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Grid: Episode 8

Devastating losses stir up some long-buried emotions, forcing our characters to reexamine what their loved ones mean to them, and how much they’re willing to sacrifice. Can change truly be enacted, or will the resulting consequences be too much to bear?

 
EPISODE 8 WEECAP

Upon witnessing Soo-geun get impaled, the janitor flees in a panic, and Sae-ha chases after him. Overwhelmed and traumatized from seeing his father die right before his eyes, Sae-ha grabs the janitor’s lapels and yells despairingly at him, asking why this always happens if he lives.

Little Shi-won, the janitor’s son, witnesses this confrontation, and he rushes up to Sae-ha. Sae-ha shrugs him off instinctively, but the disc in his hand accidentally makes contact, and it burns Shi-won’s eye.

Heaving a deep, exhausted sigh, Sae-ha activates the disc and time travels to the moment the Ghost is about to inject the unknown substance into his mother. He wrests the bottle out of her hands, only to realize that it’s a harmless vitamin. She’d manipulated him into time traveling.

Sae-ha travels even further back, to the night the Ghost helped Ma-nok escape the authorities. He asks her what he ought to do — she knows the solution to changing the outcome, doesn’t she?

Unfortunately, she claims she doesn’t. She’d only begun time traveling because she hadn’t known what else to do. Sae-ha points out that his DNA hasn’t been damaged like hers, despite time traveling many times. (Yeah, what’s with that? It can’t simply be protagonist plot armor, so what sets him apart from her?)

Sae-ha has as many questions as I do, and he fires them off at the Ghost. Does the janitor have to die for her to live? Did his father have to die too, or was it simply for the ID card? Declaring that she has no conscience, Sae-ha asks if she feels even an ounce of guilt towards the victims.

The Ghost scoffs at that. Countless people died back in the Joseon dynasty, so why isn’t he going back to save them, then? Sae-ha accuses her of manipulating and ruining everything just to save herself. She turns that back around on him, though, and says he’s the one ruining everything. Huh, then why did you approach his mother in order to set him on this path in the first place?

Sae-ha watches as the Ma-nok chase plays out, until Ma-nok comes running in his direction and grinds to a halt in front of him. Ohmygod, Ma-nok has a disfigured eye — Shi-won is Ma-nok! (Some of y’all guessed this in the comments last week — good call!)

Traveling back to the past again, Sae-ha materializes out of thin air in front of the janitor and his son. The janitor grabs a fire extinguisher as a weapon, and when the Ghost suddenly materializes too, he instinctively swings it at her and knocks her to the ground.

The janitor and his son run off as the Ghost’s body begins to disintegrate, but Sae-ha teleports in front of them, blocking their escape. He raises his disc as if to kill the janitor, only for the Ghost to beat him to the punch and do it herself.

Wait, why did Sae-ha have a sudden change of heart? I thought he returned to try and change things yet again, but I guess not. Perhaps the Ghost’s words cemented the idea that his meddling was only leading to worse outcomes, and that the deaths in the original timeline were necessary to achieve the best possible future.

The security guard (a.k.a the head of security in the present day) chances upon the scene, and Sae-ha stops the Ghost from killing him too. “If no one reports this, he’ll be lying here all night,” Sae-ha says, looking down sorrowfully at his father’s corpse.

Fast-forward to the year 2000. Sae-ha walks home alongside his nine-year-old self, then embraces him in a hug and reassures him that he’ll be okay. His mom loves him, and she’s just having a hard time right now, so he shouldn’t hate her too much. Oh, Sae-ha…

Back in the present day, Sae-ha slices his arm open and pulls the spherical chip out of his arm. Quick-witted as ever, Sae-byuk realizes he time traveled, and Sae-ha tells her that he saw a world without the Grid.

Just then, Eo-jin’s phone rings with a call from Jong-yi, but Ji-yoo interrupts her before she can finish delivering her warning. Sae-ha puts his disc in the Ghost’s hand as Eo-jin goes to check the door — and then the bombs are detonated, engulfing Eo-jin in flames. Nooooo.

