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The Guest: Episode 14

Now that they know where Park Il-do is hiding, the trio try to track him down. Unfortunately, the trio’s partnership continues to falter as the seeds of doubt and mistrust flourish. As he tries to hide the effects of his curse, Yoon must also deal with the consequences of performing exorcisms without the church’s permission.

 
EPISODE 14 RECAP

Yoon arrives at the church in the middle of Mass, which is led by Priest Yang. Yoon quietly finds a seat in one of the pews, his eyes never leaving Priest Yang’s face, which is bowed in prayer.

As Priest Yang begins the homily, he quotes Psalm 139:

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

At least, that’s how it ought to go, as Yoon murmurs the Psalm along with the older priest. Except Priest Yang goes off-script on the last few lines, saying “even the light will be dark to you; the night will swallow the day, for darkness is as a dark night to you.”

Realizing the subtle way Priest Yang has twisted the scripture to mean the complete opposite, Yoon watches intently as the priest prepares the sacrament of Holy Communion. Priest Yang blesses the Eucharist and takes a bite of the host wafer — or at least he seems to, but instead he carefully hides the fact that he doesn’t consume it, nor does he actually drink the wine.

As the congregation lines up to receive the Eucharist, Yoon barges forward and shoves them out of the way. Intently staring Priest Yang in the eyes, he steps forward to the altar and dumps out the wine Priest Yang supposedly drank — which is just water.

He also confronts Priest Yang about reciting the Psalms incorrectly and not consuming the host wafer. Two other men rush forward to drag Yoon out (since he’s just disrupted a serious Holy Sacrament) as he screams that Priest Yang is Park Il-do.

Yoon faces a disciplinary committee, who demand to know why he disrupted Mass. Yoon bluntly says it was a “Black Mass” (that is, a parody of the Holy Sacrament) and that Priest Yang is possessed by an evil spirit named Park Il-do.

He offers Priest Yang’s Bible as evidence, and the elder priest flips through the scribbled book, shocked by the blacked out pages. But Priest Yang plays dumb and turns the fault back on Yoon, “innocently” asking if Yoon is now as crazy as Priest Han was after performing so many exorcisms.

Priest Yang looks at Yoon in pity, telling him he’s obsessed with evil spirits and if he continues this path, will only end up like Priest Han, committing suicide. Yoon pulls out his rosary and starts his exorcism prayer over Priest Yang, who seems placidly unaffected, although his hands grip the chair a little tighter.

His actions seem to confirm to the rest of the disciplinary committee that Yoon isn’t right in the head, and Yoon collapses due to the stabbing pain in his chest. He once more gasps out that Priest Yang is Park Il-do, but Priest Yang just stares at him, looking unconcerned.

Meanwhile, Hwa-pyung’s desperately searching for Yook Kwang. Thanks to Kil-young tracking Yook Kwang’s last phone call, Hwa-pyung knows that Yook Kwang went to Hwa-pyung’s hometown. Hwa-pyung searches all over, unable to find any sign of his friend.

Kil-young agrees to help, knowing that Priest Yang is somehow connected. She starts with Sharing Hand, which is currently presenting an appreciation award to Hong-joo. Kil-young watches the congresswoman receive her accolades, and when Hong-joo notices the detective, Kil-young says she was hoping to see Priest Yang at the ceremony.

Hong-joo says he couldn’t make it because he wasn’t feeling well, then pointedly asks about Kil-young’s boss and the police chief. The women’s words are polite as they smile at each other, but both are fully aware that Hong-joo still has the power to ruin Kil-young’s career if she keeps bothering Hong-joo.

A woman enters the auditorium, screaming that Hong-joo uses other people’s lives for her own personal gain and should be kicked out of office. Kil-young follows the woman as she’s dragged out of the auditorium.

The woman, Sister Kim, thinks that Hong-joo must be bribing yet another detective to try and arrest her, but she stops in her tracks when Kil-young says that actually she wants to arrest Hong-joo.

