Deluxe Taxi / Taxi Driver 모범택시 [ S1- 2021] [S2 - 2023] [S3 -TBD]

[Dhakra]

7 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Interesting. I thought boys would be sizing each other up when they do their business. Hahahaha. That was insightful, thank you. xD

 

 Naaaaah! Absolutely not, you rather try to hide everything as best as you can. That's why a toilet next to the wall is always the sweet spot. It's also rude or gives you at least weird looks if you use a squad toilet next to someone. Always one free squad toilet distance between two guys in a public toilet. Every guy knows that. Only if all are used, its okay. 

 

Here you go, some other insights. 

 

 

[mademoiselle]

16 hours ago, Dhakra said:

 Naaaaah! Absolutely not, you rather try to hide everything as best as you can. That's why a toilet next to the wall is always the sweet spot. It's also rude or gives you at least weird looks if you use a squad toilet next to someone. Always one free squad toilet distance between two guys in a public toilet. Every guy knows that. Only if all are used, its okay. 

 

Here you go, some other insights. 

Indeed another insight because I most definitely do not know Germany has squad toilets. Always thought squad toilet is an Asian thing.

[abs-oluteM]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:38 AM, Dhakra said:

hat's what you get for your....oppatism!

 

I think my oppatism has gotten worse in these Covid times. I used to juggle 4 or so dramas. But now I am watching double the amount. 

By the way when this is done , come watch Mine with us. Your gal Lee Bo Young's drama. It's good!

 

------------------

Eps 12 

I think this was the episode that both Do Ki and KHN found some  middle ground. When she decided to use Rainbow Team to avenge Investigator Wang, she was acknowledging that the work the team does is still a means to which an end is met , and in this case justice for Wang. She is acknowledging that the system is broken , and she will have to eat her own words about likening them to criminals.  In the same way Do Ki knows that this whole idea of using a private jail is muddying the waters. Something he is clearly uncomfortable with now and to which he brings up again to CEO Jang. He tells Jang they need to turn Baek's guy ( think was Seok Tae's brother) to the prosecutors. What they do for revenge is of course not quite legal as well , but I supposed it can be justified since the intention is good. But reforming these criminals outside the legal system , leads to a host of other ethical issues. Of course the fallout with Baek and discovering what she has actually been doing with these prisoners is proof that this was a bad idea from the start.

[abs-oluteM]

The 3 of them were on SBS Radio's Cultwo show doing promo for the show. Notice the t-shirts they are wearing has the Rainbow Taxi logo 

 

[abs-oluteM]

More from their promo stint for the show

 

Think we will get more of his back story today

http://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1111588421

 

CEO Jang telling the team that they will disband & this I think is their final revenge

https://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1111588284

 

[abs-oluteM]

I am finally up to speed. Unlike other "avenger" type shows, it is clear that the drama does not intend to glorify or should I say romanticize the idea of meting out your own form of justice. I am not sure if this was the direction the former scriptwriter had intended to take, or if this was what caused the fallout between him/ her and the production (PD) . But it doesn't look like the Rainbow team will continue with their services. Part of me  agrees  with the message since eps 13 & 14 were proof that things can go so wrong once you take the law into your own hands. I was rather sad to see the way Park almost died but I supposed they needed to raise the stakes . But part of me also feels a sense of satisfaction each time DoKi and the team gave those baddies a good taste of their own medicine. There are no clear answers here for me. 

 

Nevertheless DoKi did the right thing not killing Baek on the spot . He was right that death would be too easy -she needed to properly pay for her crimes. She was terribly cruel  (and crazy) seeing how she planned the death of the man who was her savior and "sugar daddy". There is no redemption for someone like that. Will she be able to get herself out of this given her connections? We won't know. People of influence are corrupted and she who seems to have nine lives may very well be able to buy her way out . But DoKi made a good point . He isn't handing Baek over to the system. He is handing her over to Kang Hanna. It is people that make the difference when the system is broken.

 

---------------

Preview - looks like DoKi keeps his promise and surrenders to KHN to pay for his "crimes"

 

[JenL]

Watched this earlier in the week, but wrote so much that I thought I'd give you a break before subjecting you to more of my long writings 

 

Episode 13 

- Wow, these episodes were rough! But I also found them exciting though at times I had to pause to get a tea or something because they were quite violent. I do love violence in a gangster movie way, but there were times that I was like, this is intense and I'm stressed! 

- I found it interesting when the start of the episode seemed to set up to make Chairman Baek look like she was a victim of a tragic past. I totally did not feel any sympathy for her then and I wasn't surprised when it was revealed at the end that she was a real psycho who planned the whole thing 

- As much as I hate all the criminals in this series for the completely horrible things they've done to other people, I felt like that conditions in that make-shift prison were actually quite bad. So I don't know about reform, but CEO Jang did give them a horrible time? 

- The embassy scene with KHN made me cringe, but when they brought out KDK using smoke bombs and catching GTY, I felt it was redeemed! GYT really did squeal like a pig and there was something about sooooooooo satisfying about seeing KDK pound him into pulp...also quite funny that the engineers from Rainbow Taxi gave GTY extra spray to keep him sedated in the ambulance 

 

 

- Of all the evil criminals from the show, I definitely think the ones from the tech company and the ones who hurt Maria were the most evil. In fact they also lead the rebellion on the bus 

- I was really mad at the cops when they were doing the transaction on the bridge. I mean, in a way they saved everyone...but in another way they arrested KDK who was nothing but helpful to the cops who were so very slow at uncovering everything! 

-The tail end of Episode 13 stressed me out so much! I think it was the creeps getting to GE and Maria and knowing that they would definitely harm the girls in more ways than one if they got their hands on them  Also I was traumatised for GE who would have to have the jerk who hurt her sister face on. The whole time I was so mad...stay away from my girls! 

