Recap and Review: Penthouse Season 3, Episode 11 – “Don’t you feel dizzy if you’re up this high? People must live closer to the ground.”

Seok Kyung watches from afar as Dan Tae runs to the fishing boat with Su Ryeon and Logan motioning to their contact to proceed with their plan. As the boat is about to leave, Seok Kyung ziplines down, jumps in the water and swims onto the boat to secretly hop on.

Dan Tae is shocked when Seok Kyung walks in as he wakes up in the Japanese mental hospital. She taunts him, but Dan Tae snaps back that he still raised her and did everything he could for her even though she was his enemy’s daughter. That includes literally killing her competition so she could get ahead in life.

Seok Kyung says it was he who turned her into a monster and that she never asked for him to do all those things for her. Seok Kyung drops the bomb that Logan is alive and Su Ryeon is just fine. They don’t even know that she’s here, but followed him just as a final act as his daughter.

She bids him farewell, but he gets on his knees and begs her to help him one last time. Seok Kyung just laughs at how pathetic he is acting right now and says he can just continue to live here for the rest of his life.
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Back in Korea, Alex is confirming with Logan if he should proceed with the plan to make Jun Ki and Ms. Jin pay for their sins. Logan is open to giving Jun Ki a second chance if he gets rid of his gambling addiction.

Just then, Ms. Jin comes running in begging Logan not to send her back to her abusive husband. She promises not to hurt Eun Byeol and will just watch her from afar. She may have lost her daughter Michelle, but will not stand by and let Eun Byeol go back to a woman like Seo Jin.

Logan says she must go to psychiatric treatment first and then he will decide what to do with her. But she must never see Eun Byeol again. Logan tells Alex that he feels sorry for both Jun Ki and Ms. Jin for all their pain and trauma that have led them to this point.

Over at Hera, Eun Byeol watches her mother drink up the drugged wine. Speaking to herself, Eun Byeol says she feels sorry for Yoon Hee’s death even though she can’t remember anything. But she hopes that Seo Jin losing her memories of all these bad things will help her live a happier, less evil life.

As their new portrait is delivered, Eun Byeol fears that one day, Seo Jin might even forget her. But when that happens, she will take care of her mother forever.

After Secretary Do calls Seo Jin about investors being worried about the health of Cheong A Construction’s financials, she meets with Alex about him possibly buying the company. Seo Jin tries to sell the Cheonsoo development to a skeptical Alex. He says he will accept under one condition. If it is proven that Seo Jin has been involved in any sort of crime, “[she] best know this contract is deaded.”

Seo Jin assures him that will never happen and she sets the price at three trillion won. Alex suggests they announce the deal on the day of the Cheong A Group presidential inauguration. Seo Jin says sure as long as he pays 30% upfront.

After Alex leaves, Secretary Do commends Seo Jin on doing well as without the money, they’d go bankrupt within days. Now, Seo Jin sets her sights on Rona.

A gaggle of reporters pound on Rona’s door wanting her to comment on the rumors that she bribed the Cheong A pianist, conspired with other auditionees and threatened Seo Jin. Ma Ri and Jenny come out of their home and throw rice at them until security arrives to drag the reporters out.

Ma Ri calls Su Ryeon to update her on the situation. Su Ryeon says she’ll let Rona take care of the reporters. Meanwhile, Seok Hoon comes in to update Su Ryeon on his search for Seok Kyung.

Seo Jin calls Rona to meet with her in her office. She first offers her sympathies about what Dan Tae did to Yoon Hee. Then she offers her a “benefit” of being an artist in residence with an opportunity to study abroad in her choice of either the US or Italy.

Rona knows Seo Jin is just trying to shoo her away in an effort to hide something.

Reporters suddenly storm the office and Rona admits she called them here in order to address the rumors together with Seo Jin. She tells the reporters that she wants to reveal the real events of the night of her mother’s death.

Seo Jin is shocked and tries to deflect. But Rona has the receipts. She plays the dashcam footage of Seo Jin at the scene. The news travels fast and Eun Byeol watches the coverage in horror as the memories of that night come flooding back.

Ma Ri watches and laughs as Seo Jin runs frantically through the Hera lobby back home. Eun Byeol says it’s alright since there’s no video of Seo Jin actually pushing Yoon Hee into the water. She says she knew all along and was just pretending not to remember. Seo Jin assures Eun Byeol that everything will be okay after the inauguration.

