Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Okay, it’s time to give some due to actor Jeong Man-Sik who plays minor antagonist Oh Jong-gu, the former coach of ‘Good Boy’ protagonist Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum) and current lackey to primary villain Joo-yeong (Oh Jung-se). Arrogant, corrupt, and scheming, Jong-gu is one of the few characters in this action K-drama who can take on the gold-medalist boxer. His punches are brutal, and actor Man-sik makes them seem deadly as hell.
Recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 14
After Han-na (Kim So-hyun) storms Joo-yeong’s hideout guns blazing, Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae), and Jae-hong (Tae Won-seok) join the fight against the bad guys. Dong-ju, miraculously recovering from his near-fatal injuries, rushes in to back up his team. Together, the small squad takes down a building full of armed goons. Han-na’s live stream of Joo-yeong confessing to his crimes goes viral, forcing both the media and the police to take action and round up the criminals, though, as usual, Joo-yeong manages to slip away.
The rest of the episode follows the team’s renewed attempt to track him down, eventually discovering he’s hiding out at the police commissioner’s office. They hatch a plan to catch him, but unsurprisingly, Joo-yeong outsmarts them again. The episode ends with Oh Jong-gu ambushing Dong-ju and beating him to a pulp.
Episode 15 of ‘Good Boy’
Titled ‘On The Ropes’, the episode opens with a bloodied and disoriented Dong-ju, as his former coach Jong-gu taunts him about his punch-drunk syndrome, giving him a brutal beating and fleeing the scene. Dong-ju is nearly blinded by the injuries and taken to the hospital by Jong-hyeon, who’s already figured out something is wrong with the boxer.
‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju once again recovers in hours (can we just call him ‘Wolverine Oppa’ now?), requesting Jong-hyeon and everyone else to keep his worsening health a secret from his girlfriend Han-na. At this point, the bromance between love rivals Dong-ju and fencer Jong-hyeon is far stronger than his actual romance with Han-na, though the couple does get a few cutesy romantic moments at her apartment.
The primary focus of the episode remains on the team’s effort to track down Joo-yeong and put an end to the ever-escalating saga of violence and crime. Convinced there’s another mole within the Insung police department, the special squad devises a new plan to uncover who’s leaking intel from the inside.
Since this is the penultimate episode of ‘Good Boy’, it packs in a little bit of everything: intense action sequences, car chases, comedic moments, emotional exchanges, and some great teamwork among the cop protagonists. Park Bo-gum as Dong-ju stands out with his ‘never say die’ cheery attitude, melting even the cynical Jong-hyeon.
While Park Bo-gum’s ‘Good Boy’ persona as Dong-ju starts to feel a bit overplayed in the latter half of the series, it’s Lee Sang-yi’s Jong-hyeon who truly wins viewers over with his composed, selfless professionalism. Despite his lingering feelings for ex-girlfriend Han-na, he respectfully accepts her choice to be with Dong-ju and goes out of his way to support the boxer without hesitation. “Don’t smile, I don’t want to get attached to you,” Jong-hyeon tells his rival in one of the softest moments of the show, highlighting their reluctant friendship and brotherhood.
The episode ends with a bang, literally, but no casualties. With Joo-yeong low on cash, cronies, and luck, his empire’s crumbling fast. Honestly, they could’ve ended the show right here, but hey, let’s see what kind of chaos the finale brings.
Watch ‘Good Boy‘ on Prime Video.
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