GABDONGI EPISODE 5

Now that the shock's worn off, we see Mu Yeom confess that he is Gab Dong, laughing and signing a written confession. He even explains that he committed the second murder involving the straw artisan. Maria assures Chul Geon that the brain scan held up, so the confession must be fake, that there's some other motive behind Mu Yeom's actions.

Even a reenactment doesn't prove a thing. Mu Yeom is accused of faking when he can't tie the knots the killer used.

Tae Oh stalks his next victim, the hairstylist in the red coat we met last episode. Next time we see her, she is Victim #3 out in the woods, running for her life. She is barefoot, having shed her new shoes, and she hears the awful whistling. In the woods, Tae Oh catches up to our victim. He sends a new message using her phone: "When your mind is fried, traveling is the best! Where do you think I am?"

At home, Maria blows the whistle Mu Yeom gave her; he gave her this in lieu of the stun gun, figuring that would help her more. Just then, Ji Wool knocks on her door. She asks Maria if Mu Yeom is nuts since that's the only way he could have confessed.

Chul Geon asks Mu Yeom why he burned his father's bloodstained jacket. When Mu Yeom refuses to answer, Chul Geon hits him with a chair. Flashback to Mu Yeom's childhood when he gorges himself on a chicken that he stole and butchered before regarding his bloodstained clothing -- the same bloodstains that might have been on his father's jacket.

Chul Geon moves the camera away, slams files onto Mu Yeom's head, finally overturns the table, and continues stomping on him. Then, he hits Mu Yeom with a chair yet again.

As Maria is explaining her theory about Mu Yeom's innocence to Ji Wool, she gets a text from Tae Oh, asking if he can see her.

With Mu Yeom on the floor, bleeding, Chul Geon finally admits that his heart says Mu Yeom did it, but his head says he did not. Mu Yeom gives his word that he will tell Chul Geon about the jacket when the time is right. Mu Yeom resigns from the police and is released. Mu Yeom says that it's time for him to collect on their bet, and pulls out a hatchet from his jacket. Yeah, that's normal. I just carry one around wherever I go. Chul Geon puts his hand on the table. We see and hear the hatchet land.

Maria comes to see Tae Oh, only to find pills scattered all over. Once she checks his vitals, she knows he's faking and tells him anytime he needs to talk he can do so without the drama. He blurts out, "Gab Dong," and tells her he was a suspect. She tells him it's not just him and that a cop is being held as a suspect, too.

Chul Geon is in an ambulance, medics attending the bloody finger. Apparently Mu Yeom really did it. In a flashback, we see that Chul Geon actually wanted this in order for Mu Yeom to gain access to the asylum.

A month later, Mu Yeom is admitted to the asylum. Every one knows him as the one who cut off his boss's finger. Everyone shrinks from him except Gentleman Choi, who appears amused by the whole thing.

A hiker finds a red shoe with a phone in it. On the phone is a picture of the third victim, dead and tied up. Police are sent to the scene, the body is found nearby, and they speculate that the killer waited for Mu Yeom to enter the asylum.

Mu Yeom chats with bespectacled Gentleman Choi about how he looks like police sketches of Gab Dong. Choi grows visibly annoyed at this question.

In a session with Maria, Mu Yeom admits he's here because the killer has to be here. He makes a bet with her: who will recognize him first?

A prosecutor comes in with release papers, but Mu Yeom refuses to sign, asking for more time. Chul Geon is waiting for him, as well, and for once they don't appear to be enemies. Chul Geon stresses they need to identify the Gab Dong inside the asylum and whether he's communicating with the Gab Dong outside the asylum.

Tae Oh waits at a payphone. He picks up the receiver, and grins as he hears a familiar whistle. Tae Oh says "We're getting the Mad Monk (Mu Yeom's nickname) this time." "Any bait?" asks the mysterious figure at the payphone. "Maria's Whistle," is Tae Oh's reply.

Among her papers, Maria finds a note: "Hide well, Oh Maria!"
 
Mu Yeom is poring over old files in his shed, looking for more evidence. One of the things found at a crime scene is a whistle. He goes looking for Maria.

Maria appears to be followed, and she blows the whistle. Hearing this, Mu Yeom leaps to the rescue, only to find Tae Oh was the shadowy figure following her. She tends to Tae Oh's split lip. Mu Yeom calls his partner to investigate Tae Oh, but his partner says Tae Oh checked out. Tae Oh's alibi? Maria.

At this point Mu Yeom rushes back to the trailer and sees Maria and Tae Oh sitting together. "You rat," he thinks. "You were the Gab Dong out here?"

This gets more twisted by the minute. It made me rather uncomfortable to watch Mu Yeom's abuse at the hands of Chul Geon. That was a bit over the top, and it was almost a relief to cut to scenes of Tae Oh hunting that poor girl, which serves to contrast the level of violence in those scenes.

It's interesting to see that Gentleman Choi, though odd, is not Gab Dong. He watches the other inmate on the phone with amusement, but he appears clear of wrongdoing. The guy on the phone is intentionally blurry, they don't want to reveal the secret too soon.

This drama has taken a turn for the better because it began to be a bit repetitive. Okay, there's Maria with Tae Oh looking scared. There's Chul Geon, being an ass. There's Tae Oh, stalking his next victim. They finally introduced some variation into the themes worked in here. Chul Geon has come around, at least a bit. He's still a psychotic jerk, but I think that's why he's there -- you're supposed to hate him. Mu Yeom is the next target, and we know Maria is going to be the bait. They kicked it up a notch, and it works rather well.

What happens now that Mu Yeom suspects Tae Oh? Is someone likely to suspect what Chul Geon did and call him out on it? Who is the mysterious caller in the asylum?  Did he leave the note for Maria? And couldn't you figure out the origin of the note from the penmanship?

Interesting developments, all in all. I'm hoping to see more of this kind of thing. Switch it up, make it different. This is supposed to go for 20 episodes, so if it gets stale this quickly that really bodes ill for the show. Here's to 15 more awesome episodes!

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