Missing You ended today after a 21-episode run that saw domestic ratings averaging about 10 but plenty of fodder for discussion. Starring three high profile Hallyu actors in Yoochun, Yoon Eun Hye, and Yoo Seung Ho in the K-drama staple melodrama genre, the ratings never attained its anticipated highs despite a valiant effort on the part of the cast to act their hearts out. There is only so much the actors can do when the script is one of the craziest messes I’ve seen in quite some time. The writer threw a laundry list of woe at the screen ranging from assault and battery, attempted murder, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, rape, grand larceny, and then later on, plenty of actual murdering of people left and right. One or two of the above narrative events would have been enough to sustain a meaty melodramatic arc of childhood loves separated by circumstance and reuniting years later.
What happened was the writer chose to pour on the tragedy and in the end she started a story that grew too much for her to thoughtfully address every issue. The result was that she wrote towards the ending she wanted and nothing was ever dealt with in any way that made any sense. If the mere act of a happy ending for the OTP is enough for some viewers, then MY does deliver that. But if the viewer cares about the process of getting from point A to Z, then MY resembles a truck careening off the cliff and then magically appearing at the finish line first amid a pouf of smoke and a voila! The journey made no sense as the drama progressed and in the end, I watched with wonder that the actors so conscientiously went to work and acted this script out. When I stopped recapping MY, it was just that, I never said I wasn’t planning to continue watching it. There is a certain this-cant-be-happening fascination with a drama so spectacularly failing at the scriptwriting that I cheerily rode this baby to the end.
When all was said and done, Jung Woo and Soo Yeon got their happy ending. Han Tae Joon continued his one-note evilness to the end but was captured and incarcerated. Hyung Joon also gets life in prison once he’s arrested after firing a bullet at Soo Yeon that was blocked by Jung Woo, who luckily didn’t die from the shot and recovered in due course. Months later Jung Woo and Soo Yeon got married in a little church just by themselves and happily walked off towards the sunset, presumably he continues being a dogged cop while she a fashion designer. The epilogue has Soo Yeon imagining their childhood again, if nothing happened and she met Jung Woo at the playground and Jung Woo brought along his uncle Hyung Joon to meet Soo Yeon. Little Hyung Joon teases Jung Woo that he said his girlfriend was pretty. Then the three of them play happily together. But to get to this ending, the entire second half of the drama was sustained by the complete and utter collapse of Hyung Joon’s character development.
I could go into detail about what the writer wrote were all the crimes Hyung Joon committed in the course of his life, starting with supposedly shoving the coke can under the brake to purposely kill Detective Kim, who he somehow knew was coming to take Soo Yeon home. But its pointless because all the details don’t add up, and much like an accountant staring at books where the numbers are off everywhere, its best to just set it aside and accept that it’s a lost cause. In the end Hyung Joon was everything bad – killing people for his own need, seeking revenge at all costs, insecure and vindictive, angry and loony. That set up the only viable conclusion for Soo Yeon to easily go back to Jung Woo and her past life without any attempt to resolve any past issues between her and Jung Woo. What’s a guy running away when you are being raped, compared to a life with a crazed serial killer. Too bad Soo Yeon didn’t entertain the thought of picking no one and resuming her life as a fashion designer and BEING EMPOWERED ALL BY HERSELF.
Dramas needn’t be good in order to be entertaining, but I found MY didn’t even warrant a place in the category of “so bad it’s good”. This drama premised itself on raising very serious issues of bad things happening to good people, but then failed to discuss or resolve any of the consequences of those bad things in a way that provided any positive takeaway. This wasn’t a frothy rom-com about mistaken identities or fake marriages, MY set itself up as “serious” and “thoughtful” and “not afraid to go there on very painful events”, which makes it inability or willingness to go through with showing how to heal from all those events in a healthy and realistic way all the more frustrating for me. I hope rape victims the world over will not watch this drama and believe that reuniting with a first love who has continued to love you this entire time and tried to atone for past failings is enough to fully heal from a horrific rape. This isn’t just storytelling, this is telling a wrong and bad message.
I’m fine with the drama being about Jung Woo and Soo Yeon’s love story, a thwarted first love with plenty of anger and misunderstanding and guilt, getting a second chance. Their eventual happy ending isn’t wrong at all, its how the drama posited that Soo Yeon’s rape trauma only needed Jung Woo’s return to her life, the death of her rapist so serendipitously when she returned to Korea, and lots of kissing for her to magically heal. Apparently 14 years in France living a happy and productive life with Hyung Joon was just running away, and what happened after she returned to Korea was properly healing. This is such blarney I can’t even. In the end Soo Yeon’s rape became just a sensationalized plot device, the writer never delved into her lingering scars and her healing became the drama fairy dust method of “her first love cures all her pain.”
