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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Masked Prosecutor" Episode 8

Romance blossoms in episode 8 of "Masked Prosecutor" and it's quite welcome amongst the darkness of the procedural happenings. It livens up Min-hee's character and also provides some conflict. The cards also continue to stack up against Dae-cheol at this halfway point of the drama and bring both him and Min-hee to critical decisions.

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The path towards these decisions was decidedly clunky. The police work and the lawyering  have no longevity throughout the drama. Rather, elements are added when character development is in need of them. Also, how in the world does Min-hee fail to recognize Dae-cheol's voice behind the mask? It's baffling, especially since his personality is unique as well. Also, as she is in the midst of developing serious feelings for Dae-cheol she should be more sensitive to the sound of his voice. Aside from that oversight, the amorous feelings Min-hee has opens up her character for the better. The stiffness was boring.

Hyun-woong, on the other hand, is a powerful character because of his severity. Uhm Ki-joon plays him with impressive intensity. The struggle for his character is between his family and justice. The more dark secrets he uncovers, the more he wavers between loyalty and doing what is right. He discovers his mother isn't as pure as he thought. The audience knows this as she reveals herself to be as selfish and unfeeling as Sang-taek. But for the devoted Hyun-woong, it's a heartbreaking revelation. Even as the cards stack up against Dae-cheol and he is closer to being revealed as the Masked Man as ever, the same holds true for Hyun-woong. Cards stack up against him and slowly break down the happy bubble he grew up in. Of course the revelation that Dae-cheol and Hyun-woong are brothers will be huge and the build up to that is slow and tense, but the real interest lies in their individual paths.

The villain of this story, Sang-taek, is just a villain. He has very little to him but being a horrible human being. While this perpetuates the story, it makes him boring. The writer tried to humanize him by giving him a kindly daughter, but it didn't work.

As for the ending of the episode, it gives Min-hee a choice between her family and her feelings for the Masked Man. The choice should provide more tension than it does, but because it's only episode 8, we know Dae-cheol can't yet go to jail. What's interesting is that she looks for a third option: freeing her family from Sang-taek's trap and keeping her masked crush from harm.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Masked Prosecutor" is directed by Jeon San, written by Choi Jin-won, and features Joo Sang-wook, Kim Sun-a, Uhm Ki-joon, and Jun Kwang-ryul.

 

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