with Jo bringing his hand down with such force that it knocks Sang-mi to the ground.

Meanwhile, Joon-gu stumbles into Jin-suk’s account room to find Dong-chul and Dae-shik fighting. Dong-chul asks if they can’t just let Dae-shik leave, and Joon-gu explodes at his naivete: “I told you not to trust anyone! Someone will stab you in the back again.”

When Dae-shik rushes Joon-gu, Joon-gu easily puts him down with a bat. Hunched over in pain, Dae-shik accuses Joon-gu of being willing to do anything for money, and Dong-chul looks away as an enraged Joon-gu beats his friend up.

With the boys still locked up in the station, Officer Woo hurries over and scolds his son for causing trouble instead of studying for college. He apologizes to Detective Lee and expresses his embarrassment toward his police force “family.”

Back in Guseonwon, Disciple Jo urges the believers to pray with even more strength. He vigorously hits Sang-mi’s back with relish while Disciple Kang falters, overcome by worry for the helpless girl, even as Sang-mi bears it all in silence and continues to face the congregation with tears streaming down her face.

But the ritual is interrupted when a scream suddenly rings out — it’s Sang-mi’s mother, who runs to protect her daughter when she sees what’s happening. She pushes Disciple Jo off and begs everyone to stop hitting her daughter, pleading with her husband to help.

Before Dad can react, Father Baek observes that the evil clinging to Sang-mi has moved to Sang-mi’s mother. Dad screams at the devil “possessing” Sang-mi’s mother and slaps her to the ground, hard. As he tries to perform the same beating ritual on Mom, Sang-mi shields her mother’s body with her own and sobs miserably as the congregation continues to feverishly chant: “We believe it! Our wishes will be fulfilled.”

Ji-hee, Yong-min’s campaign manager, arrives at the police station and asks to have a word with Detective Lee. He fills her in on what happened with Sang-mi and promises to take care of it quietly, his grin oily. She observes that it seems as if he wants something in return, but he deflects before adding that he’s almost done taking care of Mr. Cheon (who they had asked the detective to take care of during their last meeting).

After getting his son out of jail, Officer Woo yells at Jung-hoon to sit in the front of the police car when he tries to sit in the back: “Are you a criminal?!”

Jung-hoon tries to get back in his dad’s good graces and explains that he couldn’t ignore a friend in trouble, but Officer Woo snaps and tells his son to ignore his friend’s plight and focus on getting into college.

Back in Guseonwon, Dad leads Sang-mi into one of solitary prayer rooms, and she grimaces in pain as she leans against the wall. He begs her to open her eyes and become the Spiritual Mother so that they can all be saved.

However, his face contorts in displeasure when Sang-mi grits out painfully, “I want Sang-jin to receive salvation more than anyone. But that’s not going to happen here. You’re only getting fooled by their dirty tricks and lies.” With that, Dad leaves without another word.

Having seen Disciple Kang’s hesitation during the prayer ritual, Disciple Jo slimily asks Kang if she’s got a lot on her mind these days. She brushes him off, but he reminds her that her most important job is to propagate their religion, while she in turn asks him if he even wants salvation, or if he’s more focused on gaining something else.

After trading veiled barbs, Disciple Kang turns to leave, but Disciple Jo reminds her, “You can’t afford to make a mistake this time. You need to make sure Sang-mi becomes our Spiritual Mother so that me, our Spiritual Father, you, and your daughter will all be able to get on the Boat of Salvation.” Disciple Kang turns and remarks that it would be a shame if he alone failed to get on the Boat of Salvation before she storms off.

Disciple Jo smiles at her retreating back: “Yes, that’s the Kang Eun-shil I know. I hope your belief continues to stay strong… forever.”

Yong-min massages his comatose wife in her bed and bitterly tells her that she still looks at him the same way her father used to–with disdain. He continues by saying that Ji-hee gives him all the respect that she was never able to give him: “So stay like that and don’t ever wake up. That way, people will remember me as a loving husband who cares for his sick wife.”

When he hears Sang-hwan enter the room, his malicious tone turns gentle as he begs her to wake up for their son’s sake. Cautiously, Sang-hwan asks for his father’s help: “My friend is involved in a weird cult. But she’s having trouble getting out of there. It’s called Guseonwon.”