Seo Jin goes to open the door for Secretary Do. Eun Byeol does not understand why the drugs are not working as she had hoped Seo Jin would lose her memory before the investigation.

Secretary Do updates Seo Jin on what he has found out so far, including about Ms. Jin going to the police after having used digital forensics to restore the dashcam footage. Seo Jin wonders if Ms. Jin extorted money from both her and Dan Tae and that Dan Tae must have the rest of the dashcam footage.

Seo Jin wakes up the next morning a bit tense ahead of today’s festivities. Secretary Do comes in to her bedroom to go over the plan for the day. They must sign the promissory note within the day in order to pay back the loan and once they get the three trillion won, they’ll be in the clear.

Seo Jin tells Secretary Do to ensure Eun Byeol has bodyguards on her way to the inauguration.

Down in the garage, Eun Byeol wants to drive herself. The bodyguards get in another car to follow her, but they immediately get a flat and Eun Byeol drives. She is surprised when Yoon Cheol pops up in the back seat.

Seo Jin gets a call from Alex who says the deal is on hold after he’s learned that it was she who kept Logan captive.

Seo Jin is livid. She hurries out, but she opens the door to Ma Ri waiting outside. Ma Ri pins Seo Jin to the wall and demands Seo Jin explain why she would kill an innocent woman. Ma Ri says the inauguration is cancelled and injects something into Seo Jin, causing her to fall unconscious.

The Cheong A boardroom is going crazy, not knowing Seo Jin is now being held captive by Su Ryeon.

Seo Jin is shocked to find herself in the very same room she kept Logan barely alive all these months.

Seo Jin continues to deny killing Yoon Hee, but Su Ryeon shows her the rest of the dashcam footage. Su Ryeon cannot understand why Seo Jin would kill Yoon Hee who was the one that actually saved Eun Byeol.

“Look me in the eyes. That demon is you!”

But no matter, Su Ryeon says it will be Eun Byeol who pays for Seo Jin’s sins. Seo Jin will lose everything. From money to her companies to what she holds most dear, her daughter Eun Byeol.

Su Ryeon injects a drug into Seo Jin to remove her voice so that she can stop lying so shamelessly. Seo Jin tearfully begs Su Ryeon not to go through with it. But as soon as the drug is in her, she can no longer speak. She struggles on the bed and it tips over, knocking a bottle of chemicals onto the floor where she lands.

Seo Jin writhes in pain. Su Ryeon is shocked to see it is acid and soaks in seeing Seo Jin suffer as much as she made others suffer without remorse.

Over in Japan, Sang A is enjoying the sight of hot shirtless men by the pool. Min Hyuk arrives with their drinks and tells her to calm herself. But Sang A is excited and says they should go shopping or even just order from their hotel room.

Min Hyuk asks when they’re going home. But Sang A has plans for Hawaii, Switzerland and Paris. She offers to buy Min Hyuk his own opera house too. But Min Hyuk feels bad about being here without Kyu Jin. Sang A says why worry when they know he can survive anywhere in the world.

As they are about to order food, the police handcuff Sang A for embezzling Cheong A Group funds. Min Hyuk helplessly watches as the cops drag Sang A away.

Kyu Jin, meanwhile, is wandering the streets of Seoul regretting taking Dan Tae’s moneys. He tries to sell their Hera condo, but the cops catch him too.

Over in Japan, the nurse gives Dan Tae his medicine for the day but he just throws it away and screams that he must get out of here. He remembers killing the real Dan Tae’s parents when he demanded his money.

Mr. Joo is able is to grab the sword and expresses how he regrets taking in street urchin Jun Ki and gave him a life. Jun Ki says he owes the Joos nothing and can’t believe Mr. Joo would steal from him of all people. Mr. Joo says he and Na Ae Gyo can go beg for more money and become millionaires in no time.

Jun Ki had been saving money since he was ten years old and gave it to Mr. Joo who promised to buy him a house in the middle of Seoul where his mother died. Jun Ki demands Mr. Joo give his and Ae Gyo’s money back.

Mr. Joo kicks Jun Ki, ridicules his dirty shoes and calls him a disease. They fight over the sword. Jun Ki grabs it and slices at Mr. Joo before planting the sword in his back.

