Vagabond – Season 1 Episode 13 Recap & Review

Justice

Following yesterday’s absent episode, Vagabond returns this week to begin concluding this action-packed tale. With another twist in the tale toward the end and some satisfying character resolutions, Vagabond looks to be setting things up for a dramatic finale to come. 

The episode itself begins with Woo-Ki taking the stand in court and being interviewed by Edward Park. There, he reveals the truth about John&Mark before going on to show video footage of Vice President Michael, backing up his words. It causes an uproar around the court, with Hae-Ri and Cha high-fiving each other in the aftermath of what’s happened.

Meanwhile, Min relays the information about the court case to Han-Ki, who tells him to eliminate all evidence no matter what, including turning himself in and being arrested. Midway through lamenting his luck, Joong-Cheol shows up out the blue and surprises everyone as he’s still alive.

The verdict comes in and despite the incriminating evidence, the judge decides to force Dynamic Systems to pay 11.5 million won to the bereaved. However, they also charge John&Mark. Although they’ve gained the upper-hand, Hae-Ri winds up passing out from her gunshot wound, leading them to hurry to the hospital. As reporters swarm around him, Cha addresses the President personally and condemns him for his involvement with the crash.

This directs all the attention on the Blue House, with the representatives struggling to deal with Kim Woo-Ki and the various allegations against the state. Meanwhile, the President decides to throw Han-Ki under the bus and blame him for the John&Mark scandal. During his press conference, he tells the reporters that Han-Ki is the one responsible for the crash. Hearing the news on the radio, Han-Ki drowns his sorrows in alcohol before committing suicide. As the President wonders what to do next, Hae-Ri wakes up in hospital.

Meanwhile Jessica comes under fire during her press conference, reading a statement regarding the plane crash and apologizing for what happened. As she begins reading the formulaic statement, Cha and the others silently raise placards that show their lost loved ones. It’s a beautiful and powerful tribute, one that’s backed up by a video shared around depicting Jessica with the Minister Of Defence, putting her right in the firing line with evidence of lobbying.

Meanwhile Sang-Mi and Kim Woo-Ki find themselves together in the same room, with the former telling Kim he’s ruined her life and grabbing him by the hair. It turns out the video shared that incriminated Jessica isn’t actually from Vagabond; there’s another source out there with evidence. In prison, Jessica is beaten by the inmates at the command of Sang-Mi, while Kim Woo-Ki is taken to an alternate location. However, the men happen to be working undercover.

Back at the hospital, Cha helps Hae-Ri walk and while the two share a heartfelt dance in the empty corridors, back in prison Jessica manages to use her power to turn the tables and have Sang-Mi beaten. However, Sang-Mi has the last laugh and manages to secure release from the prison. When Jessica finds out, she calls on Lilly again to help her.

As the episode comes to a close, Cha receives a call from a mysterious source after sending him the video from the plane. Screaming into the receiver, asking who they are, the episode ends on a big cliffhanger.

Vagabond’s action-packed storyline slows down this week for a much more methodical slice of drama. For the most part, it works really well although I can’t help but feel the episode itself gives the impression of a season finale. Aside from the twist at the end, everything appears to be wrapped up, although with 3 more episodes left, Vagabond may still have some action left in the tank yet.

Who is the mysterious caller? Will Cha ever get some justice? And why was Subway so prominently advertised in the closing scenes of the episode? There’s lots of questions left unanswered here but hopefully we’ll get those answers sooner rather than later as Vagabond marches toward its climactic conclusion.