"Taxi Driver" Korean drama season two: Episode sixteen(final) recap

 

Air Dates: 17th until April 15, 2023. Friday and Saturday nights at 9:00 pm on SBS/ViuTV

Director: Lee Dan    Screenwriter: Oh Sang-Ho.... This episode's rating: 21.0%

This series ran for 1070 minutes or close to 67 minutes an episode.

Main Cast: The five heroes from Jang's 'Revenge Squad' are also in this second season. The only major character who didn't return was the prosecutor Kang Ha-Na so don't know if Jang's crew will be feeling any pressure from the authorities. She was mentioned in the opening minutes and also her superior won't be in this series. The top five names below are the 'Revenge Squad', think at least one more major character will be added in plus will be doing a lot of editing in the first half of the series. The bottom characters will be the guest stars for the story, for the first case will leave them there for two recaps. If you didn't read the posts or view the first season highly recommend that you do as it's my top drama from the last three years. Here are the links to the final two episodes of season one if you want to get a feel for the series:

Episode fifteen .... Episode sixteen

 Lee Je-Hoon as Kim Do-Gi.... Everyone on Jang's team is important but Do-Gi is the most essential part of the team. He used to be a member of the Special Forces of the Korean military and is truly one unbeatable fighter. Shortly after Do-Gi was discharged from the military his mother was murdered by a serial killer and that was a key story in the first season. After that killing is when Do-Gi was recruited by Jang to be a part of his 'revenge squad', after being together for over three years the team was disbanded at the end of season one. But Do-Gi kept in touch with his mentor and after two years rejoined fighting evil with Jang, soon the other three completed the team.

 Kim Eui-Sung as Jang Sing-Chul.... Leader of the 'revenge squad' and for well over a year it was a solo project. Jang also owns the Rainbow Taxi company which is a semi cover for his team, he also runs a victim's organization called Blue Bird. At the end of the first season Jang felt his squad had done all they could do so disbanded the team, think he was also worried for their safety. However Jang did secretly keep in touch with Do-Gi and in the first episode the pair did work on two revenge cases. The second case was so intense the rest of the old 'revenge squad' found out some details about it and Jang eventually brought them back into the fold. Jang below was telling the police after the squad's disbandment that he did everything by himself but the charges were soon dropped.

Pyo Ye-Jin as Ahn Go-Eun.... Her sister had been framed by a sex con artist and because of that had committed suicide. That was over five years ago and after hearing Eun-Go's story Jang recruited her to be a member of his squad. Go-Eun is the techno whiz of the team and there's seemingly nothing computer related she can't do. After Jang broke the team up Go-Eun took the civil service exam, when the series began she was working for the police in their Information Management division though soon returned to Jang's squad in the second episode.

 Jang Hyuk-Jin as Choi Kyung-Goo.... Was the head mechanic at Rainbow Taxi and really knew how to 'soup up' Do-Gi's vehicle. When the 'revenge squad' was disbanded Choi went back to being a researcher testing out new automobiles but he really missed working with his mates. At the end of the second show he, Park and Go-Eun all quit their new jobs to return to Jang's 'revenge squad'.

 

Bae Yoo-Ram as Park Jin-Eon.... In real life him and the above man are a comedy team who also appear in many dramas together. Below is Park on the left, Choi is on the right. Park comes off as being a bit goofy but what an intelligent man he is! What he did after the team broke up was to work for Korea's version of NASA designing spaceships but was about to be transferred to Russia(?) for five years.

Shin Jae-Ha as On Ha-Jun/Kim Don-Woo.... New driver for Rainbow Taxi who we first met in the third episode. There are two names for him as On is the alias he's using while working as a driver. In episode six it was confirmed that On is some sort of agent and is targeting Jang's squad.... but why?! That we discovered in the seventh episode as On is a director of the underground Geumsa organization and Jang's team have thwarted his criminal activities. In the eleventh episode On did quit as a driver for he thought his task at bring down Do-Gi was complete, did that come back to haunt him! On is not his real name and actually that has remained unknown. When he was about ten in age On was sent to live at The Bishop's orphanage, he ended up accidentally killing a boy and took his name. 

