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The Guest: Episode 4

Psychic visions of possessed murderers don’t mean anything if there isn’t a way to prove that a murder actually took place. With a lack of evidence, Hwa-pyung struggles to convince the chronically skeptical Kil-young that a woman’s life is in serious danger. But if the police can’t help, the next best option is a handsome exorcist priest.

 
EPISODE 4 RECAP

At the junkyard, Hwa-pyung confronts Min-gu, believing him to be the one who attacked the women in the monkey taxi. Min-gu’s older brother, Min-sang, intervenes and asks what they want with Min-gu. As Yook Kwang starts to explain possessions, Hwa-pyung finds a brochure for Sharing Hand with Priest Yang on the cover.

Recognizing the priest, Hwa-pyung demands to know why they have it. Min-sang gets defensive and orders them out, but Hwa-pyung asks if he’s recognized the symptoms of possession in Min-gu — the gibberish and strange behavior. The brother threatens to call the police, but Yook Kwang apologizes and escorts Hwa-pyung out.

They’re still convinced that Min-gu must be possessed. Yook Kwang recognizes that look in Hwa-pyung’s eye and refuses to get involved, reminding Hwa-pyung how his attempt to exorcise Young-soo nearly killed him. Hwa-pyung at least gets Yook Kwang to agree to stay and keep an eye on Min-gu.

Kil-young is still tracking down any possible CCTV footage from that night, and finally comes across convenience store footage of the woman hailing a taxi. The convenience store owner recognizes the woman and tells Kil-young that she’s a regular — one of the locals who buys treats for her daughter.

Using credit card records from the convenience store, Kil-young gets contact information for the woman, Ahn Yoo-mi. She finds out that Yoo-mi hasn’t been to work and didn’t even call in, which is strange for her. When Kil-young goes to Yoo-mi’s home, no one answers when she knocks on the door. Kil-young can see movement inside, and yells that she’s the police.

A little girl cautiously opens the door after confirming Kil-young is a policewoman. She’s Yoo-mi’s daughter, and Kil-young’s voice becomes a little more gentle when she realizes that not only has the girl been left alone all night because her mother never returned home, but the little girl also requires a urostomy bag.

The girl says it’s strange for her mother not to return home from work, but that a neighbor checked on her. Kil-young reassures the girl that nothing’s wrong, but she can’t stick around to investigate any longer because Detective Go calls. They’ve got a culprit from one of their other cases cornered on a roof.

When Kil-young arrives, the culprit whips out a knife and brandishes it at the other detectives, who cautiously back away. Then the culprit leaps off the roof to a another roof — and Kil-young leaps after him, tackling him even as he slices her arm with his knife.

Detective Go is furious that Kil-young would act so recklessly. Catching a bad guy shouldn’t mean she should risk her own life. But Kil-young doesn’t have time to discuss it — she needs to continue investigating the missing woman and the taxi. Her partner warns her that her habit of running headlong into problems will one day get her in serious trouble.

Detective Go also finds it suspicious that all of her evidence centers around Hwa-pyung’s statements, warning her that he might not be as honest a guy as he says he is. Detective Go suggests Kil-young stay away from Hwa-pyung, but Kil-young can’t stop investigating if it means she could save a woman’s life and bring a killer to justice.

Hwa-pyung tracks down Priest Yang at Sharing Hand. The priest is surprised that Hwa-pyung remembers him after all these years. Hwa-pyung asks if Priest Yang has heard anything about Priest Choi, adding that he’s looking for the younger priest — well, he’s really looking for Park Il-do, the spirit that had possessed him.

Priest Yang says he hasn’t seen Priest Choi since that night — which was also the night he quit being an exorcist. He refuses to talk about it, wishing to rather forget everything that happened.

Moving to something more current, Hwa-pyung asks about the junkyard brothers. Priest Yang remembers them, saying that their charity supported them. Hwa-pyung bluntly says he believes that one of the brothers is possessed. Priest Yang is a little surprised, and tells Hwa-pyung that Min-gu was abused by his mother when he was little, which exacerbated a personality disorder.

Min-gu also attempted suicide, which is when Priest Yang suggested counseling. Hwa-pyung is still determined to have an exorcism, though. He then asks the priest if he knows anything about Priest Choi’s younger brother, explaining that Park Il-do is looking for the brother.

Priest Yang doesn’t know why Priest Choi (or Park Il-do) would want the younger brother, and Hwa-pyung theorizes that it’s to kill the brother. Priest Yang says that, if there was jealousy or hatred between the brothers, than the spirit could have latched onto that hatred to take advantage of it.

That brings up the subject of the junkyard brothers, and Priest Yang says that Min-gu was too scared to run away like his older brother did when their mother was abusing them. So Min-gu resents that he was the only one who suffered from Mom’s abuse.

At the junkyard, Min-gu whittles at a block of wood with a screwdriver, talking to himself about how his mother used to abuse him. That unnerves Min-sang, who asks him to stop. But Min-gu asks his hyung why he ran away and left Min-gu behind to be beaten by their mother.

Min-gu’s eyes have a creepy look as he grips the screwdriver threateningly, then he stands and screams, just like his mother used to: “You bastard! You don’t even deserve death! You’re not my son! Die, die, die!”

Min-sang panics and leaves the room — and into Yook Kwang’s arms, since he’s still keeping watch on the brothers. Yook Kwang promises to help him, and calls Hwa-pyung.

Min-sang tells Hwa-pyung that Min-gu has been acting strange lately, ever since he fell in love with a girl who rejected him. The brother says that the girl used to work at a cafe, but he hasn’t seen her lately. That’s not a good sign.

Kil-young returns to Yoo-mi’s house and gives the daughter some porridge, worried that she hasn’t eaten all day. She starts to ask the girl if she knows of any relatives, but Yoo-mi suddenly appears. She’s returned home, safe and sound. Yoo-mi says that she had an emergency to deal with that kept her away from home.

Furious, Kil-young calls Hwa-pyung, telling him his visions were wrong because the woman he saw dead in the trunk is actually alive and well. Hwa-pyung doesn’t believe it, since he clearly saw her in his vision. Kil-young refuses to listen to him anymore, even when he starts to babble about the other girl, the one Min-gu had a crush on. Kil-young bluntly tells him to never contact her again and hangs up.

Realizing the police won’t help him, he heads to his next option: Yoon. The priest is completely unaffected by Hwa-pyung’s desperate pleading, saying that there’s a process to follow and that he won’t help Hwa-pyung with an exorcism tonight. But Min-sang is also there, and it’s his pleading for his brother that convinces Yoon to go with them back to the junkyard.

When they arrive, Yook Kwang, who’s been keeping an eye on Min-gu, gives them an earful for returning so late and tells them, “See ya later!” He’s got another appointment, which Hwa-pyung doesn’t believe and assumes Yook Kwang just wants to avoid dealing with a powerful spirit. At least Yook Kwang performs a quick ritual to protect Hwa-pyung from having any spirits entering him.

They head to the junkyard office where Min-gu is. Yoon stares at the Min-gu intently, who twitches and doesn’t return his gaze. Reaching into his briefcase of holy items, Yoon brings out a cloth and asks to see Yoon’s hand. Gently unclenching the younger man’s fist, Yoon places the cloth in Min-gu’s hand.

