Reply 1994: Ooooooookay?

Yep. That sums up my reaction to the finale. It was . . . okay.

We got to spend one last night with our 1994 crew and witnessed their tears, and loves, and noisy jubilation when Korea beat Italy that just went on and on and on. (Seriously, how long was that scene?) There were sweet callbacks to previous episodes and character interactions that made you want to go “awwwwwwwww”. I guess my dissatisfaction stems from one major flaw. But more on that later. Let’s start with the good stuff.

He’s the husband! He’s the husband!

I picked the Oppa ship early on and stuck with it, despite the heavy temptation to leap overboard by the overwhelming awesomeness that was Chilbongie. Oppa’s initial hesitation, his rival’s adorable persistence, and the out-of-nowhere overseas separation might sway a viewer’s heart back and forth. But there was one thing that never wavered. Na-jungah. In her eyes, there was only one man from start to finish. She wanted Oppa. Period. Not that I blame her. Our trashy, but affectionate medical genius pinched, and laughed, and cuddled his way into my heart, as well. They make sense together. Any other ending would have felt like a con-job, after the way the writer made Na-jung’s heart rock-solid from beginning to end.

But why does the writer hate Chilbongie?

THIS is my major beef. Did someone see Yoo Yeon-seok kick a puppy or something? It seems like the writer held a serious grudge for some unknown reason and took it out on his character. Why must our cherubic pitcher be tortured up until the last minute? Let’s recap what they put him through, shall we:

1. Drowned him in the ocean in Samcheonpo’s hometown.
2. Almost crushed his skull in a department store collapse.
3. Had an angry sunbae beat him up for protecting Na-jung.
4. Gave him a mother and father who see him once a year.
5. Packed him off to Japan, where we didn’t see him for 3 episodes!!!!!!
6. Wrecked his pitching shoulder and made him go through surgery.
7. Broke his heart over & over again as he watched Na-jungah watch Oppa.

I’ve probably forgotten something, but why should we depress ourselves. At least with such an overinflated finale, I figured we’d get to see him happy for one episode. But, nooooooooo. He spent most of it rejected, crying, alone in America, or in the hospital. *Sigh* Was it asking too much to give him longer with his own happy-ever-after girl than one scene?

One Stinkin’ Scene!

Talk about an unromantic meet-cute. I never expected Chilbongie’s true love to come in a shower of chicken wings. It was obvious this was the girl for him. Kooky accent, not overly feminine, and doesn’t seem to know he’s alive. She’s just his type. I knew the actress playing the chicken girl must be a cameo, but I didn’t recognize her. Being a drama rookie, I had to look up Jung Yoo-mi and even then I wasn’t impressed. For our dear, longsuffering Chilbongie, I wanted someone with the beauty of Kim Tae-hee, the spunk of Ha Ji-Won, and the sweetness of Moon Geun-young. But it’s really asking too much of any actress to satisfy us in ONE! STINKIN! SCENE! So bitter.

The point where I reached for a tissue

It wasn’t so much the bittersweet goodbye that choked me up. Or our ever-faithful puppy finally letting go. It was Na-jung’s speech as she hugged him. I loved her promise that she would brag like crazy to her children someday that the awesome, famous person on TV used to like her. That may be the best version of “It’s Not You, It’s Me” I’ve ever heard.

What it’s really about

Who’s the husband was never what Reply 1994 was really about. It wasn’t romance. It was family. The kind that you’re born with, and the kind that you collect along the way. I admit that I envy Na-jung. But not for the two hot guys that couldn’t live without her. (Well, not much.) I envy her that she sits with all of her adopted family almost twenty years later to reminisce about the good old days. I’ve lost touch with so many dear, college friends that I spent some of my happiest moments with. I wish it were as easy for me to call them over my house for a lazy night of reflecting. She’s one lucky lady.

Reply 1994 really was like life. Sometimes disappointing, but still filled with fun and sweetness to ease the pain. Thank you, show, for all the laughter you brought me. Kamsahamnida.

Reply 1994: Little Things Mean A Lot

It’s the little moments that make a lifetime. Those sepia-colored details that other people didn’t even notice as they happened. Reply 1994 does not do fast-paced. Far from it. But it does know how to capitalize on the little things. And sometimes, in the end, they turn out to be not so little after all. Here are a few that left me smiling this week:

All in the Family

One of the reasons it’s so easy to root for Oppa is because he’s already a longtime member of this crazy, country bumpkin family. The four of them sitting in a row, watching the hit parade on TV just warmed my heart. Not that the outrageous dancing hurt, either. I especially liked Trash’s cross-legged bouncing behind the more exuberant Na-jung.

Oooh. Buuuuuuurn! 

