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Black: Episode 17

The shocking truth about what really happened to Joon is finally revealed, and no one is more surprised by it than Black. Even though astute viewers may have already guessed the connection between Joon and Black long ago, there are still plenty of jaw-dropping twists-and-turns that make this penultimate episode as exciting as ever.

 
EPISODE 17 RECAP

 

Black researches Joon’s death, convinced the body that was found on the road wasn’t really Joon. The face was too damaged for anyone to properly identify the body, which points to the body belonging to someone other than Joon. Black briefly wonders why someone would purposefully swap the bodies, then decides it’s none of his business.

With Congressman Kim caught, Ha-ram is now safe, so Black can finally return to the underworld. But Joseon speculates that Joon could still be alive, but hidden by someone who wanted to protect Joon from the congressman — then Joon got amnesia and that’s why no one has heard from him in 20 years.

Hip-hop scoffs at Joseon’s makjang theory, but Black realizes that if he can find Joon alive, it will make Ha-ram happy to be reunited with her first love — and be happy to live without Black.

 

Black questions Moo-gang’s mother about the original investigation, wondering why she didn’t perform an autopsy on Joon’s body. Moo-gang’s mother says that the body was so brutally damaged by being run over; she didn’t want to damage it even more. She then asks if Congressman Kim was responsible, but Black curtly tells her he doesn’t know yet.

But Black knows that because Moo-gang’s mother was originally questioned twenty years ago, it means Ha-ram’s father, who was investigating the case, must have known about the swapped bodies.

Black goes to Ha-ram’s mother to confirm when Ha-ram’s father left young Ha-ram with her. Mom doesn’t want to cooperate with him and yells at Black to get away, but he tells her that if she wants Black to leave Ha-ram alone, then she should help him.

Mom reluctantly confesses that it was four nights after the Mujin mall collapse, and she was surprised how anxious he seemed when he dropped Ha-ram off with her. He apologized to Mom for his greed making her suffer, asking her to take care of Ha-ram.

when Ha-ram woke up the next morning, she freaked out, desperate to go to her father since he had a Shadow and was going to die. Mom hurried to Mujin check on him and found him at the hospital, talking to a doctor. When she realized that Ha-ram’s father was still alive, she decided not to tell him about the Shadow — she wanted to give Ha-ram a normal upbringing, so she just returned home, leaving her ex-husband to die.

 

Black realizes that Ha-ram’s father had four days after Joon’s body was found to investigate the hit-and-run. Mom doesn’t know who the doctor was that Ha-ram’s father talked to, and doesn’t have anything that could help Black since she destroyed all of her husband’s belongings — except for the few items Ha-ram kept.

Black portals to Ha-ram’s room and searches around until he finds her father’s wallet. When he pulls out the photos of Ha-ram with her father, he sees that a license plate is written on the back of one of them.

The detectives discover the vehicle belonged to Creepy Doc who reported it lost twenty years ago — on April 20th, the day that Joon’s accident occured.

 

Black goes to Creepy Doc to ask him about the lost car, and Creepy Doc says that he was busy at the hospital after the mall collapsed, and when he later went to the parking lot to get his car, it was gone. He reported it to the police right away, but it was never found.

Black asks if Creepy Doc remembers seeing Ha-ram’s father before, but Creepy Doc admits that while he did talk to a detective about the missing car, he can’t remember who it was. Black then asks if Creepy Doc knows anything about missing corpses back then — a boy with a missing hand and a blue birth mark. But Creepy Doc says he’s never heard of such a thing.

It’s an hour before Man-soo’s birth mother will hang herself, and Ha-ram’s determined to prove that the doctor who found the son’s body was allergic to menthol so that Man-soo’s mother won’t a reason to kill herself.

But when Ha-ram remembers the blind man’s warning about messing around with people’s lives will lead to unintended consequences, Ha-ram turns around and walks away, refusing to save more people for fear of what else might happen.

Leo avoids the press at the hospital, who are all determined to get a story about him being Congressman Kim’s son. His manager escorts him to his van, telling him to stay put and not go anywhere. Leo sees Creepy Doc head to his (current) car.

Black realizes that it doesn’t make sense for Congressman Kim to kill Ha-ram’s father for investigating the hit-and-run, because if Congressman Kim was really the one responsible for the hit-and-run, he had no reason to swap the bodies. That means whomever stole Creepy Doc’s car twenty years ago is the body-swapper.

 

As Black’s pondering all this, he sees Loser walking through the hospital parking lot. Black immediately gives chase, which is extra hilarious because he’s yelling “Stop!” and sprinting after someone that no one else can see.

When Loser tries to portal away, Black realizes that it’s a good idea and does it first, exiting a container just as Loser tries to enter it. Black grabs Loser by the throat and demands to know what body Loser has been using, but before Loser can answer, a car runs full speed into Black, knocking him down and causing him to pass out.

Ha-ram struggles with her desire to save Man-soo’s mother and her determination to not get involved. Meanwhile, it’s a few minutes until 3pm, and Man-soo’s mother prepares to hang herself, leaving behind a suicide note, apologizing that she wasn’t able to reveal the truth about her son.

 

Joseon patiently watches as she kicks the chair out from under her, and just as she passes out, Man-soo rushes in to try and save her. Hip-hop and the woman’s son, Kyung-soo, also peek in from the bathroom. Kyung-soo realizes that Man-soo must be his older brother.

Just then Ha-ram runs in to help Man-soo (yay!), and Joseon hurries Hip-hop and Kyung-soo out. Kyung-soo borrowed his own body to portal to see his mother, and when Joseon orders him to get back out, Kyung-soo is unable to leave his body. When Joseon says they’ll have to call the Death Squad to get him out, Kyung-soo cowers in fear.

Man-soo sits with his mother, who he and Ha-ram were able to break free from her handmade noose and keep her from dying. As Man-soo sits with his mother, he watches the news of the doctor confessing that he lied about Kyung-soo’s death.

Man-soo was the one behind getting the confession from the doctor, since he was able to find proof of Senator Nam’s son’s sexual misconduct by hacking into the soldier’s phone and posting screenshots of incriminating text messages. Kyung-soo’s name is cleared, which means there’s now no reason for his mother to kill herself.

Black wakes up in the hospital, annoyed that someone tried to kill him again. He’s also annoyed that it will be harder to find Loser since Loser knows that Black is in Moo-gang’s body, and Black can’t get out of Moo-gang’s body, even though Black should have left the body each time Moo-gang died (again).

Hip-hop portals into Black’s hospital room, excited with his discovery (thanks to Kyung-soo) that a Reaper can’t escape their own body. Black dismisses him, pointing out that he’s in Moo-gang’s body and, duh, he’s not Moo-gang.

 

Creepy Doc eavesdrops and seems to realize something when Black says that he can’t leave Moo-gang’s body. Ha-ram appears to check on Black but is distracted by seeing a Shadow inside Creepy Doc. When Black hears her mention the Shadow, he chases after Creepy Doc.