Instinctively, Sae-ha pulls a shocked Sae-byuk away from the explosion, just as the disc in the Ghost’s hand glows.

A split second later, Sae-byuk finds herself at the construction site she once investigated, while Sae-ha’s suddenly transported to a hallway in the Bureau. Omg, Eo-jin walks by — this is the past! He’s still alive! And so is Sun-wool!

Losing Eo-jin right in front of her eyes has deeply shaken Sae-byuk, and she calls him to check if he’s all right. He’s confused by the sudden show of concern, as well as the sheer relief in her voice.

Sae-byuk heads to the abandoned railway station, but unlike before, there’s no sign of Ma-nok. There’s someone else lying dead, though, and it’s the cleaning lady. Ma-nok must have killed her while escaping.

Meanwhile, Sae-ha heads home to find his mother healthy and sober; it seems like the psychiatric clinic pamphlet he left behind anonymously in the past worked. A conversation with her brings Sae-ha up to speed — one, his father was suspected of murdering the janitor, and two, his father built the Grid. Of course, we know that it was Sae-ha, mistaken for his father due to their resemblance.

After the initial investigation of the crime scene, Sae-byuk leaves to drive the cleaning lady’s bereaved husband home. In a rare moment of impulsiveness, Eo-jin gets into her car instead of joining his colleagues, and that leads to a much-needed conversation between the two.

Eo-jin confesses that receiving the call from Sae-byuk had reminded him of their past together, when she’d call him during work breaks. He asks why she wanted to check if he was okay, but she deflects by saying she merely had a bad dream.

On a park bench, fugitive Ma-nok is having a nightmare, in which we see that the Ghost was present and watching when he killed the cleaning lady. Ma-nok jolts awake to flashlights in the distance, and he quickly hides in a playground slide. Ji-yoo’s men are searching for Ma-nok, and one agent draws nearer and nearer, stopping to peer up into the slide as Ma-nok holds his breath…

And that’s where the episode stops. Gosh, this show and its cliffhangers! At least it continued to give us more plot development this week, and it seems like Sae-ha might be able to make small positive changes such as nudging his mother away from her depressive spiral, even though he can’t alter the future too significantly. Though in a way, this can be considered a significant change, so perhaps Sae-ha simply can’t make immediate changes that are too large, but he can initiate a butterfly effect of chain reactions.

I’m glad that we’re also getting some long-awaited character development, with Sae-ha strengthening his resolve and learning to keep a somewhat cooler head. In addition, Sae-byuk and Eo-jin have shifted from defensive hostility to awkwardly circling around each other, which seems to bode well for a possible reconciliation. Both their sharp edges have been softened by what they’ve been through, especially Sae-byuk, and I hope they get that second chance they’re unconsciously wishing for.

I think the show’s uneven pacing really worked to its detriment, because we’ve seen in the past two episodes that it’s fully capable of tight and fast-paced storytelling. Its meandering start did no favors to the story, and now I’m left nervously wondering how it’s going to wrap up its story convincingly in just two episodes.

I suppose this means that the timeline we’re on now is likely the one we’re staying in, since our main characters are all alive (phew!) and they’re all one step closer to solving the mystery. Then again, it’s often one step forward and two steps back with this show, so I hope it doesn’t renege on its progress.

There are still so many questions to be answered! What’s the key difference between Sae-ha (who’s still healthy) and the Ghost (who’s crumbling away)? Why doesn’t the Ghost have an identity, and what motivated her to time travel in the first place? If the Ghost set Sae-ha’s time travel in motion, causing him to be mistaken for his father as the founder of the Grid, did this current timeline spark the Ghost’s time-traveling, too? And if that’s the case, which came first?

Also, Sae-ha seems to have come to a tacit understanding with the Ghost that both the janitor and his father had to die in order for the Grid to be built, but I’m not sure I’m buying that just yet. So far, the drama seems to be keeping to the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed and transferred. In other words, it’s like the law of equivalent exchange, in that humankind cannot gain anything without first giving up something of equal value.

