K-Drama Review: “The Uncanny Counter 2” Draws A Message Not To Give Up On Hopeless Situations

The Uncanny Counter 2 Finale Week Recap

Our episode begins with Ma Joo-seok killing Pil-gwang and consuming his soul. Pil-gwang once inside Joo-seok’s body kills the evil spirit to take control of Joo-seok’s body and its power. As the Counters arrive, Jeok-bong tells them that the smell of both Joo-seok and Pil-gwang are gone but suddenly smells something so bad he can’t even breathe.

So-mun and Ha-na rush to find out what happened and realize the thing that very thing they prevented from happening already happened. The Counters are having a meeting with the Spirits about the situation. The Spirits tell them that using the territory now is a disadvantage for them because Joo-seok will figure out where they are.

Wi-gen also tells them that summoning the spirit is not an option now, there’s only one rule when dealing with a completely evil spirit and that is to eliminate it which means also killing the host body of Joo-seok.

So-mun feels devastated to hear this and tries to convince them that there is still a chance for Joo-seok to be saved. But the others tell him that it’s too dangerous now and Motak believes there’s no other way now and they are at a dead end.

“No one should be alone. Whether it’s Mun when he was in a coma or you who left our hideout like that. I don’t want any of you to be alone.”

The police station is in chaos because of reports about Ma Joo-seok. Mo-tak tells the other police officers that they should take the reports seriously because someone might be risking his life just to share them impotant information. In an open area, Ha-na joins So-mun as he summons the territory to try to enter Joo-seok’s mind and talk to him.

But So-mun is welcomed by Pil-gwang who brings him in the black pool. Pil-gwang’s spirit tries to drown So-mun but something saves him and it appears to be Joo-seok’s real spirit.

They rush to see and talk to Wi-gen about it. So-mun is now more convinced that they can still summon the evil spirit and save Joo-seok. But Wi-gen did not change her decision to eliminate the evil spirit.

Motak and his co-officer, Han-ul are investigating the old Baekdu Planning Construction office to look for Joo-seok. Mo-tak tells Han-ul to call for back-up and wait outside. Mo-tak tries to fight Pil-gwang but he fails as he grows stronger than ever. Pil-gwang tries to peek into his mind to look for the Counters when they get distracted by Han-ul. Then, he kills Han-ul in front of Mo-tak.

Gi-ran tells Mo-tak to leave the place immediately to avoid Pil-gwang from finding out their headquarters. Mo-tak rushes back to their hideout only to get a weapon and get back at Pil-gwang. So-mun tries to stop him but Mo-tak bursts out of anger and hits So-mun.

Letting them know of Han-ul’s death, Mo-tak asks So-mun why can’t he give up on Joo-seok and how many more deaths he needs to come to his senses. Mo-tak tells So-mun that he will do it his way and that is to kill Ma Joo-seok.

Everyone is shocked to hear all of this. Ha-na decides to join Mo-tak and goes back to Baekdu building. But they find the place empty. No Han-ul or Joo-seok.

“I’ll end this fight. Thank you for everything.”

The following day, So-mun visits Joo-seok’s mother who asks him if Joo-seok is dead. So-mun tells her that he is still alive and makes her kind of relieved. But she thinks it’s best if he is dead so that he can meet Min-ji in heaven. She also tells So-mun to make sure he will be the one to deliver the news about Joo-seok if something happens to him.

Meanwhile, Mo-tak is with Ha-na when he receives a call that Han-ul is in a hospital and they rush to go to him and see him alive. Ha-na finds out that the real Joo-seok gains control of his body for a short period of time and is able to save Han-ul. She shares this news with Mo-tak.

On the other hand, Jang-mul, Mae-ok and Jeok-bong are preparing a meal while waiting for others. Then suddenly, Jeok-bong smells that familiar smell that makes him vomit. They contact the others as they hide before Pil-gwang arrives.

In a flashback, we see that when Joo-seok tries to save Han-ul, Pil-gwang peeks into his memory to find the Counters’ hideout. Pil-gwang arrives and starts looking for the Counters. While hiding, Jang-mul informs them of a self-destruct button. He tells Jeok-bong to press it while he distracts Pil-gwang.

But they end up gaining Pil-gwang’s attention a little too early and Mae-ok and Jang-mul try to distract him so Jeok-bong can press the self-destruct button. Unfortunately, Pil-gwang suppresses the three of them when So-mun arrives and saves them. Then the battle begins for So-mum and Pil-gwang.

As they fight, So-mun realizes that it is really not easy to fight Pil-gwang, and decides that the only way is to press the self-destruct button. Then he tells the others to escape and save themselves. He thanks the others and continues to fight Pil-gwang.

“We must keep fighting. We need to protect So-mun.”

Just when he thinks that it will be the end for him, the Counters force their way inside and save So-mun. Reuniting with all the Counters brings hope and the only thing left to do is for them to beat Pil-gwang with all their might. The battle soon begins. They try to corner Pil-gwang and be able to summon the evil spirit but of course, it is not an easy task to do.

The only way to do this is for So-mun to enter Joo-seok’s mind and find him. But So-mun is afraid to do this because he needs the territory and it might help Pil-gwang to grow stronger.

