"Save Me" Episode 2 recap

Heroes are rare and not all of them are powerful or successful. This reality is brought to the forefront through a grim incident in today's episode of "Save Me". Sang-mi's suspicions about the cult keep growing with every forced smile and every crack in the church crew's facade. The twins are under immense pressure and the group who can help them starts to drift apart.
I did not get a chance to talk about the characters of the drama in the previous review and it is time to correct this. Starting with Sang-mi (Seo Ye-ji), I am impressed by her demeanor and development as a heroine. She is smart, perceptive and essentially the head of her family, but she is not fearless or cocky. I know she will have to be colder and crueler to fight this and her journey interests me.

While Sang-mi needs help against her powerful  opponents, our four young men are not the heroes she needs right now. I appreciate the series for being realistic about this. The men have differences in status, interests and skills, but they bond through their problems and fears. It is this fear which will haunt Han Sang-hwan (Taecyeon). He is not a good Samaritan like Seok Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan). He is someone who will be motivated by guilt and that is fine, because it is just as human.
However, assuming that his father is still a successful politician when we jump to the present, Sang-hwan will have help most people do not. This is where I assume the show's realism will end, albeit with a very harsh lesson. In a society where many turn a blind eye for personal gain or fear, it takes the very corruption of power to fight back successfully. Sang-hwan can help, because his father is privileged. If you lack backing, you are on your own.

Which brings me to our villain's formidable empire. The series takes its time to portray the elaborate nature of creating a false image to prey on others. Con artists are great judges of character and they know exactly how to move people. Of course tea laced with probably psychotropic drugs "helps". There is no greater drug than religion, however and this makes it dangerous when wielded as a weapon.
The sight of Baek Jeong-gi (Jo Sung-ha) standing before the funeral portrait of a child he coerced to promote his brand is sickening. Sang-mi's dumbfounded reaction is the only appropriate one in this situation. It is my hope that while she does need help to escape this cult, she will ultimately be the one to destroy it. Heroes come and go, but those in need must stay and fight.
"Save Me" is directed by Kim Seong-soo, written by Jeong Sin-gyoo and Jeong I-do-I and features Taecyeon, Seo Ye-ji, Jo Sung-ha and Woo Do-hwan.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink