MiHnn

I'm guessing how they end up retiring is how they will show us in the next two episodes.

Based on what the show showed us, their abilities were top secret and only on a need to know basis within the ANSP. When it was disbanded, since they were agents, they were shuffled around because even the Blue House (A.K.A. the president and the ministers) had no idea they even existed. - Eg:- No one but very few people new that Kim Doo Sik could fly and through their missions we saw that no one even knew their names and all higher ups pretended they didn't exist.

It looks like the old ANSP director went hunting for people with abilities and kept that secret close to his chest. And based on the previous episodes, the ANSP operated beyond the scope of the government. (A.K.A They did the operations the government wanted AND acted independently when they saw fit, affecting global decision making on a large scale.)

The writer basically told us that the ANSP was a large organisation that was disbanded. By logic, that means the people who were keeping track of the Black Team, who were also part of the ANSP, were also shuffled around. And when the ANSP director came back, with less money and less personnel in his organisation, we saw that the first thing he did was hunt down the Black Team (makes sense that they didn't look for Mi Hyun because she was in administration) and later on started hunting for Kim Doo Sik again. And they showed that they started keeping an eye on all of them from the moment the old ANSP director came back. - But the show did make it clear that he doesn't have the same amount of personnel as in the glory days and based on the last episode, he was trying to show the importance of his department, and based on the current timeline where all the agents have retired, I'm guessing that he couldn't do that and his department was further ruined. - Of course, we'll probably see that happen in the next two episodes. --- Basically, these are the reasons he doesn't have enough man power to stalk them as well as he did when the ANSP was in its glory days.

They've been monitored the whole time since their Black Team days. That part was showed in the last two episodes. That's how they managed to call all of them in once the old director was reinstated.

Maybe... Weak Hero Class 1. It has certain elements that are similar to that of S1 of Uncanny Counter, like the bullying and the fighting back and great action scenes.

It comes down to preference I think. I'm a huge advocate for character development and writers who show things rather than having a synopsis of the character explained.

Eg:- Someone saying Joo Won is a loyal person vs actually seeing him be loyal to a fault, where he gave people chance after chance after chance and understanding where his breaking point is.

Tbh, most kdramas fall into the former. They state more than describe.

So for me, it's refreshing to see a writer flesh out his characters so we as the viewers have a deeper understanding of that character. This is one of those kdramas where I don't see filler parts actually. A filler, to me, is something that doesn't give any new information. And in this drama, the more you watch, the more you realise there are call backs to previous scenes you didn't think were important. I'm still to see a scene that wasn't important to the movement of the plot or the growth of the character.

Eg:- Joo Won had grown two of his meaningful relationships by drinking coffee together... His wife, and his partner Kim Doo Sik. The wife waiting for him sleeping on the couch is the same as his daughter waiting for him, while she is sleeping on the couch.

There are so many scenes that have overlapping connections, that it's pretty cool. Quite a lot of easter eggs within almost every scene.

Also, this show is mostly about the parents. The children are the secondary characters. So it makes sense to focus on them more.

I understand not comparing one show to another, but not comparing the first season to the second of the same show??? Does that even make sense?

People who watch the second season do so because they liked the first season. People read the second book of a series because they liked the first book. People watch the sequel movie because they liked the first movie.

So how can a comparison be ignored? Your interest in the second season is heavily influenced by your interest in the first season. You liked the plot, or the characters or the vibe etc and you expect to experience the same thing all over again because it's a continuation of the same story.

The comparison is THE REASON we all tune in to watch a season 2. We expect the same level of entertainment.

So.... How is someone NOT supposed to compare the two seasons when the expectations are heavily reliant on the product that was Season 1???? The only way that's possible is if you don't watch season 1 and watch season 2 directly.

The two episodes weren't about his regenerative powers at all.

The two episodes were for the viewers to understand his backstory and give weight to the character. It was about his spirit getting crushed, him hitting rock bottom, being recruited in the most barbaric way (it showed us exactly how disposable the government finds super powered people) and his new lease on life.

From a storytelling narrative, it was perfectly paced with amazing action sequences.

It was not about his powers. It was about him.

He's powerless in that super hero level, but powerful at the government level. His power comes from helping them hide their powers and erasing away all their murders to making sure they can live a normal life. That has been dangled in front of them. He's the replaceable figurehead of a large organisation. Getting rid of him won't give them freedom. They would just be on the run for the rest of their lives. Comparing both, being an agent and serving your time so you can live normally after is not such a bad deal.

From what we've seen (Episodes 8 - 11 especially), they don't take it upon themselves to train super-powered people right?

They clearly see them as tools. Pick up when they need them. Discard them if they don't follow orders. Easily replaceable. They don't care about growing their talent, they care about recruiting people who are useful.

For Bungaeman, they trained him for track and strength because those are the basic requirements of an agent. If he can't cut it as an agent, his power is basically useless to them. They needed people of a certain criteria. The talent of the most basic agent, able to think on their feet, strength, and the ability to follow orders without getting emotional. They get rid of any agent, regardless of the power, that does not fit this criteria.

