K-drama Fifties Professionals second episode is raising the stakes with brutal fights, political corruption and slow return of long buried secrets to the light. Picking up where the first episode left off, Episode 2 introduces the major players but also pushes the story forward, connecting the mysterious events of a decade ago to the dangerous battles happening now.
The Cruise Ship Incident Comes Back
The episode opens with a flashback to ten years earlier for the infamous cruise ship incident. Black Pearl sneaks into a cabin in search of a Japanese general but Bulgae is waiting inside. He knocks her out quickly, taking both the hidden diamonds and a USB drive before Shadow interrupts him.
The two men get into a violent fight and Beom-ryung and Gong-bok arrive looking for Black Pearl. Shadow finally forces Bulgae to fall overboard, but secretly attaches a tracker to his backpack before he disappears into the sea.
The sequence is a great way to build on the mystery of Bulgae and show how connected these characters have always been.
Shadow and Bulgae Meet Once More
Today, in Heaven Capital, fate has brought Shadow and Bulgae together. Their reunion immediately turns violent, continuing the fight from years before that never ended.
Later, Nam-gil takes an unconscious Bulgae home on his scooter, oblivious to the larger conflict that is taking place around them. Bulgae himself remembers little of the confrontation, but fragments of his violent past return to haunt him in disturbing dreams.
These scenes highlight Bulgae’s broken memory and suggest that his secret identity could be revealed anytime soon.
Yeong-ae’s Quest for Corruption
Meanwhile, prosecutor Yeong-ae becomes one of the most intriguing characters of the episode as she secretly reopens the closed case of Black Pearl. Her determination gets her into trouble fast after the Chief Prosecutor scolds her for digging into old files.
The corruption of the system is made evident when it is revealed that the Chief Prosecutor is secretly working with businessman Han Gyeong-wook. Han meets politician Kim Jung-hyeok, to discuss turning Yeongseon Island into a huge international tourist project that can make huge profits.
Han even disguises a bribe in the form of an expensive antique tea set, showing that political manipulation is central to his larger scheme.
Battle for Yeongseon Island
Yeongseon Island’s designs on Han grow darker as the episode progresses. His men buy land with an iron fist and run a drug operation off to the side.
The criminal organization associated with Heaven Capital also grows increasingly frantic to learn who was behind the recent battle. Their boss demands CCTV footage in three days and corrupt police officers are ordered to investigate everyone involved in the incident.
It’s a multi-layered investigation, with almost every character asking the same truth from different angles.
Bulgae’s instincts start to come back.
One of the best moments of the episode is when Ye-sun goes back to work, still healing from his injuries. His boss tries to humiliate him again by throwing a baseball at him, but Ye-sun, with surprising speed and power, reacts instinctively.
Shock reflexes are fast and sudden scaring everyone around. It’s a good sign of Bulgae’s old combat instincts coming back even with his memory loss.
Oh Jung-se delivers a strong performance, balancing Ye-sun’s awkward persona with flashes of the dangerous man he used to be.
Ho-myeong Approaches the Truth
Most of the episode is spent with Ho-myeong quietly looking into Ye-sun’s identity. His search soon takes him to Yeongseon Steel and more importantly a wig hidden in Ye-sun’s house.
It turns out that Ye-sun and Bulgae are the same person, confirming his suspicion once and for all.
That ups the stakes quite a bit for what’s to come, especially as several groups are now hunting down Bulgae for various reasons.
Beom-ryung Steals The Show
There is a lot of mystery and corruption in the episode, but it also gives Beom-ryung some memorable moments. His awkward crush on the policewoman adds a comic touch to the story, especially their awkward convenience store encounter.
The episode however reserves his best moment for the ending.
The men of Heaven Capital grabbed Ye-sun, Nam-gil and Gong-bok and things quickly got ugly. The gang tries to trigger Ye-sun’s violent fighting instincts again, and beats Gong-bok unconscious in the process.
Things look hopeless but then Beom-ryung comes along and takes out the attackers. He makes a grand entrance right as Gong-bok is about to have his hand cut off, creating one of the episode’s best cliffhangers.
Review of Episode 2
The second episode does a good job of expanding the world of Fifties Professionals, while adding more layers to the mystery of Bulgae’s past. The series still mixes action, crime, political corruption, and emotional character moments in a way that keeps the story interesting.
The episode’s pacing feels a bit overloaded at times with all the subplots, but it still keeps the tension up throughout. With the conflict over Yeongseon Island escalating and Yeong-ae’s investigation and Ho-myeong’s suspicions, there are plenty of compelling storylines ahead for the drama.
But most importantly, the show is beginning to show glimpses of the dangerous man lurking beneath Ye-sun’s quiet facade and that change could be the series’ biggest strength in upcoming episodes.
Episode 3 teases new missions, increasing violence, and the deepening conspiracy surrounding Han, and the drama looks set to up the ante even further.