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(OCN Drama) "DUEL" Jung Jae-Young, Kim Jung-Eun & Yang Se-Jong. *The End*


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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Duel" Episode 11


 


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"Duel" goes straight for the emotions this week and it has been a long time coming and never arriving. We have a series of reunions and revelations, some of them happy, others bittersweet and some pretty sordid. The clone brothers get to talk honestly for the first time while Deuk-cheon makes a promise to Seong-joon after recalling his past mistakes. Meanwhile, Jo-hye has hit the mother lode.


 


Episode eleven is perhaps the most easily approachable one in the series so far, as we get some much needed character interactions and development. Despite the show's newfound sentimentality obviously leading to the crisis before the resolution, it really clears up the trauma, virtues, morals and intentions of our leading characters. It sadly also accentuates the biggest problem that has plagued "Duel" and that is how lacking it has been in this aspect.


 


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"Duel" has been too task based to really be engaging. Our four leads of the rabid cop, the clones and the corrupt prosecutor have been kept apart for an entire series and their subplots have been more about what they do than who they are, what they think or how they feel. Their few interactions have mostly been discussing the next item on their to-do list and that simply does not make for exciting fiction most of the time.


 


Mourning what could have been aside, the episode clears up a lot of things. From Seong-joon's (Yang Se-jong) affection and his brother's resentment to the role of Doctor Han Yoo-ra (Uhm Soo-jung) in their life and from Deuk-cheon's (Jeong Jae-yeong) own involvement in it to the Chief Prosecutor Woo Byeong-cheon's (Jeong Dong-gyoo) expected corruption, a lot of things happen. I wish some had begun earlier on, but at least they are developing quickly.


 


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There are a lot of questions here, of course. The twist of the vaccine's unknown location and condition makes things more complicated and if the creators have not abandoned their introductory episodes, the bribes Jo-hye (Kim Jung-eun) and Deuk-cheon received must play a part in this somehow. There also has to be a reason why Soo-yeon (Lee Na-yoon) was selected by the institute and I want to know if Ahn Jeong-dong is related to that after all.


 


Which brings me to Jo-hye's favor. Her character has been established as greedy and so I do not believe that the choice is a selfless one. What I wonder now is if she simply wants Deuk-cheon because his information can help her take down the Chief Prosecutor or if she knows about his and possibly her own deeper involvement. Perhaps the series can finally use her character well.


 


 


cr: http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-drama-review-duel-episode-11-107696.html

Edited by FranCella
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review


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Laughter turns to tears and pressure as Soo-yeon joins Seong-joon and his brother in a race against time. Deuk-cheon uses his regained position to track the vaccine down and it is not an easy job when its caretaker has passed away. Jo-hye sets her plans in motion while our villains feel the same pressure to find a working cure. At the same time, Mi-rae's past starts surfacing and I have a feeling it holds some surprises.


 


As history proves, you cannot have a fun day at Subway without a crisis approaching and the one we get is much bigger than I expected. The science of "Duel" has gone out the window enough that a tumor-killing vaccine is just another item in the plot-convenient checklist. Despite being repetitive and designed to draw out the drama, this latest crisis works, because Soo-yeon's (Lee Na-yoon) life has been a priority from episode one.


 


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Speaking of science, I sense another twist coming and as outrageous as it sounds, it is not a stretch in a series about clones. I find it odd that the episode lingers on Ryoo Jeong-sook (Kim Bo-jeong) missing a daughter she was living with, as she told Kim  Hye-jin (Kim Nan-hee). Could Mi-rae (Seo Eun-su) be a clone who has the cure inside her? It feels like too much for a series near its end, but "Duel" does not seem to mind piling on new characters and information.


 


Regardless of the new, I am glad to see the return of the old. Ahn Jeong-dong's (Joo Suk-tae) case seems more relevant than originally portrayed and this makes me curious as to how it all connects. Jo-hye (Kim Jung-eun) is very predictably eying the Chief Prosecutor's position and her freedom, making her an odd part of the good group with her new partner, Han Yoo-ra (Uhm Soo-jung). I really appreciate the greyness of her character, even if it took so long for the creators to flesh it out.