Sister Kim invites Kil-young to her home, and reveals that Sharing Hand was a genuinely good charity until Hong-joo joined and started manipulating the volunteers, using them in order to gain political power. She even has proof, and plays a recording for Kil-young, revealing that she always tapes her encounters with Hong-joo.

If arresting Hong-joo doesn’t work, she’ll take it to the media — along with an envelope of evidence that proves Hong-joo embezzled from Sharing Hand. Sister Kim blames Hong-joo for ruining Priest Yang, who she thinks can do no wrong.

Hong-joo calls Priest Yang, who’s packing up to leave on a sudden health-related sabbatical. Mmm-hmmm, sure. Hong-joo’s worried about Kil-young meeting with Sister Kim. Priest Yang is confident Sister Kim won’t say anything against him or Sharing Hand, but he tells Hong-joo to find a way to persuade Sister Kim to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, Yoon is struggling to reconcile the fact that the father figure he knew as Priest Yang is also Park Il-do. After a long night of contemplation, he calls Kil-young, asking to meet.

Hwa-pyung sits by his still-unconscious grandfather, telling him about Yook Kwang. He knows Grandpa didn’t like Yook Kwang because he didn’t like Hwa-pyung spending time with a shaman, but he was Hwa-pyung’s only other family, and Hwa-pyung’s worried that something terrible has happened to him.

After visiting the hospital, Hwa-pyung drives along the country road, suddenly stopping when he sees Yook Kwang standing in front of him. Yook Kwang silently beckons Hwa-pyung, who follows his friend.

Yook Kwang points to a spot in the field, and Hwa-pyung has a vision of how his friend died — but there’s no body in the field.

Hwa-pyung relays his suspicion about Yook Kwang’s death to Kil-young, who urges him to return to the city. He’s reluctant since he wants to find his friend’s body first, but Yoon is also on the line — and says that Hwa-pyung was right: Priest Yang is Park Il-do.

That’s enough to get Hwa-pyung to speed back to the city, and the trio are united once more. Hwa-pyung is furious when Yoon quietly confesses that he’s the reason Yook Kwang went to the hometown, since he noticed that the shaman seemed to focus on the phrase “still at the house” when Yoon told him Priest Choi’s last words. It looks like this reunion will be short-lived thanks to Hwa-pyung blaming Yoon for whatever happened to Yook Kwang.

In the morning, Yoon faces the disciplinary committee. With all his actions added up (performing exorcisms without permission; working alongside a shaman; someone not possessed getting hurt due an exorcism attempt; interrupting Mass), they decide that Yoon should be sent to a disciplinary facility.

It’s basically priest prison, but without any locks, and Yoon is left to sit in his small room and reflect on his actions.

Kil-young and Hwa-pyung search for the suddenly-missing Priest Yang, but with no luck. Kil-young asks if Hwa-pyung’s had a vision that might help him, but he hasn’t. It’s made even more difficult since they don’t know when Yoon will be free to leave the facility, and they can’t perform an exorcism without him.

Hwa-pyung stubbornly says he’ll take care of it himself, still blaming Yoon for what happened to Yook Kwang. He decides to get Priest Yang’s location from Hong-joo. Kil-young reminds him that he’ll be arrested if he bothers the congresswoman again, but Hwa-pyung says that he’ll stay hidden.

Kil-young gets a call from Sister Kim, who’s decided to sue Hong-joo. But as Sister Kim starts to gather the evidence to take to the police station, Hong-joo knocks on her door.

Hong-joo puts on a pleasant face as she says that she’s here because Priest Yang said they should talk out their differences. Sister Kim scoffs at Hong-joo’s attempt to appear innocent of the embezzlement charges, and tells her to leave.

Instead, Hong-joo offers her a bag of cash, calling it a bonus for all the support Sister Kim has given Sharing Hand. But Sister Kim angrily shoves the money aside, accusing Hong-joo of being a thief, adding that she even has proof.

