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

[Dhakra]

Episode 12 Recap

 

• These Agents, Windy, Eona and who else works there, they are so ruined and bad aswell. Beautiful on the outside, but rotten in the inside. I don't know if I liked Windy beating up the guard, Eona lied to frame Do Ki, they all are just gold diggers who do anything to earn money and climb the ranks. BS is such a rotten place already. 
• So I guess Victor is supposed to be Seungri, especially after him announcing parties on local islands with "not so shy models"?
• So Shin Jae Ha is a mere thug now who beats up people for entertainment to please the rich lady? Is this his development? I can't take his role serious. 

Not much progress today, but it seems at least Do Ki will beat up Victor next episode. 

[mademoiselle]

Looks like Burning Sun's story is taking up 4 episodes. I didn't find these 2 episodes particularly as interesting because it's really just an introduction to Burning Sun. I thought Shin Jae Ha is going to be Seungri but turns out Victor is the "celeb" who introduces girls to the riches, so that definitely makes him Seungri. I wonder who that Madam Jang is. This ugly business extends outside of South Korea to Japan and Taiwan if I remember correctly. From the preview, next episode is definitely closer to what I remember reading about Burning Sun - how there are "cleaners" cleaning up the crime scenes. It was one of the shocking insights I read about.

 

Obviously there's the drugging of women and prostitution, which we already get a bit of preview in the latest episode. I don't remember reading about female agent like Windy from Burning Sun. Was there? Did the police ever crack the case and find the true culprit? Since all the news are in Korean, it's difficult to find everything about it. But I doubt they really get to the bottom of this. Some times these things are rotten to its core and roots, de-rooting the corrupt seems impossible - with Seungri only getting so little sentence, I'm leaning towards the real case was never really solved.

 

Agree with you all with the plotholes about the guards not recognising Kim Do Ki. He's supposed to be good looking and charming so I find it hard that no guards remember him LOL. Or it's just too far-fetched for them to even question how can a dead man comes back alive. I do think it is because they never really met Do Ki and was just carrying out their duties.

 

To be honest, Shin Jae Ha's scene where he beats the crap out of the guards was really well done but it feels lacking because his screen time is too little, making him an insignificant villain.

[Dhakra]

They were actually quite precise about the BS case itself. Do Ki getting beaten up by the stuff, getting arrested by the police and being framed as the culprit is actually what really happened back then. It happened to a clubgoer, who was booked with 7 charges, including obstruction of the performance of official duties, it was the first report about BS and started the whole thing in January 2019, when he revealed it on a website. 
He described also how woman get drugged there by the staff, which we will most likely see happening next episode in detail.

But videos were shown how he, Kim Sang-kyo, was assaulted inside the club and how a drugged girl was carried around the hallway and put inside the car, like in the drama. 

It also lead to investigation of the corrupt Gangnam Police.

 

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

thought Shin Jae Ha is going to be Seungri but turns out Victor is the "celeb" who introduces girls to the riches, so that definitely makes him Seungri

 

Now to think of it, Shin Jae Ha could be Seungri, because he works for the club, knows what's going on and interacts with Madam Jang. Victor could actually be Jung Joon-young, who was a customer (VIP), not owner or anything, at the club and raped multiple girls and recorded it. He was an Idol aswell.

He confessed to eleven cases (but we all know it was probably much more) and was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Which was later reduced to 5 years, because he "expressed regret".  REGRET? Even 6 years is a joke to what he did to all these girls, he destroyed lifes.

God it makes me so mad just writing it.

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

with Seungri only getting so little sentence, I'm leaning towards the real case was never really solved.

 

He sentence was the biggest joke I ever heard and a slap across the face for every victim. He is already free again by now. 

 

4 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Obviously there's the drugging of women and prostitution, which we already get a bit of preview in the latest episode. I don't remember reading about female agent like Windy from Burning Sun. Was there?

 

Well, I don't know if it were Agent's like Wendy, but it was revealed that stuff indeed was "offering" available women for sex in text messages, after drugging them and making them ready to be raped. 

