In the opening scene of episode 2 of The Scarecrow, Tae-joo goes to a prison facility and faces off with Lee Yong-woo, the notorious Kangseng serial killer. Yong-woo relies on the statute of limitations already having expired, refusing to confess despite DNA evidence linking him to several crime scenes. Tae-joo begs him to speak the truth for the sake of the victims’ families, but Yong-woo is unmoved. Frustrated, Tae-joo leaves, promising to return to give it another shot.
The narrative then goes back to 1988 and depicts Tae-joo’s troubled past. He teases Si-young for shooting him, but it doesn’t take long for things to get heated. Tae-joo could still remember the humiliation and bullying he received from Si-young and his friends as a teenager. Now armed and in control Tae-joo has Si-young relive that fear, as payback for the past.
Back in the present timeline, Tae-joo returns to the station and Seong-jin thanks him for saving his life. But Tae-joo is still far away, asking him to look after his parents instead. Meanwhile, Jae-hoo talks to the media to confirm that there are four victims in the case of the serial killer and to announce a joint investigation between police and prosecutors.
Elsewhere the prosecutors’ tensions mount. Begrudgingly, Si-young agrees to take on a reassigned case, and Hee-jin is happy that Tae-joo took her advice and removed Si-young from the investigation. At the same time, Jae-hoo avoids Si-young and spends time with his son.
The episode delves into Tae-joo’s private life through his sister Sun-young, an elementary school teacher. She meets her boyfriend Gi-beom, who proposes to her, but she hesitates, not sure if she is ready. Meanwhile, Si-young runs into their old classmate Sang-beom, hinting that Tae-joo’s return has ruffled more feathers than one might expect.
As the investigation continues, Tae-joo starts to put together clues about the killer. One victim who escaped says she was released because she wasn’t wearing stockings and describes the assailant as having soft, delicate hands. Armed with this information, Tae-joo and his team try to trace the killer’s movements and set a trap by sending a female officer down the suspected route. But their plan is disrupted when officers are reassigned to put down a violent student protest, an interference Tae-joo suspects is instigated by Si-young.
During the protest, chaos erupts as police crack down on the students. When he sees that Gi-beom is one of those being chased, Tae-joo is forced to get involved. This makes relationships more complicated, especially because Si-young is still pulling strings behind the scenes.
The investigation continues, with a new plan, this time with reporter Ji-won as bait. Tae-joo hesitates but agrees and tells her to follow certain details that fit the killer’s pattern. Meanwhile, a dark twist awaits Sun-young when she accepts a ride from her colleague Kyung-ho in a second story. A normal drive turns into something disturbing and violent and she is badly hurt.
Meanwhile the killer strikes again, abducting a young girl before turning his attention to Ji-won. As she runs away, she can take a photo of her attacker. Tae-joo rescues the girl who was kidnapped, and later discovers Ji-won passed out in a field. Both are rushed to hospital where Tae-joo discovers that his sister is also a patient.
The episode escalates as Si-young continues to manipulate. He uses Jae-hoo’s missing son to gain leverage and to extend his control of the investigation. But Tae-joo overhears Kyung-ho talking about his sister and their family and loses control which leads to a violent confrontation and Tae-joo being taken into custody. To make matters worse, Si-young takes over the serial killer case, putting himself in Tae-joo’s way.
The episode closes in 2019, with Yong-woo discovering that Tae-joo has once again left without seeing him, maintaining the mystery of his real intentions.
Episode Recap
Episode 2 deepens the mystery and the emotional and psychological tension. The story cleverly throws suspicion on a number of characters, especially Gi-beom, who seems to have the attributes of the killer. But that might be a red herring, as the series hints the truth could lie somewhere else.
Si-young becomes a formidable villain, manipulating both the legal system and the people around him to gain control. What he does not only heightens the main conflict but gives Tae-joo personal stakes, especially in the Sun-young plot.
The plot of the episode is a mix of crime investigation and character-driven drama, elevating the stakes to a more personal and intense level. Sun-young’s tragedy lends an emotional weight to the story, and Ji-won’s courage in the field demonstrates the risks that are taken by those who seek the truth.
Overall, the second episode does a good job of building momentum, setting up a tense conflict between Tae-joo and Si-young and not revealing the identity of the killer. Things are getting tense. There are still a lot of questions left unanswered, and it makes you want to see what happens.
