Two Weeks Episode 16 Recap

In what felt like a whirlwind airing, Two Weeks wrapped up today with a lovely flourish and a feeling that it all just flew by. The logical bumps and bruises continued in the last episode but the emotional payoff was outstanding and well-earned. It helped to envelope this drama in a wonderful finish, letting us know that the world created for this particular story didn’t have perfect endings but it was satisfying in all ways poignant and bittersweet. I’m so happy I decided to recap this drama, which never became a crack addiction for me but was so solidly good in ways that rarely happen nowadays. There was no second half collapse and no easy resolution to tough emotional quandaries. Yes, the narrative on the procedural side took a giant unicorn lala-land pill in the last two episodes, what with Tae San apprehending Moon Il Suk himself and also figuring out Jo Seo Hee’s big charity auction drug deal all on his own. But in the greater scheme of storytelling it fit with the general conceit that so many shitty things kept happening to one man and he needed to help himself. Jang Tae San – fatherless orphan who watched his mother commit suicide, gangster who found love only to have it cruelly snatched away, dissolute loser just scraping by who gets framed for murder and gets his best friend killed in the process. I didn’t mind how the drama resolved all the conflict and tied up all the loose ends but it needs to be said that it’s turned out to be quite easy.

The drama may have had an open ending but it was executed perfectly so it made sense and felt realistic. The bad guys got their just desserts and will pay the price for their misdeeds, the good guys who made mistakes or bad choices all owned up to their actions and accepted their punishment, and the wronged people got a measure of peace by learning the whole truth. Tae San found both exoneration and rebirth through his ordeal and his daughter, and how he walks the rest of his life is a journey we don’t need to worry about because it will be with purpose and conviction. I found the resolution of the two daddies for Soo Jin conundrum wonderfully done, with all parties behaving with class, dignity, and sincerity all wrapped in the understanding that love means sacrifice and acceptance. Two Weeks was a wonderfully written and deftly executed drama from beginning-to-end, one that eschewed most of the standard drama tropes and created something heart thumping and heart warming when all is said and done. Good job drama, and Godspeed to Tae San wherever he may end up. Lee Jun Ki delivered another memorable and all-in bravura performance that continues to cement my love for him as one of the most talented and hardworking leading men of his generation. This one goes in the win column for me.

Episode 16 recap:

Killer Kim arrives in the other operating room and goes in to kill Tae San. Lying there is Chairman Han, who gets up and goes to talk with his long lost son. He tells Killer Kim his real name and reveals that his son used to nickname Chairman Han Captain.

He takes out the pen knife and tells his son that this pen was not meant to hold a knife. These details trigger his memory and Killer Kim remembers now. Ooof, I feel terrible for him. Even if he’s a cold-blooded murder.

Moon Il Suk enters the operating room and sees a figure lying under the blanket. He walks close and raises his knife up to stab. To his dismay, it turns out to be a body pillow under the blanket. He realizes this was all a set-up. No shit, Sherlock.

Flashback to how it all went down. Jae Kyung and Tae San realize they have to catch Moon Il Suk, even if Tae San and Soo Jin have the surgery they will always be in danger going forward unless he’s apprehended. Moon Il Suk stole Chairman Han’s son, he could easily do the same or worse to Soo Jin. Good point.

They decide to leak info that the surgery has been moved up. Chairman Han comes in and tells them to make two operating rooms. He’s certain that Killer Kim will be there as well.

Jae Kyung goes to meet with the cops to devise a way to lure Moon Il Suk to their trap. The Captain confronts the scruffy faced cop about him being the mole and he confesses. His dad needed surgery and Moon Il Suk found him soon after Jang Tae San escaped to provide insider information. The Captain asks why he kept doing it and the mole cop says he was afraid of being outed by Moon Il Suk.

So the cops turn the mole cop who participates in setting the trap for Moon Il Suk. He calls claiming to have information and sells it for a high price. After the exchange with Moon Il Suk’s secretary, he meets up with Seung Woo and confirms that the bad guys believed him. Seung Woo goes to the hospital and tells the staff to be on alert and if anyone tries to bribe them, to agree and take the money.

The operation starts and Jae Kyung tells Tae San to wait in the car in case Moon Il Suk spots him. The cops swarm into the operating room but find it empty already. YOU GUYS ARE SO INCOMPETENT. FIRED, ALL FIRED!