That's basically how all the video clips were created and sent in different Kakao Talk chatrooms, without any girl knowing of course.

 

3 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

. I wonder who that Madam Jang is. This ugly business extends outside of South Korea to Japan and Taiwan if I remember correctly.

 

Madam Jang is a Taiwanese investor and shareholder called Madam Lim, which held 20% of Burning Sun. Seemingly she was the girl Seungri mentioned in his text messages of 2015, who should "get everything she wants" and was an investor from Taiwan. I believe the drama adapts her case, because it was one of the biggest.

 

 

[mademoiselle]

@Dhakra Thanks for the refresh! Did you reread this or it was just so horrific that you remember it so well?

[Dhakra]

9 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

@Dhakra Thanks for the refresh! Did you reread this or it was just so horrific that you remember it so well?

 

A mix of both actually. Some things I reread and some I just remembered.

[Dhakra]

Episode 13 Recap

 

• I really hope Windy also gets some sort of punishment at the end, she is a rotten fruit herself. There is no way she can talk herself out. She is completely involved in every kind of bad business happening. She refers to girls , who are the same age as her, as dolls and doesn't hesistate to do the cruelest things to them. 
• Do Ki always being in luck that every control room he enters is always empty and no one is watching any security cameras.  Do Ki should start robbing banks.
• Poor girl just having a nice time at a club with her friends, just want to celebrate a little, maybe forget about work for a bit, just to be chosen, drugged, manipulated and sent across the floor and ultimatively almost get raped by some rotten idol celebrity. It makes me so sick.  At least Windy was right about calling him a leprechaun. She is not really better though, she looks down on others aswell.
• It does feel like Windy looks out for Do Ki though, she seemed eager to make sure Do Ki doesn't get involved into this more than necessary.
• Okay, they address the Kakao Chat history aswell, which showcased that many idols and celebrities were involved in this. 
• The kick that sent Victor flying into the table without saying a single word was so, so satisfying.
• I would have loved it, if they played Go Eun's song in the club. 
• Shin Jae Ha is really a mystery, his role seems so insignificant for the drama and although he does a good acting job, I still don't buy him being the bad guy. He just doesn't have the vibe and the necessary skills to be that badass. He did a decent job though with the drugs being captured intentionally to promote his guy in the police station.
  He just doesn't feel......evil. He lreally ooks like a cartoon villain.
• Go Eun waiting at Do Ki's bed, totally concerned and exhausted  When will we finally get our love story about them. Just a small kiss, I won't ask for more. 

The smirk at the end was nice, preview looks promising. Maybe we get a decent Showdown in the last three episodes where Shin Jae Ha can prove himself as decent villain. 

[Dhakra]

Episode 14 Recap 

 

• We really are back at the cult. Now they even have a church, they pray and we know they are also slapping each other frequently aswell.
• I highly doubt 200KG of Drugs are guarded so easily. No way they can exchange it so quickly without anyone noticing. 
• He doesn't appeal to Do Ki's "methods"? What "methods"? He didn't kill anyone nor made he suffer anyone innocent, he even risked his own life and was barely killed. Do Ki could have been the second victim he hired to investigate Black Sun.
  And all he has to say is is he doesn't like his methods? What else should he have done? He didn't even fake any evidence. 
  What nonsense is this?
  Overall, I feel this Black Sun Case was resolved  too quickly in contrast to what tension was build beforehand. And I wish all the baddies would have gotten a life sentence in real life aswell. 
  Victor (aka Seungri) got 10 years, I wish. He got only 18 months and didn't even served them fully. 
• Only 2320 Dollar? Well, the journalist is probably the only one who paid, but at this rate I doubt anyone at Rainbow Taxi makes a decent amount of money. 
   

I honestly am a little disappointed about the BS case, I thought it would be much more twisted, deep and epic towards the end. It felt like the case ended in a blink of an eye, Windy wasn't even mentioned at the end. It happened so much over almost 4 episodes, so much bad stuff that was more or less just dealth with in a news flash. 

 

Shin Jae Ha remains a pawn, disgraced, stepped on and powerless even in this episode. He might get a little revenge in the next two episodes, but I doubt they will be enough to give his role more significance. 

