Not gonna lie, I’m kinda glad this is over.

So I’m not sure if it’s evident, but I semi-gave up on the show after Episode 12, where it was evident that my hopes of it turning decent are just that. Hopes. So I decided to plan ahead and write this review of the last few episodes, by keeping tabs on my reactions to each episode.

Before diving in, I’m going to warn you that this review is pretty harsh. Don’t read if you are a fan (from what I understand, this show has quite a strong fanbase online…?) and cannot take criticisms of your favourite show! I’ve warned ya!

Alright, let’s go.

#1: What on earth is up with your law? 

E12: The bag would be such a simple piece of evidence to throw out – surely there would be some checks on fingerprints (lack of Gi Bbeum’s) + I’m sure Nam Joo can easily find the invoice of the sale of Gi Bbeum’s bag 3 years ago.

E13: I’ve not seen such a simplistic prosecution investigation in a while?? Where a witness’ statement is given so much weight on the spot just because it corroborates with the suspect’s accounts? Dude, the witness and the suspect are a couple, there are bound to be issues. And I’ve never heard of such a ‘technique’ where a witness’s memory is given such strong probative value just by virtue of it being detailed. Huh?? What has the scriptwriter been smoking?

E13: Also ludicrous for Ma Sung to be asking CEO Kim questions cross-examination style. Such a compliant prosecutor.

E13: This incident is 3 years ago, wow tattoo guy sure is easy to locate + I don’t quite see how catching tattoo guy links to proof that CEO Kim owns drugs, links to Gi Bbeum being innocent on the night itself?

The scriptwriter clearly has a very poor sense of how the law works in reality and uses circumstantial evidence both as a tool to nail Gi Bbeum down AND to lift her suspicion. Both scenarios were highly unstaisfying and seals the deal for me that this show is a goner.

#2: Ma Sung

E13: You are such a Greek god, but you make weird decisions like deciding to tell CEO Kim you have recovered your memory. What was the point of this scene? To rattle the enemy? You sure are lucky that CEO Kim didn’t have anymore tricks up his sleeve or you would have lost a tactical advantage.

E14: Choi Jin Hyuk’s acting is the saving grace of this show. Watching Ma Sung struggle with the news that his aunt tried to kill him and how he falls to the ground in pain is so good. And his confrontation scene with his aunt was so powerful – you could tell he is heartbroken, betrayed and feels destroyed.

E14: I don’t get why Ma Sung keeps going back to Dr Yoon – surely there are also other doctors around who can treat him? Why must he keep trusting Dr Yoon? Dr Yoon has even allowed the Aunt to interfere with the hypnosis session.

E15: my goodness, how many times do you all want to milk Choi Jin Hyuk’s acting? this entire episode is all about his farewells, sad eyes (and chiselled face, and hot bod).

E16: Aha, he’s alive! But who ever doubted that he isn’t?? But it’s okay I’m not complaining to a wonderful side profile of Choi Jin Hyuk.

And his full profile. Damn this guy is a work of art.

E16: OH MY GOD. Ma Sung, why are you still Dr Yoon’s patient????

#3: The couple

E13: Till today, I’ve not seen how Gi Bbeum intends to protect Ma Sung despite multiple promises. I also don’t get it why Ma Sung is keeping his health a secret from Gi Bbeum. Is this show telling us that white lies are the key to a Cinderella romance?

E13: Stop trying to make me feel better about this show by bribing me with the couple hugs and deep kisses. Hmmph.

E14: You guys would have been so cute but your “I love yous” sadly don’t echo with me. Because you went from love at first sight to quibbles to I love you just like that, I really couldn’t sense where the love is coming from.

E14: oh I like this scene – the fact that she’s singing to him over the phone, and that he is listening to the actual song just a wall away. The fact that he’s crying in pain and then collapses. It’s a pretty decent, even if dramatic, scene.

E15: girl, your man is dying and you are still ignoring his calls??

E15: okay you biting off Ma Sung’s ice cream and him taking it back by kissing you is petty cute.

E15: are you two going to start making out in an empty house…?? okay you are, okay okay cool cool. Not going to complain. Also you guys have found a fantastic way of not breaking Song Ha Yoon’s neck while kissing i.e having both persons seated down.

E15: HAHAH the way the two awkwardly and nonchalantly bid their farewell to each other after heavy making out.