At the end there wasn’t a single main character I liked – Jung Woo was overbearing and insensitive, Soo Yeon was inconsistent and weak-willed, and Hyung Joon was just a big bag o’crazy with the writer giving him all the following horrible personality traits of being clingy, weepy, sociopathic, vengeful, and delusional. Of course, his character didn’t start off that way, and in the end when Soo Yeon told him that she just loved him like family, I started laughing at the absurdity of how their relationship was reinvented later on for the sake of packing on the OTP ship. Who the hell ever says to family (let’s assume brother here) the following “the man I like” and then sleeps in the same bed with him holding hands, chilling on the sofa resting her feet on his legs and then later snuggling her head on his shoulder. I can accept Soo Yeon loving Jung Woo more, but the drama initially set her 14 year relationship with Hyung Joon not as platonic but as nebulously romantic (more him than her, of course) only to later toss it to the sharks and say it was all just family. That is one very incestuous family there if you ask me.
I can’t say the drama was a grand disappointment since I tempered my expectations going in, but it was disappointing that even my little hopes were dashed with the slipshod writing that so exploitatively used a real and pervasive crime such as rape but never tried to tackle the aftermath conscientiously. Soo Yeon’s healing is the stuff of drama tropes – the love of a good man, the supportive family, the death of her rapist for closure – when in reality rape victims deal with so much and go through even more to emerge from the emotional (and physical) hell of sexual assault. I was ready to take that cathartic and transformative journey with Soo Yeon but she ended up boarding a flying pig and getting her happily ever after that way. The drama is really beautifully filmed and lovingly acted, but ultimately its just another shallow K-drama claiming to discuss a meaningful issue but positing a conclusion that good triumphs over evil and love heals all. If I could correctly define MY, this would be a textbook example of a fantasy melodrama – no relation to reality except the fantasy construct the writer wants to showcase.
LOL right i totally agree with you when you said that Sooyeon told Harry that she loved him as her “family”: …the man I like” and then sleeps in the same bed with him holding hands, chilling on the sofa resting her feet on his legs and then later snuggling her head on his shoulder.”(koala)
THAT COMMENT MADE MY DAY 😀
I do that all the time with my brother and it doesn’t mean I want to marry him. When she says “the man I like”, it’s clearly her attempt to hurt Jung Woo and to convince herself to move on, but it doesn’t work that way.
I’m still shocked that people refuse to understand that Sooyeon never forgot Jung Woo, even after 14 years. The drama made it perfectly clear that HyungJoon was never more than a brother for Sooyeon, and people shouldn’t point fingers at the scripwriter simply because they’re so linear that they can’t embrace the nuances of life.
now now, she said that when they were in jeju island, how is that an attempt to hurt her beloved hjw when she hasn’t even met him yet? can you blame us people who believe that lsy actually liking khj more than a brother after she said those words? “the man I like would send an expensive lawyer,” nope you don’t say i like you that way to your brother, sorry
Well, my 2 cents: In episode 7 was it? HJ asks SY to marry him. She doesn’t say “No.” She says, “later.” Later in itself is a word that implies acceptance.
Girls! That is NOT a sibling relationship. Not unless you’re in game of thrones.
And besides that, in front of JW, SY always maintained that she was enganged to HJ. Even after kissing him, she says she can’t leave HJ. So I don’t see how people don’t see it.
yes, she’s not physically attracted to HJ. But that doesn’t mean they are not a couple. She accepted the fact that at some time in the future she would marry HJ. If she was really straightforward, she would have told him “NO, HJ. I’m not going to marry you because you are like my brother.”
SY didn’t forget JW for 14 years, but we have to call a spade a spade. She totally kissed JW when she was “In a relationship” with HJ.
Naughty LSY!
I appreciate that you shared your final thoughts; I enjoyed reading them.
Here Here!
I agreed with every single point!
this seriously made my day! but anyway can someone hit my head cause i cant seem to recall ‘the chances’ HJW kept on saying to kHJ? when the hell did LSY ever gave him those chances!? -.-
Every bit of your thoughts Koala – correct! The 3 hallyu stars acted well but the story is something else. The only good thing about this drama is seeing the so handsome and refreshing face of YSeung-Ho who to me should have won an award or deserves to win an award.
The writer probably hit her head really hard, she ended up writing stories that dont make any sense at all.
Dear MY writer, please take a break from writing and get yourself a very nice holiday to freshen your mind.
I absolutely agree with you and the script is totally crap. I will be satisfied when Soo Yeon eventually went back to Harry who obviously loves her more than himself.
I had stopped watching after a few esp. I really can’t relate to the actress and actors
Now watching School which is more logically and I can relate to.
Word.