- But I really liked how cool it was that KDK could fight with glow in the dark googles! 

 

Episode 14

- My heart hurt watching this episode the whole way through. Me = will everyone survive unscathed?! 

- I can't tell which evil guy was worse - the sicko pedo who just kept forcing himself and his feelings onto poor Maria or the illegal video guy who was torturing GE about her sister. There was something terrifying about seeing just how evil some criminals can be - not only was there no remorse, but there was so much selfishness and vengefulness  I just wanted them punished! 

- There was something sooooo satisfying seeing KDK almost bash that video guy for what he almost did to GE. But I also loved how GE stopped him because she didn't want to see someone she loved turn into a monster on her behalf!  

- I want to say the police did a good job, but even when KHN convinced the police to search the premises of Chairman Baek, you knew it was going to be a slow process where they wouldn't find the right rooms etc. 

- There was a bit of a Dark Knight scenario going on here where the bad guys were pretty much making it hard for KDK to be in several places at once. It hurt me to see them do the physical torture with CKK getting his finger hammer flat and CEO Jung having his eye taken out. 

-And then that damn truck of doom  I'm not sure how I felt about that scene mainly because it's just so cliche to have the truck of doom appear twice in one episode! (At the start with Chairman Baek's story there was also a truck of doom). This did however spur on a KDK fighting rampage which I really enjoyed. This sequence reminded me of the non stop action a la Man from Nowhere style. 

- I loved KDK's fighting technique to play weak and then grab Chairman Baek at the first opportunity to use as bait  I feel like I've learnt a thing or two about fighting from KDK

 

 

- I haven't had the chance to read the comments further back yet, but I did see someone say that it was unrealistic that the gangsters didn't have guns...and while I did like these episodes, I totally agree that gangsters would not go around without guns. They wouldn't care about no firearms laws...they'd be loaded...so it was a bit weird they weren't armed. But otherwise, I enjoyed the fight/ action scenes in this ep 

- With Chairman Baek finally caught though, I wonder what the last 2 episodes will be about? I guess it's closing the loop with his own mother's murder and closing down the revenge arm of their taxi service? 

[abs-oluteM]

8 hours ago, JenL said:

I haven't had the chance to read the comments further back yet, but I did see someone say that it was unrealistic that the gangsters didn't have guns...and while I did like these episodes, I totally agree that gangsters would not go around without guns. They wouldn't care about no firearms laws...they'd be loaded...so it was a bit weird they weren't armed. But otherwise, I enjoyed the fight/ action scenes in this ep

But do you notice in many SK dramas,  gangsters & cops ( especially if they aren’t detectives) often don’t have guns? From reading  , I understand gun laws are so strict that it is hard to even smuggle them in. Not sure if that’s the reason 

 

[mademoiselle]

@abs-oluteM

The radio cultshow was them fulfilling their promise of achieving high ratings. 😁

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 15

This was probably the most emotional episode for me since it was based on a real case, and it involved Do Ki's back story.  Oh Yung Chul who actually murdered Do Ki's mum later confessed to doing so in diary entries he made while currently serving jail time. (He was serving jail time for other crimes.) These diary entries were sent to Jang and KHN. But the sad part was that some of his murders were blamed on another guy (forgot his name) and that poor fella served 20 years jail time for it and loss everything ( his family left him) and is now out of jail. Kang Hana told her boss about it and they managed to find proof from 20 years ago but the statute of limitation has expired. 

 

Anyhow the guy who went to jail wrongly for it , wanted justice for the time he lost and he was angry that Oh Yung Chul cannot be charged for those cases. What the guy wanted was for OYC to apologise to him and so he called up Rainbow for the revenge. The team had wanted to disband but DK decided to take on the case. Meanwhile KHN interrogated OYC and wanted prove that he was indeed the murderer - she was suspicious about his real intentions. Was it just for the attention ?

 

In a surprising twist, OYC said he can prove it - he asked KHN to bring the last victim's son to see him. Well this happened to be Do Ki. KHN was hesitant at first but she spoke to DK. DK went and see the guy. My goodness , I felt so much grief when OYC recited the last few words that DK's mum said to DK over the phone. That was so painful to watch. So now for DK , this wasn't just a revenge for the client but it will become very personal.

Meanwhile this OYC is truly a sick man...he has a wife & son too. And we find out that his son became a prison guard who was in charge of his cell. So sad because there was a scene of him beating up the guard - he doesn't know that guard is actually his son. 

 

In the finale , we will see what happens to OYC and how DK is able to make this man regret. I don't know how that is possible because a psychopath  like OYS has no remorse nor feelings. Perhaps his son is the key. 

 

Eps 15 story inspired by true events - the short epilogue at the end made me tear up 

 

[abs-oluteM]

Goodbye to the team...I really enjoyed this drama..

 

[JenL]

I can't believe it's the final week! I'm not ready to let this series go let since it's been so much fun to watch and a good series to watch when you feel like anything is unjust in this world...it made me feel like there were people out there who cared 

 

Episode 15

-Ughh, the opening with the serial killer was so creepy!!! 

-I was so relieved that PJE survived the Truck of Doom ramming into him. I was seriously thinking that he would die from it, but that seemed too harsh a punishment for the Rainbow crew 

- I enjoyed the power of CEO Jung not caring whether Chairman Baek would tell on him or not. And I think it's true what he said about just wanting to cut ties with her asap - I mean, jail doesn't seem as bad as having a psycho blackmail you all the time! 

