Room 119
Designated Survivor: 60 Days returns for another tense slice of politically charged drama, this time tinged with an air of regret. With the leaked video now out and negotiations with Cambodia at a stalemate, the Blue House reel as people ramp up their plans to leave South Korea, believing a war is imminent. In a bid to stifle the mass hysteria, Park attempts to hire Oh to be part of the administration. However, it’s unlikely he’ll take them up on the offer. Despite objections from everyone else, he tasks Cha to contact Oh and arrange a meeting. He arrives soon after and immediately gets straight to the point, questioning Park over his presidential strategy. Eventually he graciously declines the offer, leaving Park without a figure-head to use in his political stand-off with Cambodia. Desperate, Park decides to strike a deal himself and as the Cambodian Ambassadors arrive, he offers up the two Vietnamese men arrested by the National Intelligence service in exchange for Myung. After some deliberation, they agree to help and from here, a military operation is green-lit. Meanwhile, Na-Gyung hunts for Room 119 but it doesn’t appear to exist. However, she does learn that the call she received came from a pay phone outside her house so it must be someone trusted that knows her when they gave her the information. Na asks Yun for the blueprints to the building which she agrees to do – for a price. She wants any and all information on the bomber. Na refuses but does enough to intrigue Yun to go looking through the schematics herself. She guesses that perhaps it’s not Room 119 but just simply 119 which could suggest a bomb shelter. As we learn later on in the episode, this isn’t a million miles away from the truth. Park watches as the troops practice before asking General Jang for his opinion on the operation. He admits he thinks they’ll succeed but has no idea what Myung has planned. Park wishes them all well and tells the General that if things get too much, he has the all clear to shoot to kill. After a restless night, Park learns that the helicopter crashed en-route to their rendezvous point. With the troops on the ground, they relay back to the administration who deliberate momentarily before agreeing to go ahead with the operation as planned. NIS agent Na receives the blueprints from Yun and heads to the office with them in hand. Under secrecy Na tells the office that she’s more sure than ever that Oh is involved in the bombing. Speaking of which, he arrives at the office and watches as the military operation to apprehend Myung gets underway. While he watches, Na figures out with her colleagues that Room 119 is actually an air raid shelter. An air raid shelter situated right below where Assemblyman Oh was recovered. As this bombshell is revealed, the military team come face to face with Myung who holds hostages at ransom and a detonator in his hand. He demands the soldiers lower their weapons and after a stand off, the communication line is cut, leaving Park in the dark. After a tense few minutes, Park gets confirmation that Myung has been captured alive. Unfortunately, Major Jang died in the ensuing skirmish. The soldiers return to home soil and they mourn Major Jang’s passing. Park is hit hard by the news so he visits Han’s to ask why he was recommended for presidency. After some discussion, Park asks him outright whether he’ll return to the Blue House. With the truth about Oh revealed and more information around the infamous Room 119, the pieces slowly slot into place in Designated Survivor: 60 Days’ story. Armed with deeper characterisation for Park and a much more intimate look at what it means to be the President, this Korean drama continues to do justice to the original story it’s based on. The dual narratives, switching between Na and Park, work well and keep the momentum of the episode ticking over at a decent pace. Quite what next week has in store for us in 60 Days remains to be seen but for now, this drama bows out the week with another decent episode.