Moon Il Suk has ducked out another door and used a rope and ladder to escape. He lures the cops thinking he went down the side of the building, when in truth he rappels down an elevator shaft. He heads down to the parking garage. Tae San is in the car waiting as he’s told but realizes the operation is botched when he sees cops scrambling.

Moon Il Suk drives away in the getaway van but Tae San jumps onboard the back in the nick of the time. The most useless cops in all of Seoul come rushing out all frustrated they lost the bad guy. Jae Kyung spots Tae San and when she sees the car empty realizes that he’s going after Moon Il Suk himself.

Moon Il Suk drives to a empty lot and Tae San jumps out to confront him. Tae San screams for him to come out and stop hiding like a rat. It’s all over for him! Tae San confronts Moon Il Suk who doesn’t back down and says he didn’t climb to this position for nothing. Tae San says he did it by stepping on others, likely stealing all the food from his own siblings and letting them starve to death.

Tae San says Moon Il Suk never had a right to change Tae San’s life and it’s going to end right here. The two of them fight but the younger Tae San quickly gets the upper hand and gets in some satisfying punches until Moon Il Suk is incapacitated.

Tae San ties Moon Il Suk up and then goes to meet with the arriving law enforcement. Jae Kyung is relieved to see that he’s fine. You and me both, sister. Moon Il Suk struggles to escape and causes an explosion which injures him.

Jae Kyung drives him back to the hospital and In Hye runs out to embrace him. Tae San stands there for a moment before slowly hugging her back and smiling.

Jae Kyung watches the hug with a comforted look. Seung Woo pulls up outside the hospital and is about to get out when he sees the hug as well. He stays in the car and looks very resigned.

Congresswoman Jo Seo Hee is at a meeting with her staff when she gets a call that Moon Il Suk has been arrested.

Soo Jin hears that her dad is fine and going in for the procedures. She wanted to see him but In Hye says Tae San doesn’t want her disturbed and told In Hye to prepare the foods Soo Jin wants to eat for after the surgery. She starts happily writing in her journal.

Tae San goes under for the bone marrow extraction procedure. He wakes up the next morning with Jae Kyung sitting next to him. She reveals that once Moon Il Suk was arrested, Hwang Dae Joon turned himself in and confessed that he was the one who beat up Chairman Han and Moon Il Suk was the one who stabbed Jae Kyung’s dad. Jae Kyung asks how Tae San feels to be fully exonerated? He’ll now have his criminal record wiped clean.

Tae San goes to Soo Jin’s hospital room and sees that his marrow is being injected into her body. He smiles in relief and Soo Jin’s doctor comes up and reveals Soo Jin will be fine now. But she needs to stay in the clean room for some time, and then moved into a regular hospital room for a few weeks.

The charity auction begins and Moon Il Suk’s secretary is there to bid on the piece hiding all the drugs from Thailand. He wins and the money is wired into Jo Seo Hee’s account by the drug dealers. She smiles and heads to the airport.

As Jo Seo Hee walks through the airport, Jae Kyung trails her. She’s arrested before she can clear customs for drug trafficking.

Flashback to when Tae San saw Jae Kyung’s tracking board and saw Jo Seo Hee’s picture. He realizes that she’s the woman Moon Il Suk mentioned once that he was secretly working with. Together they bribed people, manipulated stocks, and trafficked drugs. Jae Kyung says there is no evidence of drug trafficking. She does more digging and realizes that the charity auction is odd and there is a piece coming from Thailand. Turns out Jo Seo Hee is the charity auction middleman, and this time she’s planning a big deal so she can leave the country afterwards.

Jae Kyung takes Jo Seo Hee back for interrogation and has in hand her three different passports and aliases. Jo Seo Hee refuses to answer any questions. Jae Kyung sees that she has something in her hands and grabs a poison pill. She tells Jo Seo Hee to look at the computer and there is a video of her disabled son happily drawing his mother as an angel.

Jae Kyung says that to her son, she’s an angel, even if she’s a devil to the rest of the world. She needs to stay alive for him. He’ll be taken care of in the center where he’s staying while she’s in jail.

Tae San goes to court where his criminal record is expunged and his name is cleared for Mi Sook and Man Seok’s murders. Yay!!! Dae Joon goes to prison for all his accessory crimes.