It's the old story like last season, towards the end they aim at the team to lure out Do Ki, he will beat up half of korea, save them and credits. Go Eun always has to suffer to get to Do Ki. 

Somehow I feel like Do Ki will die in the last episode, or someone else of the team. I honestly don't know if I am into the idea of a third season, the drama is successful, but the drama lost so much of it's magic over the 2nd season. The cases are fun to watch, the chemistry between Go Eun & Do Ki is fun, but overall it feels so.....repetitive. 

[Tofu]

I thought that Shin Jae Ha had more of a presence the last few episodes than he did in the entire series. I really enjoyed the BS case and found it to be thrilling. However, the way they wrapped up this case...I thought there would be more to it. I guess, I understand that bringing justice is what the police officer wanted, but can there be a little more excitement?

 

This season has been a bit lackluster. 

 

 

[mCanva]

The Black Sun scandal smells so much like the Seungri scandal.But I m glad they showed it.Anyway, great second season so far.Hoping for S3!!

[mCanva]

Now I Remember why Black Sun club name seems familiar.Dang!!Preview episode 15 give tears!!I hope they all have a happy ending.

[mCanva]

This is the scariest drama I have seen in years,to think how evil people is and how far they go to get what they want.I personally don't think they should get together or anything like that, since I feel as though Do ki sees her more of like a sister than a lover but idk

[mCanva]

Ever since season 1 came out, been waiting 2 years for season 2 then boom I have two episodes left!I still can’t get enough of this,desperately need season 3.God! I don't remember the last time I was so hooked on a show.I binge watched S01 & S02 in 2 days.Can't wait for the season finale.I very much adore the squad.I'd cry if any of them has to die!!!

[mCanva]

I can't even imagine the sort of pain the victims of the Burning Sun scandal went through when they realized Seungri is out just after a mere 2 years and is enjoying life going clubbing again,like he didn't just ruin the lives of countless women,giving them trauma that can't possibly be healed in this lifetime.The kind of punishment the black sun guys got in the drama is what should've happened in reality. I'm just going to pretend that it did, for my sanity's sake.On a more lighter note.Lady Lim and Wang Taoji crack me up!

[mCanva]

I told myself I would not start this drama until all 16 episodes came out and like an idiot I started it anyways.I, then, told myself I would at least stop at episode 12 so I wouldn't have the urge to want to watch the last 2 episodes due to any cliffhangers.FAILED at that as well.ARGHHH I am caught up on all 14 episodes and have to wait 4 days for the endingHas anyone else noticed in the opening that when Do Gi looks at the rear-view mirror in his car.He sees Ha joon creepy reflection?I have noticed the reflection since the beginning but didn’t recognize him at that time.

[Dhakra]

Soooo last two episodes....let's get this over with. Honestly I am kinda glad the season ends this week, it was fun to watch, but a lot weaker than I expected. 

 

Episode 15 Recap

 

• Yeah.....and the other kids were like "Oh you are On Ha-Jun now? Sure, no problem, don't worry about killing our friend. We cool."   So our dear bishop trained his own nameless killing teenage ninja turtle and told him about what's evil or not. 
• @abs-oluteMDon't know if you remember, but the Black Auction Ring from 'Men to Men' was much cooler than these rings. 
• Wow, the first bad guys who managed to get the idea to just call this "revenge" taxi company that plasters the whole city with stickers.
• Did the team never run a backup check about the people who are actually entering the taxi? Did they always take every word for granted?  Were they so sloppy in S1 aswell?
• Prosecutor Kang Ha Na.  Yaaay.
• Canon in D  One of my favorite classical pieces. This alone might save this episode. 
• Prison Psycho Do-Ki is kinda fun.  Still, this season had way too many stuff like that.
• Shin Jae Ha gets his speech, but I feel absolutely nothing. He is just not hateable, but simply because his role never grew enough to be so big and evil.  Somehow the bishop is much more.....fearsome as Shin Jae Ha.
  Especially since the bishop also talks of him like an immature raging teenager who needs to grow up by beating his self chosen rival Do Ki. And somehow this picture of JH is present throughout the drama.