Black grabs Creepy Doc and points his gun at him, demanding Loser get out of Creepy Doc’s body or else Black will drag him out after he makes a hole in Creepy Doc’s head. A Reaper leaps out of Creepy Doc’s body — but it isn’t Loser.

Instead, it’s an old woman Reaper who has been on the run for a hundred years and is on the Death Squad’s “most wanted” list. She’s been able to evade the Death Squad because she changes bodies frequently. Black recognizes her from her “wanted” posters, asking if she teamed up with Loser to try and kill Black.

 

The old woman cackles as a flashback shows that she — as Creepy Doc — did indeed run Black over, since when a body dies a second time, the Reaper forgets everything that happened during the time they were possessing the body. But of course, that’s not the case for Black in Moo-gang’s body.

When Black threatens to turn her in, the old woman says she knows what Ha-ram’s father asked Creepy Doc twenty years ago when he was investigating the swapped bodies. Ha-ram’s father wanted to know about the severed wrist, and Creepy Doc nervously told him that many of the bodies they’ve seen since the collapse were missing limbs.

 

But the old woman — in a patient’s body at that time — could see that Ha-ram’s father wasn’t convinced, and that he suspected Creepy Doc switched the bodies. The old woman was annoyed that she picked a terminally ill body to inhabit, so when she saw Creepy Doc huddled in a supply closet, passed out from using drugs, the old woman decided to make him overdose and die so she could take over Creepy Doc’s body.

Black is horrified to learn that the old woman has been able to avoid being caught by the Death Squad because she’s been killing people to use their bodies. She says she didn’t have a choice — those destined to die always had Reapers near them, so the only way to avoid being seen was to unexpectedly kill someone herself.

Black reminds her that if a Reaper kills someone, they perish, which is the maximum penalty. But the old woman retorts that perishing isn’t the maximum penalty. Then she tells Black that she knows where Joon’s body really is — and she has proof. She only asks that Black doesn’t report her to the Death Squad.

Thanks to the old woman’s information, Black portals into Leo’s room and searches through Leo’s belongings, finding the laptop with the video of Leo and Moo-gang in the hotel bathroom.

After he watches it, Black is disgusted by the way humans could treat a child. He decides that he might find more evidence at Mujin hospital, but when he arrives, he has a sudden memory of driving away. So he turns around and finds an abandoned health center that was shut down in 1995.

He cautiously walks through the building to a long-deserted operating room. He suddenly pictures Creepy Doc and Moo-gang’s mother standing over Joon’s body on the operating table. Black gulps back his revulsion as he staggers out of the building, vomiting into the bushes.

Black walks through a field to a cliff — it’s the opening shot of the first episode — and then he swan dives off the cliff to find the car in the water, breaking the passenger window and grabbing the desiccated corpse, while crying out, “Is this me? Is this really me?”

A flashback reveals that young Moo-gang had heart trouble, but it was difficult finding a donor since Moo-gang’s blood type was so rare. Joon pointed out that they have the same blood type. Aw, this is their first meeting as official brothers, right after Joon joined their family when his mother went to jail.

When Moo-gang’s mother returned to Mujin for her medical conference (which was when the mall collapsed), the two boys (seemingly unaware of the collapse) spent their time in Mujin, wandering around and digging up the time capsule Joon and Ha-ram had buried.

Joon decided to find Seon-young to give her the CD as a birthday present. When he realized she’s not at home, instead of leaving a note, he recoreds a cute little “happy birthday” statement, which he finished up with an adorable, “Noona, you know I like you, right?” Awwww.

Joon stuck the video tape in his backpack and headed out to find Seon-young. He ran into Madam Hwang, who grumbled that Clara dragged Seon-young off somewhere. Joon hurried to find her, and Moo-gang, waiting for him, followed after. Joon found Seon-young at the abandoned dye factory, being beaten up by Clara as demanded to know where the tape was.

Joon intervened, but Moo-gang grabbed the shovel and knocked Clara out. Joon ran away with Moo-gang, but Moo-gang’s weak heart meant he can’t run for long. Joon told Moo-gang to go hide so he could double-check that Moo-gang didn’t kill Clara, but instead found Scarface demanding to know where Clara hid the tape.

 

Scarface stabbed Clara, which shocked Joon — and Seon-young, who’s also watching. Seon-young grabbd Jin-sook to run away from Scarface, while Joon followed after and distracted Scarface by telling him he has the tape. Scarface left the two girls to chase after Joon, who hides in the factory with Moo-gang.

But Scarface found them and grabbed Joon. Moo-gang fought back by slamming a brick into Scarface, giving him his titular scar. That allowed the two boys to run away, and Joon said that Moo-gang should head to the road and find someone to call the police while Joon continued to lure Scarface away.

Joon realized Seon-young headed into the woods to find him, so he went there, too, but tripped and fell, spraining his ankle. Scared and no longer able to run, he set off the yellow pen smoke bomb flare, hoping someone would see it and come to his rescue. He limped into a nearby abandoned glass factory and hid when he heard Scarface coming.

 

Scarface found him and demanded the tape, but before he can stab Joon, Ha-ram’s father arrived and saves the boy’s life. The two men fought, and Scarface managed to escape, but not before his gun got knocked out of his pocket.

Ha-ram’s father hurried to Joon, asking if he’s okay. But just then someone suddenly shot Joon in the head. Meanwhile, young Moo-gang collapsed on the road, unable to run any more, and a passerby found him.

Joon was hit by the bullt, but he was still alive, and managed to stagger to a nearby phone booth to call Moo-gang’s mother for help. She’s shocked to see the condition he’s in, and had to almost carry his nearly unconscious body into the car. The next thing we see is her standing over Joon’s body and cutting his chest open.

These are all the memories that have been flooding back as Black stands on the cliff, soaking wet after having found Joon’s body. He holds his gun against his head and repeatedly fires bullets into his temple, screaming in frustration that he’s still unable to leave Moo-gang’s body.

In Black’s memory, young Joon stood in the same spot on the cliff, his soul watching in agony as Moo-gang’s mother and Creepy Doc pushed a car, with Joon’s body strapped in the passenger seat, over the cliff. Joseon stood next to Joon, gently reassuring the boy that he’ll forget everything. OMG, so Joseon was Joon’s Reaper.

 

Joseon and Hip-hop find Black on the cliff, and Joseon realizes that Black now knows he was actually Joon, so his memories are returning. Joseon tells Black to let people know about Joon’s body so it can be found. Then Black can return to his true form and go to heaven.

Instead of answering, Black just walks away and portals to Moo-gang’s mother. He demands to know the truth about why she killed Joon. She’s shocked that he found out about it, but confesses she did it for him (that, is, Moo-gang). She insists she didn’t have a choice.

At the time she was driving the unconscious Joon to the hospital, she got the call that Moo-gang’s heart was failing him and he needed an operation right away, but there weren’t any donors available. That’s when Moo-gang’s mother realized that Joon was a perfect donor match.