That is a very nice way of putting it. If you digest it the way it was handed to us then SY was good with Harry as her main squeeze, even accepting the possibility of their marriage, as long as she thought he was all she had. Once she realized she had other options she abruptly, and somewhat rudely friend zoned him while parading her new squeeze right under his nose. I can almost picture the moment when the writer realized she had made the heroine a two-timer…”Oh shit I just made SY a backstabbing biatch, better make Harry a serial killer then. Problem solved!”
In fact it seems to be that a lot of effort went into dumbing down this drama. The misery was done to the point that it became cartoon like. The good guys had to be above reproach and the villans had to be super villany. First love not only heals all and trumps all but it makes it impossible to love anyone else. Thats why we are supposed to forgive SY’s two-timing and believe JW’s self-imposed chastity. It’s all so cheesecake, like someone started with the screenplay and to Dracula but ended up with twilight instead.
Oddly enough the one thing that irritated me most was the treatment of the mystery behind Harry’s cane. It was featured in so many closeups, mentioned dozens of times, and seemed to play such a huge role in everything including the reason SY designed it. At times it seemed like the entire story of Harry and Zoe revolved around the cane. But how was it resolved…mentioned as an aside during the totally out of place romantic interlude between JW and SY. Just one of the many hanging plot devices used to hook people in that was left on the cutting room floor in favor of meaningless crap. UGH so frustrating.
Hehehe… Singing the “I told you so” old tune. I watched the ending just to see what would happen to Harry. Oh, writer. Crappy ending till the end, nae?
I hope the cast will enjoy their vacations in Thailand or wherever they are supposed to go. They can have a drinking game with “1 shot for every day of shooting you had no idea what was going on for your character”.
I should have stopped at ep 7 when I saw where this was going. But I had some hope that things would turn around. Then I should have atleast stopped at ep 14 but no… I continued on, fascinated by the horror of the plot.
I swear I watched this only because recaps were not available and I really wanted to see everyone go up in flames.
I think this is the only drama where a happy ending disappointed me.
You know, if JW had infact killed himself after LSY died at HJ’s hands or his father’s hand then I really think it would have been a slightly better drama. It would given depth to the premise where a boy, tortured by guilt at his lack of courage, ends up punishing himself for failing again.
But no… the writer wanted happy smiles all around.
mystisith, why didn’t I listen to you? oh yeah… coz YSH is so preettyy.
Love your opening pic of the Trifecta of Tears! Just about sums it all up…
Thanks for the recaps. I didn’t watch this but read your recaps faithfully. I’ve often wondered if the script was written by a human being or an intelligent monkey. Sigh. Next.
oh boy. This ending frustrated me to no end. The whole second half frustrated me to no end. Mainly because the writer forgot who her villian was.
The bad guy – the one who set dogs on a 12 year old, the one who caused the early demise of his own father, who locked up a woman for 14 years and made her grow insane! that man! The writer just freaking forgot all about him! why? Because she had to…just HAD to make KHJ look like the worst possible man in the world just so she could justify LSY’s actions.
HTJ’s ending was just not enough for me. He needed a more gory ending.
KHJ’s fate was so freaking horrible. I really wish he had died. That character’s arc was really the worst. I mean he completely forgot his anger towards HTJ and paired up with him! Someone please explain this to me. No wonder YSH said he was confused.
And OH MY GOD! the happy-ever-after for the guy who ran away leaving a girl broken and alone just to save himself! I mean, HJW did not face any pain for his actions. Not a thing throughout the whole drama. He spent 14 years with a loving family albeit with a little guilt and then he gets the girl whom he left to rot (acting pretty smug while trying to steal the girl from her BF of 14 years) and then lives happily ever after watching with pity (or glee, whichever) the sorry fate of his rival in love who btw was the guy who initially saved LSY from death at the risk of his own.
I mean, if the HJW character was not played by Yoochun, would anyone have liked the character?
But Koala…thanks for your post. It made me feel a little better to know that not everyone is squeeling in delight over a fanservice ending.
Word. Fanservice at its best.
The writing is bad, because everything that happened did not make sense. Instead of letting the story run it’s course in the most natural way, the writer chose to throw in everything possible…. and in the end I was left with…. “so everything that happened was because HJW’s dad is money driven” …. why does he need soooo $ anyway? and YES we never got an answer.
In the end, the only good thing that came out of this drama is that all the actors were given a pretty good exercise to stretch their acting range. I’m not going to praise our leads acting, because at this stage they have all established their name in acting. YEH still need to work on her emotion, YC still need to control his rage, & YSH is not as good as what people say he is (part of it could be because of his poorly written character) …. but I see so much hope for the future and for that I am satisfied.
All in all, this drama was pretty good to look at. I’ve always been a huge fan of YC (since SKKS) & YSH (since “Sad Love Story”)but never really care of YEH. Now I can add YEH to my list of actresses to watch (trust me it’s not a long list at all).