This time Min-gu stares back at him, but Yoon just packs up his bag and starts to leave. Hwa-pyung follows, demanding to know why Yoon isn’t continuing the exorcism. Yoon cooly explains that it’s because Min-gu isn’t possessed. There was a crucifix hidden in the cloth, and Min-gu didn’t react to it.

Yoon says that Min-gu doesn’t need an exorcist — he needs a therapist. Min-gu’s only problem is that he has a mental disorder. It’s a common issue that Yoon has seen throughout his years as an exorcist priest. People would insist their loved ones were possessed by demons, but their loved ones were simply mentally ill.

Hwa-pyung insists that Min-gu is possessed, because he has visions from the others who are possessed by Park Il-do, and he knows the vision he had definitely was from Min-gu. Yoon stands his ground, though, insisting it isn’t possession and tells Hwa-pyung to let the police handle it.

Just then a crow flies directly at them and crashes into a car window. The two men stare at the bloody smear on the window and crow’s lifeless body. Then suddenly, all around them, crows start dropping from the sky and landing with noisy thuds all over the junkyard. Hwa-pyung and Yoon stare at each other. Looks like Yoon might be convinced there’s a possession after all.

Detective Go and Kil-pyung have dinner together, and he’s delighted to hear that Kil-young’s given up on the taxi case. Detective Go is now convinced that Hwa-pyung is a crazy attention seeker, so it’s best that she’s no longer dealing with him. They order a bottle of soju, but when the woman delivers it to the table, Detective Go remarks that it’s strange their waitress is wearing long sleeves on such a hot day.

He jokes that she must have tattoos she wants to cover up, but it reminds Kil-pyung that Yoo-mi was also wearing long sleeves when Hwa-pyung came to visit. That means that Yoo-mi was also trying to cover something up — and it wasn’t a tattoo.

Kil-young hurries back to Yoo-mi’s house and demands to see her wrists. There’s clear signs of Yoo-mi being bound, and Kil-young realizes that Yoo-mi was abducted. Yoo-mi tearfully confesses that the man who took her also took her ID and cellphone, and threatened to kill her and her loved ones if she called the police.

Yoo-mi only managed to escape by being able to kick open the trunk once it was damaged after Hwa-pyung caused it to crash. Still bound-and-gagged, she did her best to run away, hiding behind a tree when her abductor started following after her in another car. The man called out for her, but in that creepy demon voice. All Yoo-mi can remember is that it was a junkyard. She didn’t see the man’s face.

At the junkyard, Hwa-pyung ties Min-gu to a chair as Yoon begins the exorcism. Min-gu screams and writhes against his bonds, threatening to kill everyone. The overhead lights go out, leaving them with only Yoon’s candles to see by. Min-gu’s older brother says he’ll get a flashlight as Yoon continues the exorcism.

Yoon and Hwa-pyung watch Min-gu carefully, but Yoon says that Min-gu isn’t reacting to the prayer, which means he’s still not possessed. Hwa-pyung pulls out his photo of Priest Choi and waves it in Min-gu’s face, demanding to know if he’s met the priest. But Yoon grabs Hwa-pyung’s arm. Stunned, he asks Hwa-pyung why he has that photo.

Suddenly the candles flicker out, leaving the office in darkness. Min-gu’s brother shows up with a flashlight — and Min-gu is gone! Yoon and Hwa-pyung are shocked that he was able to untie himself from the chair, but Min-gu suddenly grabs Yoon from behind and presses a knife against Yoon’s neck.

Hwa-pyung asks Min-sang to tell his brother to calm down, but Min-sang doesn’t respond.

Meanwhile, Yoo-mi reveals that her abductor talked like he was having a conversation with himself. Yoo-mi had asked him to stop the vehicle and let her out, but as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle, another man came out of the trunk and grabbed her. Kil-young realizes that they’re looking for two culprits — or two brothers, to be more precise.

At the junkyard, Hwa-pyung suddenly gets a vision of a man grabbing Min-gu’s hand and forcing him to slice Yoon’s neck. The real possessed person isn’t Min-gu — it’s Min-sang, who delights in how Hwa-pyung recoils in disgust at the too realistic vision. Thankfully, it’s only what Min-sang wants to do. Yoon is still alive, and for now Min-sang ties up Yoon and Hwa-pyung.

Kil-young races to the junkyard. She calls Hwa-pyung, but Min-sang answers and quietly listens as Kil-young explains everything Yoo-mi told her. She can hear gasping in the background and realizes that she’s not talking to Hwa-pyung, and hurries even faster to the junkyard.

Min-sang gulps down a container of water, admitting it was difficult for him to remain calm while Yoon was praying because it was so painful to him. The possessed Min-sang suddenly bends over and spits up a bunch of metal nails, sighing in relief. He then turns his attention to Hwa-pyung, demanding to know why Hwa-pyung keeps following him.

Min-gu fixes the light, and Min-sang does a flying kick, knocking the younger brother to the ground. The possessed man starts to scream that he’ll kill Min-gu, then demands to know where the car is that they used to move the bodies. Min-gu huddles in fear as Min-sang says that younger brothers should be beaten so that they’ll learn to listen to their older brothers.

Then the possessed man turns his attention to Yoon, leering as he says that Yoon should have listened to his brother so that the policewoman wouldn’t have died. That hits Yoon deep, but he hides his reaction as Hwa-pyung stares at him. Stunned, Hwa-pyung asks if Yoon is Priest Choi’s brother, but Yoon wants to know how Hwa-pyung even knows about his brother.

Min-sang returns to the office carrying a bloody bat. He heads toward Yoon, waving it at him as he says that he told Yoon not to ditch school. It’s exactly like Priest Choi, that night twenty years ago. Yoon recoils in fear, but he has no where to hide.

Hwa-pyung suddenly shifts his body in between Yoon and Min-sang, getting the possessed man’s attention as he asks how they couldn’t figure out that he was really the one who was possessed. The demons inside says it’s because Min-sang embraced them and wanted to kill everyone because of the hatred and resentment borne from his childhood abuse.

When Hwa-pyung mentions Min-sang’s mother, a flashback shows the mother whittling wood — just like Min-gu did — and then brandishing her homemade stake at the boys who were happily playing in the living room. Min-sang starts to cry as he reveals that his mother repeatedly beat them, locked them up, and pierced them with her sticks.

But the demons inside laugh when Hwa-pyung asks if that’s why the brothers hate women so much. Min-sang says that the first woman’s death was an accident — Min-gu was so hurt when the woman he liked rejected him, that he beat her and ended up killing the woman, so Min-sang had to help him cover it up. That’s when the demons entered Min-sang’s body.

Hwa-pyung latches on the use of the word “we,” and the possessed Min-sang pauses as the demons inside argue that they’re actually “one.” Min-sang leans down and asks how it feels for Hwa-pyung to spy on their lives with his visions, to join them in feeling the brutal sensation of cutting up people’s bodies.

