Our retrial expert lawyer feels powerless in front of a new obstacle and turns to some objectionable allies for help. His decision ostracizes himself from his regular teammates who decide that enough is enough, and they go their separate ways. As the dream team breaks up, all the members begin investigating their own cases, but no matter how far they stray, all signs point them back to each other and the big bad manipulating everything from the shadows.
EPISODE 17 RECAP
Tae-yong chuckles at Justice Jo before scampering out of the room and sings his mocking song for all to hear. The justice fumes while watching the debasing video of himself but drops his phone in horror when Legislator Kim calls. He quickly recovers and answers the phone, only to hear a single command: come here, now.
In the office, Sam-soo (now played by Jung Woo-sung) mumbles to himself, and Yoo-kyung wonders why he seems so different. When Tae-yong returns, he comments on Sam-soo’s good looks and sudden growth spurt. Pfft, I guess this is one way to address the switch.
Getting back on topic, Tae-yong tells them to publish Judge Heo’s documents, and the team erupts into cheers. Tae-yong and Sam-soo dance around the room while Yoo-kyung uploads the next article onto their site.
While our heroes celebrate their win, Legislator Kim frowns in his living room while Mayor Kang watches the video of Justice Jo for the nth time. When the justice arrives, the legislator greets the star of the hour and asks how it felt playing king.
He orders the justice to step down, and Justice Jo drops to his knees, begging for another chance. The legislator makes a quick call to the president, and at once, the justice realizes that his time is over—even the most powerful person in the country defers to this old man’s will.
Tae-yong holds a press conference and accuses Justice Jo of violating the constitution by overseeing the retrials. At the same time, the judges destroy any incriminating evidence on hand and wonder how the document was leaked. Right then, Judge Heo ambles in late, and though he feigns ignorance, everyone knows that he did it.
Utilizing this once-in-a-lifetime chance, Prosecutor Jang teams up with Prosecutor Yoon to start a revolution and wreak havoc on the Supreme Court. He already got the boss’s approval, so all they need now is the original document for a search warrant.
Sam-soo and Yoo-kyung yell at Tae-yong for making big decisions alone but their argument is interrupted by Prosecutor Jang’s press conference. He acts as the righteous prosecutor aiming to fix the judges’ mistakes, and his stunt works beautifully as the public praises him.
Tae-yong tells Sam-soo that this is why they need power and asks if he was really oblivious of this inevitable ending. Sam-soo stares at him—the hurt clearly evident in his eyes—and thanks him for his honesty. He packs up his things and leaves Tae-yong with some parting words: “The ones who made you the hero are Yoo-kyung and I.”
Tae-yong tries to persuade Yoo-kyung again, telling her that now is the prosecutor’s time. However, his words insult her, and Yoo-kyung reminds him that it is not his place to decide when her job is done.
He eats dinner alone that night, and Attorney Hwang calls him to congratulate him on his latest trick. She supports his decision to use the prosecutors and tells him to stay strong until the end. Meanwhile, Yoo-kyung thinks back to her argument with Tae-yong and looks uncertain about their situation.
Prosecutor Jang orders Prosecutor Yoon to keep up with the pretenses, but their little show does not fool Tae-yong. The lawyer calls Prosecutor Jang to criticize him, but the prosecutor blames Sam-soo for giving the judges ample time to wipe their tracks. He tells Tae-yong that their alliance isn’t over since they still have a common enemy to bring down.
While Tae-yong mulls over his words, Assemblyman Tak bursts into the room and formally extends an invitation to the lawyer. He excitedly tells him that the top wants to see him, and this meeting piques Tae-yong’s interest—especially after the prosecutor’s allusion to another big bad.
Mr. Jung remembers how Legislator Kim and Justice Jo were the perfect duo, framing the immigrants for espionage. Yoo-kyung looks at the old man with disgust since he was the one in charge at the time, but Mr. Jung has no regrets since sacrifices were needed to make their country strong.
She asks why Legislator Kim hides in the shadows, and Mr. Jung tells her that it was to instill fear. He hands her the legislator’s book, but his real gift is nestled inside the pages: an apology letter by the legislator that contains his vow of allegiance.
