35

Psychopath Diary: Episodes 15-16 Open Thread (Final)

It’s the final week of Psychopath Diary and I’m going to miss this weekly dose of mayhem! As expected, the ante is upped to the extreme, and in our finale episodes we have Psycho vs. Hogu locked in a final battle.

 
EPISODES 15-16 WEECAP

Last week we ended with a shocking patricide, and it sets off the craziness with which our story comes to a close. In-woo is eager to blame this murder on Dong-shik, but in the process, our hero gains some crucial video footage that shows who the murdering psycho really is.

But of course, it’s not that easy. In-woo’s whimpering brother gets involved again, and though he tries to help Dong-shik and company, he’s kind of useless. The crew at Daehan also tries to help, but really, what this story is asking for is an epic showdown of In-woo versus Dong-shik, and that’s just what we get when Dong-shik uncovers In-woo’s secret murder hideout.

This hideout/kill room scene is one of the first of many powerful standoff scenes between the two. Dong-shik finds In-woo’s brother (and he’s surrounded by a mountain of evidence), but In-woo is no fool. He outsmarts Bo-kyung’s lie detector test, and though she tries to detain him, he’s soon on Dong-shik’s scent.

In-woo quickly gets the upper hand, locking Dong-shik in the kill room and watching him squirm from the comfort of his office at Daehan. Bo-kyung comes in with guns (err, tiny pistol) blazing, and even though she’s fearless, she’s not as cunning as In-woo, and he overpowers her. Like the sicko that he is, he sets up a trade: if Dong-shik kills his brother Ji-hoon, In-woo says he will let Bo-kyung go.

This scene is tense! It’s amazing the power of the exchanges between these characters when they’re not even in the same location — Dong-shik’s talking to a security camera, and In-woo is watching him through the feed, loving every minute of it.

Dong-shik fools In-woo (and us!) and though it looks like he stabs Ji-hoon, he really stabs himself instead. He’s in it to win it! In-woo lets him go and pretty soon they are having standoff number two in the Daehan office.

This showdown scene was 100% brilliant, weaving the comedy and horror together in the best way possible — I really found this the perfect culminating scene of the drama. It’s Psycho versus Hogu, shotgun versus stapler, and psychosis versus loving kindness.

But, I almost feel bad admitting how much I was laughing during this scene. It was simultaneously hilarious and compelling, because we know too well that In-woo with a shotgun and a pocket full of shells is a major problem. But take Dong-shik’s almost insane persistence to fight In-woo, add some cheesy grins, and him clocking In-woo in the head with some file folders (“Boss, I need you to sign this!” he shouts), and I was laughing my head off.

It was also a great twist that for Dong-shik to truly overpower In-woo here, he didn’t rely on his horror movie knowledge bank, but instead went straight to the diary and got to the root of In-woo and his vulnerability. It was as if everything he had been through and experienced made him the best (or perhaps only) person that could take In-woo down.

Finally, it was also perfect because it wasn’t Dong-shik the fake psychopath that gave him what he needed to win. Instead, it was Dong-shik is his truest state — the doofy, kind-hearted chump — that made him into the hero. Touché.

From here we head into our wrap-up, and I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a show jumping ahead a few months and showing us how our characters are doing more than I have here. Of Bo-kyung, we’re told “her beard is growing in nicely,” meaning she’s back in profiler mode, being her father’s daughter.

What about our Dong-shikkie? He quits his office gig and starts working… at the escape room. It’s hilarious! He uses all his theatricality to terrify customers, and then sits behind the desk in glasses and gets to his real work: he’s become a novelist.

His breakout hit “Psychopath Diary” tells the story of his ordeal (and what a great bit of meta that it’s that story we’ve been watching) — but he’s got more stories coming. I love that his previous rationale/explanation of I did XYZ “because I’m a psychopath” turned into “because I’m a writer who writes psychopath thriller stories.” This was such a great place for him to land.

The wrap-up is as sweet as it is funny (and Chil-sung is working at the Meat Republic and it’s awesome), but obviously a coma wasn’t a good enough punishment for In-woo. So, everyone goes in for one final round, and one final standoff, when In-woo wakes from his coma and escapes the hospital. Because that is what baddies do.

I didn’t think this final bit was entirely necessary, but it was a fun way to shake up the usual complacency of the forward jump and story wrap-up. In the end, In-woo winds up in prison for a lifetime of justice (some of it poetic), and our hero and heroine continue on their paths. They’ve both found their callings and Bo-kyung muses that, in a way, their subconscious selves pushed each of them to that point. They’re themselves, they’re grounded, and they’re awesome — what a satisfying ending for this show.

PS: Watch the bloopers at the end credits — they’re great!

