Hi, I’m Clkytta, one of the bloggers at Dramas with a Side of Kimchi. Kmuse and I are your recap team for this drama.  A little about me: I’m a full-time mom and a full-time student. Drama watching is my guilty pleasure, and I love to talk about what I’m watching. So sit down, grab your popcorn and Milkis, and let’s talk about The Fiery Priest.

Thugs and Harmony

We start to learn a little more about our eclectic cast of characters. Our bumbling Detective Goo isn’t quite as innocent as I originally thought. He’s fully aware that Hwang Cheol Bum is a thug and he’s part of the force that looks the other way when bad things happen. It’s obvious he’s uncomfortable, but he’s not clueless to the balance of power. Prosecutor Park is also a mix of in the know and out of control. She receives a “box of sweets” that looks sweet indeed and smells like cold hard cash. Meanwhile, we have a new recruit who uses a combination of rap and dance as her self introduction.

Scars and Scares

At the orphanage, we see a side of Father Kim that we haven’t really seen yet. He introduces himself so seriously and the children start teasing him. Then he gets down on their level and starts playing with them. A kettle explodes and we see him grab the children closest to him and protect them. It’s flashback time. He was a soldier who threw a grenade into a room full of explosives only to discover that there were children hiding inside. What a backstory, and nothing like I expected. Fresh off this flashback he’s introduced to a psychiatrist. Well played drama, well played. (Anyone else appreciating that kdramas are bringing mental health to the forefront?)

What Priests Have to Do

After a run in at the convenience store with Prosecutor Park who is left fawning over his good looks, our priest takes his soju and heads home. There he finds his mentor digging through the trash looking for a stuffed animal. His mentor explains that priests are supposed to help people find lost things. It’s about peace of mind. Of course, now they are both digging through the trash. They find a tiny rabbit doll and we all have a happy peaceful feeling.

Cover-Ups and Places We Don’t Go

There is some kind of cover-up going on and an idol is in trouble for drugs. The thing is, the idol is obviously the fall guy and everyone knows it. As the head of his company tries to throw his weight around, Prosecutor Park proves who is in control and he leaves with his tail between his legs. I’m pretty sure this all ties in with her “box of sweets” from earlier. Is everyone in the police and prosecutor’s office in on the take? I’m going to hope that secretly she’s just collecting “evidence” for later.

Cue our resident Keystone Cop and his overly excited Rookie. As they travel through Chinatown and he points out food places to her, but she wants to go into No Man’s Land aka Russia Street. He bluffs saying, of course, HE can go there. Her idea that he’s someone to look up to is about to change though as they come up to the thugs intimidating the priests and nuns. She goes to take in Slimy Bad Hair Thug with Detective Goo acting all helpless and conflicted in the background. Rookie gives Slimy Bad Hair Guy the 1.2. Kick and he’s down on the ground. (I’m hoping she stays like this.)

Ban Them From the Church!

So we all know that this is going to be one of those shows where it reinforces what society should and should not do, right? Our jaded Fiery Priest wants to keep all the riffraff out, from Bread Eaters to Thugs. “We only make those jerks feel better when we bless them,” he complains. His gentle mentor circles back around to what we all know he’s going to say. Those are the people who need to go to church the most. This turns into a heartbreaking disagreement over what the job of a priest is.

Yup, I’m Pretty Sure Everyone’s on the Take

Ugh. It’s depressing and demoralizing as Rookie is forced to let Slimy Bad Hair Thug and his minions go. Why are all the Police Chiefs almost always bad guys? Obviously, everyone in the police station is in on the take as the Police Chief calls Hwang Cheol Bum and tells him to “take care of it” which means go ahead and do what you have to with the church. They even are so kind as to text that the offender was released. When Father Kim goes to the station Detective Goo basically says it wasn’t a big deal that they tried to beat up a priest so they let them go. Double Ugh.

Letters and Late Night Meetings aka Someone’s Gonna Die

Mentor Priest is way too nice and forgiving. He has trouble falling asleep so he writes a letter to our Fiery Priest and slides it under the door. Why doesn’t he just knock and talk to him, you ask? It’s a kdrama and things don’t work that way! Mentor Priest takes a late night phone call and goes out for a meeting I’m pretty sure he won’t live through. A lonely pair of shoes on a cliffside proves my theory correct; he’s a goner. No way did Mentor Priest jump, we all know he was pushed.

Now It’s Time to Fight

Father Kim rushes to the scene of the “suicide” and then to see the body again. He rushes to the police station to try to have them open an investigation. He shows them a picture of bruises on Mentor Priest’s body and Rookie backs up his claim that those bruises could mean Mentor Priest was forced. Little does he know the police have “instructions” to cover-up what happened and try to avoid an autopsy. The police pull out all the stops and now they are claiming that Mentor Priest was under investigation for sexually assaulting a female in the church and embezzlement. OH NO, THEY DID NOT! We end the episode with our Fiery Priest walking smiling into the police station and slugging Detective Goo.

Final Thoughts

I knew Mentor Priest was gonna die, just like Disney, kdramas like to kill off the good people (especially parents). This is the catalyst for the rest of the drama as it appears we are about to find out what our Fiery Priest, Detective Goo, and Prosecutor Park are made of. I’m all in at this point. They already sucked me in with all the bad guys having suitably bad hair. Nothing helps to make a bad guy or girl, stand out like a bad wig. Anyway, we have a solid plot with our tormented priest, conflicted cop, and questionable prosecutor all knowing that this time, the powers that be have gone too far with killing Mentor Priest. I’ve buckled in for the ride kdrama fans, how about you?

Til Our Next Angry Outburst,

Clkytta

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi