Parasyte: The Grey season 1 episode 5 recap (and grade)

After escaping from Team Grey, parasite Chul-min, and Won-seok, Su-in is back on the run with Kang-woo. But while Kang-woo wants to lay low, Su-in wants to warn Jun-kyung about Chul-min and Won-seok. Here's what happens in the fifth episode of Parasyte: The Grey on Netflix.

Spoilers ahead from Parasyte: The Grey episode 5!

The fifth episode opens with a flashback to the day Kang-woo's younger sister, Jin-hee, is killed by the parasite organization. Jin-hee finishes working her shift at the store and then walks home. While walking home, she calls Kang-woo's friend, Ki-seok, to ask him where Kang-woo is. Ki-seok tells her he doesn't know where Kang-woo is. He then tells her to leave Kang-woo a message through messenger. Jin-hee tells him she'll do that before she hangs up the phone. Then, she continues her walk home. Once she makes it home, she notices her dog Merry barking at Kyung-hee and Hyuk-ju (the pastor). Jin-hee doesn't know they're both parasites. She thinks that Kyung-hee is just sick.

She tells Hyuk-ju that she's going to take Kyung-hee to a doctor to get her help for her illness, but Hyuk-ju tells her she doesn't need to and that all Kyung-hee needs is God. Another parasite appears, and they begin surrounding Jin-hee. Kyung-hee suddenly transforms into a tentacled creature, and Jin-hee runs away.

She discovers a hiding place, but Kyung-hee, Hyuk-ju, and the other parasite find her. She's able to text something to Kang-woo through messenger before she's pulled by one of Hyuk-ju's tentacles to her death. The flashback ends and then we cut to the present time where Kang-woo and Su-in are at a bus station. Kang-woo calls Ki-seok to ask him if he could stay with him for the night. Ki-seok agrees to letting him stay and then he hangs up the phone. Kang-woo then goes to get Su-in who is changing in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Kyung-hee is at home reading the text messages between Kang-woo and Ki-seok. She now knows that Kang-woo and Su-in are headed to Ki-seok's house. The episode cuts to the title card.

After the opening ends, we cut to another meeting between the higher-ups, Team Grey, and the Namil police force. The meeting ends with Jun-kyung being given three days to completely eradicate the parasite organization. That way, the upcoming music festival and memorial to a war hero can go off without a hitch. Tons of citizens will be at this event as well as the mayor, so it's a pretty important event for South Korea.

After the meeting is over, parasite Chul-min and Won-seok secretly meet. Won-seok shares Su-in's exam results with him. Parasite Chul-min now knows that Su-in isn't a full parasite but a half-mutant. His phone starts to ring, and it's a call from Kyung-hee. Kyung-hee tells him that she knows where Kang-woo and Su-in are headed next and that she'll handle it. Before Chul-min hangs up the phone, he tells Kyung-hee that Su-in is a half-mutant.

Elsewhere, Kang-woo and Su-in finally arrive at Ki-seok's house. Su-in tells Kang-woo that she won't be joining him on his escape plan. She tells him that she's going to speak with Jun-kyung instead about Chul-min being a parasite. She's going to also tell her about Won-seok, but she thinks he's a parasite as well. She doesn't know that he's actually a human and is working for the parasite organization.

Back on Team Grey's grounds, Chul-min and Won-seok inform Jun-kyung about their discovery of the parasite organization's hideout. Although Jun-kyung is initially hesitant to believe that parasites are still hiding out in Namil, Chul-min and Won-seok provide enough evidence for her to be convinced. She then announces an attack on the parasite hideout at sunrise. It's obvious that Chul-min and Won-seok have an ulterior motive for telling Jun-kyung about the parasite hideout. What is it?

Later that day, Su-in calls Jun-kyung. She tells her there are parasites disguised as cops working with her. Those parasites being Chul-min and Won-seok. Jun-kyung doesn't believe her, but she still asks her to meet up to talk. Su-in tells her the address where they can meet up and then hangs up the phone. Back at Ki-seok's house, Ki-seok tells Kang-woo that Jin-hee had called him two weeks ago asking about him. He also tells him that Jin-hee was supposed to message him on messenger. Kang-woo quickly takes out his phone and checks messenger. He notices there's a cut off message from Jin-hee that she sent to him the night she was killed. The message reads, "Don't come home no matter--" Feeling guilty, Kang-woo decides to go find Su-in and help her.

Su-in and Jun-kyung meet on the roof of a restaurant. Su-in reveals that she's a half-mutant to Jun-kyung. She also states again that Chul-min and Won-seok are parasites. Jun-kyung still doesn't quite believe her since Chul-min and Won-seok just helped Team Grey find the parasite hideout. Su-in tells her that it's a trap and that the parasites will kill them all once they enter the hideout. Suddenly, other Team Grey members appear and try to capture Su-in. She transforms into Heidi and jumps off the roof.

Meanwhile, Kang-woo drives around looking for her when he hears the gunshots. He eventually runs into Heidi and tells her to get into his car. While Kang-woo drives, Heidi informs him that she won't be able to take over Su-in's body and help her for three hours since she's been taking control of her body too often. She tells him to tell Su-in this information once she takes over her body again. He makes sure to do this once Su-in wakes up.

Back at Ki-seok's house, Kyung-hee shows up and tells Ki-seok to call Kang-woo. She then tells Kang-woo to return to Ki-seok's house with Su-in or else she'll decapitate Ki-seok. Although this seems like a bad idea since Su-in can't transform into Heidi for three hours, Su-in believes she can still trick Kyung-hee into thinking she's a full parasite. But things don't go as planned for Su-in once she arrives at Ki-seok's house since Kyung-hee was already informed that she was a half-mutant. As Kyung-hee is about to attack Su-in, Kang-woo suddenly bursts through the door and sprays her with a fire extinguisher. This gives them and Ki-seok time to run, but Ki-seok decides to sacrifice himself by charging at Kyung-hee. Kang-woo and Su-in then run outside, hop in a car, and drive away.

Back on Team Grey's grounds, Jun-kyung and the rest of Team Grey get ready to attack the parasite hideout. As she, Won-seok, and Chul-min ride the elevator, she decides to pluck a strand of hair from Won-seok to see if he's actually a parasite like Su-in said. Since the hair doesn't vanish after she plucks it, it means he's not a parasite. Now Jun-kyung thinks Su-in was lying.

Su-in and Kang-woo try one more time to convince Jun-kyung not to continue the attack, but she doesn't listen and instead goes through with it. They listen through a phone as a bunch of Team Grey troops enter the parasite hideout and eliminate all the parasites. Chul-min and Won-seok even joined in, which wasn't expected. Kyung-hee shows up to the hideout just as Chul-min shoots and kills one of their kind. After seeing him do this, she doesn't get off the bus. She's shocked to see him betray their kin.

Su-in and Kang-woo find out that all the parasites at the hideout have been killed before hanging up the phone. They sit in the car in shock at what just happened. Then, Kang-woo looks out the car window and notices a billboard of the mayor. It's an advertisement for the upcoming music festival. This is when he realizes that Chul-min and Won-seok have a much bigger plan, and that's taking over the mayor's body. That way, parasites will have more control. The fifth episode ends with Kang-woo coming to this realization.

Grade: B

Now that Su-in and Kang-woo know Chul-min and Won-seok's real plan, will they be able to stop them in time? We should find out in the season 1 finale next!