He tells his father that Guseonwon is involved in volunteer work to make them look like any other church, but warns that in reality, they’re a cult. “Please help my friend so that she can get out of there and live a proper life,” Sang-hwan finally asks.

Unfazed, his father reminds him that he’s a politician first, so he needs to be promised something in return when a favor is asked of him. Sighing in defeat, Sang-hwan promises to go back to Seoul and become a judge, which satisfies his father.

When both father and son are gone, however, Sang-hwan’s mother’s hand begins to twitch.

That night, Joon-gu and Dong-chul wait for their rendezvous with Detective Lee. Dong-chul and Detective Lee recognize each other from three years ago, and Dong-chul gets on his motorcycle to leave. But when Detective Lee complains about the nuisance Sang-hwan caused earlier in the day, Dong-chul finds out that Dad took Sang-mi back to Guseonwon.

Joon-gu observes intently as Dong-chul scoffs that Detective Lee hasn’t changed at all, causing Detective Lee to threaten to put him back in jail. Disgusted, Dong-chul turns to Joon-gu and declares his debt repaid before riding off.

After he’s gone, Joon-gu brings out the account book, but before he gives it to Detective Lee, he asks if he can do whatever he wants to Lee Jin-suk now.

Tasked with giving Sang-mi’s mother her medicine again, the young congregate from Seoul, So-rin, once again secretly switches Mom’s usual pills for a digestive aid pill instead. Disciple Kang enters the room as the volunteer leaves, unaware of the pill switch, and begins to mention how her daughter, Yu-ra, left Guseonwon.

Looking down at Mom, Disciple Kang tells her how Sang-mi also left Guseonwon, but came back. “She could have stayed there, but she chose to come back. Do you know why? She came back because of you. My daughter… my daughter, Yu-ra, left this place. Because of that, she made me commit a big sin toward New Heaven’s God and Spiritual Father. But Sang-mi came back.”

Suddenly, Disciple Kang grabs Mom’s chin and lifts her face up, her fingers digging into Mom’s skin: “I hate you so much because of that. You have a daughter who wants to protect you even when you’ve lost your mind, and I really hate that.” Eyes wide, Sang-mi’s mother starts reciting Guseonwon’s teachings. Disciple Kang loosens her grip and declares that she needs to make Sang-mi become the Spiritual Mother so that she can receive salvation with her daughter. “So stay here and keep Sang-mi from leaving,” she orders.

Ji-hee drives up beside Detective Lee, who seems to be in a very good mood as he comments that he feels like he’s in a spy movie. He hands over the account book and gleefully asks who he should catch first, but Ji-hee just cautions him to maintain a poker face and orders him to take down Mr. Park (who works for Mr. Cheon) first.

The boys are back in their corner of the bar, and the waitress nags at them not to cause trouble before telling them to call her “noona” instead of “aunt.” Dong-chul joins them and sits alone with Sang-hwan as the latter explains what happened. Disillusioned by Guseonwon’s control over the police, both boys vow to solve this using their own methods, even though Sang-hwan’s method is to ask his dad for help.

“You always used your brains, but I used my intuition to fight,” remarks Dong-chul. He states his intent to infiltrate Guseonwon to see what kind of place it is–he’s the only one who can do it, because the other three boys have already exposed themselves.

Disciple Kang enters Sang-mi’s room and tells her to recite the Prayer of Salvation if she wants to receive water, since she’s been deprived of any water or food. Sang-mi weakly shakes her head no, and closes her eyes again after the woman leaves.

Meanwhile, Detective Lee and some other officers arrive at Mr. Park’s apartment. They bang on his door as he hastily burns documents inside. He speaks to Mr. Cheon on the phone in a panicked voice and gets caught by trying to escape from the balcony in only his boxers by Detective Lee.

Disciple Kang teaches a class on evangelizing strategies to a class of female congregants, describing how they’re to look like regular Christians and act like them in order to befriend people in the area. “Don’t people think we’re lying?” So-rin asks, to which Disciple Kang quotes from the Book of Salvation: “No matter which methods you use, spreading New Heaven’s God’s messages is a joyous deed.” She adds that they don’t call it lying, but rather a “salvation strategy.”