When the janitor was saved, Soo-geun died in his place; when Eo-jin was saved, the cleaning lady died. However, this would suggest that the janitor’s death is weighted as heavily as the Grid that saved two-thirds of humankind, which doesn’t seem quite right. Plus, the exchanges haven’t been exactly equal; in some timelines, both the janitor and Soo-geun die, and in the timeline where the cleaning lady is dead, both Eo-jin and Sun-wool are alive. So perhaps there’s something more to it, or perhaps the law that governs time-traveling is a different one altogether.

Phew, you know it’s a Lee Soo-yeon drama just by looking at all that theorizing! I have to admit I’m still lost on some of the finer details of this drama, but I’m choosing to trust that she’ll have it all connected and worked out by the end. I’m still invested in these characters and their (hopefully safe and radiation-free) future, so that’s gotta say something, right?

 
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The two reasons I still haven't opted out from this drama are
1. I already invested 8 hours.
2. Beanies trust in this writer that everything will make sense at the end.

I have so many questions apart from the ones mentioned by @solstices
1. Did Kim Sae Ha become Kwon Sae Ha because the Administration kept a check on the Sae family due to the mysterious death of one of their employees? Does it mean in the initial timeline Sae Ha changed his surname as a means of survival because they weren't compensated by the Administration?
2. What did Sae Byuk mean when she said "Did you also see what I saw when you used the weapon on me or did you purposely show it to me?"
3. Why did Sae Ha inform to little Sae Ha to use the bathroom once he reaches him house? Was it to prevent his mom's suicide? However in the new past timeline they showed that she actually did not commit suicide but the metal bar fell of its hinge when she pulled the towel.

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1- We don't know when Saeha changed his name from Kwon to Kim, but it may have been when his mum had the accident and he had to survive on his own and made up his mind to find out the truth about his dad's death.
2- I believe that SaeBuyk saw a glimpse of a possible future when the disc harmed her. It can be this: the scientist in the room before the explosion began to say something about the Ghost DNA as if it was related to her. So I believe they can be family.
3. Even if mum failed, he's been traveling in time... what if she succeeded this time? And above all, the scars left in little SaeHa wouldn't be there.

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I'm glad Saeha finally realised that he can't change the big things but can at least make small positive changes. But the effect even small changes may have on others is of course in question. Is it okay for leads to come back to life if the cleaning staff dies?

Like @solstices I am putting my faith in the writer and going with it but there really should have been more answers and less questions by now. I don't know what the end of this show is supposed to be at this point - I really hope it's not just a build-up for another season.

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This drama. The number of times I have been like but I don't understand. Where are their present selves when she sends them back in time? They should technically still exist, just like much younger SaeHa existed when he went back in time. So technically there should be two SaeHas and two Sae Byuks. However, the writer completely ignores that when it is convenient. Also, at least now we know the little boy who watched his father die is Manok, at least there is that.

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I was also thinking about this,even if he re-written the past his past self still existed and should be somehow different as his life path was altered and considering the one we follow didn't change at all after his input,was waiting for the one living there to appear when he went home etc...My first guess was that if he changed the past he would disappear as his persona is over written by the changes in the past and if not at least there would be 2 of them but that would mean he would be out of time as there wouldn't be a place no more for him...
I mean Ghost wouldn't have this problem as she is from the future and isin't affected at all by the changes she does in the future but it shouldn't be the same for Sae Ha who very well exists in that past he comes again and again to change

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Exactly. It is frustrating because they retained their memories, it doesn't makes sense or work. It is incredibly frustrating.

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I think the writer has already bitten more than she can chew. There are way too many questions and plot holes but not enough answers. I've only seen Life by her which was a rather simple show but had a lot more heart and depth. It did not have the kind of pacing this show does, though I can't say anything about Forest of Secrets. I just hope it wraps up in the next two episodes rather than leave everything hanging for a second season which i won't be watching.