4 thumbs up for your thoughts ms.koala,,I totally agree with you,,,the MY story its only the fantasy of the writer itself,,,but,,,In the case of nurse Kim still not clear for me??does anyone knows or just me???!!why KHJ have to kill her??good actors poor story,,no surprise that Kdrama always end with happy ending story,,,waiting another Kdrama for YEH cause I figured out her drama series just once in a year,,,2 years more for YSH,,,,I wish it isn’t that long,,,,keep writing ms.koala,,,,,
I also wonder if they ever found out LSY’s dad was innocent of the murder charge
oh yeah. That was dropped on LSY mid-conversation somewhere in ep 17/18 i can’t remember which. That was hilarious.
JW: “oh, yeah, btw, your dad was never a murderer.”
LSY: “huh? really?” *shocked expression*. “oh. ok.”
Seriously?!?! LMAO!!!!
My only question is – why did they put a clothespin on YEH’s hair?
I think it’s a reminder of the clothespin JW gave LSY when they were kids…except that was yellow I think.
I wish what you posted wasn’t true Ms. Koala, so I wouldn’t feel so disappointed, but it’s mostly true. I tried to make sense of this drama and even though I absolutely love the OTP and the main actors, I had to stop midway through episode 12. I haven’t been able to get myself to watch again and probably never will. I wish I could say it’s the fact this this has BAD written all over it (because it does, with the exception of the acting), but I find myself dropping dramas for no reason and having a hard time starting again. I think what MY lacked, besides a coherent plot, was entertainment value and thus it became a depressing waste of time.
It sucks to admit that because I have loved YEH since CP and PYC on RTP made it one of the few shows I’ve rewatched. I don’t really know much about YSH besides the fact that he’s super young yet pretty & accomplished. I had such high hopes for this show, even
after the addition of the rape incident (almost made me quit watching) and I really thought it would be a well written drama. It wasn’t, but I tell myself that it’s okay, because it’s just a drama.
Plus the actors all worked hard and I’m happy they were able complete this drama. I’ll be looking forward to their upcoming projects.
I also found it super nice of YEH and PYC to treat their crew to 5 day trips to Thailand. That is not cheap and makes me love them even more.
tsk tsk tsk sigh sigh sigh this is why they call it drama people, coz it’s not 101% real. In dramas we make fantasy and imposibility to happen to satisfy our imaginatio and questions to “what if” story line.
Even “what if” premises need to abide by real life rules. The premise determines the starting point of the drama (and this can be as far-fetched or illogical as the writer wants), but the characters have to follow a logical trajectory. Otherwise the audience will rebel, and this is what’s happening here.
No one doubts that the actors have made their best of a poor script, but the fact remains that the script was poorly unfolded.
Well, this one is a fantasy drama about RAPE VICTIM then since the writer apparently had her own ‘fantasy’ interpretation on how rape victim survivors dealing with their trauma instead of thoroughly research this sensitive subject and create a well written heroine.
Seriously, this drama is a joke.
Not to mention the incompetence of the police too, especially in the early part of episode 20’s showdown with the gangsters, sigh.
AND the detectives’ encounter with HJ, where he got shot and yet could drive off in his car (second half of episode 20)… sigh, sigh, sigh!
Wow.. what a trainwreck. Better luck next time (again) for Yoon Eun Hye. And see you in 2 years Yoo Seung Ho.
i really hate this writer.
-what happenend to bora mother?hanging?harry 2?eun joo ?this is really bad writing.good seed?good seed wtf when the rape victim can cure just meeting old flame?what happenend to harry?harry is become the worst character that i ever seen in kdrama.at least in fashion king the male lead end his suffering by getting shot by assasin.
at least five fingers bad mother end in heaven and may queen father also jump to heaven.i expect the story more realistic by sending hj and htj to heaven.so only good people survived.this writer become god by making the story that really bad and worst making htj and hj become friends.forgot about the first story is taking revenge to htj and now ally change different target
i really feel bad why this writer really lost her intergrity by mislead us about the poster ,sypnosis,second female lead lost airtime.the preview harry cry infront a lady who is dying on the floor.why the story not consistent with the preview.
this writer change story for otp fanbase and lost her intergrity after seeing many otp fanbase watching the drama shooting at the side,seeing otp fanbase in japan,china .just to ger more advertiser they change the story line just to make the fanbase happy. but by changing the story line the rating still not jumping 20 percent as what they want.
it is insulting to viewwer when a story on air changing last minute by allowing the fanbase influence the story line and character moving toward different direction.first about the second female lead.second the poster.3 rd harry suddenly getting alot of praise by media the fan base they ask the pd to make the light lesser to ysh so he is not so handsome on screen.
even the fan get jealouse when ysh is really dominating the screen on earlier episode.the fan of otp asking who is male lead and second male lead when they see ysh dominating the screen and get a lot of praise by viewers.