Hong-joo starts to scratch at her neck as Sister Kim says she remembers what happened the night the high school student died twenty years ago, that Hong-joo went to Priest Yang for help. Hong-joo grabs Sister Kim’s volunteer award and bashes in the woman’s head, furiously screaming that she’s not a thief.

But once the initial anger wears off, Hong-joo looks around at the bloody room and realizes what she’s done.

Priest Yang is at Grandpa’s hospital room. He tells the unconscious man that he doesn’t want to do this, but Hwa-pyung just won’t leave him alone. He reaches forward as if to strangle Grandpa, but stops when his phone starts to ring.

It’s Hong-joo, and Priest Yang goes to Sister Kim’s home, where Hong-joo wearily sits, staring at the dead body. She explains it was out of defense, since Sister Kim dared to call her a thief, but Priest Yang slaps Hong-joo so hard she topples to the ground.

He tells her she should be more careful, like he warned her after what she did twenty years ago. Hong-joo cowers as Priest Yang calmly says that he’ll clean up her mess, ordering Hong-joo to go home.

Dressed in a rain coat that’s suspiciously similar to the one the mysterious person was wearing that night Hyun-joo’s body was buried twenty years ago, Priest Yang cleans up the room. He wraps Sister Kim’s body in a large duffel bag and drags her away.

Kil-young’s worried because Sister Kim never showed up to the police station and isn’t answering her phone. She and Detective Go stop by the house, but there’s no one there.

She thinks it strange that the house is much cleaner than when she visited Sister Kim earlier, and goes to investigate the piles of garbage outside. She finds the award, covered in blood.

Priest Yang is back in the forest, digging a grave for Sister Kim’s body. As he drags the duffel bag to the hole, a coughing noise stops him. Sister Kim is still alive!

Priest Yang unzips the bag and Sister Kim weakly gasps for help. Priest Yang’s idea of help, though, is remove Sister Kim’s pain by strangling her.

Hong-joo washes off the blood on her hands and face. She gets a call from Priest Yang, warning her that detectives are at Sister Kim’s home, and asks if there’s anyone else who knows that Hong-joo was there that night.

The only other person is Hong-joo’s driver, and Priest Yang says he’ll take care of it. Uh-oh.

Hwa-pyung has been staking out the congresswoman’s office, and when he sees the driver get in the car, Hwa-pyung follows him at a safe distance.

The driver thinks it’s odd that he was called out to the middle of the forest to meet Priest Yang, but his eyes suddenly bug out in fear and he clutches at his throat as though he’s being strangled. Priest Yang simply stares at the driver as darkness starts to surround the priest.

Hwa-pyung finds the driver’s car in the forest, but when he ventures closer, the driver is nowhere to be seen. Hwa-pyung notices someone standing in the forest and assumes it’s the driver, but when he gets closer, he realizes it’s Priest Yang.

Hwa-pyung says he’s been wondering for the past twenty years how he’ll kill Park Il-do. He punches Priest Yang in the face, knocking the priest down as Hwa-pyung demands to know why his family, as well as Yoon’s and Kil-young’s families, were targeted.

In his priest prison, Yoon tries to sleep, but a strange noise wakes him up. He sees someone sitting at the small desk, whispering the curse. The person turns around and it’s Yoon! But a creepy, leering Yoon, who reminds the frightened Yoon that the third time they meet, he’ll surely die.

The strange noise he heard is the creepy, manically laughing other-Yoon using a piece of glass to rip off the flesh on his arm. Yoon screams at the other Yoon to stop, then wakes up in a panic. It was just a nightmare! Or was it? Yoon’s surprised to see a piece of glass in his hand and marks on his arm.

Sister Kim’s disappearance is now an official police case and her home a crime scene, but there’s still no proof that she was killed. Nor is there the envelope of evidence that reveals Hong-joo embezzled from Sharing Hand. Kil-young remembers that Sister Kim records everything when she sees Hong-joo, and finds the hidden tape recorder.