And... The mental health of the president???? LOL. Have you known any government institution to care about the mental health of the people working for them? If that was true, they would never send them for assassinations and wars etc. When you think about the RL numbers of domestic violence/murders committed by those who served in the military, you can see how governments really don't care about the mental health of their soldiers.

They don't care about them at all. Just looking at their usefulness. They don't care about growing them as agents. They just want to use them and discard them quickly.

The entire narrative has been, "We're not supposed to use them. They are not supposed to exist. But we need them in our back pocket if a certain situation arises. If they die, they die. Who cares? We'll find another way."

The government is keeping watch over them and not getting involved at all. Their cultivation is basically keeping an eye on all of them to see who could be useful in the future. - This is not the typical American show narrative of 'he could be useful in the future, train him so he gets better, save him so he can do more'.

This narrative is way different because this is exactly how governments actually treat their soldiers who are on the front line. They are disposable. Because you send them for dangerous missions BECAUSE they are disposable. Regardless of their abilities. "They are better dead than working for the enemy. So, yeah, let them die. It's fine. Who cares? We're not supposed to be using them anyway."

(I just realised they showed the difference between how Americans cultivated the talent (Battle Royale kid edition through Frank's POV) vs how Koreans cultivated the talent (stalking, training them as actual agents rather than fostering power growth, because their worth is as an agent able to follow orders, not their powers. )

From what we've seen so far, it looks like the parents and their children have been followed since day 1. Hee Soo mentioned that no school was willing to take her except one. I'm guessing it's the government who's behind making sure that once the child is expelled, no other school takes them in except the one they want. (Eg:- Bong Seok getting expelled made no sense because he just "jumped" off the jungle gym and even the teachers didn't know he could fly)

There, they have a PE teacher who uses the PE exams to check their level of skills. When they fail, like Bungaeman, they are forgotten about, but I'm guessing that if they do show promise, the moment they leave school they will be recruited by the government.

They used the words "cultivation of talent" which makes me think that they are subtly keeping an eye on these special kids to see their true potential.

This show is a legit masterpiece. If they stick the landing, this just might be the best kdrama of 2023.

For me, Taxi Driver went from a cool 80s vibe rooted in realism with awful people getting their comeuppance in Season 1 to a very silly, over the top version in season 2 with MASSIVE plot holes.

I feel like Uncanny Counter season 2 might be suffering from that same change. The new counter and his power is just slapstick silly and not as funny as they probably intended him to be.

Basically, same characters but it seems like it's a different show, different energy and wayyy too silly.

On the other hand, shows like The First Responders and Missing: The Other Side have kept the same essence in both seasons, which is why viewers enjoy them more.

Right? I was so disappointed. :(

Give it a try. Episode 5 is like the first episode of season 2.

I agree. It looked like the arc was meant to be 16 episodes, not 12. They did the whole 'three months later' at the beginning, but still, the way this show is distributed is definitely not like the usual kdrama.

That's because Celebrity lovers watched it and were shocked and turned off by the themes of r*pe, murder and violence.

I think it's more for people who like shows that address heavy themes like D. P.

And keep in mind on MDL, the fluffier the story, and cliché the romance, the higher the rating. Followed heavily by Revenge dramas that are satisfying.

Why is it so hard for me to get through one episode? It takes me days to watch each episode when I devoured season 1 as soon as each episode was released.

Celebrity is the typical kdrama clichés similar to that of a rom-com. Mask Girl is edgier, darker and more twisted.

I was wondering how they would continue this series after episode 3, but I need not have worried. They brought great characters to fill in the void and the others are as chaotic and hilarious as ever.

Honestly, I understand the different direction this show is taking, because it's still entertaining.

I loved the chemistry of Jin Hee and Jae Won. For me, I liked how we watched them go from learning to respect each other to becoming friends and becoming something more in a very understated way. They are both logical people with subtle personalities, so it made sense to me.

Except for the mysterious murder, all the relationships were understated. They were all small moments, subtle looks and understandings between the characters. Very slice of life.

For me, it was less to do with the romantic aspect of their relationship and more to do with the mother's character growth as pertaining to opening herself up to let someone else into her life. Her chosen sister and mother forced themselves into her life and showered her with love vs the father patiently waiting for her.

For it to be focusing on romance, they would have focused more on his character. They showed the relationship through her and their daughter's eyes, not his. And he was mostly a visiting character (not even a main character) for most of the series.

Yes, the mother is an uncomfortably selfish character and a lot of people hated that she got so much screentime and preferred the story to revolve around the daughter and her romance, but at the end of the day, even though the mother ended up being in a relationship, she was the main character. We saw the relationships as pertaining to her. Her daughter, her ex-lover, her sister, her colleagues etc. Whenever the father showed up it was in pertaining to the mother. That's how you know he wasn't a main character.

The mother was the main character. And the only other person who had a substantial storyline that had nothing to do with the mother was the daughter. No one else.

To be honest, this was not a rom-com, nor was it advertised as a rom-com. But a lot of people watched it with the wrong expectations. If the person watching the show only cared about the romantic development between the daughter and her boyfriend, obviously they would be disappointed because their romantic relationship was not the most important aspect of this drama.

This was like Gilmore Girls. Sure, there's romance, but the men are not as important as the two main women. Therefore, their romantic relationships are not as important as the relationship between mother and daughter.