Bugging The House
The Game: Toward Zero is a show that requires you to switch off and not think too much about the plot. It’s something that some shows can pull off reasonably well, and this Korean drama has certainly been one of them over the weeks. However, the slower pace has brought with it a much more reflective tone and when you stop to think of a few niggling plot issues, it’s hard to ignore them once they strike. Tae-Pyeong’s power is both a blessing and a curse, and as we approach the halfway point of this one, the bigger question revolves around just why our male lead hasn’t sketched a photo of the killer yet. For now though, the episodes begin with Tae-Pyeong comforting Joon-Young at the hospital, who blames herself for Pil-Doo’s death. As the Chief arrives, Joon-Young tells him they need to make the news public that Pil-Doo was wrongfully convicted so they can catch the real killer. Meanwhile, Tae-Pyeong questions why the investigators haven’t found any DNA under the fingernails but before they can get to the bottom of this, the police have bigger fish to fry with Ms. Yoo, who’s brought in for questioning after murdering Pil-Doo. At the hospital, Do-Kyung tells the nurse to follow her schedule rather than moving Pil Doo’s body as Joon-Young arrives and oversees the autopsy. However, Do-Kyung questions her over what she’s doing and whether this is “fun” or not. When Joon-Young leaves, Do-Kyung appears to laugh but the sombre music would suggest crying so it could be either of these emotions. Tae-Pyeong continues to suffer from nightmares, in particular surrounding Do-Kyung’s warning to him. Determined to try and change his fortunes, he heads out and buys the smallest camera available. At the jewellery store he sees the necklace from his future where he dies on the beach but decides against buying it for now. The Chief heads off and starts an operation to find evidence to pin on Do Kyung. Tae-Pyeong has the same idea and assembles the officers at the station together and they bug Do-Kyung’s place. After doing this, the Chief heads in alone and admits the truth – that he planted evidence to frame his Father for the murder after his friend fell all those years ago. Do-Kyung figures out that he’s bugged and proceeds to rip the camera from his chest, admitting to those watching he cremated the murderer. While the police scramble to piece together what this means, Tae-Pyeong sneaks out the house while Do-Kyung burns a newspaper clipping. In the parking lot, he watches the cameras from inside the house and sees him descend into the basement via the trap door. While Ji-Won is arrested and taken away for murdering Jo Pil Doo, Tae-Pyeong and Do-Kyung square off in the cemetery. After their initial confrontation, Tae-Pyeong sneaks into Do-Kyung’s house and manages to break into the basement. Once there, he finds a man in a jail cell. That man, as it happens, is the same one he’s seen as the murderer in his visions. With a cliffhanger ending and plenty of questions left hanging over this one, The Game: Toward Zero continues to throw in a lot of flashbacks and sombre scenes around its story. Compared to the frenetic, thrilling energy this one started off with, this Korean thriller has stumbled a little in recent weeks which has caused a lot more doubts to creep into the story. Given what they all know about Tae-Pyeong’s powers, withholding the killer’s true identity and not sketching this for the police seems like a pretty big deal. It’s even more questionable when you look at the ineptitude the entire force appears to be adopting, especially the haphazard way they tried to catch Do-Kyung out this week and left Tae-Pyeong in serious danger. For now though, The Game: Toward Zero appears to be waning somewhat, despite the surprising finish, but quite what’s in store for our characters next, and whether this show can turn it around, remains to be seen.