The detectives play the tape for their boss, which recorded everything that happened when Hong-joo attacked Sister Kim — including Hong-joo’s phone call, asking for help. But the detectives are shocked when their boss says it’s not enough proof — they can’t accuse the congressman of murder when they don’t even have a body. It sounds more like the boss is worried about keeping his job than actually doing his job, and Kil-young leaves in a huff.

Detective Go warns her not to go after Hong-joo, but Kil-young is determined. Hong-joo already got away with murder twenty years ago — Kil-young won’t let it happen again. Detective Go pleads with his partner, reminding her that they don’t have any hard evidence. They need to find the body first.

In the forest, Hwa-pyung ties Priest Yang to a tree, vowing to get rid of Park Il-do soon enough. Priest Yang wearily says that it’s impossible for him to be possessed — he’s a priest, after all. But Hwa-pyung is convinced Park Il-do moved to Priest Yang’s body when the priest came to exorcise him.

Priest Yang says that Park Il-do didn’t move to anyone’s body, pointing out that Hwa-pyung can’t prove he isn’t Park Il-do, either. Hwa-pyung gets a call from Kil-young, letting him know that Hong-joo killed someone and they assume she asked for Priest Yang’s help to hide the body. Kil-young’s furious to learn that Hwa-pyung is with Priest Yang right now and didn’t tell her.

She demands to know where he is, but Hwa-pyung says it’s too dangerous. However, he keeps her on the line as he asks Priest Yang where Sister Kim’s body is. Priest Yang plays dumb, merely musing that a lost sheep will eventually return home.

Kil-young isn’t sure what that means, but she does have the ability to have her phone call to Hwa-pyung traced in order to figure out his location. She then calls Yoon, letting him know that Hwa-pyung found Priest Yang, asking what they should do since he’s under probation but they don’t know any other exorcist priests.

Without hesitation, Yoon says he’ll do it. Kil-young’s worried that he’ll get into even more trouble with the church council, but Yoon doesn’t care — he needs to exorcise Priest Yang himself, because it’s now personal.

Yoon sneaks out of his priest prison and resolutely heads towards the forest — not forgetting that the the third time he meets the spirits, he’ll die. I guess that’s one way to avoid the disciplinary committee.

In the forest, Hwa-pyung sits and stares at Priest Yang, remembering that Yook Kwang said killing Park Il-do’s vessel is the only surefire way to be rid of the evil spirit. Hwa-pyung gets a call from Yoon, who’s just arrived at the forest and wants to know where Hwa-pyung is.

The detective at Sister Kim’s house hears a noise outside and sees someone drinking from the water hose. The person turns her head and it’s Sister Kim — who’s not dead, but possessed.

Priest Yang suddenly says that “he must be here,” and Hwa-pyung recoils as a supernatural shockwave goes through the forest.

Still tied to his tree, Priest Yang stares up as the sky starts to grow blacker and blacker. Suddenly Yook Kwang’s voice rings out, “Stop! Leave him alone!” But it’s just Priest Yang telling Hwa-pyung what Yook Kwang’s last words were — that the shaman tried to protect Hwa-pyung with his final breath.

Stunned, Hwa-pyung asks what he did with Yook Kwang’s body, and Priest Yang says he threw the body into the sea. Priest Yang muses that Hwa-pyung should have paid better attention in order to protect his loved ones, but he’s always too distracted. At the hospital, the lights flicker in Grandpa’s room — but his bed is empty.

Priest Yang continues, pointing out that Hwa-pyung’s unable to see what is real and true. Hwa-pyung demands to know what he means. Priest Yang once more reiterates that Hwa-pyung shouldn’t be distracted.

Elsewhere, Sister Kim does the creepy “possessed by Park Il-do” neck-crick just as Priest Yang says, “He’s here.” The possessed Sister Kim smirks as she grabs a rod and stabs out her eye. Meanwhile, a figure approaches Hwa-pyung — he assumes it’s Yoon, but it’s most definitely not, as the now possessed driver stabs Hwa-pyung in the stomach.

