‘The Penthouse 3’: Episode 1 Review, Recap & Reactions

Well folks, we’re back with yet another season of the craziest k-drama of the decade so far: The Penthouse. Despite having to wait a few months for them to wrap filming, the show continued to keep us enthralled after the amazing second season. We left things on a bittersweet note when all the Hera Club members (minus Shim Su-ryeon) got thrown into prison for their crimes.

But just when we thought Su-ryeon would finally get her happy ending, she witnessed her lover-slash-almost-fiancé die(?) in a fiery explosion. That’s right, Logan Lee is dead… for now. While there is no indication that he is in fact alive, you never know with this show!

The Penthouse 3 episode 1 threw us back into the harsh world of reality that we had been all too familiar with — a world where disgustingly rich people can get away with anything. What trick does Joo Dan-tae have up his sleeve to get him out of trouble this time? And what events led to Logan Lee’s death in the previous season?

Let’s find out what happens in this week’s review, recap, and reactions. Feel free to sound off about this episode in the comments below!

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The Penthouse 3 Episode 1 Recap

I think the biggest impression that I was left with in this episode is: who are these people?! We were introduced to quite a number of new characters who seemed like they were going to be major players in this season. Let’s start with the people we met behind bars, shall we?

Joo Dan-tae was having a tough time in prison; with his lifetime sentence, it seemed inevitable that he was going to be a lifer. And things only got worse for him when bribing a prison guard backfired and landed him straight into the same room as Lee Kyu-jin and Ha Yoon-cheol. Needless, they were not thrilled with him. The doctor had some unfinished business with Dan-tae and wanted his blood on his hands.

He attempted to murder Dan-tae in his sleep with the end of a toothbrush he had sharpened. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was able to wake up and fight Yoon-cheol off. Despite this, the prison guards believed the doctor when he said that Dan-tae was the one who tried to stab him after Bang Chi-soon, the Big Boss of the boys’ cell (New Character #1), vouched for him.

But we learned later on that they weren’t just going against Joo Dan-tae for no reason; Logan Lee was paying them to keep an eye on him… and probably to make his prison life a living hell.

So it wasn’t all daisies and roses for the disgraced Hera Palace owner. On the other hand, Kang Ma-ri was able to put herself in a comfy position in prison by being a great aide and the Unofficial Masseur of the Big Boss in the girls’ cell (New Character #2). Go Sang-ah was also trying to get into the good graces of the Big Boss, but she wasn’t as successful as Ma-ri.

Cheon Seo-jin would not swallow her pride at first, but when the Big Boss taught her a painful lesson on obeying prison hierarchy, she would end up keeping in line. What’s worse was hearing news that Shim Su-ryeon bought the Cheong-a Foundation from her mother!

But perhaps what was most uncomfortable for her was Oh Yoon-hee being assigned on lunch duty. That meant that she had to beg for extra side dishes from her arch-rival. The shame!

However, our two main villains would once again slither their way out of their tough predicament in The Penthouse 3 episode 1. Joo Dan-tae had a more complex plan in mind because it wasn’t enough to just escape prison for him. Dr. Ha’s sharpened toothbrush would ironically be the key to his freedom.

He provoked Yoon-cheol in the field so that they’d get into a brawl. In the middle of it all, he would stab himself in the gut to make it look like Yoon-cheol was the one who did it to him. And it worked thanks to Kyu-jin was bribed to be a “witness” to the incident.

Joo Dan-tae would be brought to the hospital where he would escape with the help of a doctor he paid off. But he wouldn’t just run off to become a fugitive as he quickly set the next steps to his plan in motion. He told Secretary Cho that he only had one hour to pull off his scheme before he had to go back to the hospital.

And what an eventful hour it was.

It was revealed that he was actually behind Logan Lee’s death all along! You know what, every time something heinous happens in this show, let’s just always assume that it was Dan-tae behind it. He put on the disguise of an old man, and wheeled along a trash bin with an explosive next to Logan’s car. And just when Logan realized the man behind the disguise, the bomb went off. Goodbye, Logan Lee!

But Joo Dan-tae couldn’t take in his victory that quickly because he had to make his way to the Chief Justice’s house so that he could threaten him and his daughter.

And then it was back to the hospital for Dan-tae. He would legitimately have a heart attack in the bathroom floor as he waited for the doctors and policemen to find him. It’s just a very wonderfully convenient alibi, don’t you think so?

Anyway, Joo Dan-tae was revived not long after. Not only that, but he was able to have Na Ae-gyo’s murder case be reopened. The guy from the crematorium eventually confessed about Logan Lee’s bribe. And it didn’t help that the silhouette and height of Ae-gyo’s killer matched his own… because it was him!

Shim Su-ryeon knew deep inside that it was all a ploy by Dan-tae, but things were not looking good for her in The Penthouse 3 episode 1, because she didn’t have proof to back up her claims. And he had a heart attack as an alibi!

She would try to murder him dressed up as a nurse, but the two would just get into a notherscuffle. There was no love lost among these two! As retaliation, Joo Dan-tae visited the penthouse to taunt her and to “visit the kids”.

Meanwhile, Cheon Seo-jin hatched a plan for her sentence to be reduced. She pretended to have a mental illness by acting like a violent horror movie mental patient and singing at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night. Not gonna lie, I saw some of those Ha Eun-byeol genes during those moments. But to her credit, the plan worked because she was out of there in no time.

However, the moment she got out of the courthouse, she was kidnapped by Oh Yoon-hee and Shim Su-ryeon. The two women drove her to the edge of a cliff (literally) and interrogated her. Su-ryeon just had it in her head that Seo-jin was involved in Logan’s death, and wouldn’t let up until she confessed.

Of course, the songstress had to deny it because she legitimately didn’t kill him this time.