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , ,

35

Required fields are marked *

I enjoyed the little speech Dongshik gave after (SPOILERS!) outsmarting Inwoo one last time in the escape room, where he says that the difference between humans and animals is how they use their brains.

I also enjoyed how Park Sunghoon went straight into "tired, crippled and lovesick" for Inwoo's final stand as though we didn't know how obsessed Inwoo already was with Dongshik the whole while :'D

Anyway, since I hawk all of the writer's pieces, this is good stuff and please watch his previous works, Liar Game and Pied Piper

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Loved the last two episodes. The twist and turns were really very interesting and kept one at edge of the seat. Full marks to the drama ( even though it seemed to have faltered in between but overall it is a just fantastic drama. Surely special mention goes to the lead actor Yoon Shi-yoon who was just too awesome, carried the whole drama on his shoulders. His ability to really emote with his face is amazing; was able to deliver the sweet pushover personality and the vicious psychopath type personality very well and even in split seconds switch in many scenes. Other characters were also quite good, though didn't have challenging personality to portray as Dong Sik. I will highly recommend this drama

7
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like how you described the showdown scene. It was awesome for a comedy-thriller drama like this. Some people may find the showdown scene that it didn't make sense but they often forget this was also a comedy that relied on silly situations. I enjoyed it a lot - the thrill, the humor and the suspense.

The ending was above average for me. The way they wrapped things up was nice. They also quite redeemed Bokyung's character by Dongshik saying he quiet intentionally stood in front of the car the night of accident. The detective saying they didnt do anything to capture Inwoo but it was Dongshik who did was peak stereotyping police in dramas lol genius. I thought at some point they were parodying the usual drama tropes.

The production was really aware of Dongshik-Inwoo fandom created by this show that they referenced Hannigram in ep15 lol.

It was a fun ride from beginning to end. Acting of leads were spectacular. The cast ensemble was great. What stood out for me was the consistency of YSY's acting throughout the drama. Highly recommended.

6
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

And his hairstyle was consistent throughout the drama...

2
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

TBH, I initially didn'tlike it but it grew on me over time. Whenever I see fanarts of Dongshik, his hairstyle really fits the distinct character.

5
4
reply

Required fields are marked *

Same here. It seemed a little too much too give our beleaguered, pushover main lead such a hairstyle, but now I find it incredibly endearing. It's funny that when Dong-shik and Bo-kyung were fixing up the mannequin, they paid a lot of attention to the hair and Dong-shik was like you got to make this curl go this way, it's my signature. And I liked that he kept that hair even after he became an author.

6
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I actually find him adorable with it and i prefered his shorter version from the first episodes but i think it suits Yoon Shi Yoon as well...

4

I was hoping by the end of the drama, Dong Shik would be sporting a cleaner, slicker hairstyle, but no, the writer is brutal enough to torture me with the same mop of hair. You are so correct, though. Changing it would definetely alter his distinct character, too.

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I also was expecting a change in hairstyle but in the end I liked that they didn’t change it. It goes with him staying a nice guy.

3

wait, "they referenced Hannigram in ep15 lol." when and how?? i don't seem to recall...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't usually make comment like this, but in the scenes after the time jump Jung In-sun (Bo-kyung) just radiates adorableness. She didn't particularly do anything 'adorable', besides look like she was having mischievous fun. But the camera lingered on her close-ups as though they knew they had a good thing.

6
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I noticed it too. Maybe because everything was calm, and we can focus and see how likeable Bokyung's character really was.(aside from the fact that Jung Insun is really gorgeous)

3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I also liked her a lot and even a bit sad we got so little of this scenes.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Someone on the internet attempted to list all of the references to film scenes in this series. It was a long list and they still managed to miss a few. This show was made for film buffs, overtly referencing scenes out of more than a dozen films, everything from Shawshank Redemption to Old Boy. Its impressive how they did a thriller movie pastiche yet the series still held together as a whole.

7
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

That scene where Bo-kyung held In-woo at gunpoint and told him to face the wall, she looks so smol compared to him. Jung In-sun is around my height so I can’t imagine how tall Park Sung-hoon is. Why is that man legs so long lol

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Park Sunghoon's like 183cm, which is generally average...it just so happened that Yoon Siyoon barely is 180cm himself and Jung Insun is even shorter, it's hilarious

