Summary
And now breathe — episode 18 runs at an incredible pace with the Italian lawyer’s new mafia family working in full throttle as he puts his elaborate and slick plans in motion. This will be a difficult k-drama series to beat in 2021.
This recap of Netflix k-drama series Vincenzo episode 18 contains significant spoilers.
The transformation of the characters in Vincenzo since the lead character’s mother died has been fascinating — we are witnessing a new mafia family. What a series this has been, and it will be sad to leave these characters behind.
We return to the fatal moment when Vincenzo was shot by Jang Han-seo while Interpol circle the two men to arrest the Italian lawyer. The leading character drops to the floor. One of the officers checks on Vincenzo, but in a twist, the lawyer gets up and takes disarms him, and asks the other officers to put their guns down. The next scenes show Vincenzo killing the Interpol officers and asking the Korean police to cover up the evidence. Jang Han-seo looks shaken, and as he walks out, and Vincenzo shoots him in the arm. Vincenzo has transformed. Jang Han-seo tells this story to Jang Han-seok and others. They have all made it onto Vincenzo’s hit list.
What really happened on that ice rink
But in another twist in the space of five minutes, it turns out Jang Han-seo’s story was not exactly true.
The following scenes show Jang Han-seo warning Vincenzo about Mr. Han and Interpol; they worked together to stop them. In reality, Vincenzo tells the officers that Paolo set him up and offers them a present so he can stay in Korea — he provides a list of bribes that Paolo has given to politicians and ministers with the recordings to prove it. The Interpol officers are surprised at the information, knowing it will do well for their promotions. Afterward, Vincenzo shot Jang Han-seo in the arm so that he can to go to the hospital and tell the fake story to his brother and Choi Myung-hee with authenticity.
Looking at the war map
Vincenzo episode 18 barely gives the audience time to breathe from here.
It’s back to the chessboard for Vincenzo — it’s all about who they can take out next in their fight against Babel Group. They put all the main high-profile stakeholders in one room and play recordings of their corrupt ways. They believe Jang Han-seok did this to them, who is now under pressure from all of Vincenzo’s tactics. In the media, Cha-young reveals they are about to show the shocking truth behind Babel Tower and that they’ll be going to court soon. She files a claim of damages against Babel Group for illegal acts.
And it does not stop there — Cha-young has a recording of Choi Myung-hee ordering the killings of multiple people and plays it for her. She tells her it will give her thirty years in jail and that they have the upper hand. Choi Myung-hee is ready for the challenge and wonders who will be at the top in the end.
Who are your bets on?
Mr. Han attempts to threaten Vincenzo, which is hilarious
Vincenzo meets Chief Prosecutor Han and wants to offer him a deal on his life. He wants to kill him after his stunt with Interpol. A frustrated Mr. Han invites his men in to threaten Vincenzo, but the Italian lawyer shoots at them in the legs with his silencer. The fact Mr. Han tried to threaten Vincenzo is hilarious — he had no chance.
Attacking Jang Han-seok in the middle of the night.
Episode 18 then triggers a series of events where Jang Han-seok is repeatedly attacked — the villain does not have a second to breathe. He looks way less threatening now that Vincenzo has formed his own mafia family overnight.
In the middle of the night, Jang Han-seok wakes up with men in his apartment. They attack him for disrespecting his elders (a reference to Oh Gyeong-ja). He has to flee his home. After hiding, he returns home and tends to his injuries. Choi Myung-hee highlights how Vincenzo and his allies keep on provoking them.
The attacks on Jang Han-seok’s life continue and this time in a parking lot. He has to fight off a group of men and then flee in his car.
Mr. Cho is compromised
Continuing the high-octane action, Mr. Cho is beaten up by a team of men ordered by Mr. Kim, who works with Prosecutor Jung In-kuk. They know about the secrets under the plaza. They want to open the basement under the temple and ask Mr. Cho to look into security experts and hackers, or he and his family will die.
Mr. Cho brings some candidates, including Seo Mi-ri, from the plaza.
How to make Jang Han-seok safe
Vincenzo episode 18 then brings a unique turning point in the story, where Jang Han-seok has to act in mafia-like ways.
