Vigilante (2023) Episode 3

Vigilante Episode 3 Recap

 

Seon-wook and Ji-yong See Eye to Eye

With more people turning up to punish “criminals” like the Vigilante, copycat crimes become the talk of the town. It’s obvious that these imposters however didn’t dig into an in-depth investigation of their subjects like Ji-yong. Ultimately, Ji-yong and Seon-wook agree upon how if victims’ narratives were more prioritised over the criminals’ stories, then this issue wouldn’t have arisen at all.

Deliveryman death accident

A new case catches the eye of the public as a man driving a truck accidentally hit another one. Instead of calling 911, putting his truck in reverse gear, he ended up crushing him after second thought and seeing the severely wounded man call for help. Choi Gyu-ho is granted a 14-months-long sentence and eventually let out. People obviously oppose this as an unfair judgement, and await the Vigilante to act on it. Ji-yong tails him, but it’s not made clear initially if he acts on the situation or not. Ultimately, a new Vigilante turns up in a masked look, unlike Ji-yong’s choice to punish criminals with a bare hood on, without covering his face.

 

Ms Choi is clearly hurt that the Vigilante acted out before they could televise anything on the case. And the other new channel also mirrors the steps employed by Ms Choi to lure out the Vigilante in the previous episode. They too announce three perpetrators’ names who’ve been punished leniently. Hooded figures start emerging out of nowhere and dropping bodies of these people. This act of imitation is also addressed in the reading “Psychology of Copycat Crimes”, picked up by Ji-yong, which divulges that people are likely to imitate the actions of the person they admire, and so on.

 

Another supposed “Vigilante” figure also sends out a message to the media, stating, “Everyone, Vigilantism is a crime. It shakes the foundations of the rule of law, and it is a terrible crime in itself. However, this is a matter of empathy. I declare publicly, I will not stop my vigilante activities … When laws that prioritise victims’ right over perpetrators’ are made and enforced! When the law wipes away the victims’ tears! Only then will the evil spirit called ‘Vigilante’ lose its meaning and disappear into the morning sun”.

Ji-yong also shares the speculation with his friends that this wasn’t the original Vigilante beacuse he referred to himself as “us”, alluding to the involvement of organised crime. The police also catches on the idea, due to the difference in pattern of targeting people, but Jo Heon has different claims to make.

 

He conjures up a completely contrasting image of the Vigilante. According to him, the Vigilante finds pleasure in overpowering his opponent, and starts feeling invincible when the police fails to catch him. Plus, if people applaud his doings, he crosses the line further, so punishing a minor and a woman is just him acting out of control. However, the academy professor on the other hand, believes that it’s actually meant to be a message to provoke someone, and a copycat only hopes to provoke the one he admires, taking us back to Ji-yong’s Vigilante.

Ms Choi also believes that the message wasn’t sent out by the real Vigilante, so she decides to ensue a debate for their channel in hopes of becoming the only and real messenger of the hooded figure. She takes this responsibility on her shoulders daringly.

The chairman statse his belief that the identity and names of perpetrators must not be released publicly by the media because this is what kickstarted the Vigilante operation in the first place, and its goes against human rights. Ms Choi then raises the other side, by mentioning that “guilt by association” doesn’t just apply to criminals but also to victims, in turn extending huge damage to their families. Her moving words work their charm on Ji-yong and he stays seated to hear her out. Meanwhile, Jo heon catches a Vigilante , but he already knows that he isn’t the one he’s been looking for right.

The Old Lady’s Accident

 

In another incident, the old lady Ji-yong has always been helping carrying the cardboards is severely injured due to a man rashly driving into the narrow street. Another man tries to help and defend her by swinging punches at the original assaulter, but is taken in by the police, while the former is escorted to the hospital for his injuries. This news directly impacts Ji-yong, with Seon-wook also clearly affected by the unfair series of actions.