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

This was such a fun ride,loved the show more than i initially expected...Like mentioned many times i love the witty humor and for me it clicked how the comedy interwined with the thriller very much...Loved the little twists we've got this two episodes sooo much...I must say DongShik is way more smart and intuitive than people and he himself gives credit for...It was quite fun seeing this tag between Inwoo and Dongshik and having him of all the people ruin everything when he got everything in his palm already...I must say that i was slightly suprised for Inwoo's Secretary to actually side with him even after knowing his deeds and how she could actually be if he gave her instrest one of those pyshopath couple...That is not love and her excuse was fake for me after she almost helped kill 3 people...Loved sooo much the combo between DongShik and Bo Kyung and how they used their qualities to outsmart Inwoo and ultimally put him behind bars...That showdown between DongShik and Inwoo in his bulding was sooo great with Yoon Shi Yoon brilliant acting being able to emote soo many expressions...Could say i cracked a bit when Inwoo called DongShik a nutjob of all people and that without even knowing he considered him his rival and the way DongShik read Inwoo in terms of his Mom pealing his layers in a few minutes and showing the real person behind his masks,that was amazing...I actually found hilarious when the garbage man said garbage fell from the sky in terms of Inwoo...I'm happy that at the end of the day DongShik finally found his true passion and do what he likes and is very good at it...He even read Inwoo so good knowing he would come after him if he gets better and read his book and be there,something that actually happend(saw Inwoo a mile with his black coat in the last raw) making him even more amazing how great he is reading people...The show really delivered a satisfying punishment for In Woo,i always have a little adversity as many kdrama villains escape or find the easy route to punish them but glad it wasn't the case here…I felt a tiny bit pity for him but i must say i would have truly enjoyed to see his life in Prison a little more,karma at best!Liked even the consistancy of his character that despite being now the pray he didn't do a turn of remorse...For him life in prison at the lowest of teh food chain and bullied like that is the worst punishment...Yook Dong Shik the bane of Seo In Woo existence,wherever he turns he encounters his name,found it funny that even in prison he hears his name…Ah,i can almost hear some chessy OST playing on the background dedicated to it!
Hope to see Park Sung Hoon soon with a positive role(he can do comedy or serious but let’s give him a lead as a good guy,stop typecast him )!!!Loved his chemistry with Yoon Shi Yoon!The bromance that could almost be!All in all loved the chemistry of all our 3 leads sooo much...

5
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm grateful for having either the full, or "Open Thread" recaps, that give us a richer viewing experience.

Re: recap, "In-woo winds up in prison for a lifetime of justice ",
and this comment,
"The show really delivered a satisfying punishment for In Woo, ... For him life in prison at the lowest of teh food chain and bullied like that is the worst punishment... "
I'm surprised that no one seemed to comment on the red prison ID that In Woo was sporting at 56:24.  
When someone pointed it out on another site, I had to double-check, by going through the Dramabeans recaps of the excellent! thriller, Defendant, with the great Ji Sung, to find in ep 8,
 " ... it’s blue with the red labels that denote a death row inmate."

On the whole, I thought the plot idea was unique and some of the comedy was hilarious (the friendly dog recognizing a "fellow predator", the "rescuing" the fickle FL from the path of the factory owner's car, etc). There were some unexpected twists, clever discourses, and some play on Kdr tropes. YSY and some of the other actors showed a lot of skill.
But I did get frustrated with some of the writing, such as how the cops and hospital personnel were portrayed as so incompetent, plus those 3 Daehan employees who never did any work and were so mindless and wavering,
and how the female lead, supposedly a trained cop, was written.
I'm glad there wasn't any romance because I mostly could not really like her character.

2
reply

Required fields are marked *

This belongs in my dramas-whose-endings-I-loved category! It's one of those rare dramas where the humor got even better closer to the end.

It seems a bit much that In-woo was able to move again, but it was awesome how the hospital escape led to the whole scene at the escape room, with In-woo trapped in room and Dong-shik watching him from the camera and speaking into the mic and going "Apologize...to the mannequin. LOL!" WHO IS THE PREDATOR, NOW, IN-WOO?! In-woo became this pathetic being. And then he was thrown in prison where he gets beat up. AND the person who got arrested because of his first murder went back to prison to troll him. That toilet bit was hilarious.

A couple other things that I loved but weren't mentioned:
1. Dong-shik and Chil-sung are dressed in jackets that say CAR WASH while breaking into In-woo's apartment. What are car washers doing inside a building? They blacked out the security cameras with soap. LOL!

2. A garbage truck had broken In-woo's fall. I love how the sanitation worker was like "trash really did fall from the sky. And it's not even trash you can recycle. You got to bury that stuff"

3. The mannequin that In-woo stabbed had a face drawn on it and that face resembled Dong-shik's goofy face.

Yoon Shi Yoon really killed it here. I can't think of anyone who could have played this role as well as he did. I'm going to miss Dong-Shik.

7
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Agree all those scenes were so damn funny.

2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love the ending! It's been a while since I was this satisfied with a drama ending. Kudos to the show. Both the alba and fulltime job are just perfect for Dong Hsikkie! And YSY looking dorky with glasses are just 🥰.

