Bride: Weird to the very end

Like a windmill on a Korean hillside, this show is weird and unexpected. My main feeling while watching the wrap-up was, "WHAT is going on?" I do love my happy endings. But even after the writer crafts a finale with a pot of gold at the end of everyone’s rainbow (and I do mean EVERYONE), I still have one question left. Where are my kisses?!!!!!

Those aren't the kisses I wanted

Did the director take some Artsy Pills before shooting the ghost backstory? The stolen kiss among the freshly washed laundry. The origin of the bead bracelet. The falling petals from the surrounding trees. It was all so beautiful and tragic as we watched the somber, wealthy man fall in love with his mute, caring servant. Until someone mentioned his wife. Hold up! He’s MARRIED! So our sassy ghost lady isn’t the first bride, but the first mistress? I fervently hoped Dramafever subbed it wrong. (It wouldn’t be the first time.) But no, Ghostie had an affair with a married man while his wife stood by and watched. This wasn’t Sageuk times where he could collect as many concubines as he wanted. The show specifically pointed out it was a hundred years ago. 1914. The guy came home in a suit, not a fancy beaded top hat. It made the whole thing so sordid to me. A cheater knocking up his servant girl then abandoning her is never romantic. I don’t care how many cherry blossoms you throw at them.

My favorite line in the whole finale

You know what is romantic. THIS GUY. Kang-joo got better and better as the show progressed. He forgave Doo-rim for her deception waaaaay quicker than expected. He publicly admitted everything to the public in two separate press conferences. And he takes his vows seriously, even if there’s no legal piece of paper to back them up. The writer can draft as many poetic speeches as they want about how finding love is like a blind turtle looking for a piece of driftwood in the ocean. When an attractive model gets in a guy’s face and he doesn’t even hesitate to throw the ring up and say, “You must not have heard, I’m married.” Now THAT’S sexy times a hundred.

Someone get the padded cell ready

Who else enjoyed Makjang Ma’s total descent into Looneyville? The sight of her choking Doo-rim, choking the ghost, choking her own daughter, and then ripping into a piece of rare meat with her bare fingers before earning a bed in the Psych ward. It seemed like a fitting end for this horrible excuse for a human being. Why couldn’t the writer leave it that way! That must be some therapy program at that hospital, because two years later she’s hugging Doo-rim and begging for forgiveness. It may sound twisted, but I would have preferred her to say the line about waiting for her to show up, and then reaching out to choke her again. It would have been such a fitting piece of macabre humor. I'm all for love and forgiveness in real life. But fictionally speaking, some villains just shouldn’t be redeemed.

Boy, did I read that wrong

Am I the only one that got the wrong idea from this scene? I assumed it was Yi-kyung and Oppa sitting together at first. So when a medical looking professional started lecturing about removing the biological problems, I got this crazy idea they were trying not to be blood related so they could be together. I know it sounds insane, but we’re talking about a show with Bride Curses and Look-a-like Strangers. And then it turns out it was just a commercial for hand treatments. How dare they waste any part of the finale on product placement! Less side characters. More smooches. Or ANY smooches for that matter.

Look at that face!

Dramas must have brainwashed me, because I don’t get super upset over time jumps any more. Now my reaction is more, “Oh good, it’s only been a year or two.” That’s almost nothing in K-time. Some viewers probably knew the moment they saw the red yarn, but this scene came as a surprise to me. A lovely, sentimental surprise. Kang-joo spends all day tracking down another fruitless lead to Doo-rim’s whereabouts and it looks like he’s just going to walk away, when a ball of fate rolls by his feet. Lee Hong-ki deserves major props for this moment. I thought both actors sold it, but the way his face just crumpled with joy hit me right in the heart. No cheesy slo-mo rush to embrace each other as the camera swirled around them. It meant so much more to have the two just stand and quietly smile at each other, relieved that the long separation is finally over.

