The Winning Try episode 9 review — Abuse, betrayal, and a mother’s devastating choice

The Winning Try reaches episode 9 and puts one of the season’s most repulsive arcs at the center. The shooting coach, already shown in abusive behavior, physically assaulted U-jin in the name of a fraudulent college admission scheme.

An investigation followed, coach Bae I-ji testified, but her removal from the school only exposed the imbalance of power even more. In a shocking turn, the student’s own mother, in an outrageous attitude, privately spoke with the aggressor and insisted that it had all been just an accident, so her daughter could keep training for the competition.

This decision lands as the most painful betrayal: a mother discarding her daughter’s suffering to allegedly preserve an athletic path. The scene where U-jin, weakened and covered in bruises, nearly collapses on the stairs and is saved only thanks to Ung’s support shows just how unbearable the environment has become.

It’s a story of a violent coach backed by a system of complicity that forces a teenager to keep training under the authority of the man who attacked her. The outrage comes from brutality joined with betrayal, an older man in power, a vulnerable girl, and her own mother siding with violence.

Bae I-ji and Ga-ram find light in the middle of the storm

The Winning Try still gives space to moments of relief, even while the darkest storyline unfolds. With Bae I-ji forced out of the school, she finally has the chance to focus on her own training. It’s her last year as an athlete, and if she can reach something significant now, she won’t have to think about taking a coaching job right away. That sense of possibility makes her conversations with Ga-ram especially sweet, and their connection shines in a tender way.

It’s during one of these conversations that the other shooter, currently second place, arrives with alarming news: U-jin has disappeared. The contrast between a gentle exchange and the shock of a teammate suddenly missing drives the tension higher and keeps The Winning Try rooted in emotional extremes.

Rugby and gymnastics coaches reconcile through training

Another bright spot in The Winning Try comes from the coaches of rugby and gymnastics. When the gymnastics coach discovers Ga-ram’s pills, the clash could have spiraled into resentment. Instead, the punishment training where each coach forces the other’s team into new exercises ends up helping both groups.

What starts as a conflict softens into reconciliation, and their laughter together becomes one of the episode’s rare moments of genuine peace.

Humiliation, fury, and a brutal cliffhanger

As if things couldn’t get worse, U-jin ends up in the hospital. She can’t keep her balance because the assault damaged her ear, and the weight of it all falls harder with every scene.

In a devastating turn, Bae I-ji returns. She kneels, humiliates herself in front of the misogynistic coach, and begs to be allowed back so she can protect U-jin. The sight of her on the floor, even picking up his golf balls, is revolting.

Even the vice principal seems to think this has gone too far. And then Ga-ram walks in. He sees I-ji kneeling, and fury takes over. He goes straight for the coach, and the episode cuts there, leaving a cliffhanger that pushes the tension to its peak.

The Winning Try makes clear that sexism, politics, and abuse of power keep crushing these girls. First a mother betrays her daughter, now another woman has to bow down to a man like that just to keep a teenager safe. The outrage piles higher, and as the series heads toward its final stretch, something needs to break.

The Winning Try refuses to hold back

Episode 9 of The Winning Try leaves no space for comfort. Even amidst tender moments, we are caught between a girl’s suffering being dismissed by her own mother and a former coach degrading herself just to shield her athlete. The cruelty of the system is overwhelming. The cliffhanger with Ga-ram charging at the coach promises that the next chapter won’t avoid confrontation.

The Winning Try makes every choice feel heavy, exposing how power, politics, and misogyny twist the lives of young athletes. With three episodes left, the series is demanding a resolution that can match the raw outrage it’s built.

Rating with a touch of flair: Episode 9 of The Winning Try is a storm of outrage and humiliation, almost unbearable in how far it pushes its characters. For the brutal honesty and the rare but welcome glimmers of solidarity, it earns 5 shattered rifles out of 5.