The Final Roll Of The Dice
After the shocking cliffhanger last episode, The Uncanny Counter returns for episode 14 where Mun tries in vain to awaken the spirit inside Cheong-Sin. Instead, the wisps of smoke curl into the air and disappear. As Mun begins weeping and crying to the heavens, the Counters eventually head up to Yung and confront Wigen and the others. She confirms that because they were all inside the barrier, it may have actually worked to eliminate Cheong-Sin’s powers. This is why Cheong-Sin’s spirit was able to survive while his body passed away. Wigen apologizes for not keeping her promise, as Mun is left in a depressive state. Meanwhile, investigators remain fixed on making sure Shin doesn’t become president. When they open the interview room door, the find the man face down in a pool of his own blood. They race him to hospital but on the way those wisps of smoke re-appear and head straight for the ambulance Shin is in. The next time we see Shin, laughing spirits bounce around his mind and manifest themselves in the shadowy face of Cheong-Sin, looking down on him in bed and reminding the Mayor that they need to work together. Shin meets Cho Tae-Sin on the rooftop and tells him he can have the city. He controls the man telepathically but struggles to control it for an extended period of time, eventually letting him go. When he does, Tae-Sin confronts Noh Hang-Gyu and incriminates himself to save Shin. With Chang-Gyu’s brother taking the fall for Shin, Chang-Gyu himself is summoned to the Mayor’s mansion. After being buzzed in, they eventually find themselves face to face with the spirit. Well, Shin kills Chang-Gyu and sets his sights on Hyeok-U. Or, at least the spirit inside him does. Shin does his best to fight against the urges and eventually manages to quell his desires. In the morning, Mun returns to the Noodle Bar and tells the others he’s going to take a break from being a Counter. Instead, he wants to investigate the spirits and find out where his parents are located. He can still sense they’re somewhere in this reality but quite where, remains to be seen. Ha-Na is convinced the evil spirit may have jumped across to someone equally bad though, as the other Counters decide to stand by his side and refuse to let him quit. That evening, Mae-Ok meets Jeong-Eun and congratulates her for moving in with her future husband. Given she used to be married to Su-Ho, it’s obviously hard for her to take but Mae-Ok lavishes praise on the girl and promises to make her noodles for the occasion. It’s a touching scene, one that’s followed up by Mae-Ok meeting Su-Ho in Yung and saying goodbye together. However, he knows that Mae-Ok and Jang-Mul are together. Elsewhere, Mun bumps into Hyeok-U and sees the same visions that Ha-Na senses. Within that, he sees Mayor Shin acting erratically and realizes the spirit has gone inside him. Just before entering his mansion though, Ha-Na shows up and stops him. They need to formulate a plot first, and they should probably do it sooner rather than later given the erratic nature of Shin. However, the Counters have bigger problems to deal with when they realize Baek Hyang-Hee has kidnapped So-Eun. Shin wants the girl gone no matter what, and that involves the spirit driving her to Tae-Sin at an underground parking lot. After dousing the car in petrol, they look set to ignite it while So-Eun is still inside… until the Counters arrive to save the day. With Mun saving So-Eun from the car, Mo-Tak single-handedly dispatches all the goons around Tae-Sin. He does his best to talk his way out of trouble but Mo-Tak repeatedly bashes his face… until Mae-Ok arrives and lands the finishing blow. Ha-Na meanwhile, is busy outside with Hyang-Hee but she manages to get away. Ha-Na follows in hot pursuit and spies the girl heading up to a refuge that holds Mayor Shin inside. Feeding this back to the Counters, Ha-Na and the others agree that together, Shin and Hyang-Hee will be incredibly difficult to stop. Individually though, they may have a chance with their barrier. That evening, the group find an opportune moment and create a barrier while Shin is on his own. Only, it turns out Shin and Hyang-Hee actually knew about their plan from the start and ambush them. Hyang-Hee shows up behind Ha-Na and snaps her staff in half while Mun happens to be inside with Mayor Shin. The connection breaks, the barrier disappears and Mun is smashed over the head with a rock. Things look bleak for the Counters and as a bloodied Mun staggers back to his feet. He suddenly controls his powers and manages to raise the earth around him, preparing for the final fight.
The Episode Review
The Uncanny Counter returns with another dramatic episode, deepening the ties between the characters while presenting Mayor Shin as the final boss of the season. With Mun able to control his abilities and seemingly stronger now than he has been before, it all rests on this final fight. Things certainly look bleak for the Counters though, with the barrier broken and seemingly unable to be conjured again. Will Ha-Na be able to stop Hyang-Hee? Will the others manage to destroy Shin before it’s too late? And what of Mun’s parents’ spirits? With the final week coming up, things are just starting to heat up now, gracing us with a decent amount of action in these later segments. Mo-Tak is an absolute beast too and plays up the tank of the group nicely. With the final week to come, let’s hope Uncanny Counter ends on a high!
