[ASKKPOP] [Drama Review] 'Gabdongi' - Episode 12

GABDONGI EPISODE 12

On his flight to Switzerland,Tae Ohstrikes again. This does not go unnoticed as there is a passenger keeping an eye onTae Oh'sactivities. We know now that the bloody police badge belonged toChul Geon.  Profiler Hanexplains it was near the 7th victim and designed to frameChul Geon, who is subsequently fired and tellsMu Yeomto quit before his obsession overtakes him. The 7th victim is found, the plane heads back to Korea, andTae Ohis taken into custody for interrogation before being sent to the asylum. The passenger who was watchingTae Ohgives his statement andMu Yeomdiscusses his discomfort with the case. He knowsTaeOhwas angry with himself after the murder; he usually seems excited, but this time, he was subdued.Mu Yeomends up atMaria'sand, before the action can get hot, the asylum calls, sayingTae Ohwants to confess toMaria. The scene shifts to a figure walking through a field of reeds. The telltale whistle lets us know it'sGab Dong.  When he moves his face out of shadow, it'sSection Chief Cha!

Well, that came out of left field. I was expecting, perhaps, our witness from the plane (he seemed a bit ominous) orProfiler Han, not the section chief. I know we should suspect everyone; with the creepy way the writers set things up, it's hard not to, but I had fairly well ruled out of number of people. Just goes to show how much of a mystery buff I am (I'm not). I'd love to know the explanation for this, though. This revelation alone is worth the price of admission.


The in-flight movie was pretty bad, but did you have to kill someone over it?

At the same time, the revelation frustrates me. We seem to have more than oneGab Dongrunning around. We haveTae Oh, who admits there's anotherGab Dong. There'sSection Chief Cha,Chul Geonhas been a suspect at least once, there'sProfiler Han, and whoever that guy in the asylum is thatTae Ohmet more than once. So is there oneGab Dong, is there at least one copycat, or are there a number of crazy people who have adopted theGab Dongmoniker and methods?

I commented before thatTae Ohdoesn't seem in control of his action, and here, it seems true. He seems angry at himself as he reseats himself on the plane andMu Yeommentions that the 7th murder was unintentional. We certainly see a differentTae Ohin the asylum, he has madness in his eyes, hurling himself against the bars, and screaming at the top of his lungs. So when the cool veneer of thechaebolkiller is stripped away, this is what we are left with. It kind of shocked me, as I didn't imagineTae Ohas anything like that. I think I liked him better as the killer with the unsettling demeanor.


Wow. Just, wow.

But, still, that rage!  The twisted hate that the eyes reflect seemed fairly real, which would indicate his end as a K-Pop idol, but he might have a future in death metal. His acting in that scene was more physical than I've seen him get, and I can almost imagine him suffering contusions similar to the bruisesAfter Schoolshowed during the 2013 comeback just from sheer physical exertion. I've read recently thatLee Joonstudied hard to become a convincing sociopath, and I think he's outdone himself here.

Mariainterests me more and more. The show seems to suggest she has multiple personalities and I feel this episode confirms my suspicion. There's calm, cool, rationalDr. Maria, there isClubChick Mariawith miniskirt, fake nails, and fake eyelashes (and doubtless some Barbie accessories)...now,Mu Yeomhas identified the third one: the victim,Jae Hee. In this installment, he cautions her when she questionsTae Ohto enter the cell asDr. Mariaand not asJae Hee. Which makes sense, now that I think of it. But if you have multiple personality disorder, can you really control who you are around others?

I'm enjoying this show and this episode in particular. I don't think 'Gabdongi' knows what it wants to be yet, but I think that's part of why it's so compelling. At some points it wants to be a murder mystery, at other points, a horror show, and finally it resembles a psychological thriller. You can't be murder mystery if you know whodunit, it can't be horror if the killer is out in broad daylight, and a psychological thriller works best if your violence is mental, not physical. Maybe they're deliberately trying to avoid genre or maybe the writers are just telling their tale their way. Who knows? Either way, it's a must-see.