When she took Joon to the abandoned health center to operate on him, Creepy Doc protested that Joon was still alive. Moo-gang’s mother insisted that he would die or become brain dead, anyway, and the most important thing was saving Moo-gang.

Black’s face is covered in tears as he confirms that she killed Joon to just save Moo-gang. She reiterates that she only did it for him, her son, Moo-gang. And besides, Joon was shot in the head, so he had no chance of living, anyway.

Black says that Joon would have lived, because he knows Ha-ram didn’t see a Shadow on Joon the day he died. If Moo-gang’s mother had just taken Joon to the hospital, he would have survived. Black angrily calls her a murderer as he screams that Joon wasn’t the only one she killed, but he can’t finish telling her that Moo-gang died trying to find out what happened to Joon.

 

He then demands to know why she threw Joon’s body into the sea. Black warns her that he’ll send her to the fiery pit, then leaves as Moo-gang’s mother sobs, remembering that she’d decided to swap the bodies so that no one would find it suspicious that Joon suddenly disappeared.

She’d taken Seung-chul’s body, since no one had claimed it yet, and then, after dressing it to look like Joon, purposefully ran over it so it wouldn’t be recognizable. She was the only one who would be called to identify the body, anyway, since Joon’s belongings would be found around it.

Agonized, Black remembers that he loved and respected Moo-gang’s mother like she was his own, and now he struggles with the painful knowledge that she ruthlessly killed him to save Moo-gang.

Black visits Joon’s mother’s food stand, regretting the way he had treated her when she was at the police station. He requests a bowl of intestine soup, and realizes that he must have enjoyed eating intestine soup as a Reaper because it reminded him of his mother’s food.

Joon’s mother is thankful, since she believes that Congressman Kim was the one who killed Joon, and so now her son’s death has been vindicated. Black eats his soup, trying to hide his tears. Aw, Mom says that Joon used to hate her soup, but she also wonders if it was he was embarrassed that she used to be a bar girl.

As Black chokes down the soup, he also chokes back his sobs while he listens to his mother talk about Joon. He starts to ask her why she was so obsessed with finding the truth of Joon’s death (stumbling when he first refers to Joon as himself then having to switch to referring to Joon as his brother). She says that, as his mother, she couldn’t give up on finding the truth.

 

Black wonders what she would say if she could see her son again, and she says that she would apologize. She explains that Joon was the type to get into trouble, so she believed the drugs found in his bag really belonged to him. But to protect him, she claimed the drugs were hers and went to jail to protect him.

It was only later she found out the drugs were put in Joon’s bag on purpose by a bully who was mad that Joon didn’t want to be a part of his gang anymore. The bully wanted to get Joon in trouble with the police. Mom regrets that she ever doubted Joon, and regrets she gave him reason to disappoint her.

Black walks Mom home and she invites him in for a cup of tea. She confesses that when she sees him, he reminds her of Joon — probably because they’re brothers. Oof. She sighs as she wishes she still had a photo of Joon.

Black offers to take a photo with her, explaining that it’s because she said that he reminds her of Joon, y’know, brothers. But as he tries to take a selfie with Mom, Black’s smile trembles as he unsuccessfully tries to fight back his tears.

Black shows up at Ha-ram’s place and passes out in her arms as soon as she opens the door. She has no idea what’s going on, but lets him sleep in her bed while she takes the sofa. When Black wakes up, he sees Ha-ram conked out on the sofa and tucks her in, silently telling her that he’s actually Joon.

Black studies the footage of Leo and Moo-gang, where Leo says that his father didn’t kill Joon. Leo was actually headed home from the hospital that day when he saw Moo-gang’s mother pull up with Joon, bleeding from his head — and then abruptly turn around and drive away.

 

Leo thought it was strange, but he was too young to really dwell on it, especially since his own mother was dying from cancer and then he was shipped of to Canada. It was only later that Leo heard about Joon’s hit-and-run.

Leo smirks as he hands over Moo-gang’s transplant document, pointing out that it’s strange that the young girl Moo-gang was told was his the donor is listed as giving her heart to someone else. Leo says that Moo-gang’s mother stole Joon’s heart and gave it to him, which shocks Moo-gang.

Leo adds that if Moo-gang tries to reveal his father’s tape, he won’t be safe, so it’s best to just drop it. But then Leo gasps as he starts to overdose on the drugs. Moo-gang watches for a moment, then slowly walks away, tossing the organ donor documents into the trash.

Black, watching the video, realizes that Moo-gang threw away evidence that would have proven his mother lied about the organ donation, and then let Leo, the only other person who knew about it, die. Black wonders if Moo-gang purposefully covered up Joon’s death. If so, then who shot Moo-gang? For that matter, who shot Joon that night twenty years ago?

A flash of memory makes Black realize he saw Congressman Kim driving past that night, and realizes that Congressman Kim must have shot him. Which would also explain why Congressman Kim ordered Scarface to kill Ha-ram’s father, since Ha-ram’s father would have seen Congressman Kim shoot Joon.

But Black gets a call that Congressman Kim is being released since the investigation was declared to be done unofficially, so the evidence isn’t valid. Man-ho also is informed of Congressman Kim’s release, and furiously demands his lawyer finds someone to take care of Congressman Kim — someone who won’t make mistakes this time.

 

Ha-ram’s worried when she can’t reach Black after he vanished in the night. He’s not answering his phone, but she uses the friend-finder app to see that he’s in Mujin.

Black retraces Joon’s steps that day. Even though his memories are still fragmented, he recalls seeing the tape of Seon-young being sexually assaulted by Congressman Kim. Black assumes that he must have taken that tape to record his birthday greeting, and that’s the tape Joon tried to hide the night he was killed.

Black enters the abandoned glass factory where Joon was shot, assuming that he must have hid the tape there. But he can’t find it, although he does see a bullet hole in the wall. Except it’s not from a hunting rifle, which is what Congressman Kim would have used.

 

Ha-ram finds Black in the glass factory. Black’s surprised that she knows about this place, and Ha-ram sadly says that’s where she tried to shoot her father’s Shadow. She had followed her father there that night, and saw her father through the glass with a dark figure next to him.

She saw the gun that had been dropped by Scarface and decided to shoot the Shadow to save her father. Which she did, but the recoil knocked her out. Black realizes that Ha-ram was the one who shot Joon that night, and he reels in pain as he clutches his head.

 

COMMENTS

While it’s no surprise to anyone — except for maybe Black (ooof, his shock, grief, and rage were so heartbreaking) — that Black’s actually Joon, I was totally stunned that Ha-ram was the one who shot him. I don’t know how she’ll handle that discovery, since her attempt to save her father ended up killing her first love. Well, at least putting him on the path to be killed, since I doubt Moo-gang’s mother would have tried to steal his heart if Joon was still fully conscious. But holy cow, what a horrible place Mujin is for so many parents to be utterly terrible to their children. Did any child get to live a relatively decent life back then? Maybe they could have, if the mall hadn’t collapsed.

