Mercy for None – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review
Episode 1 of Mercy for None begins in Yeouido, Seoul, in 2010. A man named Gi-jun tells his younger brother, Gi-seok, that he's spoken to Chairman Lee Ju-woon. Gi-seok can join the company soon.
Gi-jun then heads out to a fight between two gangs. We watch him easily take down a fighter from the other gang, who had previously taken down several men.
We then shift to the present day. A manager from Bongsan Group finds himself kidnapped by two foreign assassins who make quick work of him.
Chairman Gu Bong-san of Bongsan Group and Chairman Lee Ju-woon of Juwoon Group discuss this matter over a meal. Bong-san describes how his son, Gu Jun-mo, hired foreign assassins to kill his manager after he found some business discrepancies. Chairman Bong-san doesn't want to get involved directly since he is Jun-mo's father, so he asks Ju-woon to take care of the foreign assassins and clean up the mess. In return, he offers help with a real estate issue.
Chairman Ju-woon agrees and gives this task to Gi-seok, who is now senior managing director and also set to be Ju-woon's successor. However, Gi-seok wants to quit his job. Despite this, he takes up the work and visits Jun-mo along with his junior, Cheon Hae-beom.
Gi-seok tells the foreign assassins to leave within three days. Jun-mo isn't happy about this and taunts Gi-seok by bringing up Gi-jun. Apparently, Gi-jun had created a mess and both the chairmen cleaned it up. They let him live but they cut his Achilles tendon to make up for it. With a couple of strikes, Gi-seok takes Jun-mo down and walks away while Jun-mo screams death threats at him.
Meanwhile, a Bongsan manager named Kim Chun-seok gets a call and is shocked to learn that Gi-seok has gone to meet Jun-mo in person.
Gi-seok then heads out to meet Gi-jun, who is living at a campsite in the middle of the woods. They're meeting after six years. Gi-seok tells him that Chairman Ju-woon wants him to be the successor but that he has mixed feelings about it. Gi-jun realises something is wrong.
Back home, Gi-seok gets the feeling that someone is in the house. He goes down to the parking lot and finds a cat. However, as he's feeding the cat, a masked man attacks him. More men come out of the shadows — this is an ambush. Gi-seok easily takes them all down. He lets the last man go but when his back is turned, the man attacks and stabs Gi-seok.
In the woods, Gi-jun gets a phone call. The scene skips to Gi-seok's funeral, where Juwoon employees come to pay their respects. As do Chairman Gu Bong-san and Jun-mo. Outside, Ju-woon's manager, Choi Seong-cheol speaks to Kim Chun-seok, hinting that Bongsan was behind the attack. Chun-seok tells him that it was just some runaway kids, as the police have verified.
Just then, prosecutor Lee Geum-son, Lee Ju-woon's oldest son, arrives to pay his respects. However, Seong-cheol asks him to leave since his father doesn't want him here. Gi-jun then shows up and Seong-cheol has everyone bow to him. He takes Gi-jun to Gi-seok's body and Gi-jun asks if it was really just kids.
Elsewhere, the two chairmen discuss the matter of Ju-woon's successor. Gi-jun enters the room and brings up the pact they made 11 years ago. Gi-jun had promised not to show his face again and the chairmen had promised to keep his brother safe. When they don't offer any more information about his brother's death, Gi-jun leaves.
Outside, Hae-beom introduces himself to Gi-jun. Gi-jun then goes to Gi-seok's house, where he finds books on camping. He also finds a birthday gift that Gi-seok was going to send him. Gi-jun then wraps a band around his ankle, the one with a scar.
Gi-jun then goes to the police station. He wants to meet the suspect in his brother's murder case. The detectives tell him it's not allowed but Gi-jun insinuates he knows something about the detective.
Gi-jun is allowed to meet him. The young man, Hui-chan, shows no remorse but he accidentally reveals he has a brother as well. Gi-jun goes after the younger brother and finds Hui-cheon's entire gang corners him. Turns out, this was his plan to find the people who killed Gi-seok. The fight begins and Gi-jun mows through them easily. After all the men are down, he goes towards the younger brother.
An epilogue of Mercy for None Episode 1 shows Hui-chan stab Gi-seok. Gi-seok casually throws him off and all the gangsters run away. He then removes the knife in his side and heads back out of the parking lot. But someone's waiting for him on the other side of the door.
The Episode Review
Episode 1 of Mercy for None is a gripping and thrilling pilot. The episode drops us right into the heart of gangs, murders, and power dynamics. It establishes the two gangs, Bongsan and Juwoon groups, quite well and introduces us to all the important players too. We get a taste of what Gi-jun was like and what Gi-seok became, as well as their relationship as brothers.
The visuals are dark and infused with plenty of neon. The action is fantastically shot here; it's sharp and uses the right amount of camera movement. It's so interesting to see that Gi-jun and Gi-seok's fighting styles are different as well, the former's a lot more violent and messy when compared to Gi-seok's cleaner moves. Along with the serious tone and gritty storyline, this one looks to be a solid, enjoyable neo noir. On to episode 2!
Next Episode
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
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