jTBC Mega Hit Drama Sky Castle Ends with 23.779% Ratings But Audience Panned Final Episode 20

The general consensus with the final episode 20 of jTBC Fri-Sat surprise hit drama Sky Castle was that the viewers will all remember the drama being episodes 1-19. That means episode 20 was such a letdown on what was otherwise a gripping drama that riveted a nation’s attention with each episode increasing in ratings without any slippage. The final episode still brought in a record 23.779% AGB nationwide ratings, so high for a cable drama that I don’t foresee anyone vying for the champion throne anytime soon, or ever. The general gripe with episode 20 was the rather tacked on happy ending that didn’t flow from the episodes prior and seemed to be disjointed even within the narrative flow. But writing 19 tightly written episodes is already a feat so I’ll give the screenwriter a pass for not knowing how best to end her tale. It definitely injected excitement back into drama watching and deserves all the accolades.


Comments

jTBC Mega Hit Drama Sky Castle Ends with 23.779% Ratings But Audience Panned Final Episode 20 — 24 Comments

  1. ‘I’ll give writer a pass’ for the ep 1-19… So she’s upgrading someone’s work now. Sorry I just find it hilarious and cringy at the same… as if she qualified. ?

  2. I was hoping for a big twist for ep 20 bt was disappointed to knkw that Hye Na was indeed finished by Coach Kim. I was also sure the kr viewers wld be disappointed with no twists cos on Happy Together, the hosts were talking abt the comments online. Ep 20 seemed like a filler eps to tie up loose ends. Guess the writer didnt want it to be too makjang w a different killer and a kid switch.

  3. I’m sorry but I was of the impression that you didn’t watch any of the episodes? Which ipso facto means you can’t exactly ‘grade it’ objectively? A pass? This is hands down one of the best dramas written. Well deserving of its stellar ratings. Plot was intriguing, acting superb, characters with depth, music was exemplary, metaphorically rich. I am running out of superlatives. Comment on the facts of the case if you must, just limit the grading of dramas to ones you have actually viewed in totality so you can inject your own opinion on it with some degree of credibility.

  4. Can’t wait to watch when it becomes available on Netflix. I read the comments about the ending and it hasn’t put me off because the general opinion is it is still an exceptional and thought provoking drama.

  5. The issue it was the episode was postponed (JTBC should stop broadcasting football!). But I’m happy the families found closure and happiness 🙂

  6. Don’t blame writer ? give bad ending cause last script leaks before this drama airing, so jtbc and the writer change last episode. So ep.19 was true ending. Hope sky castle, last empress and the crowned clown getting more award in 2019.

  7. this is just another weekend drama type with the better actor, seriously you guys should watch weekend drama, the plot isn’t that bad if people really are enjoying this drama to high heaven.
    I think the end is not bad but the whole drama isn’t something spectacular, good just not spectacular.

  8. Honestly I don’t know what ppl were expecting of the final episode. Everything was wrapped up in episode 19, maybe they expected some grand twist due to the cliffhanger at the end of ep 19 but honestly nothing else would have made sense and that would have destroyed the drama as a whole. As it was the finale was pretty much an epilogue that was meant to give us closure. It was a pretty good finale in my opinion, one that made sense and was in line with the message the drama wanted to send out from the very beginning. I think it was more that it disrupted the flow to air this epilogue a week after the intense episode 19, it would have been much better to air them as originally planned. It did not work too great as a stand-alone episode. The only small complaint I have is that the last episode was a bit too idealistic, I did not agree with the last minute drop out by a certain someone even if I understand where that person was coming from. Society is not kind to high school drop outs and sooner or later they all have to enter society so a break would have been more “reasonable”.

    But really this ending was nowhere bad, it’s a masterpiece compared to the truly awful endings
    of Memories of Alhambra or Korean Odyssey. Anyone who hasn’t watched Sky Castle yet needs to change that, highly recommended! It’s truly been an excellent drama, best drama of 2018 together with My Mister!

    • I agree with your comment the most. It would be really weird to introduce a plot twist at the final episode. The drama has four episodes extended, and I am amazed it remains so tightly written and directed. Only the last half hour feels like an extension, but I really don’t mind the fanservice. Kdramas usually starts off really strong, but most will lose the plot halfway through.

