Summary
The finale holds few surprises, but it’s a fitting thematic payoff for a very good revenge thriller.
This recap of My Name season 1, episode 8 contains spoilers, as well as a discussion of the My Name ending.
And, as ever, it comes down to an ending – always such a delicate thing. We’ve had some good ones recently, even for some not-so-great shows, so maybe Netflix is learning a lesson about how to stoke up interest for a continuation in a more organic way. Regardless, My Name feels just about on-trend with a finale that leaves some logical gaps but finds a fitting thematic payoff. And it begins with Mujin facilitating Jiwoo being taken away from custody after Pil-Do arrested her at the end of the penultimate episode.
My Name season 1, episode 8 recap
It doesn’t take long for Pil-Do to realize the error of his ways in this regard thanks to Captain Cha, whose first action after waking up from a comatose state is to inform Pil-Do of who Jiwoo really is, and how Mujin has manipulated her. These revelations come just in time since when Pil-Do is able to catch up with Jiwoo, who is fighting her way out of the hospital she has been transferred to, he decides to handcuff himself to her in order to try and steer her away from her path of vengeance. Together, they’re able to evade Mujin’s henchmen and buy themselves some alone time.
Some might see Jiwoo and Pil-Do hooking up as somewhat out of left field, but when you put two good-looking leads together, these are the things that happen, so I was mostly okay with it. It also works as a symbolic gesture since it finally unites them on the same page, with the shared objective of putting a stop to Mujin once and for all. For the first time, Jiwoo isn’t alone in her mission.
And it’s probably just as well that Pil-Do got laid since he gets killed by Mujin very soon after. As if Jiwoo needed any more motivation! In light of this development, their union seems just a little bit more contrived, as if it’s there just to set up this moment, but mileage will probably vary here.
Either way, to use a technical term, it activates beast mode, and Jiwoo, in an impressively choreographed sequence that uses snatches of first-person – I liked Hardcore Henry, even if nobody else did – begins to lay waste to Mujin’s remaining goons. Making her way to the penthouse and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake, Jiwoo finally confronts Mujin, who after some monologuing settles on an old-fashioned and honorable knife fight, which Jiwoo wins in brutal fashion. As the police close in, she staggers away, leaving Mujin dead.
In a quiet moment of reflection, with her mission finally accomplished, Jiwoo pays her respects to her father and Pil-Do.
You can stream My Name season 1, episode 8 exclusively on Netflix. Do you have thoughts on the My Name ending? Let us know in the comments.