 
COMMENTS

I don’t even know what to think about this. Priest Yang is definitely shady and up to his neck with evil spirits of some sort, but he bizarrely doesn’t seem to be currently possessed by Park Il-do. That would be Sister Kim (because the stabbing of the eye seems to indicate Park Il-do’s presence, at least based on what we’ve learned so far). Who is possessing Hong-joo’s driver, then? Can Park Il-do possess more than one person at a time? Did he immediately jump from Sister Kim to the driver? Or is it another lesser spirit? Was Priest Yang just a ruse to distract Hwa-pyung? Where is Yoon? He’s gonna save Hwa-pyung, right? Right????

I guess I’m just worried about how we’ll tie everything up in just two more episodes. As more questions are answered, even more questions pop up. Such as, where is Grandpa? Did he come out of his coma? Did Park Il-do steal him away? Is he actually possessed after all? I don’t know what to believe any more! Park Il-do’s attempts to divide the trio and make them distrust each other are apparently working on me, too.

I even had a fleeting suspicion that Yoon could be possessed, but then I talked myself out of it, because the spirits’ curse wouldn’t be such a threat if Yoon was already possessed. I can’t blame Yoon for deciding to do one last exorcism, essentially giving up his life to help the people he considers his friends and family, while also ridding the world of an evil demon. He’s already cursed and having nightmares about suicide — at least this way he’ll go down fighting. That’s not to say I will accept his sacrifice, but I understand it.

I want to be hopeful because we’re so close to the end, but Yook Kwang’s death, Yoon’s curse, the constant tension that our trio are always a hair’s breadth away from losing what little family and/or friends they have left in this world, and the general frustration of fighting against an evil that seems to always win is just so… depressing. But instead of wallowing in my fear about the horrors that are yet to come, I’ll follow Kil-young’s lead and dig deep into my fury over the fact that for twenty years, innocent parishioners have been taking what they believe to be Holy Communion from a man who has no right to bless anything, making a mockery of their faith.

I’ll also lean on my righteous indignation that a rich and powerful politician can literally get away with murder, thanks to her familial ties (even if that family is technically dead). I don’t believe that Hong-joo is possessed — she’s just mentally unstable; fueled by her own psychopathic rage and narcissism. I’m looking forward to her being taken down by the trio, especially once her supernatural great-uncle can no longer support her (although I have a vague suspicion that if Park Il-do is cornered with no easily accessible vessel to flee to, he’ll somehow make a home in his niece, which would make for a terrifying final battle).

On a slightly more positive note, I’m so thankful that even in his death, Yook Kwang is able to help Hwa-pyung. At least there’s some good in the restoration of Hwa-pyung’s ability to see spirits. Yes, it would be ideal if his father and Yook Kwang were still alive, but they won’t let death stand in the way of their attempts to help the trio defeat evil and save the world — or at least a small corner of it.

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i actually watched ep 15 now and i'm beyond exhausted with this plot. the writers are unnecessarily dragging it out and adding new things. i don't want to spoil anything but literally why was hongjoo even brought in? what did she bring to the plot? it's a memorable character bcs the acting's good but if you remove hongjoo, it changes NOTHING. there're so many things like how so many people are possessed at the same time - sister kim, yang, driver - by pid? why was yand possessed? if pid is looking to possess hp, why did he try to kill through via geunho? what's the point of grandpa being still alive? is he pid? then pid is possessing four people? why is yoon cursed when you can basically possess and murder him? i understand it's for the plot but this is becoming depressing bcs what are we looking forward to? everyone's dead and it's like there's no... happiness? hope? if i were hp or yoon, i wouldn't know what/who to live for. there's obviously something buried at hp's house which needs to be destroyed to destroy pid but how come they didn't need these "cursed things" for other exorcisms? they only burned that one crow and broke that one knife but nothing for other exorcisms? SO. MANY. LOOPHOLES.

