Strong Girl Nam-Soon season 1 episode 16 recap, review & ending explained

Open Go TV / December 1, 2023 / Reviews

Strong Girl Nam-Soon episode 16 brings the season to its conclusion as Nam-Soon and her family go against Ryu Si-O, while Pavel continues to elude the authorities.

Recap

Nam-Soon wakes up and takes care of the explosive before Ryu Si-O walks up to her and begins throwing her away. He plans to impale her with an iron rod, but she catches it and throws it back, impaling him successfully.

He causes a distraction to bail as Hee-Sik comes to rescue Nam-Soon. He eventually gets her the antidote as Geum-Ju recovers and later, Joong-Gan does so too. The family reunites but the mission is still on.

General Lee Jeong-Sik is finally rescued and the police try to find Si-O everywhere, but he’s at the same orphanage he bought a long time ago. Pavel sends a killer to take care of him, and it’s a face from Si-O’s past.

As the police and Nam-Soon catch up to Ryu Si-O, he meets a tragic end. Joong-Gan decides to use her powers for good and help the elderly victims of financial scams.

Geum-Ju finally learns who Nozh is, and it turns out to be Bread Song. Pavel puts out a hit on her, while she gears up to take them down. Hee-Sik proposes to Nam-Soon, who’s given a place in the police force for her contributions to solving the drug crisis.

Geum-Ju recruits another powerful person to and task them with a mission, as Strong Girl Nam-Soon season 1 concludes.

Strong Girl Nam-Soon season 1 ending explained in detail:

Who is Nozh?

Nozh is the new heir of the Pavel criminal organization. After the current head of Pavel, Sabaki becomes frail and bedridden, Nozh emerges as the new head who’s still to learn a thing or two before he takes over the entirety of matters.

Nozh has been Bread Song all this time, playing a quirky money launderer right in front of Geum-Ju. It was actually his mission to learn money laundering, something that Daniel of Opulentia learns and reveals to Geum-Ju.

Before Geum-Ju can get a hold of him or learn about his identity, Bread Song aka Nozh escapes Korea through a smuggling boat.

Who is Binbin?

Binbin is the one and only friend Ryu Si-O ever had. He was a childhood friend of his who met him in Russia, as one of Pavel’s orphans who were trained to be its eventual members.

He was from Hungary and together with Si-O, had dreamed of escaping Pavel. They did try it once as well.

He was eventually taken to Hungary where he was made even more emotionless and a cold-blooded, efficient killer.

How does Ryu Si-O die?

Binbin ends up hesitating to kill Ryu Si-O, who chooses a dignified death and not one that comes about by one he considers his only friend in life.

When Nam-Soon, Hee-Sik, and the police catch up to Ryu Si-O, he faces them all with a gun in his hand. This gun was given to him by Binbin.

Before he can be arrested, Ryu Si-O puts the gun to his head and shoots himself dead, choosing a death with dignity, something he talks about before pulling the trigger.

Review

Strong Girl Nam-Soon episode 16 marks the conclusion of the season with a finale that comes across as nothing more than a dud.
Ryu Si-O’s death is consistent with his tragic life but it doesn’t amount to anything apart from leaving a “hole” in Pavel’s Korean division.
The finale ought to include a thrilling climactic battle but that battle never arrives and with a show revolving around superhuman powers, it’s a massive disappointment to not see more of these powers.
The powers are also never used in any way that can be called creative. A shabby post-credits scene sets up the next installment while Pavel seems to be the big bad of this Strong Girl Nam-Soon‘s extended universe.