‘38 Task Force’…A superbly entertaining heist drama.
Spoilers Ahead…
Getting someone to fork out money is an uncomfortable task, and becomes more so when that money is tax, and you are a government official whose job is to collect them. Ma Dong Seok plays one such taxation officer, Baek Il Sung, an exasperated chief, who works day in and day out, trying to get the rich to pay their taxes, who simply refuse to, because of their connections to various higher-ranking officials. Eventually, these taxes can only be collected from the poor, as they have no power or influence and no place to hide.
All this angers Sung Il, and unable to do anything about it, he rubs his bosses in a wrong way, which almost ends up costing him his job, until he meets Yang Jung Do (an outstanding Seo In Guk), a con artist, who promises to help him con these billionaires of their taxes. Sung Il agrees, very well aware that this isn’t the right way, but also knowing that working within the law isn’t a choice anymore and his only option lies outside of it.
What then follows is a thrilling ride of one con after another, each with different targets, different rules, and increasingly higher risks, and the show dives into this from the word go. There is a short montage to showcase Jang Do’s skills, and a brief flashback on Baek Sung Il’s part, to explain his deeper motive to resort to such a technique, but after that, it is onto the big fishes.
The screenplay is tightly woven, alternating between two groups of people in the initial episodes — one of Jung Do’s team preparing to swindle Ma Jin Seok (Oh Dae Hwan), and the other follows Chun Sung Hee (an understated Sooyoung), as she leads a team to legally collect the taxes. This, of course, is more of an example to convey to us and Sung Hee (who refuses to believe that you have to take the help of con artists), that sometimes a head full of spirit and heart full of courage is not enough to bring corrupt businessmen down. These episodes also largely feature only one of the two plotlines at a time, instead of cutting between the two, and as the show progresses, and the problems run deeper, we get more intercuts between different situations and characters, blurring the differences, and unifying the problem at hand. Towards the end, it is complete chaos, as everything happens simultaneously and one twist follows another, but the drama doesn’t slop. Instead, it becomes tighter, as it uses the small universe of a drama to its advantage to bring the various characters together, while the twists and turns in the story keep us guessing till the end.
You can argue that why a 38 Task Force that consists of innumerable plot twists, works, but the same didn’t work in a show like, say, W? That is mainly because W conjured up these twists in mid-air, as more of a shock factor, that helped steer the plot in a completely different direction, (which also only worked in the first half). In 38 Task Force, these twists are a result of the indecisiveness and untrusting nature of the characters, who largely consist of corrupt politicians, greedy businessmen, and thieves, who (can) switch sides anytime to suit their needs, which pays off to much more believable plot twists.
Also, you can debate how much of these heists that Jung Do pulls off is possible in reality, but the show otherwise does remain rooted, in a manner similar to Misaeng. One heist done right, only provides momentary happiness, as sometimes people close to you get hurt (physically or emotionally), and as you piss off a bunch of people, it brings forward a new set of troubles. Like how Bang Pil Gyu (Kim Hong Fa) asks Sung Il, after being sent to jail, why he doesn’t feel happy even though he has accomplished what had he wanted to do, or when Commissioner Ahn Tae Wook (Jo Woo Jin), a character loathed by everyone, loses his job, it is far from a joyful celebratory scene. As he packs up belongings, he mentions to Sung Il, that he and his wife are expecting another child, and suddenly, even for a short few minutes, he is not a corrupt, nosey official, but just a husband and a father trying to earn a living.
The Mayor, Chun Gap Soo, (played by the exceptional Ahn Nae Sang), is the most interesting and well-written character. For the most time, he keeps you guessing to what he is up to and which side he is on, and Ahn Nae Sang plays him with a poker face, that attributes a mysterious quality without it seeming cool, or tiresome when nothing is revealed. When he meets Sung Il and Sung Hee and they express their helplessness against the corrupt system, we can tell that he is aware of the problem, and who is causing it, yet he also constantly meets and entertains the fancies of people like Bang Pil Gyu and Choi Chul Woo (Lee Ho Jae).
The show doesn’t feed us any background information on how he became acquainted with Choi Chul Woo, whether he was forced into it or it was his choice, but when a rival candidate declares that if he becomes mayor, he will make Choi Chul Woo pay all his taxes, you can see in his reaction that he sees his former self in him. Even when he repeatedly says that he wants to be a good mayor, it feels like he is saying it more to himself.
In contrast, Sung Il is a black and white person, he only sees right and wrong, and in his eyes, no reason can justify any wrong done. Even when he cons billionaires, he steals the exact amount that they owe the government. But it is Seo In Guk as Yang Jung Do that holds the show together. Seo Guk In switches personas and accents with ease, and it is an absolute treat to watch him play a varied range of roles. It proves his versatility, and I absolutely hope, that we can see more of him in this avatar, rather than in shows like the very bland Shopping King Louie.
Seo Guk In makes you care for an unreliable character, and even though he is presented as someone very smart, he doesn’t make Jung Do vain, whose intellect is amplified by looking down at others. He occasionally does fumble, get scared and gets caught too, and you are as worried for him, as you assure yourself, he will find a way out of the mess.
I also loved that the drama didn’t sneak in some plot point for Sung Hee to join Jung Do’s swindling gang. She stays in the background and does things her own way.
38 Task Force (38 refers to Article 38 of the South Korean constitution which states that it is the duty of all citizens to pay taxes) sheds light on problems South Korea is grappling with, but it also doesn’t forget to entertain along the way. Don’t make the same mistake I did and watch this show three years too late; if you haven’t watched it, be sure to catch it now!
