"Master - God of Noodles" Episode 17

People tend to reveal different sides of them when placed at extremes. A person with nothing to lose or one who feels like they own the world will let their guard down and charge blindly forward. This behavior puts our heroes at risk and it brings out the worst in those who will crush others for their goals. At this point in"Master - God of Noodles", anything goes. Lives might be lost and all truths will be revealed as we enter the final stretch.

Do-kkoo (Jo Hee-bong) is the man of the hour and he delivers more in this episode than satisfying punches. I cannot call the murderer of Yeo-gyeong's (Jeong Yoo-mi) parents a secret, as I do not feel we were truly expected to believe it was Congressman So (Kim Byeong-gi). Regardless, the impact of the revelation is solid, because it is important to our beloved characters. Given Do-kkoo's knowledge and the closing scene, I do not feel confident about his survival.

Losing him will be sad, but his character's entire development has been written in a way which emphasizes his loyalty, good heart and his willingness to pay for past sins. The plot also needs protectors of the past to help our heroes in the present and with Yeo-gyeong and Tae-ha (Lee Sang-yeob) being so determined and endangered, it is a necessary relief to see that someone wiser and older has their back.

Making sure that neither the heroes or villains are overpowered is a challenging task and the writer of"Master - God of Noodles"cleverly maintains a good balance. So Tae-seop has unsurprisingly let go of Yeo-gyeong, and Mi-ja (Seo I-sook) might be joining him by Gil-do's (Jo Jae-hyeon) side soon, but Do-kkoo and Prosecutor Ahn (Choi Byeong-mo) provide enough support to give our heroes a fighting chance. The antagonists are more powerful, however, which means that suspense is maintained.

Luckily, our heroes are smart and pure enough to also hold onto one another. When the series was about to begin airing, the creators mentioned "growth" as a concept. Tae-ha and Yeo-gyeong love each other despite their parents' ill fate and this is starting to manifest in Myeong (Cheon Jeong-myeong) and Da-hae's (Gong Seung-yeon) relationship as well. A sad past does not necessarily beget a sad future.

This is a lesson Da-hae is hoping to teach Gil-do as well. It might be tempting to call her naive for it, but her nature is one of hope and she has not experienced Gil-do's worst side directly. Some Korean dramas succumb to the temptation of a happy ending and force redemption on their villains, but I will follow Da-hae's example on this and hope that we get a powerful and realistic ending.

"Master - God of Noodles"is directed byKim Jong-yeonandLim Se-joon, written byChae Seung-daeand featuresCheon Jeong-myeong,Jo Jae-hyeon,Jeong Yoo-miandLee Sang-yeob.

Written by:Orionfrom 'Orion's Ramblings'