Tae San walks out and thanks Jae Kyung and her boss. Looks like she got her job back. Tae San apologizes for what happened to her dad but she thanks him for what he did to help her catch Moon Il Suk and Jo Seo Hee. They shake hands and she congratulates him on becoming a completely free man.

Tae San goes back to Chairman Han’s place and asks how his son is doing. The Chairman says he’s at least talking to him. He hands Tae San some money as compensation for his son trying to kill Tae San multiple times. Tae San doesn’t want it since the guy was acting on Moon Il Suk’s orders and didn’t even remember his past.

He thanks the Chairman for all his help and the Chairman says it was because of running into Tae San that he found his son. He also regained some faith in humanity. The Chairman offers to let Tae san live with him. Maybe they can go live in some remote village. Tae San realizes the Chairman is worried about his future. The Chairman grumbles that he isn’t since Tae San is young and has no criminal record now. Tae San smiles and reveals Soo Jin is leaving the clean room in the hospital tomorrow.

Soo Jin keeps peeking out the window waiting for her dad. Tae San arrives and congratulates her on moving to a regular room. He hands her back her favorite toy like they promised. Awwww.

Tae San kneels down to cup her cheek and she adorably follows suit and does the same to him. He pulls her in for an embrace and they both smile while In Hye looks on.

Jae Kyung eats breakfast by herself in her room when suddenly she imagines Mi Sook is there with her. Mi Sook smiles and says the food is ready to eat. Jae Kyung cries but imaginary Mi Sook touches her on the cheek and wipes away the tears.

Moon Il Suk is in jail and totally disfigured on one side and can’t see very well. His other cell mate steals some food from his plate and he can’t even stop it.

Jo Seo Hee sits silently in her own jail cell. Killer Kim reads a letter from Chairman Han and leans back against the wall, looking upward with a wisp of a smile.

The cops are all dining at a pizza joint where the mole cop who was fired is now a chef. They compliment him on being a better chef than a cop, and happier too. They tease Seung Woo on looking happier after a vacation as well.

Seung Woo goes to greet Soo Jin on her hospital discharge day. He brings her presents and her favorite food. In Hye asks how his vacation went and Seung Woo says it’s not a trip for a repenting time since he was suspended from work.

Seung Woo, Soo Jin, and In Hye walk out of the hospital and Tae San is there. Seung Woo smiles and tells Soo Jin to go greet her dad. Soo Jin runs into Tae San’s embrace and he asks if she wants to go take a trip with her dad?

This odd little family go camping and Tae San finds himself playing soccer with Soo Jin. Then father and daughter sit down to sketch In Hye.

Soo Jin asks why her dad liked her mom and he explains that he did something wrong to her when they first met but her mom is someone who wasn’t mad but instead forgave him.

Flashback to the boob grabbing incident and the apology on the beach.

The family cooks dinner and enjoys the food. Soo Jin wants to know where her dad is living but Tae San explains that he’s done many thing’s wrong and he needs to fix it all before telling her. Soo Jin apologizes because her mom told her not to ask her dad. Tae San promises to tell her one day.

The family snuggles in the tent ready for bed, with Soo Jin wedged between Tae San and In Hye. She asks for song from her dad to put her to sleep. Tae San doesn’t know any lullabies but Soo Jin asks for a song that her dad likes. Tae San starts to sing and In Hye appears to recognize the song.

Flashback to Tae San and In Hye on a date when she sang that song which he didn’t like because it’s about breaking up. In Hye asks if oppa is jealous of a song right now? They tease each other and kiss.

Tae San goes outside and tent and In Hye follows. He thanks her for picking him, even leaving her disapproving parents to be with him. He will never forget it. In Hye apologizes for not believing in him back then. She just didn’t believe it could happen and never tried to understand why.

Tae San thanks her for having Soo Jin, she is as beautiful and kind as In Hye. It really makes his heart break. He reveals that since her surgery he wanted to visit everyday but didn’t because he doesn’t know how to answer her question about what he does for a living. He wants to become the type of father that she can always rely on as she grows up.

In Hye asks if he wants to do everything Soo Jin wants today and then leave? Tae San knows In Hye has forgiven him but please don’t pity him and stop him from leaving. There is already someone beside her who has been protecting In Hye and Soo Jin for many years.

