SBS 'Taxi Driver 3' Lee Je-hoon delivered satisfying closure to Taxi Driver's only unsolved case by punishing Um Moon-seok, the worst psychopath and mastermind of the 'match-fixing murder case'.
On the 13th, episode 8 of SBS's Fri-Sat drama 'Taxi Driver 3' (written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Kang Bo-seung) saw Kim Do-gi (played by Lee Je-hoon) and the 'Rainbow Heroes' recover the remains of Park Min-ho (played by Lee Do-han), who was murdered after being involved in a match-fixing case 15 years earlier, and deliver a cathartic 'eye-for-an-eye' lesson to the mastermind Cheon Kwang-jin (played by Um Moon-seok) by repaying the victim's suffering in full. According to Nielsen Korea, 'Taxi Driver 3' episode 8 recorded its highest ratings ever for season 3 with a peak rating of 15.6%, 12.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 12.3% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot and first among all miniseries broadcast that week. In particular, the 20-49 rating was 4.1%, rising to a peak of 5.19%, making it the number-one program across all channels for December and continuing its unstoppable rapid success.
The episode began with the revelation of the evil deeds Cheon Kwang-jin committed in the past, shocking viewers. Cheon Kwang-jin, the grandson of the founding chairman of Jingwangdae, approached players as a sponsor of the volleyball team and involved Im Dong-hyun (played by Moon Soo-young) and Jo Seong-wook (played by Shin Joo-hwan) in match-fixing illegal gambling. When Park Min-ho noticed and tried to report it, Cheon Kwang-jin not only used Im Dong-hyun and Jo Seong-wook to murder Park Min-ho but also committed the atrocious act of secretly burying the body in his grandmother's grave, horrifying viewers. Even the traffic accident that befell Park Min-ho's father, Park Dong-su (played by Kim Ki-chun), was orchestrated by Cheon Kwang-jin.
When Park Min-ho's remains were brought to light because of Do-gi's plan, Cheon Kwang-jin began to move. To eliminate evidence proving his crimes, he stole Park Min-ho's remains while they were being transferred by the police and revealed his brutal nature by killing Im Dong-hyun and Jo Seong-wook as well. Do-gi barely stopped Cheon Kwang-jin from abducting Park Dong-su, and after seeing Do-gi's exceptional fighting ability, Cheon Kwang-jin plotted something else, heightening the tension.
To recover Park Min-ho's remains, Do-gi chose all-out war with Cheon Kwang-jin. Do-gi and the 'Rainbow Heroes' headed to the abandoned school Cheon Kwang-jin had summoned them to, but waiting for Do-gi were not Cheon Kwang-jin but unidentified assailants. It turned out that Cheon Kwang-jin had used Do-gi as a player to open live fight betting. Ultimately, Cheon Kwang-jin even bet money on Do-gi's death, and his greed, which had erased any trace of humanity, provoked outrage.
To find Cheon Kwang-jin, who was somewhere in the abandoned school watching and chuckling, Do-gi fought a bloody battle against the killing machines charging at him. Do-gi's bare-knuckle action, with explosive impact, was especially eye-catching. The brawl that wiped out the corridors with a single hammer delivered extreme immersion, and Go Eun (played by Pyo Ye-jin), Chief Choi (played by Jang Hyuk-jin), and Assistant Manager Park (played by Bae Yoo-ram) added to the satisfaction by cutting the abandoned school's internet connection and stopping Cheon Kwang-jin's live fight betting broadcast.
Near the end of the episode, Do-gi, alone with Cheon Kwang-jin, delivered merciless punches of revenge. Crushed, Cheon Kwang-jin shocked viewers with the petty attempt to bribe Do-gi with money rather than showing remorse, and Do-gi repaid the victims' suffering in full, delivering a thrilling shiver. Do-gi, thinking of his client Park Dong-su, who has Alzheimer's yet never forgot his son Park Min-ho, thoroughly punished Cheon Kwang-jin. Do-gi poured sand over Cheon Kwang-jin as he thrashed in a dirt pit and snapped, "Think carefully until the grains of sand fall. See if there is even one person in the world who truly remembers you," creating a chill. Finally, Do-gi accompanied Park Dong-su, who had recovered Park Min-ho's remains, on his final farewell to the burial site, bringing closure to Taxi Driver's beginning and only unsolved case and moving viewers to tears.
[Photo] SBS 'Taxi Driver 3' broadcast capture
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