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Writer's pictureM.N. Miller

Bargain season 1 episode 6 recap and ending explained

Updated: Nov 30, 2023


 

This recap of the Paramount+ series Bargain Season 1 Episode 6, "Zero-Sum," contains spoilers.


In the season finale of Bargain, titled "Zero Sum," our three anti-heroes, Noh, Park, and Guk Ryeol, find themselves in the big boss's office. Guk Ryeol is holding the big boss at gunpoint, having become a hostage after Noh tricked him into climbing to the fourth floor.


In the previous episode, just before the credits roll, Park shoots the big boss because he starts taunting her. It is revealed that he had bought her when she was young. Her last bullet punctures him, killing the old man instantly and seemingly taking Guk Ryeol down.


As the series finale commences, chaos erupts.


Paramount+'s Bargain Season 1 Episode 6 Recap


How does Hee Sook die?


Well, it's hard to know who killed Hee Sook (Hyung-Soo Park), but I guess Park because she got the last stab wound. The series immediately cuts to Noh stabbing Hee Sook repeatedly, yelling, "I'm a cop, asshole!"


That's until Park takes away the giant knife to finish the job. I counted 27 stab wounds, but if I'm wrong, let me know in the comment section. Noh then grabs the gun, yelling at Park that he lied to him and there's no money, but Park denies the accusation.


Unfortunately, Noh (and probably the viewer) has no idea if she is lying because she's such a good liar.


What do they find in the boss's safe?


Park chops off the boss's hand and uses his thumb to open his safe, which is hidden in his desk, revealing a pricey stash of morphine. Park concludes that most of the money must have gone to the older man's drug habit, unveiled when Noh found needle marks all over his arms.


Park wants to take most of the drug supply with her. As she explains later, you can get about $50,000 per vial in Seoul. Noh is beside himself, realizing there are no riches at the end of this horrific rainbow. That's when, suddenly, Guk Ryeol springs to life, barely breathing.


Guk Ryeol still demands the kidney from Noh and that they take him with them. To sweeten the deal, he points to where he thinks the money is, in the ceiling across from the adjacent room. They find a fingerprint lock on the roof and open the safe using the boss's dead hand.


What do Park and Noh find in the safe?


Park and Noh find over $7,000,000 in the safe that falls from the ceiling. They only have enough to fill a couple of their bags. That's when they hear and feel a shift in the hotel, which is barely being held together after the earthquake.


Noh and Park leave Guk Ryeol, who begs for them to take him. Park leaves him enough money and a vile dose of morphine to help pay off what he owes the gangsters for the kidney he never received.


Noh and Park get to the giant hole that runs from the ceiling to the basement and see that they cannot make it up to the roof after the second quake. Their best option is to jump to the basement, where their story began after the earthquake, to the water tank area from the fourth floor.


How do Park and Noh escape the hotel in Bargain?


When they reach the tank where the fish swim (this is where the gangsters dump the dead bodies and have the fish eat up the evidence), both climb out, making sure they have their riches intact.


Park then goes to the control panel—she somehow knows to drain the tank into the reservoir—and activates the reverse flow, allowing both of them to ride the undertow to the lake outside the hotel.


How does Chang escape the hotel in Bargain?


To their surprise, Guk Ryeol is on the shore as well. (We surmise he must have crawled to the hole and let himself fall four floors into the tank as the water emptied.) Noh loses a bag of money, and Park tells him he has enough.


That's when they hear a noise and a rumble. They stand and look at the hotel in the distance as it comes down completely and under an avalanche of earth. All three begin to climb up a hill to try and find shelter.


When they see the horizon, it becomes obvious that a massive earthquake has taken place, causing damage to an entire region. They can see fire, smoke, and dilapidated buildings for miles.


Is Noh really a police officer?


There are some questions about his profession. Park says he should admit he's just an office worker and not an undercover detective. For one, Noh panics and does not act like a cool, calm, undercover police officer.


The other is that he keeps referring to his backup, who never shows up. Now, this could be explained because of the massive sentinel event that has taken place. In the previous episode, Noh also lets Park use the gun when they enter the office.


Wouldn't a seasoned professional trained in firearms (and hand-to-hand combat) be a natural choice? To use, Park may be correct because something doesn't add up, yet he does have the identification on him stating he is a law enforcement.


Bargain Season 1 Episode 6 Ending Explained


Does "Zero-Sum" have a post-credits scene?


Yes, newly minted Bargain stans and fans, Bargain has an after-credits scene! One that goes on for several minutes. During the credits, we see Noh, Park, and Guk Ryeol strolling through a forest on fire.


It's in ruins when they reach a town, but a woman is standing in the distance. She sees the trio and pulls a rifle, hitting Guk Ryeol in the chest (but it appears to be a non-lethal buckshot). The woman is protecting a man who's trapped under a concrete wall.


Noh helps her, and the other two hide. When Noh frees the man, the woman pulls the rifle on him; she doesn't believe he's an officer. That's when Park and Guk Ryeol descend, offering morphine to ease the man's pain.


The woman keeps the gun on her, looking at Park curiously.


Verdict: "Bargain's season finale is gloriously vicious, uncompromising, and near-perfect streaming television." 10/10

What did you think of Bargain Season 1 Episode 6? Comment below.


You can watch this series with a subscription to Paramount+.

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