Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area season 1, episode 4 recap – the Trojan Horse

By Daniel Hart - June 24, 2022 (Last updated: September 29, 2024)
recap-money-heist-korea-joint-economic-area-season-1-episode-4-netflix-k-drama-series
By Daniel Hart - June 24, 2022 (Last updated: September 29, 2024)
3.5

Summary

There’s a determination to tell a story between characters with different intentions and motives.

We recap the Netflix K-Drama series Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area season 1, episode 4, which contains spoilers.

Recaps, reviews, and news for Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.

There’s something romantic behind the story of Money Heist. There’s a determination to tell a story between characters with different intentions and motives. And I think that’s why the story works. It romanticizes good storytelling in a heightened and entertaining way. Let’s recap episode 4.

Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area season 1, episode 4 recap

Episode 4 opens with The Professor showing the heist team how to do medical procedures as part of a flashback. He knows they are putting their lives on the line, and injuries may play a role. Rio gets cold feet and storms out of the heist planning. When he returns home, he clashes with his father. The father wants Rio to reapply to medical school.

The Professor and Tokyo follow Rio as he heads out to a nightclub. He’s found abundantly intoxicated, and Tokyo puts a gun to his head, believing he may have blabbed to his family, but Rio laughs her off. The Professor warns Rio that there are consequences if he leaves the heist team and that he cannot keep running away forever.

In the present day, Seon Woojin’s police team has shot one of the hostages outside the Mint because they believed he was one of the hostages — it was the vice director of the bank, Cho Youngmin, who was shot. The heist team pulls Cho into the bank, and there’s panic as they check out the bullet lodged inside him. In the police tent, it’s chaos. They are in major trouble.

The Professor rings Seon Woojin and points the finger at her for the incident. The Professor then rings Berlin, believing they will have to let a medic team in; he doesn’t want any more casualties (he still believes Youn Misun is dead). And so, The Professor rings Seon Woojin and accepts an offer to allow a small medical team in. Seon Woojin sees this as an opportunity to create a diversionary tactic, to infiltrate the Mint as the medics do their job.

Denver shows Rio and Moscow the injured Youn Misun in the vault. Rio tells them that Youn Misun will lose her leg if they do not take the bullet out soon. Denver takes responsibility to sort this situation out. Youn Misun then learns Cho Youngmin has been shot; she gives Denver a note to pass on to Cho, believing it might be their final moments. You can tell Denver is frustrated that Misun cares about the bank’s vice director. Afterward, Berlin gives Cho Youngmin a phone to ring his wife before he has surgery. He sobs as he talks to his wife and professes his love for her. An angry Denver screws up the note handed to him by Youn Misun.

A medical team is sent into the Mint, with one of the surgeons (Cha Moohyuk) acting as an imposter with an embedded camera in their glasses. On the camera, The Professor recognizes one of the men he saw in the police tent, so he informs the heist team that one of the surgeons is an undercover cop. He tells Berlin that they need to find out their motive. Meanwhile, Seon Woojin has ordered a police team to infiltrate the Mint while the heist team is distracted.

The surgery team works on Cho Youngmin, with Berlin overseeing the operation. Berlin points the gun at the undercover cop and asks him to perform the surgery, leaving Cha Moohyuk no choice but to reveal himself as part of the police. He claims he’s there to provide protection. Berlin allows the surgery to go ahead but keeps a keen eye on Cha Moohyuk.

The Professor watches the surgery on the CCTV; he’s suspicious, believing there’s a diversion occurring. He warns Rio about this. Meanwhile, the police team is inside the Mint. However, Cha Moohyuk sees the entire heist team have changed their masks to look aesthetically different. The surgery team leaves out in the front doors. Seon Woojin panics and tells the police team to abort the mission because they’ll be caught; they are wearing the original masks. It’s then revealed that Rio has bugged Cha Moohyuk’s phone — it was all part of the plan; The Professor has created a Trojan Horse.

Back to Youn Misun; Denver managed to steal some supplies from the surgeons so they can help her. Moscow, Tokyo, and Denver try to deal with the bullet, but their inexperience shows. Tokyo feels they need to get Rio. Denver tells Misun that he passed the note to Cho Youngmin and that he was in tears and stated that he loves her. Of course, he’s lying to her.

When Tokyo visits Rio, Berlin wants to know what they both know that he doesn’t. He’s agitated, sensing there’s a secret amongst them. Threatening to reveal Tokyo to the police, Berlin finds out Youn Misun is alive and heads to the vault. He ties Rio and Tokyo up and leaves them before he does.

A frustrated and power-hungry Berlin points the gun at Youn Misun, but Denver stands in the way. Nairobi shows up, points a gun at Berlin, and tells him to put it down. But then, Youn starts to have a seizure. By now, Tokyo and Rio are free, so Rio uses his medical skills to save Youn. He manages to get the bullet out, but his fear of blood makes him throw up in the bathroom. Tokyo sits with him; Rio tells her that when they pull off the heist, he wants to buy a magnificent island and live on it with someone he loves; he’s clearly hinting at his feelings for her.

Youn Misun wakes up, and she has recovered. She sees that Denver is giving her blood as he has the right blood type. She knows Denver didn’t pass the note to Cho Youngmin, but she isn’t angry. The only reason she knew the note was not passed on was based on the fake message Denver sent back — Cho has never used the word “love” to her. She smiles at Denver as he shows his vulnerable side; she thanks him for saving her.

The Professor puts Tokyo in charge, and Berlin is tied up. Meanwhile, the media are questioning whether Seon Woojin is the right person in charge of the heist due to the recent bloodshed. She returns home to her mother, who is aware of the stresses of work. Seon Woojin breaks into tears; her mother’s condition is getting worse, she’s struggling to have a relationship with her daughter, and The Professor outsmarts her.

The ending

Ironically, Woojin visits The Professor, still not knowing he is leading on the heist. She apologizes to him for being reactive in their last encounter. He thinks she needs a shoulder to cry on after a hard day. He touches her face and assures her that she can talk to him—the sexual tension increases between them.

As the episode ends, it’s revealed that one of the police officers stayed, and he’s bugged. The Professor and Seon Woojin hook-up.

What did you think of the Netflix K-Drama series Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area season 1, episode 4? Comment below.

You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.

More Stories

Netflix, Platform, TV Recaps