I love how this show makes me think I know where it’s going, rewarding me with those dopamine rushes of “aha! I knew I was right!” moments, only to sucker-punch with another twist. On the one hand, I knew Creepy Doc was possessed by a Reaper, but on the other hand, I was not expecting that old lady to be the one possessing him. Her awareness of 444 despite being on the run for a hundred years also solidifies the theory that “444” is actually a rank or title, not a “name” designation, like 416 (aka Hip-hop). Which makes me assume Joseon’s “007” must also be a rank as well, and thus my mind is set at ease and I no longer have to wonder how someone could have died on a nonexistent day.

I now wonder, however, if Joseon purposefully teamed up with Hip-hop, knowing he was one of the missing children of the mall collapse, and then made sure to befriend Black, knowing that he’s really Joon. I was suspicious of Joseon before, but now I’m realizing that it’s because he knew the truth about Black all along, and maybe he’s been subtly pushing for Black to figure out the truth so that Joon’s soul can finally be freed and go to heaven. I had Joseon pegged as something more nefarious, but now I believe he just wants these children’s souls to finally rest happily in the afterlife.

Even though an entire episode devoted to the truth of Joon’s death almost seems like too much when there are still some unanswered questions waiting for us, I really appreciated the way that Black was able to find out the truth and try to work through his rage and grief. He’s not the coldhearted 444 that he thinks he is — he’s really a young boy who was pointlessly killed to save the life of the body he’s now in, the body that has already died (and obviously, Black can’t leave Moo-gang’s body because Joon’s heart makes it Joon’s body, too).

I don’t know what to expect to happen next, but I hope Moo-gang’s mother pays for her crime, and that Congressman Kim doesn’t get away with all his raping and murdering, and that Ha-ram somehow never finds out her involvement in Joon’s death. Because, as someone who already struggles with the cause-and-effect of trying to save people’s lives, I feel that it will destroy her more than we’ve ever seen, and I feel like she’d once again try to kill herself to prevent her from meddling again. Without Sip-gyeon’s amazing sense of danger, Man-soo might not be able to rush in and save Ha-ram in the nick of time like he did before.

Even though I despair that there’s no chance for a happy ending for Black and Ha-ram, I can at least hope that truth will prevail and the adults who used and abused the innocent lives of children will pay for their crimes, whether it’s from involvement with shoddy building workmanship that killed hundreds, or raping teen girls who had no where else to turn to, or stealing a heart from a body that could have lived. Then, at least, all the pain and agony thus far will have felt worthwhile, and our heroes can at last have the reassurance their efforts have not been in vain.

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What a gripping episode!

I’m going to miss this show.

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SSH’s acting in this episode was stellar. I honestly feel so sorry for Joon, this guy had such a tough life. The moment he reunited with his birth mother, 😭

And poor Haram lol, thinking she loved Moo Gang because he is Joon, then realizing Moo Gang isn’t Joon but she loved him anyways, turns out he’s Joon all this time!

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I have found SSH's acting to be a revelation. He's been amazing throughout the whole thing.

Re the Joon thing. I find it extremely skilful that these writers crafted this amazing journey whereby Ha Ram says, "You're Joon" and we say, "No, he's Joon's younger brother, Moo Gang" and then she finds out he's Moo Gang at the same time we, as the audience, start yelling, "No, he's Joon!"

It's pure genius.

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It was really a great performance, so much passion and remorse. I feel that it was not his desperate desire to escape MG's body that made him repeatedly shoot himself in the head. It was more a self-disgust for having survived by robbing Joon's heart, so much so that he wanted to kill himself. This present form of Moogang should never have survived, hence the guilt and self-disgust and the suicidal attempt. Anyway both this scene and the scene with Joon's mom were daebak!

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I hope SSH wins an award this year he deserves it!

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@Napkin, @LeeT, and @eva,

Amen and amen! Song Seung-heon's performance in BLACK has been a revelation. (And his performance in SAIMDANG, LIGHT'S DIARY, was a worthy warm-up to this one. He carried off the tortured aristocratic Joseon artist with panache.) It just goes to show the importance of casting suited to an actor's abilities and range, in combination with directing that plays to his/her strengths. To be honest, I didn't expect SSH to turn in a performance this nuanced and at times positively gripping. I am thrilled out of my shoes, and look forward to his next role -- after a well-deserved rest. I wasn't expecting SSH to be so convincing in the action scenes. Plus all those foot chases. (Stunt double?) After his triple turn as Joon/Black and Moo-gang, I think it may be time to retire his old "Hand Towel" moniker. (The wordplay with the phonemes is inspired. LOL.)

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Well ocn has had a great year this year, what with the successes of Voice and Tunnel. Dang Hyuk was great in Voice, if you like that kind of (over)acting.

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Right from the start it made no sense that Moo Gang was Joon because technically Moo Gang died so the love line between Black and Haram wouldn’t work. Love how the writers twisted the whole identity thing

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SSH is an actor who finally found his role.

It was his amazing cat like indifference/aloofness that had me in those early episodes....all I could think of are those crazy cat memes....eg. If your cat could text you....It wouldn't.

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What a spot-on phrase, cat-like indifference! This is indeed a great role, and I am happy that it brought out the best in him.

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Thanks to people more observant than me, this episode wasn't very surprising, but it was the most emotional. Black's confrontation with MG's mother and his careful conversation with his own mom was fantastic.

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I felt like I was repeatedly flattened with a ton of Mujin Time Mart collapsing rubble. Song Seung-heon's emotional expressiveness was on the money, and hit me between the eyes. He ain't just a pretty face. I get the distinct impression that 2017 is the year he reached critical mass. SSH, hwaiting!

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What do you mean by foot chases? Like in which episode? If you mean those chases on the street, that was definitely him and not some stuntmen.

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He is always great in those passionate scenes. It was those scenes that required more subtle facial expressions that he was found to be lacking, but I am happy that in this show he has really excelled.

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This whole show has been a revelation, I didn't realise just how truly invested I was in it until today's episode. My heart broke for Black, the scene where he reunited with his mum was so well done that I was gross sobbing into my blanket.
I have loved this show probably more than Forest of Secrets and that was acted so well. This cast has been truly awesome and SSH and GA have been fantastic.. I couldn't imagine the roles for anyone else, and whilst I remember reading some criticism around these two. Their performances have been on-point the whole time and have made me truly and fully engage in the outcome of their characters!

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Forest of Secrets was a great show and more seamlessly executed. One of my all-time favourites. But on the level of emotional intensity and raging tragedy, this one is one of a kind. Drama has a surplus of tear-jerkers but many never rise above the level of sentimental melodrama. This one aims for the height of tragedy, which is why it hits us so deep and with such power.