Bride of the Century started out weird, and finished the same way. The finale meandered on and on, and it wrapped up every loose end imaginable, except the ones we really cared about. Where was the moment when Na Doo-rim first tells Kang-joo he’s a father?  Where was the first kiss between the long parted lovers? Or any kiss for that matter? They jumped straight from the reunion to “old married couple.” One of the most awesome things about this show’s beginning was the ridiculous amount of skinship. Did they blow their wad in the first half and the censor shut them down? Did Hong-ki have the flu and not want to pass it on to Yang Jin-sung? Did the director think wandering around planting trees was more romantic than a few cuddle sessions? I confess it was disappointing. But the show stayed true to its weird self to the very end and provided some nice moments along the way. Ghostie playing with baby Kang-nim in the sunlight. Choi Mama turning into a Go-Stop cardshark. Kang-joo finally admitting the moment his heart fluttered for Doo-rim was the first night they met. I guess we can re-watch the first few episodes for the skinship stuff. And I’m glad we can fade out of this wacky ride of a show on a happy note.

Master's Sun Episode 17 or "That deserves a big tip!"

My Korean stinks, but I believe what you say after eating something yummy is Mashissoyo!

The finale of Master’s Sun was like a big, old ice cream sundae with extra nuts, sprinkles, cookie bits, gummi bears, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Sweet as sugar and chock full of cutie calories, it kept the tone light throughout and even revisited a few of our favorite bits from the past. But instead of playing a loop of endless montages, like so many finales do, this episode reinvented the scenes with extra fanservice twists that kept me grinning like an idiot. I don’t care if it’s pandering. How can I hate someone for giving me just what I was craving. Thank you, Hong Sisters!

Here are some of my favorite dishes from last night’s funny feast:

Best 4 minutes of the whole episode, maybe the whole show! 

Our Gong Shil wakes up with a pleased-as-punch Joong Won by her side, and thus commences one of the most hilarious sequences in the entire run of Master’s Sun. I love how each ghost possessing her is a callback to the first time she spent the night, but his reactions show just how far he’s come to embrace the insanity. Not only doesn’t he banish the Baby Ghost right away, he feeds her ice cream then scolds her like a doting uncle when she wants more.

And, as if So Ji Sub doesn’t kill me with his adorable antics already, he not only waves a blanket at the Kitty Ghost like a bullfighter, but barks at her for good measure. *Thunk*

Finally, he ends up with an armful of Parisian Ghost after telling her to get lost – IN FRENCH! (They almost had to scrape me off the floor after all of this.)


Our Sunny is back! 

Ms. Sun actually starts to shine again. I’d had enough of the long faces, and quietly suffering heroics. Tae Gong Shil returns from her 375 day quest stronger, brighter, and ready to seduce the man she loves (which seems a little ridiculous, since he’s already wrapped around her little finger). She still sees ghosts, his touch still banishes them, basically nothing has changed, except she made a lot of money flipping ghost houses. I guess it just took her a year to realize her own self-worth, but what a relief it was to see her smile again.


A small, side dish of Closure, if you please. 

Who would have thought even our resident, ghost regulars get their stories tied up in a nice, neat bow? Trash Can Ajusshi’s was actually poignant, as he forever pays penance for throwing away a lottery ticket and depriving his loved ones of the security it could bring. I love that Joong Won declares HE will take care of it because it’s HIS friend, and gifts the daughter with a Kingdom-sized wedding of her dreams. You big softie. I wonder how many times he sat on that bench in the 375 days Tae Gong Shil was away, commiserating with a ghost about problems that neither one could fix.

And, Surprise! Coffee Ghost isn’t dead at all, just another coma victim who refused to return to his body because he didn’t want to take any more tests. Pfffft. I guess there are slackers in the spirit world, too.


A round of Happy Endings for everyone!

I wonder if the Hong Sisters are super-fond of this drama and its characters, because they gave everyone and their mother a happy ending. The adorable, matchmaking munchkins get to move to a new house with their mom. Secretary Ajusshi basks in the credit for orchestrating the whole romance between his beloved boss and Taeyang, with the simple act of stopping the car on that fated rainy night. Loose Lips and Gong Shil’s sister (whose name I never did learn) continue with their PDAs. Uncle Fighting and his Snippy Wife have a bundle of joy on the way. (That kid is gonna have one strange Aunt in Tae Gong Shil). And our never-say-die Little Sun gets the man of her dreams and the walk down the red carpet, too.

When I think about it, there were never any real villains in this show, just villainous circumstances. (Unless you count that creepy You’re-the-most-beautiful Hairdresser Ghost, who still gives me the shivers.) But I’m not complaining. I like my happy endings piled high with extra sprinkles.


