“Trolley” has garnered quite a bit of attention for its thrilling storyline. The political thriller drama took six long episodes to unravel the secret of the show’s leading lady, Kim Hye Joo. “Trolley” Episode five was more or less just like an epilogue to episode four, but episode six was the real stunner this week. After exposing the “Trolley dilemma” last week, the show’s makers took the narrative further as Nam Joong Do get embroiled in an overlapping plot that connected his wife, his wife’s past, his present investigation, and his future in politics. Let’s take a look at how the story pans out further in the K-drama “Trolley.”
Spoilers Ahead
Episode 5 ‘Confrontation’ Recap: What History Do Seung Hee And Hye Joo Share?
“Trolley” Episode five picks up exactly where the previous episode left off. Seung Hee addresses Hye Joo by her old name, “Kim Jae Eun,” and calls her a murderer. Seung Hee’s presence visibly shocks Hye Joo. The two share contact numbers and Seung Hee begins commanding Hye Joo to meet her at different places. When Hye Joo and Seung Hee are still standing at the house’s threshold, Soo Bin comes out. Hye Joo calls her ‘just another kid’ instead of revealing her identity to Seung Hee. As Hye Joo is standing in front of Seung Hee, the audience is taken to Hye Joo’s past. In the scene, Hye Joo (then Jae Eun) is coated in blood and is standing outside a police station. When a policeman tries to talk to her, she runs away in fear. The scene goes a little more into the past, and we see that Jae Eun and Seung Ho are standing on a snowy road. Jae Eun tells Seung Ho not to meet her anymore. From Jae Eun’s condition at the police station, one can assume that there was some physical confrontation between her, and Seung Ho. Seung Ho is Seung Hee’s elder brother, and he got accepted into Seoul National University and would soon start his academics as a law student.
Cut to the present, Seung Hee is livid that Hye Joo is leading a perfectly normal and happy life. She is living with the idea that Hye Joo forced her brother to commit suicide twenty years ago. When Seung Hee goes back home, she enquires about her husband to her mom, and her mom gives a blunt answer saying that Seung Hee does not care for her mother, who was alone at home all day. Seung Ho’s death has altered the equation between the mother and the daughter, and their relationship has been embittered since. Seung Hee sends Hye Joo a text with a location and time and tells her to meet her there. On the political front, we have Doo Jae warning Nam Joong Do to stay professional regarding Seung Kye’s death. He tells him not to give a narrative to any criminal so as to avoid any emotions swaying in the criminal’s favor. But despite Woo Jae’s warning, Nam Joong Do goes to visit Seung Kye’s mother in the hospital. Seung Kye’s mother had ingested some pills to end her life, but she was saved in time. Joong Do gets into a physical altercation with Seung Kye’s father. Woo Jae is seen secretly filming a video of the incident.
In the flashback, once again, we see that Jae Eun goes back to Seung Ho and demands an apology. Seeing Jae Eun’s condition, Seung Ho’s mother offers her a bribe to stay quiet. Since her son is going to SNU, any scandal could tarnish his reputation and also harm his chances of getting into SNU. It is later revealed that Jae Eun goes to the police and files a complaint against Seung Ho for sexual harassment. Seung Ho is shocked to hear the news and commits suicide. Before killing himself, he tells his sister Seung Hee that Jae Eun tricked Seung Ho just for the money. Seung Hee and her mom consider Jae Eun a murderer because she was the reason for Seung Ho’s suicide. When Hye Joo finally shows up at the restaurant that Seung Hee asked her to meet at, it turns out that they are not alone. Joong Do and Ki Young are also present there.
Episode 6 ‘Pain’ Recap: How Does Hye Joo’s Past Affect Her Future?