 Park Jong-Hwan as Park Hyeon-Jo.... Don't know much about him yet but think he will be a major character and also a thorn in the side of Jang! Park works for the Northeast Seoul PD and is also an executive at the Geumsa Organization which appears to be a shady outfit. Finally saw him in episode seven and is working with On. Added in a second pic of Park below as it was revealed in episode twelve he's the main owner of the Black Sun nightclub which is a very shady place. Not a huge role for Park but it's turning into an important one. Crime does pay for at the end of episode 13 it was announced Park would become the Seoul police chief! Not for long as the 'revenge squad' was able to nail Park for stealing drugs, that made him a liability to the Geumsa group and On ended up strangling him to death. 

 ****Guest stars for the seventh and final story, the top character is carried over from episode fourteen.

Park Ho-San as Park Min-Jeon aka The Bishop.... Will just refer to him as The Bishop as that was the name used 100% of the time. The Bishop is the leader of the criminal Geumsa organization that has On and the police superintendent Park as the two main directors. This man is a true bishop and as you can see below does lead services for his followers. The Bishop has just returned to Korea after a long pilgrimage, not to look for anything religious but to find some new buyers for his lucrative drug dealing trade! At the beginning of the fifteenth episode The Bishop was the seventh and final revenge requestor for this season. However it was all a ruse and Jang's team fell for the trick as they had no clue who The Bishop was.... yet!

Kim Chang-Hwan as Lee Si-Wan.... Though the above was the actual revenge requestor Jang's team ended up working on Lee's case. He had been working at the Shinwoo Bank and had been noticing an increase in recent suspect foreign transactions and many had to deal with Guemsa. Lee reported his findings to the authorities and soon after had been framed for an attempted murder! Lee was sent to prison awaiting trial so that meant he couldn't testify about his suspect findings. The Bishop of all people hired Jang's team to help out Lee but that was just a trick to get the 'revenge squad' to reveal themselves. That's Lee below, he did look like a normal office worker but had been roughed up in prison.... actually for a while there had been a bounty on his head! Below that is another picture of Lee, when The Bishop asked Jang's team for help he claimed to be Lee's father.... and they fell for the trick!

Yoon Sang-Ho as Bae Ki-Seok.... Warden at the Jangsa Prison where Lee and then Do-Gi were prisoners. Not a huge role but somewhat important as Bae works for the Geumsa organization and does seem to know On well. The number 5283 below happens to be Do-Gi's number, he uses that all the time as it's also the license plate number of his taxi.

Kim Se-Yeon as the Mysterious Woman.... One of my favorite Korean actresses and had forgotten about her the last few years. She made a cameo appearance at the 38+ minute mark of this final episode and had about three minutes of screen time. Her name was never mentioned but Se-Yeon had been asked by Jang to help his team out, we learned she had been the first driver of his Deluxe Taxi!!!!

Previous recaps.... Not every post needs to be read but don't have time to discuss a lot of what has taken place many shows before. So could help to skim through some older recaps, especially the previous recap to see where we stand. The stories last for two episodes though the sixth story ran from the eleventh to fourteenth episode. 

Episode one .... Episode two .... Episode three .... Episode four

Episode five .... Episode six .... Episode seven .... Episode eight

Episode nine .... Episode ten .... Episode eleven .... Episode twelve

Episode thirteen .... Episode fourteen

 Video from this episode which is subbed in English. It's of the expected final showdown between Do-Gi and On which took place on the rooftop of a prison. Do-Gi won the battle but in a way On also went out a winner but sadly died doing so.

