Recap Korean Drama "Island (2022)" Episode 5

Episode 5 of Island starts where we left off with Ban trying to kill Mi-ho with his sword. He escapes his trance after stabbing his own hand while Mi-ho is scared of him for using the lust demon’s energy. He feels disgusted after what he had done and flees from the scene as Mi-ho faints in Yohan’s arms.

Yohan tells Butler Jang that he had done this on purpose and that his goal was to see the extent of Ban’s dependence on the lust demon. Butler Jang is shocked when Yohan mentions that the demon slayer had sacrificed his own arm in the process of saving Mi-ho and he claims that Ban was the only one who could protect ‘the lady’ – Wonjeong/Mi-ho.

Yohan disagrees and tells Butler Jang that he did not instigate the demon slayer for this but adds that it will be he who protects Mi-ho and not Ban. Ban is in the forest as he thinks back on what Baek-joo had warned him about using the lust demon’s powers to kill the other demons.

Meanwhile, Mi-ho wakes up in her bed shocked, recalling what Ban had done. At the same time, Gong-tan is introduced and he is performing a ritual that has an effect similar to the one that the bride and the groom had in Episode 1. With the demons released, Ban rushes out of the forest on what looks like a full moon’s night.

The next morning, a couple of trekkers are taking a trip in the forest when a woman spots a creature eating up human organs. A while after, she is attacked as well. The episode jumps to Yeom-ji getting ready for school as Baek-joo and her friends watch the news. The news reports claim that three tourists were murdered and their organs were missing.

The women start discussing urban legends about demons eating livers and more but Baek-joo asks Yeom-ji to get going to school. Yohan rushes to find Mi-ho when he finds that she was not in her room anymore. Mi-ho makes it to the forest all by herself looking for Ban. She is climbing up mountains as she tracks Ban’s location using GPS.

The Dol Hareubang statue’s there make a protective covering around it so as to trap all demons inside while Mi-ho too is inside the protective shell when she finds Ban. Ban is shocked to see her and wonders what she thinks of him after what he had done to her.

He stops her from getting too close but Mi-ho claims that Ban did not only try to kill her but also saved her multiple times. They fight about Mi-ho putting herself in danger by surrounding herself around a half-demon but Mi-ho continues to tend to the world on Ban’s arm.

Mi-ho leaves when she gets frustrated by him pushing her away. She tells him that he was weak-willed for not being able to control the demon energies within him. Ban starts thinking about it and so does Mi-ho when she is back in the castle. Yohan finds her there and tells her how worried he was for her. He claims that he would guard Mi-ho going forth while Butler Jang insists that Mi-ho should let the priest take care of her.

Yohan and Mi-ho drive to Tamra High School and she recalls how Ban was not there with her anymore. At the school, the female students are following the hot priest, Yohan and Mi-ho jokes that the girls would not leave him alone if he was seen in a school uniform.

Mi-ho spots Su-ryeon who is still anxious after the incident. Mi-ho offers her some advice, consoling her but the student has no memory of Mi-ho or that she was possessed by a demon not so long ago. Yeom-jo introduces Su-ryeon to Mi-ho and Yohan as the two students make their way to the classroom.

Mi-ho runs into Su-jin who will be having her wedding soon. The two friends decide to go shopping for Mi-ho’s bridesmaid outfit soon and the two friends catch up with Yohan being a cute observer. After Su-jin leaves, Mi-ho tells Yohan that she was the only person that made her life as a student at Tamra High School bearable.

Yeom-ji is treating Su-ryeon to a meal made by her grandmother and the two friends make up after Su-ryeon apologises for yelling at her. Baek-joo gives Ban first aid for his arm and scolds him for leaving Mi-ho alone. Ban confesses that he had almost killed her again and is worried that he won’t be able to control the demon inside him.

Baek-joo convinces him that it will all be okay and asks him to continue to protect Mi-ho. Mi-ho and Yohan get home from work when Yohan gets a call informing him about his older brother Chan-hee. Yohan is troubled after the call. Chan-hee is Yohan’s older brother who was also adopted. After being separated from him for years, Yohan hopes to find Chan-hee back.

Chan-hee is a mere worker who is responsible for cleaning the boats and cabins on Jeju Island. Meanwhile, Gong-tan is helping the demon kill humans and feast on their organs. The owners of the boats and cabins that Chan-hee was cleaning are both murdered by the demon creature. Gong-tan is with him and seems to be vengeful against humans.

An old man helps feed Chan-hee a meal and asks him to look for a new job. He hands him a flyer and asks him to take the motorcycle when he looks for a job. Yohan is sad which is why Mi-ho decides to take him out on a drive. She asks him to vent and open up about his feelings with her.

She takes Yohan to Su-jin’s fiance’s cafe. The girls try on their dresses for the wedding outfits and are enjoying themselves. Ban watches them from afar and finally makes it back to Baek-joo’s house. The woman and her friends are talking about the demon eating human organs. Ban overhears the conversation and rushes to find the demon.

The scars on the victim’s bodies remind Ban of Gong-tan. He goes to inspect the crime scene hopeful that he would find something. The next morning, Mi-ho is in a chirpy mood as she takes Yohan out for a surprise visit with her. She takes him to at abandoned orphanage from which Yohan (Chan-hyeok) and Chan-hee were adopted. A flashback shows Mi-ho talking to Butler Jang and asking about Yohan’s past.

The priest is touched and recalls his time at the orphanage with his older brother. Yohan goes back to his old room and recalls the time when he and Chan-hee were adopted. Mi-ho’s assistant tells them that Chan-hee was not far away and Yohan is really grateful. Gong-tan watches over Mi-ho and Yohan’s activities with the help of a demon insect. In the car, Yohan tells Mi-ho how thankful he was for what she did for him.

Yohan wants to go see his brother alone and Mi-ho agrees to let the priest go. Yohan makes it a point to drop Mi-ho off at the house and leaves to find Chan-hee. Just then, Mi-ho gets a call from Su-jin stating that her fiancee will be bringing her some carrot cake to thank her for the wedding gift she gave the couple.

On the way to Mi-ho”s house, Su-jin’s fiancee is hunted down by something. Meanwhile, Yohan makes it to the docks as he looks for Chan-hee and Ban makes it to Mi-ho’s house sensing something sinister. Gong-tan is at Mi-ho’s house holding up Su-jin’s fiancee’s dead body.

Mi-ho is just on her way to see Su-jin’s fiancee when she spots Ban looking up at Gong-tan holding up his dead body. Ban starts chasing Gong-tan. At the same time, Yohan finally meets Chan-hee who is wearing the same coat as the demon accompanying Gong-tan. Meanwhile, Ban confronts Gong-tan in the forest.

The Episode Review

This episode was very different from the other four. On the one hand, it took me ages to discover Choi Tae-joon because of his rugged look while him being the demon really threw me off. I do not understand what his role in this drama will be but hopefully he’s not dead in the next episode.

Yohan will have to be the one to kill Chan-hee, his own brother, because of what Gong-tan has done to him. Gong-tan clearly despises humans and is the person behind the demon apocalypse returning now, surely. I wish there was more to his character other than what we got to see now but hopefully the finale remedies that.

Mi-ho’s character is essentially the damsel in distress which is a bit disappointing as it would have been good to see her as a badass like she seemed to be in episodes 1 and 2. Where are your flying kicks at girl?