[Recap] City Hunter Episode 3

Here are the abbreviations that I will be using for the recap

Lee Yoon Sung (Played by Lee Min Ho): Yoon Sung

Kim Na Na (Played by Park Min Young): Nana

Lee Jin Pyo (Played by Kim Sang Joong): JP

Bae Shik Joong (Played by Kim Sang Ho): Bald dude

Choi Eung Chan (Played by Cheon Ho Jin): President CEC

Choi Da Hae (Played by Goo Hara): Dahae

Lee Kyung Wan (Played by Lee Hyo Jung: Target 1

Kim Young Joo (Played by Lee Jun Huk): YJ

Here is the link for City Hunter Episode 2 Recap

[Recap] City Hunter Episode 3

Episode 3 was mostly fast-paced action and execution, execution, execution! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

The last scene of episode 2 ended with Yoon Sung planning some action. In this episode he executes his plan! He starts a fire in the bathroom. All the people are fleeing and running out.

Yoon Sung is now on the move, using a pen to hang on the ledge in order to pass by the security cameras unseen.

He goes through the information he needs by taking pictures on his iphone and takes the shreds of paper that Shim Jae Dong (Bad guy in league with Target Number One) was trying to get rid of. Outside Nana is looking for Yoonsung.

He taps her on the shoulder and she is angry thinking that he had fled for safety alone.Yoon Sung replies, “Hey I’m a guy and have to keep face, how could I go into the girl’s bathroom?”

Back at his home, Yoon Sung begins to piece together the shredded pieces. (Uggh looks so tedious) He basically figures out that somebody is syphoning out money illegally.

Shim Jae Dong and Target Number One are on the phone and Yoon Sung is tapping the conversation. Shady business is going down and Yoon Sung learns everything he needs to steal Shim Jae Dong’s bag!

Yoon Sung finds where they are, steals the bag while beating up all of Shim Jae Dong’s bodyguards it looks like, one of them even had a Taser.

The next scene showed YJ arguing with his supervisor again. YJ’s team however receives a package from Yoon Sung, with all of the information that was gathered! (Funny how these two love triangle rivals are working on the same side)

The next scene showed the inside of the Korean Assembly. Target Number One is defending himself and it appears like the other Assembly members will vote whether he should be arrested or not.

Yoon Sung and YJ are watching on as the vote is pretty much a tie. JP was also watching this scene from his mansion, and in anger he breaks a whiskey glass with his bare hands.

Yoon Sung obviously upset, began to think about the poor kids. YJ came out and just stood there staring at Target Number One. While Target Number One gloated and told YJ to find real criminals instead of upstanding citizens such as himself. Target Number One and Shim Jae Dong were talking about Yoon Sung, trying to remember if they had ever met before. Shim Jae Dong remembered Yoon Sung back when they had verbally argued. (In Episode 2)

Now Yoon Sung’s shooting practice scene! (Teasers about this was shown before), Yoon Sung is thinking about the children and hitting the exact same place every time.

He didn’t even go back to check his results after everything was done. While on the other hand, the other members on the communication team were checking their scores. Yoon Sung had hit the same place every single time, and the other members misconstrued it as him having hit the target only once. Yoon Sung’s supervisor exclaimed, “They don’t shoot guns in the U.S?”

Yoon Sung was eating with the children, and Nana joined him. At first she hit Yoon Sung because she thought he was eating the good parts of the sushi by himself and giving the kids rice. (But actually the kids couldn’t eat raw fish) Yoon Sung complained, “Your problem is that you hit before you think, are you some kind of gangster or soemthing?” Yoon Sung was surprised that Nana actually was a pretty good cook. Nana says a line that hits Yoon Sung deep, “Isn’t this cooking just like what your mother made for you?” 

Yoon Sung and Nana have a moment together, with Nana wondering if corrupt people like Target Number One can enjoy the simple things in life like she can.

The next scene shows YJ meeting his ex-girlfriend? He wants solace and somebody to talk to, somebody that would understand his heart. But, the ex-girlfriend exclaims jokingly, “That’s why I broke up with you, because I don’t understand your heart.” Interestingly enough, the ex-girlfriend asks about Nana? YJ answers that Nana’s aunt has some sort of relation with him. (Nana’s aunt is a detective)

The next scene shows Yoon Sung alone at home eating ramen. He is obviously lonely because he starts to shout at the house to fill the void with sound, because he’s alone.

Yoon Sung talks with the Bald Guy on the phone, calling him because he misses him. The bald guy inquired about Nana’s welfare asking Yoon Sung to help her out.

