I just wanted to write a quick one on how I felt about this finale.

Was away for a weekend so I couldn’t recap the last two episodes, but that also means that I could binge watch at one go!

The finale was for sure, melodramatic and full of twists. What did I like about it? I appreciated the finality in the relationship between Yoo Jin and Je Ha when she said, “Farewell”. I like it that ultimately Jang Se Joon had the courage to be something more than he ever was. I like it that in a way, Choi Yoo Jin at least got to die with the man she once fell in love with, because I think no doubt, this was the Jang Se Joon whom she loved and gave up everything for. This finale is full of regrets. If Choi Yoo Jin had saved Uhm Hye Rin, would everything have been different? Yes, most likely. She wouldn’t become so hardened and afraid of letting go of her secret. Yet, as the couple hugged at the end, I felt like even Jang was regretful. If only he didn’t cheat on Choi Yoo Jin, truly then this whole mess wouldn’t have erupted.

What did I not like about the show? Honestly, I think this is my least TvN drama out of the few I’ve watched. I am not a fan of the main couple till the end, and I am slightly grateful for that because I am not going to have any drama blues. I cannot deny the awesome acting and chemistry between the two leads (just watching them kiss at the end with such bliss, happiness and desire makes me want to kiss someone too HAHA kidding). It’s the scripting and plot which failed me on this point. I guess in return for that, I got to watch the most kick-ass, powerful, complex second female character ever. In a way, the whole show is about Choi Yoo Jin and her character development. It’s so odd because she’s not meant to be the main lead, is she? But at the end of the day, it was she who has changed the most and learnt the most about the world. Arguably, Je Ha and Anna have never changed and that makes them too simplistic.

I also couldn’t appreciate the scene when all the bodyguards realise K2 was alive and started cheering in tears. I mean, I know this is supposed to show how much you love him but feels slightly jarring given that you must have realised what the explosion meant for Jang and Yoo Jin? It’s also a bit ridiculous that they would watch blankly while Chairman Choi pulled down the ropes.

What I find interesting is the show’s bravery in venturing into unorthodox ways of killing the villains. In most kdramas, the villains always repent and always only in the last episode, creating a very unnatural and unsatisfying end. For example, I liked how in You Who Came From The Stars, the villain never became good and instead, went slightly crazy. In Pinocchio, although the mum went to jail, it was only out of her love for her son and not because she repented. Similarly, here, it’s interesting because we are shown that the consortium still exists, but the two big villains are killed. You wouldn’t really say that those who killed him are good people either, and I think this show has shown through its characters how difficult it is sometimes to classify people into “good” and “bad”.

What I would have liked is to see more of Je Ha’s alleged massacre of civilians, which is supposed to form an important part of his backstory. It felt like the scriptwriters didn’t get the details down so they settle for some brief gloss instead. I do like how they convey the scene where Anna sends the information in the USB to the world. It’s an item which contains much power and has generated most of the drama in the last few episodes, but given a different perspective, it suddenly becomes very innocent and simple.

Ultimately, I feel that Yoo Jin has such a bittersweet end. She has nowhere to go, but she has Jang next to her. She is snubbed by Je Ha (till the very end?) but Jang came back for her. I don’t know.

Next time, just don’t give me a show that makes me fall in love with a second lead hehe. Anyway, kudos to all actors and actresses in this show, you did a great job!!!

<3thoughtsramble