- I loved that scene with the Rainbow crew all refusing to let CEO Jung be their scapegoat - they're such a family. And I enjoyed the roast session where GE was like, "Yeah, but no one would believe you hacked U Data because you're computer illiterate" and CKK said that he wouldn't even know how to identify the engine of a car 

- It's interesting to see how damaged the criminals were from the experience of being in CEO Jung's jail. But I think an element of it was probably fear of the unknown since they were kidnapped and had no idea where they where or what their captors would do to them. But yeah, sounds the conditions were pretty horrible all around. I want to say I felt that it's wrong, but I really didn't when I saw the pedo go after Maria and the illegal-sex-tape guy kidnap Go Eun. The fact that some criminals don't reflect and learn from their mistakes makes me feel angry about why they should be treated well. BUT with that said, a lot of this week's episode focused on what if someone was framed...If we did have CEO Jang's type of jail and an innocent person was tormented like that, it would be so horrible 

- I wasn't surprised at KHN's reaction to KDK revealing the jail...but I did kind of feel annoyed that she was so high and mighty about it though I understand where she's coming from. I mean, it'd be pretty shocking to see those conditions...but I do feel like the police and the law have too many loopholes that it's quite rich to blame KDK/Rainbow Taxi for trying to bring the law into their hands...I mean it's embarrassing just how many criminals they managed to kidnap consecutively 

- The fact that some poor guy was forced to serve a 20 year jail sentence because of OYC and some dirty bully cops makes me feel so sad...for the character, but also for the real story in the epilogue...And when you think about it, for anyone who has been unlucky enough to have that experience  It is so completely unfair that some guy's life was ruined all because a psychopath decided it'd be fun to withhold information that he was eventually going to release anyway   And then all the police could do was apologise because they couldn't punish the bad cops because the "Statue of limitations" had expired?! Should people abusing their power be punished anyway???  I don't blame him for wanting revenge!

-What I like about this show is that it hasn't said that the law/ courts are the best system or that going around the law is better - clearly, the drama shows us that things should go through a justice system rather than through a personal revenge system snce that just leads to endless hate and violence, but there is still A LOT of work needed to improve our current systems 

- Poor KDK's mother  It was so disgusting seeing OYC toy with KDK saying her final words. It's so unfortunate that his mother was at home, but suffered a random home invasion by a psychopath. I think the trailer showed KDK saying he would threaten OYC's son...but realistically, would many true psychopaths be threatened by that?  There's been a few podcasts about real life kids of psychopaths and a few of them had cases where they narrowly missed being one of their parent's victims  Lack of empathy, lack of understanding of pain and a predisposal to violence are common traits...I mean, it makes you question whether they do form true attachments to anyone? 

 

Also a few things I wanted to agree with people about that I never got the chance to earlier:

 

On 5/16/2021 at 12:02 AM, Dhakra said:

 

• Am I the only one who always things the commercial at the end with the dancing girl is so incredibly misplaced? Especially in this episode Ha Na mourns on the death of her co-worker and suddely there is a girl dancing next to it.

 

Hahaha I have always found this super distracting too!!! Like she's dancing in such a showy way too. It's the weirdest ad to have at the end of such intense episodes 

On 5/16/2021 at 12:06 AM, mademoiselle said:

I honestly am puzzled how the victim's girlfriend Hye Yeon can be "friends" with Gu Young Tae because he's bad news from the get-go. Hye Yeon was portrayed through Pastor Ko as a nice and kind young lady. I'm sorry for being prejudice however nice and kind lady don't befriend a gangster like Gu Young Tae. Even if he hides his real self, his demeaner just doesn't come across as friendly or trustworthy.

 

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned in my episode summary, but when I watched that episode I was also super puzzled about this too. I didn't think GYT could even pretend to be nice, so how could they be friends?! Unless he did what a lot of gross guys do with pretty, soft girls - just force their company onto them...but then wouldn't you try to keep your boyfriend away from him?! 

Edited May 29, 2021 by JenL

[JenL]

On 5/16/2021 at 11:02 AM, Dhakra said:

 

• But on the other hand, I love it SO MUCH to finally see Do Ki and Kang Ha Na working together. She is such a valueable asset aswell. I hope it stays like this. With this addition, I wouldn't mind a second season. 

 

If there was a second season, I feel like this would be the premise since I guess they can't continue to let Rainbow Taxis operate given that KDK has pretty much confessed everything to KHN. It's been such a good watch that I would be ok with a second season of this too! 

On 5/18/2021 at 10:05 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

This is what I think went through her mind: The law failed with regards to these "too hard" cases. And she's devoted herself to upholding it. She's a true believer judging from the fact that she kept going back to interviews. Even among her colleagues she's a bit of a renegade but she still works within the law to a large extent. So it must be galling that a group of people who have no official sanction can achieve what she can't. However, they succeeded because they "cheated"... went outside the law... to do what the system failed to do. Moreover what I don't like about the prosecutor's office is the attitude of going for the "easy cases" and letting those sitting in the "too hard" basket become cold cases as a result.

 

I have no doubt that her role (and the chief prosecutor's) in this drama is to highlight the inadequacies of the legal system as it stands. They are lawyers first and foremost rather than crime fighters. The law limits what they can do when dealing with hard core criminal elements. That's inherently unfair. Because it means someone with a good lawyer and/or a lot of money can buck the system.

 

I totally agree with everything you've said about KHN. I think she represents the good prosecutor/cop with a heart in the right place and who genuinely wants to do good using the law. And there's definitely people like that in our world. But because she wants (and needs) to follow the law, she is restricted to things like bureaucracy and hierarchy which is frustrating and sometimes leads to very unfair results, even when the intentions are well meaning. I find my frustrations about her at not directed at her as such but at the system she represents. But Esom is doing a good job portraying KHN I think - I have been more frustrated with similar characters before, but KHN is quite empathetic so she's a balanced character. 

