Face Me – K-drama Episode 5 Recap & Review

Episode 5

Episode 5 of Face Me begins with a flashback to when Min-hyung had just joined the police. This was around the time Jeong-woo’s fiancé had been killed, and the suspect was her brother, Lee Jin-seok, who was found under the influence and arrested after his DNA was discovered all over the victim’s apartment.

The scene shifts to the present, where it’s clear that Jin-seok holds a grudge against Jeong-woo for revealing his face to the public. Later, as he leaves, Jeong-woo arrives, having followed the two. Jeong-woo later invites Min-hyung to his place to discuss the possibility of her helping him find Jin-seok.

However, while they talk, they hear a scream. In the neighbouring unit, they find a man lying in a pool of blood, with mirror shards stuck all over him. Jeong-woo takes the injured man to the hospital while Min-hyung arrests the delivery guy. Since the delivery man has a criminal background, the police dismiss his claims of innocence when he insists that the man was already in that condition when he entered the house to deliver food.

Meanwhile, Min-jae, the victim, undergoes surgery, and Jeong-woo notices a shard stuck deep in his chin, as if someone had deliberately stabbed it in. The woman accompanying Min-jae introduces herself as his distant cousin, Soo-kyung, and states that the delivery guy became angry when she accidentally dropped the cash on the floor. Min-jae later corroborates her statement, even as Jeong-woo and Min-hyung notice bruises all over his body.

After Min-jae is discharged, a new hospital client recognizes him and tells Jeong-woo that Min-jae is a student at his high school, while Soo-kyung had been Min-jae’s trainee teacher. Meanwhile, Min-hyung digs deeper into Min-jae and Soo-kyung’s relationship after noticing the bruises on Min-jae’s body. She discovers that they haven’t left their apartment in two weeks and that Min-jae’s father believes he’s studying at a boarding school.

Min-hyung visits their residence, where Soo-kyung claims that Min-jae is sexually harassing her. She reveals that she has no choice but to comply with his demands since he possesses a video that could ruin her reputation. Despite this, Min-hyung insists that Soo-kyung accompany her to the police station. However, as they are leaving, Min-jae strikes Min-hyung from behind.

While Min-hyung is unconscious, Soo-kyung hands Min-jae a knife and tells him to kill her, referencing a student they had previously killed. The episode ends with Jeong-woo attempting to break down the door after learning about their situation from the hospital patient.

The Episode Review

This episode was quite entertaining, featuring a brand-new case amidst the equally messy overarching case involving Jeong-woo’s fiancé and Min-hyung’s brother. It seems the show is following a “case within a case” narrative, with Jeong-woo’s fiancé’s murder and its culprit being the central storyline, interwoven with smaller cases. However, this approach sometimes makes the plot a bit confusing, as numerous clues unfold simultaneously.

Additionally, there’s a noticeable lack of chemistry between the main leads, which creates a sense of emotional detachment. The characters’ emotional depth feels underdeveloped, and the direction struggles to convey the show’s more emotive aspects. As a result, it’s challenging to connect with or empathize with Jeong-woo’s trauma and grief. The atmosphere isn’t quite there, making it difficult to become deeply engaged with the main plot.