Episode 1
Episode 1 of Unmasked begins with a young couple going into a public bathroom to have sex when they suddenly come across a horrifying corpse in one of the stalls. The scene shifts to a religious group named Haven of Trust. Members of Trigger — the KNS news program that uncovers societal truths — stand by the Haven of Trust compound gate, with cameras. On the other side, a pastor points a gun at them and tells them to leave.
Oh So-ryong, the Trigger team leader, accuses the pastor of taking in a disabled boy and then injecting him with a drug named Halloween, leading to his death. The police have ruled it as an accident and the Haven of Trust cremated the boy’s body to avoid an autopsy. But the Trigger team doesn’t have any proof and soon chaos ensues and the police arrive.
One of So-ryong’s colleagues, Sang-mok, has a panic attack and is taken to the hospital. He tells So-ryong that he’s tired of being overworked and put into dangerous situations by her and is going to resign.
Another colleague, Gi-ho, alerts So-ryong about an anonymous article doing the rounds on the internet. Written under the name of Dr. Trigger, it claims that one of the members of Trigger is engaging in an adulterous affair. Gi-ho says the public thinks it is Sang-mok.
So-ryong goes to their office and speaks to her boss, Park Dae-young, about the precarious case they have on Haven of Trust. He then informs her that they are getting a new hire on their team. The man’s name is Han Do, who used to work in the soap opera department under Mr. Jang, an employee whom So-ryong doesn’t particularly like.
We see Han Do, a shabbily dressed man, arrive at the office. He had applied for a transfer to a show called Animal Paradise but finds himself placed in Trigger instead. And So-ryong is shocked when she realises their office in the new building has been moved to the basement. Still, she doesn’t give up.
Gi-ho and his colleague are staking out the Haven of Trust and see groups of tour buses going inside. They inform So-ryong, who jumps into action and handcuffs Han Do to herself in order to bring him alone. Since the Haven of Trust gate is a no-go, she has them parasail straight into the compound.
Back at the office, a young employee named Ji-yun tells Hong Na-hee, the head writer of the team, that she heard a rumour about Han Do. Apparently, he got transferred from the drama team because he peed on Mr. Jang.
Meanwhile, Han Do and So-ryong find a greenhouse filled with red poppy flowers. In the middle, a drugged-up man has been chained to a post. So-ryong orders Han Do to stay with the man and make sure he gets out safely. She also gives him one of the red flowers and tells him to keep it safe.
She searches the rest of the compound and sees other people locked up. But Han Do decides to search for the exit instead of waiting. In the process, he gets attacked by a female patient.
So-ryong reaches a hall full of people wearing the same, prison-like clothes, and bowing down to the pastor’s wife. The pastor’s wife is berating a young girl for dozing off at her job, which includes working crypto rigs to benefit the Haven of Trust. She then begins to beat up the girl’s mother.
In her shock, So-ryong falls down and brings attention to herself. The wife launches an all-out attack on So-ryong and all the religious members begin to chase her. She runs, joining Han Do in the process, and they both make it to the gate. Gi-ho and his partner are waiting outside and So-ryong manages to throw her camera at them. Just as the pastor’s wife points a gun at So-ryong, the police arrive.
However, at the police station, the detective doesn’t believe So-ryong’s story. In fact, he admits that the pastor and his wife have tie-ins with the prosecutor. Unbeknownst to him, So-ryong records him saying this on a camera-pen. That’s when Han Do arrives and offers So-ryong another surprise by lodging a police complaint against her. He also says he doesn’t have the red flower and throws it outside the cab window on the way home.
Han Do then meets the KNS general manager Son Hui-won and asks why he wasn’t sent to the animal department. He also gives him a flash drive with proof of Jang Ha-kui’s verbal and physical abuse. But this doesn’t seem to be enough. Hui-won casually mentions that Jang Ha-kui and Oh So-ryong used to date and then says that Han Do should consider his time at Trigger as a step on the way to revenge.
Back at the police station, So-ryong convinces the detective to help her, assuring him that he’ll get his warrant this time. He agrees to hold the pastor and his wife for 48 hours so So-ryong can air her episode.
At the office, the team works on getting the episode ready. So-ryong arrives and jumps in as well, although an awkward silence falls when Han Do walks in. So-ryong tells him off for not listening to her while he accuses her of risking their lives and being outdated. She shows him that she had taken a sample of the flower herself, he was just a backup. She then tables the argument till they finish the episode.
Later, we see Han Do go to an appointment with a counsellor but he leaves without saying anything. The counsellor’s register shows it’s been like this since he started therapy. The Trigger episode airs and the pastor and his wife end up arrested by the police. So-ryong shows them footage from a drone, proving the existence of the poppy labs. Turns out, she did take Han Do’s advice about being outdated.
As So-ryong drives home, she sees that Dr. Trigger has uploaded a new post. He tells his audience that they targeted an innocent person and reveals a video of the real adulterer from the Trigger team. The video shows a woman wearing a diamond ring having sex with a man, we don’t see either of their faces. The final scene of Unmasked Episode 1 shows So-ryong taking a box out of her drawer at the new office and trying on a diamond ring.
The Episode Review
Unmasked Episode 1 gives this drama a solid start. The story dives into Team Trigger, all the dangerous antics Oh So-ryong drags them into, as well as their passion for uncovering bad deeds. Oh So-ryong is quickly established as a fierce boss who sometimes prioritises the truth over the safety of her team, although not for lack of caring. Meanwhile, Han Do makes for an interesting rookie, although his character is still shrouded in mystery.
The K-drama has established itself as part-investigative drama, part-comedy, and, for now, it’s succeeding at the former much more than the latter. The multiple plotlines — including the case of the day, Han Do’s past, the mysterious Dr. Trigger, and So-ryong’s connection with Dr. Trigger’s posts — are enough fodder to keep one interested and chewing on this series.
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