In Hye thinks back to her conversation with Seung Woo, where he explained that he was being investigated internally and went on a vacation. What he realized was that he was too focused on being with In Hye and Soo Jin that he couldn’t deal when he realized Soo Jin’s dad was alive. In Hye apologizes for never explaining that Soo Jin’s dad was not dead but Seung Woo says its nothing compared to 8 years of lost time.

Seung Woo cannot pretend the complicated feelings between Tae San, In Hye, and Soo Jin isn’t there. What’s most important is Soo Jin and she loves her dad. Seung Woo tells In Hye not to let Tae San leave alone. In Hye reveals Tae San also needs time, time to recover what he lost. She is apologetic towards Seung Woo but agrees to do what the guys want.

In Hye tells Tae San that Seung Woo is a good man and tells him not to worry about them and go do what he needs to do. He apologizes again. In Hye says he won’t tell her where he is or what he’s doing? Tae San says no matter where he goes he can live well, and if there is an opportunity he would like to see Soo Jin. In Hye says anytime Tae San wants to see Soo Jin, he can, so never forget.

Soo Jin has been awake this whole time and is crying silently in the tent after listening to her parents talk outside.

The family goes back into the tent and Tae San cradles Soo Jin in his arms as she sleeps. He thinks to himself that there is someone smiling at him and he smiles back. In his heart, there is finally sunshine that comes in and the flowers are blooming.

Tae San walks in down a forest path when he hears someone call “Daddy”. He turns around with a smile.


Comments

Two Weeks Episode 16 Recap — 15 Comments

  1. Awwwwwww! So good episode. Though it’s open ending,I think it suits to the overall story. I really love this drama especially Taesan-soojin relationship. The main casts really fine great job.i am not surprised with dumb cops. It’s very common especially Hollywood films,

  2. Thanks, Koala!

    I have to confess that what caught my attention in this drama was the father-daughter relationship and it broke my heart to see that, in the end, he decided to leave her. WHY???

    I don`t get it, nobody was being threaten anymore and if he wanted to start anew he definitely could do that next to his daughter. What kind of atonement is that? I’ve been away from you for 8 years and now I’m gonna be for some years more????

    • I guess he has left to learn some decent profession to be able to provide for the family. I don’t think he’s heading to monastery for atonement. He’s already got off his back a huge lump of bad karma through that ordeal; now it’s time for some positive step in life. They’ll be in touch, for sure.

  3. This was truly a bittersweet ending, but excellent nevertheless. Compared to yesterday’s bland and rushed episode, this one was full of emotional masterpiece, having tied all the loose ends and simultaneously managing to produce genuine emotional satisfaction.

    I was wondering why, after only being at the half-point mark, how 30 more minutes of scenes could be added into the script after justice already prevailed. I almost thought it was going to be a boring half hour of filler scenes that were only going to leave us feeling turned off at the ending. However, now, I beg to differ — completely.

    The last 30 minutes did not only bring up more euphoria and leave us rightfully crestfallen, but it gave us a chance to reflect on Jang Tae San and who he is. Is he a good person? Of course. Was justice worth it? Most definitely. But that doesn’t atone him for the mistakes and bad decisions he made in the past, and he knows it. I was in tears when I heard his conversation to In Hye about deserving a life away from his family in compensation for his misdeeds, although still not a total redress. So true, but so hard to accept. My initially sunny mood turned into a downpour when I saw prodigy child Soo Jin listening. And then there’s Seung Woo, who loves In Hye & Soo Jin all the same.

    I felt terrible for In Hye throughout the drama, having been forced to suffer from various emotional pains every day, including the love triangle between her, Tae San, and Seung Woo. A man who she originally thought had a malicious change of heart turned out to push her away for the better, a characteristic of male drama characters that I utterly despise sometimes for their over-the-top virtuosity. Then there’s the man that changed her life: the one that brought color back into her and Soo Jin’s lives. And honestly, I can’t pick which one deserves her more. I understand that Soo Jin wants her daddy Tae San, but Seung Woo did so much to supplant Tae San’s role as a father, and he did it with a genuine heart and open mind. There’s really nothing bad that he did, and nothing bad that he deserves (sans his terrible decision associated with the digital camera). As for Tae San, well, it was his decision to become a part of the gangster world and endure a do-or-die sort of lifestyle (although his treacherous and scarring childhood was what caused him to make such a choice). However, his heart was always in the right place, and he left In Hye for the sake of her safety. For such a scarred and pitiful person, I feel that he is totally deserving of emotional redemption from Soo Jin, but that doesn’t amend the fact that In Hye and Soo Jin went through a lot after his departure. Seeing Soo Jin sad that he’s leaving makes me sad all the same (I’m literally screaming, “Come back, you immoral nincompoop!”), but considering everything on a more rational scale, the better choice between the two really is to leave, and I respect his decision.