Back in the Japanese hospital, Dan Tae begins whacking at the bars. The nurse presses the emergency button and two men come in to try and pacify him. But they unlock the door and Dan Tae tries to escape. They eventually are able to subdue him.

Back in Korea, Yoon Cheol takes Eun Byeol in for an MRI which shows that she is perfectly fine and normal. No dementia or anything. The doctor asks if she really took the drug or not.

Eun Byeol confirms that she never took the drug and says she just threw them away. She wants to go to Seo Jin’s inauguration, but Yoon Cheol says she must live with him now. She doesn’t want to and says Seo Jin needs her.

Yoon Cheol points out that if she never took that drug, that means Eun Byeol remembers everything about that night. When he mentions Rona, Eun Byeol tells him to go to his nice daughter and leave her be. Yoon Cheol is surprised that she knows. But Eun Byeol says she realized that was the likely reason Yoon Hee would go through all that trouble to save her.

Eun Byeol says she is sorry to Yoon Hee, but she cannot leave Seo Jin and wants to protect her. She cannot bring herself to hate her mother for all that she’s done for her.

Eun Byeol says she and Seo Jin will live together, just the two of them. So Yoon Cheol should never come to her ever again.

Eun Byeol turns and walks away from her father in tears.

Seo Jin wakes up in the makeshift medical facility. She can still speak and manages to grab scissors to release herself from the straps. She stumbles out onto the street and runs to the inauguration. But the boardroom is empty.

Except for Logan. He confronts her and Su Ryeon and Yoon Cheol come in to join the fun.

Since it was Seo Jin who broke the conditions of the contract she must pay the penalty. And because Seo Jin did not pay off the loans, that’s more added trouble.

Su Ryeon informs Seo Jin that she was fired today and Cheong A is worth nothing. Logan will take over Cheong A Arts.

Seo Jin calls for Secretary Do, but instead, loan sharks walk into the boardroom to collect for Dan Tae’s loan. Seo Jin says she has nothing to do with Dan Tae. But they show her the document showing she is the guarantor, complete with her seal.

Seo Jin runs out of the boardroom where she runs into police who take her in for questioning.

Su Ryeon and Logan say Seo Jin will be in debt for the rest of her life. Su Ryeon assures Yoon Cheol that Eun Byeol will not be hounded by the loan sharks. But she also can’t let Seo Jin just relax in a cell. She is resolved to let Seo Jin and Dan Tae suffer hell on earth.

Back at the penthouse, Madame Song hands Su Ryeon and Ma Ri the deeds for the penthouse and Cheonsoo District that Dan Tae had put up as collateral. Ma Ri thanks Madame Song who says she owes Ma Ri her life. This is the least she could do. Madame Song tells Ma Ri to visit her husband and that she has been able to hire a good lawyer for him.

Madame Song looks out the window and wonders what’s so special about this penthouse.

“Don’t you feel dizzy if you’re up this high? People must live closer to the ground.”

Su Ryeon says for the fighting to end, they must end this place as well.

The loan sharks are going through Seo Jin’s home, appraising the property for what they can take of value. Eun Byeol comes home to see them destroying anything worthless, including all the trophies. Eun Byeol takes the Cheong A trophy and Secretary Do comes to take her to safety.

Seo Jin is being interrogated as an accomplice to Dan Tae. She maintains that they are divorced, but the court actually rejected it after Su Ryeon testified to them faking the divorce to avoid paying their debts.

Dan Tae currently owes over one trillion won in debt and it is unlikely he spent all that money on his own. The prosecutor asks Seo Jin where she hid the rest. Seo Jin begs to see her daughter, but the prosecutor demands she tell him where Dan Tae is hiding.

Seo Jin says she never touched a penny of that money. The prosecutor says Seo Jin is barred from leaving the country and informs her that Cheong A Construction has filed for bankruptcy.

Seo Jin begins to get a ringing in her ears and flashes back to Su Ryeon threatening her before she collapses. She is taken to the hospital where the doctor says she’s in a temporary state of shock and she just needs some rest.

Secretary Do tells the prosecutor that she will cooperate with the investigation once she’s better. Especially when she cannot leave the country anyway.

Seo Jin wakes up. Secretary Do runs over to her and she asks for Eun Byeol. He brings her to Eun Byeol waiting in the car. They inform Seo Jin of the loan sharks taking over their home. In the meantime, Secretary Do brings Seo Jin to an apartment. She hates it and think it smells and is dirty.

