[Discuss Away!] Revenge of Others: Episodes 3-4

This drama continues to get better and better and I continue to get more and more invested. ‘Revenge of Others’ builds upon the momentum and mystery that it presented in the first two episodes and performs even better with episodes 3-4.

My most favorite aspect in episodes 3 and 4 definitely has to be the relationship development between Soo-heon and Chan-mi. They were merely classmates in episodes 1-2 and bumped into each other by chance on the same day that they found out they were classmates. But now, they realize that they have a lot more in common than they thought and have reasons to befriend each other. The two got to a point in their relationship where they became a lot more comfortable with each other, but that came at a price of course. In episode 3, we witnessed Chan-mi grow suspicious of Soo-heon for being the “hero” (AKA the student who attacks the primary bully of the school). She steals his bloody shoes and could have turned him into the police, but she refrained herself from doing so. We saw later on that Chan-mi misunderstood and she didn’t actually reveal anything when interviewed by detectives, but this action and behavior was what lead Soo-heon to open up to Chan-mi. From that moment on, he felt as if he could trust her even if he should always remain careful and cautious of everyone and everything.

Episode 4 probably had to be my favorite episode so far purely because of how many scenes and interactions we got of Soo-heon and Chan-mi. I loved how Soo-heon took Chan-mi in and permitted her to sleep at his place after she got kicked out of her own place. Soo-heon is already showing that he cares for Chan-mi whether it was swooping in during an intense confrontation between Chan-mi and Ji-hyun or checking in on her after she got into a fight with Ji-hyun and Ji-hyun’s gang. It was also in the way he waited on the rooftop for her to get home and checked in on her after they saw the terrifying video of Won-seok’s fall to death earlier that day at school.

We saw Soo-heon already sort of care for Chan-mi starting from the first episode when he handed her his uniform to wear over her wet t-shirt, but I love the consistency in which he shows this kindness. He doesn’t do it for anything in return; he does it because he cares about Chan-mi and has warmed up to her. She shared her secret about her twin brother to him and he also shared with her the truth about what happened to his deceased brother. Their relationship has evolved so slowly and dearly over the few days that they’ve known each other, it’s not hard to see and understand why Soo-heon cares for Chan-mi.

I can’t forgive myself (and Hulu) for reading a description to one of the later episodes while I was checking out the episode guide. It gave away one of the potential suspects behind Chan-mi’s brother’s, Park Won-seok, death and now I can’t unsee it. However, the latest episode did start to build some action around Gi Oh-seong who was able to access some text messages and photos between Chan-mi and Park Won-seok. Other than Soo-heon, he was the only one who knew that Chan-mi and Won-seok were related which he then relayed to his best friend, Jae-bum. Of course, it’s not clear cut as to whether it was Oh-seong who was the one who pushed Won-seok to his death or even whether he was the one who attacked Chan-mi in episode 3. You think it’s him because there’s one piece of evidence that Jae-bum pointed out that narrows it down to him, but then the drama pulls you back and makes you second guess everything. Also, I feel so conflicted on Jae-bum’s role in all of this. I wasn’t the biggest fan of how he lied to Chan-mi in order to protect Oh-seong, but I do wonder what his role was prior to his coma and then what his role in the future will be. What was his involvement in all of this and how big of a role does he play?

Another sub-plot that I’m glad the drama actually answered and dedicated some time into was Soo-heon’s brain tumor and how it relates to the rest of the story. In my review for episodes 1 and 2, I mentioned how Soo-heon’s brain tumor felt a little random and unnecessary. But as we saw with the newest episodes, Soo-heon’s doctor is actually the husband of Detective Jin So-jung, the main detective working on the case behind Won-seok’s death. So at least there’s some kind of connection there between Soo-heon’s brain tumor announcement and hospital visits to the rest of the story.

Also, I don’t think this needs to be said but I’ll just mention it anyways — I’m not the biggest fan of Ji-hyun as it seems like she has this personal vendetta out for Chan-mi that doesn’t make all that much sense to me. It’s not the most clear why she hates Chan-mi so much other than that it might have something to do with jealousy and how close Chan-mi has gotten to Soo-heon in such a short amount of time? I’m really hoping there’s not as much Ji-hyun or that if there is, her role and involvement is a lot more transparent than her just being the typical mean, toxic second female lead that we seen often in high school dramas. Are there any opportunities of a multi-dimensional characterization for Ji-hyun?

Speaking more on the production side of things, some of the shots in this drama is so breathtaking. I was especially a fan of the bus stop and bus scene in episode 3. My favorite scene, visually, has to definitely be the bus scene where Soo-heon asked Chan-mi for Won-seok’s real name. I just remember being in complete awe at how beautiful the shot looked and literally gasping at that scene. It looked so simple and minimal, but it was so so nice and pretty. This drama definitely had a few scenes here and there that made me gasp at the visuals, aesthetics, and cinematography.

I hope the drama still continues with Soo-heon enacting revenge as the school’s “hero.” It was so intriguing to watch him get revenge for the bullied and I hope it’s something that the story continues to shed light on. And as usual, I’d love to see how Soo-heon and Chan-mi’s relationship evolves. It’s amazing to me just how seamless and effortless their relationship developed. They didn’t meet or start off on the best terms, but they were able to become acquainted and got to know each other so deeply so quickly. It didn’t feel forced, it didn’t feel fake, they weren’t being shoved down our throats. Their relationship has developed so naturally and that’s what I love the most.

Chan-mi realizes that Soo-heon might also have some answers behind her brother’s death or at least can assist her in her investigation which will only give her more motivation to stick to him. Soo-heon will continue to do his own thing, but there’s a sense of comfort or peace that Chan-mi’s company provides when she’s around. It’s not that he’s lonely as he has friends at school, but I think there’s something about Chan-mi that he finds comforting or that no one else has. There’s benefits to being in each other’s lives as it fulfills a hole that they’ve been voiding, but the feelings are also genuine and sincere. I can’t wait to see what Chan-mi and Soo-heon accomplish together in the future, including potentially seeking revenge for Won-seok’s death.

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