 


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Of course greyness is rare in Dramaland and the villains of "Duel" prove it. I was starting to feel just a tad bit invested in Park Seo-jin's (Cho Soo-hyang) love for her father recently. I thought we would perhaps get a villain who is simply trying to save someone they love, much like Deuk-cheon (Jeong Jae-yeong). Sadly the series has opted for the usual evil rich people with no capacity for human bonds and relatable goals.


 


Even so, I appreciate the shift of the series toward the more personal with some of our characters. Assuming everyone survives, I can see Seong-joon (Yang Se-jong) sticking to mama-duck Deuk-cheon and having new friends in Mi-rae and even Kim Ik-hong (Kim Gi-doo), who I am glad to see being given dimension recently. I like these characters and so I feel an investment now that I did not feel for most of this show.


 


cr: http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-drama-review-duel-episode-12-107744.html


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The rookie actor who has a fascinating face

 

 

 

 

 

is Duel's Yang Sejong

 

He's playing 2 different roles (actually 3) in the drama.

 

His face looks different when he plays as the good guy and the bad guy.

 

 

 

When he acts as the good guy

 

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When he acts as the bad guy

 

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Both roles in one frame

 

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Which one do you like the best?

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Yang Sejong's acting skills are so good I thought they were different person when I first watched the drama..ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹

 

 

 

-I don't watch this drama, but I watched some of the teasers and I have to admit that he's indeed really good at acting..

 

 

 

-Why are there a lot of Sejong related posts these days..ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ I love it..

 

 

 

-I like both roles.. I'm watching Duel because of him..

 

 

 

-Is he really a rookie? Why does he look so familiar to me..

 

 

 

-I like the bad guy betterã… ã…  He also starred in Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim, right??

 

 

 

-I like the bad guy better..ã… ã…  He looks more handsome that way..ã… ã… 

 

 

 

-The bad guy is so freaking handsome..

 

 

 

-Can't he be mine?ã… ã…  I've been a fan of him since his debut..

 

 

 

-He reminds me of Byun Yohan! So handsome..

 

 

 

-I think I should start binge watching this drama now~

 

 

 

-Whoa.. People talk about him a lot these days.. I think I need to start watching the drama now..

 

 

 

-Sehun

 

 

 

-Whoa.. Look at his auras..

 

 

 

-Is this a thriller drama..?

 

 

 

-Yang Sejong is not just handsome.. but also really good at acting.. He's literally the best!

 

 

 

-I like Yang Sejong so much!! Please shoot a movie!!

 

 

 

-I can see Yoon Shiyoon in his face..

 

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PREVIEW ep13

 

==

 

 

  • Duel: Episode 11duel1100267.jpg

 

It’s a clash of the clones as Sung-hoon becomes more and more crazed in his pursuit of revenge. Sung-joon continues to deal with the sudden surge of memories, even though the most important memories still elude him, and Deuk-chun realizes there are consequences for his past actions that go beyond anything he could have anticipated.

 

EPISODE 11 RECAP

 

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We pick up immediately where we left off in the previous episode, with Sung-hoon attempting to choke Deuk-chun as Sung-hoon screams that he asked Deuk-chun for help. A flashback shows tiny Sung-hoon pleading with a younger detective Deuk-chun, and then tiny Sung-hoon being dragged out by a couple of men in black suits.

Sung-hoon blames Deuk-chun for letting him witness the death of someone he loves — Doctor Mom, whom Sung-hoon believes died due to the hit-and-run.

 

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Meanwhile, Doctor Mom informs Jo-hye that she was the one who created the clones — not her husband, Doctor Lee. Doctor Mom tells Jo-hye that the illegal experiment is of course a secret that can never be revealed, so this is completely off the record. Doctor Mom was only this honest because she wants to know how Jo-hye has found out about the clones. Jo-hye tells Doctor Mom that Sung-hoon and Sung-joon are prime culprits in a kidnapping and murder case. Jo-hye clarifies that one of them is actually the culprit and the other falsely accused, but Doctor Mom is just stunned that both boys are still alive. 

