My Name – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Gangjae Returns

Episode 3 of My Name begins with Pil-Do and Jiwoo questioning Mango. They’re desperate to find where the drugs are and believe that he has the answers. Well, Jiwoo is the one who finds the drugs, stashed inside an alcohol bottle behind the bar. That’s enough to get him arrested but Pil-Do is concerned about Jiwoo’s brash behaviour.

Through Mango the group learn that there’s a new dealer in town. And that man? Gangjae. With a new drug on the market and Mujin’s empire under threat, Jiwoo walks a fine tightrope between narcotics officer and loyal soldier for Mujin. Now, Jiwoo also looks into Jiwoo’s father’s death too, with it looking likely that the officers on the scene, including Lieutenant Cha, as the ones responsible.

Jiwoo is itching to solve this drug dispute though, but Pil-Do is quick to remind her that the big virtue in the Narcotics department is patience. They have Mango in custody but for now, there’s a more pressing matter to deal with.  Captain Cha and the others have plans to capture Mujin.

With the operation involving two whole Narcotics teams, they’re desperate to find and arrest Mujin no matter what. Jiwoo though, finds her stomach tightening as she struggles with her conflicting morals.

The operation gets underway and the officers move in on the ship. With Mujin on the ropes, a rogue gunshot upsets the operation, sending sparks flying in the lab. Mujin does manage to get away, shooting a knowing glance at Jiwoo who stays silent and lets him slip from their grasp.

When Captain Cha heads aboard, Jiwoo’s planted gun used to kill her father is found at the crime scene. All of this is a ploy to gauge his feelings, as Jiwoo watches as Cha picks up the weapon and examines the scratches on the side.

Cha is desperate to find out the truth and learns that shots were not fired from the Beta team – it’s definitely from someone within Cha’s group. He check everyone’s weapons, including Jiwoo who also has a full chamber in her gun.

Mujin is convinced someone is sneaking information to them and Taeju believes it’s Jiwoo. When Jiwoo heads back into the office though, she finds that busting Mujin is the next step in trying to uncover what’s happening in town. Numerous schematics, pictures and diagrams are pinned up on the wall – including that of Donghoon. They’ve been after him for four years and for the narcotics department it’s personal, especially given their youngest member has passed away.

Taking a moment’s break from the others, Jiwoo phones Mujin and reveals that someone inside the operation is a mole and feeding back crucial information to him. She also tells him about the different cameras and where they’re located, including word that she’s the one who fired the shot inside the boat.

Jiwoo puts herself in a compromising position, as the cameras are immediately destroyed. However, she remains undeterred, following Cha and trying to work out if he’s really the one responsible.

While this is going on, Gangjae shows up with his armed goons to the fighting gym down by the docks. Armed with knives and swords, they make short work of the recruits, with Taeju the last remaining main standing. For a bit anyway, it doesn’t take long before Gangjae slashes his arm with a deep cut.

Off the back of this, Pil-Do rings and tells Jiwoo to head down to Dongcheon Gym. When she gets there, Jiwoo finds the place a bloodbath and Taeju still alive, despite being coated in blood. Inside on the floor are the words “I’m back.”

The Episode Review

The plot continues to thicken as Gangjae returns to Dongcheon Gym and completely upsets Mujin’s operation. Now, it would seem as if he’s just another cog in a much larger game but we’ll have to wait and see on that front

My Name has been an enthralling watch so far though and Jiwoo flirting the line between working for Mujin and staying as a straight police officer is partly why this show works as well as it does. There’s clearly a lot of confliction within her and I’d imagine we’ll see this tested a lot more over the coming episodes.

However, the ensemble involved with this Netflix original is good and the action scenes are well-shot and work beautifully in the context of this season. Fresh off her work on Nevertheless, Han So-Hee effortlessly steps into the shoes of Jiwoo and her revenge-fueled mission is simple and easy to root for. Will she find her father’s killer? We’ll have to wait and see!