The Cinderblock Shot
Episode 11 of The Uncanny Counter begins with Mun saving an innocent guy from traffic. Unfortunately this man is anything but innocent as he's bundled into a car and taken hostage.
With Mun gone, the rest of the Counters discuss their current situation. Only, they're interrupted by an incoming video call from Mun and see him tied up and tortured first-hand.
From the shadows, Cheong-Sin steps forward and shows Mo-Tak and the others that he's the one responsible for Mun's predicament. With powerful demons alongside him, things certainly don't look good for Mun.
Cheong-Shin tells the Counters to show up at the derelict factory in Jungjin at 9pm. If they don't, then Mun will lose e a finger for every minute they're late. What happens when they run out of fingers? Let's not wait to find out!
With level 2 and 3 spirits alongside Cheong-Sin, Mo-Tak, Mae-Ok and Ha-Na proceed with caution into the viper's nest. Unfortunately they're immediately blindsided by demons that are under strict instructions to get rid of Mae-Ok first, especially given she's a healer.
A tense fight then breaks out as all our Counters square off against the demons. They encourage Mun to hang in a little longer but to be honest, Mae-Ok could probably do with the same advice. The muscly demon picks Mae-ok up and throws her on the floor like a sack of potatoes, immediately sending her into a coma.
Cheong-Sin meanwhile, changes the battle dynamic by sucking in the spirit of another demon, growing even more powerful. Mo-Tak is easily overpowered and despite Ha-Na's attempt at putting Cheong-Sin in an armbar, Baek Hyang-Hee arrives and pulls her off.
With all hope lost, a green spirit ball suddenly finds its way into Mun's body as he calls out for help. It turns out a spirit just ascended and somehow it has found its way into Mun's body. He's not quite sure how this happened but can hear Wigen and the others from the Spirit world guiding him.
As Mun sobs and bemoans his luck, he pleads with Cheong-Sin to stop as a cinderblock is smashed over the top of Mo-Tak's head. Mae-Ok is motionless on the floor to and Mun's calls for Wigen, asking her to ascend inside him just one time, seems to fall on deaf ears. Or does it?
Just as Cheong-Sin lights the place up and lets it burn, Mun suddenly manages to call on the power of Wigen and the spirits. It's just in time too, as the entire building blows sky high. Outside, Mayor Shin looks on and he's delighted by the devastation. He and the Demons eventually drive away.
Inside, Mun harnesses the power of the territories and manages to protect all the Counters, making sure they remain alive and subsequently taking Mae-Ok to hospital courtesy of Jang-Mul's intervention.
On the way, Hang-Mul marvels at Mun's power and likens him to a prodigal son. "Welcome back Mun," He says, as Ha-Na breathes shallowly and conjures enough energy to tell Mun not to touch him.
Outside the station, Jeong-Yeong receives a present in the form of Yeong-Il tied up with a placard round his neck, admitting to his crimes. Just as Mo-Tak promised, he's all theirs.
Back in hospital, Mun tries his best to get through to Mae-Ok, begging her to hang on despite sporting a nasty brain injury. Mo-Tak is also suffering, especially after being bashed in the head with a cinderblock. He's seeing flashes of the past and as we soon find out, has part of his memory back now.
Shin begins growing in confidence now that the Counters are gone, believing he really can become a President in the midst of all that's going on. Believing the Counters to be dead, he turns his attention to the "one left", which of course is Jeong-Yeong.
Hostilities continue to brew between Cheong-Sin and Hyang-Hee though as they head home and get to work sporting a new identity to skip town.
Thanks to Mun's heroics, those in the spirit realm come to the unanimous decision that he can have another chance at being a Counter. Even the Inspector is all smiles with this news. Unfortunately it comes at aa cost. Su-Ho is fading, prompting Mun to rush back to the hospital and sees the markers fade on Mae-Ok's hands.
As we cut back 7 years, we see Mae-Ok recruited by Wigen into the Counter ranks. There, she meets Su-Ho again as the two form an emotional reunion. It's a really touching moment, and one that sees us witness the exact moment Mae-Ok lost her son in the lake. As she throws her arms around him, we cut back to the present as Su-Ho opens his eyes...and Mae-Ok returns to us.
After some time, Mae-Ok returns to the Noodle Bar as she tentatively joins the others to eat some food. There, Mo-Tak admits that he's got about half his memories back thanks to the cinderblock hit. Mun congratulates him as Mo-Tak looks on gingerly. He continues to suffer nasty headaches though, unable to piece together the fragments of what happened after being stabbed. Whatever it is, it seemingly involves Su-Ryong.
In the police station, Jeong-Yeong interrogates Noh Hang-Gyu and brings up details surrounding the different burner phones he was using. As Jeong-Yeong continues to mount evidence against him she happens to hold a number of photos obtained by her colleague. Realizing how dangerous this could be for him, Jeong-Yeong decides to cover for him.
Realizing the Chief is watching, Jeong-yeong shuts off the cameras in the interrogation room and shows Hang-Gyu shots of the men he's been calling on his burner phone. These include pictures of Cheong-Sin. It seems to get through to him too, as Hang-Gyu asks what he'll get in exchange for cooperating.
Ha-Na agrees to help try and piece together the rest of Mo-Tak's memory, offering to dive into his subconscious mind. Mae-ok is convinced that he doesn't have one. Mo-Tak is not impressed by this but allows Ha-Na to do just that.
She sees fragments of the past, including a registration plate of 52C 4882. Finally it settles into a coherent vision as a detective called So-Gwon comes and sits opposite Mo-Tak, claiming he's seen something during his investigation of Myeong-Hwi's election fraud.
Using that registration we saw glimpses of before, Mo-Tak tries to figure out what it means while telling Su-Ryong not to be a wuss. Anyway, whoever was on the phone has evidence relating to their case and after promising to keep them safe, we jump back to the present.
As Mun arrives, Mo-Tak struggles to compose himself but does have a phone number from that day. As he rings Jeong-Yeong and gives her the number, he admits he remembers everything that happened between them, including his marriage proposal. He asks to meet up and readies himself to leave on a date with her.
Mo-Tak hurries over to meet Jeong-Yeong but unfortunately when he gets there, finds the girl face-down on her steering wheel, bloodied and motionless. Oh no...
The Episode Review
What a great episode! The latest slice of drama from The Uncanny Counter has absolutely everything thrown into its hour.
This rollercoaster ride of emotion begins with the action-packed fight inside the factory and uses that as a springboard for the ensuing drama to follow.
There was a moment where I genuinely believed Mae-Ok had been killed and in a way, I can't help but feel like the fake-out death is the only blemish on an otherwise great episode. While I didn't particularly want Mae-Ok to die, it would have been good to build the suspense and give the Counters another emotionally-charged reason to go after Cheong-Sin and the others.
Given that ending though, it seems they already have. Jeong-Yeong is most probably dead and while there is a chance it could just be another fake-out, this one seems like it could be genuine.
Mun finally has his powers back too and hopefully he can move past feeling sorry for himself and make a real difference for the Counters. Whatever happens, this episode bows out on a real high and hats off to all involved with this one; Uncanny Counter's latest episode is a fantastic thrill-ride!