Back at the drug lord’s mansion, The bald guy brought gold for JP. JP asked the bald guy to go back to South Korea. The bald guy was asking JP if he could stop his vengeance plan. JP had a picture on his desk, the bald guy commented, “Ahh that’s the woman who was in the picture.” JP gazes away.

The group of five had gathered together again. The president was saying that there was probably something going on for target number one to have been caught. The president said that if any of them had done anything dirty then they should be punished justly. This did not sit well with the CEO of the group. Outside he stated that if anyone stands in their way the other group members would “stomp over them.” (He’s the worst of the group as was established in the first episode while the president is the most sympathetic) Target Number One devised a plan of finding the two poor children in order to find Yoon Sung.

A scene showed the president building something wooden by himself. Dahae came inside saying, “Dad it seems like something is bothering you?” Dahae asked the president if she could get a new tutor, (probably thinking about Yoon Sung) The president joked that then what happens if people in the blue house realize the truth about her scholastic aptitude (In fact she failed her college entrance examination twice) Dahae runs off before hearing an answer from the president. But, he still seems to adore her.

Change scene with Nana running to work, Yoon Sung comments “Looks like you’re late?” while driving alongside her in his blue car.

She asks him for a ride, but Yoon Sung rejects her saying, “I don’t want people to get funny ideas about us if we are seen walking in together to work.”

Nana is furious as Yoon Sung drives off, exclaiming “That Jae Su Ddeng Ddeng Yi (From now on Butthole) is cheap also!”

At the parking lot of the blue house, Dahae was at Yoon Sung’s door nagging him to be his english tutor.

Yoon Sung said no and pusherd her away with his car door.

She kept on asking him, then she said if you don’t’ want to tutor me, then go on a date with me. He drops a bomb on Dahae saying, “Are you stupid as well? Are you an orangutan? Look, I get it, you have high standards, but you’re not my type. Want me to get you a tall mirror?” Nana told Dahae that they should find somebody else that Yoon Sung is a bit dangerous, Dahae replied, “How do you know if he’s dangerous or not?”

Inside the blue house, Nana approaches Yoon Sung telling him that the First Lady wants to meet him. Yoon Sung backs out saying that he has a lunch date said that with somebody he couldn’t bear to be away from for even one second.

The bald guy was at Incheon international airport, and it seemed like Yoon Sung’s date was actually the bald guy.The bald guy was holding an urn. Yoon Sung was back to being a boy again, obviously very happy that he was with the bald guy.

Nana was spending time with the two children. (With Nana’s black dog, thank you webby!) That was pretty random, where is that black dog from? The three were making paper roses for Target Number One’s celebratory publishing event. Nana texted Yoon Sung. “You don’t seem to be using Daerie?” (Their arrangement is called daerie, she does tasks for him in order to pay off the debt that she has to him for her father’s surgery) Yoon Sung amusingly replied, “You want that money really badly huh?” Nana was not amused and mumbled to herself that Yoon Sung was a butthole. I also think its hilarious that she has Yoon Sung on her contacts as “Butthole.” 

The bald guy brought coffee to Yoon Sung. Yoon Sung tasted it and I cringed, worrying that he would not like it. He didn’t and the bald guy exclaimed, your taste preferences must have changed. Yoon Sung replied, “Aish, I must be getting used to the cofee that a person brings me.” As the bald guy is curious as to who this person is, Yoon Sung deflects. (Haha, would be funny if the bald guy actually finds out how Nana is being treated >_<)

The group of five were also gathering together for the publication event for Target Number One. The bodyguard for the CEO was sent off in order to look after Target Number One.

YJ had also come to the event and was talking to the group of five members, his father was apologetic for his son. But the CEO replied that it was ok, and that actually people who have chips on their shoulders in politics are usually the more political ones. The CEO remarked that given enough time YJ would turn around and join them. It seemed however, that the father did not like this at all. (Interesting to see the father-son dynamic, but also the fact that it seems within the group the CEO is the most sinister of all)

Yoon Sung seemed to have broken in to the security cameras as he was watching on outside of the building in front of his motorcycle.

Nana and YJ ran into each other again at the event. (This wasn’t too coincidental for my tastes it was logical! Score!) He whispered to her that this place was Target Number One’s den. It appears like YJ already knows a lot about Nana’s personality and her ideals.

The celebratory event was held in order to congratulate Target Number One’s publishing of a book. Target number one was talking to his grandson to ignore all of the things that people were saying on the news. The grandson was very mean to the other kids. The grandson even called the other kid a beggar! Target Number One was talking to the two children, he was asking about Yoon Sung and his whereabouts. Yoon Sung called in order to have a direct confrontation.

