Kmuse - Seeing Chabeol Mom go down was so satisfying. And even better was the use of her one weak spot (her son) in her downfall. I found it interesting that the writers kept consistent with the family concept through everything, including the bad guys. In episode 19 we saw Bum Jo figure out the only way that would make his mother accept accountability for her actions (or at least in a legal sense since I am positive she did not accept any blame for her actions til the bitter end).
Kmuse- Surprisingly I am happy that all of Ice Mom's consequences were self-imposed. If she had wanted to, she could have continued to work as a reporter, but instead she chose to figuratively flip off her boss as she exited. The lawsuit was dropped by the request of Dal Po and really everyone had forgiven her at this point. But yay for Ice Mom taking a real look at her life and deciding to change.
Dongsaeng - Too little too late? Well, she's certainly not winning Mother of the Year Award any time soon, but, at least she's no longer a total you-know-what. I loved her redemption in the end. I appreciate that she was willing to stand up and do the right thing, even if it did take some doing to get her to that point. She finally showed us that In Ha's integrity wasn't just some random quirk that evolved from a totally baseless maternal pool. She proved to us that she does have some of the same qualities as her daughter, they were just buried a little deeper. Way, way, way deeper. But, we found them, eventually, and that's cool. And she willingly took on the consequences of her actions, and I can respect that too. I guess if I had one complaint as far as her storyline goes, I would have loved to have explained why she disappeared so soundly from her daughter's life for all of those years. I mean, really. She never called, never visited, nothing. Zero contact for all of those formative years. Who does that? So yeah, she came around in her career and a little bit as a mom, but still some unanswered questions that gnaw at me and don't allow me to declare this one wrapped up perfectly with a pretty little bow.
Kmuse - This couple had actually been on the periphery of my enjoyment of the drama. It is not that I did not like the little snippets of implied romance, but with only 7 main focuses on each episode, they got shoved to the corner. But I did want to give a quick shout out and acknowledge their cuteness. Calf reporter was always just kind of weird but I liked that he did have morals and stood up for them (although sometimes while pouting). So it was cool to see him get the girl and the reveal made me smile.
Dongsaeng - Like Kmuse said, these two were two of the periphery characters that really made the drama fun to watch, but didn't get to ever have the spotlight shone on them in my recaps simply for lack of space. I love that they ended up married and that she is tough on him when he's being stubborn. And that that other guy (the tattletale one) that was often with them seemed a little (lot) jealous. So many rich characters to enjoy, including these two.
Mentor Couple
Kmuse- Those of you who have been following our recaps know that I predicted this ship a couple of weeks ago and I am happy to say that it really did exist! WOOT for powers of observation. Unfortunately, what could have been a really great moment got cut off just a little too early. We find out that Gyo Dong was letting our favorite yawning, black bag toting drunk
Yoo Rae, into the reporters lounge all this time. The latest drunken rampage occurred when she came to the conclusion that Gyo Dong did not have romantic feelings for her and she had yet again been misled. But we see that our favorite mentor really does have an interest in Yoo Rae when she calls out his name in her drunken stupor. And then ......... nothing......... that was the end of their story. What the fudge writers? Calf Couple gets a whole cute couple moment and then we get the mentor moment without any follow through. Implying is not enough for this ahjumma. Unless you were planning on doing a spinoff drama with these two characters (how cool would that be?) then you should have given us a token hand hold, forehead kiss, or something.... anything..... One more slight misstep for me.
Dongsaeng -Ugh! I was SO FRUSTRATED that they didn't continue this part of the storyline!!!! Sooo close, but then...pppbbbllltttt. Disappeared. Really?! Who does that? Or, who does that and expects people to not notice or care?! So much potential for some real fun and the ball was dropped. Boo. Boo boo boo. I know he's like crazy old compared to her, but so what? You've already taken it this far, give them a happy ending too. Please. For us. The ones that care.
Hottie Hyung
Kmuse - One of the very few complaints I have with the drama is that Hottie Hyung was gone way too early in the show. My favorite moments involved the suspense that the killer brother storyline brought and the resulting conflict with Dal Po. The writers occasionally touted him out for some brother bonding through prison glass, but it was just too little for this ahjumma. It also did not help that Hottie Hyung seemed to get really, really zen once he was imprisoned. From his actions you would assume he was a guest at a Buddhist temple in Tibet discovering the meaning of life, rather than a scum-infested prison. I can only assume that the writers had not expected Hottie Hyung to make such a huge impact upon the viewers and therefore did not have plans for his character in the latter half of the show. I would have liked to see one last scene in the finale, maybe something along the lines of giving his blessings for Dal Po and In Ha's relationship. While I was sad to not get that moment, I am sure that we will at least see this actor again soon.