Later, the assaulter’s brother comes down to the old lady’s house and brashly demands her to settle terms under the table, pushing Ji-yong into action. Ms Choi is clear on her target too, she commands her team to keep an eye on Jang Soon-do, the assaulter, who’s to be hospitalised soon. She doesn’t just hope to catch the Vigilante in action, rather also how he makes a move after they broadcast such related things.

Vigilante Episode 3 Ending

 

With Soon-do as a good target in the case, all police circles around the perimeter and Ms Choi also sits waiting for the next move. The police keeping guard in Jang Soon-do’s room moves out for a while on receivng a message of his car having been damaged. Following his departure, Ji-yong, dressed in his dark attire drops by to push him to turn himself in to the judge and ask for the maximum sentence.

The call received by the police guards obviously a hoax. On the other hand, as Jo Heon is walking towards the man’s room, he catches a man in a white coat walking in his direction. His instincts kick in and he notices the dark pants and shoes worn by him. However, his attention is soon drawn towards Soon-do’s cry for help.

 

Once he walks in, he sees that Soon-do has merely been tied to his bed. He draws up a bare profile for the man he spotted in the corridor. The CCTV is of no use of course. Jo Heon tails Ji-yong through the emergency exit. With Jo heon at the entrance, waiting to catch him, Ms Cho also alerts her team to focus up due to the commotion.

Meanwhile, a phone left behind for Soon-do starts ringing up and another masked man comes up behind him and hits him, but it’s evident that he was around when Ji-yong dropped by as he alludes to a quote made by hum. As Ji-yong finds way out of the place, he’s stopped in his tracks by the distant bang as Soon-do is pushed out of his window.

 

Ji-yong stays back in the shadows and spots another hooded figure rappelling down on the other side of the building, who then steals an ambulance and Ji-yong chases him down, and get in too. While the other man recognises him and calls out his name, Ji-yong is sill in the dark about this other Vigilante’s identity.

Vigilante Episode 3 Review

 

Taking a quick jump out of the park, the third episode settles in for a more broody approach, especially when it comes to building Ji-yong’s grounded persona. What initially came off seeming like a run of the mill, common imitation of the Batman and Daredevil characters, has now gradually started assuming an identity of its own. Since the characters are shaped as sternly peculiar visions from the webtoon, some of them, especially Jo Heon takes on a larger-than-life role, when seen picking up cars with his bare hands and towering over every other character in the lot. Yoo Ji-tae’s commanding presence is felt prominently despite him not hoarding a lot of screen time with actual spoken dialogues.

The 8-episode-run for the series has also brought in the favour of not stalling action for a long time. Right in the third episode itself, we get a scene with Jo Heon almost walking shoulder to shoulder with Ji-yong, obviously not literally. And then, the ending also hints at the erratic partnership of two Vigilantes, with contrasting moral codes, one following a rule book, in a way held back (but for good reason) due to his morning job as a student at the police academy, and the other having no qualms in crossing the line and creating his own rulebook of no rules at all.

It will be a sight to behold if these people are to actually join forces in the future. It’s almost presents an image of them looking at their reflections in the mirror, only that in Ji-yong’s case, a twisted alter ego looks back at him in the shape of the ruthless “fan” he’s found himself in this other Vigilante figure.

 

On the contrary, a similarly mirroring parallel is drawn up to address the dynamic between Ji-yong and Seon-wook. While it doesn’t necessarily mean that Seon-wook is also following in the footsteps of the Vigilante, he almost seems like a direct reflection and summation of what Ji-yong and his ideals represent. This unsaid chemistry between the two characters is also something that I’m particularly looking forward to seeing develop further in the future.

Moreover, the discussions held between the police officers add more perceptive depth into the conversation surrounding what makes the Vigilante who he is. Despite them all working on the same side, against this lawless outlaw, each of these representatives has a different take on his psyche, and in a way, neither of them is wrong. This compelling outlook backed by actual morals and code of conduct laid out by the police academy and what it stands for, makes way for a compelling dialogue and parallels between two sides of the same coin.