[JenL]

On 5/22/2021 at 1:29 PM, ktcjdrama said:

Um... normally people will just pat on shoulder... why would he be caressing her

hair/neck area? Very suspicious!! 😄

 

 

Hahaha I feel like lots of people have been shipping Esom and LJH from this series There was photos of them after an interview and the headlines said something about it being like after a date! 

[JenL]

On 5/23/2021 at 11:20 AM, Dhakra said:

Do Ki saved Maria and Go Eun. I don't care how he find them in time, it doesn't make any sense that he was able to find them so quickly but boy if something would have happened to them, or if they had recorded some weird shit, I would have dropped the drama faster than anything before. I skipped a lot during the scenes because I wanted to see them being rescued fast. I can't bear it watching woman/girls get hurt. It makes me want to cry and furious. 

Sorry if I am a bit harsh to the drama at this point or make a little too much fun about it. I do like the drama, but I'm honestly a bit disappointed. And I was so mad during the last half and the first half of ep 13+14, violence against women is a red flag for me. 

 

I'm glad violence against women can affect guys as much as girls...and bring out that anger towards evil guys  I enjoy violence between gangsters, but abuse is a completely different thing and it sickens me whenever I have to watch it. 

 

On 5/23/2021 at 11:20 AM, Dhakra said:

 

• And seriously, if you don't kill them for good this time and bury their corpses, I don't know when. Look at what they did to Marie and Go Eun AGAIN! Gosh, it makes me so angry!

 

Hahaha the age old rule for good guys in films dramas that focus on morality rather just action is that they can't kill anyone....otherwise what makes them different from the bad guys?  I know, it sucks because I just want the bad people wiped off this planet too...but then KDK would have to go to jail for a long time in their place which would also suck 

 

On 5/23/2021 at 6:52 PM, 40somethingahjumma said:

However, I have never really had a problem with the vigilantism in this show because this has always been grounded in Batman mythos: the corruption, impotence and ineptitude of the law enforcement agencies leading to widespread criminal activity. A Gotham-like lawless scenario. That's where the world building here is grounded in. Moreover Episode 14 was entirely a Batman story. Completely so. The inmates have escaped Arkham Asylum and are running riot so it is up to Batman aka Taxi Driver aka Kim Do-ki to round them up and finally hand them to the prosecutor.

 

Totally agree...I was reminded of when the Joker in Dark Knight made Batman pick between rescuing a bunch of inmates and rescuing Rachel. Episode 14 was like that - the bad guys were making it so difficult for KDK to rescue his entire team!

 

On 5/23/2021 at 8:09 PM, Chocolate said:

Last week's episodes showed how unprepared and ill-equipped the Taxi Group is to deal with real bad guys. They only have one Kim Do Ki and though he can fight 40 men (who miraculously do not have guns), he cannot be everywhere. The other 4 basically cannot defend themselves.

 

I also have some rants about episode 14:

• Please, call the police when you need to save lives.
• Mr Park, you drive by Ms Baek's office where your friends' lives are in danger, see Prosecutor Kang and drive off? Shouldn't you tell the police where the hideout is so that they can save your friends?
• Go Eun, stamping on the sister's ex-boyfriend's phone to destroy it in anger. For what? Shouldn't you be trying to access the phone and delete all copies of the files that he has stored so that it does not surface again? Since you are apparently so traumatised by that video that you can't even fight back when the guy was going to rape you?

 

Hahaha all valid points. I have to admit while I love the show and stuff like KDK fighting 40 guys doesn't bother me (because you see the same thing in evvverrryyyyy action film, Korean, American or otherwise), I was a little confused about why PJE was just driving around in the taxi and not actually doing anything helpful till he got run into by that truck? I guess his role was just to make KDK so mad that he would take on 100 gangsters even after stabbed and injured 

 

On 5/25/2021 at 3:38 AM, Dhakra said:

So you had "unimportant" conversations in the toilet?  I don't know how it is in women restroom's, but male restrooms are probably the most silent, calm places on the planet. 

 

Hahaha yes, but mostly because people force conversations onto  me and I don't want to stop responding to make it more awkward.  That's why I try to go to the bathroom further away at work so I don't run into anyone there and have to have a conversation (as much as I like being social...I save it for desk/ kitchen instead!)

 

On 5/25/2021 at 9:13 PM, mademoiselle said:

Interesting. I thought boys would be sizing each other up when they do their business. Hahahaha. That was insightful, thank you. xD

 

LOL we've been enlightened 

[Dhakra]

Didn't watch ep 15 yet, I watch both episodes on Sunday combined. Hey.....it's Champions League finals today!

 

2 hours ago, JenL said:

Hahaha I have always found this super distracting too!!! Like she's dancing in such a showy way too. It's the weirdest ad to have at the end of such intense episodes 

 

Well I don't mind the showy dance itself, I wouldn't mind it, if I would see it somewhere else, it's just weird when the end was totally tense, episode ends with a cliffhanger, you are on the edge of your seat and suddenly there is a pretty girl smiling, dancing in front of you, while the other screen next to it still shows desperate or crying people....or back then the death of the Inspector. 

 

1 hour ago, JenL said:

I'm glad violence against women can affect guys as much as girls...and bring out that anger towards evil guys  I enjoy violence between gangsters, but abuse is a completely different thing and it sickens me whenever I have to watch it.

 

My anger goes in every direction, no matter who it is that harms girls. It makes me go.   It doesn't even need to be physical. People who treat women bad in any way are scum. If I witness someone harming a girl, physically or mentally, he is done. Instead of Do Ki, I would have never stopped punching them. 