Joong Do and his team work on the Digital Sexual Crimes Act and try to get the bill passed. At the City Council, he is forced to sit through an uncomfortable conversation about children and parenting. Hye Joo grew up in a children’s home and has had to rely on herself all her life—until she got married to Joong Do. Being an orphan, she is often seen with a disapproving eye. After the incident with Seung Ho, Hye Joo has nowhere to go, and she ends up going to Gangnam on an overnight bus. After Seung Ho’s death, Hye Joo promptly changed her name from Kim Jae Eun to Kim Hye Joo. She started her life anew and soon met Joong Do. She married Joong Do and actively stayed away from making any public appearances for her husband’s political rallies. Episode six of “Trolley” opens with Joong Do, Ki Young, Seung Hee, and Hye Joo sharing an awkward dinner at the restaurant. It turns out that the four meeting at the same place was just a coincidence. After the dinner, Joong Do firmly asserts to Ki Young that Hye Joo requested that she be kept away from Joong Do’s career and that he would respect her wish. He also assures him that his decision won’t be affected by Hye Joo’s opinion since she stays away from all political matters.
Joong Do has doubts about the stories of the childhood friendship between Hye Joo, Seung Hee, and Ki Young. He noticed during the dinner that Hye Joo was uncomfortable in Ki Young and Seung Hee’s presence and that the three did not seem close despite their history. Seung Hee takes Hye Joo along to the washroom and tells her to visit her mom and apologize for what she did to Seung Ho. Hye Joo is visibly shaken by Seung Hee’s threat. Joong Do asks Woo Jae to investigate Hye Joo’s past life since he senses that her past could affect his current proposition against the unjust real estate businesses. Woo Jae fakes up a few wedding pictures with Hye Joo and visits the orphanage she grew up in.
Seung Hee still believes Seung Ho’s side of the story that Hye Joo framed him to get the tuition money. Hye Joo, who is carrying the guilt of the truth and its aftereffects, is upset over the past coming back to haunt her present. Joong Do is clearly in the dark about Hye Joo’s past, but he begins to grow suspicious of Hye Joo’s connection to Seung Hee and Ki Young. Joong Do and Woo Jae are aware that before jumping off, Seung Kye had posted the video of Gwi Soon’s granddaughter on the internet. Joong Do immediately put people to work to remove the video, but it is taking time, nonetheless. The girl’s grandmother is blissfully unaware of it but soon finds out when she hears it on the news. She calls Hye Joo and speaks about the matter.
Back at the Nam residence, Soo Bin is silently going on about her day. She and Joong Do cross paths in the hallway, and the cold behavior is quite suspicious. Soo Bin goes back to her room and furiously tries to scrub away the ‘JD’ tattoo on her belly. Later, she is seen visiting a clinic to opt for an induced abortion. Her plans are slightly thwarted when she encounters Yeo Jin on her way back home. When Joong Do is leaving, he spots several flyers scattered about his house. The flyers have his photo and the words ‘Murderer Nam Joong Do’ written on them. Hye Joo comes out and starts clearing the space. She is rattled by the appearance of the flyers and hallucinates about her photo being on them as well.
Hye Joo finally goes to Seung Hee’s residence and is hit with a wave of bitter nostalgia. Seung Hee arranges for Hye Joo’s arrival in such a way that she gets time alone with her, and, later, when her mother comes home, her mother can give her a piece of her mind as well. The tension is cut by a loud crash outside, and it is revealed that it is Joong Do who is furiously ringing the bell to Seung Hee’s house.
Concluding Thoughts On Episodes Five And Six Of ‘Trolley’
“Trolley” took a rapid turn this week. Until now, Hye Joo’s past was something that was only hinted at, but with the epic reveal this week, the taciturn nature of events threatens to knock out the blissful life that Hye Joo has built with Joong Do. The “Trolley Dilemma” will truly take shape once Joong Do is well acquainted with Hye Joo’s past. He has been a devout husband so far, but what will he do when his wife’s past threatens his present and his future? Whom will he save? Seung Ho committed suicide all those years ago after Hye Joo claimed that he assaulted her. Hye Joo’s case and the girl’s case in the present are drawn from a similar vein. In both cases, the assailants committed suicide, leaving a huge mess in their wake. It remains to be seen how Seung Hee and her mom heal when the truth is finally revealed.