After the class ends, Disciple Kang praises So-rin for her work, and asks her to take on the honor of becoming the Spiritual Mother’s aide. So-rin seems honored by the thought and thanks Disciple Kang profusely.

Back in the prayer room, Dad quietly kneels next to Sang-mi and pleads with her to memorize the Prayer of Salvation so that she can leave the room. The concerned expression on his face is replaced by apathy when Sang-mi weakly replies, “I won’t give up.”

Disciple Kang and her troop of evangelizers arrive in town under the watchful eyes of the three boys, who observe them from a nearby cafe. Dong-chul dons glasses and holds tight to the straps of his backpack to give off “innocent student” vibes.

Sure enough, Disciple Kang takes the bait and asks Dong-chul if he’d like to fill out a questionnaire in return for concert tickets. While Dong-chul acts reticent at first, mentioning that he has to go to his mother’s birthday, So-rin convinces him that it’ll just take a minute.

As Dong-chul fills out the questionnaire while bumbling about and acting both clumsy and naive, Disciple Kang suddenly asks, “Do you think this world will exist eternally?” Dong-chul acts unsure, which Disciple Kang latches onto as she tells him that he can be “chosen” to have eternal life, and Dong-chul pretends to be drawn in by their claims of being prepared for the “apocalypse” that they know is coming and are preparing for.

We see in a flashback that Sang-hwan had lent Dong-chul his expensive watch for the occasion. “They must have rules about who to approach. I bet it comes down to money. We need bait to catch a fish,” Sang-hwan had predicted. The boys had also established a secret signal: Dong-chul brushing his face with the back of his hand.

Dong-chul gives the signal before the Guseonwon van arrives to take him and the other recruits to visit the compound. Disciple Jo comments on his nice watch, noting that his family must be well off (so Sang-hwan’s prediction was right), and Dong-chul makes them smile with his guileless remarks. He ignores a call from Jung-hoon, who’s worried about Dong-chul’s safety and frets at the lack of contact.

So-rin leads the new recruits to the main chapel, where they are welcomed with hearty applause. Dong-chul ignores another one of Jung-hoon’s calls, leading Jung-hoon to speculate about the terrible things that could be happening to Dong-chul.

Disciple Kang comes up to Dong-chul just as his phone vibrates with another call from Jung-hoon, and he hastily hides his phone screen. She encourages him to stay for tea, but he takes a rain check because it’s his “mother’s birthday.” Disciple Kang then offers to throw a birthday party for his mother at Guseonwon, but when he declines, she ropes him into agreeing to attend service the next day.

The door where Sang-mi is held creaks open, and Sang-mi turns in shock to greet… her brother. Sang-jin urges his sister to stay strong, and she promises to make it to the outside world with tears running down her cheeks.

Sang-mi wakes from her dream then, and whispers “oppa” to herself as she closes her eyes again.

Sang-hwan meets with Ji-hee alone to ask her to help Sang-mi. He admits that he can’t trust his father, and although he doesn’t trust Ji-hee either, he knows that his father is her weakness: “If I disclose the relationship between you and him, it’ll ruin the upcoming election for him.”

When Ji-hee asks what exactly he’s trying to do, Sang-hwan bluntly answers, “I’m asking you for a favor in a way that you won’t be able to refuse.” But Ji-hee isn’t cowed until Sang-hwan predicts that his father wouldn’t throw his political career away just to be with her.

While Dong-chul walks home, Disciple Jo pulls up next to him and offers to drop him off in the Guseonwon van. Once Dong-chul’s in the car, Disciple Jo casually asks questions about his “father’s business” when Dong-chul gets another call from Jung-hoon.

Jung-hoon nags at him for not picking up his calls, and Dong-chul pretends the call is from one of his friends to whom he owes money. “Don’t you know how well my dad’s business is doing? Are you really going to be like this over a few paltry thousand dollars?” Dong-chul demands, much to Jung-hoon’s confusion. But Disciple Jo takes Dong-chul’s bait and comments that his father’s business must be doing well.