 

Okay, last episide looks super exciting. Honestly, if they do what I think they do, I might be open for S3.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Dhakra

[mCanva]

Seems like we'll be getting Hajoon's Revenge.Kim so yeon is the OG taxi driver!!!ISNT IT GONNA BE SEASON 3 OR WHAT???? WHAT WE SHOULD DO OMG I DONT UNDERSTAND IF THE LAST EPISODE WILL BE LIKE "OH LETS I LISTEN YOUR CRAZY STORY MY HAJOON~AAAA" I WANNA SEE IT IN THE NEXT SEASON please and goddmn please.If we won't see KinAhn couple at the end.JUST TOO MUCH this MOMENTS YOU KNOW????I really gonna be upset so much.

[abs-oluteM]

19 hours ago, Dhakra said:

@abs-oluteMDon't know if you remember, but the Black Auction Ring from 'Men to Men' was much cooler than these rings. 

I do . That show was much fun ! 
 

Do appreciate the recaps. Am still not up to speed but somewhat know the progress of the story . Will catch up soon

 

Hello @mCanva . Happy to have you join us here . Glad to read that you’re enjoying the show . 

[Dhakra]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

I do . That show was much fun ! 
 

Do appreciate the recaps. Am still not up to speed but somewhat know the progress of the story . Will catch up soon

 

Hello @mCanva . Happy to have you join us here . Glad to read that you’re enjoying the show . 

 

It's honestly not much you're missing out, the cases are all following the same pattern and the big case is somewhat predictable. I felt like it was different in S1, but by now you just know the team is pretty much invincible and untouchable. 

 

Looking forward to todays finale though.

[Dhakra]

Okay, time to wrap this up, last episode.

 

Episode 16 Recap

 

• High Fashion Go Eun  She looks amazing in that red dress.
• I'm still surprised and kinda shocked how easy and effortless it is so catch our team. How sloppy they operate, tailing the transportation car was so obvious, parking right in front of the prison in the public parking slot. They gave all these special features to Do Ki's taxi, but their own car is completely basic.
• Damn, this is really messed up. Didn't see that coming.
• Uhhh, the first driver of Deluxe Taxi. I wouldn't mind seeing a season about her. She's so pretty.  But she also seems a lot more ruthless and unforgiving. She probably killed more people in one scene than Do Ki in the whole season. 
  I wonder what kind of trauma she suffered to join the team as first driver. It must have been before the rest of the team joined too, since no one recognized her.
• But since there were two other burner phones in his car, does that mean there were multiple other drivers aswell after her and before Do Ki?
• Mhm
  Spoiler

  It's so dumb that Shin Jae Ha dies aswell, I expected him to kill the bishop, but him recklessly charging at him, getting shot three times and dragging him down was so......almost sad. Also weird that the bishop first walks at the edge of the building instead to shoot from where he entered the arena. 
  Shin Jae Ha death feels so pointless, I felt that there was a lot more possible. Yesterday I expected that he would join the team after learning his true name and what was done to him. 
  He enjoyed the normal life working at Deluxe Taxi, so him ending up joining them would have been odd, but somewhat plausible. The drama never really cared about being plausible anyway.

• Aww come one, there would have been a lot more possible on the rooftop scene.

Okay, will all these teasers at the end and even showing us a new case with Do Ki joining the army again it is most likely we will actually get a third Season. Since the drama was very succesful and has high rating, I thnk it is not unlikely. 

 

 

[goemul]

No cause why was my delusional mind thinking they were gonna kiss during the rooftop scene 

[mCanva]

Claps all around!!!I'm hoping for a season 3 after that ending.ARGHH I'm hooked again only in the last few episodes.I paused in the middle though.Ha joon was my favorite character tbh!His life was just sad and him being manipulated in becoming a villain was so painful to watch.He could've been such a lovable person if he had gotten a chance to grow up differently.The last episode broke my heart.All in all,season 2 was a good watch.Some issues with the writing and I wish the con characters were a bit more on the serious side for once but still it didn't lack much in comparison to season 1.Seeing him tragically laying there on the floor, wishing of a better life where he might have been with better people instead.Just broke me.Villains give birth to villains.Without him realized he accidentally killed his own biological father DANG!!!!!I enjoyed this season more than s1.10/10 for me.Hoping for a spinoff that focuses on the FIRST TAXI DRIVER and season 3 with the OG cast returning.
@abs-oluteM It was enjoyable.