The other Counters tell him that he has nothing to worry about because they will protect So-mun. So, he proceeds to enter Joo-seok’s mind to look for him but he only finds Pil-gwang and they begin to fight. The battle is happening both inside and outside and the Counters are having a hard time in both situations.

Pil-gwang seems to be on the winning end and will finally kill the Counters when So-mun’s tears miraculously bring Joo-seok back. When he finally takes control of his body, he stabs himself with an iron bar to kill him and Pil-gwang. So-mun realizes what is happening, and rushes to summon Pil-gwang while inside Joo-seok’s mind.

“His specialty’s performing miracles as if they’re nothing.”

Outside, Mae-ok tries her best to save Joo-seok. Then they notice that everything has ended and yet So-mun is still unconscious. Somewhere, So-mun is still looking for Joo-seok and finds him in the apartment they were scammed off. Inside is Joo-seok’s illusion of an ideal life he is not ready to let go of.

So-mun begs him to go with him and leave the place as it will soon collapse but Joo-seok does not listen to him. He then tells him that he will meet Min-ji again that’s why they need to survive. The two of them come back to the real world.

Mae-ok erases Joo-seok’s memory during the time he was possessed before bringing him to the police. So-mun and Wi-gen finally send Pil-gwang to hell. The Chinese Counters finally reunite and Mae-ok fulfills their wish to eat her special noodle bowl.

Meanwhile, Mo-tak has taken Joo-seok into custody, and before bringing him to the police station, he lets Joo-seok meet his mother. So-mun tries to convince Wi-gen to let Min-ji and Joo-seok meet even for a brief moment.

The following day, the Counters are cleaning their hideout when they see the news about Joo-seok. So-mun visits Joo-seok and tells him that his mother has been discharged from the nursing home and will visit him the next day so he needs to look good.

He also tells him that there are people who are willing to help Joo-seok and he will always be there for him. Later that night, So-mun summons the territory and Joo-seok is able to meet Min-ji once again in the place where they spent most of their childhood.

Min-ji tells him to be strong and take his time. And she will be the one protecting him from now on. She also tells Joo-seok to think of her when he is having a hard time.

The next day, So-mun tells the Counters that he is going abroad. Yung is sending him to work overseas. Everyone is shocked to hear the news and rushes to the Sprit Office to talk it out. They said, they just finished a big case so why need to send So-mun right away?

“I will never give up on you. You were the one who gave me hope every time I wanted to give up!”

So-mun appears and tells the Counters that he is the one who wants to leave as soon as possible to save as many people as possible and to avoid a case like Ma Joo-seok from happening again.

The Counters support and respect his decision and let him go with smiles on their faces. They were on the way to the airport when Jeok-bong smelled an evil spirit and they decided to leave So-mun on the highway.

Six months later, everyone seems to be living a good life. Ha-na is able to meet Do-whi by chance. Mo-tak is busy with his duty as a cop, catching criminals and evil spirits. Mae-ok continues to take care of Jae-youl while Jeok-bong is the new darling of So-mun’s grandmother.

All the Counters are doing great while waiting patiently for So-mun’s return. In Germany, we see So-mun meet a woman who becomes her friend and he wants Wi-gen to meet her. So-mun lets them meet only for Wi-gen to find out that she is meeting her daughter.

Wi-gen thanks So-mun as she hugs her daughter crying. So-mun returns to Korea with a brand-new look. His return is just in time before the team gets into a big fight. Reunited, the Counters continue to fight and save the lives of innocent people.

The Uncanny Counter 2 Series Quick Recap

The Uncanny Counter 2 continues the journey of Counters to catch evil spirits who came to earth searching for power and immortality. With their new member, more powerful evil spirits come their way, but the Counters are ready to strike back and protect the people they love.

The Uncanny Counter 2 Series Highlights and Musings

After all the struggles that the Counters have to go through, I feel so happy to see them succeed. As viewers, we also experienced a roller coaster ride of emotions and it is such a relief that our beloved Counters are all safe and alive.

Ma Joo-seok’s character is so relatable that we as viewers are able to understand what he is going through. Dealing with the loss of loved ones is a hard thing to handle. Somehow, we are happy to see that he had a chance to see Min-ji once again even if it is just a brief moment.

The writer also made sure that at the end of season 2, we get to see each Counter having their own little happiness like Ha-na meeting Do-whi with a smile on her face and Mae-ok’s relationship with Jae-youl etc.

Still, the reality that the first season of The Uncanny Counter was better was evident.  Although, season 2 can never be a disappointment especially when you did not set such high expectations, as a loyal viewer, seeing our beloved Counters in action again is already a treat.

It’s still a mystery why they bring Jeok-bong’s character. Yoo In Soo was great and did well but the character itself is not as important as the other Counters. If they just brought him in for the comical relief, it is not enough.

Nevertheless, The Uncanny Counter 2 is still an exciting watch worth recommending. The main actors as well as the supporting actors and villains did excellent work in owning their characters.

As this season comes to an end, we can just hope that in a year or two we will be able to see our beloved Counters again.

Root for the Counters as they save lives in The Uncanny Counter 2 on tvN! International fans can watch it on Netflix!

Photos: tvN Drama