Mr. Han and Choi Myung-hee discuss the frequent threats on Jang Han-seok’s life, and they need a solution. Choi Myung-hee wants Mr. Han to arrest Vincenzo, but he doesn’t feel like he can. He feels the safest place for Jang Han-seok right now is in jail. Choi Myung-hee proposes the solution to Jang Han-seok and states it will only be for a week. She admits they are no match for Vincenzo and promises that his jail cell will be like a hotel room.
This was a shocking admission — all series, Jang Han-seok and Choi Myung-hee believed they have the power, but now, they feel weak and have zero leverage.
Relive the moment where Cha-young tells Vincenzo not to live a life with regret:
The arrest of Jang Han-seok
The next day, Jang Han-seok is arrested by the prosecution team for tax evasion, and he gives his hands to the handcuffs with ease. He tells his brother to launch Babel Bio while he’s away, but Jang Han-seo tells him he has delayed it due to the rumors surrounding the organization regarding inflation and manipulation of stocks. He explains he’s been like Elizabeth Holmes and acting like a fraud. Jang Han-seok is furious, but there’s little he can do when he’s in handcuffs. Jang Han-seo tightens them for him — he’s finally feeling confident against his brother, which is not hard when he’s in cuffs.
Vincenzo makes Jang Han-seok his mouse
Vincenzo Episode 18 brings mafia-like analogies as well — not only has this chapter brought relentless action but it’s brought some landmark dialogue.
Showing his power, Vincenzo visits Jang Han-seok in prison. Vincenzo notes how relaxed he looks in prison and that he feels safe and taunts the man — he’s amused that he thinks this is going according to plan by being in prison. Scenes show Vincenzo’s family carrying out the attacks on the chairman and that not killing him was deliberate. Vincenzo asked Chief Prosecutor Han to find a reason to arrest Jang Han-seok. Essentially, Vincenzo put Jang Han-seok in prison.
And then Vincenzo explains what he’s really doing — he states he’s “toying with a mouse before eating it,” and when he was in Italy, he did this to someone for two years until they wanted to kill themselves. Jang Han-seok is Vincenzo’s new mouse. He wants Jang Han-seok to see Babel collapse from inside jail and reveals that he has information to keep him inside for another month. Afterward, Choi Myung-hee tells Jang Han-seok that she will try to get him out and do all she can to protect Babel Tower.
But my word, the mouse story was impactful — you could see a hint of fear in Jang Han-seok’s eyes.
Return to Italy and save the family
Luca visits Vincenzo from Italy and tells him that the Luciano family has killed Dario and Sebastian, and he is no idea who is next. Vincenzo is furious, wondering what Paola is doing. Luca asks Vincenzo to come back to Italy and save the family. Vincenzo has no choice but to leave for Italy, but that means leaving Cha-young temporarily, which brings more unspoken words. Mr. Nam is upset that he’s leaving, but Vincenzo reassures him that it will just be for two weeks.
As Vincenzo leaves, the residents all give him a send-off, including providing food for his travels and other items. At the airport, Cha-young tells him that “Friends are like two souls in one body” in Italian. She warns him not to get hurt, or it will hurt her.
The ending
At the plaza, Mi-ri plays a somber tune on the piano, but then she’s kidnapped by Mr. Kim and his men and taken to the plaza temple. He asks her to open the secure hatch to the basement. Leaving her with no choice, Mi-ri uses her laptop and gets to work. The basement hatch is opened; however, when Mr. Cho and Mr. Kim enter, the gold and the Guillotine file isn’t there. Mr. Cho claims he has no idea where it is. Mi-ri gets up and escapes, and then the monks try and stop the men, but they are overthrown. Mi-ri warns Cha-young, and they are soon confronted.
Cha-young tells Mr. Park that she’s Mi-ri’s lawyer and asks him to leave. As Cha-young is about to be handled by Mr. Park’s men, Vincenzo turns up and saves her by throwing one of the men through a window.
He tells Cha-young and Mi-ri that he took care of the problem in Italy another way. Vincenzo continues to make everything look cool and slick.
And now breathe — Vincenzo episode 18 runs at an incredible pace with the Italian lawyer’s new mafia family working in full throttle as he puts his elaborate and slick plans in motion. This will be a difficult k-drama series to beat in 2021.