After the call ends, Jung-hoon and Man-hee figure out that Dong-chul must still be with the Guseonwon people. The waitress comes by to nag at them again, and Jung-hoon complains about her swearing before he realizes that she brought skewers. She turns to leave, but the boys coax her back by calling her “noona,” and she gives them the skewers for free. Ha.

Disciple Jo drops Dong-chul off and asks for his phone number. They bid each other a pleasant farewell, and agree to meet at the same spot for tomorrow’s service. But the second Disciple Jo drives off, Dong-chul takes his glasses off, loses his goofy expression, and calls his friends.

The boys meet up in the bar to talk about what Dong-chul saw. He hesitantly mentions that the people there looked happy, but Sang-hwan quickly tells him not to be fooled. Jung-hoon worries that they might be getting themselves into danger, but he’s quickly shut down by Man-hee: “Just don’t turn on your live broadcast. That’s how you can help us.”

Someone approaches Sang-mi’s prayer room as she lies on her side on the floor. We don’t see who it is at first as Sang-mi slowly rises, her eyes wide, but the camera pulls back to reveal that it’s Father Baek. He blows on a spoonful of porridge to cool it off before feeding it to Sang-mi.

We flash back to a conversation between Sang-mi and Sang-hwan, where Sang-mi had reflected on her inclination to run away from Guseonwon: “I’m not going to run away anymore. I’m going to destroy that place.”

In the present, Sang-mi leans forward to let Father Baek feed her without breaking eye contact with him. He praises her and asks her to recite the Prayer of Salvation. She recites it perfectly as tears fall from her eyes, and Father Baek smiles with blissful satisfaction.

The next day, Sang-hwan watches as Dong-chul gets into the Guseonwon van. Ji-hee calls to inform him that his father wants to meet with him at his mother’s hospital.

At Guseonwon, Sang-mi helps her mother eat, and nothing in her face or demeanor gives away the suffering she was forced through for the past couple days. Disciple Kang brings her an outfit to wear for the announcement ceremony that day, after which she will officially begin her training to become the Spiritual Mother.

Sang-mi dutifully changes into the black dress, and her mother calls her beautiful. Sang-mi kneels in front of her mom and reassures her: “Don’t worry. We’re going to be happy like we used to be.”

Sang-hwan enters his mother’s room and hears his father addressing a third person. He stops in pure shock to realize that it’s none other than Father Baek, who smiles as he observes to Yong-min that his son has such a pure soul.

 
COMMENTS

Uh oh. I have a bad feeling that Yong-min is going to move his wife into Guseonwon’s care, and Father Baek will take advantage of the situation to blackmail Sang-hwan. I’m not sure how this is going to play into Yong-min’s political ambitions, but it’s clear at this point that he doesn’t care what happens to his wife as long as he can maintain his “loving husband” image.

While we’re on the subject of Sang-hwan’s parents, I can’t wait to find out their history: the circumstances of their marriage and the explanation behind the mother’s current medical condition. I feel like there could be foul play involved, and if that were to come to light, Sang-hwan would lose all remaining trust in his father.

As for Sang-mi’s father, I was stunned when he started hitting Sang-mi’s mother. It’s terrifying just how much control Father Baek has over his thoughts, and I think that outburst was the evidence Father Baek needed to know that Dad is 100% loyal to Guseonwon. And while Dad’s behavior was reassuring to Father Baek, I think it had the opposite effect on Disciple Kang–seeing Sang-mi and her mother cower in fear from Dad probably brought up some of her worst memories of her own abuse at her husband’s hands. One of these days, Dad may go far enough to open her eyes to the heinous reality of Guseonwon.

It’s remarkable how dedicated Dong-chul is to helping people in need—yes, the fact that the victim is a pretty girl probably helps, but I don’t doubt that Dong-chul would be willing to risk his safety to help any helpless person. It’s also tragic that he’ll never be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, because he’s clearly demonstrated the determination, courage, and integrity needed in a cop. His outburst at Detective Lee’s corruption is probably also fueled by resentment at the fact that he has Dong-chul’s dream job, but abuses his power to prey on the very people he should be helping most.

Perhaps another reason he’s so dedicated to helping Sang-mi is that he feels he failed her years ago when Sang-jin committed suicide. Like Sang-mi, I think he blames himself for not being able to save the boy. Rescuing Sang-mi and making sure she finally has the chance to live a good life might give him the closure he needs to move on from that dark chapter of his life.

