The Finale: Discussion

This is obviously going to contain SPOILERS, so be warned.

First off, all the disappointment stems from viewing this drama as something more than just a rom-com. I could have cut it some slack if it were a comedy, but it wasn't—and don't tell me it was (although yeah, it felt like a bad joke towards the end).

What I really didn't like. The characters were not consistent to the end and their choices made no sense. I've read a lot of comments in the comment section arguing the opposite, how the hell were they consistent? In which way? Please enlighten me.

Realism. I loved this drama for its refreshing and realistic approach, however, as the episodes went by it became more and more like your usual silly, fluffy drama where everyone gets a happy ending. We all know Ho Ran and Won Seok were never gonna work out in the end for example, we all know people like this in our lives (or maybe we've been through a similar relationship ourselves) point is, couples do break up and sometimes that's for the best. You're only gonna hurt yourself by clinging onto something that is bound to fail. If the Writer had had the guts to show us this, I'd have respected her (of course, we're in Dramaland, so I know even a slightly unhappy ending wouldn't be well received by the general audience).

Idealised bs about love. "Marriage is not sacred. Love is." This made me burst out laughing. Wonder how long it took the Writer to come up with something as cheesy as this. Also, I thought the episodes where they went to Ji Ho's hometown (and shared some intimate moments) were a clear statement of Se Hee's feelings towards her? The following eps too, e.g. when he asked her to sleep with him. So I really don't understand all the pointless drama Ji Ho went to in the last few eps, what was she trying to pull? Not to mention, she started out with this big dream of becoming a writer, but never fulfilled it. She said she didn't give up on anything, just that her dream changed along the way, but I'm not buying that. Likewise, Se Hee had to give up on his apartment. Why do you have to give up on things that you value and that are essentially part of you, in order to be with the one you love? This just sends out the wrong message.

I disagree with most (maybe all lol) of the comments here regarding Se Hee and Ji Ho. For me, they stayed pretty true to who they were (Se He "changed" at the end but its like he just came back to how he really was before Jung Min left). Ji Ho's decision to leave Se He for a while was actually understandable and in my opinion, a good thing... Se He, even tho he's shown that he was interested to her, it was always kind of a spur of the moment and its as if his emotions were a sword and as he attacks with it, he always held a shield along it. He never truly admitted to himself what he felt. He never faced it, because at the back of his mind, he was still trapped with what happened in his past & he was scared. Ji Ho leaving left him with his own feelings to deal with. Because of the pain of her leaving, he was able to heal his past wound? Idk how to explain it lol. He was also able to realize how much he loved her, enough to stop holding a shield on his emotions towards her.  On episode 15/16 (i dont remember) when she came back and asked if he was mad, she wasnt being a dick lol she was genuinely happy. Because for the first time, he showed his emotions without holding a shield with it. He let himself be human again.

For the comment above me (BlackHalo), Ji Ho didnt give up being a writer, she was a writer at the end? If you were referring to when she didn't sign with Se He's ex, Ji Ho's personality was always pretty stubborn. If she decided on something she does it. Tho, I dont really understand why she didnt sign even tho she said that Jung Min wasnt the reason for her not signing... Her signing a contract with Jung Min's company doesnt really get in the way of her "love," other than Jung Min herself (questionable) which she said isnt the reason anyways...  So, that was something I didnt really get... As for Se He selling the house/apartment... I know he did it because there was too many memories with Ji Ho in it, but he didn't really value the house because he genuinely did. He took it as an excuse to become a stone lol. After Jung Min left, he made himself miserable and he used his apartment as an excuse as to why he cant do other things; he needs to work to pay the bills..., he needs to keep the house clean..., etc., Him selling it kind of let him let go of his past lifestyle so I actually think that it was a good thing he did (tho I personally wouldnt cos $$ ????) I dont want this to be too long so imma stop here lol I do agree with the other couple tho... Ho Rang and Won Seok were just not going to work out. I was already rooting for them and their new possible partners... but I didnt really mind it. It was still something that could happen in real life tbh. I know people that got divorced after yrs of marriage but ended up getting married again ???? The drama was pretty realistic tbh. Most of the story can happen to real life.

As reference, I'm not someone that seeks "realism" in my kdramas, because the whole point of me watching is to be entertained and escape the (sad) realities of the world? And its not like the world is always sad anyways so I dont understand why sad endings are realistic... what pessimism tsk lol.. I personally dont like sad endings, I feel like it just puts a spotlight to those sad realities of the real world, which I personally dont want to see in my laptop screen too.  There are some sad endings that are well done tho. But anyways, I really liked this drama. Ive watched quite a lot of kdramas but this is only the 4th drama I'd rate a 10/10. I felt like they closed the drama really well. Even tho I was sad it was over, I was happy with the way it ended. I actually think the opposite than most of the comments here, I think that they actually did the ending really well. Usually, kdramas do fck up the endings that I often end up not watching the last episodes, but I personally dont think this drama did. Its all a matter of opinions tho but yeah. I loooooveeed this drama. 