Violence between gangster is fine for me too, violence against men doesn't affect me much either (in a drama at least).

 

But abusing, especially sexually, is something I can hardly endure and which makes my blood boil. I always feel like I need to do something and want to step in to protect. When Do Ki began to punch them, I'm sure I had tears of joy in my eyes. 

 

1 hour ago, JenL said:

Hahaha the age old rule for good guys in films dramas that focus on morality rather just action is that they can't kill anyone....otherwise what makes them different from the bad guys?  I know, it sucks because I just want the bad people wiped off this planet too...but then KDK would have to go to jail for a long time in their place which would also suck 

 

Well, let me answer that with a quote about the difference between the bad and good guys from one of my favorite video game characters: 

"They will stop at nothing to destroy everything, but we will sacrifice everything to save it."

 

1 hour ago, JenL said:

Hahaha yes, but mostly because people force conversations onto  me and I don't want to stop responding to make it more awkward.

 

You mean people are actually starting to talk to you? I imagine how it would be if one would suddenly begin to talk to someone in a men's toilet. Maybe a confused murmur, people jumping into hiding, everyone being confused at what just happened, somebody broke the holy silence. 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Dhakra

[mademoiselle]

I don't know whether the intention of episode 15-16 were originally set to focus on Do Ki's mother murder case. However I do like that "statute of limitations" was touched on. This topic was further emphasized with the additional footage at the end on the man who was falsely accused as the infamous Hwaseong serial killer. This footage is real and I'm glad to be able to get a glimpse since it isn't easy to find reliable English version and updates on the infamous Hwaseong serial killer case.

 

Not that I don't already know these things do happen all around the world but it's still really heartbreaking so many people have been victimised by the corruption of police and/or prosecution abusing the law/power and falsely accused victims admitting and confessing to crime they did not commit. Granted it's likely they did it because of peer pressure from the higher up and media to solve the case. I hope their conscience eats away their soul for what they did. I felt my vision had been a bit narrow in this instance because it didn't cross my mind that the statute of limitation applies to the police and prosecutor who abused the system too.

 

No compensation or apologises could take away all that suffering, trauma and pain or turn things back to the way it were. It changed a person's mindset. Deteriorate their health and regardless of whether the person has been proven not guilty, the society or the people don't see the person as he/she was anymore.

 

I'm appalled that the Prosecution told the falsely accused man he has to go through a re-trial. Why can't the police and prosecution just do a media release and announce his innocence? Why must he be subjected to another trial to prove his innocence? It's probably a part of the written "process" of the law but this process is still nerve-wrecking and brings back unpleasant memories. In this I feel the finale has downplayed a lot of the suffering.

 

I'm not sure I like how the case to Oh Young Chul ends. I'll have to sit on this and let it sink in. At this point I do feel rather dissatisfied that CEO Jang told him his son's identity. I understand he gets told as mean of punishment but still...unsatisfying. Also I thought his son knew Oh Young Chul is his father (otherwise what's that scene of face washing about?) but then the next episode we finds out that he doesn't know.

 

I thought psycho don't have feelings or is capable of love, this was mentioned in a fair few dramas but Taxi Driver is telling us they do/can. Was this made up so that the show can "punish" Oh Young Chul? What if a psycho really don't know love? What will be the best revenge towards him?

 

Things I really don't like in the finale episode:

• PPLs. So MANY of them one after another. Talk about contamination and being unhygienic to apply a cosmetic on the face, lips and neck and give it away to someone else.

• I didn't think the head chief of prosecutor needed to resign for covering up Rainbow Taxi Driver. With him there, he could be more helpful to Rainbow I reckon - like fight harder to help Blue Bird foundation to get more funding. Besides, why do Koreans think "resignation" is an act of being responsible of everything?

 

Lee Je Hoon looks absolutely gorgeous in the last scene. What's the difference? I don't know... was the hairstyle different? LOL... yeah, looks like it's the hair.

source: LuckyJeHoon

 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]

Yay! I am done.

 

I was glad that the Rainbow Team did not disband at the end of the day. As long as there are wicked people in the world and a broken system , the good that the team does and the victims that they protect outweigh the bad and the risks they take. I was not surprised that KHN somewhat let the team go and joined them too. But the one who turned out pretty cool to me was her immediate superior . He resigned as a way to take on the blame for dismissing involvement of Rainbow in all the "kidnappings",  and became a lawyer to help those who deserved a retrial.

 

OYC's case moved me very much - I felt particularly sorry for his son. I am glad the son never found out who the father was , but I personally felt that OYC should know who his son was, and how much he hurt him. That is karma and the best punishment for someone like him. The scene of OYC apologising to the guy who wrongly took his place  was actually my favorite scene because the drama came back full circle to what Jang had wanted in his reformist agenda. How I see it is that there was nothing wrong with what Jang wanted - reeducation of these criminals and having them fully repent. The intention is good.  But there has to be a line drawn to how that has to be executed meaning that a private jail is not the best way to do it. Instead, the team can still defend those who are at a disadvantage without leaving the justice system out of it.  With KHN joining them , and with Go Eun , now a cop and still part of the team, they are implying that that will be the direction to how the team will handle all the future cases they take up. 

 

This was a great drama all things considered. I am sure there are things I could pick on but I don't think there was anything I particularly disliked . Watching Lee Je Hoon for 8 weeks in an action-packed show made me happy - he is an excellent actor . I have been waiting since Signal for him to do a crime drama again, so this role made me happy. ( I am still hoping for Signal 2 more than a second season of this TBH). And I am thankful there was no romance in this drama in spite of all the shipping out there 

[abs-oluteM]

OST 7

 

[JenL]

On 5/26/2021 at 9:11 PM, mademoiselle said:

Indeed another insight because I most definitely do not know Germany has squad toilets. Always thought squad toilet is an Asian thing.