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OK.... this drama was truly satisfying.....
while watching this episode I was like "yes, I knew it😔😔😔" and "WHAT THE HELL!!!!!! 😲😲😲HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!!😨😨😨WHY!! oh come on WHY!!!"😵😵😵......
Ha-ram what have you done girl!! I know it was not her fault in any sense, a young child with such abilities would not know how to react but still how is she going to face it 😟😟😟....
Its been a while since I have been this emotional about a drama and am really glad that I decided to watch this drama.....
the writer giving us even more plot twists till the end is truly refreshing and was executed well by the director and cast..... it is really satisfying that Song Seung-heon chose this drama, really a good come back (I like this more than Siamdang Lights Diary)......

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still can't believe it ended already. I have nothing to watch now. T-T

This is the best episode for me btw.

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I loved everything about this episode (the selfie scene had me in tears) except for the reveal that it was Haram who shot Joon. The final episode allowed me to make peace with this reveal, but initially I was pissed. I need to watch the series again, but I'm pretty sure Haram didn't mention shooting the shadow until this very episode, so it felt shoe-horned in so that the writer can squeeze in one last "gotcha!". It gave me God's Gift flashbacks (a series that I loved until the last 10 minutes) And I've been noticing that Haram has become a less active character in recent episodes, and I felt like having her shoot Joon was a disservice to her character. I was glad she was there to help Man-soo save his mom. I think the struggle to act vs not act upon a vision will always be there. Some of her interventions brought good. Some of them led to something bad. I think in the end, it evens out.

And holy cow, I just feel so bad for Joon. That kid just cannot catch a break. Even in death, he's stuck in Moo-gang's body with people trying to kill him every other week. And Moo-gang disappointed him too, by covering up his death. I suspect MG would have come around to unveiling it if he hadn't been killed. I think even Haram's dad. He should have called an ambulance ASAP. Haram was knocked out by the recoil, but damn, Joon was shot. I felt a sense of anger on Joon's behalf. The injustice just feels too much to handle.

And MG's mom - -ugh. I'm disgusted. She rolled over Seung-chul's face. That was the body and face of some grieving parents' kid. Those parents only had his freaking hand to bury. Mujin is such an effed up place. I just want someone to burn the whole place down, even though all those horrible events happened 20 years ago.

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now that you mentioned it, should I go to Korea for a visit, I will try to visit Mujin lol

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I was wondering where the Korean Hellmouth was located, too, and tried looking it up. Like BUFFY's Sunnydale (not to be confused with Sunnyvale!), it is fictitious. Or maybe that could mean that it's anywhere and everywhere, and that Evil has no official domicile.

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Yeah huh, after reading your comment, I quickly went to google it up. There is no place in Korea named Moojin. Its just a fiction then. Too sad, I initially thought it really exist just like what Busan is To Train To Busan Movie. I am so intrigued by this Moojin place that I put it on my bucket list to visit in Korea, hopefully next year. I was really bummed, so foolish of me.

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@tombraider,

You really know how to live dangerously! Could I interest you in guided tours of Chernobyl and Jonestown instead? ;-)

Seriously, though, I think I've encountered Mujin as a place name in another Kdrama or movie. Maybe it's an archetypal Korean place name, like Podunk, or Dogpatch and Lower Slobbovia from Al Capp's "Li'l Abner" cartoon strip.

And just like Moo-gang, it contains that "moo" phoneme. I wonder what "Mujin" literally means. It could be another doozy from the very crafty Writer-nim. ;-)

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I think everything about the drama has been predetermined already by the writer.. ha-ram shooting joon in the head was not a last minute addition as, in the beginning of the drama, black suffered headaches upon meeting ha ram again - best explained by her role in his death..

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The headaches were a truly subtle tip-off. And then there's the dreadful symmetry of Moo-gang's being shot in the head the same way his brother was.

One of the situations that prevent the spirits of the deceased from moving on is unfinished business. Another is strong emotion, such as grief or anger over a wrongful death or a grave injustice. Joon and Moo-gang both have their share of those conditions and impediments.

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Mujin and Moogang share the same first word, meaning "martial," while jin means town. Gang means river.

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@eva,

Thanks! Of course. Mu as in Mushin, god of war. Gang -- How could I forget?!

Perhaps Mujin implies a town where a battle is being waged -- between good and evil. It really is the Hellmouth.

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This episode was daebak. So many twists and turns.

But if one more person refers to Joon as Ha Ram's "first love", I think I'll lose it. He wasn't her first love, they had no relationship. He was just a kid she was obsessed with because literally nobody else was nice to her.

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I think when they refer to "first love" (chut-sarang) in korean dramas, it also encompasses "first crushes" - like a crush so strong that you end up being fixated on that person. I think there have been several instances of first loves that don't end up in relationships because it's really one person pining for the other.

I find crushes to be embarrassing memories and there is often bad judgment involved, but it gets really romanticized in kdramas.

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When Koreans refer first loves they just mean first crushes, not necessarily meaning the first person you had relationship with. Kdramas love those plot line *major eye roll*

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Yea like it's pre-destined.

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My favourite scene in this episode is, hands down, when he "reunited" with his mom. oh my god, I watched that scene twice + read about it in here, every time I got teary eyed. Joon remembered how he wasn't on good terms with his mom the last time they met. Now, being able to be close to his mom again despite not being able to tell her who he really is, it's nice for Joon to know that his mom still loved him so dearly and regretted her mistakes during his upbringing. I can't handle this magnitude of filial love!
Song Seung Heon, man... incredible performance. Salute.

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Cannot agree more!

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I don’t know if I will pity or hate Haram with this episode seriously. I adore Haram from the beginning until this episode and for a moment I hated her. My heart bleeds for Joon. It was utterly unfair. He was the most victim of all the characters here. I cried my heart out when he finally realized he was Joon and meet his mom for the first item after his death. I should have watched it with a box of tissues beside me. It was too late when I realized I already bawled my eyes out over an intestine soup.

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This was the absolute best episode for me. Should have put Black on the most tear-inducing beanie list because I cried harder in this episode than for any other drama. He was just so betrayed.

Unfortunately, it was followed up by the last episode, which was too rushed and introduced elements inconsistent with the former world-building. But whatever, this was still the best drama of the year for me, and SSH deserves major awards for his acting job, particularly in episode 17.

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Same! I totally changed my mind about SSH after watching episode 17, such a great actor.

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Me too, despite the disappointment in the last episode this drama is one of the best this year I loved it so much, I hope we don't have to wait long for another drama like Black.

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My best episode of the whole show! Love the way the writer/director prepared the audience for the emotional build-up, and when the final reveal did come, man wasn't it stunning! All the memories rushed back, and for someone so young and trusting and helpless to be betrayed and wronged and murdered, while the baddies go off to enjoy their lives, it was really heart-breaking. I would really go on a revenge mission if I were Joon. That is why I am left so unsatisfied when the show makes 444 bury all his pain/anger and sacrifices himself again for Haram. It is just too much for me. For God's sake, she pulled the trigger on him, and led to MG's Mom hitting upon this heart-switch idea. Poor Joon, why is it always you who have to suffer!