But Hwa-pyung persists in asking when Min-sang first met Park Il-do. The spirits inside Min-sang scream that Hwa-pyung will never know since they’ll kill him first. Just as Min-sang raises the bat to beat Hwa-pyung to death, Kil-pyung enters with her own stick and knocks Min-sang down.

She beats him with the stick over and over, until Min-gu grabs her in an effort to protect his brother. So she turns her attention to him, beating him with her stick until Hwa-pyung shouts that the one she needs to follow is Min-sang. Min-sang drives off in a car, but Kil-young is prevented from following since Min-sang pierced her tire with a screwdriver.

She returns to the office and unties Yoon and Hwa-pyung, and handcuffs Min-gu. She says that Min-sang got away and asks for Hwa-pyung’s car key. Yoon’s still wide-eyed, demanding to know why Hwa-pyung has a photo of his brother and keeps showing it to those who are possessed. Hwa-pyung says he’ll explain later.

Right now, they need to figure out if Min-gu knows where Min-sang might have gone. But all Min-gu can do is cry and babble about their mother. Hwa-pyung tries a much gentler approach compared to Kil-young’s usual “beat it out of them” attitude. She realizes that Min-sang knows that Yoo-mi is still alive — and where she lives, since Min-sang has Yoo-mi’s ID.

Yoo-mi is attempting to get her daughter to take her medication, but the girl refuses until Yoo-mi promises to buy her candy. Despite being nervous about leaving her house, Yoo-mi goes to the convenience store to buy the promised treat.

As she walks home, a car stops and asks for directions. But Yoo-mi realizes it’s her abductor and drops the candy to run away. Kil-young and Hwa-pyung stop by Yoo-mi’s house, worried when they realize she stepped out to buy candy.

They carefully drive through the neighborhood, looking for her, as she continues to flee from Min-sang. Terrified, Yoo-mi runs through tiny alley ways until she returns home. Her hands nervously tremble as she tries to unlock the door, but Min-sang finds her before she can it. He reminds her that he’d promised to kill her if she said anything to the police.

Hwa-pyung and Kil-young return to Yoo-mi’s house and, seeing Yoo-mi’s shoe and phone on the doorstep, realize that they’re too late.

At the junkyard office, Yoon stares at the photo of his brother. Detective Go escorts Min-gu out, but when Kil-young calls to let him know they lost Min-sang, the detective tries to order Min-gu to tell them where Min-sang has gone. Min-gu is too terrified to answer in a sensical way, and Yoon steps in.

Min-sang arrives at his mother’s house. Mom hears the commotion outside and asks why Min-sang keeps coming around like this every night lately. Min-sang shoves the terrified Yoo-mi into a dark corner as he says he needs something from the basement. Mom sees that there’s someone with Min-sang, and dismissively assumes it’s her troublesome younger son.

Yoon tries to get Min-gu to focus, as Min-gu babbles on about how Min-sang used to care for him. Yoon says that he’s looking for his older brother, too, who is also possessed. He explains that his hyung used to be nice and kind like Min-sang used to be, and the only way they both can get their brothers back is if Min-gu tells him where Min-sang is.

At his mother’s basement, Min-sang packs up a box of body parts that he’d been keeping in a freezer. Yoo-mi, bound and gagged, huddles in terror. Mom knocks on the basement door, demanding to know what’s going on, and the possessed Min-sang hisses and screams as he tells her to go away. He runs to answer the door, and is greeted by Kil-young kicking him in the face.

She beats on him with her stick, and Hwa-pyung also joins her in the beating as they force Min-sang to retreat. Min-sang recoils at first, then stands and laughs at them, so Kil-young sprays him with knock-out gas.

Kil-young drags the dazed Min-sang back to Hwa-pyung’s taxi, handcuffing him to the passenger grab handle and then locking the car. She doesn’t want Hwa-pyung stealing Min-sang from her like he did with Young-soo. Hwa-pyung pleads for her to at least let him exorcise Min-sang immediately, or else he’ll try to kill himself like Young-soo did.

Kil-young thinks it’s ridiculous, but finally agrees. However, as soon as they approach the vehicle, they see Min-sang attempting to bite off his thumb so he can free himself from his handcuffs. The car door is locked and Kil-young can’t unlock it.

Smirking, Min-sang bites his thumb off and frees himself, then takes off the headrest and tabs the metal bars into his skull, splattering blood all over the backseat of Hwa-pyung’s taxi.

 
COMMENTS

Gah, show, what a horrifying way to kill someone. How is Hwa-pyung going to explain all that blood (and the resulting sea water that will surely follow) to his boss? I’m not sure how long he’ll be a taxi driver at this rate, so maybe it’s a good thing he’s already figured out that Yoon is Priest Choi’s brother. That gets them one step closer to becoming a little Scooby Gang as they fight against the powers of darkness (only this time, I’m afraid there won’t be Old Mr. Jenkins hiding under a terrifying one-eyed mask).

I know we’re only four episodes in, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Kil-young barging in at the last moment, beating the crap out of a possessed man, and saving Hwa-pyung’s life. Is it her ignorance of how dangerous and powerful Park Il-do is that makes her so fearless? Or would she knowingly stare down pure evil and threaten to kick its ass, no matter what? I hope it’s the latter — not that I condone violence, but I still really want to see her punch evil in the face, to make Park Il-do realize that there’s someone who’s too tough for him to possess, despite all her anger.

I did have my concerns this episode about how the show would treat Min-gu. My defenses rose a bit when everyone decided that he must be possessed just because he acted strange, even though it was clear that he had a mental disorder. Treating mentally ill people like their problems are due to demons and not chemical imbalances in the brain is so frustratingly archaic. I was genuinely a little angry until Yoon came in and pointed out that most people that request exorcists are just people who don’t know how to handle their family member’s special needs. Just because someone doesn’t act normal, doesn’t mean that an evil spirit is directing their every move. After all, Min-sang seemed pretty nice, pleasant, and “normal” until his hand (heh) was forced.

Speaking of “hand,” I can’t believe that I only just realized this episode that Priest Yang’s “Helping Hand” fellowship and charity is a pun. I’m assuming an intentional one, since the word for “hand” is the same as “Sohn.” It might be a little too obvious, but the show is going to have to work hard to convince me that Priest Yang isn’t somehow connected to all of this. He says he doesn’t know where Priest Choi is — maybe it’s true, but there’s something fishy about the fact that this charity is connected to both Young-soo and Min-sang. “Helping Hand” seems more like it’s really “Helping Sohn” find new bodies for his minions to possess.

But if the minions know who the younger brother is — and where he is — then does this mean Park Il-do will be trying harder to get to Yoon? Because if Priest Choi has been looking for the brother, and now they know that the brother is Yoon and an exorcism priest — well, it just seems like Priest Choi should suddenly find himself in need of an exorcist. Then again, that would mean less time for our trio to grow closer together as they fight against the powers of evil and save people’s lives, and we definitely need some more of that. So take your time, Priest Choi aka Park Il-do aka Sohn. It’s been twenty years; what’s a few more weeks?

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Once again, thanks for watching the scary scenes for me @odilettante. ^^

This episode I began with thinking the younger brother was possessed, then became worried that the mother was possessed and the little girl was in danger and then realised it was the OLDER brother! Man, what massive confusion. But also *phew*.