 

 

 

 Wow, am I going to miss viewing this drama! Have watched 32 episodes of it this year and they totaled over 2,100 minutes for the two seasons. No date has been announced yet but season three will be happening in 2024 and have a feeling this kind of drama takes a while to film. This being the last episode won't be caring about the length of the recap and will try to squeeze in everything that happened. If you're reading this positive you read the above post as there won't be a lot of time to discuss where things stand. Did say it may be a long post but then again it might not be but being the final show means I can't do any corrections in future recaps. Not sure what will be up next but had been saying "Zombie Detective" that aired in 2020. Will be recapping it but perhaps will have a different series before that. I really like Lee Je-Hoon as Do-Gi in this drama and would like to view another of his shows. My choice is "Signal" from 2016 and a few years back think I recapped the first two episodes. But for some reason dropped the show and not sure why as it was quite good though I think a bit confusing. Which was probably more me than the show so let me take a week or two off and will dive into that drama which is also intense but of course not at this show's level.

EDIT: Just did some checking and back in January 2017 did recap the first six shows of the twelve episode series. The recaps are just SO MUCH BETTER these days, those back then were decent but not at the level of these current ones. So it doesn't make sense recapping the drama again so let me try to find another one starring Lee Je-Hoon, actually seems his movies are better.

 Will give my grade in this intro and also my final thoughts. Every episode was superb and the stories were actually better than the ones in the first season. However for the first six episodes there was way too much humor and lightheartedness, also a big decrease in the action. So up until episode six would have graded this a bit over an 8.6/10. But then the humor faded away and the intensity level really increased plus as mentioned the stories were much better. For the final ten episodes will give them a grade of 9.3/10, when you average it out the final rating would be 9.0+/10. So if you're into a lot of action plus enjoy it when victims can get revenge this is such a highly recommended series plus the plots to each show were interesting, lot of conspiracies in the second half of the sixteen episodes. But of course you have to view season one first and when you do you'll be hooked!!!! Many viewers in Korea had been as the 21.0% rating for this episode was the highest of all 32.

 There was a new woman character added tot he Guest Star list. The woman was unnamed and only was on screen for three minutes but that was one very important scene. The guest was Kim Se-Yeon and you'll be hard pressed to find a more attractive and hotter women than her!!!! Have done a fair amount of older regular posts for her which are worth checking out. The above three screenshots are how the previous episode ended and naturally it carried on into this show. Against all odds(as usual) Jang's team had come out on top battling evil and On in the second screenshot couldn't believe what had taken place. The scene took place in the office of the Jangsa Prison warden's office, his name is Bae. On grabbed his pistol and was ready to finally eliminate his arch rival Do-Gi once and for all. But Bae quickly grabbed the pistol back and soon his prison guards entered the office. They took away On and Do-Gi sending them to cells and that's where we'll pick up from.

 Do-Gi was brought to a different cell than he had been in and that may have been for the safety of the other prisoners(!), as you can see in the top screenshot his situation is quite dire. Before On was brought to his cell he was taken to the Jangsa Prison chapel where he would be having a meeting with his boss The Bishop. In the second screenshot he was addressing his fellow Geumsa group members who were naturally alarmed at what had been taking place as all of their funds were now frozen, The Bishop said not to worry though he himself probably was, since episode one Jang's 'revenge squad' had thwarted every one of his group's plans along with some other criminal organizations he worked with. On has always been the favorite of The Bishop but the failure to eliminate Do-Gi and his crew numerous times over has infuriated The Bishop. He would hate to do it but seems On's head is now on his chopping block but for the second time The Bishop gave him one final chance to redeem himself and that will be a battle with Do-Gi near the end. When Do-Gi entered the Jangsa Prison he had been wearing glasses which he often does on assignments. In them has always been a very tiny radio transmitter so he can communicate with Go-Eun who is usually nearby in the mechanic's van. 

