Recap "Moonshine" Ep 13-14

After last week’s hiatus, I was ready to return to Moonshine with a cleansed palate and an open mind. And honestly, I don’t know if it was the break or just better writing on the drama’s part, but I actually felt good about this week’s episodes… up until a point. But before I get to the scene that caused me to pause mid-watch and reflect on the hours I’ve wasted watching this drama, let’s start at the beginning, with the parts that I found more enjoyable.

If you’re anything like me, it took a second to remember who Ro-seo was running from this time around. She’s wanted by so many people, it’s hard to keep track. So for clarification, she’s fleeing from the Police Bureau, which received an anonymous tip that she’s been hiding out at Young’s house. She takes refuge in Yeon’s palanquin, but Ro-seo is completely unaware that she’s in the presence of the queen.

Yeon escorts Ro-seo to a safe house, where she asks if there’s anyone Ro-seo would like to contact. Once again, Ro-seo proves herself to be a heroine worth rooting for because — despite being upset with Young for keeping secrets from her — she writes him a letter so he can find her. Young places a large part of the blame for her father’s death on himself, but they otherwise have a proper adult conversation about the night her father was murdered. You mean we aren’t going to waste an hour on misunderstandings and misplaced condemnation? I said we were off to a surprisingly good start this week, and this right here is part of it.

After a heartfelt meal with her found family, Ro-seo continues to shine and demonstrate her resourcefulness by placing a bounty on Merchant Shim’s head, which she will conveniently pay for using the money stolen from him — hah! While Ro-seo tries to track down Merchant Shim, Young is busy trying to sniff out — literally — the person who sent the anonymous tip to the Police Bureau. In an age predating modern forensics, it’s a good thing Young has the nose of a bloodhound and can recognize the expensive ink used to write the letter. Otherwise, I’m not sure how Young is going to identify the murderous mastermind is that’s been backing Merchant Shim.

Before he figures out who the Big Bad is, though, he and Ro-seo discover how Merchant Shim has been smuggling alcohol into the city. Young traces the liquor back to a kiln site, but his informant was paid to lie to him. It’s a trap, and Young and So-yoo, the only inspector who tagged along, are quickly surrounded by Merchant Shim and his men. Young warns Merchant Shim not do anything stupid because he had the forethought to summon the soldiers before arriving. But unbeknownst to Young — although this should have been a huge clue to him in hindsight — Merchant Shim has insider knowledge that the military is otherwise preoccupied with a task assigned by Shi-heum.

Just when things are looking dicey for Young and So-yoo, the cavalry arrives. Ro-seo and Dae-mo show up with an army of pitchfork carrying men all wanting to collect the bounty on Merchant Shim’s head. A battle ensues, and Merchant Shim — a.k.a. Mr. Houdini — escapes into the woods with Ro-seo, Dae-mo, and her son, Mak-san, in hot pursuit. Inexplicably, Merchant Shim takes Mak-san hostage and there’s a tense face-off between Merchant Shim and our heroines that results in Dae-mo getting stabbed in the gut.

And here’s where I had to stop and collect myself, ladies and gents. You mean to tell me that Sang-mok and Young can miraculously walk off the sh*t this drama has put them through, but the only remaining parental figure in Ro-seo’s life is the one character that gets killed off? You hear that sound? That’s me chucking my remote against the wall.

While Mak-san and Ro-seo — and the dwindling audience still tuning in each week — mourn Dae-mo, Young chases after Merchant Shim. Shi-heum shows up and silences Merchant Shim with an arrow to the chest, but even without the spoilerific preview for next week, we all know that he isn’t dead yet. Nah, it’s only the female characters who are unable to rub some dirt on their injuries and walk it off.

I wish I could say my bitterness ends there, but after killing off a favorite character, Moonshine had to go and ruin another. Pyo, bless his heart, finally figures out his uncle murdered the former crown prince. He confronts Shi-heum and threatens to tell the King the truth, but Shi-heum reminds him that his innocent mother will be blamed and executed along with Shi-heum.

His love for his mother — and Ro-seo and Young, who are getting dangerously close to discovering the truth — causes Pyo to team up with his villainous uncle. Using the information given to him by Ae-jin, who overheard a suspicious conversation between the queen’s maid and Jo-moon’s son, they pin everything on Jo-moon.

If Young and Ro-seo stop chasing evidence that leads them to Shi-heum, he will let them live. But Young and Ro-seo are not easily convinced that Jo-moon is the allusive Jannabi (“monkey”) that they’re hunting. They prefer to conduct their own simultaneous investigations.

Ro-seo is now in possession of her father’s logbook, which he’d entrusted to the queen prior to his demise. She traces her father’s footsteps to the gisaeng house and asks Woon-shim about the former head gisaeng, who was the last person mentioned in her father’s log. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Woon-shim replies and leads Ro-seo to the secret room where she’s kept the former head gisaeng prisoner for the last ten years.

Meanwhile, Young is suspicious of Ro-seo’s mug shot that’s still plastered around town. She appears too “nice”… as in she’s drawn like a pretty noble woman when she never once dressed that way while conducting her illegal bootlegging. Following his gut, Young traces the supposed witness back to a six-fingered man (what is this The Princess Bride?) who is employed at Shi-heum’s residence. While waiting on Shi-heum to finish his bath, Young looks around his office and spots a fancy looking ink. He takes a whiff.

And what’s that scent? That’s the smell of our heroes finally figuring out the identity of the Big Bad! About damn time.