Jisung plunged himself into the tiger's den to root out great evil, delivering a nail-biting development that upended the Friday-Saturday drama lineup on home screens.
On the 16th, in episode 5 of MBC's Friday-Saturday drama The Judge Returns (planned by Namgung Seong-woo, Chang Jae-hoon; written by Kim Kwang-min; directed by Lee Jae-jin, Park Mi-yeon; produced by OH Story, Slingshot Studio), Lee Han-young (Jisung), who exposed a ledger of military service corruption involving figures in politics and business, grabbed a ticket to the Seoul Central District Court where his archenemy Kang Shin-jin (Park Hee-soon) is based and penetrated the heart of the great evil.
That day's ratings recorded 10.1% in the Seoul metropolitan area and 10% nationwide on Nielsen Korea's household ratings, marking a new personal best. In particular, the scene in which Chungnam Court Chief Judge Baek Yi-seok (Kim Tae Woo), saying he had received two more tickets to Seoul and that "Chief Justice Im, Judge Lee Han-young and I are going to Seoul together," sent the show's momentary nationwide household rating on Nielsen Korea soaring to a peak of 11.7%, cementing its position as the absolute power among Friday-Saturday dramas. In addition, reflecting changes in media consumption, the key channel competitiveness metric for viewers aged 20-54 was 3.4%, ranking first among all programs broadcast that day and proving The Judge Returns' overwhelming buzz. The Judge Returns climbed sharply to reverse the Friday-Saturday drama landscape, achieving a triple crown by taking first place in metropolitan area, 20-54, and nationwide household ratings, establishing itself as the dominant show on home screens.
In that broadcast, the backstory of how Lee Han-young came to reveal the list of military service corruption involving political and business figures unfolded in an exciting progression. After receiving the ledger from his mother Shin Nam-sook (Hwang Young-hee), who runs a junk shop, Lee Han-young was ambushed by Kwak Soon-won (Park Geon Il), who had followed him. Seeing his eyes, Lee Han-young realized that the person who killed him in his previous life was Kwak Soon-won. As people gathered, Kwak Soon-won fled, and Han-young learned that the person looking for the ledger was not Lee Chang-hyo (Choi Hong-il) but Kang Shin-jin. The karmic enmity from a past life continuing into the present amplified the dramatic tension.
Unable to find the ledger, Kang Shin-jin used the crisis to test Lee Han-young. He sent his right-hand man Kim Jin-han (Jung Hee-tae) to offer inducements, saying if Han-young handed over the ledger he would be sent to Seoul, but Han-young flatly refused. When Jin-han asked if he would regret it, Han-young delivered a cutting rebuke, saying "people only truly regret things at the moment they die," clearly showing how he had changed from his past life. From there, Han-young headed to Chungnam District Court Chief Judge Baek Yi-seok (Kim Tae Woo) and, buoyed by his support, exposed the ledger and made a frontal assault on the great evil.
Lee Han-young's revelation turned Park Gwang-to's (Son Byung-ho) hideout Suojae upside down. Kang Shin-jin, who had been deeply involved in schemes with Park Gwang-to, bowed his head for failing to manage the ledger properly and for not disclosing that another person had been added to the list. Amid that, Woo Kyo-hoon, the Ministry of Justice nominee for the third cabinet centered on Park Gwang-to, wounded Kang Shin-jin's pride by belittling his humble origins. As Kang Shin-jin's previously hidden backstory was peeled back layer by layer, the drama's development became denser.
Kang Shin-jin, while feeling a strange affinity at Kim Jin-han's remark that Lee Han-young seemed to have exposed the ledger impulsively because of a family complex, tightened his grip on Han-young by using Kwak Soon-won to threaten Im Jeong-sik (Kim Byung-chun). Summoned by Kang Shin-jin, Lee Han-young went to a restaurant and, hiding his desire for revenge, introduced himself as "the son of a demolition victim," easing Shin-jin's guard. When Shin-jin asked, "What kind of person am I?" Han-young replied, "I think you are someone who will guide me. I will become someone the chief needs," prompting Kang Shin-jin to deliver a covert assignment to have Woo Kyo-hoon fall before the ministerial confirmation hearing.
Meanwhile, Kim Jin-a (Won Jin-a) clashed with Jang Tae-sik (Kim Beom-rae) at his detention warrant hearing after he was arrested on suspicion of offshore tax evasion, but she could not prevent his release. Later, Kim Jin-a visited her father, who was lying in a convalescent hospital, and, telling him "this is where the real beginning starts," steeled her resolve. The hidden story between Kim Jin-a and Jang Tae-sik drew attention.
Meanwhile, as figures involved in the military service corruption were picked off one by one, a wind of reform blew through the judiciary. The principled judge Baek Yi-seok was called by the new chief justice and entered the Seoul Central District Court, taking along his reliable juniors Lee Han-young and Im Jeong-sik. Kang Shin-jin called spy Kim Yoon-hyuk (Jang Jae-ho) to Seoul to closely monitor the movements of Lee Han-young and Baek Yi-seok, deciding to watch whether Han-young, after moving to Seoul, would complete the assignment of "Woo Kyo-hoon's downfall."
At the end of the broadcast, Lee Han-young took the next step toward eradicating the great evil by visiting Haenal Law Firm. The ending, in which he heads to Yoo Sun-cheol's (Ahn Nae-sang) office and resolves, 'You have chosen me in this life as well. I will decide your fate in this life,' raised viewers' expectations for Han-young's move into the heart of enemy territory to the highest level.
MBC's Friday-Saturday drama The Judge Returns episode 6 will air at 9:50 p.m. on the 17th.
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