“Penthouse 3” Episode 1 Recap And Review- The Final Chapter Begins.. With A Murder?

Published Categorized as Kdrama Recaps
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What could be easily labeled the most anticipated kdrama of June is finally here and fans are already making theories and discussing the craziness that is “Penthouse 3” Episode 1.

“Penthouse 3” will be the last installment in the popular SBS series that focuses on residents of a luxurious penthouse and the shenanigans and dramatics they find themselves in that begins with the death of a young girl.

Below will be a recap of the highlights of the episode in the title, it will not be a detailed recap.

“Penthouse 3” Episode 1 Recap- a quickie

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Note: the episode goes back in time before Logan’s death, it recounts the events that led to his demise.

The 1st episode begins by showing Joo Dan Tae struggling to adjust to the prison life, he bribes a prison guard but it backfires and he gets transferred into the same cell as Yoon Chul and Kyu Jin.

Kang Ma Ri is adjusting well to prison life while Sang A isn’t and is being bullied to do doing all the dishes and such. The same goes for her husband.

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Cheon Seo Jin is getting special treatment in prison as she meets her lawyer in a spacious cell. He tells her the foundation is being sold to none other than Shim Su Ryeon.

Shim Su-Ryeon meets with Cheon Seo Jin’s parents and wants to finalize the acquisition fast.

Seok Kyung is still an ass and still jealous of Ro Na and how her brother cares for her. Shim Su-Ryeon is caring for Ro Na while her mother spends time in jail. Ro Na gives up the recommendation and the chance to go to SNU because of her guilt but Shim Su-Ryeon tries to convince her otherwise.

Joo Dan Tae gets transferred into a new cell with a new boss inmate 3411, he tries to defy him but he gets his ass kicked and gets punished. Meanwhile, Yoon Chul is sharpening a toothbrush to kill him.

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The same happens with Cheon Seo Jin after people complain she’s getting special treatment and visitations with her lawyer, she gets transferred to same cell as Kang Ma Ri and Oh Sang A. She also gets bullied and is forced to kneel before the boss of the cell.

In America

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Logan Lee meets the real Joo Dan Tae who tells him Mr. Baek is a murderer who killed his parents and ran off with his assets, he’s emotional when he sees his photo and finds out he’s been using his name.

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In the prison at night

Yoon Chul tries to murder Joo Dan Tae in the cell, they get into a fight but the boss covers up for Yoon Chul and tells him this isn’t the time to kill him.

Turns out, Logan Lee has the inmate 3411 under his belt as well as the prison guard which explains why even after he was bribed, it didn’t work. Joo Dan Tae asks his righthand man to bribe the most capable prison guard and to get him out of that cell before he dies.

At the bathroom in prison

inmate 3411 chocks Joo Dan Tae and nearly kills him, he’s being terribly bullied in prison.

Joo Dan Tae later meets his righthand man who tells him information about inmate 3411, his name is Bang Chi Soon, he is often in and out of jail, however, whats peculiar is that this time he walked in there voluntarily. There isn’t a trial and he wasn’t charged with anything.

At the prison- D-DAY, the day Logan dies

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Now we’re finally arrived at the time Logan died. Joo Dan Tae is handed a newspaper with a puzzle that says its d-day in 9 days. We fast forward to 9 days later. The prison inmates are outside and Joo Dan Tae deliberately picks a fight with Yoon Chul, they get into a huge fight and Joo Dan Tae is stabbed with the same tooth brush Yoon Chul used that time, he’s rushed to the hospital.

Yoo Dong-Pil [Jenny’s father] is out of prison and Joo Dan Tae righthand man is there to pick him up. A lot is on the righthand man’s mind that he almost gets them into a car accident. He is tracking Shim Su-Ryeon.

Logan Lee arrives at the airport with the real Joo Dan Tae and introduces his assistant to the man. Logan Lee drives the car himself with Joo Dan Tae, but he stops by a bank where he sees to that gold bars and a lot of money is transferred into a safe room in the bank, he’s given the only key to it.

At the hospital

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Joo Dan Tae is transferred to the hospital where the doctor tells him he needs surgery, so the prison guard leaves him unattended, the righthand man bribes the doctor and Joo Dan Tae is able to escape for an hour. He wears disguise as an old man and plants the bomb near Logan’s car.

Shim Su-Ryeon bumps into Jenny’s dad, after she left, he rushes to her desk and copies a card that gives access to her place.

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Logan Lee dies by the explosion as Joo Dan Tae watches from behind, people rush outside after hearing the explosion. Yoo Dong-Pil [Jenny’s father] also rushes outside and catches a glimpse of Joo Dan Tae fleeing the scene.

At prison

Yoon Chul gets framed for stabbing Joo Dan Tae, turns out, Joo Dan Tae stabbed himself and asked Kyu Jin to lie for him and be a witness against Yoon Chul since Kyu Jin’s parents have blocked his number and are not interesting in bailing him out.

Thus, Yoon Chul’s hearing gets canceled and he can kiss goodbye to a possible probation.

