Penthouse 3 review
Penthouse is back with a vengeance. The previous 2 seasons of Penthouse were a huge success, and we’ve been eagerly waiting for Penthouse 3.
We’ve collated 3 highlights from the 1st episode in our Penthouse 3 review. If you’ve forgotten what happened in the previous seasons, perhaps our article on #JusticeServed Penthouse moments will jolt your memory. Do also watch the 1st episode of the drama before reading this.
Justice is far from served – Su-ryeon faces her enemies again
Image credit: SBS
Penthouse 3 picks up from the moment Logan Lee gets killed by an explosion in the last episode of season 2. Shim Su-ryeon seeks revenge and tries to avenge Logan’s death. However, she’s not the only one with a vengeance.
– Highlights –
1. The prison penthouse
Image adapted from: SBS
The 1st episode starts some time before the explosion that killed Logan Lee, and it shows us the plight of the Hera Palace residents in prison.
A few of them have adjusted well to their new environment, but others haven’t been coping. As expected, Joo Dan-tae and Cheon Seo-jin are the ones who are struggling the most.
Image adapted from: SBS
Meanwhile, Kang Ma-ri, who has proven to be adaptable and resourceful in the past seasons, quickly aligns herself so that she can receive the most benefits. Ha Yoon-chul finds himself an ally in a dangerous fellow inmate named Bang Chi-soon.
Lee Gyu-jin and Go Sang-ah try to establish themselves as important people at first, but they soon realise that they have no power against the “bosses” of their cells. The “boss” of the male cell is Chi-soon. The name of the “boss” of the female cell is unknown.
Sang-ah asks Ma-ri how she’s able to fit in so quickly, and Ma-ri tells her that the prison is like the Hera Palace.
2. The appearance of a mysterious newcomer, Baek Joon-ki
Image adapted from: SBS
We find out that Logan was searching for a man before he returned to Korea. He finally finds him, but the man now goes by another name: Baek Joon-ki.
Anxiously, Joon-ki tells Logan that “he didn’t do it”. He adds that someone else had dirtied his name.
Logan asks him if the person was Joo Dan-tae. Joon-ki looks at the photos and identifies him as “Mr Baek”. Logan tells him that “Mr Baek” now goes by Joo Dan-tae.
Joon-ki becomes agitated and tells Logan that Dan-tae killed his parents and absconded with his family’s assets.
Image adapted from: SBS
Joon-ki follows Logan to Korea. Before Logan’s car explodes, Joon-ki leaves the car to smoke. Shortly after, Logan’s car explodes.
We don’t know if Joon-ki played a part in killing Logan. He hates Dan-tae, so there’s no reason for him to harm Logan. However, the timing is uncanny. And if there’s anything Penthouse has taught us, it’s that nothing is what it seems.
3. Dan-tae executes an elaborate escape from prison
Image adapted from: SBS
Dan-tae isn’t going to sit in prison and let himself be beaten up. He plans an elaborate escape.
Image adapted from: SBS
He instigates a fight against Yoon-chul. During the fight, he stabs himself with a sharpened toothbrush.
Dan-tae is sent to the hospital. The attending doctor is bribed by Dan-tae, and he helps Dan-tae escape from the hospital. Even though Dan-tae is still bleeding, he gets into a car with a bomb in the backseat.
Image adapted from: SBS
He disguises himself as a cleaner and stands behind Su-ryeon as he watches Logan’s car burn. Su-ryeon hears a metallic sound made by Dan-tae, but she isn’t aware of his presence.
Dan-tae returns to the hospital and the police find him unconscious in the toilet. He undergoes an emergency operation and his heart even stops beating for a while, but he is resuscitated.
He risked his life just to take revenge, and we have a begrudging respect for him – his determination rivals Su-ryeon. She’s going to have a harder time taking him down this season.
Verdict: 3.9/5
The score would have been 4/5, but our sanity was compromised when Dan-tae and Seo-jin were released from prison.
Su-ryeon went through so much to get the Hera Palace residents in jail, but most of them weren’t repentant. Dan-tae is released because Logan becomes new suspect for Na Ae-gyo’s murder. Seo-jin has her sentence reduced because she feigned madness.
Penthouse 3 review – Su-ryeon faces her enemies again
We’re not sure if Penthouse 3 will be the last of the series, but hopefully it gives us a satisfying finale. The season also introduces new characters such as Baek Joon-ki and Jenny’s father, and we’re excited to see how this will unfold.
You can watch Penthouse 3 on Viu.
Also check out:
- “My Roommate is a Gumiho” review: a love story of a gumiho & a university student
- “Law School” review: reasons to watch the legal drama
- 13 satisfying #JusticeServed Penthouse moments
- Kim So-yeon wins “Best Actress” at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards
- 10 new Korean dramas in June 2021
Cover image adapted from: SBS DRAMA and SBS