‘Bulgasal: Immortal Souls’ has come out with the fifteenth episode of season 1 on Netflix, which depicts the ancient Bulgasal curse brought to life through spectacular and brutal action scenes from the past and today.
Recap
Sang-Un and Hwal are getting ready for the ultimate battle. Hwal’s eyes have healed enough that the bandages can be removed and replaced with an eyepatch.
Hwal is surprised to see his family again and with Sang-Un by his side, he points out a location near the mountains where he first became Bulgasal. He takes Sang-Un there one more time to see where he came from and he decides that this is the end; that the Bugasal curse will be lifted once and for all.
Sang-Un believes they have more in common than that. She does not want to be without him. Her sentiments have gotten stronger and that they were a family in previous incarnations. As they converse, Hwal instructs her to look after his family while he is away. Sang-Un, on the other hand, urges him to eat with them.
Hwal then travels with Do-Yun to the photo studio. He has photos from their previous dinner together reproduced. Hwal recognises the owner as someone he knew in a previous life. Given that he was one of the ringleaders in pushing Bulgasal away, the owner seems far warmer and kinder this time.
Hwal, on the other hand, doesn’t blame him. He realises that it was their fear that made them react the way they did toward him. When Hwal sees a group of school kids across the street, he encourages Do-Yun to return to school and even invites him to remain with him for the time being.
Kwon, though, is the one member of their family who has been left out of it all. He’s still hurting from Eul-Tae’s remark about Hwal being a serial killer. He declines to take Hwal’s call and instead goes into the station to speak with Captain Ham. He demands to know where Eul-Tae is but Ham refuses to provide that information, claiming that his family’s lives are also in jeopardy. He eventually tells him the truth, though.
Ham speaks to Kwon in secret and verifies that the mayor is collaborating with Eul-Tae. Ham is concerned for his own safety, as well as that of his small daughter. Kwon vows to eliminate Eul-Tae for good.
Meanwhile, Sang-Un drags Hwal into the woods, where she resolves to transform into Bulgasal and kill Eul-Tae with her to save him the agony. He refuses to let her go, saying that he’s been thinking about her all along. If she vanishes, he will lose himself completely and become meaningless.
When they return to the home and learn the truth about what Hwal is up to, all eyes are on Kwon, who returns with information on Eul-Tae’s whereabouts. Hwal recognises that this is a set-up and explains that he’s luring them in.
As a result, the gang suggests that they should tip the scales in their favour and go there with a three-to-one edge, complete with a rifle from Captain Ham.
Hwal prepares for what’s to come as he drives away with a picture of the family handed to him by Do-Yun just moments before. Sang-Un teaches Kwon how to kill a Bulgasal and how he needs to make sure they’re not both shot in the heart when he arrives at the well.
Kwon, on the other hand, is possessed. He describes this as his lifelong mission and dismisses his unusual behaviour as nervousness which Sang-Un even believes in.
Sang-Un and Kwon are briefed on their roles in the next expedition by Hwal. Hwal takes the stage first, wearing Eul-Tae down in a grudge bout. Kwon is supposed to come in and shoot Eul-tae when he’s weakened. Sang-Un will then use the Dueoksini poison to stab him.
Hwal pulls out his knife and slashes Eul-Tae across the cheek, igniting the fight. Eul-Tae takes the initiative and pierces Hwal, impaling him to the ground.
Hwal, on the other hand, staggers Eul-Tae in the neck. Unfortunately, Eul-tae is too powerful for Hwal, and he bites him and drinks some of his blood. He hurries away after promising to kill Sang-Un in front of him.
Kwon snaps and shoots Eul-Tae in the heart as he comes. Sang-Un is taken aback and he rushes out to find Hwal. Meanwhile, Kwon is outraged, and he intends to murder Hwal and end the Bulgasal curse once and for all.
Sang-Un leaps upon Hwal and begs the detective to stop, emphasising that he is Hwal, not the hideous demon he has been made to believe.
Unfortunately, Eul-Tae recovers fast due to Kwon’s deliberation. Drinking Hwal’s blood, on the other hand, helps him heal quickly.
Kwon makes the ultimate sacrifice to buy Sang-Un some time to flee. Kwon, who is bleeding profusely from the stomach, reaches for a knife, but it is too late. Hwal is scooped up by Eul-Tae and tossed down the well.
Kwon comes up on what happened the night of the Monster and how Hwal butchered his sister now that Hwal is bleeding out and Eul-Tae is dead.
Kwon has grown to care about Hwal, and as a token of his devotion, he advises Kwon to swallow his blood in order to regain his power and stop Eul-Tae before it’s too late. Kwon apologises for causing such a snafu and encourages him to make an exception to his ban against human blood.
Eul-Tae collapses over and grabs his chest. The black hole has begun to seep again. Hwal prepares for the last battle by drinking Kwon’s blood.
Ho-Yeol, Eul-Tae, and Si-Ho’s past life incarnation stab an enraged Bulgasal Hwal and Sang-Un, who is likely the other half of the Bulgasal here, back 1000 years. Hwal has vowed to exact vengeance on everyone, particularly Sang-Un.
Review
- The final episodes have significantly stretched out in what is otherwise a 12-episode drama. The series did, however, have some intriguing components, and the well fight towards the end was very nicely filmed and tense.
- Lee Jin-wook again impresses with his performance and the character of Hwal shows development and growth.
- The action sequence was somewhat mild, the little moment that Ho-Yeol and Hwal shared together was both sorrowful and wonderful. Apart from that, there wasn’t much to look forward to in the fight.
- The dialogues between Hwal and Sang-Un were emotional, but they didn’t have the same effect as some of the previous episodes.
Rating 3/5
Also Read: Bulgasal: Immortal Souls season 1 episode 14 recap & review