Summary
It was always going to be hard to beat the penultimate chapter, but The Uncanny Counter episode 16 is an emotional rollercoaster, giving the audience one last fight and conclusive scenes — this is a well-rounded finale to the k-drama series.
This recap of Netflix K-drama series The Uncanny Counter Season 1 Episode 16 (finale) — the ending explained — contains significant spoilers.
The opening
We made it folks — what a consistently good series this has been, and even though we have Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) in our weekend k-drama hit, this will be sorely missed. Incredible action, drama and characters — The Uncanny Counter has been a surprise hit.
As it prepared the audience in the penultimate chapter, the finale of The Uncanny Counter sees all four Counters heading towards Shin Myeong-hwi near the demolition site — episode 16 prepares the showdown perfectly. So Mun activated the territories once again. We’ve been here before multiple times, but it looks final this time, and the fighting begins. So Mun recognises that Shin Myeong-hwi has gotten stronger as he bats them off with ease, breaking So Mun’s foot in the process. Flashbacks show Mo-tak telling So Mun to fight the evil spirit to the very end, no matter what.
So Mun gathers his powers
Ms Chu tries to heal So Mun’s leg, but he stops her and tells her he’s comfortable with his leg this way anyway — what a symbolic moment, as the audience knows full well he had a limp most of his life due to the incident with his parents. So Mun limps towards Shin Myeong-hwi and gathers his powers. He raises building blocks in the air and starts throwing them at Shin Myeong-hwi. Hitting him one at a time. They trade fists again, but So Mun has the upper hand this time and knocks the evil spirit to the floor.
So Mun is given a hard choice
You can sense this is the end for the level four evil spirit, however, it has some final tricks up its sleeve to place the audience into doubt. So Mun is about to summon the evil spirit, but Shin Myeong-hwi tells him that he will no longer see his grandparents if he does. In the distance, his grandparents are in the back of a car, and they cannot get out. Shin Myeong-hwi gives him a choice; his dead parents or his grandparents. A truck starts driving down the road out of control and heading towards the car with his grandparents in; Mo-tak and Ha-na try their hardest to stop the truck from moving, but the evil spirit needs to be drawn to stop the truck.
The evil spirit tries one last ploy
But in the ending The Uncanny Counter season 1, So Mun goes for belief over doubt. So Mun believes in his team and begins to summon the evil spirit. He tries his hardest to draw it out, and as he does, he sees his mother on the floor and stops. Ms Chu shouts at him to “snap out of it”. It’s not really his mother. So Mun continues to summon the evil spirit and ignores the manipulation. He succeeds, and the truck stops. The evil spirit is finally defeated. So Mun collapses from exhaustion and enters Yung, but the Counters are overjoyed. The end of an era; a moment that has haunted them since episode 1.
Punishing Cheong-sin
So Mun heads into Yung, and Wi-gen approaches him. She thanks him for everything and tells him that all the souls will ascend to Yung soon. Cheong-sin approaches them, and Wi-gen punishes him. As he is punished, he tells So Mun he is cursed and will die a painful death. So Mun rejects that idea, and Cheong-sin meets his fate.
So Mun meets his parents
But the most important moment of episode 16 arrives — The Uncanny Counter ensures audiences are tearful in the finale.
READ: K-Drama Shows like The Uncanny Counter
More souls arrive in Yung and await their fate — all of them are victims of the evil spirit, but some are criminals. So Mun finds his parents. It suddenly hits them that they are dead; they believe So Mun is still eleven — they don’t recognise him. Meanwhile, as So Mun is unconscious in the real world, and Ms Chu heals his legs.
An emotional reunion
Wi-gen tells the parents that So Mun will be 18 years old. She then tells them that the boy across from them (So Mun) saved their souls. So Mun isn’t ready to reveal who he is yet. The parents thank him, but then the mother realises he is So Mun, as his eyes well up. His mother breaks down in tears and holds So Mun. It’s an emotional embrace, and the series has held it off for so long for this moment. So Mun apologises to his parents and admits he wanted to spend more time with them on the day of the accident. He felt like the accident was his fault and sobs uncontrollably. The conversation lightens up, and So Mun asks his parents to rest in peace. A conclusion at last.
Reunion with Cheol-jung
The other Counters go to Yung and see Cheol-jung; the first casualty of the series at the hands of the evil spirit. The Counters are buzzing to see him. The group catch up. It’s strange as the noodle cafe is in Yung on this occasion.
Bringing Shin Myeong-hwi down for good
Episode 16 does not forget about the mayor and gives a conclusion to that story as well. Ga Mo-tak talks to Ms Jang and tells her she is the last piece of the jigsaw to prove that Shin Myeong-hwi was responsible for Kim Yeong-nim’s death. Ga Mo-tak also gives Kang Han-ul a range of evidence that brings Shin Myeong-hwi down for good, including a voice recording that Cheong-sin had. Kang Han-ul arrests Shin Myeong-hwi on his hospital bed. Cho Tae-sin is also arrested. The two corrupt men will be put away for good.
So Mun’s parents are on television at home as they are linked to Shin Myeong-hwi’s case. His grandparents sob, and he comforts them through the shocking news.
Ha-na offers to pass on a message to So Mun’s grandparents from his parents
Have you ever met the parents of a prospective partner? Imagine meeting them in Yung? In Yung, So Mun introduces Ha-na to his parents. The father tells Ha-na that she is totally his son’s type. She asks his parents if they’d like to pass a message to So Mun’s grandparents. She transfers the message to them using her powers as they sleep. So Mun activates the territories, and Ha-na touches both grandparents’ heads. Scenes show the parents and grandparents embracing each other in Yung and saying goodbye. So Mun’s parents finally cross over officially into the afterlife.
Shin Hyeok-u apologises
Perhaps one of the sadder and inconclusive stories of the finale is the bully turned victim. At school, So Mun and his friends see Shin Hyeok-u apologising to those he has bullied. He then tells So Mun and his friends that he’s dropping out of school and that he’s sorry. He walks off, but it’s an uneasy, sad ending for a character that was abused by his father. K-drama doesn’t always have happy endings, and this was a tragic one.
Shin Myeong-hwi finally faces justice
The recording is played in court of Shin Myeong-hwi asking for So Gwon and Ga Mo-tak to be killed. Shin Myeong-hwi admits to making that order. There’s a gasp in the room, and the judge explains how there’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s responsible. As he is taken to prison, So Mun tells Shin Myeong-hwi that he will never forgive him.
The ending
Yung tells the Counters that the need to explore the country and bring down more evil spirits. They don’t exactly like the idea. Wi-gen insists they will try and hire more Counters.
While on the road trip, Choi turns up with new uniforms for the job, so they look smarter. They are now all suited up, and the following scenes show their new look as they fight new evil spirits. A great end to a formidable series, I wouldn’t complain if they created a second season. However, ending it here feels perfect.
It was always going to be hard to beat the penultimate chapter, but The Uncanny Counter episode 16 is an emotional rollercoaster, giving the audience one last fight and conclusive scenes — this is a well-rounded finale to the k-drama series.
