I’m not sure why the makers of The Judge From Hell decided to go with 14 episodes instead of 12, which is the trendy thing to do in K-dramas today. Having said that, I feel like having 14 episodes scuppers this show a little bit, and the last episode, though not rushed, feels somehow incomplete, as if something else is coming for us, but it’s not. The Judge From Hell’s ending is somewhat satisfying, but there are some questions that remain even with the end credits rolling in. I’m going to try and answer those questions in an attempt to give us some sort of closure from this show. But still, I really enjoyed the show, specifically because of this new version of Park Shine-Hye as an action heroine because she absolutely killed it (just as I expected). Episode 13 focuses on Jang Tae-Gyu’s trials, and the 14th episode focuses a bit more on Bit-Na and what will happen to her now that the case is over. Let’s quickly dive into the last two episodes of the show.
Spoiler Alert
What Ruling Does Bit-Na Give Against Tae-Gyu?
I suppose underneath the facade of a demon judge and a fantasy show, The Judge From Hell reminds us that it is not the perpetrator that we must focus on but the victims and their families during such difficult situations. Most of episode 13 goes into finding evidence against Tae-Gyu, and after a lot of coaxing from Da-On, Tae-Gyu’s brother Sun-Ho finally agrees to testify against him, despite being terrified. Though the statute of limitations has already passed for the J serial killer cases, the prosecution wants to make it clear to the public that Tae-Gyu is J, and Sun-Ho, while being able to provide anecdotes, doesn’t really have any evidence to prove this. However, the detectives are able to find a floor plan, which leads them to a secret basement where they find a sort of lair Tae-Gyu used. This is where the video camera that he used to film Sun-Ho’s mother is found, as well as tapes that are associated with all of J’s murders. Da-On himself agrees to testify against Tae-Gyu, and with everything that Sun-Ho has said, the case is quite solid and consistent, but the question remains: will it be Bit-Na who passes judgement or Justitia?
We know that Justitia is Bael’s heir, and since she’s returned the Kylum and Satan back to hell, she’s got nothing left to do on Earth, so all she needs to do is kill this one guy and return. However, Justitia has now become human, and she feels emotional about the situation, specifically because she loves Da-On, and this man has killed all the people close to him. So, instead of giving him a weak sentence, Bit-Na gives him the death penalty, knowing he doesn’t repent for what he’s done for all these years at all. Those who have been grieving can finally rest easy because it’s a successful trial and So-Young’s death somehow feels meaningful. But if Bit-Na decides to give Tae-Gyu the death penalty, she will have to die herself, which her fellow demons cannot stand by. However, the decision’s made, and eventually, humanity wins, and Bit-Na sends the guy to the electric chair (not literally, but you know what I mean). Soon after, Sun-Ho sees her when he’s being transferred to a different prison and hands her a piece of paper to help her. From this note, she learns that in his safe lies a gift that Myung-Sook’s (the landlady’s) son had bought her the day Tae-Gyu killed him. This gives Myung-Sook some closure because when she visits Tae-Gyu to ask him why he killed her son, he’s completely unremorseful and makes it seem like he’s clearing the earth of pests. Essentially, the man actually thinks that those who live in poverty do not deserve to live, and so what he did wasn’t wrong at all.
How Does Bit-Na Get To Stay Back?
Well, this is when we learn that Sun-Ho has killed himself in prison, but it’s likely he was murdered, because Tae-Gyu gets a note saying he can ask for a “special” leave from prison to attend the funeral. This is so he can escape and run away from the country, and the person helping him get a fake passport is his lawyer. At the same time, Bit-Na makes her way to hell by letting the demon who was sent to kill her stab her in the stomach. They try to resurrect her at a hospital after A-Rong tells Da-On what’s happened, but it’s too late, and she dies. Don’t worry though, because it’s only for a minute or two, since Bit-Na is sent back to Earth thanks to Gabriel, who goes down to hell with a message from God. Justitia is such a “good person,” so she gets a second chance from God, and Lucifer has no choice but to obey God’s wishes. I actually love the friendship between Gabriel and Bit-Na, specifically because he’s a grandma, but in order to keep Bit-Na alive, the grandma ends up dying. I guess it’s a small price to pay.
Bit-Na returns to earth and is just fine because Gabriel heals her, and she draws up a plan to send Tae-Gyu to hell. When he goes to his house, Justitia is waiting for him, because the team set this encounter up. Justitia sends Tae-Gyu through the same hell that he put all those poor souls through when he was the serial killer. She’s back to her element because she teaches him a lesson by making him experience exactly what all those people experienced when he murdered them. Eventually, he’s finally somewhat sorry for what he did, or rather simply wants to be saved, so after beating him up, Bit-Na sends him to hell. The next day, his body is found hung with the coffins of all his victims laid out in front of him. Now you must be wondering, Will Bit-Na get to stay?
Does Bit-Na Become Human?
The simple answer is no; she doesn’t. But, because she’s given a second chance, Bit-Na makes a deal with Bael to let her stay on earth for 3 years, and then she’ll be his heir forever. Bael agrees, and for two years, Bit-Na works in a different city, because she wants to try and be a real judge. She just asks Da-On to promise her that at least while she’s around, he’ll promise to stay happy, and he does. 2 years later, Bit-Na is transferred back to Seoul, and the tables have turned because she’s now beloved ever since the Tae-Gyu case. On the other hand, now Man-Do is into Buddhism, in the hope it’ll send him to paradise. Now the victims from the first few episodes are shown to be successfully living their lives, making Bit-Na happy. This is all she hoped for.
In The Judge From Hell’s ending, Bit-Na meets Bael yet again, two years into her vacation. This time he’s there to relay a message from Lucifer, yet another offer: if she kills 10 sinners in the next year, she can live as a human. Bit-Na considers this offer, but she speaks to Da-On immediately because it seems she’s learned already that communication is deeply important in the human world. Jokes aside, Da-On tells her that he trusts her, whatever decision she makes. The ending of the show doesn’t really give us an answer to whether Bit-Na decided to become human, but with how her next trial plays out, it becomes somewhat obvious that she wants to stay human. We can imagine Bit-Na will kill those 10 sinners eventually and remain with Da-On because that seems like the perfect place for her to be.
But What About Human Bit-Na?
One question I’ve still got in my mind is: if the human Bit-Na was wrongfully murdered, shouldn’t she get to live again? I guess we’re just meant to believe that she was sent to heaven after A-Rong tried to catch her in hell. I wish we’d gotten some sort of closure for her too.
