According to Nielsen Korea, episode 6 of "The scarecrow" achieved a viewership rating of 7.41%, leading the broadcast time slot on all channels. This is also the highest rating ever recorded for a Monday - Tuesday TV series of ENA.
Notably, the work surpassed the previous 7.1% record of "Ms. Incognito" after only 6 episodes, continuing to maintain the rating growth streak week by week.
In the film, Park Hae Soo plays Kang Tae Joo - a police officer with ideals, integrity and sensitivity but demoted after an incident. After returning to his hometown, he is caught up in a series of murders that lasted for decades.
In the latest developments, the investigation enters a tense phase when Tae Joo discovers that prosecutor Cha Si Young (Lee Hee Joon) is behind Lee Ki Beom's false confession. The film also reveals that Ki Beom was once detained, assaulted and forced to confess, causing a serious rift in the cooperative relationship between Tae Joo and Si Young.
In addition, the appearance of the new suspect Im Seok Man has pushed the film's story to a climax. This character is originally a friend of Ki Beom and also an important witness in the case.
One of the haunting details is when Tae Joo's younger sister remembers the kicking gait of the perpetrator, and the radioisotope test results match Im Seok Man's working environment, raising many new suspicions. The mysterious smile of the character at the end of the episode also makes viewers continue to discuss.
The scarecrow" is inspired by the notorious Lee Choon Jae serial murder case, which has been haunting South Korea since 1986. This case lasted for more than 30 years before the whole truth was revealed in 2019.
Director Park Joon Woo said that he wants the film not only to focus on the perpetrator, but also to reflect the people who were once caught up in this tragedy. He shared: "People used to focus too much on the identity of the perpetrator, but what is really important is the story of the people who went through that incident.
When asked about the comparison with Bong Joon Ho's "Memories of murder, 2003", the director emphasized: "Our story focuses on the consequences and the long journey to find the truth, so there is no overlap in character or topic".
Meanwhile, Park Hae Soo said that the crew approached the work with caution because this is a material based on a real case. The actor shared: "We are not just acting, but facing a tragedy that is still causing pain to this day.
The rural setting of South Korea in the late 1980s and the way of exploiting community psychology are considered one of the differences of "The scarecrow", helping the film maintain its appeal in the next leg.