Yoo-kyung tries calling Tae-yong, but the lawyer is too busy at his meeting to answer her. Besides Tae-yong, Judge Choi is also in attendance as a potential candidate, and joining the group last is Prosecutor Jang.
Tae-yong asks the prosecutor if the “last person” is here, but Prosecutor Jang snickers at his direct question. He derides the lawyer for using the retrials to climb up the social ladder and asks if the fight is over. He acts disappointed by Tae-yong’s apparent submission, but the lawyer ignores his taunts.
Teacher Gu gives Sam-soo a tour of the place and learns that he went to a technical high school as well. He wonders why the students are still working this late, and Da-young answers his question as she joins them: they work until ten and only get two breaks for the entire year. He notices her missing fingers, and she scowls at his inquiring stare.
Legislator Kim hosts a tea party for his guests and tells them about his intentions to relinquish his power to the new generation. He assigns the judge and prosecutor districts in Seoul, which leaves Tae-yong with an outer province city. To the legislator’s disgruntlement, Tae-yong says that his competency far exceeds that of his placement.
Her criticism startles him, and Sam-soo looks around the room at the other students who silently judge him, too. Holding back his tears, he stomps out of the school, but as he passes the gates, he turns right back around.
While striding through the hall, Sam-soo passes a group and recognizes the woman leading the pack as Prosecutor Jang’s wife. He watches the principal scold the staff as soon as she leaves, but then his eyes grow wide as he sees something else.
Legislator Kim sends everyone off one by one until Tae-yong is the last person remaining. Standing beside the legislator, Tae-yong looks down the street and gapes as Yoo-kyung returns the same dumbfounded stare. Her eyes dart back between Tae-young and Legislator Kim—the man she loves and the enemy they promised to bring down.
At the school, Sam-soo points at the electronic bulletin board with Chae-eun’s face on it. However, what surprises him isn’t her, but the person who pops up next: Mayor Kang. Sam-soo gawks at the image as the pieces slowly come together.
While Sam-soo begins his new journey, Tae-yong also finds himself at a crossroads. The show made it clear that Tae-yong always craved attention and, consequentially, power. However, as the story progressed, his ambitions changed as the retrials not only transformed his clients’ lives but his as well. I truly believe Tae-yong wants to better the world, and I trust Judge Choi’s declaration to catch the tiger with him. On the other hand, I find both their dreams naïve and their resolutions overconfident. They think accepting their enemies’ help will not taint their morals, but by siding with Legislator Kim, they have already forfeited their dignity. As the saying goes, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
Something else the episode addresses is Tae-yong’s tendency to make unilateral decisions. Whether consciously or not, Tae-yong views himself as the hero of the tale, and as a result, he occasionally forgets about other people’s opinions—particularly, Sam-soo. Most of the time, he gives credit where credit is due, making public statements that direct his thanks at the people who helped him win the retrials (i.e., Chul-kyu and Sang-man). Yet when it comes to Sam-soo, Tae-yong acts almost authoritarian. He ignored the reporters protests about trusting Prosecutor Jang, and in the end, they were right about his decision. Furthermore, he sees Sam-soo’s reactions as childish, interpreting his departure as another sullen retreat to the mountains. Tae-yong is too wrapped up in his own world that he fails to see things from Sam-soo’s perspective, but knowing our good-natured lawyer, I am confident that he will come around in the end. Hopefully, he will apologize in earnest to his partner this time because these two work better as a duo than apart.
This episode also marked the actor swap for Sam-soo’s character. Due to Bae Sung-woo’s DUI, he was dropped from the show, and Jung Woo-sung stepped in to take responsibility for one of his agency’s talents. While the sudden change was jarring at first (even though I was fully prepared to see Jung on the screen), it only took a few scenes for me to stop actively thinking about the actor and see him as Sam-soo. Filling in a role this late into a series is a daunting task for any person because the audience has grown accustomed to the character. To Jung Woo-sung’s credit, he did a splendid job capturing Sam-soo’s essence without reducing it down to a caricature. He isn’t necessarily mimicking the previous performance, but he still expresses the same mannerisms and timing that feels very much in-character. Though I would have never imagined Sam-soo with Jung Woo-sung’s stunning good looks, I am pleasantly surprised with this portrayal and am glad the show decided to keep the character rather than write him out.