But Secretary Do says it is safer here for her while he will take Eun Byeol to a different location in order to lessen the target on them. He gives Seo Jin the money he was able to scrounge up for her.

Seo Jin thanks him and he leaves.

Seo Jin continues to feel headaches, but she settles in for the night. As she tries to sleep, she has nightmares about Yoon Hee.

Sang A and Min Hyuk are back in Korea and being questioned by police. Sang A says Kyu Jin acted on his own, not knowing her husband is being dragged in right behind her.

Kyu Jin can’t believe she would betray him like this and run away without him. He insists that she knew everything and that they really love each other.

Sang A has had it. She lets it all out, saying she lived like a slave for the Lee Family for 20 years and would never continue doing so abroad not even for five trillion won. She refuses to live with his family and says he can go with his mother and sisters while she stays with her son.

The two of them pressure Min Hyuk to choose which of them he would live with if they got a divorce. But he says he would choose neither and would rather live alone.

Secretary Do checks in with Seo Jin next morning. She wants to sell her jewelry to get money to send Eun Byeol abroad. But he says Eun Byeol only wants to live with Seo Jin. Seo Jin says not to bring her here and that she would do anything to ensure Eun Byeol has the money needed to live safely abroad.

Seo Jin says Eun Byeol just needs to do one more thing before she does. She is sure Eun Byeol will be able to succeed and regain the Cheong A Foundation her father left for them.

Seo Jin gets in a taxi to go sell the jewelry, but as soon she takes a seat, her headaches start up and she forgets what she’s doing here. She then asks the driver to take her to Hera Palace.

Su Ryeon is looking at a photo of her children when she suddenly knocks over a vase. Seok Hoon hurries to tell her about Seok Kyung. They hurry over to see Seok Kyung who has turned herself in to police.

Meanwhile, Seo Jin is at her front door. But she has forgotten the passcode. She rings the doorbell, but no one is inside the ransacked home.

Seo Jin wanders around the lobby looking for Eun Byeol. Ma Ri is shocked to see her, knowing loan sharks are everywhere. Seo Jin suddenly jumps into the fountain looking for Eun Byeol. Ma Ri calls Yoon Cheol who hurries over.

Seo Jin heads to the common room where Rona is practicing. Seo Jin thinks she is Eun Byeol and tells her they need to go to the inauguration. Rona tries to fight back, but Seo Jin drags her up the stairs.

Yoon Cheol arrives and fights Seo Jin, trying to get her to come to her senses. Seo Jin grabs a lamp and swings at them, hitting a light fixture in the process. Yoon Cheol shields Rona from the attacks, but gets stricken in the neck by the broken light.

Seo Jin grabs Rona and they struggle by the railing. When Seo Jin loses grip of Rona, she falls over the side, but grabs onto the chandelier. Yoon Cheol grabs Rona and they both fall down the metal stairs. He hits his head on a metal bar.

Seo Jin lets go of the chandelier and falls to the floor below. Though she seems fine considering the fall, the chandelier she had hung on to snaps and falls onto her, piercing her stomach.

Blood gushes out of Seo Jin’s mouth.

The three lifeless bodies lay in the common room until next week.
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Episode Thoughts

Oh! Ooooh! Okay. Now we’re talking! This episode was absolutely amazing. Forty-four episodes have led up to this one and these final episodes. All our suffering (lol) for three seasons is finally paying off and we’re seeing the true climax of this crazy adventure.

That last scene was absolutely shocking. I knew someone was going to fall down the stairs. But I definitely never expected something like that! Thank goodness I was able to avoid spoilers earlier today. It was pretty close because there were some tweets and articles alluding to the violent cliffhanger. But I was able to steer clear and it made that final scene all the more impactful.

OBVIOUSLY, Seo Jin is not dead yet. But wow. This definitely fits with the hell on earth that Su Ryeon wishes Seo Jin and Dan Tae experience. And frankly, it’s what they deserve. We’ve got three more episodes left to see them pay for their sins and I hope it’s a very sweet karma.

But the way both Seo Jin and Dan Tae collapsed this episode is exactly the kind of thing you want to see in a soap opera like Penthouse. Seeing the villains get what’s coming to them is why we suffer through seeing the protagonists suffer. So we can enjoy seeing the revenge. It’s a simple, visceral feeling that soap operas allow us to experience and escape to.