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Have said before that I thought Soo-wan is a tragic character, but omg, every freakin' body is tragic in this show! All these children with their misguided and selfish parents, gah! Maybe the collapsing mall made such an impact to them, the fact that they may lose their child any time, hence they strife harder to keep them alive even if it means somebody else's death.
My heart is breaking up so much for Joon, who met his demise in the hands of people he cared... That reveal of Ha-ram as his shooter is really the last straw! T_T
Loved the surprise reveal of the serial murderess grandma reaper, and loved how the fragmented scenes are finally coming into whole.
As awesome as it was tho, am kinda wondering how quick did Moo-gang's mom did the heart operation that she can steal a body, drop it in the street, and run it over, to be found in timely manner by Soo-wan? Also, where did the doctor's soul go after grandma hijack his body..?

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I think a lot was cut off from the show. Like I feel that Soo-wan was not telling the truth. She must know something about the killing that is why Moo-gang's Mom has always been so nice to her. And why paid for her expensive med-school education? Very likely MG's Mom in order to buy her off.

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We are never going to know why there was that edit in the tape. She was obviously lying when she said she spilled the water.

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me too me too! I tried finding clues but to no avail. what is that significant part of the tape that was deleted and the facial expression of Soo Wan is telling me there is more to editing her just spilling the water. I just hope they could have extended it till 25 episodes or so just to resolve all the loopholes and minor loose ends so i can go and sleep peacefully. (am I being too exaggerated? lol)

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I wish they extended the show instead of the rushed ending.

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I dont even know where to find Moogang's soul, is it in heaven? in the fiery pit or in between? And why MG and Joon share the same body all the way (Joon's soul should go back to his original form not MG physical form, after finding his skeleton but it seems its not the case).. And Jo Seon, is he also a missing soul? Aigoo, can they just do another extension pls.

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I can’t imagine Black being portrayed by other actors, (I really can’t!) but SSH. He did a super amazing job playing MG/444/Joon role. Thanks to his superb acting I was able to relate and imagine 2 completely different people acting as MG and 444 with just one face. He deserves an acting award for this drama, truly an exceptional performance. Man, its been a while since I felt this broken after watching a drama, the last time I felt this way was when I watched Titanic when Jack sacrifice himself for Rose (I found these 2 dramas with a bit of tragic similarities) and now Joon self sacrificing himself for Haram. I adore GA too. She is just perfect choice for Haram’s role for me. Her lovely eyes are her most valuable asset in this drama. I haven’t seen a Korean actress with such mesmerizing eyes that changes color in time. I dunno I find her very pretty even when she’s crying. I really just wished for more romance between their characters but I guess this drama focused more on the mystery behind the killings rather than their love story. Second to the main leads, I admire Crazy Dog the most. Just amazing. I was totally mind blown of him having to portray 2 opposite roles in 1 in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon; being a gay and a gangster and he had me rolling on the floor bursting in laughter during his acting stints. And with this drama he never failed to surprise me with more of his outstanding acting skills up his sleeves. Overall, all the actors are just perfect and befitting of their respective roles. In spite of some of the loopholes of this drama, I enjoyed the total experience of watching it.

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I'll agree with most of what has been written already. It was such a powerful episode - carried mostly by SSH - I was crying buckets when he was with his birth mom and loving her by taking those selfies.
Man, I was a mess!
The surprise about HaRam shooting Joon seemed to come out of nowhere and it makes sense that maybe they added it in to explain how Joon was injured so badly.

But the surgeon-mom - ugh. How could a person do that to their own child? I don't know when I've seen a drama with so many really really despicable and horrible people in the story.
One thing kept bothering me and that was when they were preparing to take out Joon's heart, but the operating room wasn't clean and she was touching everything even with her gloves. That just bothered me...
details folks....

I already miss this drama and especially seeing SSH on my screen every week. sigh.
thanks for the recap!

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I, too, was grossed out at the grunginess of the operating theater set up in the old health center. So much for a sterile environment. Surgeon Mom is channeling YONG-PAL.

[Aside: I got myself hooked on last hear's weekender HAPPY HOME. Surgeon Mom is in it, as a former minor actress who works as a hostess in the family noodle palace. It's a huge switch from this role, and she's great as a botoxed star trying to land a role in a commercial.]

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Wow now that you mention it I do remember her. That woman looked completely different!

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....."the surgeon-mom - ugh.
How could a person do that
to their own child?"....

The tendency for Kdrama's moral framework to be based on protection of ones own personal fiefdoms never ceases to stop my brain in its tracks.

Its not that the moral framework is rubbery. Its only the collective framework that is rubbery, the framework as it is applied at personal level in drama is unwavering and almost universal. Even when someone is called out...its for their actions impinging on another fiefdom...not because its a position/act that people accept as wrong.

In "Drama world" responsibility and recompense are not universal, they are based on power to enforce.

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Korea is a very family/clan-oriented society.

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No kid on this show has had a happy ending, just tragedy after tragedy. Joon's heartbreak for what Moo-gang's mother did to him had me in tears way too many times. Black's discovery of the truth behind who he really was and how he died had me torn to bits, but everything he did afterward like his encounter with his mother and even shooting himself in the head had me bawling. I almost thought I couldn't continue watching for my lack of ability to see subtitles through tears. To discover that Ha-Ram was the one who shot him threw me for a loop. I never saw it coming. In a long chain of events, frightened children do desperate things. That's just what happens on this show, but dammit, I didn't think it could get this cruel. Answers were given and confirmed, but I still got more in their place.

I understand that Ha-Ram's mother was terrified of what her ex-husband was and that forgiving him was out of the question for her, but she really was too selfish to ignore how much her ex and her daughter loved and cared for one another. Why does it feel like she was an accessory to murder? Who's to say Ha-Ram wouldn't have had a more 'normal' upbringing with him there to be her support instead of making her feel like a freak who should just stay quiet or die. It was clear throughout this entire show that in spite of all Ha-Ram's fears, her father's love and comfort kept her happy and gave her hope. Sure, she would have still had the Sight, but maybe the emotional turmoil wouldn't have been so harsh. Can she really claim she ever did a good job with him gone? Ha-Ram seemed to gain her strength from his memory this whole time instead of her presence. As much as a mother would want the best for her daughter, she really didn't take it the right way in my opinion.

Then again, this show established a lot of things right from the beginning and there's no fighting it. But to see the possible alternatives crop up rubs salt into the wounds.

As for Loser, I think the only part where I truly laughed in this episode was when Black was chasing him down but no one else could see him. I agreed weeks ago that the doctor had to be possessed by a Reaper, but I had long doubted it was Loser. The man was just too cold and calculating.

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Ha Ram continue to amaze me.

She's really clueless from kid to adult.

Ohh my the writer really hate her character.