 

Hahaha I was shocked when I found this out years ago when I went to France. I think they have them across a few European countries, though it is more commonly not the squat ones.

 

On 5/28/2021 at 12:58 AM, abs-oluteM said:

The 3 of them were on SBS Radio's Cultwo show doing promo for the show. Notice the t-shirts they are wearing has the Rainbow Taxi logo

 

This was so cute. I really liked the part in the interview where he reverted back to Wang Tao Zi 

 

 

On 5/29/2021 at 1:10 AM, abs-oluteM said:

I am finally up to speed. Unlike other "avenger" type shows, it is clear that the drama does not intend to glorify or should I say romanticize the idea of meting out your own form of justice. I am not sure if this was the direction the former scriptwriter had intended to take, or if this was what caused the fallout between him/ her and the production (PD) . But it doesn't look like the Rainbow team will continue with their services. Part of me  agrees  with the message since eps 13 & 14 were proof that things can go so wrong once you take the law into your own hands. I was rather sad to see the way Park almost died but I supposed they needed to raise the stakes . But part of me also feels a sense of satisfaction each time DoKi and the team gave those baddies a good taste of their own medicine. There are no clear answers here for me. 

 

I really like this about this drama. There's something nice about how it both critiques the weakness of our existing legal structures ( well, specifically the Korean justice system), but also warns against seeing revenge as the way out. I think it's a fine balance, but they have done well to look at the merits and issues of both ways. I think there's never going to be a clear answer, but something like this pushes people to examine their systems and to  check their own beliefs about what it means to serve justice. We have a system that is at times broken, but if we can continue to work on it - ie, not be complacent if we work in these types of jobs, lobby, create support programs etc. then maybe we can make this system work better than it currently is 

 

On 5/29/2021 at 10:45 AM, abs-oluteM said:

But do you notice in many SK dramas,  gangsters & cops ( especially if they aren’t detectives) often don’t have guns? From reading  , I understand gun laws are so strict that it is hard to even smuggle them in. Not sure if that’s the reason 

 

I think it's like half half? I've seen some movies where the gangsters have guns...And I believe no matter how strict laws are, bad people will find a way to smuggle things in. But I guess the other thing is that perhaps the sentences will be much worse if you get caught killing someone with an illegal weapon vs. if you kill them without one, so maybe they avoid using it if they have other weapons?  I know that's a factor with people who rob people in the US - robbery where a weapon is used is much more severe in the way of punishment apparently, so I think it does put people off using weapons 

 

19 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

In the finale , we will see what happens to OYC and how DK is able to make this man regret. I don't know how that is possible because a psychopath  like OYS has no remorse nor feelings. Perhaps his son is the key. 

 

I haven't seen the last episode yet (though I'm about to watch), so not sure what KDK makes the man regret in the series...The only way I think you could make a psychopath feel bad is if you make them feel like they've lost.

 

I remember once reading a very long article about psychopaths and training them. The take-away I got from the study was that psychopaths generally think in terms of winning and losing, since they have very little (if any) empathy, don't fear pain or punishment, are often quick to anger and often have high levels of narcissism. The article was about a rehab facility that trained young psychopaths, already in juvenile jail for violence, so that they wouldn't end up as serial killers. Punishment didn't work on any of the kids, but making them realise violent and dominating behaviours made them 'lose' in life and they could 'win' by acting in non-violent, socially expected ways was the long terms solution. All the kids were very calculative, so they literally had to turn things into a game of gains and losses. In that study, I think only 1-2 (?) kids ended up being criminals as adults (can't remember if they were killers or not). They talked to a few of them as adults and most were 'normal' thanks to their training though they did say that it's very tiring because they have to actively check themselves or they could slide back. They naturally still don't have feelings for other people, so life can be quite hollow and depressing. As much as they have dangerous anti-social behaviours, it seems kind of sad that some people are born this way. 

[SnowBlob]

I finished too!! And one drama down yayyyy~~ 

Ditto @abs-oluteM I'm glad Rainbow Taxi didn't disband in the end .. and perhaps by bringing KHN into the team, now they'll stay "somewhat" in accordance with the law. I can imagine the original gang strives to find proofs and then KHN will then prosecute the criminals  No more dodgy jail owned by dodgy woman~ 

 

Overall, an ok drama for me. Definitely was great in the first few eps but not sure since when I felt that I no longer particularly looked forward to upcoming episodes except ep 16. I enjoyed LJH's performance here and def loved the team's interaction with one another. Nothing to do with Esom, but I didn't quite like KHN's character especially in the first 12 eps. I warmed up to her character a lot more in the last 2 eps but not quite enough to make me 'adore' her. 

 

Looking forward to seeing LJH in a project that I like (unfortunately, Signal is the only one.. He did make an appearance in the last 2 eps of my fav Hot Stove League but that's not enough!). 

 

Now.. can someone tell me... How did CEO Jang got his eye back???? His one eye was still covered with pad in ep 15 and then bam at the start of ep 16 he got that eye looking fine  Did I miss something?

 

[JenL]

Yay! I am also done 

 

I really enjoyed this series because it was a combination of all the things I like  Kim Do Ki was such a badass character, but also very warm and funny and it was just so great watching him each week in a different persona. The Rainbow Taxi family were all so much fun. While each case of abuse hurt my heart, it was so nice to have this group of people take revenge on behalf of the victims to make me feel like the world is not as unfair or cold as it sometimes seems. I enjoyed that the drama got viewers to question their sense of ethics/ morals and whether or not something is fundamentally right for society - I think these sorts of discussions are important since media does influence people to make differences in our world. Lastly, I adopted Lee Je Hoon from this series - before I use to think of him as "that familiar guy from the last Korean movie I watched"  So overall, I loved this series. I do have a few hang- ups about the finale, but it wasn't too bad all things considered...

