Sun-Ah is just another of those toxic people who can't take what they dish out. They say when it comes to life's bitter pills, the hardest to swallow is a taste of one's own medicine. I loved what Yo Han told Ga-On about taking risks; I agree that what one is willing to risk reveals what one values. Life is all about taking chances; only when you take risks will you know what you can achieve. I hope Yo Han has contingency plans to offset those risks that don't pay out; Sun-Ah is definitely one of those.
In the end, bark, snare, or howl, Sun-Ah is nothing but a lonely, wounded soul looking to belong, believing money and prestige could buy her privilege regardless of how she gets it. If Yo Han's weakness is his niece and those he cares about most, Sun-Ah's is Yo Han, and he knows it. But it would be a mistake to think she would be swayed by him no matter how badly she wants him. I hope Yo Han isn't overlooking Oh Jin Joo and notices the subtle changes because Sun-Ah surely did notice her will probably use her a card against Yo Han when he least expects it.
The thing about someone like Sun-Ah is that she's probably her own worst enemy. She thinks she is more intelligent than everybody else. I will give it to the Minister, though she played Sun-Ah well for the little time that it lasted, at least, she had her realize she underestimated her. Sun-Ah is many things, but a fool she is not, and if the Minister thought she could blackmail her and win, she overestimated herself; going on live TV without an iron-clad plan was probably the least smart thing she had done. She has no one but herself to blame for how it ended. And the worse part is she didn't once think she's done anything wrong and was a coward to the end. I get why she did it. She probably thought she'd screw them all and take her secrets with her, but even that, she didn't do very well.
I always wondered what Soo Hyun would do if Ga-On were the one on the wrong side of the law; would she still abide by the law and arrest him like she said she would. I doubted it since she became a cop to keep him safe. I knew the minute she decided to let Ga-On go. She wouldn't be strong enough to stand by that decision, be it looking the other way or messing with a crime scene. Maybe now she'll realize there's so much grey to every story -- nothing in life is ever black and white as Ga-On had finally come to realize. And despite realizing that, Ga-On disappointed me deeply in this episode. I thought he was brave enough to stand up to the choice he made to partner with Yo Han, but at the first sign of trouble, he decided to run away rather than stay and help Yo Han fight off the vultures.
Nothing ever goes as planned, and although Kang Yo Han succeeds in bringing the Minister to her knees, his plans are upended with her cowardly act, and it's now all-out war. I knew it would be a tough bridge to cross, but I didn't expect Ga-On to blame Yo Han or allow others to blame him for the choices he made. He chose to side with Yo Han and knew there would be risks; he was now cowardly to suddenly decide it was too much for him. I felt for Yo Han for having to shoulder the blame from everyone.
It was only natural that Sun-Ah made her move on Yo Han. I expected it, but what I didn't expect was that she would go after him herself; it makes sense that she did, especially after everything he's done to her lately. I was even more surprised to see that she actually believed Yo Han would join hands with her. I thought she would go after Elijah, but rather she went after Mr. K, who was smart of her, taking out Yo Han's most trusted aide. But the minute she did that, Sun-Ah should've killed Yo Han because now all she's done is set ablaze a tamed fire all over again. I know Sun-Ah thinks she won, but as they say, sometimes one needs to lose the small battles to win the war, and a war is coming and with an even bigger vengeance.
At its onset, Devil Judge seemed to be about revenge, but it's much more than that in reality. It's about justice and not just for a few but all. And what I like most about it is that it's not afraid to tackle complex issues such as sexism, racism, hatred, and twisted nationalism ideals, which is so relatable since many of us lived or still live its reality. Episode 10 clearly articulated some of those issues, where errant would-be patriots such as Kim Choongsik and Juk Chang ran amok playing with people's minds inciting hate and mob assaults.
And the worst part is that the president of the country is the one that funds it and publicly encourages Kim Choongsik and others like him with his anti-immigration, racist, and misogynistic rhetoric, hiding behind empty, loud-mouthed patriotism. I know things seem stark, but Yo Han always has a plan, and as he said before, I doubt he would've started this whole thing if he didn't already have something to fall back on. I cannot wait to see him literally and figuratively ablaze. I know Sun-Ah's goon believed him when he told her he would kill her slowly and most painfully. She looked scared as she should be. Watch episodes 11 & 12 here.