Recap Korean Drama "Inspector Koo" Episode 12 (Final Episode)

Kyung-Yi’s Master Plan

Episode 12 of Inspector Koo begins with an irate K screaming in frustration as she realizes she’s been outsmarted by Kyung-Yi. This actually stems all the way back to our train ride, where Kyung-Yi came up with her masterplan.

Now the end-goal here was to show Director Yong that she’ll do anything to get ahead. With K desperate for blood, Kyung-Yi used the public attention on Hyeong-Tae to shield him from K’s murderous intent. Ever since Gyeong-Su handed over the USB to K, Kyung-Yi has been scheming.

And that acid thrown in Yong Sook’s face? Yep, it was never actually acid, that was also part of the plan. The pictures Kyung-Yi snapped weren’t to put in her photo album either. They were actually for Kyung-Yi to copy the bandage pattern to fool K into believing she was Yong Sook.

Knowing that K’s target has always been Hyeong-Tae, Kyung-Yi managed to stop K before it was too late. K’s not angry though, instead she’s actually impressed that her nemesis has managed to think all of this through.

What happens at the theatre?

The five men and women from the boat gathered with Seong-Tae are quickly escorted out the building while this is going on. The brown teddy bear K placed inside the building, alongside the pillars on the exterior, are all rigged up to blow. Keeping K talking allows Gyeong-Su to escort everyone out, although Seong-Tae is still tied up inside. When Gyeong-Su learns this, he rushes back inside to save him, while Kyung-Yi presses the button and allows the place to blow. Unbeknownst to her though, Gyeong-Su actually happens to be inside a fridge with Seong-Tae, who are both absolutely fine. What is this, Indiana Jones?

Meanwhile, Kyung-Yi hugs K but refuses to let go. The police are incoming but K has one more twist up her sleeve. Gun-Uk comes storming into the auditorium and holds Santa up at gunpoint. Interestingly, Mr Kim and his goons show up too, along with Yong Sook who confronts them all. It turns out the cops aren’t coming after all, and it was a big ploy to keep them all in this auditorium together.

One Bullet For Three People

Now we get our final conflict, as Yong Sook uses a rifle to “shoot the easy ones”. Thankfully Kyung-Yi is smart enough to shut the curtains but as she tries to get close, K throws one of her toy bombs at the director, pressing the detonator from afar and letting it blow in her face. She’s still alive though, but runs into Je-Hui outside who has more than a few choice words.  Je-Hui refuses to be swayed by the Director and calls out for the paramedics, claiming she’s hurt and needs to see her sons. Of course, this big PR stunt forces Yong Sook to grin and bear the public eye turning to her.

Back inside, Gun-Uk winds up hurt from the earlier gunshot wound and begins bleeding out on the ground. Gyeong-Su is there too see him, as Gun-Uk whispers something in his ear. So where’s K? Well, it turns out she’s off with Santa, holding him hostage. She forces him into an abandoned train carriage at gunpoint. Only… they’re not alone. It turns out Kyung-Yi is actually in there already. Gun-Uk told her where they’d be. So it all coms down to this, and with one bullet in the gun and the train moving again, this stand-off begins.

Who is Santa?

One of the big mysteries of this season has been finding out just who Santa actually is. Now, according to K he’s actually Gwang-Uk, Han-Gyeol’s secret boyfriend at school. Kyung-Yi claims that K is lying but it all links together. This is why Santa has been so nice to her all this time. He had ties with her husband Seong-U, and since he passed, Santa has been trying to repent for his actions. Seong-U’s death was all Santa’s fault. K decides to capitalize on this and tries to stop them both, leading to a big skirmish between the trio.

Now, later in the episode we find out that all of this was a complete fabrication, with no evidence to back up any of K’s claims. Now, either it’s a case that Santa is really clever and has managed to disguise himself well, covering his tracks, or it’s one big mystery we’ll never solve.

What happens between Kyung-Yi and K?

Kyung-Yi and K jump from the train, just as a gunshot sounds. Neither are dead though, but as K tries to get away, Kyung-Yi grabs her ankle and brings her in. There’s no escape now, especially as police sirens close in on their location.

K is arrested as the gang reconvene at a big Christmas display, Buncheon Santa Village no less. That is most certainly not a coincidence! K is finally arrested though, leaving with nothing, while Kyung-Yi remains surrounded by her friends. Santa and Kyung-Yi bury the hatchet too, with the former showing up outside with a secret bag full of the “Kyung-Yi special” food that Seong-U used to get for her.

A happy ending?

Je-Hui shows up at the police station, handing over the USB stick of incriminating evidence, including her own role to play in this operation. Yong Sook is disgraced, arrested and investigated for 17 crimes including murder. Seong-Ta and Hyeong-Tae are also arrested too, with everything looking like it’s on the rise.

Kyung-Yi heads over to see Santa and hands over a card for him, claiming he’s a valued member of their detective agency and part of the family now.

Elsewhere, over in prison, K overhears someone in another cell muttering that they “need to kill him.” Has K found a possible ally here? We’re left to guess on that one!

How does Inspector Koo end?

As the episode closes out, our detectives all join together as they receive a special guest at the door. Its Lee Young-Ae, who happens to be the actress playing the role of Kyung-Yi. One of the in-jokes of this show has been how much of a slob Kyung-Yi is so seeing her so perfect here is a lovely little tongue in cheek joke to end things – with a cheeky wink for good measure too!

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The Episode Review

I must admit, that was a very good finale. Inspector Koo hasn’t always fired on all cylinders but the finale does right by the series and its quirky tone overall, bringing everything together into this tightly constructed final chapter.

I wasn’t sure Inspector Koo would be able to pull it off but alas, it’s certainly done that and rounded things out nicely.

The cameo appearance is a nice touch too while this episode managed to give a good amount of screen-time for the rivalry between K and Kyung-Yi.

Seeing how Kyung-Yi has been planning this event the whole time, and how the seemingly random moments have been all tied together into this plot, makes the final that much more satisfying. The Seong-Tae/Hyeong-Tae story has probably been the weakest part of the whole show but it’s thankfully wrapped up reasonably quickly here.

The truth about Santa remains ambitious, which I personally quite like, although I can understand that this, plus the uncertainty over what happened with Kyung-Yi’s husband, will leave many fans frustrated. However, K is now behind bars and Kyung-Yi has had a nice character arc, which goes some way to excuse that. Either way, the door is certainly left wide open for a possible follow-up!