 But after that massive scuffle in the previous show those glasses are long gone and how can he communicate with her and his team? Go-Eun knew what the situation was and for the second time was able to smuggle in a small piece of electronics, this time it was a small transmitter for Do-Gi's ear. So the lines are back in operation and now it's time to set up the plan to finally destroy the Geumsa group and the other criminal organizations they work with. In the last screenshot above is a chart Go-Eun had set up with the active groups Geumsa works with, Jang's team has taken out many but there's still quite a few to bring down. Do-Gi in this season has had so many brilliant ideas, his suggested plan was to hit where it hurts the most for Geumsa and that would be their wallets!!!! After the banker Lee's testimony in the previous recap the money flow to Geumsa has trickled way down and Do-Gi said let's eliminate the remaining sources! One lucrative business was Geumsa's antique shop Gallery Ble' and that day they had some massive sales. However the mechanics Choi and Park acted as deliverymen and arrived before the regular men picked up the expensive goods. Off the pair rode and zero money was made off those transactions and The Bishop is now beyond furious. He did have the leader Jang as a prisoner but he was able to subdue a guard and escape, bet Jang was a toughie in his younger days. He's back at his HQ with Go-Eun and she too got in on the action as she went to the Black Capitol financial office. They had all of the info about the contacts Geumsa could get money from or sell them goods. Go-Eun had a device that completely erased the company's hard drive and now the Geumsa group is close to being broke!

 Those top screenshots above are of Do-Gi's teammates pulling off those hijinks and they are mates he can depend on, even more so in this second season. For instance the mechanic Park created that device which wiped the hard drive clean, at one time he had worked for Korea's space agency. The two screenshots to focus on are of Go-Eun at the Black Capitol office, isn't she ultra attractive?!!!! Did say The Bishop was fuming at Jang's team for interrupting the Geumsa cash flow, now he's beyond livid and there's only one thing to do which is.... eliminate Do-Gi! He was brought to the prison chapel and The Bishop's plan was for Do-Gi to escape into the woods and would eventually be killed by the guards, not an original idea to me. The Bishop was not going to take any chances with Do-Gi who has survived every ordeal up until now. The Bishop took out a whistle and blew into it, that sent Do-Gi into a daze and we've seen that before. When his mother had ben murdered five or so years ago when Do-Gi had entered her house and found her body a tea kettle had been whistling. Since then when he hears that sound Do-Gi goes into a trance and comes close to passing out, when he slumped to the floor after hearing the whistle sound Do-Gi was tasered, he's out for the count. Also above we see On and he was was asking Jang wasn't he at the prison to visit Do-Gi instead of him? 

 Jang wasn't for he had discovered so much key info about On's past which the man never knew about. Jang had wondered to himself was he making a mistake visiting On and in a way it was for Jang as soon after giving On a folder with the info he was also tasered and was thrown into a police van with Do-Gi. The scene with On reading the contents of the folder came up later but makes more sense in discussing it now. We didn't see much of Jang in this scene but you can see what he says below, he once helped On's parents out through his Blue Bird group which helps out victims. Back in his cell On read through all of the papers which were from documents Jang had been told to search for from the disgraced police superintendent Park, some things Jang had dug up and few others from The Bishop's orphanage. Everything revealed the details of On's past which for some odd reason he was never aware of such as his name. At the age of nine On had been kidnapped from his parents and sent to The Bishop's orphanage, at the time On seemed just like any other young boy. There was an incident where On had accidentally killed another boy and being unnamed(?) at the time The Bishop gave him that boy's name, On Ha-Jun. But in the folder he found his real name had been Kim Dan-Woo and On's fury began to rise when he realized what had been done to him. For a decade his parents had searched for On(Kim) with no success and even asked Jang for his help which also ended in failure. The father kept digging and was getting closer to the truth, he even paid the orphanage a visit. However shortly after On's father had an 'accident' and was killed, no mention of what had happened to the mother. 