Asking why this writer could not write a (1) coherent, (2) intelligent, (3) thoughtful story is like asking why that drunk lady who blew a .20 can’t walk a straight line.
I thought Fashion King was written by some monkeys since it was just that stupid, this is different, it’s written by a human, but someone with no creative integrity and an inability to structure a narrative without tripping over her own potholes.
Yes, I would so totally slot this in with Fashion King.
And – never mind episode 21. Why was there even a need for ep 21 afterthe disaster that was ep 20?
Much eye-rolling when the ineffectual police teams failed .. NOT just once, but multiple times (!) to nab Harry.
Wasn’t the first time some kind of dead end up the hil (ie no other exit out for the cars but to go downhill). So just blockade, and wait.
And the raging Jung-woo managed to completely miss Harry who could just sail down totally UN-noticed on his bike?
And all these able-bodied men cannot outrun a limping Harry who can flee on bike and car.
Wow, just wow.
If common sense reined, there would be no need for an ep 21 at all, which they had to pad with such a long flashback at the end.
NO insults instead to all the actors. I am just glad it’s over. Now the time slot is free for something else hopefully more enjoyable less brain-numbing.
i hope in future this writer will think properly before making a story and study the character and make whole script complete first from episode 1 to finale episode before submitting the script to future actor and actress.
and all actress and actor must read the whole complete script before agreed to sign a contract to act on their drama.what i see the low budget drama like madame butterfly who is no superstar in the drama still can get rating around 10-11 percent rate .it is still the same rate with imy eventhough have many superstar in it.even school 2013 also get good rating eventhoug no superstar in it.
the imy cannot get a good and many viewer because the writer make gimmick making a story about rape but the rape victim and the public cannot connect the story .just like i watch school 2013.i am mother and i can feel minki mother high expectation that i also want my children going to top school and become high achievers.i cried when minki want to jump and committ suicide and relate that i also doing what minki mother doing to my children.i cried for that scene.it really touch and open my mind.
it attract the public concerned what happenned children in korea also happened in my country.the story really can connect us .the writer in imy think the story only was seen by otp fanbase but the otp fanbase doesnt make the show to 20 percent because the writer lost her intergrity by changing the story and make the public the majority viewer silentnly boycot the show.
a story just to cater for only fanbase doesnt make the public happy because the viewer the majority public want to see a very touching and inspiring story that they can relate on their daily live just like school 2013.how imy a rape victim story give inspiring story by telling audience just with meeting their puppy loves can change her life.
Is this seriously the same writer that wrote Tree of Heaven/Smile, You/Can You Heart My Heart?
I am in disbelief.
Me too!! I think the real writter left after ep 6 or 7.
This is the first YEH project I did not like.
I have links to 2 funny pics one of YEH and another of actress on 100 yr inher on MBC too
http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b634/pharmchick81/Screenshot_2013-01-13-01-21-15_zps12e82e52.jpg
http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b634/pharmchick81/Screenshot_2013-01-12-00-38-53_zpsb750c27e.jpg
ok is someone mocking YEH-same outfit/lipstick lool
Seriously. My mind can process this either. Again, ghostwriting or external pressure from the channel to please the few faithful fans of the show. Who knows…
I’m seriously hoping that the reasoning behind the ridiculous writing and plot machinations is that the writer was held at gunpoint by a crazy fan and forced to concoct this sad excuse for a melodrama. How is it even possible to regress in storytelling ability after penning so many good ones?
I second this… or probably a ghost-writer took ever her job since I heard that her previous dramas are well-written.
Misery! LOL!
I have to say this is one of the biggest disappointments for me in the kdrama world. The story is just that bad. It’s everything that people said it was. It tried to be serious in the beginning and then made a mockery out of it after using it in the earlier episodes. I too kept thinking, “what is so wrong about it that SY couldn’t have said that she can no longer be with HJ cause she really loves JW.” The whole family thing? Why do that? Urgh. I just wish the writer left out the rape stuff… and just used the kidnapping part. The kidnapping as a reason – would have sufficed enough given what I saw happen.
Anyhow – Capt K – you said it all better than I can. 🙂 I wholeheartedly agree. If they wanted to make this an OTP love story of JW and SY, couldn’t they have done it right just about a million other ways?!
Thank you! For steering me away from this train wreck of a drama. That was 21 hours of my life you saved. Life is truly too short to watch crap drama. I can deal with a lot of poorly done things in dramas – acting, directing, music editing, etc. but not writIng. I trust your taste and value your opinions.
