Summary
A little less exciting than the opener, this episode of Bulgasal: Immortal Souls favors characterization and depth over countless action scenes. The story is set for future episodes though, and it will be interesting to see how the concept translates into the present-day world scape.
This recap of Netflix K-Drama series Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 2, contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
Episode two picks up right where we left off, with Hwal confronting Bulgasal over the death of his family. However, it’s the woman who appears to be the victim, claiming to despise Hwal, and lamenting the fact she will be born again with a scar he has given her, before warning him of his bad karma. Then, she evaporates, the swords she has fallen to dropping to the ground as the protagonist stares vacantly. Bulgasal still lives though, but now within the body of Hwal.
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 2 recap
As a result of the ordeal, the Royal Court orders for the death of the new incarnation of Bulgasal, but with a slight caveat. If the monster cannot be killed, it must be buried alive and sealed away, cut off from endangering anyone. It does lead to a poignant scene between the General and his adopted son centred around the newfound evilness, the tension clear between the two who so clearly hold affection towards each other.
When tension subsides and raw emotion prevails, Hwal sobers up and comforts the ailing General, before the shaman once again returns to speak with the tormented man. This time though, her anger is traded for a vulnerable prayer, one that would stop the anger and end the cycle of torment.
Time continues to pass and Bulgasal seems somewhat reintegrated into society. He looks for the woman who cursed him, asking anyone who could have even a sliver of intel. It does lead to a clash with a reincarnated monster, something intriguing in giving further depth to the enigmatic potential anti-hero, as well as those who wish to seek revenge.
Now in 2006, Bulgasal has become acquainted with modern life, living as close to normal as possible. He does still remember the past but seems to have a handle on his curse. Yet, the twin of the reincarnated former Bulgasal are tracked, and her sister can sense his presence as he lingers in a car outside their house. Together, the girl and her sister swiftly end up fleeing the threat of Bulgasal late into the night, hoping to avoid him and live in some semblance of peace. It does lead to threats and confrontation with a strange coach driver, one who enjoys the “smell of the soul” of one of the young girls, but the twin sisters escape to their remote living space, and at least attempt to get by.
Aided by an older woman, or an “old friend” as the former Bulgasal refers to her as, the two find a way to live. That is before the de-facto leader of the twins decides to leave, her motive unclear. As such, their mother is called, the more confused of the pairing crying about the apparent threat of death while she wishes to be collected. When she is though, Bulgasal re-appears in brooding fashion, anticipating and pursuing who he believes to be the person she’s sought for hundreds of years. It leads to death, as expected, before the sister steps back into the living space, told to run by her twin.
She doesn’t. Instead she picks up glass, before it cuts to black and we are taken into the sight of a crime scene instead. Min Sang-un, we are told, is the survivor, and she is quizzed with remembering the face of the monster. Bulgasal appears at the hospital bed looking for her, but finds nothing, as Sang-un, along with her younger sibling, has returned to the old woman who wished to help them earlier on.
The ending
In the present, Bulgasal is at the house, searching for the sisters. We are told they vanished one day and were made privy to the continuation of the tracking. She’s living in both comfort and desolation, returning to her old house which is afforded a grimy interior in stark contrast to the bright, colourful rural town she finds herself properly acquainted with. She is sorry to her sister, both in how fate unfolded and how long it took for her to face up to where her family died. Sang-un explains that she is living in hiding now, as her twin instructed 15 years ago, but tells Sang-yeon that she cannot remember one potentially important detail that came after that. To stick a sober pin in proceedings, Bulgasal appears outside the door, and the episode ends with close-ups of both subjects’ faces.
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