Voice 4 -- Episodes 7 & 8: Societal Consequences

We are all products of our environment; every person we meet, every new experience or adventure, every decision a parent makes or does not make touches and changes us, making us the kind of people we become. And how a child's brought up significantly influences how they perceive themselves and respond to different environments. And this is particularly true in Kang Man-Ho's case. I am in no way excusing Kang Man-Ho's behavior by any means. But the reality of things is that he was already at a disadvantage, a victim of parental and societal neglect.

If even one person from the community had spoken up and gotten Kang Man-Ho and his family the help, they needed their story might have been different. If only the father had acted as the parent, any child deserves life, for both of them might have been completely different. Still, it's evident that the long-term abuse and neglect he and those like him suffer cause them to feel isolated, fearful, and distrusting, which in turn justified in his mind his unforgiving behavior towards his family, and if children like him didn't care, why would society care either. Abuse only perpetuates abuse, and it's that kind of self-hatred that's made him and all those like him easy prey to the Circus Man's game, who wants nothing more than to break down the existing social structure, which probably abused and abandoned him too.

I liked that Detective Jo is starting to trust Kwon Joo and wanted her to stay and hear what the Chief Detective had to say about covering up or participating in the cover-up of his mother's murder 28 years ago. I was seriously starting to doubt if he would ever open up to her. Despite changing my mind about the Chief Detective's involvement with the Circus Man or those involved with him, I still thought his excuse a bit incorrigible. For him to say that he couldn't go against his senior at the time, who was also his uncle, because he believed family couldn't do wrong while he clearly did wrong right in front of him feels lame.

For the life of me, I can't even imagine what trauma Circus Man must've endured as a child that torturing others is the only way for him to alleviate his pain. But even as I say this, I am having a hard time understanding what triggers his personality changes; it's a fact that particular events or situations can exacerbate or intensify symptoms, but his changes seem so random, but then maybe his triggers are internal rather than external in that something happens in his mind such as traumatic thought that flares up his disorder.

On a separate note, I think it's quite interesting that all the cases revolve around child abuse, including this new cop impersonator case. It's like all trails lead directly to the Circus Man and his team, where they prey on the emotionally and psychologically vulnerable to affect their plan of eliminating social order. I knew the minute Detective Jo and the others let the cop impersonator as just that; it would come back to haunt them. The way the girl reacted at the mention of her parents, the cops should've at least looked into them and her. She was scared out of her mind of them. I cannot believe they still cannot see the pattern of abuse and the Circus Man instigating the children to murder their parents, most horrifically in all the cases they've handled so far. They must, or at least I hope they do.

I am starting to think Park Eun soo (Son Eun Seo) might have a thing for Shim Dae Shik (Baek Sung Hyun). She might say she wants to transfer to the dispatch team because it's what she's always wanted, but why do it now all of a sudden. I think it's why she recommended he come back on the case, to begin with too. I would be interested to see how things between them progress, if at all. He seemed affected by her too, but it could be because she knows his past. And whatever people may think of this Sonang Villiage, it appears to be more like a cult than a healing village. I get the sense that Kwon Joo may have lived in this village as a child; at least, the dreams she keeps having are an indication, and maybe how she connects to Circus Man through childhood. Whatever he's doing, though, is insane, and so is the Coming to You OST, insanely good. Watch Episodes 7 & 8 here.