Military Prosecutor Doberman drops another gripping and emotional bomb as its plot heads to its eventful finale.
The penultimate week of Military Prosecutor Doberman delivers highly emotional and trigger gruesome scenes. In particular, Bae Man and Woo In face another complicated case, if not the biggest and most difficult one in their military prosecutor careers.
Next to their soon most significant achievement, which is bringing No Hwa Young behind bars, they now have to accomplish an unsought firing incident. As grim this tragedy is, this is also the final straw that could help Woo In and Bae Man expose No Hwa Young.
Nathan Llantos watches Military Prosecutor Doberman on Viu.
Episode ratings:
Episode recaps : First Look | Mid-Series | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12
Military Prosecutor Doberman Episodes 13 & 14 Highlights (Trigger Warning!)
Episode 13 unfolds a grave new crisis in the military. To illustrate, bloodstained floors and bullet holes decorate the closest military camp to the north. Once again, No Tae Nam could not evade the horrors lurking around the military. Now he has even witnessed a firing incident.
Within minutes, the quarters and facilities of the camp became red with the blood of fallen soldiers, both good and evil. Subsequently, Minister Lee Jae Sik storms into General No Hwa Young’s office. Word got in that a deranged soldier evoked a firing incident.
This crisis is now all over the news. 13 soldiers died in addition, and several were heavily injured. Not only does this bring trouble for No Hwa Young, but the incident also puts the entire order of the National Military Force at stake.
Hong Moo Sup Strikes Back
Meanwhile, Hong Moo Sup has not accepted reality yet in the military jail. After learning that No Hwa Young has no intentions of helping him get out of prison, he started ranting about how his situation is important. Moreover, he emphasized how the Patriotic Society is being shaken to the core.
He lost it after hearing about how No Hwa Young was invited to the Blue House for a luncheon to thank her for having Hong Moo Sup’s case dealt with.
Consequently, Hong Moo Sup calls Bae Man to discuss something. Little did he know that Bae Man was expecting this because his hunch tells him Hong Moo Sup wants to get even with the Patriotic Society.
During their talk, Hong Moo Sup tells Bae Man that he knows he is just someone they took down along the way. He figured out that No Hwa Young is who they are after for killing their parents. Hong Moo Sup then revealed another reason why No Hwa Young killed CEO Cha Ho Cheol.
Apparently, it is because he blackmailed her. For years, Woo In’s father had been collecting all the pieces of evidence he could lay his hands to. 20 years’ worth of dedication to bringing down the Patriotic Society.
The Hunt for the X-File
A few weeks before the commotion at the border headquarters, the hunt for the mysterious X-File began. Although the file has not been seen even by any of the people coveting it, the idea of its existence sparks hopes for both perpetrators and prosecutors alike.
Believed to be inside the deceased Won Ki-Choon’s hard drive, CEO Kang eventually gifts it to Yong Moon Go, who forcibly seized it.
On the other hand, Woo In and Bae Man, though skeptical of the file’s existence, also seek to have their hands on it. Thinking that all of the dirt concealed by the Patriotic Society for years are in that X-File, the two military prosecutors have their fingers crossed that this will be their holy grail.
However, the search for the file is not the priority of the two. They are busy polishing their strategies and strengthening their external connections.
Unfortunately, even their planning for the Patriotic Society’s demise had to be temporarily held back because of the horrifying news of a shooting incident where No Tae Nam is stationed.
Two CEOs Colluding
Drunk in his ambition and authority, Yong Moon Go aims to form an alliance with Minister Lee Jae Sik and CEO Kang from Kang’s Solution. A merger between two companies and the Minister of Military Defense will be the talk of the news. Yong Moon Go had been planning for this very day for years.
He dreams of seeing the day No Hwa Young gets evicted from the Patriotic Society, only to take her place after that.While Bae Man and Woo In are running in circles with the military matters, CEO Kang frequents his rendezvous with Yong Moon Go.
Soon, Woo In starts to feel that something is off. Kang Ha Jun is no longer taking her calls or updating her on what is happening.
She gives him the benefit of the doubt and tells Bae Man that maybe Ha Jun took the drive in an attempt to retrieve the contents for them.
A Scheming Betrayal
However, Ha Jun could not inform his secretary to hide his company’s situation. Woo In called and learned from the secretary that Ha Jun and Yong Moon Go had been meeting lately. Only then was she informed of what transpired in the past weeks at Kang’s Solutions.
She confronted Kang Ha Jun. Unfortunately, the CEO told him that he was tired of executing the revenge plan with her. He said he is only doing it to repay Cha Woo In’s late father. Moreover, he added that Woo In has Bae Man by his side, so she no longer needs his assistance.