I agree that the script was not making sense. Still, I like the 3 main actors/actresses and their younger versions. They did act well!
Even the ending is so weird. Her clothes are totally different. Notice those she wore when they got married & those when they walked towards the door?
after it’s ending i want to question why at all eun joo was casted…..the drama posters gave you the impression she is 2nd female lead…..but her role was so small may be lesser than jung woo’s sister……they just made a scapegoat out of her i guess becoz of the controversy but that’s too bad…..really feel bad fore…..she is nowhere in the drama……
Good question . If I were the I would sue the PD.
It is a tribute to all actors – child n adult – that this show achieved such good ratings for a trainwreck (think Spy Mung-Wol, Fashion King, etc)
I do not believe rhat only the writer is to blame – producers n directors should have protested at such an extreme n illigical drama, so I’m not sure why a drama could turn out like this. Maybe this is some gangster doing, like what HK movie industry claimed to have suffered in late 90s, early 2000s.
Maybe the writer was taking revenge to an earlier casting debacle. He/She was like “ya’ll dare to complain eh? well, crappiest story of all time it is then. Take that, suckers”
Lollllll
Not a fan, never was, never will be….thanks Koala for saving my 21 hours of live….somebody said it earlier
I must be the only one, but I enjoyed MY. I watched every week diligently. Yes, there were times when I didnt care for this or that, but when I think of Melodrama — MY fit the bill. It had everything a melodrama needed — crying, crazy people, a horrible parent, a person who steps in to be the good parent, and a love story where numerous challenges are in the way!
And if you didnt suspect Harry killing all those people, you werent really watching! I knew Harry was a crazy person from the beginning! Who keeps a secret lair in their home? And yes, I do think that he intentionally killed Detective Kim because the flashbacks show the detective yelling for Soo Yeon and all Harry does is snuggle close to her and ignore it? UHHH, yea, he was crazy from the start!
Regarding Young HJ killing Detective kim:
Actually, in episode 5, HJ/Nurse HM gets a call from HTJ who asks “where are you?”. The sound of the train gives thier position away. Immedietely after, HJ sees a man lurking around.
He says: “Someone’s here.”
Detective Kim talks on the phone to JW telling him about SY, but he’s whispering. But HJ is still inside and they don’t show him over-hearing the conversation.
When he comes out with the coke can, Detective kim is still only lurking around but not calling out to LSY.
When he does call out to her from the car, they specifically show a scene from inside the car showing that the detective’s voice was muted and unclear.
So you see, this is why I’m bugged with the writer/Director.
When they showed the flashbacks in later episodes, they edited the scene so it looked like HJ knew all along why Detective Kim was there. Which is kinda like cheating. And just incase the audience was still in doubt, they make sure JW says “HJ killed Detective Kim to make sure SY stayed with him.”
HJ being the murderer is infact the best part of the drama. But they should have treated him crimes like a crime of revenge rather than crimes of a lunatic. It would have made more sense especially considering the early episodes of the drama.
But they really went over board with HJ’s crimes without ever justifying why he paired up with HTJ (his nemesis) in the end. I mean really, why spend 17 episodes trying to bring down one man when in the end you can just throw it all away in one episode and join forces with him? That’s just silly writing.
It really looked like the writer changed her mind mid-way about who her real villian was. And hence all this discontent from a few viewers like me.
this is the one most korean drama i ever hesitated to watch..i do agree with My2Girls words “Life is truly too short to watch crap drama”
You guys should apply as scriptwriter, I think because Yu Seon did not end with Harry, all your comments are so negative. I love the ending because it only shows, love is greater than hatred. If people victimized by circumstances will learn how to heal the wound and forgive, then I can say, this planet is still a better place to live in. If the writer put in details all the causes of accident/deaths, then this drama will probably have 30 episodes. I have no fear of showing what I feel, but this is a good story and learning lesson for everyone, that inspite of all the bad things that is evolving a person, his/her decency and common sense still win. I like Yoon Eun Hye very much, I think she is a great actress with a good heart and no one can writer a perfect script for a story that I have known at the present time because it is all fictions and imaginatios of minds.
love cannot erase the memory of rape.this is silly.they didn t address it at all
Huh that is silly, if all rape victims has no chance of moving on and deserve a second chance to be happy peacefuly, wouldn’t you feel it is better to die than live?
Words can’t describe how disappointed I was with MY. It seemed to have a good start but revealed its flaws one episode after another, bigger flaw by each episode. I gave it up midway and reading this ending, I did not regret stopping watching it at all. My bias for YC or YEH could only have me energized to go as far as Ep 16 (well nod at that ‘life’s too short to watch crappy dramas’ – lessons learned). Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this drama. I’m with you on every single point you’ve made.
