There is nothing more thrilling than a strong wounded woman steadfastly facing her demons and winning, even if it's just the beginning of the fight. But to defeat evil, one must outsmart it at its own game. Hi-Soo telling her despicable mother-in-law (Park Sung Yun), who failed miserably at being a good mother, let alone a person precisely what she thinks of her, was one of the best moments of this episode. She can try and act like a victim all she wants, but there is no one else by herself to blame for the choices she made.
However, I must admit I was a bit disappointed that when she started this fight with her husband and knowing the type of family she married into, Hi-Soo didn't anticipate her husband standing in her way of getting back to acting. The second was Ms. Joo (Park Sung Yun) locking Ji Yong in his father's bunker. I loved the ending of episode 11; get the creep Ji Yong where it hurts the most was the highlight of the episode. He is so far gone to realize the danger he possesses to everyone and himself, including is scary to watch. I'm not sure if episode 11 was supposed to make us empathize with the Hye Jin and 12 with Ji Yong. If that were indeed the point, I'd have to say I'm not there yet with Hye Jin and will never be there with Ji Yong.
I'm still finding it hard to completely care about why and how Hye Jin got roped into doing what she did, but she did tug at the strings of my heart a bit, so maybe I am not as uncaring as I want to appear. Ji Yong, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I understand he was doomed from the moment he was born, betrayed by a mother who regretted having him and a stepmother than hated having him around, yet still, it doesn't excuse the evil he became. Many loved him for him not to have taken the chance to become a better human being, husband, and father.
For a man who prides himself on building an empire such as the Hyo Won Group and would do anything to protect its image, he sure doesn't do a good job raising his children with pride or even the aptitude to take the group to the next level. On the contrary, he is why they despise each other to the extent that they would do anything to destroy one another— egging them on with his narcissistically demented views on the type of leader it takes to lead a powerful group like Hyo Won. All the father, mother, and even the mistress did was feed their children hate and destruction, yet expected them to turn out perfectly when they, themselves, were beyond damaged and flawed. I say one can't feed hate to in their past and expect their future to be positive.
I was relieved to see Hi-Soo and Seo Hyun start to doubt Mother Emma's true motives. I've had a bad feeling about her from the get-go, and I cannot wait to see what she is about, finally. I love that Hi-Soo, unlike Ji Yong, plays clean and in his face. I hope she has the will and the fortitude same as Seo Hyun, who has resolved to live her life the way she sees fit and not how her family or those around her see fit to go all the way and not falter in the name of shielding Ha Joon from the ugly truth that is his father because he will inevitably find out, be it now or later. The reality of things won't be any less damaging later than it would be if he were to find out now. I like Hi-Soo (Lee Bo Young) a lot, but Seo Hyun (Kim Seo Hyung) is everything. She is my one badass hero.