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I believe in Dong-chullie.

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I did not think Dong Chul could get hotter, but those glasses did it!

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???

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I liked that, too... ?

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Dong Chul is the best character here after Dang Mi. I hope the show ends with both of them being happy.

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I wonder if someone will die...

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My money is on David's character giving us a heartbreaking death. Otherwise, they're wasting a great actor in a mediocre role. Also, Man Hee is too pure for this world but I refuse to let him go. You hear that, show?? *shakes fist at the sky*

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I like Lee David's role and I don't think it's mediocre at all. He's doing such a good job at it and I believe his online broadcasting gig will be a big factor for revealing the cult's bad doings to the world. Besides, there are no mediocre roles especially when the actor is giving his best to act, no matter how short the screentime is.

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I have been waiting for Jung Hoon's channel to expose the cult!

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Good point. He clearly is putting his all in it, no argument there!

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"There are no small roles, only small actors" :)

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I haven't seen Lee David's acting in the past, so after everyone's praise I was waiting to be impressed by him. His character is the the token annoying one haha.

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Probably. But please not my Dongchul.

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DC and the actor who plays him, Woo Do Hwan, are probably the best example that talent can take you anywhere.
I bet the PD+writer never thought that the drama they made to fit TaecYeon (cause writers always have a dream cast when getting the characters) , would end up getting a second lead that much love.
I read in OH that even in korean comments everyone either ships DC+SM or hopes that DC & SM are alive at the end.

Hopefully this case will give hope to all the actors out there who don't have as much backing as idols :)

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I don't know, I don't think that they could have achieved the high level of quality this drama has without being aware of the talent they hired. Taecyon was obviously not going to be any good in the double agent role, he's better as the straight forward type while Woo do hwan is great as the bad ass underdog.☺

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if the original webtoon is anything like the show then chances are they knew dongchul would be more favored. he just has all the qualities that make him likable, there's no way they didn't see it coming

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Here here. An actor breathing life to a character draws everyone's attention. Like Spiritual Father and Apostle Jo are villains in Save Me but I'm always drawn to their scenes.

There are even dramas whose villains outshine the lead simply because they were acted well.

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Thank you for the recap!!! This episode had me screaming at my laptop in several spots, but especially when Sang Whan had to face Baek in his mom's hospital room. We knew his dad was snakey, but wow. ???

Speaking of, was anybody else jarred by the way he just explained his motivations out of the blue? This show has been really great at sort of building to a reveal of a character's true nature--- like how we didn't know whether Kang was a true believer or not-- so having him just explain his feelings to his wife felt weird. Same with Kang talking to Sang Mi's mom. Her scene was a bit more understandable because we've spent so much time with her, but it had a similar effect. Did anybody else feel that way?

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It was unexpectedly blunt but he just said what everyone has been led to suspect about him. What I found more jarring was when he switched to loving husband to his bad guy image earlier

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No, you're not the only one. The directing, acting and cinematography in this drama have been great. But the writing leave me wanting more. Few things I don't understand : Sanghwan and Deongchoel fixed their broken friendship only by fighting whereas I wish Deongcheol voiced his hurt and Sanghwan apologized, thhe three years jump and the fact that their friend (Dongcheol) was in jail unfairly didn't change the other boys (especially Sanghwan) that much. They still have believe in the authority. Also this episode exposition. The writer is a rookie apparently. I still love it though because the other aspect is super good. I just hope that they have a satisfying conclusion. And a happy ending please ! ???

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Oh yeah, the writer is a rookie! I totally forgot lol. In that case, this is pretty fantastic for their first time.

The end though...to paraphrase GoT: if you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention ?

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I do think that a good fight is what some people do in real life. It didn't fix everything, but it broke the ice.

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So I actually liked that scene. Although I felt like Sang Hwan shouldn't have hit Dong Chul, but he probably did it so that Dong Chul could let it all out!

