The drama Scarecrow, inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders and the Lee Chun-jae case, once again recorded its highest viewership.
In episode 8 of the ENA Monday-Tuesday drama Scarecrow (directed by Park Jun-woo, written by Lee Ji-hyun, planned by KT Studio Genie, produced by Studio Anzillen), which aired on the 12th, the conflict between Kang Tae-Ju (Park Hae-soo) and Cha Si-young (Lee Heejun) reached its peak. Kang Tae-Ju decided that even if it was a losing fight, he would fight to the end and willingly let himself be broken like an egg against a rock. Episode 8 recorded nationwide 7.4% and metropolitan area 7.3% in ratings. It was the highest record for the show nationwide, surpassing a peak minute rating of 8.2%, and the 2049 target minute rating climbed to a peak of 3.0%, earning it first place among Monday-Tuesday dramas. (Nielsen Korea, paid households basis)
Scarecrow, which premiered on April 20, started at 2.9% nationwide but steadily rose to 4.0% for episode 2, 4.9% for episode 3, 5.2% for episode 4, 6.3% for episode 5, 7.4% for episode 6 and 6.4% for episode 7. Then in episode 8 it again recorded 7.4%, setting a new personal best, drawing attention. The all-time No. 1 rating is 17.5% for Extraordinary Attorney Woo starring Park Eunbin, which aired in 2022.
This is the highest rating among ENA dramas this year and ranks second in ENA history, overtaking Bussemi. With Scarecrow reaching a climax in its development and ratings also on the rise, interest is growing over whether it can surpass the milestone of 10%.
That day, Kang Tae-Ju, who regained consciousness at the hospital, returned to Cha Si-young's mother's funeral hall. When he faced Cha Si-young's smiling face, Kang Tae-Ju, unable to contain his repressed anger, handcuffed him by the wrist, dragged him out and turned the funeral hall into chaos in an instant. When youngest detective Park Dae-ho (Ryu Hae-joon) chided him out of sympathy, Kang Tae-Ju, recalling Lee Ki-beom (Song Geon-hee), muttered a lonely lament saying, "I did it to live… if I stayed quiet my insides would have withered and burst, I felt like I would die."
Cha Si-young ground his teeth, saying Kang Tae-Ju ruined a perfect funeral. Just then detective Doh Hyung-gu (Kim Eun-woo) was brought in for investigation by the audit team over Lee Ki-beom's death, and Cha Si-young, who had ignored his plea for help, framed Kang Tae-Ju with allegations of abuse. When Kang Tae-Ju, who had been disciplined over this, came and grabbed him by the collar, Cha Si-young provoked him further, asking, "Now do you get it? Do you know the difference between you and me? It's not a crime for me to rough up a suspect like Lee Ki-beom, but it's a crime for you to insult me. We call that 'class.' "
Meanwhile Kang Soon-young (Seo Ji-hye) showed symptoms of short-term memory loss, unable to accept Lee Ki-beom's death. But soon after, through a conversation between Kang Tae-Ju and Seo Ji-won (Kwak Sun-young), she regained her memory and staged a silent protest at the prosecution service with a placard written in blood that read "Punish the murderer Cha Si-young." During this time Kang Soon-young got into a fight with Cha Si-young's fiancée Kim Hee-jin (Hong Bi-ra) and ended up in a police station detention cell. Kang Tae-Ju then asked Cha Jun-young (Heo Jeong-do) to smooth things over for his younger sibling, saying he would leave Gangseong.
In the previous broadcast, the true culprit Lee Yong-woo was revealed to be Lee Ki-hwan (Jung Moon-sung), and he prepared to leave Gangseong, telling Kang Tae-Ju, "Let's never meet again," while blaming Kang Tae-Ju for his brother Lee Ki-beom's death. Above all, Im Seok-man (Baek Seung-hwan) provoked anger with a chilling demeanor that induced a confession, saying, "If you keep that up, our Ki-beom will be a sight. If you feel sorry for Ki-beom, repent now and take punishment," even while knowing Im Seok-man was being wrongfully accused, abused and tortured because of him. On top of repeatedly committing murder again, his rampage targeting Kang Soon-young as the next target sent chills.
In the end Kang Tae-Ju left Gangseong after leaving a meaningful soliloquy to Cha Si-young saying, "I will surely crush you, you stone bastard." In the meantime Cha Si-young not only pushed Lee Ki-beom to death but also obtained a false confession from Im Seok-man and sought the death penalty. But at the end of the broadcast Kang Tae-Ju was bewildered after discovering another murdered body and the victim's stockings. It hinted that the so-called Gangseong serial murder case, which seemed to have ended with Im Seok-man's arrest, was not over yet, drawing attention.
As Scarecrow passes the midpoint and heads toward its finale while setting new weekly high ratings, expectations are rising over whether it can create a stir by exceeding 10%.
[Photo] ENA Scarecrow episode 8 broadcast capture
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