How many times have we watched the hero tell his girlfriend she shouldn’t be jealous because the other woman is just a buddy? They’ve always been close. She would never think of him that way. Meanwhile, the second lead schemes and plots and does all sorts of horrible things to break the OTP up. So how much did I love the moment when Oppa’s pretty colleague offers to pick his mother up and his response is: “Why should you?” There was so much sub-text in that moment. “Who are you to pick my mother up? That’s not your job. You’re not my girlfriend. So let’s not even go there.” Trash Oppa can be pretty dense, so the fact that he picked up on the impropriety of her suggestion and shot it down immediately just made me love him all the more.

Don’t leave me! 

Sometimes I wonder which choices come from the actor, director, or writer. That heartbreaking gesture when Trash is packing up the truck and Na-jung just follows behind, holding on to the back of his shirt. So good. A big handclap for whoever thought of it. That small act encapsulates how hard it is to say goodbye to someone you love, even when you know you have to let them go.

Reunited and it feels so good 

Welcome back, 1997! The bus scene was great. Hilarious. But I loved the extra stuff that we weren’t expecting even more. Hak-chan being tutored by Najung-ah and just as awkward as ever. And our original Answer Me couple being the noisy neighbors upstairs. When Shi-won opened the door I got so happy. I love the reminder that she and Yoon-jae keep on living and loving and screaming at each other in Busan dialect long after the credits of Answer Me, 1997 rolled.

‘Til Death Do Us Part 

Die-Die won me over pretty quick. She sits quietly with her dainty, little hair bow, and then downs a potent potful without blinking. Just to save the cute hoobae beside her. It’s a testament to the acting and the writing that I liked this couple together even though they only had two episodes to sell it. The whole “Confirmation” scene with her and Binggeure hearkened back to the original series when Yoon-jae stole a kiss from Shi-won at the water fountain. That moment ended in a beat-down, but what would be the result this time? When our shy med student awkwardly went for it, you had to hold your breath to see where this was going. Would this end in love or rejection? Kudos to the director’s choice of focusing in on Binggeure’s face to let us know. When he opened his eyes for that split second and then softly closed them again, you knew she had him. No dialogue necessary. Such good storytelling.

This week gave me that happy, contented feeling like when you’ve just stuffed yourself with a plateful of your mom’s best Thanksgiving leftovers. I know the Chilbongie shippers must be livid at his small amount of screen time. But there’s still four episodes to go. Plenty of time for the angst later. Right now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy my K-drama comfort food.

Reply 1994: Aaaargh!

This picture sums it up. Two sets of stairs. Two guys to choose from. And I’m looking around for the elevator that will get me to the top faster and put me out of my misery. Whose brilliant idea was it to make Reply 1994 twenty-one episodes long? Oh, Oppa and Chilbongie. Why do you make me want to bang my head against the floor like Yoon-jin yearning for Seotaiji's toilet seat cover? Why do you both have to be so great! I don’t think I’ve ever been so torn between two characters before. It’s bad. It’s really, really bad. So I guess that means the show is doing its job really, really good. Here’s a few ways they got it right this week:

Little things that warm your heart 

Aren’t Na-jung and Oppa adorable? They laugh, and snuggle, and make us believe that they’re meant for each other. Jung Woo is especially good at highlighting his character’s adorkable side. I loved his little dance outside the hospital after he kissed Na-jung. This actor doesn’t mind looking ridiculous, and I applaud him for it. If it weren’t for the shadow of the poor, heartbroken Chilbongie casting a pall over my happiness for them.

Little things that rip your heart to shreds 

This writer does the slow reveal really well. Remember Oppa’s gift, when we saw the box, then him putting what looked like a pillow under Na-jung’s head, and then we finally saw it was a replica of her beloved stuffed animal from childhood. Well, they did that again this week with the hat. Chilbongie gently placed his cap on Na-jung’s head to protect her from the snow, and she carelessly tossed it to the side when she got home. That seemed a little cold already. But when the camera panned over to show us her picture was still tucked in the band. Ugh. Are you trying to kill us, show.

Love is a stolen toilet bowl 

At least I can enjoy one couple with no regrets. The evolution of their romance continues to bring chuckles and warm fuzzies, sometimes simultaneously. Samcheonpo complained and grumbled about his girlfriend’s Seotaiji obsession until you would think he was ready to dump her. But the way he rushed up the stairs to lock her in her room when the news of her idol’s retirement came out. And then committed a white porcelain felony to bring her back to the land of the living. All together now . . . Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

On a totally, weird and unrelated note 

We met some wacky side characters this week. I probably laughed the hardest at poor, abused Haitai’s interaction with the screw-loose Sergeant. (Mini rant: Did they have to break up our happy little family so thoroughly? Oppa moved out. Haitai got drafted. And Bong-ah’s off to Japan for who knows how long. I miss the days when everyone was under one roof.) And Oppa’s claims-to-be-clairvoyant cousin came from way out in left field. The freaky part of the field with the rusty chain link fence and unmowed grass. Thank goodness she was played by our hilarious “Right Now” girl from Flower Boy Next Door. You know she’ll be a trip the minute you see this actress. Was she right? Is a break-up imminent for our cute Oppa-Dongsaeng couple? Considering we have six episodes to go, I think it’s safe to assume that’s a YES.