[Dhakra]

17 hours ago, goemul said:

No cause why was my delusional mind thinking they were gonna kiss during the rooftop scene 

 

Exactly.  Especially when Go Eun was talkling about distances and how she felt comfortable when Do Ki was close. It was THE moment to go in. Go in & kiss Go eun. 

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

 

Season 2 Recap

 

All in all, I have to say I expected a bit more from Season 2. It was too much sillyness at times and not enough darkness. Do Ki played way too many silly characters that were over the top too often. It was funny in Season 1, but got way too repetetive in Season 2. I also feel the bad guys got away easily compared to Season 1. Maybe due to them having no role in later episodes, but the prison alone in S1 had a nice satisfying touch. Season 1 was a lot darker, even during the Burning Sun Case I was never at the edge of my seat. Last season with Marie, Go Eun's sister and the abduction of Go Eun I was a lot more nervous. Do Ki had to suffer a lot more during the cases aswell. 

Did I have fun watching it? Of course, I looked forward to each episode, but Season 2 is not something I would recommend. 

 

Shin Jae Ha was disappointing as new villain, the Bishop was much scarier than he ever was. His role Ha Jun got better over the last two episodes, but that's not enough. He had big footsteps to fill in though with Cha Ji Yeon as his counterpart in S1. 

 

I am also not a fan of the ending, kiliing Ha Jun was probably necessary to make room for a new villain in S3, but I think they could have just make him another Driver. Especially since we saw him enjoying the life at Deluxe Taxi. 

Overall the end felt like there were a lot too many loose ends. So they imprisoned one half in their own prison and put the other half to sleep. But then what? They lock the doors and let them die? That's it? So many plotholes again. 

The end isn't bad, far from it, I was expecting someone from our team to die for good this time, but do I feel satisfied? Not really. 

 

I look forward to the preview though. Do Ki ignoring this girl looks like they have a story together. 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Dhakra

[mCanva]

OMG we are getting a season 3??Maybe in Season 3 we'll see it happen!!!Because hell to the nah.Loved this season although it wasn't as raw, solid, fulfilling as the first but my Taxi Driver heart will forever root for this crew and stan them hard.The product placements this time around were so silly and awkward but still endearing like what even.KDk's past and PTSD remain unexplored and unsorted so I am hoping we have more TD to look forward to.

[Tofu]

Hmm...the ending left a lot to be desired. Even so, I actually don't mind a season three as long as the script is not as scattered as this season's.

[mademoiselle]

I'm not sure an S3 is required but knowing SBS and that the ratings achieved over 20% in the finale, SBS will milk it while they can. Plus, Lee Je Hoon himself has hinted an S3.

 

Like most of you guys here, S2 for me is really underwhelming. Maybe because it's becoming repetitive and predictable. Agree that Kim Do Ki is acting silly in most of the cases and would prefer he does a little bit more disguises in different types of personalities. Burning Sun's case was very very disappointing for me. The case itself was supposedly to be a lot more disturbing and shocking than S1's pornography case IMO but it felt like it was toned down A LOT. I still remember the pornography case made my blood boil in S1 but Burning Sun, there was very little focus on the female victims and their suffering. It was "glossed over".

 

Maybe if S3 focus a bit more on our main characters' background and pain, it might be more interesting again. Moon Chae Won's cameo seem to have a certain history with Do Ki so if she could cameo again for a case and work together with Do Ki in S3, that'd be nice. That said, is it that easy for him to infiltrate the military??? My gripe with S2 is that the show made it too easy for Rainbow Team to infiltrate the villain's lairs. Do Ki beating down the whole prison's prisoners with no weapons also seem super far-fetched.