Other thoughts continued from the ep 3 recap @growingbeautifully @pakalanapikake and others - I now don't think Hwa Pyung was possessed. It's clear Park Il Do goes after those who possess great anger and hate - and therefore could not have possessed Hwa Pyung when he was a child. It's more likely his ability to see spirits had something to do with his condition. Like the mother in this episode, he was threatened by Park Il Do - if you tell anyone I'm here, I'll kill your family.

On the other hand, Hwa Pyung's missing father seems suspicious. I suspect he may have been the one possessed back in Hwa Pyung's childhood.

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Didn’t Hwa-pyung mention (can’t remember which ep) Park Il-do possessed him when he was a child?

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He thinks he was possessed. Or that's how he remembers it. ^^; You never know if the show will prove him wrong.

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Oh, ok. ^^

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@greenfields ... Yup, I'm still keeping all options open. I'm not convinced HP was really possessed, and his father is a suspicious character since it's more likely as @pakalanapikake said, that he could cause the death of wife and mother compared to little HP.

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Im liking this theory, it makes sense, except Priest Choi's brother didnt seem bitter or angry, hmmm maybe he was.

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I think he was possessed by Park Il Do itself. The recent cases we've been seeing are minor spirits who are controlled by PID but PID is shown to be very powerful and might not need as much human weakness in a host. That one shaman was possessed after being pulled into the water and the possession seems to have directly passed on from him to Hwa Pyung and then to Priest Choi.

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I think HP was possessed specifically by PID which was evidenced by his blurred left vision. PID vessels just seems different from his lesses evil minions whose targets would be spiritually weak people. Might be PID is operating at a whim too, or is more inclined to possess people with open 3rd eyes like HP, his criteria in choosing his vessels are yet to be disclosed.

Priest yang and HP's dad are super shady though. I think my suspicion was further solidified when HP told yang that PID was looking for yoon-like he looked super interested and.. alarmed(?), maybe he had hidden motives. idk

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*lesser evil

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I really like the role reversal here. Every time HP is in danger, KY comes to save the day. Please be like this till the end.

I'm wondering- what if Priest choi is already dead? He didn't seem that strong enough, mentally and physically to keep such a powerful spirit inside him for so long. What if it's priest yang that's possessed now? Because both the victims are related to his organisation. He could actually pull it off, pretending to be normal, just like the older brother did here. I was surprised that I didn't see it coming.

My greatest regret- The subtitle gave away the big reveal. Just before the 2 guys discovered that the older brother was possessed, my subtitle spelled out- Hand the guest Ep 4- It's the older brother. Imagine how frustrated I was.

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@superwhopotterlock
Yes, love that girl. Nothing seems to faze her! Wonder where she got those guts from.

Choi could actually be dead. I was wondering whether PID would stay so long in one person. It is suspicious that Priest Yang's Helping/Sharing Hand organisation keeps popping up. Don't know about Priest Yang himself. He could recognise that Choi was weak, but he himself might not be much better.

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I love fearless Kil-young! ^^

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Thanks @odilettante for your hilarious review and great recap. I think it was more funny because it comes with a gory, horror show, but it was a much needed lift from all that blood.

I too was aghast at the state of the taxi. I believe HP has to rent a cab to drive, each time he moves/transfers to another place. So he'll have one very hard time, working to get that taxi cleaned up to return it to the company.

I was thinking that the reason Ming Sang was so agreeable about getting an exorcist in the end and got Yoon to come, was because he knew that Yoon was Choi's brother. That's likely the reason too that the crows fell out of the sky. It was to keep Yoon from leaving. They flew in straight lines to crash and die. (The production crew must have had a gala time shooting out toy birds! )

I liked the word play in English and Korean on the Helping or Sharing Hand. (There really is an organisation called Helping Hand in my country). It sounds like a likely way to come across people who are mentally unsound and/or people with a darker dark side.

I'm guessing Yoon won't need an exorcist so much as a protector from being beaten to death. For some reason, either Park or his minion demons have it out for him or they just want to do a thorough job, and ensure all the family get killed. When Choi got home one of the first things he said/asked was where his brother was.

I'm looking forward to lots of arguments, protests and squabbles between the 3 main characters, and seeing if and how they manage to work together. 😆

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I am so glad you mentioned about Min-Gu, that annoyed me too, it was a bit of a plot hole. My other problem was when one of them didn't stay at the house when they were searching for the possessed man, I mean how? Of course she would come back to the house. Those were my two quibbles.

Huzzah to Kil-Young still kicking ass and saving the day. She is wonderful.

I didn't recognize the Sohn part so thanks for explaining that.

Me thinks that Priest Yang is Park Il Do, because they mentioned that if you embrace the evil spirit, it is undetectable. I think that after the murders park il do went back to Priest Yang and thats how he possessed him. I think Priest Choi's brother is being hidden or is in hiding.

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I wish there was an edit button. Replace Priest Choi with Yoon and , i got the names mixed up.

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@kafiyah-bello
The thing about so easily assuming a troubled mind is sign of possession ... in this episode, Yook Gwang committed that error over Min Gu. So in the same way, it might have been the case that people kept saying that HP was possessed, until he believed it, but we were not shown any evidence of his really being possessed.

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Agreed. And we have to remember that at this time, Hwa Pyung was only a kid - easily susceptible to the suggestion that it is HE who is possessed.

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But what about the scratches on young HP’s body? And why was the woman shaman (during HP’s exorcism) so afraid of him? She even said young HP has to be killed.

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@giegie0384
You bring up interesting points. A couple of us are guessing that the lesser demons did try to possess HP but he may have been able to struggle against them and in so doing hurt himself.

Not only the shaman, the Priest Han who died too said that HP provoked the powerful demon, and warned Priest Yoon to stay away from him. The fear was directed at HP as the vessel or the conduit of evil or maybe they really believed that he was possessed. (It's easy to blame a hapless person and suggest killing him to solve the problem for eg. something like lynch mobs psychology).

I'm waiting to see if there's a scene that shows him being possessed in the same way we see these others were. As a child and now, as a rather well-balanced adult, HP does not seem to be the kind of person to be the target for possession. He is a target more in that he is psychic and sees spirits. He even feels what the spirits 'feel' for eg, he feels the blood on his hands when actually it was the possessed person's hands in his vision that was bloody. It's true however, that something about him attracted Park Il Do whom I think was the thing in the corner in his room.

It's all guesswork, but lots of fun to keep us spazzing!!!

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I can’t believe I actually re-watched (and scared myself again lol) half of ep 1. And I noticed that in the scene where young HP’s mom died, the camera was focused on his moving fingers right before he approached his mom. The same thing happened during his exorcism. So I’m thinking maybe he was really possessed by PID, and also the woman shaman said he was possessed by a strong spirit. PID can control minor spirits so what if he is really super strong (it takes super strong power to be able to control bad minor spirits imo :D) that bible and cross do not affect him, hence the no reaction.

