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“Well, the usual. Nothing serious.” – Good Boy episode 6 begins with the doctor saying nothing’s wrong with Dong-ju (Park Bo-Gum) and everybody can breathe an immediate sigh of relief. Yay to no clichéd life-threatening diagnosis in what’s supposed to be a fun action-comedy. The way Dong-ju collapses at the end of Episode 5 while talking about Muhammad Ali dying from Parkinson’s was ominous, to say the least.
Quick recap of ‘Good Boy’ Episode 5: The villainous customs officer Min Joo-Yeong (Oh Jung-se) is arrested and interrogated by Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), while Dong-ju and team leader Ko Man-Sik (Heo Sung-tae) observe from behind a one-way mirror. However, Joo-Yeong reveals nothing and, to everyone’s shock, is soon allowed to walk free. While the team continues gathering evidence against him in the hit-and-run case, they’re also tasked with capturing a criminal nicknamed the “Drug Demon” (Lee Ho-jung), who is behind a new psychedelic candy spreading through South Korea’s streets. In a twist, the cops already get the Drug Demon in custody but mistake her for a human-trafficking victim, as she pretends to be one during a raid. The Drug Demon starts to show romantic interest in Dong-ju after he rescues her, however the episode ends with Ji Han-na (Kim So-hyun) kissing Dong-ju. And then he falls!
Titled ‘Counterpunch‘, Episode 6 of ‘Good Boy‘ splits its focus between Dong-ju’s efforts to find evidence against Min Joo-Yeong and the “Drug Demon” case. Trapped in a police safe house as both witness and suspect, Lee Ho-jung, who plays the drug linchpin, tries to get the cops off her scent by giving them some leads to a drug operation run by a rival. Yes, Dong-ju is back on his feet, not health red flags, and once again chasing the bad guys.
While there isn’t a lot of action in this episode of ‘Good Boy’, there’s significant intrigue in the investigation proceedings, and the entire athlete-cop squad also gets to go on an exciting drug bust outing. After Han-na’s kiss, Dong-ju is beaming with newfound confidence and charm, and his rivalry with Jong-hyeon intensifies. The men aren’t just vying for Han-na’s attention but are also competing to prove who’s the better cop, leading to some pretty comedic moments. Although the romance between Dong-ju and Han-na continues to move at its own sweet pace, Han-na still isn’t sure if she really wants to date him. Although Park Bo-gum’s puppy-like charm as Dong-ju is increasingly getting hard to resist for the tough ex-Olympic shooter.
It’s beginning to feel slightly far-fetched how carefree and fearless primary antagonist Min Joo-Yeong is, but actor Oh Jung-se sells the sinister part convincingly. Despite being under police scrutiny, Joo-Yeong unabashedly continues his criminal activities and not too surprisingly: he is also plotting to teach ‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju a lesson. In a significant development, Han-na and Jong-hyeon uncover a paper trail that reveals a shocking corporate-political nexus, one that’s only going to spell more trouble for their team.
Heo Sung-tae as Ko Man-Sik, the leader of the special-crime-unit of athletes remains the biggest comedic relief in “Good Boy”. Despite being a senior cop, he is the defacto punching bag for everybody, especially the police commissioner and now he is also beginning to face some family drama. Sung-tae’s comic timing is a great asset to the series, but this episode also gave him some emotional scenes, which he doesn’t carry with the needed sincerity. Unless, of course, the makers deliberately directed him to play even his most vulnerable moments for laughs, including a scene where he’s expected to cry and reveal a more tender side.
This episode of “Good Boy” is an improvement over the last edition in many aspects. It balances the police investigation, violence, romance, and comedic elements well, serving viewers a little bit of everything. It’s fast-paced and also introduces a new supporting character who might stick around for the rest of the series. Things get quite tense in the final minutes, setting the stage for another tragedy, and a “counterpunch” no one expects.
“Good Boy” is streaming on Prime Video.
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