Detective Chinatown Episode 8 Recap
> Detective Chinatown Recap
Ivy reflected on her darkest moment, a harrowing experience in a dim hallway where the Smiley organization branded her with a tattoo. The memory still made her feel nauseated. Meanwhile, Lin Mo, who had been a chemistry teacher by day and a scavenger by night, now embraced his new identity as a detective at the Tang Ren Detective Agency in Chinatown.
One evening, while Dulang's subordinates were out drinking, Officer Nosetip realized he had left his phone at the police station. Upon returning to the deserted office, he encountered a figure dressed in black rifling through Gade’s belongings. After a struggle, Nosetip was knocked down, and the assailant escaped. Nosetip then discovered Gade’s mobile phone hidden in a bag of rice. The following morning, Dulang convened an urgent meeting.
He grandiosely presented his "master plan": to lure out a mole by moving Gade's evidence to the station, hoping the suspect would help locate key evidence and expose the mole. This strategy indeed led to the recovery of Gade's phone. However, when the data was retrieved, the phone contained nothing but numerous photos of Ivy, leading Dulang to dismiss the case as a simple affair and murder.
Sasha challenged his hasty conclusions, pointing out inconsistencies like the original 191 call, the mole, and the mysterious "Smiley" organization. Dulang, however, was adamant there was no such organization and reiterated that Smiley only targeted the wealthy, which Quinta, as a struggling writer, was not. The Chief, growing impatient, demanded that they focus on finding Lin Mo. During this time, a technical officer informed Sasha that Quinta's personal computer had been breached.
The only valuable information found was in his email, which was booby-trapped with a Trojan virus. Upon opening it, the email was automatically sent to over a dozen major Thai media outlets. The email revealed that Quinta was the illegitimate son of Zheng Suming, Thailand's wealthiest Chinese-Thai businessman and former Central Group chairman. Zheng Suming had died of lung cancer six months prior, and his only daughter had perished in the 2004 Indonesian tsunami.
Consequently, per Zheng Suming's dying wish, his lawyer had located Quinta, making him the sole heir to an estimated fortune of 40 to 60 billion US dollars. The news quickly spread across Thailand. Sasha sent the investigation results to Lin Mo, warning him about Ivy. Lin Mo confronted Ivy, presenting her with the photos from Gade’s phone.
He accused her of always knowing Quinta's true identity, of informing Smiley when Gade started following her, and of orchestrating events, including framing him, to remove Smiley and rightfully inherit the vast fortune. Ivy expressed deep hurt at Lin Mo's lack of trust, asking him to believe her, but he refused, calling her words a "Flower of Lies." She questioned if he would believe her if she claimed ignorance of everything, but Lin Mo remained unconvinced.
Heartbroken by Lin Mo's distrust, Ivy arrived at the police station to speak with Dulang. She offered to cooperate fully and disclose everything she knew, provided Dulang arranged a press conference for her. News reporters gathered outside, speculating about her involvement in Quinta’s murder and her imminent status as Thailand's wealthiest woman. Ivy stepped forward and, to everyone's shock, announced her decision to relinquish all inheritance.
She stated that money was merely a number, and she would rather give it up if it caused misunderstanding with "the person I care about the most" and made her unhappy for the rest of her life. Lin Mo, watching the broadcast, was moved as he recalled their shared moments and their dreams of building a home together.
Inside the station, Ivy told Dulang that the real culprit was Smiley, and even suggested Smiley might be within the police force itself. Since there was no legal grounds to detain her, she walked out. Lin Mo, having followed the news at a noodle shop, was deeply concerned for Ivy's safety, knowing that by renouncing the inheritance, she had disrupted Smiley's plans and would now be a target. He called Sasha, urging her to keep Ivy at the station.
However, before he could finish, Sasha received a call from Wen Song, informing her that Ivy had already left. Ivy returned to Quinta's home, where she was ambushed and kidnapped by Angie, who held her captive on the rooftop. Lin Mo arrived, only to witness Angie stab Ivy. In a desperate attempt to save her, Lin Mo offered himself in exchange. Angie, a sadistic killer who murdered for the sheer "pleasure" of the knife tearing flesh, reveled in the moment.