Yoon Sung was caught but he began to piss off Target Number One. When asked who he was, he said that he was just a jobless dude who didn’t like people that made little children starve. Yoon Sung also accused Targer Number One of being a crook! Target Number One got pissed off and basically began to go on about his crooked political philosophy. He said things on the line of “I should be using tax money in order to improve society because I know what is right” (Classic badguy talk) Yoon Sung’s glasses were recording everything!

Once Target Number One got back on stage, Yoon Sung’s recording began to play. Yoon Sung had hacked into Korea’s security system somehow and the clip was being played nationally on every computer. (A little farfetched but it was a crazy idea, and I like) The CEO ordered his bodyguard/go-to-guy to either get Target Number One out of the country or even kill him if necessary.

While this was going on, Yoon Sung began his grand escape. While fighting through all of the baddies he fights a chef with a spoon! (Jason Bourne Style!)

As Yoon Sung sees Target Number One escaping, he uses his bag against flags in order to slide down to the port. 

Yoon Sung catches up to Target Number One, and he’s about to be killed by the CEO’s bodyguard! After he defeats the bodyguard and all of the baddies, he finally is face to face with Target Number One.

Yoon Sung had Target Number One at gunpoint! I was shocked thinking/hoping that Yoon Sung would actually take the guy out by killing him. But alas, it was a tranquilizer. (Yoon Sung is taking the Batman/Superman route, refusing to kill)

Target Number One was sent to YJ in a box. Yoon Sung had contacted several news agencies making it known and seen by everyone.

Target Number One also had a bunch of military tags around his neck (I guess the dog tags are being used as a kind of signal to bring out the other group of five members)

As Yoon Sung and the bald guy were driving away from the scene, the bald guy expressed his concerns over JP finding out that the target wasn’t killed. Yoon Sung brushed this off saying that it wasn’t his style, he’d rather prefer that they suffer and be destroyed thoroughly. He then proceeded to call Nana over to a fountain in a park.

Once Nana arrived with the children Yoon Sung who was all wet, asked if they wanted to play with him.

The children were in a foul mood and didn’t want to but Yoon Sung eventually dragged them all in!

Afterwards Yoon Sung and Nana had their “coffee date.” The two didn’t say much but they were obviously starting to make an important connection.

Meanwhile, YJ was questioning/interrogating Target Number One. Target Number One kept telling YJ to find out who put him through this mess. YJ replied that he was going to find out, but he needed to know the mystery guy’s (Yoon Sung) motivation and he knew that the military tags had something to do with it. YJ asked the people under him to trace the military tags, but they already had and foudn no identification. (We know that it was all erased in episode 1)

Yoon Sung and Nana had arrived home and because he was all wet Yoon Sung said that they should go inside Nana’s home. She objected profusely at first, but caved in. Once inside Yoon Sung was eating “Jap Chae” (A type of stir fry noodles) and complaining that it didn’t have meat. On TV the news was going on about the recent happenings, and people were being asked their opinions, one man described Yoon Sung as a “City Hunter.”

JP was pissed off after he saw the news, “What the hell is Yoon Sung DOING!” As Yoon Sung left Nana’s home he finally picked up the phone call from JP. JP said that Yoon Sung should have killed the target. While Yoon Sung argued that he would leave that up to the prosecutor, JP said that this trust was misplaced. (DUN DUN DUN! He’s going to kill the targets himself!) 

The next scene showed El Presidente talking with some of Yoon Sung’s co-workers who apologized for the hacking incident and asked that they be executed. (>_< haha) Then the president heard about the military tags around Target Number One’s neck. (RUH OH!)

Back at Yoon Sung’s home, the bald guy had figured out where Yoon Sung’s mom was located. Previously Yoon Sung had said that he wouldn’t pursue her. Yoon Sung was angry and told the bald guy to never do such a thing again! Yoon Sung was under the impression that her mother had just gotten rid of him, he doesn’t know that JP abducted him! (But of course, Yoon Sung decided to visit her anyways)

The next scene was of Yoon Sung’s mother, and she was working at a “Boonshik Restaurant.” (These restaurants have cheap Korean food like Dduk Bokki, Ramen, and Kim Bab) Yoon Sung was observing her from a distance. This is kind of random but the moment I saw this scene I thought of the last line from Herman Hesse’s novel “Narcissus and Goldmund,” “You can’t live without a mother. Without a mother you can’t die.”

Someone suddenly asked her to follow him because an important person wanted to talk to her. To her shock, inside of the car was the president!

