The first episode set up the show quite well for what “Copycat Killer” is all about. Prosecutor Kuo is a no-nonsense public figure who is making sure to keep crime at bay and be an honest officer. He always plans to be ten steps ahead of the people around him. This approach led him to arrest another high-profile public prosecutor, which built Kuo a reputation as someone who would go so far as to arrest people from his department, and he would go after anybody from his circle if he found them breaking the rule; Kuo would make sure they would be put before the law and given a fair trial. Ya-Cih, another headstrong journalist, and her assistant, Jhen Lu, are tailing Kuo to find out what his plan is about the severed hand that showed up inside a box at a public park. Even Kuo is not ready to let it go as an isolated incident; he wants to investigate further to know if this is a matter of a serial killer on the loose.
Spoilers Ahead
Another Girl Gets Kidnapped
The man who was driving the red minivan in the first episode has now kidnapped Yi-Jyun. He is torturing her by gagging her and making sure she has a peek at her grandfather from the van. Since she is gagged, with her hands and legs tied up, she can’t do anything to let her grandfather know of her being so close yet so far away. Her grandfather knows of her kidnapping, and he is praying every day so that she returns safely. The kidnapper is being a sadist by making sure to bring the girl close to her family and then immediately taking her away. This is the kidnapper’s way of toying with the victim and making sure to keep her on the hook so that he can draw even more pleasure from the pain she is going through. The masochistic behavior showcased by the kidnapper lets the girl know that she is far from being released by him and that this is just the beginning of his plan to torture her.
Who Is Jiang Yu-Ping?
The prosecutor comes to know that the news of the arrest he made was leaked by Ya-Cih’s assistant, Yhen-Jhen Lu, and he starts following her. It’s usually not in his nature to stalk a woman, but he is keen to know why she leaked the information about such a high-profile arrest. Jhen Lu mentions that the public prosecutors two years ago did not investigate the case of her friend’s disappearance and death the right way. Her friend’s name was Jiang Yu-Ping, and she was a gifted artist who wanted to become an illustrator. Jhen Lu reveals that she and Yu-Ping had been friends since childhood and had remained inseparable. Her death had a profound impact on her—not before the police arrested the boy after his confession and branded Yu-Ping a prostitute based on the statement given by the killer. She was upset with how her friend was branded as someone of an immoral nature, and the police went along with that narrative. This made her livid, which led to her leaking the bribery scam that brought out all the information about how corrupt the public prosecutors are. Jhen Lu parallelly investigated her friend’s death, which helps Kuo find more breakthroughs and forces him to reopen the case and again interrogate the man who had confessed to the crime.
This is the breakthrough Kuo was looking for because he knew the severed hand case, followed by the kidnapping of Cin Yi-Jyun, could not be deemed isolated cases anymore. He is sure there is a serial killer on the loose now who had something to do with the torturing and killing of Jiang Yu-Ping. Kuo is more than elated to have found a breakthrough, but his case is just the tip of the iceberg because there is more to find out about how, two years ago, the police botched up the entire case just based on a confession and did not manage to investigate further into Jiang Yu-Ping’s death. This allows Kuo to revisit the prison and question Tian, who had confessed to the crime of killing Yu-Ping. How will Prosecutor Kuo move ahead from here?
‘Copycat Killer’ Episode 2: Ending Explained – Did The Grandfather Meet Yi-Jyun?
Prosecutor Kuo is sure the severed hand showing up has a lot to do with the killing of Jiang Yu-Ping and the kidnapping of Yi-Jyun as well. He just needs to dig deeper, using Jhen Lu’s detailed investigation into the murder and death of her friend Yu-Ping. Jhen Lu is sure to know about how the police had botched up a lot of leads, and with prosecutor Kuo showing interest in its reinvestigation to learn more about a potential serial killer situation, it makes her happy to know that her friend might finally get justice. Prosecutor Kuo learned from the post-mortem report that the severed hand that was found had a dislocated thumb that could have been caused by a toy. Kuo realizes the boy who confesses to the killing cannot open or close the thumb toy by himself, and it comes easily to Kuo that the boy was probably forced to confess to the crime in exchange for the money. The ditch from where Jian’s body was found seems like something the boy could not have dug the earth on his own. He surely had an accomplice who helped him. This is another breakthrough for Kuo because now he can stress the fact that there is probably a serial killer situation where someone left the hand out at a public place and is kidnapping women right now as they speak.
Yi-Jyun’s grandfather, who is a deeply spiritual person, prays for her every day, and he knows for sure she is a good girl who would never fall into bad company. He has nothing but good words for his granddaughter because she has never disrespected him. The grandfather has his temple and the religion that they followed, and a deep belief in that faith has developed. He only hopes his constant prayer will help him get his granddaughter, Yi-Jyun, back, healthy, hearty, and alive. As Kuo and his team further investigate, they come across Cin Yi’s diary, where a weekly Wednesday event was scheduled by her that her grandfather wasn’t aware of. The team also comes across another link, the local nightclub Kink, which the girls had visited in the past. This common link is another path breaking revelation that has come out as Kuo digs deep.
As more information comes out as the investigation goes on, the grandfather receives a call from the kidnapper, telling him to follow his orders and not to involve any investigation team if he wants to see his granddaughter unharmed. The grandfather is asked to head to a local payphone, where he comes across a box that has a ponytail chopped off by the kidnapper of Yi-Jyun. The grandfather is then asked to roam around that place, barking like a dog on four legs without questioning or answering anybody, just to make sure Yi-Jyun remains alive. The grandfather painfully obliges because he wants Yi-Jyun to stay alive and come back to him as soon as possible. Grandfather, whose name is Ma Yi Nan, is an eternal optimist who thinks things will eventually fall into place and that Yi-Jyun will come back to him. But the reality is grimmer than anybody can imagine, especially for the kidnapper, who, by the looks of it, is keener on humiliating the family members of the girls he kidnaps. He somehow gains some pleasure from the humiliation factor. Kuo is shocked to see Mr. Nan behaving the way he does, and he concludes that Mr. Nan is indeed a plain, gentle soul who would not harm anyone and would not want anyone harmed. Things are going to get worse for Mr. Nan because as he reaches home, he receives a box that contains a blood-stained bra, which is probably an indication of the fact that his granddaughter has indeed been harmed, and there is nothing he can do about it. Kuo and his team are also aware of these developments, and they hope to find an optimum response team to make sure Mr. Nan is not harmed or feels distressed.
