The Exam Questions
Black Dog is certainly becoming even more interesting as the weeks tick along, revealing just how deep the problem with Daechi school is. While some of its teachers are desperate to make a change and think of the students first, others are more selfish and are looking for the convenient route out. All these revelations are making the show more intriguing and also quite tense when we see just how these issues are affecting the lives of teachers and students alike. We begin episode 6 of Black Dog with the teachers trying to come up with a name for the advanced class while the students discuss how to get in and whether they should apply. The principal explains to a solemn Ms Park that he understands why she doesn’t want the advanced class but he also believes that they need to focus on the top students. Ha-Neul meets with Yeo-Hwa soon after to discuss the college admissions and the advanced class. Yeo-Hwa also mentions the creative experience class, who look at student records as it relates to clubs. Meanwhile, we see first-hand why Ms Park is right to be worried about the kids as a student, Jin Yoo-Ra, wants to apply but remains unsure that she’ll be able to because she didn’t do well in her Korean exam. However, Ha-Neul tells her she might still be able to. This prompts Yoo-Ra to tell her that she hopes to get into medical school as she’s looking for a permanent job to provide for her family, who are struggling financially. We then follow her as she heads to her part-time job, before we cut to another more privileged student, Jae-Hyun, getting picked up by his dad who speaks to him about the advanced class. The next day, Ha-Neul decides to speak to the other teachers about the reason why one of their students actually got into Hankuk despite low math grades. She explains that he wasn’t able to attend any advanced classes which put him behind, but Ms Yoon wrote a letter explaining the situation. She then comes to the conclusion that the math exam from the school favours students who were taught to study their subjects in advance and that the problem is with their system; she wants things to change so that students like Yoo-Ra can get into great colleges. Unbeknownst to her, Yoo-Ra had been listening all along. In the afternoon, the principal organizes a meeting for all the teachers to discuss the advanced class, called Icarus. Ms Park takes to the stage and talks about the problems the school is facing with their system. Instead of introducing a new class, she suggests looking at each individual student and making sure nothing is going on with their lives, especially the ones struggling to afford prep classes. Unfortunately, it still goes ahead as they start voting for it. Ha-Neul finally reveals that she’s accepting the position but wants to make sure she doesn’t get any pressure while running the club. Meanwhile, a depressed Hae-Won is walking in the rain, upset that he didn’t get the position despite all the hard work he has been putting in for the last few years while still being a short-term teacher for the sixth year in a row. The next day, Yoo-Ra and Jae-Hyun find out that they got into the class while Yeon-Woo learns that he has to give priority to Icarus students to join his after-school lessons. Later on, Ms Kim takes Ha-Neul aside to reveal that Soo-Hyun submitted exam questions to his class based on specific subjects that only his students have learned. Ha-Neul is outraged and wants to do something about it but Ms Kim stops her, explaining that Hae-Won will just have to take the fall for his partner. The vice principal tells Mr Moon that he should consider Hae-Won as a permanent teacher while Ha-Neul decides to confront Soo-Hyun about his exam questions as she believes they’re easier for the Icarus students. He replies that it is a good thing especially for her who is in charge of that class. However, Yeon-Woo interrupts the conversation and takes her away. He tells her that he wanted to stop her from meddling with other teachers’ exam questions which shocks her. As she mentions that she doesn’t want Hae-Won to take the fall for it, the latter overhears and confronts them about it as the episode closes. The latest episode of Black Dog certainly had some controversial moments as we see how unfair some of the students are treated. The ones with less money and advantages are looking to get less attention, which in turn will lower their chance to get into a good university even more. While some teachers like Ms Park and Ha-Neul are trying hard to make a difference, they’re met with many obstacles and are struggling to be heard. Another unfair story is the one of Hae-Won, who has been a short-term teacher for 6 years and after all the hard work we saw him do, he was not chosen to lead the Icarus class. Mr Moon still suspects him of being the one spreading rumours about the school and while I’m still not sure if it’s really him, this certainly adds some suspense to the show. I have quite enjoyed seeing how Ha-Neul’s character has evolved so far. She’s becoming more outspoken and her caring nature is really shining here. Determined to change things at Daechi school, she’s really resourceful but whether this will be enough to change things for good, remains to be seen. For now though, Black Dog’s latest episode was certainly the strongest one so far.
