REVIEW: ‘My Demon’ Episodes 13-14

“Happiness can be poisonous,” says God (Cha Chung-hwa), setting up the thematic tissue of My Demon Episodes 13-14. Jung Gu-won’s (Song Kang) pursuit of making Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung) happy stems from a good place. But, when the truth comes to light, is our beloved couple doomed to repeat their tragic fate once more? Signs point to yes.

My Demon Episode 13 starts with Ju Cheon-sook (Kim Hae-sook) confessing something from her past. Based on where we ended in Episode 12, this links to her encounter with Gu-Won. Inevitably, this truth reveals itself to Do-hee, but the writers make sure to draw it out. Instead, much of Episode 13 focuses on Gu-won’s fixation on the couple achieving their happy ending. This is a childish fixation, particularly one from a 200-year-old demon.

This is something that the Arabica woman, aka God, tries to point out to Gu-won. When he asks whether or not they can defy fate, she points out how misfortune serves to help humans. It makes them appreciate happiness when they experience it. Gu-won disagrees with God, but the deity has a point. If you have too much of a good thing, how can you come to appreciate it? That said, if you experience too much misfortune, how can you place faith in happiness?

Case in point, Do-hee. Do-hee is someone who has experienced adversity. People she has loved and trusted have died around her, and she has absorbed the idea that she is the one to blame. Even when reality points out to her again and again that she is not responsible, she can’t shake this feeling. So, when Do-hee comes across the aftermath of a car accident in Episode 13, her trauma resurfaces. She feels guilty for her happiness and believes that one day, Gu-won will leave her, too. This is the other side of the coin God presents.

Gu-won tries to distract Do-hee as much as he can. From making breakfast to getting a Christmas tree and even stepping into a nightmare to change it into a dream, he tries to make things positive. But these happy times aren’t meant to last, especially with Noh Suk-min (Kim Tae-hoon) still scheming. He fixates on overpowering his mother’s legacy. This fixation leads to consequences for all around him.

Suk-min calls his family together under the guise of a pleasant dinner. His wife, Kim Se-ra (Jo Yeon-hee), Ju Seok-hoon (Lee Sang-yi), Noh Su-ahn (Lee Yoon-ji) Do-hee, and Gu-won all gather for dinner. After dismissing his wife, Suk-min, who is more than happy to get away from that poisonous man, Suk-min tells them to sell their shares of the company to him. If they refuse, Suk-min will no longer be playing nice. All refuse, even Su-ahn. Suk-min wastes no time in retaliating.

We’ve seen how Suk-min treats people. He abuses his loved ones. Now that his son isn’t around to protect her, Suk-min has been abusing Se-ra. After Se-ra steps out of line with him in Episode 13, he has her hospitalized until further notice. For those he cannot control, he crushes them. The first to be crushed? Seok-hoon. Suk-min orders Seok-hoon to be removed from the company. Seok-hoon informs Do-hee, which leads to Do-hee rightfully confronting Suk-min.

This leads to a climactic ending of My Demon Episode 13. Suk-min drops a bomb on Do-hee. Equipped with a recording, Suk-min tells her that Cheon-sook is responsible for killing her parents. Her father threatened to expose Cheon-sook’s actions to the world. A chase culminated in her parents’ dying in a car crash. While the viewer knows this is not the case, this information rattles Do-hee. But she can’t let go of her memories of Cheon-sook and refuses to believe Suk-min.

This culminates in Suk-min trying to kill her. In a tensely edited situation, we bounce back and forth between Do-hee’s struggle with Suk-min and Gu-won confronting Se-ra. With Se-ra shouting that her husband is the devil and a close-up shot of Do-hee slowly dying, things aren’t looking good. Diving immediately into My Demon Episode 14, plot armor makes it so Gu-won saves Do-hee. But Suk-min isn’t so easily defeated. Even as the trio moves from Suk-min’s office to Gu-won’s clock tower, they are all too evenly matched for things to end.

That’s why when Suk-min chooses to plummet off the building, it’s too good to be true. Throughout the course of My Demon Episode 14, the writers remind us that this is the case as well. Suk-min’s body is lost. Undiscovered. Remembering how Gu-won was turned into a demon by God, it wouldn’t be surprising if Suk-min shows up in the finale all souped-up and full of demonic rage.

Sukmin has plenty to rage about. Se-ra has gone to the police with collected evidence and a powerful testimony condemning her husband. It comes out that Suk-min is the one responsible for the death of his mother, among others, but Do-hee still catches strays in the media. She has other things to worry about. Suk-min’s words surrounding her parents’ deaths haunt her. Stuck in her own personal hell, Do-hee seeks out Cheon-sook’s priest to get answers. Little does she know that he will provide that and more.

My Demon has done such a great job at building up the mystery and revealing the answers once it is time. These reveals have never felt rushed or unearned. They’ve blended in seamlessly with the pace set. That is why when the priest reveals everything Cheon-sook told him, including how Gu-won has been involved from the beginning, it is both surprising yet not out of left field. The writers also continue to add layers even when the truth is revealed. In this case, Do-hee’s father signed a contract with Gu-won. For what? That’s the final remaining mystery for Do-hee to solve.

This leads us back to the idea of happiness. Do-hee’s new discovery paints how she sees Gu-won. He’s always been a demon. Heck, Gu-won screams it from the mountain tops. But now, the reality is settling in. Gu-won is instrumental in her father’s death. He kills people and takes their souls to hell. How can she be happy with someone who kills to survive?

Gu-won knows this, too. So, he makes a misguided decision at the end of My Demon Episode 14 in order to push Do-hee towards her own happy ending. Gu-won leaves her. He believes in order for Do-hee to be happy, he can’t be in her life. This is foolish, but again, Gu-won means well. In all their efforts to avoid unhappiness, they run directly into it.

My Demon Episodes 13-14 is a much-needed downer for the series. Do-hee and Gu-won have undergone many trials throughout their relationship but have always triumphed rather than failed. But Gu-won desperately tries to avoid repeating the past. The biggest mistake is that balance is necessary for a relationship. It is necessary for life. If there is anything to take away from My Demon Episodes 13-14, it is that avoiding unhappiness ultimately fails us in the end. We can’t avoid the inevitable. Episodes 13-14 highlight this well.

My Demon Episodes 13-14 features a much-needed lesson on pursuing happiness. Do-hee and Gu-won hit a boulder in their relationship journey, but Gu-won’s efforts to make Do-hee happy always take precedence. Only a couple of mysteries remain to be solved heading into the final episodes of My Demon. If the writing doesn’t waver, the series can end strongly.

My Demon Episodes 1-14 are now available on Netflix, with new episodes airing on Fridays and Saturdays through January.