This is fun! ^^

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I agree, guessing and theorizing is really fun with this drama. My theory about HP is that he was possessed but was "imperfect host" but only available at that time to sohn to jump into, we know that he has psychic ability that runs in his family, maybe that why he was able to resist to some extent, so when priest Choi who was full of doubt and wasn't really want to be priest but was rather push into it by his family appeared he jumped in but connection was formed between him and HP due to latter psychic ability. I think that lack of footage showing young HP acting possessed was more out of well-being of child actor than anything else but that of course it's just my musings :)

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@Shach, I like your theory too, that if he was possessed he was imperfect due to his lack of anger and rage. Oooooh, I'm so excited to find out.

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Thanks @odilettante for putting up with the scary scenes to deliver us this recap .
As for the idea that @growingbeautifully ,@pakalanapikake ,@greenfields that Hwa Pyung didn't get possessed I disagree with you guys because of these reasons :
1- the little boy told his family that he couldn't see clearly in one of his eyes and got his vision back after Priest Choi got possessed , and besides he got healed up from the illness and fever that he was having at that time which I mentioned that it might be because of the battle to take control in here http://www.dramabeans.com/2018/09/the-guest-episode-3/#comment-3310999
2- he was able to see ghost as a child which his family of Shamans found out to be special and un common at the time and he lost that ability after the encounter with PID.
3- he formed a connection with PID and the minor spirits he controls and the bodies of the people they possess and that makes me believe more that PID truly was in the little Hwa Pyung's body and tried to take control over it but couldn't because of reasons we have yet to discover and I'm not rolling out that the father maybe possessed too and probably had a hand in the death of his family members because it was shown that he doesn't like the life style his family is living.

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@waadmay
I'm still keeping my options open. HP keeps saying that it's his fault and that PID moved from him to Choi. So we have to take that either at face value or with large amounts of salt. He might be a conduit of sorts because he's psychic, so the spirit was with him but not necessarily in him. It's true though that the spirit(s) got into Choi from HP's home.

HP has manifested signs of his psychic abilities, and the physical state of those possessed do get channelled to him so he got blurry in one eye. But I don't find these signs the same as those of being possessed. He did not react to the holy objects of the priest. Still, I may be wrong.

What are you referring to by 'he formed a connection with PID'? If by connection with PID, are you referring to the conversation he had with the demons, it seems the demons are willing to speak with anyone who addresses them.

HP has been tracking PID through the crimes committed in the news. The demons keep saying: why are you following us, peeping at us.... So it's not the same kind of connection as in knowing PID's identity or location, or a connection where the demons are happy to see him. In fact they aren't. 😆

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The connection I meant is his ability to see and feel the things the demons,spirits do see and experience .
And he wasn't objected to the holy objects of the priest while he was young cause the priest wasn't convinced of him being possessed as I recall and if I was wrong and he was objected to holy objects you should keep in mind that I said he was in a battle with PID over his own body and you know that possession means you have no control over your own as was shown in Young Soo case , although his despair led him to wish death for himself and family and hating his boss and life in general he didn't want to do bad things , but the spirit took over and did those bad things by preying on his weakness and self hatred and loath and his feelings of life being unjust to him and his hatred towards his boss , and in sang mi case he let the spirits take control and that's why he didn't show symptoms as the spirits themselves said .

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OH thanks for the reminder re Priest Yang thinking Hwa Pyung was not possessed. If we all agree Priest Yang is somehow involved as odil points out in her comments, then this is even more proof that Hwa Pyung wasn't possessed. XD If Priest Yang is telling the truth. And ofc what Waad says. :D

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I really think that PID entered HP young body but couldn't take control that's why he moved on to other/others and after that the little HP got better and got his eyesight back and since PID controls minor spirits that means he can possess multiple people at a time , we should be open to that possibility.

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Entirely possible Waad.

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@waadmay @greenfields
I guess for simplicity (for us poor lay people) I'm thinking:
**If A is possessed, he will react badly towards being touched by holy objects. Min Gu and HP did not have any reaction. It does not have any bearing, whether or not the one wielding the object believes he is possessed, because it is only a test to check if he is possessed or not.

++ Any person who is nursing a darkness in them or not properly prepared to do battle with evil, can be a target for a demon looking for a vessel or looking to control him. In the case of Priest Han, he had a past sin or felt guilt and although he was not possessed, the demon played on his mind to make him see his stepfather and not see the traffic or ToD.

In reality, before Catholic priests can do exorcisms, they prepare for weeks or months. They fast and pray and ensure that they are in right relationship with God, and they cast out evil in God's name. That was probably partly why Yoon at first refused HP's request to exorcise Min Gu, saying that procedures should be followed, ie besides other red tape if any, he should be more prepared. I was thinking maybe that's also why Priest Han was not successful with Young Soo. Priest Han had hurried out to do the exorcism that time and managed with the minor spirits but not with PID.

In the time of Priest Yang, he said exorcism should not be hurried.

HP was always able to see beyond the material world and had an affinity to the spirit world. I gather, that these kind of abilities do come and go and the person who has/had them, does not really have control over them.

After the deaths of family and KY's mum, etc, HP felt guilt. He could also therefore be a target, but instead of nursing the darkness, he wanted to take responsibility by hunting down the evil to eradicate it.

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I would like to add that PID is so powerful that it's said,that he controls other demons/spirits and the ones we saw being exorcised are those weaker ones. It's possible that PID reaction to holy objects wouldn't be so strong, he didn't has any reaction to shamanic exorcims and was even able to harm the shaman. I think that is possible that he jumped to HP, because as a child he was easier to posses and he maintain eye contact with his dying uncle but there wasn't a lot he could "latch on" and he had to move to another host.

P.S. Priest Choi home was full of crosses and other religious objects and it didn't seem like he was affect by them.

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My thoughts exactly! And may I just add that when HP told Priest Choi about the spirit Sohn he was holding the bible and the cross, and that was when he was possessed.

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This is true. If PID is a special kind of demon/evil spirit-a strong kind-then the rituals to exorcise or destroy him should be a special kind too. Hopefully, in the later ep they will investigae PID fully, like hid history and in so doing discover his weakness. They will have to destroy this demon eventually.

Reading all these speculations are interesting though 😁😊

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Yes, wild guesses and speculation are super interesting. Now we're just dying to know how right we are!!!

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@growingbeautifully - "just dying to know"? 😂

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@greenfields
You think maybe I should re-word that!!??? Kinda dangerous word to use about this show! ;)

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@growingbeautifully - Ikr, lest we invite the wrath of Park Il Do upon ourselves but with no cheekbones-Priest, badass dectective and charming taxi driver to save us.

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(this whole guessing & speculation game is ridiculously fun! ^^)

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@greenfields
Yes it is!!! I didn't really think about it when I first mooted the idea that struck me, but it's so much fun to have everyone jumping in to give their opinions and their reasons why. Makes us think deeper and analyse more. Adds so much to the mere watching (and hiding our eyes from) of the show. Even makes re-watching super fun because I want to catch what I missed (while still hiding my eyes!!! LOL) when someone says something I didn't notice. 😂 😆

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Agree with everything you said. From what I have seen till now, I think HP was possessed by PID.

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Thanks for the recap! I am loving this show. It’s so creepy.

I am confused the Hwa Pyung thinks he was possessed, maybe because of his visions of makes him feel like a possession. That would make sense. I always felt like his Dad was the one that ended up possessed.