Yoon Sung turned around and it was JP! Who had come to Korea probably to finish off the job, as they say “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself!”

Final Comments

I have a lot to say about this episode, there are parallels and themes I would like to discuss, and also questions I am beginning to have about the show.

There have only been three episodes but the show itself is exceeding my expectations. As you can tell by my recaps, the second episode wasn’t too much to my liking but the third episode for me personally was flawless. The first one set up the story surrounding Yoon Sung’s birth and what would pretty much set the plot of the show, a vengeance plot. I didn’t like the second episode too much because of all the coincidental run-ins that were occurring but after watching the third episode I kind of understand: they are trying to tell a story that needs to be jam packed into only 16 or something episodes. The second episode was needed for character/love interest development. Now this episode was a mix of both, character development moving along seamlessly with action, with some of it begin pretty creative!

Likes:   

1) Spoon fight scene, Pen used against ledge, Sliding down with his bag

haha when I saw this I instantly thought of “The Bourne Identity” and the pen fighting scene. This drama is obviously trying hard to impress and it has definitely got me. I like how they are using simple tools in order to create unique action scenes.

2) Target Number One Wrapped Up in a Box

Your very own corrupt government official delivered to your door! Haha genius idea, I like how they took this idea from the City Hunter manga!

3) Nana and Yoon Sung watching TV and hearing about the name “City Hunter”

Neat way of setting up how the name “City Hunter” was given to the character

4) Some elements of mystery

There are things we (the viewers) know (that Yoon Sung doesn’t know, his targets) and there are things that we don’t’ know, like the connection Nana has with the bald guy or the prosecutor.

5) The likable bad guy: El Presidente!

The president is obviously the last boss that Yoon Sung or JP will have to take out, but it is completely understandable what he had to through including his decisions. We can actually sympathize with him and this makes for a juicy tale. (I always love it when the bad guys in any story are somebody you can relate to and connect with, it makes for a deeper tale that is more enjoyable)

6) The lies

Yes there are so many lies going on that I can’t help but talk about them. A lot of them have set up interesting twists and turns. Nana doesn’t know that Yoon Sung already knew about her, he never told her. (Eh, maybe it’s not really lie but more of hiding of the truth?)

JP and Yoonsung, although they still have important aspects of a father-son relationship, they are also missing out a lot. By this episode we could tell that Yoonsung had no idea that JP actually snatched him away from his mother. Yoonsung thought that his mother had merely gotten rid of him. It’s going to be nasty when Yoonsung finds out. The final lie that I would like to identify is the one between the “Group of Five” and their children. The children are oblivious to the dirty secret of the past, how they pretty much betrayed and slaughtered a whole team of soldiers. I am also excited to see what will happen to these children and what they will think of their parents!

Dislikes: Honestly there wasn’t much about this episode to hate, everything was done superbly! I just want to know whose ashes the bald guy was carrying, and I hated how Yoon Sung forgot his glasses that he had dropped! He shouldn’t have done that when so concerned of covering his tracks. Eek!

Analysis:

Ok guys, if you don’t want to read about parallels and themes, this is where you can stop reading. Haha, the geek/nerd inside of me couldn’t help but make connections and I wanted to share with you the different things I’ve been thinking about.

1) Parallels to the “Count of Monte Cristo”

If you guys haven’t read it already, the “Count of Monte Cristo” was an adventure story that dealt with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness. There are so many parallels it’s pretty mind-blowing. JP is just like “the count” as his comrades were killed in order to be silenced. Similar to the “Count” JP also quickly amasses wealth, although he doesn’t stumble upon treasure he becomes a drug lord. Then the vengeance as the count begins to dish out payback to the people that had imprisoned him.

2) Parallels to Star Wars

Haha hopefully too many of you guys aren’t cringing at the mention of Star Wars, but a central theme to the movie series was the epic battle between father and son, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Through the previews for the next episode, we already can tell that there will be a lot of this with the two fighting each other. However, something I was thinking about that I found interesting was that in a way, “City Hunter” is also pretty much JP’s main story as well, because everything is a scheme he is planning, now that he has finally returned to Korea we will see a lot more of him.

3) Themes of Justice/Society

I hope I don’t get flamed for saying this but most governments in the world have some form of corruption. A lot of citizens mistrust the government and big companies. I think “City Hunter” is tuning into this idea, with Nana representing the common man and we have Yoon Sung who is giving these people a world of pain. He is an instrument for resolving these types of problems.

Thanks for reading my recap! Tell me if you agree/disagree with anything as I like to hear about it and have discussions! Looking forward to tonight’s episode!

Here is the link to [Recap] City Hunter Episode 4!