Su Ryeon torturing Seo Jin was also pretty crazy. But well deserved. Seeing Su Ryeon revel in seeing Seo Jin suffering was great.

Anyway, it was exciting and shocking and it came after a pretty full and satisfying episode.

So on to the specific things in the episode. Is that apartment Secretary Do brought Seo Jin to Yoon Hee and Rona’s old apartment? I swear it looks the same. And I thought it would end up being something for the story. But now that Seo Jin is “dead,” I guess not. lol Just a recycled set I guess.

Though I even thought this is where Yoon Hee pops up and she had been working with Secretary Do the entire time.

That could still happen, of course. But I definitely got some suspicious vibes from him this episode especially, but a bit more in recent weeks. I honestly thought he brought her to his own apartment and her ridiculing it would offend him and be just one more reason for him to betray her. Though I can definitely see him still be loyal after all this.

With Dan Tae, I really can’t bring myself to feel any sort of sympathy for him. I do sympathize with kid Jun Ki who lost his mother and sister. But I can’t feel any sympathy for grown up Dan Tae.

Mr. Joo stealing his money? And taking away Jun Ki and Ae Gyo’s livelihood for them to live a happy life? This is supposed to redeem Dan Tae? No thank you. It’s not enough. Perhaps it just helps to give Dan Tae some backstory. But if they want to try and make him a sympathetic character, nothing they do will accomplish that at this point.

Same for Seo Jin, to be honest. They’ve got to pay for what they’ve done.

Related to Dan Tae, Seo Kyung hopping onto that boat was hilariously absurd. She just stowed away to Japan and then found herself back in Korea? Uh… sure. The main thing was we got the scene of her turning her back on the man she had looked up to so much. And that did result in Dan Tae getting on his knees to beg.

With Eun Byeol, I don’t know that I totally buy her just pretending all this time. Like, what was the point of her outbursts then? If only to convince Ms. Jin that she was taking the drugs? I guess. That’s a little much for this one plot point. But you know, soap opera, after all. lol

Maybe though the pay off for that plot point was to set up Seo Jin going crazy and resulting in that final scene. Then I guess the elaborate set-up is justified.

The scenes between Eun Byeol and Yoon Cheol though were kinda flat. Like, they were basically recycling the same conversations they’ve had many times before. But I can understand Eun Byeol’s emotional goodbye to her father. I will assume she accepts her fault and is “punishing” herself by resigning to a life taking care of her soon-to-be-amnesiac mother.

For the Lee Family, it was fun seeing Sang A and Min Hyuk in “Japan” for that little bit. But their scenes were honestly just used as a comic relief breather in this heavy episode.

Logan showing realDan Tae and Ms. Jin some mercy is actually good. He wants to give them a chance to change and become better people, recognizing the trauma they’ve gone through in their lives.

(But also, let’s not apply that same mercy to fakeDan Tae, yes? lol)

My favorite part of the episode though might have been Madame Song’s wise words: “Don’t you feel dizzy if you’re up this high? People must live closer to the ground.”

Indeed! And thinking about that, it sort of implicates everyone. Not just Seo Jin and Dan Tae. All these characters have lived opulent, extravagant lives by stepping on people they perceive as lower than them. And it brings me back to a point back in season one when I felt like everyone deserved to burn in hell:

So I decided to jump on the bandwagon and just finished the first season of #Penthouse. Are you telling me I have to sit through 24 more episodes until I see these people finally burn in hell?! 🤬 pic.twitter.com/Yrqp0e6iqf

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) February 25, 2021

No one is innocent, I think. It’s just to varying degrees of sin. And it reminds us to keep our feet on the ground as well. Be humble. Don’t be like Joo Dan Tae or Cheon Seo Jin. lol

Looking forward to the finale, I honestly think it has to include Hera Palace literally collapsing. Like, burning in flames. Sort of like the great film The Tower from 2012:

That’s the only way to truly conclude this story. Heck, the finale cliffhanger could be someone standing on the ashes of the tower vowing revenge or something. Implying the story continues beyond the series. We’ll see!

Overall, this was an explosive, violent and satisfying episode. This is what you watch soap operas for. And they absolutely delivered.
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