I feel like the only one who doesn’t like Kil Young. I find her really annoying. Not sure why, but I could do without her character.

I want to get more into PID and Priest Choi. I am loving all of the theories about Helping Hand. I had suspicions that they were somehow connected. Either Pries Yang is PID or they are doing some kind of ritual to possess helpless people.

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Re Priest Yang. Most certainly. When Priest Choi got possessed, he said something about how one needs to be strong to handle the field of exorcisms. Too bad you (Priest Choi) are not. - from my memory.

It really stood out to then as well. I think he KNEW Priest Choi was possessed. And it wasn't a benign statement as it appeared to be.

Re Kil Young
Awww. I really like her!

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Yeah I don’t know. Maybe because I find Kil Young wat over the top most of the time. Like she’s trying too hard to be strong. Hopefully she will grow on me.

Re Priest Yang. He did! I thought that was eerie as well. He seemed WAY too calm when we met him and his refusal to talk about Park Il Do was suspious. Yes, it’s a bad memory but he just brushed it off.

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@adieunoire
Maybe this post will help you review your thoughts on Kil Young.

http://www.dramabeans.com/2018/09/the-guest-episode-4/#comment-3311306

I thought it was pretty insightful!!

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@adieunoire
So you too wonder why Hwa Pyung thinks he's possessed. I've been ruminating about it since the Ep 3 recap and posited a question on whether he might actually not be possessed. He was a psychic child, but it was the adults around him who treated him like he was possessed when he was attacked by demons. They blamed him for his family's death and got priests to exorcise him. He might have been suggestible since everyone seemed to agree on this point, so he believes that he was possessed too.

Against this idea however is the lack of evidence that he ever manifested evil or other possession elements. Thus we Beanies have been arguing back and forth most amicably and are waiting to see if we can get evidence one way or another. :D

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I find KY to be badass charactor but am not sold on the actress herself especially her facial expressions.

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I think a possessed person acts pretty weirdly, so with the elements of his vision, it was easy to think that the little bro was guilty.

For the possessed part, I'm not sure to have really understood. Park Il Do is in the body of the Priest Choi (or it's what Hwa Pyung is thinking) and he send other demons to take over "weak" persons ? But it was him in the body of the big brother Min Sang, wasn't it ? And he can resist some exorcism tricks .

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I might be wrong but I think we didn't encounter Park Il Do in current timeline. Demon possessing Min Sang was either stronger one or because Min Sang fully accepted him as a host he was able to resist and hide better.

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Oh. So how the demon knows the words that Priest Choi said to his little brother ? When we said "we" it meant the demon + Min Sang" or "the demon+Min Sang+PID"? And why Hwa Pyung asked how Min Sang met PID ?

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PID control this demons and has some connection with them, with earlier possession, demon knew that PID is looking for Yoon, so they may have some demonic hotline ;) we don't know yet. I think that this "we" was meant to underline connection demon had with Min Sang, because he was truly evil before meeting demon and actually fully accepted demon inside? I think that HP think that PID must meets this people and when he sense some weakness than he sends one of his demon to posses them.

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Thank you for your answer :)

PID seems to have a connection with water and the possessed ones drank a lot of water, so I thought it was because of PID was in them but maybe it just helps him to stay connected.

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@shach
If Sharing Hands is also in the conspiracy of locating hosts for demons, PID maybe does not need to wander far all that often, because people who are needy will come to Sharing Hands, and now and then, there'll be people with anger issues and mental problems, such as Min Gu and Min Sang.

HP think that PID must meets this people

-
What is interesting is that HP always asks the possessed person if they've seen Choi. It suggests that he believes that PID has always remained in Choi and that Choi goes around to 'meet' candidates to be possessed.

Poor Yoon was shocked that HP was dangling his brother's photo in front of possessed people. So Yoon himself only knew that brother offed his parents, but never knew why. It was a great coincidence then, that he also became an exorcist priest!!!

Seems like he's about the only exorcist priest left in all of SK??? :D ... So he has to exorcise his own brother ultimately!!! What a showdown and family reunion THAT will be.

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@growingbeautifully
HP has files on suspected PID posessions dated to 11 yrs ago, so maybe he knows a lot more than we were shown so far, and he has personal connection through his own possession and vision maybe he saw priest Choi in them or maybe he can "feel" him because he experience his presence as a child? I think it's a neat feature from the writers because it's tie a lot of stuff together, and the fact the he can command other demons, so we can witness exorcisms and our heroes can score some winnings without waiting for big finale. I like that it's wrote a lot like mystery than mere horror.
About Sharing Hand, there is theory that demons can't stay on earth in their natural form they need host, so maybe PID brings evil spirits to earth and Sharing Hand finds hosts? Or maybe he just stalk priest Yang and try to undo his good deeds out of resentment.

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@shach
I'm loving all the possible conjectures!! I gotta go home and think about this. :)

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@shach
Regarding:

... our heroes can score some winnings without waiting for big finale.

We definitely need a few occasions of our trio struggling together to get into the groove of working together. So it's good that the 'cases' are somewhat episodic with each week bringing in more opportunities for the trio to meet up.

Ultimately, they will need to stand united in order to beat our Big Bad PID.

I like that it's wrote a lot like mystery than mere horror.

Yes, me too. It's less about projecting scary scenes to keep up the horror quotient, but to give us an understandable line of enquiry to follow for each protagonist. This show has the winning formula for hooking both mystery and horror buffs. :)

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Hwapyung's question was directed to the spirit possessing minsang's body. The spirit is controlled by PID so I think his question is valid. The minsang's possession was primarily set up to lure Priest Yoon.

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Thanks for your recap and comments, odilettante!

I've been sitting on my hands (har!) ever since reading the name of Priest Yang's charity, translated as Sharing Hand in the subtitles I'm reading. It immediately conjured up an image of time-sharing hosts for Park Il-do to inhabit. The play on words reminded me of the episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE entitled "How to Serve Man," based on Damon Knight's short story.

Now I'm really suspicious of Priest Yang. It is mighty convenient that he quit being an exorcist right after his assistant went off the deep end and killed his family and a police officer. Has he already been co-opted by Park Il-do?

If anger and hatred are the keys that unlock the soul to demonic possession, I just hope that poor Detective Go calms down lest he become the next roost for unclean spirits. I can't blame him one bit for being frustrated with his partner. Kil-young is driving him batty.

Speaking of Kil-young, she really knows how to unleash her inner Chuck Norris. Or better yet, her inner Xena, Warrior Princess. All she needs is white horse Argo to charge around on as she saves the day and rescues the exorcists. LOL.

The kamikaze crows are an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller THE BIRDS. Very disturbing.

I did not anticipate the involvement of both brothers in the abductions and killings. Their mother is truly monstrous, and may just creep me out more than Park Il-do. (Is she possessed herself?) Returning to the scene of their childhood trauma did not surprise me. And now we know why the cops haven't been finding murdered women, thanks to the Freezer of Doom.

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To be fair to Freezer, it isn't the instrument of death but rather a repository for parts.