Dongsaeng - I really don't have much opinion on him either way at this point. Once he turned into a murderer, he really wasn't my type. I think the writers may have been conflicted on how to handle his character once he turned into a killer. You don't want to be too sympathetic towards him seeing as how he killed three men in cold blood (or would it be hot blood since it was all revenge driven? Hmm....). That does tend to be something that is difficult to overlook. Yet you don't want to malign him too bad as he is still a tragic character and one that the audience was willing to embrace despite his sins. So what do you do? You put him behind bars and show how he has mellowed and changed. Makes it easier to not hate him. Heck, it makes it easier to forget that he killed three men. And he is the older brother of our hero. He's more like this bizarre, twisted sage that our hero visits for pearls of wisdom every once in a while. It makes me sad still that they made him a killer and put that wedge between brothers. It's like a giant asterisk just sitting there, glaring at us, constantly wanting to remind us of the reality any time we want to see our brothers live happily ever after together. I don't know about you, but the whole mess just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and I'd like to forget that it's even there.
Kmuse - I was very satisfied with this characters ending. He is able to make sure that he and his mother do what is right, he finds closure with In Ha, has a new and unbreakable bromance going with Dal Po, and eventually finds his way back to the newsroom. Minus the fact that he does not have a romantic interest, his life is pretty tip top perfect.
Dongsaeng- In a lot of ways, Bum Jo is my personal favorite hero of this drama. I don't have a full-blown case of SLS (Second Lead Syndrome), but I may have a few of the symptoms. I love this goofy, giant-smiled guy with his easy-going personality. He's just a happy guy. Even heartache couldn't keep him down for long. He just keeps smiling through all the struggles and pain. He makes me want to just give him a great big bear hug and tell him that everything is going to be alright. And then hook him up with a really rad girl so that he too can have his Happily Ever After. Bum Jo, I love you! Thank you for being you!
Grandpa and Ahjussi Dad
Kmuse - When the protest by grandfather against Dal Po and In Ha dating first came I up I was a bit cranky. Personally I felt that the writers were just looking for something to drag out the last episode. However it resulted in one of my favorite scenes so I officially forgive them. When Grandfather finally un-adopts Dal Po, and by doing so gave him his blessings to date In Ha, I had tears in my eyes (both times I watched the episode and while I was getting screencaps). There is just such a beautiful connection between the two that you have no doubts that they truly love each other and have a bond that goes beyond blood relations.
Dongsaeng- Other than never knowing what to call him, I absolutely loved this relationship from beginning to end. They are so sweet and tender together. Yeah, throwing the whole "love block" into the end was super annoying, I mean, COME ON. Haven't these two been through enough already? Just let them live and love and all that. But, object he does, and, being the good kids that they are, Dal Po and In Ha cool their jets and live as uncle and niece once more. What the what? Okay, sure, they are the closest set of uncle/niece that I've ever seen this side of the creepy fence, but, still, they stop dating. Until Gramps sees the picture of the couple holding Chan Soo's baby like a happy little family and decides to relent. I know that they just wanted to prove how loyal Dal Po was to his adoptive family, but yeah - glad that reason and love eventually won out.
Dongsaeng- I just wondered how much Gramps stole from Dal Po to pay for this wedding ;)
Dal Po and In Ha
Dongsaeng- I don't even know where to start with these two. They are so stinking cute together. Their chemistry is off the charts. They are just sweet together. Totally natural. And this is Park Shin Hye we are talking about. Park. Shin. Hye. I didn't think that I would ever in a million years see this day come, but by golly, come it did. I rarely want to see a drama couple date in real life, but I really think that there could be something to this whole PSH/LJS business. She came alive. He looked happy. It just thrills me to no end that they pulled it off. In Ha has become one of my favorite Kdrama heroines just for her sheer pluck and inability to play games. With her, what you see is what you get and that full and total honesty was incredibly refreshing. I found that their relationship was very balanced and healthy and just plain enjoyable to watch.
Kmuse- An adorably perfect OTP (One True Pairing) from beginning to end. After recapping dramas for over a year, you don't know how rare that is. It is the kdrama's equivalent to the white whale. I love their maturity, their ability to think of others without becoming noble idiots, and their ability to grow and become more as a couple and as individuals. Nothing proved this more than their decision to not lie to their grandfather about their relationship, instead to meet this trial head on. They did not ditch their families in some epic sign of selfish love, but instead decided to take the time to prove the strength of their relationship by being honest and communicating. And in the end they were rewarded, as were we with one last time jump and beautiful style change (How does Lee Jong Suk keep looking better and better with each style?). The below photos show it all and practically scream happily ever after.
My Thoughts:
Kmuse- I loved that the writers kept their focus on their three main themes......family, justice, and ethical reporting.....through the whole drama. There was no waffling or sidetracks to story lines that the netizens might have wanted (i.e. Hottie Hyung). They obviously had a story to tell, had a plan, and executed it perfectly. The casting was also spot on and Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye will go into my favorite OTPs of all time list. Do I know if they can make the same magic with someone else? Maybe not, although I am now hopeful that I can like PSH. But regardless of their future success, for these twenty hours they were able to have me glued to my tv screen and believe that there is such a thing as true love and justice.
Thanks everyone for joining us in our Pinocchio recaps. We had a great time dissecting this drama and are praying that our next endeavor is as successful. If you were wondering which drama we will be tackling next, then wonder no longer. Dongsaeng and I will be recapping the upcoming drama "Jekyll, Hyde, and Me" starring, the ever sexy, Hyun Bin. We are both huge fans and so I am sure there will be a lot of fangirling going on. This drama starts on Wednesday so be sure to check back later this week for our newest recaps.
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