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@Aqee,

By episode 17, I was getting really fed up with Ha-ram's constant meddling, jumping to false conclusions, and overall ineptitude that screwed up everything she became involved in. By the final episode, I was ready to scream, and had come to loathe the character, even as a small part of me felt a single iota of sympathy. It isn't her fault that she was born a half-reaper. Her fear on her father's behalf prompts her to act precipitously and with zero forethought for the unintended consequences of her actions. From the get-go, she never has a chance to live a normal mortal life. It took me a long time, but I finally came to feel empathy for her.

Ha-ram is a poster child for the injunction against Reapers looking into the eyes of a human in love. It's not only her hellish life, but all the collateral damage she has unwittingly (and I believe, unwillingly) inflicted on innocent third parties, that is included among the consequences of a Reaper's breaking that edict.

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@pakalanapikake, you summed it up really nicely, I felt the same while watching the last scene about Haram shooting Joon

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Its just the way the writer wrote her. So childish.. So impulsive. Well u did sum it all up for me :D
But portrayed by Go Ara..? I never had any problem with her acting bfore but now she single handedly destroy BLACK for me.
SSH used to b soo stiff but i cried with him in this episode (albeit hiding behind my hubby). Hahaha..

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Which reminds me, what exactly is the tragedy befalling reapers when they fall in love with humans? What is the tragedy of Haram's father? That they would be abandoned by their human lovers in time? That does not sound like the huge catastrophe 007 was hinting at.

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Perhaps the tragedy is two-fold:

(1) As @pakalanapikake alluded to, the unintended consequences from human-Grim Reaper love are born by innocent humans. Ha-ram's mother is forever estranged from her daughter, HR's accidental shooting of Joon leads to his mother's horrific crimes, which leads to Moo-gang investigating his brother's death, visiting the contract killer, who awakens from his drug-induced stupor and goes on a murdering spree.

Could the blind man who inadvertently caused the suicide/murder-by-plane also be a Grim Reaper's offspring?

(2) For Grim Reapers, intimate interactions with humans increases the risk of being extinguished or, worse, being erased from memory.

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Yes. The writer has posted her 20-episode script onto her blog. The blind man is actually the half-human child of that Old Granny inhabiting the body of the creepy doctor. A lot of other things are cut off, the biggest "bug" involving that of Leo. When 444 found out about the escaped Reaper inhabiting Leo's body, he ripped open Leo's clothes and exposed his black-tabooed body. Black panther tattoo all over the body. That is why Haram cannot see the shadow on Leo. But the director cut this scene off.

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@eva December 15, 2017 at 7:21 AM

Thanks for that information on the scripts on Writer-nim's blog. The background on Leo's tattoo is wild.

I'd figured the older blind man had to be a reaper's child -- but hadn't even suspected the old Joseon woman as his parent.

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Hi @eva123! If you know the blog link, could you kindly share it? Want to know so bad what actually happened. Or maybe just give us a gist of what we missed? Thanks in advance! ^^

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I just read this, would love to have the link too!

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Hi @eva! Would really appreciate it if you could let me know where I can find the scriptwriter's blog!

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Im following this thread,, I want to read that blog.. my big question is.. why did the director cut so many scenes in there? did I read it correctly? was it supposed to be a 20 episode? I had been hoping they would extend it to 25 or more to solve all the mysteries. Its kinda wasted. All the while its not the writer's fault that most of us felt that the last few episodes esp the 18th episode is kind of rushed. It was the director who cut alot of scenes.

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Yes, please, @eva! Where did you find the blog? I did see the post on S**mp! about writer Choi Ran's disappointment with the production. s**mp* dot com /2017/12/13/writer-black-shares-thoughts-dramas-depiction-scripts/

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Hi. Can you share with us the blog link? Thank you :)

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@Aqee

Its the inevitability of her fate that is so sorrowful.

The writer gave us the hint via the blind man that the reaper's human nature will lead to uninteded( different) disasters. However, this episode brought it home that this hasn't always been controllable (children can't consent to the rules)...it was inevitable.

There was a reason the reapers were so coldly dispassionate. It wasn't just for them...it was potentially for the living.

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CORRECTION

That should be:

..."the HALF reaper's human nature will lead to uninteded( different) disasters.".....

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odilettante

Thank you so much for your recaps. At times this has been a mad ride. I am just so happy that this drama is paying off and those hours you must have spent will be a little sweeter.

Your detailed recaps have been so beneficial to us beanies. Black has been a show that required the brain to be switched on and reading the recaps often brought things back into perspective after being pummelled in the episode...

Here is hoping you get a great next drama.

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@odilettante, thank you for once again gripping commentary.

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Thanks for your recap and comments, odilettante! They've definitely worth waiting for as the episode has been jam-packed with the thuds of evidence falling into place -- and the existence of even more secrets being revealed. Hoo, boy!

Now I'm going to rewatch episode 17 after reading your recap. Must.Refresh.Memory.

*off to watch*

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@PakalanaPikake

I really liked that the show didn't give too much away at the beginning.

This show relied on intrigue and living in the moment for those early episodes to allow us to get to this end where the ramifications of what occurred can have its full impact on us as well as the characters.

As a viewer, this has been so rewarding. Of late there has been a tendency for Kdramas to lay it all out for the viewer up front...to the point where you can read whats going to happen half way though the drama. The only question those shows have is when will it hit the characters.

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I totally agree on the rewarding part. Impatient viewers who gave up the snow after the first few episodes, will not feel the same sense of gratification that we have, when every small little thing comes together towards the end.
(I mean... even the point that newly ‘possessed’ MG keenly devoured intestines soup at the start at the hospital?! was beautifully linked to Joon’s mom’s cooking 😭😭 at first I thought the writer only meant to portray 444’s taste vastly different from MG’s. After so many episodes.. even this small connection is made. So beautiful. This show is so beautiful)

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I agree on the impatient viewers part..I mentioned in my previous post that my colleague drop this drama just halfway of the 1st episode and even told my boss ((who asked me what is this drama Im always watching every lunch break that had me crackling all throughout and make me overtime from lunchbreak)) that's its utterly boring before I could even speak. Made me super furious you know.

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@meh agree on your observation on the seemingly no connection of 444 huge appetite for intestine soup in the early episodes to Joon's past. I just thought that grim reapers do have weird choice of food but it turns out to be a major point on this episode. I cried so much on this part while he is slurping the intestine soup, with tears flowing down his cheek, as he remembers it was his favourite food cooked by his own mom.

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Haha I just finished rewatching this episode.. for the 4th time..this time I dont focus on the subtitle anymore but more on their facial expressions..its so hard to capture the emotions being relayed when ur eyes are busy reading the subtitle..Incredible as he was, SSH owns this whole episode, and for the very first time I forgot about Haram and dont care what she's up to this time until it was revealed she's the culprit for shooting Joon.

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Agree at all the comments praising SSH acting. This episode was such an emotional one and I think SSH did a great job in delivering the emotions needed for his character. I love the entire episode, but the scene that stuck with me the most was the scene where he was taking pictures with his mom and couldn't stop himself from getting emotional.

