Summary
Gangnam B-Side continues to be efficient, familiar entertainment in Episodes 3 & 4, but it is falling into patterns.
I continue to like Gangnam B-Side, but it falls into a pattern in Episodes 3 & 4 that is very reminiscent of the two-part premiere. There’s a lot of investigative work, a lot of villainous debauchery, and then a big protracted fight sequence. It’s all fun, but also all familiar, and if it weren’t for the quality of the performances and visuals here, it’d be easy to switch off.
But I remain on board. I hate rich people at the best of times, so seeing them get their comeuppance for being awful is fine by me. Plus I’m partial to the Gilho action scenes, ridiculous though they may be. What can I say? I’m a simple man.
Let’s Talk About Gilho
On the subject of Gilho, Gangnam B-Side Episode 3 digs into his past a little more. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to make of him. He’s still a pimp, at the end of the day, but he seems to have a functioning heart, even if it’s not necessarily made of gold.
Gilho’s transition from chaperone to pimp was one of necessity, anyway. He met Jaehee and Junghwa through a lady named Madam Baek, and they became an odd kind of surrogate family. Sure, the work wasn’t ideal, but it paid, and there were much worse versions of the same job. Baek’s death left Gilho and Jaehee with a choice – to make their own way anew or carry on more or less as they were, which is what they did.
In the present day Gilho is obviously on the hook for all sorts, including the murder of CEO Lee Gang-su, which Joonseo committed in Episode 2. His knife is a bit of a giveaway, and Prosecutor Tak was already trying to fit him up, but since Min was at the standoff, she knows he can’t be guilty. But what can she do about it?
Where Are Min’s Loyalties?
Prosecutor Min is an interesting figure since she’s corrupt, but not all the way. The extent of what she’s willing to allow seems to sway this way and that, but if nothing else, she has deduced rather easily that Chief Yun and Prosecutor Tak are both on the take, and she doesn’t like it.
Eventually, Min tells Dongwoo that she wants to find the real killer, and he reiterates the personal importance of them doing so because Jaehee’s fate is tied to his daughter’s. She’s on-side, at least for now, but it’s hard to tell whether anyone can trust her.
Towards the end of the third episode, Min is lured along with Gilho to HYENA, on the pretext of Joonseo having Jeehae. As it happens, he just has a similar-looking young woman who he and his men are torturing for fun, and Min does Gilho a solid by going along and having Gilho on call, allowing him to overhear the fact that it was all a plot and the woman is just an actress (not that she seems to relish the role.)
Gangnam B-Side Episode 3 Still | Image via Disney+ Hotstar
To The Colosseum
Of course, it’s no fun if Gilho doesn’t take the bait eventually, and Joonseo eventually gets him out to the Colosseum, a well-named venue for more expensive exploitation. The idea here is that people pay a fortune to watch all kinds of unsavory events, and on the billing tonight is a vicious multi-man deathmatch.
For relatively predictable reasons – trying to save their friends, on both counts – Gilho and Jaehee end up there. This is where we get that standout action sequence since Gilho decides the best way to save the day is to don a mask and slug it out with the other competitors. Just as he’s doing pretty well, Joonseo arrives with Jaehee as a hostage and promises a special reward for whoever’s able to take Gilho out. So he has to fight them all off, as in Episode 2.
It’s Not Over Yet
There’s a bit of a fake-out towards the end of Gangnam B-Side Episode 4 since it seems like things are all sewn up. Joonseo is taken into custody after Dongwoo prevents Gilho from killing him, and the cop assures him that Jaehee is safe. Is it all over?
Well, no – it wouldn’t be anyway since there’s an entire organized crime syndicate to take down, but it’s more complicated than that. Loose ends are being tied up rather rapidly. Joonseo is found dead, having apparently committed suicide – yeah, right – and Dongwoo’s daughter is suddenly in peril. Her connection to Jaehee was bound to get her in trouble sooner or later, and this double-bill ends with things becoming much more personal for Dongwoo. He was pretty quick to talk Gilho down from killing Joonseo for the greater good – let’s see whether he’s able to follow his own advice.
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