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

New chapters are opening in "Black", but none are leading to good places. Man-soo is no longer a CEO and he finds a use I welcome, but also fear. Ha-ram has to face Soo-wan's desperate advances at who she thinks is Moo-gang, but our heroine has much bigger things to worry about right around the corner. I have a lot of questions, but my anticipation is intact and the will to wait for possible answers strong.

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Ask and you shall receive, because "Black" knows just what I need at times. Just as I began giving up on Man-soo (Kim Dong-jun) making an impact, the young man decides to use his previously teased skills and Moo-gang's (Song Seung-heon) basement to possibly crack this case, or at least to discover his own brother's connection to it. It is highly satisfying seeing Man-soo finally becoming connected to the main story.

"Black" is mostly great with following through, but I am still waiting on some things. For example, how is Ha-ram's (Go Ara) meddling being experienced by the other side? Can capsules be mistaken and if not, how come no one is panicking over their targets surviving? Also, did no Reapers before 444 (Kim Tae-woo) feel or see Ha-ram notice them? That being said, Clara's (Cha Chung-hwa) appearance not raising a flag is now nicely explained. It seems the Underworld lies a lot about pre-retirement changes.

Another current big one on my list of "whats" is Soo-dong (Park Doo-shik). If Black did not maintain Moo-gang's skills, how can our Runaway Reaper be practicing medicine like nobody's business? Was the man who was working a lousy job catering to an idol's whims somehow a graduate of medicine? Given his family's portrayed poverty, it does not feel likely and his magical chameleon act is therefore something glaring enough to warrant an explanation, especially since he appears to be a pivotal end-game character.

Coming back to the latest good things, unless you are Ha-ram or anyone else in "Black", the blind man introduced carries an ominous message. We have already known that dire consequences follow the changing of human fate, but hearing it from someone who was clearly like our heroine before being blinded or perhaps blinding himself to escape just makes it feel all the more real and approaching. The universe will not let bygones be bygones.

Speaking of bygones, it is time to tackle the topic of our scarred killer (Woo Hyun) and perhaps Leo's (Kim Jae-young) past very soon as well. As for the currently teased love square, I am not worried at this point. With about one third of the drama to go and characters stuck in childhood figuratively or literally, these flings are not going anywhere. The bond is there, however and it will hurt badly.

"Black" is directed by Kim Hong-seon-I, written by Choi Ran-I and features Song Seung-heon, Go Ara, Lee El and Kim Dong-jun.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'