Summary
A new case begins in the embers of the previous one as Do-Ki uncharacteristically leaves some telltale evidence behind.
This recap of Taxi Driver season 1, episode 9 contains spoilers.
The way Taxi Driver has generally worked thus far is by keeping its cases separate. There’s an overarching plot, sure, and a good one at that, but it has effectively focused on isolated cases that play out across two or more episodes. Taxi Driver episode 9 retains that format, introducing a new, socially relevant case about voice phishing, but it also leaves behind a very damning piece of evidence in the embers of the previous U Data case that proves Do-Ki and Rainbow Taxi aren’t going to be able to stay ahead of Ha-Na and the law forever.
This, almost right in the middle of the season, seems like the right time for such a development, and it creates an interesting spine running through each new case. We also follow on from the previous episode’s cliff-hanger ending with Sung-Chul and Do-Chul, Chairmain Baek arriving to save the former and spend a good chunk of time staring lustily at Do-Ki when he goes ballistic about it all.
What Do-Ki uncharacteristically leaves behind in the U Data fire is an incriminating ID card, which is recovered by the police and eventually presented to Sung-Chul, who remains tight-lipped about it, and then Ha-Na, who is happily fronting the U Data case with support from Jin-Woo after campaigning for, like, four episodes to get anyone to take it even halfway seriously.
You’ll recall as well, though, that Ha-Na was already piecing together the evidence of the deluxe taxi’s involvement in various seemingly unrelated events, including Do-Chul’s disappearance and her own rescue, so she has plenty to be going on with, and the trail of evidence naturally leads her to Do-Ki, whose ruse she sees through and whose phones she wants tapped. The net is closing in, it seems.
The voice phishing case introduced in Taxi Driver season 1, episode 9 is another hot-button social topic, and everyone can get behind the idea of taking revenge on people who swindle the elderly out of their money. This show has always done a great job of exposing some of Korea’s underbelly, and the crimes are somehow more despicable in their small-scale nature. There are no nuclear weapons or such here; exploiting the disabled and the elderly, bullying, and revenge porn is instead the focus, which only helps us both root for the core characters and eagerly await the downfalls of the guilty. That expert rhythm of build-up and catharsis remains here, but the overarching plot is really beginning to take shape as well.
