The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch (2023) Episode 3

Episode 3 of Uncanny Counter Season 2 starts with Pil-gwang showing up at the Noodle bar, flipping his coin. As he and Mun lock eyes, Pil-gwang offers Mun a seat. The pair stare one another down, but Mun bends and breaks the coin as they get down to brass tacks.

Mun explains exactly what their Counter team does, including catching and punishing evil spirits. Pil-gwang chuckles incredulously, deliberating over the word punish. The laugh soon turns to an earth-shattering display of power, as the pair psychically size each other up. The other Counters, especially Mae-ok and Ha-na, figure out what’s happening and realize how much danger they’re in, especially with all these kids happily eating, oblivious to what’s happening around them.

“You have so many things you need to protect,” Pil-gwang eventually sneers, and leaves the bar. As he does, Mun relinquishes his guard and drops to his knees, bleeding from the nose. The thing is, Pil-gwang is also bleeding too. It’s clear the pair are pretty evenly matched when it comes to their power levels.

In the aftermath of this, Mun blames himself for letting Pil-gwang go. At the same time, Mo-tak gets to work training up Jeok-bong to be their new Counter. He shows the famous Counter wall and how far everyone has jumped… but Jeok-bong is embarrassingly bad when he tries, barely managing more than an inch off the ground.

While Mo-tak contemplates his next move, he receives word of Ju-seok stealing a fire engine from his links to the Spirit Realm. It turns out Ju-seok is bound for CEO Park, who’s being moved by two officers on a bus. He makes short work of the guards when he corners them in a tunnel and with an axe in hand, tries to take out the CEO.

Thankfully, Mo-tak shows up just in time and helps talk him around. “How could they kill another human being?” Ju-seok says through teary-eyes, remembering his beloved and how his life has been shattered in pieces with her death.

After slamming the axe right next to Park’s head, he turns himself in to the police, accepting any punishment that may be coming his way. As a result, he’s put behind bars.

Mun comes to visit Ju-seok and if anyone knows what Ju-seok is going through, it’s him. He points out the murderous intent he has and how the feeling can completely consume you. Ju-seok scoffs and claims he was afraid and actually regrets holding himself back from killing.

Ju-seok regrets not taking Park’s life and eventually walks away, telling Mun not to return. It seems his descent to the dark side is starting to come into focus.

With the Noodle Bar compromised, Mr Choi Jang-Mul has just the solution. He leads them deep into a warehouse where their new base is going to be located. There’s all sorts of different trinkets here, including a boxing ring, a jukebox and brand new outfits too! There are four rooms in total, and it turns out Mun and Jeok-bong are now going to share a room.

As they head outside, Mun decides to show them just how quick Pil-gwang is, and how they should all be on their toes for what’s to come. He encourages each of the Counters to come at him, envisioning that he’s an Evil Spirit. Well, even with a four on one advantage, Mun makes short work of them and knocks the gang out.

Ha-na is very proud though and despite cuts over her face, she refuses to go down without a proper fight. She finally manages to land a punch when Mun’s guard is down and she comes out on top. It’s a decisive victory and a great move for Ha-na.

In prison, Ju-seok tries to keep a distance from the other inmates but three end up surrounding him, calling him an idiot and bemoaning his lack of action against the CEO that killed his wife.

Ju-seok snaps and starts pummeling the bullies until the guards break it up and pull Ju-seok off the others. Unfortunately, Ju-seok is put in solitary confinement and he slips further into a depressive state. He looks set to commit suicide, but his deep-rage pulls in an evil spirit that takes on Min-ji’s appearance in his mind. This vision of Min-ji convinces Ju-seok not to commit suicide but instead carry on and gain revenge.

This spirit seeps into the bowels of Ju-seok’s psyche and starts to use him as a puppet. With his eyes blackened and a renowned hatred, he’s put to the test in the worst possible way.

