Brain Works 2023 Episode 5

Episode 5 of Brain Works start with the prison appointment between Dr Shin and Dr Hwang. Hwang was a neurosurgeon who killed seven patients from a morphine overdose.

He stood no monetary gain from his actions, making him an extreme psychopath who killed only for pleasure. Dr Hwang agrees to donate his brain to Dr Shin on the condition that he becomes his friend. He requests Dr Shin to invest four hours a month in becoming his friend. Dr Shin agrees. On his way back to his cell, Dr Hwang says he is happy that he got himself another amusing toy.

The next scene is at Areum Building. A man is seen running away from a little girl. He is terrified. He falls off the building just as his wife arrives. Before he dies, he whispers something about the person who tried to kill him. The wife runs to the roof and finds the little girl, Ji Yul. She is holding a bloody knife.

Chief Kim is still terrified of Captain Seul. They hold a brief meeting about the man who fell off the building. Ji Yul, the six-year-old daughter of the deceased, is the main suspect. Ji Yul suffers from aphasia. His mother confessed to finding the daughter on the roof with a knife. The detectives think that the father might have severely abused the daughter, who felt stressed because of her aphasia, and she reacted. However, the theory seems irrational. Detective Geum thinks it might have been the wife. However, her dashboard camera proves her alibi.

In the interrogation room, JI Yul tells the detective that she was not afraid of her dad, and she was not on the roof when he fell off the roof. When asked if she saw anyone else on the roof, Ji Yul becomes nervous and looks terrified. She writes that the devil was also on the roof. She becomes possessed and faints when asked to talk about the devil on the roof. The detectives want to take her to the hospital, but the mother refuses.

Dr Shin says that her delusions and visual hallucinations indicate that Ji Yul is suffering from psychotic bipolar, which might be caused by anxiety, extreme stress, ADHD, epilepsy, and brain tumors. Dr Shin advises that she needs to see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis. The mother disagrees. She thinks that a wicked spirit has possessed her and made her kill. Detective Geum insists on having her checked by a doctor.

The mother becomes angry and threatens to report them to Human Rights for being coercive when investigating a minor. Dr Shin visits the doctor who did the MRI tests on Ji Yul, and she confirms that it was indeed Ji Yul’s. She said they had recommended that Ji Yul be transferred to another doctor, but the mother refused. The doctor suspects that the mother is into something sketchy. The detective discovers that the mother has joined a cult after suffering postpartum depression.

There were differences between Ji Yul’s mother and father in how to handle their daughter’s case. The mother wanted exorcism, while the father wanted to see a doctor. The father was killed on the day before the scheduled exorcism.

Dr Shin and Detective Geum visit the Salvation and Heal Ms Yang’s cult. The cult leader (Madam Messenger) agrees to have a sit-down. Dr Shin asks about the money for the exorcism ritual, which made Ms Yang sell her building. Madam messenger says she had no idea and says she will talk her out of it. When they leave, madam messenger tells Dr Shin that the souls of his parents, who died wrongfully, obstruct his future. She advises that he should put their soul to rest to succeed. Her words do not sway Dr Shin.

Back at the precinct, Dr Shin thinks madam messenger was lying, given the non-verbal cues he observed. The Chief instructs them to widen their search and figure out who else was on the roof the day Mr Yang fell off the roof.

Chief Kim thinks Madam Messenger might have brainwashed Ji Yul, but Dr Shin refutes the theory saying Ji Yul’s condition made her not susceptible to brainwashing. They decide to take a different approach. They take Ji Yul to an MRI that prints out mental images. They ask her to think about the devil on the roof, and a blurred image of herself shows on the screen.

Detective Geum is certain Ji Yul is not the killer since mentioning the devil terrified her. Dr Geum visits the scene of the crime. He notices a mirror on the roof, giving a different perspective to the image from Ji Yul’s MRI. Detective Geum thinks that madam messenger is on the scene, and the image is Ji Yul’s reflection and that of madam messenger as seen from the mirror. They think the messenger was with Ji Yul’s mom on the day of the murder. Captain Seul confirms this when she reports that the messenger’s car was caught on CCTV near Ji Yul’s home.

Ms Yang is determined to protect madam messenger, but Ji Yul confirms that she is on the rooftop. She insists on pinning the murder on her daughter Ji Yul saying that the messenger was not at her house that day. Even when presented with possible facts, she insists on calling Madam Messenger, who sends her people to pick up Ms Yang and Ji Yul from the police station. The team hits a block on their investigation.

Ms Yang depends on the cult, and the only way out is to realize her faith is wrong and change her behaviour through cognitive behavioral therapy. The process could take at least six years. Dr Shin suggests changing the object of Ms Yang’s faith. Captain Seul and Dr Geum go undercover in Salvation and Heal.

They pose as lovers, and detective Geum is paralyzed. They manage to figure out the date of Ji Yul’s salvation ritual. To become a member and be allowed to watch the ritual, Captain Seul poses as an extremely wealthy person and promises to donate a million dollars. Madam messenger allows her to attend the ritual.

Ji Yul’s case is special to Dr Shin since he also suffered from aphasia when he was young. People thought that since he could not talk, he was deaf too and said all the bad things about him. He was lucky that his aunt was there to help him, and he wished to do the same for Ji Yul. She has no one to help her since a cult brainwashes her mom. It is not fair that the child is called a murderer and is wicked.

Captain Seul, detective Geum, and Dr Shin watch a video of the salvation ritual. Madam messenger is beating up a man with a whip. A brief glimpse into the preparation of the ritual, the messenger’s assistant is worried about Ji Yul. Madam messenger insists that a whip will be used since she saw what she was not supposed to. She asks the assistant to prepare a host so they can relieve Ms Yang of her suffering.

During the salvation ritual, the messenger suddenly changes the order and paralyzed detective Geum has to go first. The episode ends with him lying on the table with madam Message cracking a whip on top of him.

The Episode Review

This episode provided a slight retrospect into Dr Shin’s childhood. He also suffered from aphasia after the accident, and the case is closely related to him. The episode showed a different side of Dr Shin, one that cares is empathetic, and is not all self-absorbed. After the visit with Dr Hwang, I am curious about what he meant by saying Dr Shin is an amusing toy.

I look forward to understanding what’s happened in the case of Mr Yang and whether his wife can be saved from the cult. Will Detective Geum break their cover or withstand the whip?