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None of the people who have been possessed during the show, (except for the original person hosting him) were possessed by Park Il Do. He has a bunch of subordinate spirits that he commands to possess people. (The little girl saw them, all the ghosts carrying knives.)

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I have to disagree with you in regards to Hong Joo.
Imo Hong Joo is proof that you don't have to be possessed to be evil. And that is scarier because unlike the ones who are possessed, she doesn't have an excuse for her shitty personality. Possessed or not, she'd still be evil either way.
She's sort of a human element in this supernatural drama if you get what I mean.

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I haven't caught up to last week's episodes yet but dang @odilettante you picked an uhm... interesting top picture for this recap.

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I have no idea what you're talking about. I was simply capturing the moment a young handsome priest was forced to face his inner demons...

...while staring straight into my thirsty fangirl soul.

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Are you sure you weren't possessed? Do you remember what you did right after he stared through the screen right that? Is your right eye blinded by his beauty?

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I think all are blinded by his beauty , not in one eye but both eyes.
And you're the first one /possessed I think

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@mary, @odilettante.

Oh-ho, you two! Get thee to a nunnery! ;-)

*checks sky for incoming lightning bolts*

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No need , bring the priest to them a specific exorcist priest 😀😍

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If the nunnery has priests that look like that, I am ALL IN.

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Those cheekbones are definitely blinding and I am most willingly possessed. "Kiiiiim! Jaaaae! Woooooooooooook!"

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Kim Jae Wook , Yoon-ah 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💝💖💝💖💝💖💝💖

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Thanks for the recap and for sitting through disturbing and sad scenes/moments 😭😭😭😭😭😭

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It's better than the alternative or should I say the view from the other side @mary 😂😭

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I just wanna say Yoon's landing after jumping off the roof is beautiful
All black uniform, good landing, he has a good career as criminal in the future 🤣🤣🤣

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Or Police officer/detective 😀😀😀

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ohh... imagine Yoon as a rookie and in the same team with KGY and Sunbae...
Just thinking about it makes me feel bad for Sunbae.. lol

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That would be great 😍😍

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I kinda want to see KJW and JUC in romcom tbh
they look cute together in the bts XD

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He did play police officer once... a dead one.

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Ohh... I totally forgot about that darn drama 😐😐😐

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It's okay, your brain protected you from the memory of Very Sad Oppa Eyes.

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I didn't see that , and I hope he gets another one where he stays alive and arrest all the bad guys , and hopefully get the girl in the end .

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Or Ninja Priest. ;-)

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He is already a Ninja priest , we're talking future projects 😀😀

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Thank you for making my day with this comment

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You're welcome 💝💖

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Whatever the ending of this drama and how possibly they beat Park Il-do, right now, I just want to hug Hwa-pyung, Gil-young, and Yoon....

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Join in with the hug and offer a blanket and hot chocolate for the three of them 😭😭😭😭😭😭

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They have been through such horrific events, they need a good rest afterwards. 🛏

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It was painful to watch Yoon spiralling into self-doubt madness, but it was interesting to see how characters has changed since we met them first, well at least Yoon and KY, HP is still "act first, think later" type, but Yoon being presented as cool headed now acting all unhinged is something I wouldn't predict. Cinematography of this episode was amazing especially last 15 minutes or so, but I hope it will tie to main mystery and won't distraction, wasting too much time on gripping but ultimately non meaningful threads with only two episodes to go will be disappointing.

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Its not the central point of the ep just some random thought. But Go sunbae is more cheerful and energetic after his exorcism. Well the exorcism must have had a cathartic effect on him.

Also todayyyy is the big finale. I hope the recap will soon be released so that we can discuss everyrthing before it cools off.

I read they are planning to have a sequel (movie probably) soon. Is it confirmed or just the usual?

