MaryMeKpop

Man, this drama is a lot darker, grueling, and disturbing than I expected but it’s also so good. Episodes 3 and 4 were an improvement from last week’s episodes and there were quite a few touching moments – so touching that I actually cried twice.

On paper, “Unmasked” seems as if it’s just about our investigation crew chasing after the truth through their TV program “Trigger.” While this is true in that we do follow our team members do things in their own unconventional ways, it’s also about the team bonding with the unfortunate victims of the crimes that they cover. In episode 2 and 3, we saw Han Do bond and interact with an elderly man who he initially suspected was killing stray cats around the neighborhood. But upon further investigation, he discovered that the man was actually taking them into his house and taking care of them to protect them from the actual murderer. In the process, Han Do was able to develop this connection with the man who lived by himself and whose companion consisted of stray cats. Unfortunately, the elderly man was murdered and because he was a lonely man without any family, his funeral was quiet and lonely. There was even a contrast between his funeral and another funeral that was happening at the same funeral house at the same time. And this other funeral was greatly attended by a group of family members which just made things so much more heartbreaking to watch. Han-do took the lead in coordinating the elderly man’s funeral and covering the expenses. He even sketched a portrait of the man because there was no funeral picture at the casket. This detail in particular broke me. There’s quite nothing like watching the episode while brushing your teeth and then having to stop because you’re bawling your eyes out.. What an experience it was. So-ryong ended up attending the funeral later on and it wasn’t just her who showed up. Viewers who watched their TV program also came to show their respect, illustrating the impact that “Trigger” had in bringing justice to the elderly man and telling the truth behind his story.

Then in episode 4, it was So-ryong who sympathized with the victim in the case that she was covering:  a young daughter who was abused at the hands of her horrible father. In their first meeting, So-ryong wanted to ease the tension so she shared her story behind a current struggle that she was experiencing. She was vulnerable in front of the young girl and wanted to let her know that she was not alone. Then later on in the episode, the two met again. This time, the young girl thanked So-ryong for gifting her with some nice, warm sneakers and So-ryong updated her on how she broke up with her ex-boyfriend. This was what the young girl had advised So-ryong to do before she left during their first meeting and sure enough, So-ryong did. And she shared this with the young girl to express her gratitude. Just like how the young girl was grateful for So-ryong’s sneakers, So-ryong was grateful for the young girl’s helpful advice. Combine this with Kim Hye-soo’s emotional acting and the scene made me tear up. But as we learned from the young girl, it wasn’t just So-ryong who made a positive impact on her life. Han Do also played a role in positively changing the young girl and her mom’s life.

With the two latest episodes, we got to learn and know more about our characters through the way that they interacted with the victims. Although Han Do can be a bit rough and direct, he does have heart and he is a nice, good person. Whether it was taking care of the funeral for the elderly man or empathizing for the young daughter because he too was a victim of domestic abuse by his own father, Han Do is more than how he carries and presents himself. He can be a bit rude and standoff-ish sometimes but there’s layers to his personality and character and it’s in the most vulnerable moments that he lets these feelings out. It’s in the most passionate moments that he wears his heart on his sleeves.

If there is something that I wasn’t as big a fan of with episodes 3 and 4, it’d be that I felt like there was a little too much going on at the same time. It was a little challenging for me to process everything that was going on. There’s the investigation behind Mr. Trigger – the anonymous person on the forum who’s targeting So-ryong and posting rumors and explicit photos of her. Then there’s also the case that our “Trigger” crew investigates and covers for their program. Then there’s also another bigger case that So-ryong is investigating that happened a while ago that she hasn’t quite given up on yet despite all the time that has passed. So there’s quite a bit happening in each episode that can make it hard to keep track of but I appreciate that each “Trigger” case/episode at least serves some kind of purpose. We learn more about our characters in the process of watching them do their work. We also witness how hard-hitting the stories are and how it impacts the lives of its viewers. I wished “Unmasked” just took its sweet time with their storylines and sub-plots. It feels as if it’s rushing to cover everything at the same time when really, it can afford to slow down a little bit. “Unmasked” is already good as is but it could be so much better if it gave us time to just breathe and slowly adjust.

If I had to describe this drama so far, I would say it’s unexpected. There’s topics that the drama covers that makes it challenging to watch (hence the TV mature rating as well as why it’s on a streaming platform and not being aired on TV). The drama’s violent. It’s heavy. It’s disturbing. It’s depressing. It’s heartbreaking. But it also delivers on the action side. And as we saw in episodes 3 and 4, there’s also heart and emotion. It’s not just all about the action and the investigations and the work. In the process of finding out the truth for their TV program, our “Trigger” team has to also dig deep into their hearts.