Shim Su-ryeon had enough of her and pushed her off the cliff and into the river! That is where we left off The Penthouse 3 episode 1, but you know what, there were so many more things happening that we have to continue.

Kang Ma-ri’s husband, Yoo Dong-pil (New Character #3), was finally out of prison. We had some teases about his history in season 2 when Ma-ri mentioned how he went to prison for Joo Dan-tae. And then we learned that Secretary Cho was also working for him.

While we don’t know with whom Secretary Cho’s true allegiance truly lied, this episode showed that it seemed to be with Joo Dan-tae. But this guy is so mysterious, I’m telling ya; I still can’t tell whose side he’s going to be on. Why was he going up Shim Su-ryeon’s building to make a copy of her keycard at the exact moment that Logan died?

And then there was New Character #4: Baek Joon-ki. We saw him fly together with Logan Lee to Korea in the final episode of season 2. Hell, we even thought that Joon-ki was behind Logan’s death because he went for a cigarette break when the bomb went off. I mean… what a coincidence, right?

But we dug some more into the relationship of Joon-ki and Logan where we learned that Joo Dan-tae actually took his identity. That plot twist!

So now we get to the next question: who is this Joo Dan-tae that’s been making everyone’s lives miserable, really?

After the previous season placed the Hera Palace kids front and center, it seemed like the spotlight is now back on the adults. We only got a few glimpses into what’s to come for the children. But I mean, how much more of the same bullying scenes can we stomach before we end the show?

In The Penthouse 3 episode 1, Joo Seok-kyung and Shim Su-ryeon’s relationship continued to crack like we’d seen in the first season. This time, it was Seok-kyung’s jealousy of her mother’s treatment of Bae Ro-na that had been bothering her. More than that, Ro-na had been spending more time with Seok-hoon.

While she’s getting into Seoul National University thanks to “winning” the Cheong-a Arts Festival, Ro-na and Seok-hoon were planning to study abroad in Julliard. Yes, that Julliard. Obviously, Seok-kyung was not happy with that so we should expect her to go back to her Bad Barbie roots soon. She even defended Dan-tae after he was released from prison!

The Penthouse 3 Episode 1 Review & Reactions

While it wasn’t super explosive as per The Penthouse standards, I’m pretty pleased with this episode. We needed to ease back into the show because the second half of the previous season was just hella stressful to watch.

One thing I’ve always loved about this show is how every scene seems to drive the narrative forward. And The Penthouse 3 episode 1 was filled to the brim with new storylines and characters which will eventually affect how the endgame will play out. While I admittedly was taken aback by the number of characters introduced, I won’t knock it until I see what they bring to the table.

While the Mr. Baek/Real Joo Dan-tae character seemed to come out of nowhere, I am excited to explore his history with the Fake Joo Dan-tae. He may be the key to the latter’s demise, which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I’m always up for a villain backstory, but on the other, I want the story to focus on the Hera Palace women taking down the Dan-tae empire.

I mean, it’s the freaking last season so I want the spotlight to be on the core characters as much as possible! Plus, it’s been clear since season 2 that the three women just need to get over their differences if they want to end Joo Dan-tae for good.

Meanwhile, Yoo Dong-pil AKA Kang Ma-ri’s husband intrigues me, and I like how the show was able to tease his character back in the early episodes of the previous season. If I was going to bet on it, then I’d say the show is making him out to be Dan-tae’s enemy, but he would end up being his ally.

Without Na Ae-gyo and Cheon Seo-jin, he now needs an ally in his corner and I think Dong-pil is taking that spot.

And since we’re making bets, would it make sense if I say that Mr. Baek is actually the Fake Joo Dan-tae’s real brother? IDK. I just have this feeling… let me know in the comments below if my conspiracy theory has holes.

I noticed how the first few minutes of The Penthouse 3 episode 1 was much more heavy on the comedy which went perfectly because we had the opportunity to laugh at these terrible people before they wound up getting their way again. It was glorious watching Ma-ri and Sang-ah slap Seo-jin to the tune of Queen of the Night, for example.

But things turned back to serious mode when Dr. Ha attempted to murder Joo Dan-tae. And just like that, The Penthouse worked its magic by showing us how a character schemed their way to the top. It was difficult watching Dan-tae getting his way yet again… but honestly, I love the fact that he has nine lives. He had always been built up to be this mastermind, and he continues to uphold that reputation of his.

Now, it’s going to be extremely interesting, because Joo Dan-tae’s strength has always been his ability to turn shitty situations into opportunities, while Shim Su-ryeon has always relied on her long-term planning. Su-ryeon didn’t expect Dan-tae to escape prison, so now, I feel like she has no idea what to do next. I mean… she did push off Cheon Seo-jin off a cliff.

But you never know what’s in the mind of the elegant woman. Obviously, Seo-jin isn’t dead so she has to have a plan, right?

If there’s something I didn’t like about this episode, it’s how the timeline is sooo confusing. I think I need someone to explain it to me because I don’t get how Oh Yoon-hee and Cheon Seo-jin were suddenly out of prison, and how the kids were still in high school at the same time? The math probably adds up, but I was so confused with it.

Plus, there was no Ha Eun-byeol in this episode! She is someone I just love to hate, and her absence was definitely felt here. We heard she was in juvie, but whatever happened to the creepy woman who wanted to keep her as her own daughter? I’m just gonna sit here and wait patiently for the Cheong-a Queen’s return, I guess.

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 The Penthouse 3 Episode 1 Rating: 8.0/10 

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What were your thoughts watching the first episode of The Penthouse 3? Were you as impressed as I was? Sound off in the comments below!

If you feel like reminiscing about the early days of The Penthouse, check out our listicle series where we pick the best moments here. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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