Just as Angie prepared to deliver another blow, Sasha arrived and shot her, saving Ivy from further harm. Ivy was rushed to the hospital and, after emergency surgery, was out of danger. Resolved to find Smiley and prevent further harm, especially to Ivy, Lin Mo decided to work with Sasha. Lin Mo devised a plan to expose Smiley. Dressed as a deliveryman, he infiltrated the police station and strategically placed several Molotov cocktails.
The ensuing fires triggered the fire alarm, forcing a general evacuation. In the chaos, Lin Mo re-entered the station to search for clues. He was eventually apprehended, but not before he detected the distinct scent of menthol cigarettes on Wen Song's desk. Lin Mo, now in police custody, demanded a private, unmonitored meeting with Wen Song. During their confrontation, Lin Mo meticulously laid out his deductions.
He recounted Wen Song's police career, from his graduation in 1996 to his position as Deputy Police Superintendent, responsible for Bangkok's population data. He described Smiley's modus operandi: "actors set the traps, the assassins kill the victims, and the scavengers clean the scenes." He then directly accused Wen Song of being Smiley. Wen Song initially denied it, but Lin Mo pressed on, detailing two critical mistakes that exposed him. First, the rushed, fake fingerprint report on Gade's murder weapon.
Lin Mo explained that fingerprint analysis usually took several days, implying Wen Song acted on the false assumption that Lin Mo's prints would be present, suggesting Wen Song had witnessed the event (perhaps as the old man in the wheelchair Lin Mo encountered earlier). Second, Lin Mo revealed the specific fiber found in Gade's fingernails, not from Gade’s clothing but from the killer's vintage car cushions.
He also identified the unique killing technique as an Israeli "gamma combat" move, a specialized skill taught at the police academy. He linked these clues, along with the menthol cigarette smell, to Wen Song. Wen Song then attempted to frame Lin Mo by pulling a fruit knife from his pocket, hoping to stage a scene where Lin Mo threatened him, allowing Wen Song to kill him in "self-defense."
Lin Mo, having anticipated this, simply stated that he had already smelled the knife and was aware of the plot. Wen Song, recognizing Lin Mo’s genius, expressed reluctance to kill him. Lin Mo then revealed that he had deliberately orchestrated the seemingly private meeting with the cameras off, only to have planted a hidden bug, broadcasting their entire conversation.
Exposed, Wen Song admitted that he and Lin Mo were "the same kind of person," both having loved Ivy and willingly been used by her, before taking his own life. In the aftermath, Sasha negotiated with Dulang to drop the charges against Lin Mo. To legitimize Lin Mo’s presence at crime scenes and account for his unusual behavior, Sasha proposed that he officially become a private detective. Lin Mo approached Tang Ren, offering to become his apprentice.
After some initial resistance, Tang Ren was swayed by Lin Mo’s perceptive deductions about his habits and by an irresistible financial offer: Lin Mo would work for no salary, give Tang Ren all his profits, and pay him 10,000 baht monthly. Tang Ren gleefully accepted. Later, in the car, Lin Mo pondered Wen Song's dying words about them being the same. Sasha then revealed that Wen Song never smoked, contradicting Lin Mo’s earlier assumption about the menthol cigarette smell.
This detail troubled Lin Mo. They rushed to the hospital, only to find Ivy's room empty. The doctor informed them that Ivy had been discharged and was two months pregnant. It was then that Lin Mo fully realized the extent of Ivy's manipulation, understanding that Wen Song's last words—that they were "the same kind of person" because they both loved and were used by Ivy—were true.
On TV, news spread that Zheng Suming’s vast fortune, despite Ivy’s public renunciation, would be inherited by her unborn child. Tang Ren, watching the report, marveled at Ivy’s beauty and wealth. With a lucrative $5 million case awaiting him in the United States, Tang Ren departed, entrusting Lin Mo with the detective agency. Shortly after, a new client named Kuntai arrived, seeking help with the investigation into A Shui's suicide.
While Lin Mo was playing a game, a pattern on his screen triggered a sudden realization: it matched the tattoo on his parents' killer's wrist, which was identical to the symbol of the Smiley organization.