I had to pause when it began raining crows. The Birds is the only Hitchcock film I have been unable to finish, and even in real life large groupings of birds make me uneasy. I applaud the director here, it was verrrrryy effective in setting a mood.

The young Hwa Pyung is definitely an unreliable witness to what happened to him, his family, and village. Was he possessed? I'm enjoying the debate as to whether or not he was, but am reserving my own judgment for now. Importantly, the adult Hwa Pyung believes he was, and despite what he has told others that it is the invading demon that committed horrible acts, and not the person possessed, he obviously feels a sense of guilt, and a need to make right as best he can, the horror that began with his possession.

I'm really looking forward to the trio discovering their connections, working through their anger/guilt, and finally working together to take down Park Il-do. This will be one interesting Scooby gang.

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@egads,

I admit, Freezer isn't actually an instrument of doom. It's (mercifully) not often that a household appliance get a shot at such a role.

I get antsy when I see lots of birds, too. Especially pigeons, ever since one roosting above an exit at my grammar school bombed a student leaving for home one day. In these parts, Canada geese are serious pests who defecate all over the manicured lawns and sidewalks of corporate centers. One day I went to work, and one of the things was perched on the edge of the roof directly above the front door. Thankfully, I didn't get bombed, but I sure was quaking in my boots. LOL.

From what I can gather of Park Il-do's modus operandi, it seeks out people harboring anger and hatred. I saw no evidence of little Hwa-pyung expressing any of those emotions, and I didn't get a sense that he was harboring them, either. Even when he ran for his life after the non-exorcism by Priest Yang and Priest Choi, I didn't get an angry vibe.

I agree that adult Hwa-pyung thinks he was possessed. But that doesn't make it so. Satan has been called the father of lies, so I can see where the malign spirits would do whatever they could to mislead Hwa-pyung. I also agree that he's acting in good faith to right his perceived wrong.

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"I get antsy when I see lots of birds, too. Especially pigeons, ever since one roosting above an exit at my grammar school bombed a student leaving for home one day."
I feel the same way about Seagulls. Those birds are very creepy!

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@pakalanapikake I concur with your observations of PID's choice of hosts, on young HP and on the fact that "Mr. S. A. Tan" (as we used to call him, because we didn't like to make his head big by calling out his name) is the father of lies. I've been listening to the stuff that the demons have been telling our good guys and wondering which is true and which false.

One bit of guesswork is that PID saw something in HP that made him attempt to possess him, but that attack failed and only made HP 'sick' and gave him a connection that made him more able to sense PID's and PID's minions' murderous actions. Something like the way Voldermort's attack on Harry Potter gave him that scar and the ability to 'read' Voldy's mind from time to time as he grew older. It's maybe the spiritual counterpart of having a physical scar after we're being attacked, or of an emotional trauma scar on the emotional level?

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They have scared me since childhood!

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- I was pretty worried about where the show was going with Min Gu so I was glad to see he wasn't actually the possessed brother. More than scaring me, this show makes me feel really bad for those who get possessed/the family of the possessed :(
- Perhaps Park Il Do needs to kill his host's last tie to humanity? Or he just wants to finish the job.
- I hope Gil Young gets more characterization than being relegated to the K-drama staple of "brash self-righteous cop who's into police brutality". I like her actress but right now the character doesn't feel very nuanced compared to the other main two.

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I think people overlook trauma Kil Young suffered too, her pain not being so connect with possession/demons. I wrote in earlier episodes comments but unlike HP and Yoon, she don't know what killed her mother, for all she knows the murderer was some crazy priest and what's more he was never caught, and she too carries her own guilt about that night as we were showed that her last interaction with her mother was that of typical teenager, irritation and indifference. Her been angry and lashing out I see as acting out her trauma, like she sees every criminal as possible her mother killer, and her putting herself in danger way is punishing herself. Maybe that's why her partner is more worried than angry with her, he seems old enough to know her mother.

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That's great insight @shach,
Yes, Det Go might have know her mother, or at least known of her. I must know some background of his own partner, and knowing that she's a child of a police woman would surely make him more fatherly and concerned for KY.

I agree that it's entirely possible KY is acting out her feelings of regret that her last interaction with her mum was aloofness, and she could be more recklessly putting herself in harm's way, out of remorse. I'd like to see her 6-year old daughter... if she really does have a child, she should not be so reckless.

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I know she's living with serious trauma but it's just a character type i really dislike. And i feel like her penchant for violence isn't being treated like a character flaw (yet) which really bothers me. Not a fan of k dramas constantly having excessively violent public authorities who aren't called out on it by the narrative. I'm hoping it gets addressed but we'll see.

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Thanks for the recap.
I'm loving all this active theories sharing session going on here, which is yeay~ Theory time.

I hijacked someone wall post about possession question before. No, not about HP but about Bro. He said that he embraced them, thus not showing all the cliche possessed person signs. Which, I think it is logical because they are buddies now, buddies dont hurt each other.

That however reminds me about what happened to PYS in ep 2 . Those spirits came to him due to his desperation/dark wish but it seems that he didnt fully accepted them since he is showing all the signs? I thought the dead crow is some kind of sacrifice/offering so that they come to him. That is why HP was looking for it and burning it afterwards. And it does makes the bad spirits leave PYS's body. In my culture, finding and burning/throwing into the sea/burying the sacrifice or objects related to the possessed it is part of the exorcism process. It is because those item has the ill intention and the act of burning it/etc is to cut the 'connection' between the bad spirits and the body it possessed. I try to find out about possession and korean shaman exorcism process but when you cant read korean...yeah...

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@hanie @waadmay @greenfields @pakalanapikake @shach @egads @giegie0384 @kafiyah-bello @adieunoire

Thanks for this Hanie. I'd really like to find out more too about how to interpret what is happening, what the signs of evil invasion are, etc. It's interesting, what you say about the dead crow.

This list of signs is found in Wikipedia:

Signs of demonic invasion vary depending on the type of demon and its purpose, including:
1)Loss or lack of appetite
2)Cutting, scratching, and biting of skin
3)A cold feeling in the room
4)Unnatural bodily postures and change in the person's face and body
5)The possessed losing control of their normal personality and entering into a frenzy or rage, and/or attacking others
6)Change in the person's voice
7)Supernatural physical strength not subject to the person's build or age
8)Speaking or understanding another language which they had never learned before
9)Knowledge of things that are distant or hidden
10)Prediction of future events (sometimes through dreams)
11)Levitation and moving of objects / things
12)Expelling of objects / things
13)Intense hatred and violent reaction toward all religious objects or items
14)Antipathy towards entering a church, speaking Jesus' name or hearing scripture.

So PYS demonstrated 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 ... I'm not sure about 7. What do you think?

Link to the page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism_in_the_Catholic_Church

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of course, he demonstrated unnatural physical strength. In reality, he was a disabled person but because of the possession he killed his wife, was fighting KY and was even jumping off the roofs.

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Ok , thank you .

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Hmmmmmmm, lol, you may be right. I love a show that keeps me guessing.

