[Mar 18] "The Midnight Studio" Ep 3: Rating, Recap, Review

The 3rd episode of ENA's "The Midnight Studio" got a 2.3% viewer rate, a slight decrease from the 2.5% of its last episode.

"The Midnight Studio" episode 3: Recap & review

Unseen bonds & cursed fates

In episode 3, Ki-Joo is surprised and asks Han Bom about a mysterious circle. She doesn’t know what he’s talking about and thinks he took the missing twin from the last episode. At the police station, Ki-Joo tries to clear up the confusion, but Han Bom won’t hear it. She even mocks him when he says he can see ghosts.

Ki-Joo lands in jail because Han Bom complains about him. He tells her he takes pictures of ghosts, but she doesn’t believe him. He begs her to stay with him at the station because he’s afraid of evil ghosts.

After she leaves, Ki-Joo’s work friend, Assistant Manager Ko, gets him out of jail. Ki-Joo needs to stay close to Han Bom to survive for 100 days. His family is cursed, and no man lives past 35. Ki-Joo has only 100 days until his 35th birthday, so he can’t let a ghost end his life early.

Ki-Joo talks Han Bom into coming to his photo studio late at night. There, he shows her the place and introduces her to his ghostly coworkers, Assistant Manager Ko and Baek Nam-Goo. He explains why he can’t go out alone and why he needs her help.

The next day, Ki-Joo and his team try to help a priest’s spirit find peace. But Ki-Joo is caught for breaking in and taking the priest’s laptop. In jail, he calls Han Bom, his lawyer, to fix things. Afterward, she starts to believe his ghost stories. He asks her to protect him again, but she says no.

Han Bom feels guilty for someone’s death and thinks she can’t save anyone. She tells Ki-Joo, “I can’t risk someone’s life again. I know you’re desperate for the circle, but I want to live as a good person.”

How about the end of episode 3?

Kwon Na-Ra’s character’s grandmother shows up at Joo Won’s photo studio

The 3rd episode ends sadly. After Han Bom turns down Ki-Joo’s request, he accepts her choice. As he leaves the studio, he sees Han Bom’s grandmother come in.

He soon realizes she has passed away. The final scene shows Han Bom finding out and panicking in the street. Ki-Joo comforts her on the roadside. Through tears, she asks him if he saw her grandmother, hoping she’s wrong. Ki-Joo looks over and sees her grandmother’s spirit watching Han Bom with a sad look.

Review

It was apparent from the start that the grandmother’s passing was inevitable, yet the timing was so harsh, coming at a moment when Bom was emotionally unready. The shock and sorrow Bom must have felt upon learning of her loss are unimaginable. The loss of a loved one is an incredibly deep and shattering experience that can leave us feeling inconsolable.

By the way, I appreciate the drama, but is it necessary for every female lead to have a moment where they deliberately misinterpret the male lead’s actions? For instance, in this drama, she accuses him of abducting a child, but for what reason? But on the other hand, her reactions were somewhat understandable. It would be strange that she was unfazed by his physical contact on multiple occasions (in the elevator, at the photo studio, and when he abruptly knocked her down on the street).