Meanwhile, Ha-na goes out for her morning training and Jeok-bong tags along for the run. Well, that run turns out to be over 6 hours long and he eventually needs a quick break to get an ice-cream for a pick-me-up. Ha-na though, happens to be waiting just outside a music shop which holds her old fellow musically-inclined student inside, someone whom she has a deep history with. His name is Do-hwi.

Ha-na tries to get away but Jeok-bong returns, bleeding profusely from the nose as he claims he can smell something foul coming from inside the shop. Ha-na goes investigating and she finds a spirit inside, in the form of the piano repairman. She realizes that Jeok-bong’s power stems from sniffing our Evil Spirits. Ha-na single-handedly takes out the Spirit.

The Counters regroup that night and realize that Jeok-bong’s new ability could well be the key to finding the Evil Spirit group. Jeok-bong claims it’s his innate gift given he’s so used to smelling dung his entire life. Mun though is glad that he’s on their side but also knows that there’s a tough fight coming up and not everyone will make it through without casualty.

As for Mo-tak, he lets his anger out that night on the punching bag. He’s still haunted by the memories of fighting against Wong, and knows he needs to get tougher if he’s going to have a chance of matching up against his power.

It’s been 10 years since Mo-tak became part of the team and with his strength wavering, he’s worried and contemplates to Mae-ok whether it’s time for him to step down. Mae-ok hears him out and decides to cook him some noodles to help cheer her old pal up.

Elsewhere, Wong and the other Spirit group start to cause chaos around town. They’re just “going with the flow” and in the morning, Jeok-bong gets another foul stench invading his nose, leading the others to a farm way out in the middle of nowhere.

It seems Jeok-bong’s power is still unstable and the others bemoan him causing the pair to head out into the middle of nowhere, especially when they arrive and find nothing out of the ordinary. Ha-na though can sense a Level 3 spirit nearby, in the reeds next to the outer roads. She can also sense an art museum, believing a spirit is in there but just a lowly Level 1.

The gang split up, with Mae-ok and Jang-mul showing up at the gallery. However, they find themselves confronted with Pil-gwang, who happens to be waiting for them. It was a set-up. Mun though catches on to what’s happening on the road over to the reeds and worries that they’re being played with.

Mun tries to get through to Mae-ok but struggles to do so. Jeok-bong also isn’t 100% sure about the power levels either and deliberates over what to do. Mun eventually decides that the team should split up, with Jeok-bong and Ha-na heading to the reeds while Mo-tak and Mun go to the gallery.

Back at the gallery,Wong shows up while Pil-gwang is looking at a painting and he beats down Jang-mul. Mae-ok grabs a spear and tries to save the old man but he’s struggling. With the tide turning, Pil-gwang does eventually get involved and using his powers, forces Mae-ok to become a puppet to his will.

Mae-ok struggles to fight back as she’s forced to lower a spear and strike a helpless Jang-mul down. Just before she does though, Mun manages to turn up just in time and forces the spear out of her hand.

Mun and Pil-gwang stare one another down; it looks like the final fight between these two is about to take place. Pil-gwang approaches Mun, but just before they hit each other, the episode comes to a close.

The Episode Review

Kang Ki-young is absolutely chewing the scenery up in his role as Pil-gwang. Every scene he’s in, with his maniacal, twisted sneer and diabolical schemes lead into the idea of this guy being completely unhinged and a force to be reckoned with.

Ki-Young has been great in a number of different roles too, including Weightlifting Fairy, W: Two Worlds and, of course, Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Uncanny Counter is a completely different flavour to what we’ve seen from him before and so far, hes made a worthy villain.

The story this time around has been fascinating to watch and seeing the two Spirit teams on the verge of duking it out, but still playing cat and mouse right now, is a lovely touch. There’s just the right balance of action, comedy and drama here, with the moments involving Mo-tak’s introspection and wondering what his purpose is now, a definite highlight.

The agonizing cliffhanger ending leaves everything wide open for tomorrow’s follow-up and judging by what we’ve seen, it’s going to be quite the rollercoaster ride!