Give Me Shelter 

I would have liked a more clever reason for why Joong Won is the only shelter in the world for Taeyang. Preferably something that had to do with her accident. But I can live with the fact it’s because he’s her Soulmate. It makes sense. It’s just not very creative.

Taeyang found the strength to cope with her strange ability, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Joong Won is still her shelter. The difference is that she can live without it, but why should she? Although the ghost-poofing takes the metaphor to the extreme, isn’t a shelter what we all desire in our relationships? Whether it’s a mate, a friend, or a family member? We all want that someone that is always on our side, that we can run to when life gets too hectic, and trust that with them we will feel that condition that is much too fleeting in our crazy world. We will feel safe.

This episode left me licking my lips like an ice-cream crazed kiddie ghost and jumping in for seconds right away. It may have lacked a little protein, but I prefer doughnuts over health shakes any day of the week. Again, thank you Hong Sisters! I look forward to your next wacky creation.

The Cyrano Finale or “It's Not You, It's Me"

Have you ever had a "Meh" date? The guy was charming. Laughed at your jokes. Paid for the meal. But there was no connection. That’s kind of how Dating Agency Cyrano was for me. It was cute. But I never got those warm fuzzy butterflies.

Lack of connection aside, I still expected a satisfying conclusion and these are the top 5 reasons I didn’t get that with this finale:

1.      The Most, Anti-climatic Bomb Vest . . . Ever

Who straps their heroine to an explosive and then frees her with 3 minutes to spare. Haven’t these people seen NCIS? Don’t they know the clock's supposed to count down to the single digits, while the incessant beeping of the timer gets faster and faster! Moo-jin didn’t even stress over whether to cut the red wire or the blue one. It was all snip, snip. I’m done.

2.      Who, What, When, Wh . . . Oh, forget it.

The Hawaiian Shirt Psycho hangs around the restaurant all series, kidnaps our sunny matchmaker to wreak havoc in the eleventh hour, and never bothers to explain why. We know that Waitress Girl wanted revenge for her dead brother, but what was this guy’s deal? He just muttered vaguely about them stealing his love away, blah, blah, blah. And then he dares to give the “You think this is over!” warning from the police car. Like anyone cares. We don’t even remember your first name.

3.      They messed up my favorite couples!

Of all the story setups, my favorites were Taemin’s Sweet Pop Star’s First Love and Lee Kwang Soo’s Dorky Baker with the Masochistic Streak.  Yet, the last we see of these twosomes, Dorky Baker is sobbing on the phone, and Taemin’s girlfriend is railing at Arang that she’s been deceived. As far as we know, these girls are gone for good.  Would it have killed the show to have the plot exposition fairy make a passing reference that the clients called in to say their women forgave them?

4.      Stone-cold Min-young

Did our soft, mushy heroine have an emotional lobotomy between episodes 15 and 16. She’s been the one character with a heart in the Agency. Yet, she sits at the hospital bed of the man who took a knife to the gut to rescue her and basically asks, “Oh by the way, have you seen the guy I’m really in love with?” I thought Master’s injury might bring around a bout of noble idiocy (not that I’m a fan of that trope). But no, this girl wants the other guy no matter what, and she’s not about to sugarcoat it. Would it have killed her to let him down easy?

5.      What a Romantic . . . not.

The Tin-Man Boss without a heart pushes the heroine away for 15 episodes, and when he finally gives in to his deep-seated passions . . . he whispers it in her ear. So the audience is only allowed to hear the put downs? He tops it all off by saying he’s going to be busy for a month, so she shouldn’t bother him. And then they tack a cringeworthy kiss on the end that looked like Lee Jong-hyuk was channeling Park Shin Hye in Heartstrings. It’s not often we see the guy do the eyes wide open, jaws clenched shut pose. I thought TVN was a cable station. *Sigh*

Cyrano was okay. I didn’t hate it. But I don’t think it was worthy of being listed in the Oh, Boy Series that gave us the spicy Noona/Rich Brat coupling of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop or the sweet and silly Panda hijinks of Enrique in Flower Boy Next Door. This one needed to stay in the oven a little longer.