Vigilante – K-Drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

“Nice to meet you, Ji-yongah.”

Vigilante episode 3 starts with a few people deciding to take matters into their own hands after being inspired by the Vigilante. They take to the streets at night, beating and even killing criminals whom the court let slip.

The media reports about the copycat vigilantes, and a heated discussion ensues on various talk shows. As expected, some defend vigilantism while others condemn these acts of violence. 

Meanwhile, Ji-yong and his friends watch the news, and Seon-wook is surprised that Ji-yong agrees with him for once. Usually, they are on opposing sides, but this time, they agree that the judicial system is failing to protect the victims of crimes.

Elsewhere, the police find themselves dealing with the public’s anger and the copycat vigilantes. As expected, Cho-heon is on the case and is adamant about getting the real Vigilante. So far, his team has no new leads, and it seems the criminals are more afraid of the Vigilante than the police. 

In the meantime, Mi-ryeo continues to look for new stories to cover and bait the Vigilante. Currently, she is interested in the release of a truck driver who coldly ran over a deliveryman. The truck driver was only jailed for one year and two months. 

Unfortunately for her, Ji-yong is already aware of the case. He has been using his access to Professor Joon-yeob’s profiling files to select his new targets. He watches the CCTV footage of the crime and is enraged by the lack of remorse shown by the truck driver.

One evening, Seon-wook finds Ji-yong in Professor Joon-yeob’s office, but Ji-yong quickly lies he is working as he couldn’t sleep. 

Days go by, and life at the police academy carries on as usual. On the weekend, Ji-yong trails the newly released truck driver and overhears his conversation with the victim’s mother. The truck driver is not repentant and thinks he has already paid his dues.

Later, someone kills the truck driver at a bathhouse. This time, someone got to the target ahead of Ji-yong. Who is this new copycat Vigilante? Even the police are baffled by the change of MO. 

On the other hand, the media quickly reports the death of the truck driver. Mi-ryeo is pissed since her episode on the case was yet to air. She wants to be the only one that the Vigilante relies on. However, another media station continues to report on more cases in which the court went easy on the culprits.  

All these cases get the copycat’s vigilante attention, and he kills all the culprits involved. The copycat even has the guts to send a message to the media. In the message, he notes that he acknowledges vigilantism as a crime but is unwilling to stop. He challenges the law to do a better job if they want the vigilantism to stop. 

The students at the police academy watch the report, and Ji-yong is quick to point out that the man is a fake. Once again, Seon-wook agrees, and Hwang-jun simply marvels at the “Vigilante’s” brazen nature. As the copycat Vigilante starts getting out of hand, Ji-yong starts reading up on the psychology of copycat crimes.

Concurrently, the police also note that the recent killings are the work of an advanced copycat vigilante. Captain Eun is sure that the target pattern is different, but Cho-heon is not certain about Captain Eun’s deductions. He thinks the Vigilante is looking to cross the line even further.

However, Professor Yeob argues that the copycat intends to emphasise the justification of the real Vigilante’s actions while also provoking him. 

Back to our dedicated Mi-ryeo, she is also sure that a copycat did the recent killings. She asks Chang Hyun to approve a special debate on REPO25h. She hopes to make her station the only messenger conveying the real Vigilante’s wishes. 

During the debate, Mi-ryeo goes hard on the lawmakers and points out that they are to blame for the current injustice in the country. She states that most people end up being victimised twice because of the law’s shortcomings. She openly claims the problem is not the Vigilante but the law, which offers more protection to criminals.

Speaking about the real Vigilante, Ji-yong is still at school, being an exemplary student and hanging out with his friends. He watches Mi-ryeo during the debate and is intrigued by her thoughts. Soon, the police get one of the copycat vigilantes, but Cho-heon is disappointed the man is not the real deal.

Sadly, the ahjumma, who is always nice to Ji-yong, ends up in an accident. An enraged driver with an inflated ego intentionally hit her with his car. One of the passersby tries to help her, and the police ask him to come with them to the police station because he gave the little wicked perp a good beating! Ji-yong is angered after hearing the news about his favourite ahjumma. Once again, the whole situation annoys him.

As soon as the weekend comes along, Seon-wook and Ji-yong refuse to go party with Hwang-jun. Ji-yong heads over home and witnesses the brother of the guy who hit the old woman harass the witness. This fuels his anger, and he later attacks the culprit’s brother. Kindly note that these two brothers are low-life criminals and members of a gang.

The elder brother is the head of the gang. He is taking care of matters as his young brother recuperates at the hospital. 

Mi-ryeo uses this chance to get a clip of the Vigilante attacking the culprit at the hospital. She and her team cover all sides of the hospital and wait for the Vigilante to show up. The police also think this is their chance to catch the real Vigilante and secure the hospital.

However, Ji-yong manages to get past them and warn the ahjumma’s killer to repent and asks for the maximum sentencing for his crimes. He leaves behind the culprit’s brother’s phone to prove he means business.

On his way out, he runs into Cho-heon, who starts getting suspicious of him. Once the culprit raises the alarm, Cho-heon realises he just saw the Vigilante and starts chasing after him. Ji-yong quickly disposes of the doctor’s coat he was wearing and rushes out of the hospital. 

At the same time, the copycat Vigilante gets to the culprit and kills him with no mercy. Outside, Cho-heon loses track of Ji-yong, but Mi-ryeo gets a clip of the man falling from his hospital room window. 

Ji-yong is shocked to see that the ahjumma’s killer is dead and watches as the police surround the scene. He then spots the fake Vigilante getting into an ambulance and driving away. He quickly follows the car and sneaks inside. Panting, he asks the fake Vigilante who he is. The masked man responds, “Nice to meet you, Ji-yongah.”

The episode ends with Ji-yong smiling while the masked Vigilante laughs, happy to meet his mentor!

The Episode Review

Did you pick up on the tension between Ji-yong and Seon-wook in this episode? Is it possible that Seon-wook is the masked/ fake Vigilante? It felt like Seon-wook knows what Ji-yong is up to, and it is not such a reach to think he found out the truth. He is a police academy student, after all!

Secondly, did Ji-yong expect to get these reactions when he decided to be a vigilante? He seems really calm with everything going on, as if he has plans on how to approach any situation that arises. 

Our hearts nearly beat out of our chests when he ran into Cho-heon and the chase that followed. Did Cho-heon see his face clearly, and what is his next plan? We are also eager to see the face of the fake Vigilante and find out his motives. 

Once again, Vigilante left us pinning for more and kept our attention throughout the episode. So far, there have been no dull moments, and we hope the show will maintain its momentum, if not add to it.