    In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much from this episode, seeing as though the previous one didn’t live up to my “Two Weeks” standards at all. (Plus we all know how bad drama endings are nowadays no matter how good the drama is in its entirety.) But this was one of the most satisfying endings I’d ever experienced. I’m happy not because Tae San chose to leave, but because everyone has gone to pay for their debts, and every last conflict is amended. Naturally, the ending itself is nothing amazing on an intelligence scale, but on an emotional scale, absolutely. Things sum up nicely, and that final bittersweet touch concludes the drama on a sour note, but rewarding, nonetheless.

    There’s been so much to remember about this drama, and despite it missing that one extra topping that would have made everyone fall in love with it tenfold, it’s so memorable, anyway. The OSTs, for one, are something I will never forget. Every time I hear the slightest beat of “Run” by Nell, I automatically link it to “Two Weeks”; it’s just that special to me. This is most likely nothing that will be lasting in my mind for over a year like “Nice Guy” did, but overall, this was a nice ride of thrill and action in which all of the main cast did a fantastic job in portraying their individual characters and interacting with each other, accordingly.

    On a Side Note:

    I’ve always been fascinated by how my subconscious always seems to surpass my conscious analytical skills (although I’m not necessarily good in the first place). When I find an episode boring, I honestly have no clue why, but the other viewers almost always have the same opinion. I guess it’s our internal emotional genius that allows us to reach such a conclusion without requiring proper literary reasoning, a trait that I am very thankful for.

  4. Good last episode and it’s rare these days. I have appreciated the drama from beginning to end. There is little flaws and nothing that would kill the show in my eyes. Like for I Hear your voice, the psychology of the characters is what mattered. The emotions, also. The open ending totally makes sense: What a mess in the heart/brain of everyone! They all need to take a break so they can take decisions for their future. I know our good guys & gals will be happy. As for the baddies, even if the jail scenes are a bit preachy, they make sense: Jail is rarely the end of the road for K dramas. Even there and so late in the game, you can become a better person. I give this show a 8.5/10. Special mention to the actors: LJK that I found dull in Arang was excellent here.

  5. Well, that was sweet! At least he didn’t get hit by the k-drama truck of doom at the end. Which is what I feared. Fix everything up in nice neat package, start off to start new life BOOM truck of doom. I’ve been scarred.

  6. Believe me I was so nervous in the last hour, waiting for something untoward to happen…but I love the bittersweet ending. And I’m so glad they didn’t include some birth secret about Taesan’s parentage. Many commenters have suggested it but I’m glad they didn’t go there. Although we don’t know for sure where Taesan went, I hope he joins Boss Han on the farm. Those two form a bond I quite like – sort of father and son. And in a way they both need a father and son to lean on.

    • The Oxford English dictionary. Historical romance novels. 😀 And the Colbert Report. Ads on the street. Vogue September Fashion edition. Vanity Fair Celebrity edition. The occasional US Weekly I pick up when I’m transiting at airports. Weibo rants where the Chinese sounds fantastic. The Pokemon Pokedex. The gargantuan Cheesecake Factory menu. And many more.

  7. The camera shot in the end with tae san walk down in a forest do remind me of rebirth! Lol…
    Haven’t watch this drama. Afraid it will unsatisfied ending… But so happy they end it that way!

  8. It really ended well. The most satisfying pay-off was with Soo-jinnie, who managed to keep her Dad on track by sheer will to love.

    TS should go live on the farm and figure out what he wants. He can’t support his family without a good position – not crime related for once. But that is all he has known, the man has a tough road ahead of him. I am glad he won’t be alone.

    I know we are supposed to focus on what a good actor LJK is, but, man, is he good-looking or what?

  9. Two Weeks needed such an awesome ending ♥ I’ll miss Soo-Jin-ah that brightened my day twice a week, she is adorably adorable!!

    And I’m a fan of Lee Jun ki because he is a very good actor, as we once again saw in TW, not because he has a killer smile, darn good looks and a heart-throbbing voice, really 😛

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