TRIANGLE EPISODE 8

Young Dal wins the high-stakes poker game, stunning Yang Ha, who admits to Jung Hee that he wanted to crush Young Dal in front of her. Young Dal goes about gathering what he needs to take over Madame Jang's casino. He asks her to raise the minimum bet, plays a game of baccarrat (using hidden video cameras and ear pieces to cheat) and breaks the bank -- the casino owes millions. Since they cannot cover the debt, Young Dal now owns the casino. A former worker at the mine informs Dong Soo that Chairman Yoon crushed the strike at the mine by hiring Chairman Go to kill the father of our trio of brothers. Meanwhile, Dong Soo meets with Chairman Go. Since Dong Soo has resigned, Chairman Go thinks he's powerless. Dong Soo proves him wrong by�beating him to a pulp;�Go, from his hospital bed, vows revenge.

This actually was a more interesting episode than the synopsis might reveal. There were many little scenes that served to set the mood. There apparently is an initiation period for new dealers. If they serve their sunbaes faithfully, such as fetch them coffee when they ask, their transition will be smooth. If not, well, you can probably guess. There was also a scene in which the pawnshop owner hits on Madame Jang�with the predictable frustrating result. He's not sorry to see the casino change hands.� An encounter with Jung Hee leaves Young Dal a little warier than before; the only reason she was at the underground casino was because Yang Ha asked for her specifically -- he is the director of the legal casino where she works now.�


"The casino is mine."

Jung Hee is starting to like Young Dal. She talks with a friend of hers from dealer training and while her friend knows Young Dal as a thug, Jung Hee thinks he's a great guy. It's one of those scenes that serves the love triangle well as her friend comes to join her for dinner and is stunned to see Young Dal there. Then, as they talk in�Jung Hee's bedroom, you get the news Jung Hee thinks he's a nice guy when you get to know him and doesn't put any stock in the rumors.

As far as I'm concerned, the jury's still out on our young thug. I want to root for Young Dal, but I also think he switches loyalties at the drop of a hat. He's got an angle he's working with Chairman Go�--�he basically wants to run the town. He's still acting as an informant for Dong Soo�and works with him in an attempt to take Dong Soo down. He also has a personal beef with Yang Ha, which is a powder keg in the making.

Skunkhead gets his comeuppance when he tangles with Dong Soo. It's almost amusing how he dismisses Dong Soo, and then the former detective proceeds to beat the tar out of him. To be honest, I loved this scene. It showed how truly powerless Chairman Go is when it comes right down to it. He acts all high and mighty, and then gets beaten practically to death. You can see the rage and pain on Dong Soo's face as he does it, too. It seems like it was necessary; when I saw limbs with casts in the hospital, that's when it struck me how banged up he was. You ask me, Dong Soo let him off easy.


"I may not like you much, but you sure get a kick out of me!"

Madame Jang also gets what's coming to her this episode. Young Dal promised earlier this episode that he'd deal with her and he does. Stripped of her casino, she is also stripped of her power. No more torturing Jung Hee, no more having her nose in the air when she deals with others. Now she will have to live off the good graces of others. I think that Young Dal has a beef against her, which is why he went this route in his bid for power. I think he has a serious soft spot for Jung Hee, though they're taking their time crafting it. They may simply be setting it up so that him and Yang Ha still have someone to fight over.

'Triangle's beginning to heat up. Really, I think the fight sequences help move it along and stop it from becoming just another gangster flick. I see tons of these in the states and I avoid them like the plague. They pick their battles well, too. Dong Soo's five-knuckle treatment of Chairman Go was entirely appropriate, as was last episode's fight with the young thugs. Personally, this episode got me pumped to see what's going to happen next. �

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