Woo In calls Bae Man to inform him that Ha Jun has betrayed them. Subsequently, Bae Man came rushing and hit Ha Jun. Furthermore, he grasped Ha Jun’s collar and tightly held him. He then asked what Moon Yong Go offered him for him to betray Woo In.
To this, Ha Jun answered that it was the same offer Bae Man could not refuse years ago. Bae Man threatened Ha Jun to kill him if he ever went near Cha Woo In again.
Pyun Sang Ho’s Breaking Point
After long months of abuse, Private Pyun Sang Ho musters the courage he has to confront Sergeant Ma. During their break time on the soccer field, he marches toward Sergeant Ma and speaks up. He expressed his exasperation and exhaustion from all the bullying.
Pyun Sang Ho told Sergeant Ma that all this time, he put up with everything and did everything he was asked. No matter how ridiculous and degrading it was, he was at their beck and call.
As usual, Sergeant Ma could not be careless. Instead of apologizing for insulting Pyun Sang Ho’s mother, he kept slapping him. Not just that, but he teases Sang Ho in front of the whole soldiers in the field.
He then says it is so fun to aggravate Pyun Sang Ho because of the way he is so inferior. He claimed he likes how Pyun Sang Ho obeys every nonsensical order they throw at him.
Additionally, he breaks Pyun Sang Ho’s eyeglasses and even threatens him that he will visit the tteokbokki stall of his mother once he gets discharged. He added that Pyun Sang Ho’s disabled mother will never be able to walk again once he messes with her. This gravely triggered Sang Ho.
No Tae Nam, who witnessed the ordeal, fixed Pyun Sang Ho’s glasses. What is more, he did something his past self would unlikely do. No Tae Nam gave heartfelt advice and told Sang Ho not to hold back anymore.
While on duty to watch the border, Pyun Sang Ho was restless and triggered. He could not calm down after remembering how Sergeant Ma threatened to assault his mother.
Unhinged
Sang Ho asks the soldier on duty with him if he can borrow his phone. He badly wants to call his mother. However, the soldier continued to make fun of him and hit him. The soldier also kicked Sang Ho when he begged him to lend his phone. He was so afraid that his mother would really be harassed.
Subsequently, the soldier shouted and told Pyun Sang Ho to stop rambling. He even said Sergeant Ma is sleeping, so Sang Ho should snap out of his delusions. Having enough of all the abuse, Pyun Sang Ho held the soldier’s rifle firmly. He asked if Sergeant Ma was still in the camp.
He then fought with the soldier over the rifle. After successfully knocking down the soldier, he heads towards the halls of the base. Now seemingly deranged, Pyun Sang Ho saluted the unconscious soldier and told him he would be back on duty after dealing with Sergeant Ma. He started checking one chamber after the other to see where Sergeant Ma was.
The soldiers in the first room were confident that Sang Ho would not shoot. Hence, they kept on jesting and teasing him. Sang Ho walked away, but he threw a small hand grenade that soon killed all the soldiers in the room.
As he walks away, he kept on talking to himself repeating how he will not tolerate it anymore. He kept on telling himself that his mom will be in danger. Every soldier he walks past falls dead on the ground.
Escaping Death’s Clutches
He kept on shooting and asking where Sergeant Ma is simultaneously. The other soldiers were already alerted that the whole camp is on code red. What happened next was bloodshed.
Sergeant Ahn and three more soldiers told Sang Ho to drop the weapon and talk it out with them. But Sang Ho spoke up and told them how much their long months of torture makes him want to die every day.
Sang Ho quickly shot everyone in the room, leaving Tae Nam stunned. Consumed with rage and delirium, Pyun Sang Ho was also about to shoot Tae Nam. However, No Tae Nam held his hands up and begged for his life. Sang Ho momentarily regained his senses when he heard Tae Nam beg for his life.
In fact, he said that Tae Nam was the only person in their camp who treated him like a human being. Before leaving the room to look for Sergeant Ma, he threw a rifle at Tae Nam and told him to go with him.
Since Sergeant Ma bullied Tae Nam, Sang Ho told him he should look for Sergeant Ma with him. Everyone in their resting quarters died except for No Tae Nam. Overall, there were 13 casualties and more than seven heavily wounded soldiers.
The Shooting Spree Aftermath
After being alerted of the shooting spree incident, No Hwa Young rushed to check the situation of the military base on the border. She panicked and forced Tae Nam to confess if he was the one who started the incident. The traumatized Tae Nam kept on denying it.
