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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Save Me" Episode 3

"Save Me" once more proves that it does not cower away from difficult subject matter and this means that our characters get no breaks from their plight. Things keep happening which create more victims and more perpetrators and which reveal the true faces of the people involved. I do not know where the time jump will lead us, but it will not be a happy place.

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The falling out between Sang-hwan (Ok Taecyeon) and Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan) has been brewing for a while, but it is a bit more complex than I imagined it. For one, I am glad it does not happen over actual betrayal or worse, over "a girl", something fiction loves doing to demonize women. The misunderstanding keeps Sang-hwan honorable and sends Dong-cheol on his path. Uniting for a common cause after this hurdle can also strengthen their friendship in the long run.

Sang-hwan telling Dong-cheol to be strong and apologizingJeong-hoon and Man-hee visiting Dong-cheol in jail

This group is one of four, however, which makes the development we see in Woo Jeong-hoon (Lee David) and Choi Man-hee (Ha Hoe-jung) all the more important as we look to the future. Man-hee has not been in the spotlight much, but we now get to see that he is very perceptive. He also reaches out to support Dong-cheol without becoming pushy, which tells me that he knows his friends well. Jeong-hoon is more simpleminded and naive, but he is clearly a supportive friend too.

Governor-to-be Han Yong-min (Son Byung-ho) was my hope for a good "adult" here, but now that I see what he is capable of to keep his position, I wonder how deep his actions go. Woo Choon-gil (Kim Kwang-kyu) may have offered us some dark foreshadowing when visiting the cult in episode one. A plan for "taking care of" the homeless would make any politician popular with pseudo-caring souls and bigots who do not want the homeless around alike. Much to Sang-hwan's misfortune, I feel "Save Me" would go there.

Yong-min making a media spectable of his wifeSang-mi attempting suicide

Speaking of the cult's work, while I suspected that our group were once a different type of criminals, I wonder how they are related. Most importantly, the mystery of whether Jeong-gi (Cho Seong-ha) believes his own lies deepens. Is he a pervert who never drops the act, does he want to turn Sang-mi (Seo Yea-ji) into a religious mascot for the church or does he truly have some twisted spiritual view of her?

"Save Me" piles cruelty upon cruelty and tragedy upon tragedy, even if those might make viewers very uncomfortable. We have to be uncomfortable. We have to see just how many people it takes to perpetuate corruption and injustice in Muji and therefore how important it is for our heroes to fight. Sang-mi is a victim, but she may also be the one to lead this fight.

"Save Me" is directed by Kim Seong-soo, written by Jeong Sin-gyoo and Jeong I-do-I and features Ok Taecyeon, Seo Yea-ji, Cho Seong-ha and Woo Do-hwan.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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