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Beware of Spoilers & Rampant Speculation

Part 1 of 3

Thank you for another fine recap, @odilettante! I hope you are holding up okay as Old Nick's team continues to beat the tar out of the Good Guys. Killing Yook Kwang wasn't enough, eh, Show? Have mercy, or none of the audience will survive to the end of the finale, dang it.

I was surprised at how excited I became when I twigged to Mateo's discoveries. I've had to sit on my hands until now. ;-) His suspicions aroused after finding his mentor's defaced Bible, the next day Mateo enters a church while Priest Yang is saying Mass. He follows along as the celebrant recites Psalm 139, verses 9-12:

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you;
Yang: even the lightness will be dark to you

the night will shine like the day,
Yang: the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.
Yang: for darkness is as dark to you as a dark night. The dark night will swallow the day.

This is the complete version that was used in the subtitles I read: https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/139.htm

The horrified look on Mateo's face is occasioned by his recognition that his beloved mentor is subtly and purposely twisting the words of Holy Scripture into a blasphemous parody that none of the parishioners recognize as such. Such a subversion is called a “Black Mass.” It one of the major reasons for the bloody Inquisition that was unleashed against purported heretics throughout Europe. Untold numbers of innocent people were killed in the most gruesome ways, many of them women who were herbalists and midwives.

His suspicions further aroused, Mateo watches like a hawk, and notices irregularities in the consecration of the bread and wine. The latter is left out entirely, and substituted with water. Priest Yang only pretends to consume the host. This is really bad. While Mateo's reaction, especially dumping the contents of the chalice on the floor of the sanctuary, may seem outrageously over the top, I do not think it is. It is his duty as a priest to prevent the faithful from being led astray.

Alas, during the ensuing hearing, Priest Yang plays dumb, and shifts the blame onto Mateo, citing his old mentor's “suicide.” What a set-up. Mateo is charged with disobedience and being a fanatic himself. He is sent off to a monastery to reflect on his sins and shortcomings in the ecclesiastical equivalent of house arrest. I'm not certain that such a case would have been dealt with at the parish level. I suspect it would have been handled by the bishop.

- Continued -

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Beware of Spoilers & Rampant Speculation

Part 2 of 3

Mateo has been under the gun since the destruction of his family. Now it feels as if he's facing total destruction of his own life as well. Priest Yang's actions call into question everything that has happened to him since that day. I cannot help but wonder if he and Hwa-pyung were both targeted to be Park Il-do's future vessels, perhaps because of their pure souls, innate potential, and spiritual lineages. Hwa-pyung may have dodged that fate to a degree by running away from home and taking refuge with shaman Yook Kwang. But little orphan Choi Yoon ended up in the custody of Priest Yang. Has he ever had a snowball's chance in Hell? I'm coming to doubt it. It seems to me that Priest Yang may himself have become a target of PID because of his charitable activities and association with orphan Choi Yoon.

Recall that Hwa-pyung first viewed the smoky black filaments of malign ch'i when he was young, and has seen them again in the woods with Priest Yang. I think that that is the real PID, who has a non-human refuge. Alas, I cannot think of a single object from Hwa-pyung's childhood home that might serve as an anchor on the material plane for the demonic spirit. I hope to heck Writer-nim refrains from pulling a deus ex machina out of thin air to explain what's buried in Grandpa's backyard.

By way of solace for Mateo, take a look at the opening verses of the Psalm 139, which speaks of God's intimate knowledge of His people's hearts and minds. Other famous Bible passages that cite God's protection include Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want... though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil...”) https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/23.htm. Psalm 91 is another (“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust...”) https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/91.htm.

When up against a spiritual opponent as strong as the demon Park Il-do, Mateo needs to remember to call upon God's protection and strength. The diabolical whisperings and visions, and Priest Yang's betrayal, are the Evil One's attempts to distract him from his spiritual source. But if he keeps his focus on the Almighty, he can prevail against the forces of darkness. Here's hoping that Mateo can fortify himself against PID's predations with these powerful images of God's protection.

