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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Missing 9" Episode 8

At the rate Tae-ho plans murders it is quite fortunate that "Missing 9" should more realistically be called "Missing Many". The deadly star has some strong media play abilities and he is determined to get Bong-hee. One more survivor returns, but they are not exactly helpful. With the investigative committee still clutching at its new narrative, Bong-hee is left with only her fierce determination and Tae-yeong as her weapons.

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Tae-ho (Choi Tae-joon) is shaping up to be quite the busy killer. I am not sure if Jae-hyeon (Yeon Je-wook) was the first victim in his life, but Tae-ho clearly has some issues of the mental variety by now. I am still confused about So-hee's (Ryu Won) flashback on that roof, however and I wish the creators would clarify it. Was it just a scene that should have been cut; an error in editing, or are we supposed to think something of it?

Tae-ho accidentally killing Jae-hyeonDo-pal scolding Tae-ho for his irresponsible behavior

For now I will assume it was a mistake on behalf of the production and move on. I am not really moving on, I suppose, since Jae-hyeon's death reveals a lot of new information. It reaffirms the fact that President Hwang (Kim Sang-ho) is more caring than he previously appeared and it shows us more of the guilt and abuse Joon-oh (Jung Kyung-ho) had to live with. It also paints Tae-ho as the villain more likely to be controlling his new partner, although Do-pal (Kim Bub-lae) could have been the one who encouraged him to hide his original crime.

I have not spoken a lot about the not-yet-romance, but this and Bong-hee's (Baek Jin-hee) character are quite enjoyable. It is a pleasant surprise to have a heroine who has different sides to her and who is not used as a prop to someone. Many female leads in Korean drama start off this way, but end up going out of character. Bong-hee is consistent. Her friendship with Joon-oh is mutually comforting and supportive, making it easy to feel invested in.

Bong-hee giving Joon-oh food and comfortTae-ho threatening Ho-hang

Moving on to less pleasant things, Ho-hang (Tae Hang-ho) is an interesting survivor, because he knows so much more than most and is so erratic in his alliances. His crippling fear and trauma make him pitiful, but he is also an adult who has made mistakes and endangered lives. This makes him a tough person to forgive, especially since his word could have tilted the scale against Tae-ho and kept him and Bong-hee safe.

Sadly, he also falls victim to the creators' relentless efforts for inappropriate comedy. His reunion with our now dear President Hwang should have been an emotional scene given the situation as well as the development and current condition of the two characters. It is easy to forgive some of the drama's flaws when it is immersive and entertaining, but they really need to work on the errors too glaring to look past.

"Missing 9" is directed by Choi Byeong-gil, written by Son Hwang-won and features Jung Kyung-ho, Baek Jin-hee, Oh Jung-se and Choi Tae-joon.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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