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I think you are correct. She lost the plot here, but we have two more episodes, maybe we are wrong. Forest of Secrets is my absolute favorite drama, the first season is basically perfect.

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Well, I understood part of what I just watched... maybe. Sadly, complicated shows like this are best binged, but I insist on watching week-by-week so I my comments won't be too out-of-date.

I don't think conservation of energy is a factor -- certain people have to live or die to get the immediate job done or so because of the impacts of what they or or their descendants will do later. It's complicated.

I think Ghost is just willing to kill or save whoever it takes for the greatest good for the greatest number. She doesn't know that the greatest number this month is 2521.

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I'm considering dropping it, I just don't really care at all about Sae Ha if I'm being honest. His motivations are shallow, and he's done nothing to make me emotionally invested in him. I get that people trust the writer, but if you have 8 episodes of poorly paced plot-hole ridden sloppiness, even if you somehow close all the holes in a rapid succession last 2 episodes... it was still sloppy, poorly executed for 75% of the show.
My other thing is... this isn't a character study for sure, every character ranges between fairly shallow and cardboard standee, but it's plot isn't tight enough to make up for it. Far too many things are based on people acting irrationally and/or in a way that makes no sense given the structures and interests laid out.

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So was right about Ma-no. It just made sense. Now, I am struggling to understand why keeping him alive is that important, or at least to keep him alive up to a certain point. She's kept him safe up to this point, but right now... what does that sneaker mean? I feel he's already dead...I think the Ghost needs him to die in a certain moment, so this makes me think there is a Doctor Who analogy here. In Doctor Who there are "fixed points in history" that can't be changed whatever you do. I think this is what happens to SaeHa's dad and the janitor. They must die for the the Grid to be completed.

And also now I think there is a connection between the Ghost and Saebyeok. Just before the explosion one of the scientist begin to say something regarding the Ghost DNA. I took for granted that she meant the Ghost is somehow related to her. Is she her daughter? Her granddaughter?

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My theory about Seo-ha and the Ghost's differering health condition is that he's the original owner of the time travelling disc so it's coded to his DNA. The ghost did mention something along the lines of he's the reason all these are happening, so maybe he was the one who passed on the baton of time travelling to her (maybe in his old age that's why she doesn't recognise him) with instructions on how to set up the gird and important people to take note of. Maybe the reason she keeps evading his questions is because she doesn't have the answers either...

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If last week is all about big, crazily huge changes, this week is about small, almost negligible ones. The tiniest differences that is somehow impactful enough to start a powerful butterfly effect.

I love Sae-ha's struggle to choose the safe, small amount of change he can inflicted that still ensure a reverberated changes in the long term but without the dangerous "side effect". How he has to accept certain things as inevitable, however bitter, while still being resourceful enough to ensure that his family will get a better outcome this time around. (The scene between him and young Sae-ha was so wistful and hopeful at the same time, it just hit me right on the feels.) I like the imposibility for even a time traveler to predict the long term impact of a very small gesture like telling the family much earlier about the father's death, and leaving behind a pamphlet about the importance of mental health.

Meanwhile the timeline continued to multiply into probably infinite numbers. It's kinda reassuring though, in a way, to see how our choices matter in the grand scheme of thing, no matter how small the circle of influences actually run.

Speaking of another small changes (and second chance), I have to say I usually despise instant character development, or instant major shift in a relationship. But here, there's just something inevitable and final about the massive leap of development Sae-ha and Sae-byuk went through. There's just no way for them to stay the same. Not after staring death in the eyes and somehow securing a second chance for everyone involved. Not after watching the slightest difference in their decision brought about unexpectedly permanent consequences. Suddenly they found themselves valuing the relationships in their lives more generously (no matter how strained it was, how infuriating, how they usually took it for granted), and I find that very relatable and grounding in the middle of fantastical leap of time and space.

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I wish I could like this comment more than once

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That's flattering. Thank you 😊

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