Sung-hoon’s attempt to strangle Deuk-chun is thwarted when Sung-joon suddenly knocks the other clone out with a big stick. Gasping, Deuk-chun staggers to his feet, telling himself that he should apprehend Sung-hoon, but Sung-joon reminds him that Deuk-chun should first make sure Soo-yeon is safe, promising to keep an eye on Sung-hoon. Sung-hoon gets back on his feet and directs his anger at Sung-joon as he demands to know why Sung-joon would stop him like that. Sung-joon shouts that he’s Sung-hoon’s “hyung†and that he finally remembers everything. Sung-joon starts to cry as he pleads with Sung-hoon to stop hurting other people.

But Sung-hoon thinks it’s unfair that he should be the only one who’s in pain. A flashback shows tiny Sung-hoon being dragged to the hospital bed, his little wrists tied down as the doctors cut open his shirt, revealing the marks on his back.

 

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In the present day, the clones continue their fighting, and as Sung-joon blocks Sung-hoon’s punches, Sung-joon grabs the back of Sung-hoon’s shirt, revealing the puncture-like marks on Sung-hoon’s spine. When Sung-joon asks Sung-hoon where he got those, Sung-hoon throws Sung-joon to the ground, ordering the other clone not to touch him.

As Sung-hoon clutches his side, Sung-joon worries about Sung-hoon’s still-fresh bullet wound. But Sung-hoon continues to yell that Sung-joon should leave him alone. When Sung-hoon says he’ll take care of himself, Sung-joon points out that he’s not exactly doing a bang-up job with that, considering Seo-jin and Big Boss were planning to kill him today.

Sung-hoon furiously swings at Sung-joon, knocking the other clone to the ground. Sung-hoon spits out that Sung-joon shouldn’t pretend like he cares, but Sung-joon gently says that he’s Sung-hoon’s brother. Sung-hoon scoffs at that — they’re not brothers; they’re just clones.

 

Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/07/duel-episode-11/

Edited by FranCella
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  • Duel: Episode 12duel1202518a.jpg&key=ef2a28d83dba91ad67c

 

It never ceases to delight me that whenever I start to question the logistics of cloning and the purpose of the almighty original vaccine, the show decides to question it too, leaving us to learn the truth alongside the rest of the characters. Everything has its purpose on this show and no detail is too small, especially when it comes to connecting everything (and everyone) together.

 

EPISODE 12 RECAP

 

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Mi-rae and Sung-joon nervously pace in Sunbae’s house, wondering if Deuk-chun and Soo-yeon made it home safe. Just as Sung-joon reasons that “no news is good news,†he crumples in pain. Along with the pain comes the memory of Doctor Lee giving the syringe away to someone, although Sung-joon can’t see who just yet.

Mi-rae wonders where the original vaccination could possibly be. She deduces that if another company or scientist had found it, the medication would have found a way to been produced somehow within the past twenty-four years. Instead, Soo-yeon is the only one who has apparently received the medication since then, at least that Mi-rae knows of.

 

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Since the vaccine is related to her mother, Mi-rae promises to stay with Sung-joon and help him get to the bottom of it. Sung-joon says that he trusts her, which sets off the memory of Doctor Lee saying the exact same words to Nurse Ryu as Doctor Lee handed over the original vaccine. Shocked, Sung-joon tells Mi-rae that her mother was the one who had the syringe.

At the hospital, Deuk-chun frets that all the fun earlier in the day was just too much for Soo-yeon, which is why she collapsed as soon as they reached their home. He blames himself for being unable to say no to her as she tried all the things she wasn’t able to do growing up due to her leukemia. The doctor tells him that the tests they ran do show that the stem cell treatment worked — Soo-yeon no longer has leukemia.

