Summary
A big reveal gives When the Phone Rings Episode 9 that late-season feeling. With only three episodes left, the drama is heating up.
You can feel When the Phone Rings approaching the end in Episode 9. We’ve reached the point where certain key questions start being answered while some mysteries linger unsolved, ready for the few remaining episodes to unpack them. There are some revelations here, and some truths come to light, but there’s enough left unrevealed to make Episode 10 and beyond an exciting proposition.
You’ll recall us inching towards some of the wilder developments in previous episodes, the latest of which ended with In-a meeting with Hee-joo to reveal some of Sa-eon’s secrets. Episode 9 clues us into the identity of the missing twin, which is the biggest bombshell of the series thus far. Given how obviously it was telegraphed – so obviously that I thought it was a red herring – it might not land with as much impact as it could have, but progress is progress, nonetheless.
Picking up from Episode 8, In-a does indeed reveal to Hee-joo that Sa-eon isn’t really the Paik family’s grandson. This is somehow the least shady thing about the whole setup if you ask me. The entire marriage has been shrouded in secrecy and deception since the get-go, which is why Hee-joo can’t even call the police when she fears her husband is missing. It’s all too hush-hush, so she’s forced to go to his family instead, revealing both that she can speak and that she knows the truth about Sa-eon’s parentage.
Ironically it’s Sang-woo, Sa-eon’s primary love rival, who ended up dragging him and Mr. Jeong from the fire. I suppose this makes sense since it’s important at this stage to properly intertwine Sang-woo’s investigation into the orphanage and everything going on with Sa-eon and Hee-joo. Mr. Jeong is integral to that since it was he who was tasked with getting rid of the real Sa-eon after his grandfather drowned him. Except he wasn’t dead.
So, the real Sa-eon survived the attempt on his life but lost his memory as a result. How or even whether he got it back is anyone’s guess. Jeong covered up his crimes and his grandfather intimated that he was simply born evil, which isn’t a good sign if he’s the one knocking around and threatening everyone.
In the midst of all this, Sa-eon and Hee-joo’s relationship only goes from strength to strength. Each revelation seems to increase their understanding and empathy for each other. Learning who Sa-eon really is – or at least that he isn’t who he pretends – casts him as more vulnerable in Hee-joo’s eyes, and their personal successes in their relationship begin to filter out into their significant others, with even Hee-joo’s dad referring to Sa-eon as his son-in-law.
This helps the ending of When the Phone Rings Episode 9 – another cliffhanger, naturally – feel a bit more stinging, since Sa-eon unknowingly puts Hee-joo in danger by sending her off with Do-jae while he goes to investigate the graves of the missing kids. What he doesn’t realize is that Do-jae is one of the missing twins. Just as he finds out, Do-jae stops picking up the phone. He has Hee-joo right where he wants her – unconscious and at his mercy.
This leaves plenty for Episode 10 to pick up on, and plenty more beyond that for the last two episodes to deal with. Even this close to the end, the show isn’t losing any steam – if anything, it’s picking up more and more as it races to the finish.
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