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This show is just so well written, directed to perfection, with finely tuned acting, and filmed beautifully. No matter how terrified it makes me, I keep coming back to it. Trying to convince everyone I know to watch. Maybe if more people watch, I will find a viewing buddy! For now, this show requires an accompaniment of hot chocolate and my favorite blanket with every episode. I am glad that Dong-chul's character is taking a larger role in the plot again, it seemed the show lost a little sparkle without him.

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This drama is so good, it's hard waiting for new episodes. I'm glad their is some optimism now that Sangmi and Dongchul have a plan. I want to know more details about Sangmi's new found determination. Sanghwan needs to grow up and stop being so naive. I hope he protects his mother from his dad and the cult. I can't believe those sick bastards starved Sangmi after beating her.

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They did bring her food.

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Sang Hwan's dad is horrible. It's confirmed. I won't even be surprised if we find out he did something to his wife and that's how she became like this. I wish Sang Hwan will open his eyes because he still blindly believes in the corrupted authority.

Disciple Kang can either help Sang Mi or be dangerous for her. It seems like she tries to keep her faith despite seeing how bad and fake the cult is.

I see an ally in So Ri. She's from Seoul like Sang Mi and is in Geoseonwon since last year. She still doesn't believe 100% in the cult even though Disciple Kang said she was the most active. She's helping Mom so she does know something is off with the cult. I'm excited to see her help Sang Mi and the boys.

Dong Cheol is my hero. I felt that he would infiltrate the cult but not as a nerd haha. Go Dong Cheol !

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I don't think his eyes CAN be opened. He has gone far into the deep end now, and I don't think there is any coming back for him. When he joined in the beatings of daughter and wife, I decided that was the end for him.

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“You always used your brains, but I used my intuition to fight,” remarks Dong-chul.

Sang Hwan is supposed to be the brightest of the lot but I don't get it most of the time. I wonder if it's got to do with Taecyeon's portrayal. His goofy grin is cute but there is a lack of sharpness which gives a very different vibe.

Dong Chul jumps into things very quickly which is both good and bad. I was also aghast when he spun the tale of his businessman father too far, I'm sure this will catch up with him in no time. Still, Woo Do Hwan's acting is so spot on and charming that he easily becomes the hero, intended or not.

I'd really like Man Hee to be the brains of the group because he seems to be the most perceptive and quietly intelligent one. But I doubt so because his role is not meant to be big. He's probably there more to counter Jung Hoon whom I screamed at when he kept calling DC.

Just when I was happy that Sang Mi has changed her game and taken on the fight squarely, Father Baek had to bring forward his devious plan. Well, at least now Dong Chul is in there and the scales have fallen from Sang Hwan's eyes. Let the fight begin!

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Man-hee is totally underrated in his drama. I really appreciate the actor playing him and where his character arc is taking him.

As a side note about him, I appreciate that a man that is not a traditionally attractive/desirable is so smart and caring!

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??

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Okay, Sang Mi's dad hits his wife ? and Sang Hwan's dad collaborates with Baek. What the hell, dads? Not to forget, Jung Hoon's dad being annoying and irresponsible toward his job.

Anyway, my prayer goes to Dong Chul to be safe in Guseonwon. Jung Hoon, please stop calling Dong Chul for his safety sake!

Next time when they help Sang Mi to escape, please leave to Seoul, okay boys? And seek help from Seoul police/prosecutor and reporter.

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Dong Chul is such a sweetheart.
This drama is so good at keeping me on my toes! But oh man do I want to see some Guseonwon exposing soon. I can't stand seeing Sang Mi in so much pain, but her dad is beyond irredeemable at this point. Please please drama gods let the drama have a beautiful happy ending with Guseonwon getting torn apart, the corruption in SangHwan's dad and the police getting exposed, and Sang Mi + country bumpkins all being happy and safe.

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No more redemption arc for the father...
and if you think this ep couldn't get any creepier, they show SM getting beaten up "to remove the devil" out of her.

Just glad that DC finally infiltrated the cult and Mom's mind is clearing thanks to So Rin.

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I think casting directors and writers honestly love their job. They had to cast Taec (as it often happens with idols), so they worked hard to find someone who could actually carry such a difficult show. Woo Do Hwan does a great job but his role is also well written

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“I’m a politician. You have to give me something in return…” transforms to “Don’t mention it, we’re father and son.” Yea so, I’m a pretty smart gal and I can’t seem to catch the leap this asshole just made when he claimed to be a good father right after forcing his son to go back to Seoul in return for RESCUING someone forced in a cult, because he’s a “politician”…

Where is the logic tho?