 

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COMMENTS

I’m not sure if I believe that Kyung-hoon is Mi-rae’s father, if only because he mentioned that he had another friend he was close to along with Nurse Ryu, so now I’m convinced that other as-yet-unnamed-but-possibly-someone-we’ve-already-met friend is Mi-rae’s biological father. I even had the wild and fleeting suspicion that Mi-rae might be an illegitimate daughter of Chairman Park, based on the memory of the original kidnapping case where the pregnant mistress kidnapped the child to force Ahn Jeong-dong to reveal that they were having an affair. Nothing is an accident on this show (and I knew that case would somehow come back again! I knew it!). I’m hoping my wild speculation about Chairman Park as Mi-rae’s father is utterly wrong because she totally deserves better, although it definitely would help to throw another wrench into the “who will inherit Sanyoung†debate. Not that there’s a true debate about it, since clearly Oppa is going to be in charge, since not even Seo-jin doing everything she can to save her father’s life is enough to get Chairman Park to trust her.

 

 

Which almost makes me feel sorry for her. Almost. Seo-jin has been working so hard to find a gimmick that will prove to her father that she’s capable of running the company. Or at least that she’s worthy of his love. It must be incredibly frustrating to realize you’re more competent than your brother, but your father only sees you as a pretty ornament who’s primarily concerned about clothes. Then again, I hardly know anything about Seo-jin’s brother, but I’m not sure I can honestly blame him for not putting a full effort into helping cure his father. But that’s probably because I think Chairman Park is the worst, and very clearly the true villain in this story.

 

Then again, it’s a good thing Chairman Park has regained consciousness because, as Sung-hoon so murderously points out, how else will we get the answer to the clones’ existence except by asking the man who ordered that they be created? I’m still stuck on the fact that, based on a small line from the previous episode, Doctor Mom apparently didn’t fully realize what she was getting into with the cloning until it was too late. I have the feeling that Doctor Mom would have never agreed to foster an experiment to clone her husband (and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what she must have been going through, raising these clones that are identical to her husband, but whom she treats as her sons).

Overall, this episode was a breath of fresh air after the somewhat dragging previous episode. I feel like we’re finally ready to hurtle towards the finish line where all those burning questions we’ve had since the first day will finally be answered. Again, I love that the show isn’t afraid to fully embrace the fact that all of our questions are the same as the characters’ questions. Not just the question of why they bothered to clone Doctor Lee in the first place, but also the head-scratcher of how Sung-joon can have some of Doctor Lee’s memories and Sung-hoon not have any. Maybe we won’t get the exact answers we’re looking for, but a shrug and a “I don’t know†is still enough for me. Somehow, the fact that the show is like “Yeah, it’s weird, isn’t it?†makes it easier for me to accept whatever hand-wavey science they throw at me.

 

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As goofy and dim as Sunbae can be, I really loved how accepting he was of Sung-joon. His sincere “You’re as human as I am†was one of the sweetest things he could say. We could spend hours debating the humanness of clones, whether they have souls, etc., but Sunbae’s simple “You’re just like me!†is the only answer I need, and, I think, the only answer Sung-joon needs. At least in the general sense. Then again, Sung-joon has spent more time out in the real world where no one knows he’s a clone and therefore perhaps has a greater sense of humanness than Sung-hoon, who’s been kept in his cage like a lab rat. The only human kindness that Sung-hoon seems to have had growing up was courtesy of Doctor Mom (and Sung-joon), so it’s no wonder that he’d become so heartless and ballistic once that was ripped from his life.

That’s probably why those scenes with Soo-yeon, when she was kept in the medical basement, were so touching. She sees the humanity in Sung-hoon because she doesn’t know that there’s any other choice, and therefore, Sung-hoon can’t help but glimpse that humanity in himself, too. It’s also why I refuse to give up hope that Sung-hoon can somehow be redeemed, even as I wish that Sung-hoon would actually pull the trigger against Director Baek. I want the anti-hero to become an actual hero by rising above his murderous tendencies and realizing the best way to destroy Sanyoung is by supporting the official routes as led by Deuk-chun. But then again, I also want him to get his well-deserved revenge on the man that has treated Sung-hoon as nothing more than a lab rat all these years. Ah, the moral quandaries I find myself in, thanks to these clones.

 

 

read full: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/07/duel-episode-12/

Edited by FranCella
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  • love changed the title to (OCN Drama) "DUEL" Jung Jae-Young, Kim Jung-Eun & Yang Se-Jong. *The End*

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