This recap of Taxi Driver season 1, episode 10 contains spoilers.
Continuing on from the previous, introductory episode, Taxi Driver episode 10 feels like a welcome relief in how neatly it ties up the voice phishing scandal after spending several weeks unpacking the meatier U Data case. And there are obvious similarities between the two, with Do-Ki ingratiating himself among the scam and gambling den of Lim Bok-Ja (Shim So-Young).
Jin-Eon also finds himself more imperiled than usual here, and Ha-Na is predictably involved, increasingly on Rainbow’s tail. Go-Eun is back at work on technical backup and Do-Ki is enthusiastic in his chameleonic portrayal of a gambler of ill repute.
At this point, Taxi Driver episode 10 really has a handle on what it does well, and all that stuff is on full display here. The ease with which Do-Ki can infiltrate shady organizations and play both as a no-nonsense ass-whooper and a dork is always great value. The rhythms of the evidence-gathering, build-up, and eventual payoff are tremendous. Ha-Na being only a couple of steps behind, and getting closer all the time, adds new tension. It’s all very tightly written and structured.
Bok-Ja’s downfall comes swiftly and completely but is as satisfying as ever as a consequence of all the things listed above. Smartly, this is also tied in a funny, fake quasi-romance between Bok-Ja and Do-Ki designed to give her a true sense of how it feels to be manipulated and betrayed, which is another pleasing layer of revenge. The payoff of the victims getting all their dough back is the icing on the cake.
Taxi Driver season 1, episode 10 ventures into new tonal territory here, and it really works. The breathing room afforded by this much simpler one-and-done week also lets Ha-Na’s increasing suspicions around Do-Ki ramp up. With a much meatier case likely on the near horizon, she’s now positioned to greatly interfere in Rainbow’s schemes, with a focus on tailing and exposing Do-Ki particularly. It has been good so far, but Taxi Driver seems like it’s only going to get better.