  9. I think viewers expected a twist in the final episode after the teaser at the end of ep 19. Instead it was a feel-good wrap-up. I’m totally OK with it, and had a good cry esp Prof Cha’s scene with his wife. It would be even better if they had shown some crucial recaps eg. how Hye Na was pushed off the balcony, Coach Kim’s trial etc (maybe they wanted to give the tensed storyline a rest for the final ep).

    But I do like how the story ends with the “warning” that many parents still have not learnt the lesson and doing exactly what the SKY Castle moms used to do in chasing for their child’s elite education. A strong social message that I hope will be a starting conversation to change Koreans/ Asian parents mindset.

    I also wish Koala will give this drama a chance and watch it, cuz it will allow her to comment on this series with more credibility and objectivity.

    Thanks SKY Castle! It has been a hell of a ride! Now I hope Netflix will pick this up so I can watch in HD!

  10. I love Sky Castle but i agree with miss Koala . I had the feeling of a kind of dichotomy between all the épisodes and the final which had too many happy endings ( not that i don’t like happy endings) but it was a little too unrealistic . And people are always commenting here about objectivity but there is no such thing as objectivity when you Watch a drama, a movie or read a book. Your background, yours expériences in love, in work, as a mother or a daughter… all thèses things and much more …can’t permit objectivity . Sorry for my English ! i hope that you will understand my meaning.

      • I agree with you perception or evaluation of the drama will be based on one’s experiences and there’s no right or wrong. We can certainly agree to disagree too, as there will always be different viewpoints. But the question raised by a few of us here is whether koala has watched the drama since she stated she won’t be watching it, hence it would be premature for her to form an opinion on the series.

      • I agree with you perception or evaluation of the drama will be based on one’s experiences and there’s no right or wrong. We can certainly agree to disagree too, as there will always be different viewpoints. But the question raised by a few of us here is whether koala has watched the drama since she stwated she won’t be watching it, hence it would be premature for her to form an opinion on the series.

  11. I loved everything about this show: acting, directing, writing, all of it. But I didn’t understand the very last scene! Did Coach Kim get out of prison quickly and go back to tutoring? That doesn’t seem possible or plausible. And the outline on the screen looked like a man’s silhouette, not a woman’s, but then she appeared at the end. I just don’t get it!?!

    • It’s a metaphoric take that yet another Coach Kim-like super coach is on the horizon. Life goes on as usual under the same education system.

      • Thanks! Yes, I get that about the system not changing. I was just confused by why they showed Coach Kim right after the man’s silhouette. They could have just ended it with the silhouette or shown this new coach himself. Anyway, best drama in a long time for me!

  12. Just to share this very perceptive take of Sky Castle’s finale from another drama website:

    “At first it felt too wholesome to have all families find their happiness. It’s almost tonal whiplash compared to the Drama with a capital D throughout the whole show. But I think SKY Castle wanted to paint how absurdly obsessed most of us are with credentials and achievements then show us what’s possible if we step out of that high-pressure bubble. Besides, there was nothing fully over-the-top happy about each family’s ending: learning dance moves from your rebellious daughter, quitting a prestigious job and neighborhood, letting your son “find himself” in another country, or allowing your kid to skip night classes every now and then–if you think about it, they’re all simple joys. It’s almost tragic how the final episode looks like paradise to those of us who grew up afraid of letting go. So I don’t mind being shown what kind of happiness we can get if we unsubscribe to the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves. Thank you, SKY Castle.”

    Very disappointed that Miss Koala hasn’t even watched the drama but give a rating based on viewers’ ratings and comments.

  13. I prefer the drama end in eps 19.

    The scriptwriter haven’t to make everything clear to audience. Let audience to use their imagination and contemplate the conclusion of the story.

  14. Does anyone know if Netflix has picked up the rights to screen Sky Castle? After reading all the posts above it’s refreshing and a relief to know that there are well informed and passionate drama viewers giving an unbiased straight forward view which makes me more inclined to want to devote 20hours of my time watching this masterpiece. No fawning over actors but just pure telling it how it is. I like it! Thank you for this update much appreciated ❤️

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