Sadly, I can't say the same for In Woo. I don't understand why he didn't just kill his brother and blame both murder on DS. Or why he didn't finish off Bo Kyung. I guess I can only blame DS and his ability to get into people's head (like he did with Chil Sung).

Speaking of Chil Sung... he is just ❤. More sidekick like Chil Sung, please. 🤗

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dramas, especially with the thriller genre, usually lose their charm around the finale episodes, so I'm really glad that Psychopath Diary's finale was satisfying. The time skip may be unnecessary, but it gave Dong-shik and Bo-kyung growth in both their careers and how they handle criminals people like In-woo. I've grown fond of YSY and PSH after finishing this show and that's a plus.

PS. Chil-sung is ❤

7
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What can I say about the drama. I loved how ridiculous yet fun this drama was. I loved the last two episodes. The showdown was fun. The ending was satisfying. In Woo getting what he deserved was satisfying. Seeing Dong Shik outsmart In Woo was satisfying. Having both Dong Shik and Bo Kyung end up doing what they were good at was satisfying.

3
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

There should be an award for best performance by an actor performing against type in a drama.
And the Award for
Best Character Actor Performing Against Type in a Drama:
Heo Sung-tae (Psychopath Diary (tvN).

Speaking for myself but based on my observation of HST's performances as a "heavy" in TUNNEL, WITCH'S COURT, CROSS, YOUR HONOR and WATCHER I never expected to see the brilliant comic performance he gave in PD. He was outstanding as Jang Chil-sung.

(O/T in 2019 a strong case for the award for best actor for performing against type could have been made for Kwon Yool in HAECHI. Here is another actor that gave a comic performance that I think shocked some people who maybe only knew him from his work in his 2 preceding dramas WHISPER and VOICE 2 where is was anything but humorous.

1
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think Ye Soo Jung as the evil mother-in-law from hell in WWW Search is worth mentioning in this category. She scared me even when all she did was paint.

1
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

@msrabbit,
I love Ye Soo Jung! She is one of my favorites. I missed her 2019 dramas but loved her in TWELVE NIGHTS (2018). In that drama she was cast against type. Often times she is cast as mom or grandma. In TN she was cast as a (sexy to me anyways) professional photographer whose dream was to go to the Serengeti.
She was great in that role. I was hoping she would get more like that.

2
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

She is currently in Black Dog as one of the veteran teachers. You'll probably enjoy her performance in WWW. I love her in this villain role and hope she gets to play evil more often.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

This was comedy-horror done right!
It was a fun ride and you could tell the actors were all having fun. It kept a consistent just-right comedic tone all the way through.
The hero and heroine were great, the psychopath was great, the sidekick was great, and the family was great.
Might have wished our heroine was a little less damsel in distress at the end, but she still was great. And the last battle was our hero's to win.

3
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you for your weekly recaps they were so helpful .

The Ending at least for me was so disappointing .
Yoon shi yoon is a cute guy but funny ? No. I mean he tried his best but i always prefered his serious roles .
Some of the in-woo's choices were so dumb that i couldn't believe , he's a psycho not a fu**ing moron !
The first 4 episodes were Great , 5 - 10 good , 11- 16 weak as hell .

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

There's a thin line between genius and moron, let alone psycho and moron. Being a psychopath doesn't instantly make you smart. Plus, In Woo's just woke up from a coma after an entire year. If the man didn't make 'smart' choices, that's okay! Cut him some slack.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Over the weekend I closed my eyes and picked a drama to watch at random (the Korean version of 'Rich Man, Poor Woman') and was greatly surprised to find our favorite chaebol psychopath in the cast! Park Sung Hoon is a side character who isn't given much to do the first half of the series but eventually gets a fairly decent story line.

One think I've gotten into the habit doing on Viki is clicking on actor profiles for a series I like so I can check out other dramas they've been in.

5
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This is one of my all time favorites! I had so much fun with it! After episode 1, I couldn't help but belt out laughing! It was so funny!!! I know there were more serious ones, but to have a drama with a good story line and one that just makes you happy is a 10

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Really enjoyed this show. The ending was very satisfying and I really liked that DS didn’t have to become a hardened character. He found his own strength and was still able to be a nice person.

Also good that the show didn’t force a romance between DS and BY. They’ve ended up friends/colleagues who could develop into a couple in the future.

All in all enjoyed this show, two thumbs up 👍 👍
(Must mention the dream with DS and his Mum, he was so adorable, especially the little toe wriggle )

2
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The whole series fcking sucks! It's a stupid drama people. There's plenty of other drama's out there that deserve more recognition, this isn't one.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

LMAO!

1
reply

Required fields are marked *