I stopped watching after episode 4 because MY was just too over-the-top melodramatic for me. Glad I didn’t waste my time with this one even though it had a great cast. It does go to show that storyline and continuity are important factors to dramas, not just having a star-studded cast.
Btw so did Yoochun’s character not end up dying like they showed during the ending of the first episode?
Why can’t people just enjoy a show without all this META is beyond me. Sure, it wasn’t the greatest show ever, but it was so enjoyable for me to watch, and I didn’t even fast forward like I usually do with dramas. Not a boring moment! Amazing acting! I cried so many times. What more could I even want from a drama?
Maybe I should stop questing my tastes by comparing them to what other people think… I loved this drama. LOVED IT. And I’m proud to say it. And clearly this is the last place I should be saying that. *runs*
Stupid typos. I mean second-guessing myself. Oh well…
If you are able to overlook the big plot holes that’s good for you, others can’t do the same.
Meant as a reply to @Lina
I don’t care about plot holes, as long as I’m having fun. Was this a drama that let me just sit, relax and watch, while shedding a few tears and getting sucked in by the characters? It was! And this is what made it successful in my books. I’ve been a kdrama lover for years, but the for the past two years, I can count the dramas I actually liked with one hand. I fell in love with the characters, especially JW! And I don’t think it’s only because I’m a Yoochun fan, because I definitely didn’t love his previous characters.
While there are many insightful comments in this blog, the majority just seems bitter about Harry being the villain and come here to vent their frustrations. To me, it was so obvious from the beginning of the drama that Harry had issues, and I can’t understand why people were surprised with how his character ended up. I loved Harry’s character portrayal. His ending was heart-breaking, but fitting. I only cried for him in the last episode. But it’s one thing to like him as a character, and a whole another to expect him to end up with SY… even before we knew about the murders, that relationship they had was sick and based on lies. But I guess people just see things from their own perspective.
Fortunately for me, there are many people around who share the same love for this drama, and I’m talking about completely unbiased people who have no idea about kpop and who yoochun is, and the comments around the drama. My sister watched the first 10 episodes in two days and called me begging for more. My friend was there along watching with me.
Their opinions value more to me than any other opinion. Especially the opinions of people who didn’t even watch the drama and have just seen the recaps.
But I’m too bored to get into an argument. I said what I wanted to say, feel free to bash and label me as an irattional delusional fan who’s taking advantage of this blog’s space to spur nonsense. *shrug*
Like I said, if you can enjoy and overlook the potholes good for you, others don’t have to do the same. It also seems you only like people who have the same opinion you do which is a shame as you need to listen to all sides if the argument.
i wish 2013 korean production produce good drama and more inspiring story .i really hope korean film /drama industry changes the way of making drama by using Hollywood concept.not using live production what korean industry used now .
i noticed in my country the production house only making drama after script is complete and the producer will give rough script to tv station.when the tv station read the whole script and do some study they will agreed and and sign contract to purchase the drama.
never in our country making drama live show back to back.the producer will produce all 16 or 20 episode do the editing and submit to the tv station completely .after the tv station happy after watching the whole drama then the station will air the drama.
during the editing the tv station will cut or advise the producer to change certain diaologue or scene that not suitable.the station will start looking for advertiser after they agreed which date to show the drama.
so the quality of the drama is guareanteed because in tv station department they have one division just to do and watching all the drama that producer produced.the producer have good financial background because only good quality script and show only be accepted by the tv station.
that the reason why certain drama in korea eventhough the show is high rating but our tv station wont but the right because to certain standart the tv station feel the story have no quality and doesnt give good moral value to our viewrs.
suprising bad rating show in korea our tv station purchased the drama because the drama is really good writing and have very good moral value to our viewers.
where…………….do you live, seriously?
I wanna know that too…
I started watching the drama after the recaps stopped because I was curious about how the story was going to end. To be honest I went in with expectations tempered down after hearing all the negative reviews of the storytelling. However, I really enjoyed the show on the whole only because of the acting especially the scenes with soo yeon’s mother. I think the actor acting as Han tae jun was phoning in his performance but I don’t blame him because that character was practically a caricature.
The ending gave me a sense of wistfulness – wishing the the narrative progression and character development could be on par with the wonderful acting talents in the show. But I wouldn’t it considered it as time wasted because I did enjoy it and there were some nice moments in the show. Plus it introduced me to Yoo Seung Ho who is certainly easy on the eyes even though he turned out to be a crazed serial killer.
The pairing of YSH and YEH didn’t work for me lookwise because he still has baby fat on his cheeks but they definitely had chemistry. Can’t wait for YSH to return from the army as a man!
Really hope YEH picks a drama with a better script next time. Wished they continued the production of Love Song (Comrades, Almost a Love story is one of my favorite movies of all time)
Thanks Ms Koala for providing a platform for everyone to discuss and air their views.
