REVIEW: ‘My Demon’ Episodes 15-16

Fate always comes full circle. This is one of the resounding themes in My Demon. With the arrival of My Demon Episodes 15-16, we finally see it all come together. In these final episodes, much of the focus centers on Do Do-hee (Kim Yoo-jung) as she attempts to navigate a world without Jung Gu-won (Song Kang). In the process, My Demon Episodes 15-16 deliver the final emotional bomb and catharsis we’ve been waiting for.

After Gu-won leaves Do-hee so that she can find happiness, Do-hee spends the bulk of My Demon Episode 15 in stasis. She wakes up, goes to work, and comes home. Rinse and repeat. None of it has meaning, though. Gu-won’s abandonment triggers something deep in her, harking back to her belief that everyone she loves eventually dies or disappears. All she is able to do now is go through the motions.

Gu-won is still around. He can’t help checking in on Do-hee while she’s sleeping. He heals any wounds she receives. Gu-won stays by her side while she sleeps. This way, he’s never far away, even if he’s forcing a distance between the two of them. This inevitably comes in handy later on but also seals the couple’s fate. They are too intertwined now.

This grieving process for Do-hee leaves much of Episode 15 rolling at a slow pace. But there’s no need to hurry things. Actress Kim Yoo-jung’s performance as she grapples with Do-hee’s depression easily facilitates empathy from the viewer. Things start to shift when Park Bok-gyu (Heo Jung-Do) contemplates giving Do-hee a relic – a necklace – from the past that helped him remember his past life and association with Gu-won. If she learns of her past as Wolsim, perhaps it’ll provide context. He manages to give her the necklace when she visits the Sunwol Foundation.

The next time Do-hee goes to bed, we finally see her past self’s, Wolsim’s, side of things. Wolsim fixated on death. Her life was miserable, and she found humanity unbearable. She is determined to kill herself, but Gu-won’s past self, Yi-sun, saves her. Through a series of flashbacks, we see how Yi-sun’s influence and presence made Wolsim start to feel hope. But we also see how that hope shatters when the worst of humanity targets her. As she lies dying and sees Yi-sun approaching her fallen body, all Wolsim can think is of Yi-sun’s peace.

Do-hee wakes up and finds herself desperate to find Gu-won. Fate has other plans. As she rushes to her car, Do-hee spies a familiar-looking shotgun in her passenger’s seat. This usage of foreshadowing, both in previous episodes and now, hints at what is to come. Do-hee then being chloroformed by Noh Suk-min (Kim Tae-hoon).

The usage of foreshadowing in My Demon has finally led us to our ultimate conclusion in Episode 15. A severely burned and crazed Suk-min takes Do-hee to an abandoned area to serve as his battle arena. He demands that Gu-won come out, torturing Do-hee in the process to lure the demon out. Of course, just as Suk-min prepares to kill Do-hee, Gu-won arrives. Things continue to escalate, with Gu-won almost killing Suk-min before Do-hee intervenes. Unfortunately, this proves to be Do-hee’s fatal mistake.

Suk-min’s shotgun has been featured heavily in connection to Do-hee’s fate. Bringing things full circle, just when the couple lets their guard down, Suk-min gleefully raises the weapon and fires. With Do-hee’s lifeless body in his arms, Gu-won breaks one of the cardinal rules and makes the ultimate sacrifice. In the process, he saves himself and Do-hee. Resurrecting her, Gu-won can only smile. Do-hee realizes what will come next. In a beautifully devastating and rendered moment, we watch as Do-hee falls apart while Gu-won fades away to smoldering ash.

With that, My Demon Episode 15 ends amidst a romantic montage featuring the couple in the credits. For just the final 20 minutes or so alone, it easily wins all the emotional gut-punch points. Episode 15 is truly a showcase of Yoo-jung’s range. Her calm expressions, juxtapositioned against actor Kim Tae Hoon’s portrayal of Suk-min’s psychotic mania, create a lasting impression. But it is the final moments between Yoo-jung’s Do-hee and Song Kang’s Gu-won that make for true heartbreak.

My Demon Episode 16 delivers in providing us, as well as our cast of characters, with closure and deserved resolutions. The episode begins grappling with the aftermath of Gu-won’s sacrifice. God (Cha Chung-hwa) is moved by his decision. Do-hee is shaken, and an undisclosed amount of time passes with her loved ones watching her spiral to the point of hospitalization. It isn’t until a Christmas song smacks her out of her funk that she is motivated to pull herself somewhat together.

This leads her on Christmas Day to journey to where they first met. She talks to Gu-won, even though he’s not there. In the process, she makes a deal for him to return. God, out of the goodness of her heart, brings Gu-won back from the dead. They’ve always been fated to meet. Their reunification taking place in the tidal pools feels justified.

All loose ends come together in My Demon Episode 16. Gu-won shares with Do-hee why her father made a deal with him. As a nod to their spiritual link, her father makes the deal with Gu-won to save her life. With nowhere else to turn and her pregnant mother ready to give birth, her desperate father knew what he was getting into when making the deal. Do-hee knows this, too. Why else would her parents give her the best childhood she could have before dying?

As for Suk-min, he realizes everything he has done has been in vain. He ruined his life for nothing. Trapped in jail where he will live out a death sentence, all he has now to comfort him is the ghost of his mother. Speaking of his mother, it is revealed that Ju Cheon-sook (Kim Hae-sook) had advanced cancer before she was murdered. Her destiny was always to die. But she died with love in her heart.

My Demon Episode 16 gives us a resolution that feels earned and deserved. No stone is left unturned, and nothing feels rushed. So often in K-dramas, the audience has to endure a rushed ending. Instead, we get a chance to breathe, giving each character – both big and small – their respective moments. It gives us time to say goodbye and wish them well on their journey. Take note, writers. My Demon gives a proper lesson on how to provide closure.

My Demon Episodes 15-16 give us everything needed to close the final chapter of this story. Through the particularly strong performance delivered by Kim Yoo-jung, we’re taken on an emotional rollercoaster. But, if it were not for the hard work Yoo-jung and Song Kang did to create such a fulfilling and rich relationship between their Do-hee and Gu-won, the climax and ending would not have hit as hard. As far as finales go, one of the strongest ones I’ve seen in a while.

My Demon Episodes 1-16 are now available on Netflix.