- Continued -

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Beware of Spoilers & Rampant Speculation

Part 3 of 3

Dang it, we're watching a replay of the mortal Park Il-do's original possession of his chauffeur. (Chauffeur = vehicle?, or a means of transferring from one host to another?) I'm wondering if an artifact buried in the yard of Hwa-pyung's childhood home has nearly disintegrated, triggering PID to switch to a new human host. Then again, Park Hong-joo's previous driver was a red shirt if I ever saw one, and he's simply disappeared. I wonder if he is what is buried next to Grandpa's house.

Sister Kim as yet another victim of Hong-joo's anger management issues is depressing beyond words. Methinks her righteous grudge against the congresswoman for getting off scot-free from the murder 20 years earlier, and her embezzlement of Sharing Hand funds, has made her vulnerable to demonic possession. I was ready to scream when Kil-young played the incriminating tape of Hong-joo's murder of Sister Kim for her big boss, and then left the recording behind for him to get rid of. Really?! It was bad enough that she didn't insist on taking Sister Kim's envelope of evidence with her. And of course there are no backup copies of anything. Sheesh.

Seeing the darkness enveloping the woods as Hong-joo's second driver skewers Hwa-pyung made me think that PID is an evil genie liberated from his bottle. I'm hoping against hope that Priest Yang might have at least a shred of humanity left in him to join with Mateo and Hwa-pyung in fighting PID. Here's hoping that the ghosts of Dad and Yook Kwang join the fray.

-30-

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Interesingly, as you've brought it up, Ps 23 is the Responsorial Psalm for today (Feast of All Souls). It's a day of celebration that there is hope and life after earthly death. And in the soul's journey there is guidance, protection and company.

May we hope for as much in the journey of our three protagonists as they fulfill their quest. Being human, they do get distracted from the truth from time to time, and been affected by loss and failures, but it is heartening to see that overall, they've not fallen under the spell of lies. Rather they have become more determined to focus on their goal, probably with a readiness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

The poor guys who were drivers for Park Hong Joo, they really ended up taking on more than anyone could have bargained for. I'm wondering how many more people are going to be possessed and kill and/or die.

I'm with you on Priest Yang and his humanity. I'm thinking that the humanity in each person as in the case of those who were exorcised/saved, or even in those like HP's father who was not saved, could when given a chance be called forth to fight, or to take control, to make a decision for the greater good and not let PID totally have his way.

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@pakalanapikake
I was in total agreement with what Yoon did at the Black Mass. He needed to stop it and show the congregation that they were unknowingly participating in something vile and false. That the ecclesiastical enquiry took place without proper reference to the Bishop and Archbishop was of course the drama shortcut to getting Yoon incarcerated. In reality, a lot more would have been investigated and both Yang and Yoon should have been investigate, since eye-witnesses could see that the host had not been consumed by Yang, and the chalice had water instead of wine.

Ps 139 is one of my favourites! I'll read it with renewed attention to every word from now on!!!

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@growingbeautifully,

So glad you enjoyed Psalm 139 in this episode. I appreciate how it is woven into the drama. It is so very apropos. I am thrilled to report that one of my very favorite hymns from the St. Louis Jesuits that was composed in 1970 is based on Psalm 139. It is gorgeous and uplifting, an antidote to the darkness in which Park Il-do revels.

http://www.dramabeans.com/members/pakalanapikake/activity/639787/

I've posted a couple of other hymns on my fan wall. The imagery of the sheltering wings of eagles and the reminder to refrain from fear should help dispel Park Il-do's infernal darkness.

http://www.dramabeans.com/members/pakalanapikake/activity/639702/

One of the things that I like very much about Kdrama is the way in which many of them respectfully depict religion in everyday life, be it Mugyo, Buddhism, Confucianism, or Christianity. Occasionally passages from holy books or oral traditions are presented, too.

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Park Il Do isn't possessing all of them at once, he has a bunch of subordinate spirits (all those people carrying knives in the episode with the little girl.)

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