 So On's life for the past twenty years was a sham and after reading through everything was slowly starting to despise The Bishop and will get his revenge near the end. So had mentioned during that prison meeting with On Jang had been taken hostage, he was thrown in a police van with a passed out Do-Gi and the pair were whisked away.... soon to their deaths? But not just that pair for following the police vehicle in their own van were the two mechanics Choi and Park, in the back of the van sat Go-Eun at her elaborate computer system. The van was instantly noticed trailing the police vehicle and soon enough the trio were also taken hostage, now The Bishop finally has all five of the 'revenge squad' and their future isn't looking too promising. The five were brought to an abandoned warehouse and you can see their situation in the second to last screenshot above. The Bishop wasn't there but his henchmen were and close to ten of them had their pistols pointed right at Jang's team heads!!!! Just as the countdown to Fire began crashing through the metal doors was of all things.... Do-Gi's Deluxe Taxi! Who was ever driving it was an Ace and quickly took out most of these henchmen, during this time Go-Eun was able to cut through the ropes of all with a hidden knife. Do-Gi took care of any escaping thugs and who was their savior(?) as the four of Jang's team were so confused. Jang knew exactly what had happened, and stepping out of the taxi was the woman above, as mentioned in the intro she's one of my all time fave Korean actresses, Kim Se-Yeon.

 Se-Yeon's character remained unnamed and it was just a cameo appearance of three minutes but were they important as she saved the lives of the 'revenge squad'!!!! Jang explained that the woman was of all things was... the first driver of the Deluxe Taxi and had done what Do-Gi does these days, none of his team seemed to be aware he had a previous team. Before Jang went to visit On at the prison he had called up Se-Yeon saying her help may be desperately needed and that it was! After a short conversation Se-Yeon left to allow the team to finish their task against The Bishop and his Geumsa group, wouldn't mind seeing more of Se-Yeon in season three. Right after her departure Do-Gi received a call which was a shocking one as it was from his arch enemy On! We didn't hear much of the call but On wanted Jang's team to take up his own revenge case and of course that was after reading through that folder Jang had given On about his past. He told Do-Gi to meet him back at the Jangsa Prison so the pair could have their final battle and did On plan to go out in style? He had told his mentor/boss The Bishop of his plan to finally eliminate Do-Gi once and for all but I think The Bishop by now knew there was no way anyone could defeat Do-Gi.

 Final segment and by now we're only down to about seven minutes to go in this episode and the ending may have been a bit rushed. The final duel to the death between Do-Gi and On took place on the prison's roof, watching from outside of this 'cage' was The Bishop who had brought a pistol with him. It wasn't that long of a fight nor was it as intense as I thought it would be. On is a tough man and did get in some good licks against Do-Gi but in the end you know our Hero was triumphant. On was gracious in defeat and think had been wondering what would have happened if he had been raised by a man like Jang over The Bishop? **** At this point I had a thought that perhaps On would come out of this alive as in a way he too was a victim and would he have joined forces with Do-Gi and his mates? That we'll never know as rushing up was The Bishop who fired three shots at his protege' On but before he died he went out in style. On had managed to grab hold of The Bishop and pushed him to the roof's edge where he threw the pair over to their deaths(!), all of what took place is right above. So the ending wasn't as intense as I thought it would be but as usual Good won out over Evil. Meanwhile the other members of the Geumsa group heard of The Bishop's death and tried to flee. That didn't work out as the mechanics Choi and Park had thrown a canister of gas into the chapel they were fleeing from, once they were knocked out all of them had been thrown into a prison cell!

 So for the most part that ended this final revenge case but there were still two minutes to go. We did learn that a year later Jang's 'revenge squad' was still in operation plus that Go-Eun had moved back into an apartment just below Do-Gi. There's never been any romance in these two seasons but you could say the two are meant for each other. The final minute was a bit confusing and was it from a dream of Do-Gi's? The second and third screenshots below are form the final seconds, it appears that Do-Gi had enlisted back into the military and upon leaving his HQ saw the woman below. No clue who she is and if this is not a dream could she be a part of the third season? Whew, that finally ends this recap and am bushed from writing about another long series but of course one that was so terrific and highly recommended. Gave most of my final thoughts in the intro and will be taking a break from doing recaps for a week or so, the next drama will be one of the two mentioned in the beginning. And of course do suggest viewing these screenshots as they do help you follow the story a bit better.