[Drama Review] 'Man to Man' -- Episode 12

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Posted by eric_r_wirsing Tuesday, May 30, 2017

MAN TO MAN -- EPISODE 12

Seol Woo, shot, falls into the river. As his life flashes before his eyes, he focuses on Do Ha, which gives him the strength to wake up and get out. He ends up at Mr. Seo's house, as a ghost agent best knows how to deal with bullet wounds. Seol Woo makes it back "home," and is nursed back to health by Do Ha. Mr. Jang teams up with Seung Jae and locates the slush fund. Dong Hyun takes no nonsense from Mr. Jang and runs him in, but finds out it was all a ruse to take these guys down. The prosecutor arrests a few of those complicit�but is unable to get to Seung Jae or Congressman Baek, as they walk free. Using the bible verse as a code, Seol Woo figures out that a particular painting inside that vault must contain a clue. Peeling it back, he reveals a floorplan to the VIP Lounge at the Songsan Offices. Seung Jae curses his luck�and figures out that Seol Woo must still be alive. He finds out that's true when he walks into his office at Songsan, only to see Seol Woo sitting in the boss' chair...

I felt sure that Seol Woo was going to run off again, after that nightmare where Do Ha got shot. Or was protecting her only an excuse to run from his feelings? I'm not sure�since that kind of thing is old hat in the superhero world. And why secret I.D.s are precious. Whatever. I'm glad he stayed around. Maybe finally they can get their relationship on track. I just want to find out how they tell Woon Gwang.

Mr. Jang is finally back where he needs to be. An NIS agent ready to put the bad guys in their place. I was kind of worried about him at first, but I guess I needn't have. While I've seen a lot of dramas that were guilty of severe character drift, I guess his character is intact. And how better to derail the enemy's plans than on the inside? You have to know what they're planning in order to stop it.

And thank God that�Dong Hyun is not the traitor. I missed him as the NIS guy that dispensed the mission and helped handle particulars. He's funny and personable, despite a slightly grumpy side. And he always seemed to do what was right, which is why it was odd that they fingered him. But after figuring out what happened to Agent K, he was Mr. Long Arm of the Law again.

Do Ha stopped acting so much like a lovestruck teen, but I'm still waiting for the chemistry. And as I said, maybe if Seol Woo lightened up some we have some more of that. As it is, it seems as if he is unwilling to drop his trademark stoicism and just allow himself to enjoy the moment. I understand that for an agent that is death, but in this case, he's not really an agent anymore. Maybe next week we'll see more of his human side.

Seung Jae just seems like the slippery worm he always is. He apologizes and his company's stocks hit record highs. No one seems willing or able to pin anything on him and have it stick. Which worries me -- how are they going to be able to take him down? I know that Seol Woo has a plan -- which is why he was able to effectively blindside the chaebol at the very end.

This show I think has hit a plateau. Not a whole lot of action this time either, but at least the plot moved faster. It was fun to see everyone get arrested and interrogated or bullied into a confession. And I liked the twist ending. We're past the hump, so I'm assuming everything's going to wrap up eventually. So, I'm taking bets. Long denouement? Or last minute victory? Anyone?