Summary
An exciting episode really raises the stakes as twists and turns continue to complicate matters.
You have to sympathize with Dong-ha a little in A Model Family Season 1 Episode 8. I mean, he’s an idiot, that pretty much goes without saying. But as of now, he’s in too deep to be able to just turn away. And that’s important. He keeps getting asked about what he’s up to and has to keep reiterating the fact that he and his family are in danger. Sure, it’s kind of his fault, but it’s also now his responsibility.
A Model Family Season 1 Episode 9 Recap
I’ve said a few times in these recaps and in my review that A Model Family is kind of the Korean answer to Breaking Bad, but Dong-ha has never embraced his new lifestyle like Walter White did. He hasn’t proved himself to be especially good at it, either. He’s a bumbling everyman who continues to find himself in one overwhelming predicament after another; on that level, he has remained pretty relatable, even despite his many missteps.
As we see here, Dong-ha’s issues with his father stretch back many years, so he isn’t inclined to explain himself to a man whom he obviously doesn’t look upon especially favorably. But dead bodies in the garden of the family home kind of warrant some explanation. So, after Deuk-soo’s discovery in the previous episode, Dong-ha has to explain, once again, that he’s stuck in a rut he can’t get out of without endangering his whole family. And for a man who only got into this whole mess to protect his family in the first place, that’s not an option for him.
Deuk-soo doesn’t report what he has discovered to Joo-hyun, who’s watching from afar – at least not yet. But time does seem to be rapidly running out. And Eun-ju still, ironically, is trying to take the moral high ground about Dong-ha’s lack of significant income. Dong-ha has to watch his family slip through his fingers while continuing to do Kwang-chul’s dirty work out of fear.
It’s Eun-ju who takes matters into her own hands, cutting a deal with Kwang-chul for her silence and safety. Her job is, essentially, to keep an eye on Dong-ha, while Dong-ha is to keep the police busy. But between the police, Kwang-chul, and Kang-jun, not to mention Yong-soo, there are so many parties vying for the money at this point that keeping anyone safe – or even in order – is proving to be an impossible task.
Things really heat up from here, with a car chase and everything, and a big revelation regarding who killed Han-cheol – it was Kang-jun. But that information comes later on, after the vehicular near-misses almost kill him. Kang-jun’s scheming hasn’t caught up to him yet, though, and he’s able to talk his way out of Joo-hyun’s clutches by revealing he has info on the crooked cop, even though he doesn’t know where the money is.
As it turns out, nobody knows where the money is. We go through much of this time assuming, like several of the characters, that it’s in the trunk of Dong-ha’s car, but no such luck. Yong-soo actually has it and uses it to settle the trade with the Messenger. But without that moolah, what hope do Dong-ha and Eun-ju have of paying for Hyun-woo’s surgery?
What did you think of A Model Family Season 1 Episode 8? Comment below.
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