Good Boy – K-drama Episode 12 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

3 days ago

Foul
Episode 12 of Good Boy starts with us seeing a rare sight – Jae-hong. The guy who has been absent for much of the season's biggest talking points but here he gets his time to shine during the moments at his discus event. Unfortunately, he's not successful like the others.
Dong-ju shows up to help him out after though, commiserating him by holding an umbrella from the rain and not saying a word, wanting to be there for him.
This bitter taste of defeat cuts us back to the present, where Ju-yeong is determined to get his revenge. He rings Dong-ju and apologizes for underestimating him but it's also worked to get the stagnant fires burning again. Now that he knows this is back to him fighting for scraps and playing dirty, he's relishing going back to basics and getting his hands dirty.
This is not dissimilar to how he handled that smuggler from the past. Remember the watch he gave Ju-yeong? Well, it turns out it was a fake and when Ju-yeong found out, he beat the guy down to a bloody pulp outside, taking the real watch for himself.
This sets up the stakes for the fight to come, as the news is abuzz with the 26 tons of cash that Man-sik and his team have seized from the containers. The President's office rings but Man-sik and the others play hardball after how unhelpful the police have been.
Word is that they're actually taking Golden Bunny to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to testify. This is good for them, as they can't get Insung to manipulate the case in any way. The group want to celebrate so they head over to Jae-hong's place.
Ju-yeong and the gang have a very different reaction to the news about Golden Bunny. There's in-fighting and doubts. Yeon-ha is ready to walk away, despite making all that Candy for him. She actually slaps him in the face when he threatens to hurt her sister.
While Jae-hong is accepted for his loan, Dong-ju is not doing so hot. He passes out at the gym and palms off his medical issues when Han-na questions him. He lies about the blood on his shirt, claiming it's kimchi brine.
They don't have long to think about this though, as Man-sik has organized for the group to set up base at the Pawnshop. They're determined to build a proper case against Ju-yeong now, gathering evidence and doing what they can while he's on the back-foot.
Jae-hong takes some paid time off to help, thanks in part to being approved for the loan, and joins the group in the investigation. However, they're soon called out when they receive reports about bad drugs in Insung. This is obviously Yeon-ha and Ju-yeong's doing.
Dong-ju spies Drug Demon walking (see: stumbling weakly) away from the scene and she eventually collapses. Turns out her sugar levels are way down, given she's diabetic. Just like before, she's captured and put into handcuffs after Dong-ju helps get her sugar levels up. Naturally, she escapes… again.
Jae-hong and Dong-ju are then tasked with heading over to the Myeongjin Shopping District, given the drugs have been doing the rounds.
While they're out and about, Jae-hong receives another message, confirming that the earlier loan has actually been declined due to 'unforeseen issues'. This is Jong-gu's doing, and he's asked for additional documents.
While Jae-hong is busy dealing with this, Dong-ju is attacked by thugs but this time, his medical condition gets the better of him. He can barely fight back and he completely underestimates Jong-gu too, who has a pretty stiff right hook. He hits right where it hurts too, claiming Dong-ju is 'punch drunk' and belittling him completely. He's eventually taken away, and when our group catch wind of this, they're shocked.
Unfortunately, Dong-ju is taken to Ju-yeong and left a bloody mess inside a shipping container. With our antagonist now aware of Dong-ju's medical condition, they inject him with a lethal dose and leave him to die.
However, Yeon-ha is here and given he saved her life beforehand, she reciprocates. She tells him to hold on for 10 minutes, and once they're moving in the container, gives him the antidote to counteract the effects of this drug.
Dong-ju does eventually manage to escape and runs away, thanks in part to Yeon-ha's assistance, who switches sides and helps him out. Killing kids is a step too far, even for the Drug Demon. Unfortunately, Insung is not like other towns and this time, there's no getting away from Ju-yeong's thugs. Dong-ju is stabbed in the gut and the news even report him as a dangerous fugitive too.
This also has the added bonus of allowing the group to realize exactly where he is and work to try and get him before Insung's crooked cops do. Dong-ju is heading for Eungcheon-dong, which is where Man-sik is going.
Unfortunately, things are made that much worse when Ju-yeong decides to put a huge bounty on Dong-ju's head. With the police after him legally, every gangster in the area are now after him illegally too, tightening the noose around him.
It's Jong-hyeon who manages to find him first, but Dong-ju is bleeding out and struggling. Yeon-ha shows up just after and actually helps patch him up and encourages Jong-hyeon to take him to the hospital so he can be detoxed.
Man-sik suggests they move him to Seongjin City first because Insung is way too hot right now. Mr Baek almost gets them on the road too, while Leo shows up to see Sergei, who's currently hanging with Gwang-se. Unfortunately, Sergei meets a sticky end here. It's worth noting we don't know if our Bald Eagle survives this time or not.
Jong-hyeon is in a rough way too after his car is T-boned so he reluctantly calls his brother and asks for help. In fact, he even offers to hand over his shares in exchange for this favour too.
Jong-hyeon's brother eventually goes for it, and Dong-ju sees a doctor. As he does, the group show up and help him out. This fight is obviously not going to end anytime soon, but Han-na is prepared to speed things along. She packs up her stuff and heads over to Insung to confront Ju-yeong.
The Episode Review
So this entire episode sees the pendulum swing back in favour of Ju-yeong once again. Sure, he's losing his money but he's still just as dangerous as he was before. In fact, it's almost like Ju-yeong has shed his cool exterior and we're seeing his 'final form' now and he's prepared to scrap it out to the death.
Of course, a lot of the problems stem from the fact that Dong-ju just doesn't have the same resources and manpower that Ju-yeong does. In fact, this episode we see that he barely breaks a sweat while turning an entire city against Dong-ju. How do you fight back against that?
This definitely has elements of John Wick about it, but the interesting wildcard here is Yeon-ha, who's now working with our group.
Once again though the police underestimate the Drug Demon and she manages to escape, while we do get a rehash of the familiar pattern of having our group take one step forward before being slammed back and taking two steps backward.
Even with this in mind though, there's enough here to sink your teeth into and Good Boy's ending certainly looks like it's about to tighten the screw going into the final few weeks.
Previous Episode
Next Episode
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!