If anyone is looking for a next drama to watch, Fight My Way is also rlly good (my 3rd 10/10 drama lol) its a bit more lighthearted? Idk, they both give me similar vibes, tho the plots are totally different.

Ooohh I ADORE Fight my Way!

And I agree with you that I don't really care for sad realism in my escapism. Which was part of the reason why I was so baffled by the (for me) unnecessary drama in those last two episodes.

And I think one of the reasons people tend to talk more about something that angers them is to help let it go... At least it works for me. 

And soorei, you're not alone! Look at the rating this drama got, people LOVE it. This thread just kind of became a place for those who didn't. (:

 soorei:

I guess I viewed the drama at the end as the ending conflict? I feel like the show wouldve felt bland if they just continued the show on its way to a happy ending without having anything really change and if they didnt have a big turning point near the end. 

I guess that's what the showrunners thought too and that's why they ended the drama like they did. 

Anyway, I don't think any of us here in this thread hated the show. It's precisely because we had loved it so much that when it failed to meet our expectation (whether it's misplaced or not), the disappointment was greater. Whatever its pitfalls, it's still a good drama and one that I can see myself recommending to people in the future.

@dramaworld
At one point, I suspected the Writer might be suffering from some sort of bipolar disorder, holy..the mood of the drama swung quite a lot. It's either that, or they changed the Writer last minute for some unannounced reason, lol..

@kura2ninja @soorei
Exactly, no one here hated the drama, if I didn't care so much about it I wouldn't even be here commenting. Obviously, most of us here loved and could relate to the characters right from the start, we were just hoping for a better outcome is all.

@Sari - Thank you for that post about what Ji Ho was thinking/feeling. I *did* feel that from her and that is what I was thinking when I watched it. It was like she kept giving him chance after chance to tell her to stay and be part of his life....but he didn't. I know the "why" of it, even if I didn't fully like the execution of it. (Mostly the nonsense crap she kept saying more than anything else. Even her mom called it when she said she was just saying bull$#!t. LOL) But seriously, your post helped a lot and I already loved the show. I just struggled a little with the ending. 

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The only ending part I really really took issue with was Won Seok and Ho Rang. I was also rooting for new partners. I think it would have been realistic to say that sometimes people break up and find who they were really meant to be with - even if they've been together for years. Sometimes things just don't work. To me, they never solved any issues and I feel like they would just keep going around in the same circles over and over by getting back together. 

Ceo Ma and Soo Ji - I think they could have held a show all on their own. So cute! I loved that he knew exactly how to handle Soo Ji but gave the other two guys such BAD love advice! LOL!

I know a lot of people are sour at the ending, and to be completely honest I found a lot of it to be unnecessary and a bit awkward, but I thing the redeeming quality of the ending is that it was a human ending (not humane, but human, flawed).

At first, I didn't understand why jiho needed to leave so badly, but I realized that she herself was in a situation where she didn't completely know what she wanted or where things were going, all she knew was that she wanted love rather than marriage, and that she didn't know what sehee was thinking either. I am a big proponent of communication, but after thinking about how jiho must have felt, I understood how the writers showed that jiho is imperfect and scared (she is crazy after all haha)

Personally, I know what it's like being an introvert, and I think all those empathizing with sehee have completely valid opinions; however, after making after making friends in high school even more introverted than me, I began to see that while introverts tend to be victims, they have the potential to be the perpetrators too, even the most destructive forces in a relationship; no extrovert has ever hurt me as much as as introvert has (maybe because I'm also a sensitive introvert heh heh). But it's not all on sehee either, it's tough to express how one feels, and even after the fact it's near impossible to articulate one's exact thoughts free from misinterpretation. Gregory Rabassa once said “Every act of communication is an act of translation.” and Ken Liu wrote “Every act of communication is a miracle of translation.” Sehee clearly loved jiho in the eyes of the viewers, but that never translated to jiho until the end. 

I personally find jiho to be a very intriguing character; she is by no means a classic extrovert: she's quiet, reserved, and a bit shy, but she doesn't leave her feelings unexpressed. Not contacting sehee was cruel from a certain perspective, but when I put myself into her shoes, I realized it doesn't matter if she's in Mongolia or in Insadong; that period of time was her room 19. She needed her own space and Sehee also should have had that time alone in my opinion. There was a step back in maturity in that lack of communication and like the 3 seconds of jealousy, but jiho a human being, and humans are like that. It's not an ending I expected, but it didn't ruin the drama for me.

As for the wonseok/horang ending, I was personally rooting for the writers to have them part ways, as I personally believe that love can't promise happiness and compatibility. How I came to terms with them back together is what this drama taught me earlier: this may seem like a standard drama happy ending, but there is no guarantee that they will be happy or successful. Clearly, the have different characters that clash, but in thier one and only life, if they want to endure the pain for an unforgettable love out of their own choice, what right do I have to stand in the way of that decision?