When the military prosecutors were asked to go to the crime scene and the military investigators, No Hwa Young questioned why the high-ranking soldiers of the base did not take proper action. Besides that, No Hwa Young visited No Tae Nam not to comfort his traumatized son.
Instead, she asks him to lie in court because she has to keep her rank and stay in uniform. On the other hand, Bae Man is certain that Pyun Sang Ho was bullied.
Although they could not simply claim that fact, Woo In says it is their job to get to the bottom of the case. Thus, they visited the confined survivors of the shooting spree.
It surprised them to see the traumatized No Tae Nam. When Woo In tried to question Tae Nam, he denied that there was bullying involved.
Moreover, he denied that he was close with Pyun Sang Ho. Bae Man, on the other hand, interrogated the survivors. All of the confined soldiers denied bullying Sang Ho. Nevertheless, Bae Man finds all their statements dull and pretentious.
It also took a while before Sang Ho told Woo In and Bae Man what happened to him. He admitted the charges however, he did not defend himself. He said everything he will say during the interrogation would be seen as mere excuses.
Woo In did not give up on Sang Ho. Eventually, he was able to cooperate well with the investigation and shared his traumatic experiences while serving in the military.
Blackmails & Promises
Charges will be pitted against General No if Woo In and Bae Man find out she did not report the incidents that led to the shooting spree.She promises Tae Nam she will discharge him from the military.
They can use his medical condition, and he can be the acting chairman of IM Defence once again. No Hwa Young promised his son that he could have his old life back again as long as he told the court there was no bullying involved.
Meanwhile, No Hwa Young finally shows her true colors to Minister Lee Jae Sik. After Lee Jae Sik told her she was dismissed from her position, No Hwa Young reminded him how he got to where he was.
Likewise, she reminded him that she has leverage over him. She played an audio recording of their old phone call years ago when Bae Man’s parents were killed.
No Tae Nam’s Resolve
Tae Nam was firm on denying all the questions regarding bullying. However, his episodes of panic attacks and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) forbid him from being at peace.
Moreover, haunted by conscience he did not expect he had, Tae Nam did the most selfless thing he could do. Not even his mother expected he would be able to stand for the truth.
His Doberman Bolt was the only family he ever had. And in the months he is serving the military, Pyun Sang Ho is the only person who respects him.
They were the only ones in the military base who treated each other like human beings. Being with Pyun Sang Ho helped Tae Nam realize his privileges. Moreover, their friendship made him have compassion and kindness.
Unable to listen to the lies spewed by the very soldiers who drove Pyun Sang Ho insane, Tae Nam threw away the promise of getting his old life back.
Instead, he stood up during the trial and revealed that Pyun Sang Ho was bullied. Instead of protecting his mother’s military rank, Tae Nam chose to help the friend who was terribly wronged.
Pyun Sang Ho was given the maximum sentence. It broke Cha Woo In’s heart, but he and Bae Man have to be fair and just as military prosecutors. Tae Nam could not say a proper goodbye to his first and only friend.
Military Prosecutor Doberman Episode 13 & 14 Musings
A Penny For Some Thoughts
Military Prosecutor Doberman episodes 13 and 14 are the heaviest episodes to watch. It was frustrating to see Pyun Sang Ho turn into a killer. Mainly how the military officials failed to lead with integrity and transparency. Thus, a soldier who was abused for months was turned into a murderer.
Moreover, it was painful to see how Sang Ho’s court trial unfolded. It was great that the vile No Tae Nam really turned over into a new leaf. But it was unfortunate that it was not brought up how Sergeant Ma threatened to harass Sang Ho’s mother during the trial.
Although it was revealed to the court that he was bullied, it would have been better if all the things he had been through were also explained in the court. Most especially how he was sexually abused.
This is an excruciating part of the storyline because what Sang Ho did cannot be overlooked. Thirteen soldiers lost their lives, and even if the authorities and the bullies are at fault, the way Sang Ho resorted to violence and murder can never be justified.
But the trauma and abuse did to him could have been given more attention during the court trial. So that the families of the deceased would also know the whole truth.
On a lighter note, it was nice to see Bae Man’s aunt have a love life. As well as, it was nice to see how Bae Man cares for Woo In as she grieves for the betrayal of Ha Jun.
Overall, these two episodes are a great continuation of the climax build-up of the last two episodes. It is more intriguing to see how Military Prosecutor Doberman will wrap up its storyline and what awaits the other characters.
In case you missed it, binge-watch the last 4 episodes of Military Prosecutor Doberman. Available for streaming on Viu.
Photos: tvN Drama
[wpedon id=”2271″ align=”center”]
