"The Uncanny Counter" sets the bar

Noodles, "aliens" and red track suits. Oh My.

I was hoping for a quirky and fun action drama and I got that but I also got so much more. When I first read the description that this show would have aliens running a noodle shop and fighting bad guys I was all in. It sounded like a campy show that would be easy to watch. Oh how naive 2020 Julie was. This show is about family, found or otherwise, about protecting the innocents and in the end about doing the right thing.

At times, it wasn't an easy show to watch. The bullying was brutal. Some of the fight scenes had a little too much blood for me. The evil was really evil. The mud people freaked me the heck out! If you can got past all that you also see a show that is about family. Family you have, family you have lost and family you have found. It made me cry (a lot), laugh (a lot) and usually both occurred in the same episode.

The five main counters had a chemistry similar to a family unit. You have Ms. Chu, the mama bear, Mo Tak the annoying big brother who always has your back and Ha Na the sometimes moody sister who knows you best. Then you have the way cool Grandpa who pops in unannounced but always at the right time. You have their alters up in the Heavens who couldn't be more like them physically but played a huge part in shaping who they were. Ms. Chu with her son being her alter was especially poignant. And I felt that Ha Na's alter being a kid was so appropriate because she herself lost her innocent childhood when her family decided to take it away. Mun having an elder for his was counterpart to his youthful attitude and ideals, it balanced well. And Mo Tak having an opinionated, strong and stubborn female was just ironic because she was just the female version of him.

The supporting cast of the two high school friends, the grandparents, the good detectives were superb. The high school friends were just average everyday kids and their joy and excitement for their friend when he received use of his leg was such a delightful scene. The grandparents trying to raise a broken-hearted kid even in the midst of their grief. Special shout out to Grandma who played a woman with dementia really well. And the female detective who for years held onto her love for Mo Tak and was denied her HEA by corruption. She probably was the story ending that I was disappointed in the most. And the puppy detective that always did right. The cancer little girl and her guardian.

The actors that played the evil were phenomenal. I recently stated on Twitter I was going to have a hard time seeing them in other roles for a while. Particularly Lee Hong Nae who played the demon possessed young man who was the host and Ok Ja Yeon who played the psychotic husband killer. They were truly frightening. I felt they were far more believable as the big bad evil than the Mayor. I can see plot wise why they choose him to be the final evil but he didn't convey it as well as they did.

For people like the female Mayor's assistant who held on to the evidence and betrayed her friend and the Mayor's son who was a bully it was never to late to do the right thing. I think that's the prevailing message of the drama. She turned herself in with the evidence and he eventually apologized to his victims. Mun chose to save the living grandparents while potentially sacrificing his chance to see his parents again. And Mun's final confession to his parents was about doing the right thing. He had to get the lies he told as an 11 year old boy off his chest to get that peace he had been seeking.

We learned of a change in writers after episode 13 aired. Episode 13 was the blip in the whole show. It was a different tone and less emotional. The screenwriter that picked up the final three episodes got it back on track with minimal blips. The main thing that I was left wondering about was Ms. Chu's medical condition. In episode 15, the guest role played by Son Ho Jun mentioned that her medical condition would get worse and we didn't get any resolution on that angle. Maybe season two?

I felt that the whole Counters Across Korea was a change to set up season 2. That they can go places for new adventures. I felt that in the future Mun and Ha Na might have a romance but for now I'm just happy at all the teasing. Let's get him graduated from high school first and legal. The final scenes with the souls of Mun's parents and the counter that died was just done completely right. I didn't feel the finale lacked anything at all. I even love the new suits!

I chose to put this as a 2021 drama since my drama year begins around December 1st. It aired on November 28th for the first time. It sets a high bar for the rest of the dramas this year. It made me cry, laugh, rage and be engaged and you can't really ask more of that from a drama.

So it gets and deserves a 5/5. Rest of 2021 dramas...that's the bar to match!