Time To Say Goodbye
The final fight is here, Episode 16 of The Uncanny Counter begins with Myeong-Hwa Shin facing off against each of the Counters.
He shrugs them off one by one, like something ripped right from Dragonball Z, as Shin eventually turns his attention to Mun. He repeatedly smacks the boy in the face after twisting and breaking his leg.
Ha-Na and Mo-Tak hold off Shin while Mae-Ok tries to heal Mun's leg. Only, he won't let her do this and sacrifice more of her life essence.
Instead, Mun stumbles to his feet and uses his powers to smash large chunks of rock into Shin. After conjuring up more of his powers, partly thanks to Jeong-Gu's influence, he strikes back and bests the evil spirit.
With Shin down, Mun tries to conjure out the evil spirits lying within him. Only, Shin has an ace of his sleeve as he shows Mun's grandparents trapped inside a car. With a truck fast approaching, ready to plough into them, Mo-Tak and Ha-Na work together to try and stop the truck before it's too late.
The team work together as Mun uses his powers to draw the evil spirits out. In doing so, he catches a glimpse of his Mother singing, which is a last ditch effort from Shin to distract Mun from his task. It doesn't work though as Mun screams at the top of his lungs and draws the spirit out once and for all.
Mun passes out from his work and arrives before Wigen in Yung. He immediately scrambles to his feet and finds out the spirits of his parents are safe and he'll be able to see them again soon.
Before that though, Cheong-Shin shows up and tries in vain to fight against the judgment cast upon him. He promises this fight will go on and that it'll lead to a painful death for him in the future. Mun refuses to listen though, as Wigen blasts him through the doorway into his watery grave.
Back in Yung, all those taken in and killed by Cheong-Shin show up, including Chang-Gyu who tries to pray for his fate, realizing he's stuck in Yung for the time being.
Mun meanwhile, looks through the various victims and finds himself face to face with his parents. Only, they don't recognize him as Wigen arrives and tells them 7 years have passed.
Eventually, they realize who Mun is and sit with him. Mun apologizes for lying about his homework that day, claiming it's only because he missed them. It's an emotional reunion no doubt, one that sees a lot of years shed (both in the episode and for the viewers!)
Meanwhile, the Counters assess the damage and try to work out what to do next. After Mun's reunion with his parents, a weight seems to have been lifted from him as the Counters bring the boy back home and tuck him in to sleep.
Only, this isn't the only reunion we're graced with. Cheol-Jung is back and he gets to say goodbye to the Counters after all this time. It's a lovely moment, one that shows just how far these guys have come over the weeks and how hard they've worked to stop Cheong-Shin.
In prison, Hang-Gyu admits to all the murders but when he hears Chang-Gyu has died, he's immediately shocked as Tae-Sin is also locked up. With all that's left is to find evidence to use against Shin, it's Ms Jang's influence that helps seal the deal.
When Shin awakens in hospital, he's immediately handcuffed after she turns herself in. At the same time, an anonymous source (Mo-Tak) lends his voice to the investigation as he shows up on the news.
Up in Yung, Mun brings Ha-Na to meet his Mum and Dad. She's obviously awkward but eventually asks them whether they have anything to say to Mun's grandparents. Of course, because of the news about their murder they're not in a good way .
With bottles of soju across the table, Mun uses his powers to allow them to see Mun's parents again in Yung while they sleep. It's a touching tribute and one that allows them to properly say goodbye before they walk away.
That evening, Mae-Ok prepares to head out with Jang-Mul on her date. Only, Mo-Tak happens to be watching from the window and teases her on the way out. As she heads out (and instantly falls asleep in the car), Mo-Tak and Ha-Na reflect on their journey up until this point.
In the morning, Mun shows up at school bright and perky, giving Ung-Min and Ju-Yeon a drink. However, they're all distracted by Hyeok-U who shows up and apologizes to the different students he's bullied over the years. He's also dropping out of school too.
In court, all our characters gather and hear the judge pass Shin's guilty sentence. As he's taken away, Mo-Tak and Mun say their last words to him, hoping he lives a long life.
We then jump forward one month later. Mo-Tak and the other Counters are told to patrol the whole country but they're not exactly happy about it.
Wigen discusses the possibility of hiring some more Counters but in the meantime, they're back on the hunt for more evil spirits. There's no rest for the wicked!
After a difficult and tiring series of fights against spirits, Jang-Mul shows up while the Counters are out eating. A series of suited officials show and begin measuring the Counters for custom-made suits. We then cut forward to see our characters, all suited and masked, ready to go after the spirits.
The Episode Review
The Uncanny Counter bows out its first season in the best possible way, tying up all the loose ends and establishing the group dynamic ready for the second season. There's some wonderful emotional moments here too, including the reunion with Mun's parents in Yung.
The episode itself begins with a good amount of action too, wasting absolutely no time getting into the final fight. That certainly delivered and the choreography throughout was tight and felt like something ripped right from an anime. It certainly exemplified the best elements of this show.
OCN certainly know how to deliver and the finale here wraps everything up in the best possible way, arguably delivering the best episode of the season. Every single character here gets their time to shine, with a lot of individual stand-out moments to savor. This is definitely the Korean drama to beat this year, bowing things out with an excellent finish that's sure to satisfy fans.
Quite when we'll see season 2 remains to be seen but based on this showing, I can't wait to return and see our spirit-slaying team back on the hunt again!