Before Joo Dan Tae goes back to the hospital, he visits the chief of justice and threatens he’ll harm him and his family if he doesn’t get him out. His assistant then rushes him back to the hospital just when police realizes he’s disappeared, they find him in a bathroom stall and he’s passed out, he goes into surgery and nearly loses his life.

At the crime scene

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Shim Su-Ryeon is reeling from Logan’s death and she’s with Ro Na and Seok Hoon who are also shaking.

At prison

Yoon Hee gets to be the person who distributes meals and Cheon Seo Jin finds out Logan’s dead, she’s truly taken aback when Yoon Hee asks if she had anything to do with it.

At the police station

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The police officer questions Shim Su-Ryeon, she tells him Joo Dan Tae must’ve had done it but the officer is focused on Logan and brings up his troubled past. Then through a new testimony, the blame gets shifted on Logan regarding Na Ae Gyo’s death.

At the hospital

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Joo Dan Tae is laughing as he sees the blame get shifted, the supreme court of justice is taking on his case and is working on clearing his name of all the allegations against him.

At night, Shim Su-Ryeon wears a nurse attire and tries to kill him through legal injection but he fights her. He tells her he’ll make sure to kill everyone she cares for one by one. She gets dragged by guards.

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She goes back to the penthouse, Yoo Dong-Pil [Jenny’s father] is there sneaked in, we get a flash back of him in the past looking at a dead body near the statue at the hallway of the building of the penthouse. He’s sad and it appears he’s trying to dig into what happened to that woman.

At prison

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Cheon Soo Jin is losing her shit [or pretending to], she harms herself and is delusional]. She goes into shock and is examined by a doctor who is determining whether she’s clinically insane and must be transferred.

At the school

Seok Kyung is being harassed by the students for getting the recommendation to go to SNU, she’s jealous of Ro Na still, she gets a phone call from her dad. She is shocked.

Meanwhile, Shim Su-Ryeon is taking hypnosis trying to figure out what happened prior to Logan’s death. After its over, she meets with Logan’s assistant who tells her the real Joo Dan Tae was with Logan but he’s since disappeared. He’s drunk at a bar thinking about his next move.

At the penthouse

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Joo Dan Tae shows up and the kids are terrified and so is Shim Su-Ryeon, he says he’ll get back this penthouse and his kids too before leaving. Joo Dan Tae is acquitted after they shift the blame on Logan, the twins get into a fight as Seok Kyung refuses to believe her dad killed her biological mom. Ro Na is shaken, so Seok Hoon goes after her, Seok Kyung stays behind and is annoyed by him, she finds out they’re applying for overseas schools and plan to go there together.

At the high courtroom

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Cheon Seo Jin is acquitted from the murder of Na Ae Gyo but for the other crimes she’s still sentenced to 2 years in prison and 4 years of probation, she leaves the court all happy before she’s kidnapped by Yoon Hee and Shim Su-Ryeon.

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They drive her off to a cliff and pressure her to admit whether she’s killed Logan, she denies but Shim Su-Ryeon pushes her to the water and watch her drown.

The end

“Penthouse 3” Episode 1 Review

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Wow, we’re here again back to the drama and the stress from watching it. I really liked the introduction, its half fan service by giving the bad characters a taste of their own medicine and half stress inducing as it moves towards the final part.

Turns out the real Joo Dan Tae really had nothing to do with Logan’s death, I think he’s somewhat connected to Shim Su-Ryeon too and might actually have liked her or something, I think he holds the key to fully holding MR. Baek accountable for all the shit he’s done.

I must say, the revelation leading up to Logan’s death in terms of just how Joo Dan Tae managed to get out was done well, probably one of the best points in the show thus far. It is true to his character who is devious and cunning.

So I am guessing, the first 8 episodes will focus on Joo Dan Tae losing his shit attempting to murder everyone who crossed him and the last 2 will focus on payback again. I am curious to see who they kill for real this time. The screenwriter is known for killing off main characters so I am curious to see who ends up dead for real.

Aside from that, I am still bothered by other aspects of the writing because I can tell the screenwriter is easily stalling with them. This includes Seok Kyung who is still an ass despite seeing firsthand how crazy her dad is. Her actions don’t make sense.

In regards to the ‘attempted murder’ of Cheon Seo Jin, I was shocked. I didn’t expect Shim Su-Ryeon to just push her off the cliff like that without due process, it seems unlike her and we’ve seen before that Cheon Seo Jin might be a bitch but she’s not capable of murder, she never dirties her hand like that. She has a limit. I know Shim Su-Ryeon is sad about Logan’s death but killing someone without sufficient evidence is very… unlike how her and unlike how she makes sure she does research before jumping into things.

I have no doubt, Cheon Seo Jin is alive, it would be more shocking if she’s dead.

With one episode per week, people will have way more time to think of the plot and ponder, this could either work in their favor or against it. I am all in for whatever would lessen the burden on the production staff. I just hope that moving forward, the writing will not become something that hinders the show’s legacy. The screenwriter will have to walk a fine line between pleasing fans with their high expectations and staying true to herself with her writing style.

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

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