 

Episode 16 (Finale)

- I'm going to preface this by saying, I don't love finale episodes often. There's always a chance things can go violently wrong (I'm still looking at you, Dodosolsollalasol). But even if it's not horrible, I find it's hard to keep the pacing right and sometimes there's a lot of time spent on unimportant things. There was a bit of this in Taxi Driver which did make this episode less good compared to all the other episodes that I loved so much...but they also tied up the loose ends, leaving a few crumbs for a potential season 2, which I wouldn't mind getting if they're thinking of doing one 

- I liked that the last episodes looked at KDK and CEO Jung's own demons with OYC because they always wanted to get revenge, but felt they couldn't. It was good to see them get the revenge they deserved and work through all the things that had hurt them. 

- I was conflicted that OYC's son was sort of used as the pawn in the revenge, but it doesn't seem like KDK and CEO Jung knew what OYC was going to do to the bodyguard that was his son...only that they leveraged what happened to torment OYC. I think I was the opposite to you @mademoiselle in that I liked that CEO Jung did reveal the truth to OYC  to break him - letting him know he had hurt/destroyed the thing that he most valued with his own hands would be a way of making him feel like he had lost. That's what you get with messing with security guards, OYC! 

- With that said, I felt like the scriptwriters didn't really look so deeply into psychopaths. I'm not an expert but I guess I've read a lot about them over the years because I've always been fascinated with empathy and how some people really don't have it. The first thing that I was a bit meh on was them saying psychopaths could love their kids. I really didn't think so, but I had a look on some psycho/sociopath threads on reddit after the episode and most psychopaths said they don't think they do - they feel 'fondness,' but love is hard for many. It's probably not impossible, but more in the way that psychopaths think of their kids being an extension of themselves or something useful/beneficial to them. So OYC missing his kid was a bit of a stretch, but it's possible that he thought his kid was the good part of himself or something. 

- The second thing bothered me more: That OYC felt bad for his crimes...This one was a huge stretch for me to suspend my disbelief. Psychopaths don't have empathy mainly because that section in their brains are just less developed. It's not even a matter of learning - they genuinely don't have that capacity. So the courtroom scene was a bit too much - I doubt a real life version of OYC would cry or apologise at all! So I guess it felt unrealistic and more like taking big K-drama liberties there. 

- But to bring it back to a more positive light, I liked how generous KDK was to OYC's son, even though his father killed KDK's mother. KDK/ CEO Jung offering that olive branch to the son by helping his mother was probably more healing for himself than it was helpful to the son. And I also liked that KDK didn't tell the son who the dad was - it would have destroyed him. Like you @mademoiselle, I thought the son knew his father. But now I think, he was just reflecting on how terrible his life was getting beat up all the time? 

- I'm glad that KHN did not arrest KDK and she buried the Rainbow Taxi case. I mean, she wasn't wrong, it's not like there was evidence since GE erased all of it  But I still found it weird that her boss was quitting to take responsibility for hiding the case...if it was hidden, wouldn't it be fine to stay in the job? Because if they knew, I assume the prosecutors would be punished or fired. I guess it was just a matter of integrity 

- Ugh product placement - I think product placement should be banned from finale episodes! Fine, if it's 1-2 things and they write it in real naturally...but it really ruins the pacing of the story. This episode had several things advertised and writing them in meant a lot of filler time required (Eg. KHN doing her make-up, KDK going camping). There was a point where I think we saw 3 product consecutively! 

- I was soooo sad when I thought Rainbow Taxi was going to split up. It seemed sad that they had worked on this big project to better society only to leave each other forever.  I was thinking "But you're family!!!" Luckily, it was revealed that they hadn't really split up and they were still getting bad guys. The difference now is that they each also have a cool day job to boot  I totally agree with you @abs-oluteM that with the added member of prosecutor KHN and GE, now a cop, it's implied that they would use their skills but deliver baddies into the legal system with proofs for sentencing. I think also it seems to imply that the team are less about revenge per say, but more about finding baddies, infiltrating their organisations and stopping their plans  

- I'm going to finish up my finale opinion with this: Whether you shipped KDK with GE or KHN, there was a beautiful ending scene with each of KDK's leading ladies. I can't decide which I liked more: The heartfelt conversation by the twilight lake where KHN tells KDK he's worth it or whether I like the gazing at the night lights scene where GE hugs KDK and tells him that she'll miss him. I totally agree with @abs-oluteM that it was good there was no romance...But I am a fan of good chemistry in barely-there implied romances and this show delivered on that front with 2 candidates! 

 

 

 

[Dhakra]

Episode 15

 

• Two minutes into the episode and I am already angry again!  That poor girl on the ground, her poor kids, killed in cold blood. 
• How fast the brother turned at each other. That's something one should always know, there is no honor among thieves, thugs or criminals. They turn on you the moment they need to save their own skin. 
  It's good to see Kang Ha Na being in the driver seat though, finally she holds the cards to victory.
• Do Ki showed Ha Na pretty much everything, he is very open to her and doesn't hide anything, he truly trusts her and want's to repent for his actions. But I feel like she is very disappointed of him, I have the feeling to some extent, she actually likes him, not in a romantic way, but could see why he did some things and that it was necessary and imminent. 
  But after seeing the prison and realising he was co-conspiring with Baek and actually knewing about the prison, she realized that she needs to lock him up and that there is no way around it. 
  "This isn't the Do KI I know" was a very deep look into Ha Na's mind. She acknowledged Do Ki's acts. She even began to like him in some way.
• She also tried to protect Do Ki, knowing what he went through after the death of his mother. Seeing him pass out.
• So getting a confession under torture is actual possible in korea? Oh boy.....I mean I guess it was done behind closed doors.....but.....man those drama always make the korean law look really bad. 
  It's even more sad that it seems this was a real life case and some cops fabricated a murderer. 
• How Do Ki's body language and facial expressions changed after Ha Na told him about the claims of his mom's killer. He suddenly changed from being a man into a confused boy. He completely lost his defensive act and became insecure.
• The scene of her death was so sad. Poor mom. Even on the edge of dying she protected her son. 
• "Will you end up being a murdered?"......Well technically.......  he already is....