I've already watched SSH in his drama Autumn In My Heart way back in 2000 but it is only through this drama that I officially became a fan, so I recently started watching his past movies and shows, even the ones when he was just starting out during the 90's. And I can say that he's certainly a good actor, and so much full of charisma, especially in movies. I'm not sure why but his charisma is doubled or tripled in his movies. He's literally the perfect definition of a movie star. Even in movies where there are other lead actors aside from him, he shines. I remember reading negative comments about his acting from other sites before this drama started and I honestly don't understand why. Maybe he had previous drama roles that didn't suit him? Or bad storyline or bad editing/directing? I do recognize that sometimes there are scenes where he's a bit lacking. He has some weakness but overall he's still a good actor for me. One of his strengths is definitely action. He's really good in action scenes, in fact he was already good even in his movies when he was still in his 20's. And comedy. He's also good in comedy.

Now back to ep 17. Wow at that plot twist. Who would've thought that Haram was the one who shot him. I guess we all didn't see that coming.

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Welcome to the club! Im also became his newly recruited official fan after this drama..From ep 1-18 I had been fan girling all throughout.

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This drama is cruel, it hurts so badly. Why did you kill off all the endearing characters starting from joon, sip-gyeon to mad dog. 😭
Besides I loved your thoughts about joseon, he surely provided black moral support knowing he was joon. That's somewhat comforting.

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With what all has transpired, I am at my wit's end trying to fathom if these characters can have a happy ending?
I hope that the writer can put my heart at ease if not by a happy ending but by assurance that the characters got their second chance at having what could have been theirs if not for the violence handed by the adults.

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I just find it amazing that the scenes on the ocean cliff were just filmed in a studio with a green screen but SSH was still able to deliver the emotions in those scenes like he was really there, standing on the edge of the cliff with so much despair and misery.

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Yes, one of my favorite moments I savor from the series.

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What also made it strong was the music. I am a huge fan of the music, but I can't seem to find it and I'm not talking about the 3 main songs, but the BM. :(

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I have always felt that Joseon reaper knew everything, but he just couldn't say it because he wants Black to discover everything on his own, and he's just there as a guidance. Or maybe there's a rule in their world that he must not reveal the truth to Black until Black finds it out himself.

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Does OCN have drama awards ceremony at the end of the year like the other major networks? Because that Daesang should be in Song Seung Heon's hands.

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Agreed. I've watched other SSH performances in various saeguks, dramas and erotic romances. He's hella attractive and kind of wooden. But as Black? He was perfect. I don't think I'll look at black suits and intestine soup the same way ever again.

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The premonition of the existence of the 4th tape.. and the 4th Big Baddie.. Shout out to the people who prophesize about it. If its not because of your 6th sense, I will not see it coming.

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This is the first Korean drama I've ever watched and I'm in love! It quickly became my favorite show, it's amazing. I'm watching it on Netflix, but I wish I could download it somehow. Does anyone know if this show will be on DVD, or if I could purchase or download it somehow? I've searched the whole internet and I only found links to watch it online, but I would like to have it saved on my computer, in case Netflix removes the show or if someone deletes online links. Please, help me :(

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Dvd's are sometimes made if there is enough interest, however they usually take a long time to be released and they're expensive as well.
If you still want one, I would recommend following Black's soompi thread and accounts on social media that are related to Black. They're usually the first people to know.

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Thank you! :)

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If you give me an email address.
I will send you an invite to a member only site where access can only be gained through invitation. You will find all the korean dramas available with English Subtitles.

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Thank you :) where can I send you my email? I'm new to this blog, not really sure how everything works...

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Just post here if you are ok with that and i will send you an invite directly

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Considering how I know now that the writer was dissatisfied with how they ruined her story, I don't know what to feel about the last episodes anymore. I feel like they violated her work zone. The idea of 'black' and his eccentricities came from the writer in the first place and to ruin it with a over-dramatic cliched ending, it just feels wrong. Anyway I will wait for the last episode's recap to rant more lol.

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Wait why? I haven't heard that story yet.. The director didn't follow the writer's script for the ending?

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I hope someone shares the blog. :( Can't find it yet.

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Someone at the above commenter @eva commented that the writer wrote her 20 episode script on her blog and it was said that there a lot of scenes omitted by the director. So I am really following that thread. I also want to read that blog. If anyone know about pls share to us. All the while I silently blamed the writer for a seemingly rushed ending because this drama is so beautifully made to be ruined only at the end. But it turned out that the director as they said, had deleted alot of scenes so that is why thats the outcome. I am also a bit furious.

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I want to say something about dramabeans' HAND TOWEL moniker for SSH. I wanted to wait till the end, but I just can't help blurting it out. Everyone who has followed SSH know that there has to be a full abs shower scene or walking around in a towel scene so that we can admire the work of art SSH has painstakingly created for us. No matter how beautiful he is by birth, I fully appreciate his hard work in improving on his gifts and showing them off to all of us voyeurs.

Then here, approaching 40 years of age, he does not show the vulnerability about a loss of vigor with age but turns psychology on its head and shows us that he can be lighthearted about his appearance. He can joke about his body.

The writer makes a meta joke about him exposing everything except his privates and has him expose nothing but his privates in Black. This was hilarious to me and SSH played along beautifully. I know this was an open joke.

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Did anybody else like the background music as much as I did? The three OSTs tugged at the heartstrings for sure, and I really dug the score over all. I mean, the music really made the opening cliff scene in episode one! That swirling, ascending pitch ... the jagged strings ... the pulsing beat — daebak!

It's used a few a times through out, like the end of ep. 12 when Black frantically searched for Ha-ram or in this episode 17 when Black—as young Joon—watches his step-mother and Creepy Dr. Min push the car off the cliff.

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DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAME OF THIS MUSIC BECAUSE ITS SO NICE AND I've been trying to find the name of the piece everywhere but no such luck, i'm so glad someone else appreciates the music. It made all of the scenes it was used in 10x better

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*applause* Let's keep our eyes peeled!

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I love the three OSTs as well. I downloaded and listen to them on repeat. I wish we had more than just three. They did a good job choosing the songs. Giving off a little sophisticated vibe than the usual mainstream pop or ballad OSTs. And the background instrumental music you're referring to is memorable to me. It really helps add intensity to the scene. Actually I get a bit scared when I hear the part that as you described, the "swirling, ascending pitch".. It almost sounds like it's a BGM for a horror movie. It's scary but I like it.

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Thanks for this sypnopsis! Coz there are some parts I was puzzled. And the way you address the characters was pretty hilarious. :)

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Dpea anybody know the title of the song in episode 17 53:00?
Please help me!

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Ughhhhh this was so painful to watch. This writer really loves to torture people--at the same time they've mastered their craft and has even managed to make me cry at times.

I remember before watching this episode thinking that Ha-ram should have a bigger role (yes I know it's called "Black"--you can fight me) but I guess be careful what you wish for:(

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