Revenge
Jiwoo is a morning person, and she wakes up early to work out. Sergeant Cho, who is following her, happens to be waiting outside her apartment. They have a conversation that starts out innocently enough, but quickly turns sexual.
Bullying from her classmates is a common occurrence, partly because her dad is a junkie. Jiwoo is often made to feel uncomfortable by the other students, and its her 17th birthday. However, this doesn’t mean that she’s not deserving of a good gift.
In a dramatic scene, Jiwoo singlehandedly takes out the bullies harassing her for so long. She uses her quick reflexes and strength to take out the attackers with ease. This demonstrates her heroism and makes for an impressive display of choreography.
Jiwoo heads home to find her father, Donghoon, telling her he can’t make it. It’s the final straw for her, as she tells him not to come back and that he’s useless. Only, he does come back. In fact, outside the front door a gunshot pierces the air. Another sees Donghoon collapse, blood staining the area. Donghoon keeps his daughter inside, protecting her as a final courageous act before he passes away.
Jiwoo attends her father’s funeral of course, but so too do a lot of Donghoon’s gangster friends. Among those is Mujin, the leader of this operation, who tells her that he was a loyal man and a good soldier. He also fails to disclose exactly who killed him. And worse, Sergeant Cho and the other detectives drop the case looking into his murder.
Given that Donghoon was on the top Most Wanted list and in hiding for three months, it is not much of a surprise.
Jiwoo turns to Donghoon’s gangster buddies for help in resolving her killing dilemma. Specifically, she goes to see Mujin. He tells her that she needs to leave if she doesn’t have the resolve to kill. ..
Jiwoo is not ready to give up though and an unwanted guest at her door eventually prompts her to head out that night to try and find information on her dad’s killer. She even offers a 5 million won reward too. Jiwoo stupidly walks right into a trap, with her money lost and tied up in the back of a car for her troubles.
Jiwoo is taken aback by the offer, but decides to take it on. She’s determined to show Mujin that she can handle herself and prove her worth. The two work out a deal, Jiwoo doing the dishes and laundry while Mujin trains her in martial arts. Jiwoo is quickly impressed by Mujin’s skills, and decides to become her apprentice.
Jiwoo is a determined young woman who refuses to let her peers get the better of her. Mujin, a boxing coach, comes to her aid and tells her to fight him in a big fight. Jiwoo goes into battle determined to win and kill him.
In the final round of sparring, Jiwoo is pitted against Gangjae, a highly-prized fighter. Who will come out on top? ..
The Episode Review
The show quickly establishes that Jiwoo is a complex and compelling character, with her struggles and vulnerabilities both on the surface and beneath. She’s a strong-willed young woman who is determined to make a difference in the world, but she also has a lot of baggage that she must overcome. The show does an excellent job of exploring her motivations and her relationships, making you care about her progress as a character.
The revenge mission is a simple setup, with Jiwoo’s resolve easy to understand completely empathetic. Now, a part of me thinks Mujin could be involved in some way but given I’m writing this as I’m watching the show, then we’ll have to wait and see if that holds any weight or not.
Netflix’s “My Name” is a gripping, dark series that looks like it could be another hit. The camera work and fight choreography are top-notch, and the characters are well-drawn. This first episode looks like it could be a sleeper hit on Netflix.
