My Name season 1, episode 2 recap: Ji-woo’s brutal double life

In the season premiere of the Netflix series My Name (AKA Undercover or Nemesis), we met the main character, Yoon Ji-woo (Han So-hee), out to avenge the death of her father, a gang member named Yoon Dong-hoon (Yoon Kyung-ho). By the end of that premiere, Ji-woo was training to join her father’s organization, Dongcheon, sparring with a jerk named Gang-jae (Chang Ryul).

Episode 2 begins with Ji-woo getting slammed around by Gang-jae, but she ultimately knocks him out and the crowd cheers over her apparent victory. After the fight, others make fun of Gang-jae for “losing to a girl” (in so many words).

However, out of a sinister revenge scheme, he assures them that he “roofied” her water (drugged her drink). After Ji-woo catches on, knowing there are plans to assault her, she grips a plate in her hand to wake herself up from the resulting pain.

In a rage, Ji-woo stabs one of the assailants in the testicles with a shard of the broken plate, and another gets stabbed in the stomach! Then Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon), the leader of Dongcheon, steps in and decides to punish Gang-jae.

Thus, is born another complicating factor to Ji-woo’s burgeoning revenge saga.

My Name: New identity and a new purpose?

Choi Mu-jin deeply knifes Gang-jae’s face, creating a perpetual mark of disgrace. Obviously, we haven’t seen the last of him, but he relents for the time being, presumably to cope with his fresh facial injury.

Choi Mu-jin then meets with Ji-woo and says she should leave, but she doesn’t. Then they talk about her father and her quest for vengeance, which he claims to fully understand.

In fact, he actually gives her a role within their organization, proclaiming “Yoon Ji-woo” is dead, giving her a new identity, role in the police department, and the gun that killed her father. Choi Mu-jin assures her that her father’s killer is a policeman.

She has no reason to doubt his statement. My Name then provides a training montage involving how she becomes a police officer, and it pretty much gets right into the action.

After we see that she is a cop now, we watch her infiltrate someplace, and her unnamed partner immediately gets kidnapped! Obviously, this is to show that her new job is a seriously risky business.

However, My Name has already established that she can handle it, right?

Police business

By this point, in the middle of this bust, the artist formerly known as Ji-woo helps someone having a drug overdose. It becomes clear that there is some sort of drug deal going on.

A man named Chang-Goo (Kwon Hyuk-Bum) is under arrest for the murder of someone named Lee Sumin. We are also introduced to other new characters: Jeon Pil-Do (Ahn Bo-hyun), who is a Police Sergeant with Narcotics, and Ji-woo’s assumed identity is Police Corporal Oh Hye-jin.

Being flashy, brash, and new, Oh Hye-jin is accused of messing up their sting operation. However, it does not phase her one iota, and she says to send Chang-Goo over to her when they are done with him.

Meanwhile, back in Dongcheon-land, Choi Mu-jin has some unknown man killed, reminding us that he is still ruthless.

Ji-woo/Oh Hye-jin are still taking a risk by associating with him and his organization. On that note, she already suspects someone of being her father’s killer — someone in the Narcotics bureau named Cha Gi Ho (Kim Sang-Ho).

Bonding over chamomile tea?

My Name doesn’t stop the action very often. However, after Oh Hye-jin gets chided over arresting Chang-Goo on insufficient grounds, she actually has a calm meeting with Choi Mu-jin, and even gives him chamomile tea.

She briefly mentions Cha Gi Ho as a possible suspect in her father’s killing, which prompts him into a story of Dong-Hoon saving his life. He gives Oh Hye-jin his dagger and promises his organization will protect her.

Next, we see Chang-Goo being interrogated where he reveals a “candy” (presumably actually a drug) that’s “real hot.” He adds that a man named Mango (Lim Ki-Hong) is selling it, and he’s apparently a contact.

Although Oh Hye-jin is new to narcotics, we already know she’s a force to be reckoned with, fighting-wise, and probably is competent at the investigative aspects of her job.

Cha Gi Ho

As an added twist in My Name, Cha Gi Ho — who, again, the main character suspects of killing her father — tells Jeon Pil-Do that Oh Hye-jin is tenacious and possibly an asset. For her part, she apologizes for compromising their undercover work.

Meanwhile, Cha Gi-Ho is looking at crime scene photos and says over the phone that Choi Mu-Jin is going to make his move soon. In other words, they should be ready.

On that note, Kang Su-Yeon (Baek Joo-Hee) tells Choi Mu-jin that Yamamoto (Kim In-Woo) is striking a 50 billion deal. We also learn that, even though Yoon Ji-woo/Oh Hye-jin can serve as a powerful “dagger,” she may be killed if things go wrong.

Next, Ji-woo is charged with arresting Mango. In pursuing the suspect, she beats the doorman up, plus additional random henchmen who show up.

Jeon Pil-Do is impressed by how effective she is as a fighter.

What are your thoughts on My Name? Let us know in the comments!