Many a tear has to fall, but it’s all in the game 

Yoonjin warned us that this baseball has a story to tell, and I bet we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. What a great fakeout to make us think Chilbongie would give it to Na-jung and then have him pass it to Oppa instead. It’s not a sweet, sentimental remembrance. It’s a challenge. (It’s really great to see such a tenacious character that isn’t afraid to repeatedly throw his pride out the window for love. But I can’t help but wonder if Chilbongie isn’t partly motivated by the challenge. We’ve seen how competitive he is in sports. Does this translate to his love life, as well?)

Right now Oppa has the ball, but how many times will it be passed back and forth before it ends up on the shelf of that Seoul apartment in 2013? Even then, we can see that our two heroes can’t ignore its meaning as they cast sheepish glances at each other. I’m glad to see their future selves hold no resentment. But there’s obviously a lot of history there. And this game is far from over.

This love triangle really messes with my enjoyment of the show. Even though I was rooting for Oppa, I can’t enjoy his romantic triumph because I feel so bad for Chilbongie. I imagine I would feel the same way, if their roles were reversed. If its predecessor Reply 1997 is any indication, this show is going to drag their struggle out to the end. But at least 1997 was only 16 episodes. 21 is just too cruel for the boys, and for the viewers. I want everyone to be happy in the end, but most especially me.

Reply 1994: Why It's Gotta Be Oppa

Can Oppa be the husband and Chilbongie be the new, adopted son? I want both of them to be a part of this family. Our two Mr. Rights are each adorable in their own way, but only one of them gets the package the 2013 security guard delivered for Mr. Kim. My money's on Oppa, and not just because he's the best thing since sliced, Korean beef.

Here's a few points in his favor, underneath the headings of some well-known classics that might have been used as pager greetings back in the day.

Love is a Battlefield

Whoever ends up with Na-jung is gonna need a boatload of courage and a strong head of hair. This girl is tough. Oppa’s not afraid to twist her face off, or wrap her in a head lock, if necessary. Chilbongie’s such a sweetie, I’m afraid he might get hurt living with our female WWF impersonator. And his swoopy Justin Bieber hairdo wouldn’t last long in her hands. Maybe that’s why Oppa chops his mane so short.

Time is on my Side

It’s hard to beat that much history. Just like Na-jung, I didn’t realize the significance of the seal pillow at first. But when we both remembered . . . ugh. Those are the kind of things it takes a lifetime for a couple to know about each other. But these two have already spent a lifetime together. They know the important things. The tragic stories, and the funny ones. And they know the unimportant things. What your class schedule is and what your new pager password is going to be before you even change it. (1-1-1-1. Haha. So good!) 

Yakkety-yak (Don’t talk back)

Try to ignore the fact that he’s drying off with a bathmat. (I love Oppa, but his personal hygiene could use a serious upgrade.) What follows this moment is an entire round of “Yes, Dear”. 

Na-jung: Straighten the bath slippers. 

Oppa: Yes, dear. 

Na-jung: Turn off the light. 

Oppa: Yes, dear. 

Na-jung: And don’t forget to put lotion on your scaly face. 

Oppa: Yes, dear . . . which one is the lotion? 

She’s bossy as all-get-out, but this dunderhead needs someone to remind him of these things or he’ll be walking out the door without pants one day. 

U Can’t Touch This

Oppa must not be an MC Hammer fan, ‘cause he’s about the touchy-feeliest K-drama character I’ve ever seen. (I think he even surpasses Tae Gong-shil of Master’s Sun.) He wrestles her on the bed, he wraps his arms around her at the sink, he kisses her hair, and on and on it goes. Imagine you've never seen the show, and ran across one of those sappy Youtube videos. (You know someone is already splicing the clips. And I'm just the sort of sappy viewer that will be watching it.) But if you knew nothing about the characters' relationship, you might assume they were already married. 

Love Me Tender

Oppa can’t remember if he’s wearing socks, but he never forgets to watch out for Na-jung. He orders the seal doll way before the memorial day. He gets up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfast so she can go back to bed (even though he's a sleep deprived med student). He calls more than once to check up on her throughout the day. *Sigh* I wish I had a husband OR a brother like him. I’d be happy either way. 

Sorry, Chilbongie. You chip away at my heart with your wistful glances at the close family life the country folk share. I wish you could have Na-jung’s parents, but Na-jung belongs to Oppa. If the writers give us any other ending, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.