Brain Works – K-Drama Episode 16 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Brain Works

Episode 16 of Brain Works starts with Detective Geum and Dr Shin hooked to brain machines at Dr Shin’s childhood home. Dong-woo intends to play a sympathy game with them, intending to turn Dr Shin into a murderer. Captain Seol and the subsection chief are worried about them.

The machine they are hooked on is known as neural coupling and measures the similarities in brain reactions between two people. The catch is if the two sympathize with each other at an 80 % level of similarity, the handcuffs will open and they will win. When the brain waves do not match, they will become murderers. The people they will kill are tied up in another room. They are Ha-ru’s aunt, the detective’s daughter, and his ex-wife.

Dong-woo opens a water valve indicating that if they do not win the game, their family will drown. The water valve will be turned off when they win the game. The game starts.

The first video is of a family holding a baby and their brainwave match is at 20 %. Their brain waves match at 15 %, 30 %, 27 %, 21 %, 23 %, 27 %, and 20 % and the differences continue. They wonder what each other feels.

Captain Seol and the detective trace their phones and find out where they were turned off. They visit the place but do not find the house.

Back at the torture chamber, detective Geum and Dr Shin still cannot match their brain waves. The water has risen almost to the brim and the victims start almost drowning. Dr Hwang claims that their deaths will be on Dr Ha-ru who regardless of whatever he claims, is controlled by his psychopathic brain.

Someone rings the doorbell. Captain Seol and the subsection chief are outside. While Don-woo is checking out who is at the gate, Dr Shin takes the opportunity to find out what the images make detective Geum feel.

The chosen images are of scared people and Dr Hwang knows that the psychopathic brain does not react to fear. Since he now knows that the detective feels compassion, he will try to consciously conjure this information so their wavelengths become somehow in sync. The captain leaves when there’s no answer.

However, Dr Hwang is a step ahead. To stop Dr Shin from feeling compassion, the next video makes him relive a traumatic event and the wavelengths match at 11 %. The captain comes back to the same door since she saw the curtains move. The gate opens. And she is lured in by the muffled shouts of detective Geum and Dr Shin. Dong-woo knocks her out and ties her up. She figures out where the family might be held.

Dr Hwang presents the final problem after he makes a video call to the family so they could say goodbye. The next video is of soldiers injured at war. Detective Geum tries to assist Dr Shin by advising him to think that the dead people were him. How would he feel if the detective died?

Dong-woo ascertains that the doctor would not be moved by his death while the detective dares Dong-woo to kill him and see if the doctor is as heartless as he believes him to be. Dong-woo likes the idea and he tries to actualize it.

Dr Shin remembers all the times he spent with detective Geum and his brain reactions shoot to 86 %. They win the game. Dong-woo is in disbelief and he runs off. The water is turned off and they all rush to save Yi-na. Mo-ran, and Shin Ji-hyung.

Dong-woo calls Dr Shin to meet him. Dr Hwang believes that Ha-ru was able to trick his brain for a moment but he was not sympathetic. Ha-ru disagrees saying that his brain has transcended all limitations. One can transcend all limitations after connecting with others and he owes him to detective Geum who helped him become a better person. To prove this, Dong-woo wants them to play a game of truth or dare. The bet is their lives. The winner will inject the loser with morphine.

Dr Shin’s perspective matches his brain while Dr Hwang’s does not. Dong-woo said that he believed that people will always be slaves to their minds and will never be able to transcend their brain limitations. Dong-woo’s brain realized this when he saw Dr Shin sympathize with others but did not want to believe it.

Dong-woo tries to incite Dr Shin into killing him but he fails. Ha-ru does not kill him. He gives him the option to either rot in prison or commit the last murder by killing himself. Dong-woo still holds he never wanted human connection and injects himself with a morphine overdose. The paramedics and the police show up and the favourite duo is back to bickering.

How Does Brain Works End?

Shin Ji-hyung visits Dr Park and he gives his story about the events that happened the night Ha-ru’s parents were killed. Dr Park was on the phone with Shin Jae-sung when he heard him argue with someone and the call was suddenly disconnected. He felt that something might be wrong so he rushed to their home only to find both of them dead. Dr Hwang threatened him and he had to make a deal to save Ha-ru.

Ji-hyung intends to make an official report that Dr Park plagiarized his dissertation report. E tries to make Ji-hyung a deal but she refuses. Detective Geum and captain Seul get back together. Mo-ran is okay with her ex-husband dating. Ha-ru is excited to have a friend. The brain works team gets awards for excellent work. The episode ends with the detective and the doctor’s possible Zombie hunting mission.

The Episode Review

The episode was quite thrilling. Although it was a psychopathic game, getting to witness the detectives and the doctor’s attempts to match their brain reactions was interesting. The episode proved just how much Ha-ru’s perspectives had changed and the extent of Myung-se’s influence on his views.

It is possible to transcend our brains and make a choice to be either good or bad. People are not slaves to their neurological composition because they have freedom of choice regardless of their brain genes. Brain Works concludes with a decent final chapter, bowing out an interesting show that allows us to reflect on the science behind our motives and decisions.