1. Either you’re a politician to your son, or you’re a father. You can’t be both. Personally, I recommend father, but you obviously haven’t listened to my advice.
2. Clearly, you’re not a father since family doesn’t require any sort of exchange for help. You help them no matter what you get out of it.
3. Before being a father or politician, you should be a decent human being, so you’ve actually failed even before fitting yourself into those categories.

In conclusion, I can't wait to see you fall flat on your face. And I will cackle.

p.s. am in love with Dong-cheol. If anyone knows where to find him, hit me up.

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Something that occurred to me, that I find very interesting, is that on paper, Sang Hwan is set up to be a complex, multi-layered, and potentially fascinating character. He is teetering on the boarder of all of his beliefs and deep loyalties and as a young man is struggling to find his place and do what is right. His caring and feelings of duty toward Sang Mi and his deep loyalties to his friends are can contradict his love and devotion toward his family. His love for his small country town and his desire to go to Seoul and become an educated successful prosecutor fighting for justice seem at odds with each other. His belief in the system to uphold justice are at battle with his growing realization that going other routes may be what's necessary. He has all the makings of an awesome character, but somehow as he is played he seems a bit simple, naive, and straightforward.

Dong Chul, on the other hand, is set up to be the straightforward character. He follows his gut, acts in the moment, and deals with the consequences later. Done. But here we all are just completely enthralled by this character and his journey. Woo Do Hwan's portrayal is absolutely flooring, and gives such depth to Dong Chul. The viewers connect to him and cheer for him.

I don't know if it's beanies comments early on about Taec Yeon's acting that helped lead me to this conclusion, but I think regardless of outside influences we can all agree that Woo Do Hwan is a truly admirable talent with a shining career in his future. So exciting!

Also, this show is incredible.

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You hit the nail on the head!

I struggle so much with Sang Hwan the character because I just had this feeling that he was set up to be a hero or something bigger. Let's take the case of him approaching Dad for help again. It wasn't meant to be be naivety. Perhaps it was him desperately trying to reach out to the father who once helped the weak and poor. It might be the last chance for Dad to prove himself after failing Sang Hwan in Dong Chul's case.

In opening of ep 11, it's clear that Taecyeon is out of his depth. The impact was lost in that defining moment in their relationship.

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But Taec is doing just that. How can you imply so much about the character if the actor wasn't playing well?

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From the writing.

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You're probably right. Sang-hwan comes across as incredibly naive and not really intelligent to me.

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I just finished ep.11. Despite my initial doubts, I decided to put my full trust on DC because in the previous episodes the scriptwriter/webtoon writer has established that he's the type who doesn't take shit from anyone.

So, it will be OUT OF CHARACTER if he suddenly sides with the cult. that's my 2 cents..

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Disciple Kang - At her first flashback of her daughter I thought she may be a key in helping Sang Mi. After episodes 9 and 10 we see she is a true believer and that it seems that her heartbreak is just propelling her to more forcefully ensure that Sang Mi stays with the cult...however with those cracks and moments of hesitation, I still se a possibility that she may have a revelation and help Sang Mi for real, in the way that she never tried to help her daughter.

@callaberry I think after he was mistreated by police and the system, Dong Chul has no desire to be a police officer left in him!

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Another scary thought just crossed my mind...
That "ship of salvation" thing is starting to sound more and more like Jonestown 2.0.

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That was my first thought too! The situation is even more dire than the show has revealed as of yet. How is that even possible?

But yeah the "boat of salvation" is sounding more and more like an actual boat... no bueno.

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At the moment, I'm just following Rescue Me through recaps as I can only watch a small number of dramas at any given time. So I haven't seen Dongchul in motion. However, I'm already greatly invested in him, and HeadsNo2's blurb in Team Dramabeans : What We're Watching about him made me even more excited.

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He gets a lot of good screentime in episode 9, so if you can't watch the entire show I'd recommend watching that episode at least.

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Please let Dong Chul make it out of this series alive. He's a great character

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*hugs*

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