GABDONGI EPISODE 2

In my last review, as some of you pointed out, I missed some major female characters. My reasons are twofold: first, I wasn't certain how relevant they were to the plot, and second, I didn't recognize our resident asylum psychologist, Dr. Maria Oh, in her civvies. :) With fake lashes, bangs, and a miniskirt, she looks like an entirely different person.

The investigations proceed apace as two murders happen in the same night, the second clearly perpetrated by a middle-aged man. Cheol Gon ejects Moo Yeom from the scene of the second murder. Moo Yeom is interested to see if that one has Gap Dong's personal seal -- an intricate knot.

Moo Yeom asks to resume his duties after recuperating, but Cheol Gon rejects him; Cheol Gon is extremely suspicious of Moo Yeom's interest in the case. Moo Yeom goes over his files about Cheol Gon and asks Profiler Han for advice on the case. The profiler says that Gab Dong uses a fishing knot because the more you pull, the stronger the knot. Han believes the killer is a copycat, perhaps so in tune with the killer that he thinks of the same knot -- the intricate knot kept out of the official records. Moo Yeom heads out to the bus stop that was shown in the files. He notes the motorcycle parked there and is sucker-punched by Tae Oh.

Moo Yeom is more obsessed than ever. He had nearly given up on it, but it now seems that Gap Dong is active again. He becomes more and more eager to clear his father's name while Cheol Gon seems intent on stopping him from getting anywhere near the case. I figure if Moo Yeom can't get through to Cheol Gon, he will simply move around him.

Ji Wool is a character who doesn't get a lot of screen time. She's watched over by Mu Yeom's friend, a monk named Jinjo. Jinjo had caught her breaking into the temple and taken her under his wing. She's a teenage webtoon artist, specifically chronicling Gap Dong's bloody reign of terror. She is a little spitfire, independent and singularly fearless. She's already met Tae Oh and I fear bad things are in store for her. Were I in marketing, I would actually design her webtoons as an online companion to the show. That would be interesting to see.

Maria, meanwhile, indulges herself in her researches regarding Gap Dong. We find out she was the child survivor in the first episode, found before Gap Dong could kill her. She is likewise consumed with her search for Gap Dong and she plays a game with the inmates in which she feels their hands while blindfolded. Gap Dong had soft hands. She goes through Profiler Han's files and catches a bus to the same bus stop she sees in the files. She gets there and starts snapping pics with her phone...

She's playing a dangerous game. A serial killer is not someone to be toyed with, no matter how interesting. I would think, ultimately, you would do your best to avoid seeing him again or anything that reminded you of him, but I am not she.

Cheol Gon is the same sourpuss he revealed himself to be in the first episode. He refuses to let Moo Yeom have anything to do with the Gap Dong case and actively tries to crucify him ever chance he gets. When he gets a hold of Moo Yeom's notebook about the old cases involving Gap Dong, he figures it's a scrapbook of his father's handiwork. As he becomes more and more obsessed, I half-expect to see spittle drop from his mouth and a crazed look in his eyes. He's more frightening than ever, though, especially now that he may have found a link between Gap Dong and Moo Yeom.

Tae Oh is obviously one of our killers. He is also the motorcyclist whom we keep seeing speed by the murder scenes - only now is it revealed to us who it is, so he has to be at least one of the Gap Dongs running around. Apparently, finding a job as a barista wasn't fulfilling enough. ;)  One might worry that he would poison the coffee, but that's too obvious and not Gap Dong's M.O.

Maria talks with Tae Oh, buying coffee and checking up on him. When she saw him the night before, he mentioned he wanted back in the asylum. Now, he says he's having fun. Yeah, I'll bet. There's a scene of him walking through a luxurious apartment and I have to ask myself, how do you afford that on a barista's salary? 

I don't know about him yet. Sometimes he appears almost autistic, his speech spare and halting. Other times he appears eager and fresh-faced. I don't want things to be mustache-twirling obvious, but a little more oomph would be nice. The grimace during his victim's screams was a nice touch, however. I will admit that his actions are creepy.

This show continues with its suspenseful plotting and masterful music. It hasn't yet lost focus, though there is a heck of a lot happening. I wonder what's going to happen to Moo Yeom, though I think the action was taken just to avoid capture or discovery. After all, women are Gap Dong's victims, not men.

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.   

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