Summary
Buoyed by a fantastic closing 20 minutes, this episode was perfectly paced, setting the scene further for the next installment, which should bring some answers to lingering questions.
This recap of Netflix K-Drama series Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 11, contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
After an intense episode 10, Bulgasal: Immortal Souls settles for a similar formula here, building up the stakes slowly for an impactful finish. It works, but here one is left wondering where the next chapter will take us.
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 11 recap
We begin with Si-ho seeing a ghost-like figure of Do-yoon disappear in her dream, something which strikes her as she wakes up. At the same time, Hwal waits at the hospital for news on the boy’s condition, staring at his bloodied hands before washing them unsteadily. Fortunately, it turns out the vital organs were missed, and the orphan will live. It’s not necessarily enough for Hwal, though, who instantly prods for information on the culprit while Sang-un answers a call from her sister (and lies about the situation).
After a couple of touching scenes, we see Do-yoon wake up, disoriented but still with his signature personality. Quickly the tone shifts, as Hwal discovers both the culprit (Eul-tae), and the truth about the death of his family 600 years ago. It leads to the villain realising his days are numbered, as he prepares for the arrival of the one he once tried to recruit as an ally.
When Do-yoon returns home, Hwal fusses over him, wondering if there is anything he wants. Following requests for fried chicken, a supercar and camping/fishing trips, a request comes to kill Eul-tae. It’s already the plan for Hwal, who burns the old portrait of Sang-un and apologises for hating her all of this time. Together, the two discuss the planned downfall of Eul-tae, with the resilient Sang-un even willing to die for the sake of their mutual enemy’s death.
Next, Si-ho assures Do-yoon of the group’s family-like qualities in a scene that feels like the real-life version of her dream, before the morning comes and the group get ready to move away from their residence to a safe place. It’s pretty sentimental stuff, and there’s a montage of memories shown, but nobody argues when they arrive at the fancy new house.
Even though Ho-yeol almost spoils the moment with his exclamation that Do-yoon is Hwal’s child, a fact the orphan is yet to find out, we see the group bond over a barbecue in a rare, extended scene of positivity. The loud-mouthed detective is still asked to take care of the ensemble though, as Hwal prepares to visit Eul-tae and take him down.
Now, Do-yoon changes his request into one which involves no revenge and everyone letting go for the sake of a happy life, with Si-ho and Sang-un talking candidly about Hwal in their bedroom. Then, the kinder Bulgasal and his former foe discuss a new plan to take care of their Eul-tae problem, something they wish to put into action shortly.
Whilst packing for their showdown with Eul-tae, Hwal runs through the fact that he wanted to tell Do-yoon that he loves him, something which flusters Sang-un in her search for ropes. As it happens, they’re not there though, and she finds herself locked inside the storage room as the protagonist leaves to go and take care of things alone. He swiftly calls Eul-tae, and the two arrange to meet.
Near the well, the two Bulgasals convene, one evidently more enthusiastic about the meeting than the other. The plan is that Eul-tae gets locked up inside of the confined space, but the more experienced monster soon threatens that he could easily force Hwal inside there. Elsewhere, Si-ho gazes into Sang-un’s past life, which allows us to see the way for Bulgasal to die: the two must kill each other.
When we return to Hwal and Eul-tae’s confrontation, the latter starts a fight in the well area, killing the lights and clashing with the monster he wanted on his side not so long ago. Making easy work of Hwal, Eul-tae confesses that he won’t lock him inside the well because he needs him, and goes to disclose why he killed his family all that time ago. But Hwal had baited him, stabbing Dark Hole in his weak spot and making him cower as the pitch-dark chest area extends as he tries to escape.
Looking like a complete wreck, Eul-tae resists Hwal as much as he can outside, but he can barely muster his words without sounding like a breathless wreck. There, he talks about Sang-un’s want for the two Bulgasals to kill each other by stabbing each other in the heart, as it turns out that the pair of monsters are each other’s lifelines. If you kill them both at the same time, it’s the only way for them to be truly lifeless. Still, Hwal isn’t particularly fussed, and wishes to kill Eul-tae anyway.
The ending
As it turns out, it was Hwal’s own request to become Bulgasal, but he won’t listen, and still attempts to kill Eul-tae. But it’s unclear as to whether it happens, as the two end up falling off a bridge in tandem. Elsewhere, Si-ho and Sang-un talk about what was seen, the latter of the two then leaving to try and find the man she has been trying to be of service to all of this time. There isn’t a trace to be found, though, and she collapses in tears at the sight of the bloodied knife. Yet, in the nick of time, Hwal appears, and the two share a moment together about her care for him. “You have become more important to me than my revenge,” Sang-un says, before her old foe hesitantly stares as the episode ends.
What did you think of the Netflix K-Drama series Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1, episode 11? Comment below!
You can watch Bulgasal: Immortal Souls by subscribing to the streaming service.