E15: ooooh my god, do they not have enough tropes in this drama and want to add in the last trope of the leads having met each other when they were young??! And one having saved the other??

E15: oooh another way of not breaking Song Ha Yoon’s neck – by placing her on the table.

E16: damn I didn’t actually think that they will have the couple visit the place where they first fell in love. I know it’s cliche but I actually like it. If only the drama was of good quality, this would have been so poetic.

E16: what is this strange sequence of the couple talking to each other’s visions? Haiz, it’s such a pretty scene but still so wasted.

E16: HAHA, Ma Sung dissing his old self, for buying a seat for Gi Bbeum and acting like an old-fashioned drama. The best part of this episode so far.

E16: omg, are you guys going to MEET? YES YES. The first time I’m eager for something in the past 5 episodes.

Omg I like this self-introduction of “I’m Joo Gi Bbeum. Nice to meet you, Gong Ma Sung.”

E16: But this rain is so random LOL, which only purpose is just to remind Ma Sung of his hot kiss in the rain.

E16: Why does this show like hot kisses in the rain so much? I must say it does look so good aesthetically. I mean, look at that wet hair.

#4: General comments

E13: Oh god the prosecutor told CEO Kim off for chewing gum. This is gold.

E13: It sure is easy to salvage Gi Bbeum’s reputation……..in line with the rant on the first point, I just found this whole scandal thing very sloppily dealt with. Resolution was incredibly simplistic.

E1 – E16: SOMEONE, HELP ME GIVE CEO KIM A TIGHT SLAP AND TELL HIM TO STOP CHEWING GUM

E14: Aww it’s so cute that Gi Bbeum has brought out her guitar again. She’s a singerrr. More of this please rather than the vicious, weird swinging of mane and neck.

E15: Ha Im’s and Ki Joon’s mother’s face-off is pretty funny. Ha Im and Ki Joon’s relationship is also all kinds of weird but pretty endearing.

E15: omg Secretary Yang is the other saving grace of the show – what a loyal puppy.

E15: I do not believe that bad people like the Chairwoman and the Doctor will feel bad – come on, these people knocked him down in cold blood!!

E15: I’m getting so bored and sleepy…even watching Choi Jin Hyuk crying isn’t making me feel anything.

E15: why do we have flashbacks of scenes within the same episode?

E16: Surprisingly, Ki Joon’s tantrums are giving life to this finale. And the darn CEO Kim IS STILL chewing his gum. Huh?? Seriously, I can’t even concentrate on the show when CEO Kim is around because I’m always waiting to see if his mouth moves. And he never fails me. Did the scriptwriter write in the addiction to gum into CEO Kim’s character because he/she envisions this is how a villain looks like?

E16: what’s this hideous cackling from the soft toy dog?

E16: awwwww Ki Joon, you were such a whiny brat with nothing but a loud voice, but now you are pretty cool and stable eh.

E16: Awww, and this reunion between uncle and nephew is rather touching.

Overall thoughts: 

I kept with the show, and actually didn’t mind or even think much of its tropes initially. Truck of doom, accident, amnesia I thought they were fine because I saw them as being part of the plot itself rather than mere devices or cliches. But everything turned really sour when the revelations weren’t dealt with properly, when the script decides to throw in 1235861238 other tropes, when it becomes sooo draggy and even Choi Jin Hyuk couldn’t save the day. I’m generally not a fan of a show using kissing as a tool to salvage its tatters, and this drama is one example of that.

For me, things went wrong when the plot kinda lost control of itself. There is potential in the premise of the show, and it shouldn’t have been just about the love story. It could have been filled with suspense, thrill, revelations, excitement ON TOP of it being a love story. It could have been amazing watching Gi Bbeum’s comeback being intertwined with Ma Sung’s accident and recovery. But in the end, the ‘plot’ was merely but a tool to get the couple together. It’s the first time in a while that I’ve experienced such mediocre writing, I’m surprised someone even green-lit the project. Maybe I should have suspected something was wrong when I first saw how blurry the filter made everything looked.

Thankfully, the finale ended with them marrying FOUR times in a month. It’s so unexpected and funny, but logical? yet nonsensical, that I found myself smiling so hard for the first time in a while.

At the end of the day, if there’s one thing you have to bring away from reading this review, it’s that…Choi Jin Hyuk’s twinkly eyes are irresistible. It’s the only thing that kept me going. I only wished that his eyes could be better used somewhere.

<3thoughtsramble