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I'm doing 2 part comment since the other one is just possession theory.
Into this episode, I seriously didnt see it coming. Bro is actually the one who got possessed? But I guess since he is welcoming them, they didnt harm his body huh? Yoon cold demeanor is gone the moment he found out that HP is looking for his brother and listening to those words again. Even after 20 years, those words still has huge effect to him. I cant imagine how traumatizing it is for young Yoon tbh. No wonder he is stop talking. And there is no way I'm gonna believe Priest Yang. Just look at his face! That's the face of someone who hiding things guys~ While we get light and somewhat friendly banter between HP and KGY this week, this week preview is on the opposite direction. I know it is coming so that the whole unfortunate childhood connection comes out so they can work together better but still, it will hurt everybody who is involved.

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@hanie
Good catch on the change in Yoon's demeanor. His walls (of defense?) broke down when he saw the photo of his hyung and re-lived the horror of being threatened by him.

LOL about Priest Yang. I'm beginning to wonder if this show will include any good priests (besides Yoon). I hope that Priest Yang's less than open behaviour will not mean he has gone to the dark side. I'd like to believe that he is hiding stuff that he will later reveal to help our trio of demon hunters.

I look forward to the 'fallout' between the 3. They will be so shocked that they have been thrown together in the present. Usually, even in RL, if such a coincidence happens, it's a sign that something is going to happen or that these people are meant/called to do or be 'something'. More so in this case since it's kdrama!!!

During the time of Young Soo's exorcism, the 3 of them kind of worked together as well, and got to rescue Young Soo's daughter. Let's hope that this encourages them to stick it out together, amicably. But the more potent glue to keep them together is of course their common interest in and desire to find Choi and eradicate PID. ;-)

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Death would be the best peaceful option/possibility .
And I think you are strong enough to fight PID both mentally/spiritually on your own , who needs cheekbones-Priest and charming taxi driver to save us when you're both capable charming humans .

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@waadmay (I believe you're reply to the post on 'dying to find out if we're right')

LOL, I'd like to believe I'm all that you say, however I'm more invested in being the kind of person that evil spirits will fight shy of, rather than the kind of person who's going to end up fighting any kind of spirit!!!! (intoxicating spirits included 😂)

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Yes it was a reply to what you said .

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Not that it would hurt having cheekbones-Priest, badass dectective and charming taxi driver as back up system .

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@waadmay
I'd really like to have them as my get-together mates, to meet up with them once a week or so for a chat and to ensure that they're still in their right minds and bodies, or rather that they're alone in their right minds and right bodies!!!

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That would be great and you can get together over a cup of tea or coffee and discuss the best strategies to fight off evil spirits.

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Merely as a matter of interest (I didn't know I was soooo interested), I looked up what Wikipedia has to say about exorcism. (Fong made bold by myself)

"In the process of an exorcism the person possessed may be restrained so that they do not harm themselves or any person present. The exorcist then prays and commands for the demons to retreat. ... The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained describes that an exorcism was a confrontation and not simply a prayer and once it has begun it has to finish no matter how long it takes. If the exorcist stops the rite, then the demon will pursue him which is why the process being finished is so essential. After the exorcism has been finished the person possessed feels a “kind of release of guilt and feels reborn and freed of sin.” Not all exorcisms are successful the first time; it could take days, weeks, or months of constant prayer and exorcisms."

I was thinking that Priest Han failed to finish the job well, which led to his death.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism_in_the_Catholic_Church

The list of signs of demonic invasion/presence which was very interesting too. Suffice it to say, I was trying to think of which signs were manifested by HP ... maybe only 1 of them out of 14 signs. 😉

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Just watched ep 4 and I knew it that it’s the big brother who was possessed! Something’s off when HP and shaman guy went to see the retarded lil bro, like he doesn’t look like someone who’s possesed and the song might just be their favorite song as siblings.

I’m shocked when KY came and beat the culprit to a pulp. I know it’s somehow like she has the violence character in her, but I guess she had deal with the possesed guy before and knew how strong that person can be, which is why she came with a baseball bat to beat him.

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@hannahmustafa
About KY - she's already in trouble about using violence against criminals and is under review. She may get a suspension or something, but she just doesn't care to stop herself.

A Beanie theory is that she's manifesting her 'trauma' of losing her mother. Her mum was beaten to death, and maybe she's taking it out on all villains to beat them soundly too, while herself feeling bad that she wasn't nicer to her mum that last time her mum spoke to her in the car.

What she carries with her I think is an extendable stick or collapsible police baton. Sometimes she whips it out of her back pocket (or some part of her coat) and when it is fully extended, it's maybe about as long as a baseball bat.

There is some issue with her use of unalloyed violence in her dealings with criminals, which I hope will be addressed. I'd like her to be a less angry and a less violent person by the end of the series.

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You right, it's expandable police baton, it was even showed in earlier scenes, I happened to come out of drama slump, and watching as many dramas as possible right now, so on "Live" it's shown as part of standard police equipment;)

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I'm glad that I went to read the recap and comments on this episode because it never really occured to me that there is a possiblity that HP was not possessed at all. Beanies' theories make more sense since it never really showed that he killed his family members and it truly seemed obvious, after going back in the first 2 episodes that his father was the one acting strangely!

Note to self: I should definitely trust beanies on their theories because they are almost always true! Haha.

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LOL @jenina-tang
I'm not sure if Beanie theories are always right, but they are definitely fun to mull over and discuss while waiting for the next episode or the next recap!

I'm just 'dying' (yes I know it's a dangerous word to use on this thread) to finish Ep 5...

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Haha. I know. I just felt that I would have never thought of this if I haven't read any of your comments! I'm glad that there are discussions like this because I have no one to talk to in real life about this drama! Sad! Everybody I know seems taken aback by the horror and gore of the show. Haha.

I'm currently watching episode 5 too! Let's see if we get to have more theories pop up next week! 😂

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@jenina-tang
A lot of us are in the same boat. We don't have anyone to discuss kdramas with, not to mention a horror show to boot, that's why we come here to DB. 😉

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I just finished ep. 5! Can't wait for recap, there is so much to unpack in this episode, this show don't disappoint!

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DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE MAIN SOUNDTRACK IS FROM?? along with the amazing videography the backing track for this drama is just beautiful i must no!

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Otherwise, when are they going to release the OST ? >_<

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I'm still convinced that HP was possessed as a kid as opposed to what everone's speculating at the moment. believing he isn't is equal to believing priest yang's word, who is super shady btw. Despite this, I don't think priest yang is possessed. I think maybe he's like a 'caretaker' for demons/evil spirits similar to how vampires in some lores have their caretakers to looks after them during the day. Ofc I wouldn't know if there's such a figure in korean lores.

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That's also a good take on the story! Maybe HP was really possessed but did he really kill his mother and grand mother? What do you think? Haha.

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Thanks for the recap odilettante!
I would like to know why Park Il Do and his lesser demons are possessing people? I understand that demons are beings of pure evil and that they enjoy causing pain. However, one would assume that they are working towards a larger goal. Any thoughts?

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Thank you @odilettante for the recaps. I'm watching about 60% of this drama. The rest is reading recaps as some of the scene is too scary to watch but too damn good to passed.

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Hey beanies! Does anyone know if this is as scary as Rescue Me? Thinking of watching this but it sounds super creepy!

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