Hell is Other People Small Observation:

1
8

    I guess that Moon-jo finally received the “union” he was seeking with his chagiya, Jong-woo.

    🙁

    2
    1

      Could I ask to be spoiled? What happens?

      1
      1

        Well, things are not so clear cut. I recommend checking out some of @boughtabride‘s posts.

        Moon-jo tells Jong-woo that he can leave the goshiwon alive if he agrees to kill the other residents.

        As the events unfold, we see Moon-jo himself kill Ahjumma and Deuk-jong. Ahjumma kills our resident sex offender. At least, that’s how things appear.

        The ending, however, leads us to believe that Jong-woo actually killed Ahjumma, Deuk-jong, sex offender, and eventually Moon-jo. He does not, however, kill his girlfriend or army junior (we are led to believe that Nambok and Deuk-jong killed the army friend). We see then see the events play out with Jong-woo as the aggressor. The female cop comes to this conclusion after talking with the detectives on the case. She herself was at the scene, but did not actually see who killed whom, as she was partially conscious.

        Before Moon-jo dies, he is elated that Jong-woo has become his perfect creation. He even gifts Jong-woo a bracelet made of the teeth of past victims.

        At the end, Jong-woo’s psche seems to have broken. Visually, we see a back and forth at one point between his face and Moon-jo’s.

        Significantly, the female cop even appears to see the dead dentist. I interpret this to me that she has been effected to some extent by the events that unfolded.

        The dentist seems to have won. And he seems to have merged with Jong-woo.

        This is just a very quick summary. I am writing this at work, so I apologize. It’s much more complicated and reality is hard to distinguish from fiction.

        I do not see Jong-woo as being like Moon-jo at all, but I do believe he reached his final breaking point.

        As I said before, nothing is clear cut.

        And up till the end, Jong-woo still doesn’t receive any care or counseling. He is still isolated.

        2
        3

          Sorry for the spelling errors.

          I meant “affected to some extent.”

          I am sure there are other errors. Again, I wrote this quickly, without editing.

          1
          0

          you did a great job! summarizing and also highlighting the contradictions.

          i guess the main question would be: what did moon jo think he achieved. if it was to find someone like him then he failed because jong woo is not the same as him. if it was to drive someone crazy and exploit all their inherent issues (which is what abusers do!) and then go “see! he’s a killer!” they’re two totally different outcomes

          the gosiwon residents and jongwoo/outside world are not on the same playing field. had ji eun been in jongwoo’s spot, she either would have been dead OR been able to withstand until just the end with the final moments. i also dont see how it is physically possible between what happened with the murdering of the tenants and switching back/forth

          for me it’s like….there’s no supernatural element. it’s all from the psyche. but what did moon jo think he achieved? and jong woo also still sees him. i think that means he’s still there actually maybe in a physical sense but more metaphorical. so at this point my conclusion can be that as viewers we have been gaslit in a sense and jong woo definitely has. in fact, gaslighting relies on what people tell you. circular logic and making sure the other person BELIEVES what you’re telling them to be true and what they thought previously was not (i.e. moon jo killed everyone but we are told no it’s actually jong woo) there’s always going to be these lasting prints in jong woo’s mind. hopefully he will get better and if moon jo is dead (even though THAT wouldnt make sense in case of the literal story) the only thing he accomplished was making jong woo so miserable that he couldn’t think

          ur right, nothing is clear cut

          2
          1

            Yes, exactly what Moon-jo hoped to achieve is not clear. He probably thought he saw a kindred spirit, of sorts, in Jong-woo. But like you said, I do not believe that Jong-woo is the same. Moon-jo said that he did what he did simply because he enjoyed preying on the “weak.” I don’t see Jong-woo being that way. Is he a little troubled? Yes, but that is due to a number of reasons that were never addressed…in fact, they were ignored. I think that Jong-woo could have been treated successfully if his issues had been recognized and addressed (it must be added that he did not acknowledge or addressed his own issues, never mind what others around him failed to do.).

            Jong-woo says things and behaves strangely, but I still believe that he acts and thinks differently from Moon-jo. Even in his fantasies, in which he remarks that he “should have killed,” so and so, it s usually in the context of his feelings toward a bully or cruel figure (such as that disturbed soldier that we see in Jong-woo’s flashbacks).

            1
            0

          Thanks for this Peridot! I couldn’t watch the show after around ep 3 because I…was too creeped out (I followed the recaps instead), and I can see how Jong-woo must have been driven mad by staying there. Also, I now understand why I couldn’t understand what reviewers were saying about the ending.

          So after reading your & @amara’s views I quickly fast forwarded my way through the last episode, and ufff.

          1
          1

            That’s completely understandable. It is a creepy show.

            I’m glad that I could help!

            🙂

            1
            0