 

Episode 16

 

• I really wonder about the stature of limitations though, so murder can expire in korea? I only know about the german law and here all kinds of murder will never expire. No matter how long it has been, you will always be charged here. 
  That's why we even charge some very old people (like an 90+ year old recently) who committed war crimes in WWII. 
• Do Ki.....dude....if Go Eun knocks at your door.....you open up. 
• The usual: "One last job" 
• Do Ki shrugging with his shoulders was so funny after kicking these punks. 
• The moment he began to talk about ramyeon and starting the first step of taking revenge felt huge. It was similiar to the line Young told Do Ki about his mom. Damn....
• I don't know, but whenever I hear someone talk in a Kdrama about transfering someone from a hospital somewhere else to a "foundation" and helping someone, I automatically get a bad feeling. I mean we know Do Ki is genuine and Blue Bird is a good foundation, but after watching so many dramas, I automatically expect stuff like that to harm or kill people. 
  I mean just take Ep1 and Maria's case. 
• So Young beat up his own son? And later again? Oh man......so in the end......his actions killed his own family....his wife and more or less his son. 
• " Mr. Kim, you're worth it"......well I have seen worse love confessions in dramaland  I really wouldn't mind a second season with them being a team and develope this further  
• There is an empty desk in her office, Investigator Wang sadly passed away, but Do Ki would probably be a good match for the team. 
• So Kang decided to bury the cases, let them go free, even thanking them for the service they did to the victims and is ready to resign and take the fall, but Prosecutor Jo beats her to it and resigns first, taking the fall before her, telling to make up for this by catching 100 big fish like that. Jo looked at the start as the usual corrupt boss, but later looked like he was a guy the his heart at the right place. 
  And even now he protects Kang, his old friend, Rainbow Taxi and the victims. He truly is the MVP at the end.
• Baek got 10 years first and 20 years later, and she already mentioned her revenge on Kang before......second seaaason, hellooooo. She mentioned it is easy to kill people from the prison. 
• So in the end, they reassembled Deluxe Taxi after a year, Prosecutor Kang joins and she now has pretty much her own investigation Team. Do Ki worked alone and continued to catch bad guys.  It also looks like he helped Kang in the past occasionally. They all have "real" jobs now though, which gives them a lot more options. 
• Honestly the last 5 minutes set the stage for a second season, especially since a murder case popped up and all of them reassemebled with Kang on board. 

 

I think I give my final verdict of the drama in a few days. Still deciding if I am going to preorder the OST of the drama on Makestar.

[mademoiselle]

14 hours ago, JenL said:

I was conflicted that OYC's son was sort of used as the pawn in the revenge, but it doesn't seem like KDK and CEO Jung knew what OYC was going to do to the bodyguard that was his son...only that they leveraged what happened to torment OYC. I think I was the opposite to you @mademoiselle in that I liked that CEO Jung did reveal the truth to OYC  to break him - letting him know he had hurt/destroyed the thing that he most valued with his own hands would be a way of making him feel like he had lost. That's what you get with messing with security guards, OYC! 

 

- With that said, I felt like the scriptwriters didn't really look so deeply into psychopaths. I'm not an expert but I guess I've read a lot about them over the years because I've always been fascinated with empathy and how some people really don't have it. The first thing that I was a bit meh on was them saying psychopaths could love their kids. I really didn't think so, but I had a look on some psycho/sociopath threads on reddit after the episode and most psychopaths said they don't think they do - they feel 'fondness,' but love is hard for many. It's probably not impossible, but more in the way that psychopaths think of their kids being an extension of themselves or something useful/beneficial to them. So OYC missing his kid was a bit of a stretch, but it's possible that he thought his kid was the good part of himself or something. 

 

- The second thing bothered me more: That OYC felt bad for his crimes...This one was a huge stretch for me to suspend my disbelief. Psychopaths don't have empathy mainly because that section in their brains are just less developed. It's not even a matter of learning - they genuinely don't have that capacity. So the courtroom scene was a bit too much - I doubt a real life version of OYC would cry or apologise at all! So I guess it felt unrealistic and more like taking big K-drama liberties there.

 

I think you pretty much highlighted the part where I felt dissatisfied and had to sit on it to let it settle. I totally get that Oh Young Chul was told the truth about his son is a way to punish and make him truly repent. However, like you said, if psychopaths really don't feel empathy or know how to love then this part is void. I honestly felt nothing when he kneeled down and apologised for the crimes he committed, and I think mainly this is because a simple word of apology won't erase any sufferings. So like you said, it's not realistic and I suppose this is done so that the drama/case has a "closure". 

 

Trauma remains although the pain or suffering might fade with time. When reminded or confronted - we will still hurt, feel angry and the experience will affect the course of decision we make in our future. 

 

@SnowBlob I noticed his eye too but I guess his eye can still be blind without needing to wear the pad.

Edited May 31, 2021 by mademoiselle

[abs-oluteM]