I really pitied Kang Hyun Jun how lonely and cold his life be now that he lost everything. Good thing that this is just a drama and we can all move on with our own life now that this is over.But I couldn’t stop myself from thinking if it is really happening to someone. I mean of all the whole human race someone, somewhere is experiencing what KHJ is experiencing right now. I cannot imagined his life would be. Someone who is hugely wronged by somebody and have a big revengeful plot that his cooking or doing. If only this person could find forgiveness on his heart then he won’t be this miserable. Just like KHJ in the drama if he learns how to forgive and buried the things in the past and be at peace with the people he has then he could be more happier. Even if he dont have LSY atleast he could have her as a close friend or family. I think really that the things that are happening to our life are just the fruits of our choices. He chose to be the negative one then as the consequences he lost everything including the woman he loves dearly for 14 years. I hope that this drama would teach a lesson to us a very important lesson…
Let us not blame the writer I’m sure he/she tried his/her best to give us this story. I applaused the performance of the three main leads esp my fav actor Yoo Seung Ho. He truly deserves an award for his acting. I’m looking forward to his future projects one he is done with his MS.ㅁㅏㅁ!
Wow…such negativity…and it really seems personal….people just take a chill pill…the writer and actors did their best…
Honestly don’t think the writer did her best especially when you take into account her previous works and all the plot holes she had in this drama.
I am a die-hard fan of YEH. I watched and enjoyed all of her past dramas and even bought copies to keep. However, I cannot stomach MY (even for YEH). I dropped MY after episode 12. JW’s smirking face gave me nightmare!
PS. I agreed with Koala on every single point she wrote!
i couldn’t agree no more with youuuu! and this is seriously made me SAD ;/
eventhough,i love a happy ending, but, this is not true.
i threw much expectation in this drama in the beginning, but i realized, idk since when i started to watch this just because imwant to have fun, being emotional and see the main actors ( i love them so much! PYC, YEH, YSH)
i have nothing to say, seriously……………
Oh dear, I’m scrolling through all these negative reviews and I’m glad that I dropped the drama when I did.
I did see the first three episodes in full when the OTP were younger, but I was curious about the fourth episode and read the summary synopsis and balked that the story incorporated her being raped in front of the guy!
From then on, I kind of waited to see if the drama would have an awesome ending in order for me to persevere through that horrific scene… But from what I’m seeing here, it doesn’t get any better…
Koala… this playground of yours has been known from being a notorious ground of IMY drama…
And i was surprised that you have bothered to give your final thoughts in it, huh.
Well, how i wish no drama like IMY will fall in your pathetic reviews again.
Chow! May the good Dramagods be with you!
one thing i don’t get the answer till now.. in the black box at kang sang deuk house, there’s su yeon rite?and after the scene of kang sang deuk being murdered, there shows su yeon was removing her black gloves in her car..what did she did actually on that night??
script was utter failure i wud say…bt no words abt the acting of a the main stars,,esp the younger ones…
Its such a nice korean drama.
A late-comer to commenting. Just finished this drama. For an old drama, I thought it played very well until the last four episodes when characters were forced to make dumb choices (Lee Seo Yeon whyyyyy go to see Harry alone when he’s so dangerous & then get locked into a room? Han Won Joo–when the thugs were beating on your car, whyyyyyy did you wait so long to drive it away?). Having said that, this drama held my attention to the end. From the start I felt that the romantic pairing should be the two young teens that began this whole sad journey together. Harry was never anymore than a second lead to me, but I guess from reading through the negative posts (Wow…many seemed to take the script personally) that the actor who played him overshadowed the plotlines. As for expecting a drama to deal with a troubling issue like rape in a better way, I don’t think that would have made this melodrama better. Just different. For me, delivering a moral lesson in healing is not a requirement for drama.
I watched this drama several times..it was heart touching but the script is really not logical..The way Zoey left harry alone is not acceptable ..He was the erson who saved her for 14years.She made a special bond with him while let him feeling that he is the only obe for her.But when she met her first crush she ran to him forgetting all love and care she got from harry..this totally a kind of betrayal .
Im not saying harry should not be punished.
He deserves punishments.
But the end should have been more beautiful if zoey committed her life to lookafter harry untill he gets well..
Or she should leabe both and live an independent life..jw doesnt deserve her love since he did nothing for her..harry did everything for her.he gave a luxurious life for her..zoey should have taken harry’s side since he saved her from the most terrifying experienced when she was little..ilove the character harry..he killed several people..but still he has his own reasonable reasons for innocence
I thought sooYean should have marry Harry.because Harry was her savior brought her up and infact the guy was deeply loving her.
Infact was really disappointed in the since Soo never shown any love to Harry.
Korean drama and this your first love..please do something about it..please change your style