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.

Master's Sun Episode 16 or "Don't try to figure her out, you'll hurt your brain"

Extensions. Blech. I can’t think of one example where they improved a show, and Master’s Sun is no exception. This was the episode where our Taeyang is even less sunny, our Master is even more adorable, and the inevitable dragging out of the plot was even more noticeable than ever. Thank goodness the finale is tonight. I’d better get my happy ending or metaphorical heads will roll!

In the meantime, here are a few memories from last night:

1. Can Joongwon get any cuter?

Seriously, the guy just makes me grin like a loony. I don’t remember seeing So Ji Sub before this drama, but I’m certainly aware of him now. His lightning turns from stoic, stick-in-the-mud CEO to affectionate five-year-old leave my head spinning. I could watch his surprise hug with Secretary Ajusshi on a loop. It seems like all the joy has been sucked out of Tae Gongshil lately, but at least we have our mischievous Master for consolation.

2. Sleeping Beauty Attacks the Prince

This is a fairytale I can get behind. Little Sun uses her hospital stay to swoop in for a stolen kiss, then finds out that Kang Woo gave her the opportunity as a reward for getting Gongshil off the plane with her hilarious, fake appendicitis. I really dig that this girl keeps facilitating the OTP’s romance for her own selfish gain. It’s so true to character, rather than an eleventh hour redemption where she realizes she cares for Gongshil and wants her to be happy.

3. Meet the Exposition Twins 

Has anyone ever seen that old 80s movie “The Great Muppet Caper”? (I promise this tangent is going somewhere.) In it there’s a scene between Diana Rigg and Miss Piggy, whom she’s just met, where Rigg goes on and on about her wastrel brother who can’t be trusted and is such a disappointment, blah, blah, blah. After her long spiel, Miss Piggy asks in confusion, “Why are you telling me this?” and she replies “It’s plot exposition. It has to go somewhere.”

The exposition scene between Kang Woo and Secretary Ajusshi cracks me up. It’s like the Hong Sisters realized how frustrated the viewers would be at this point, and said, “Let’s make two of our most likeable characters explain Taeyang and Master’s motivations, just in case anyone missed it. If Ajusshi explains why Joongwon has to let her go to prove that he loves her, then the audience will accept it and think it’s a good idea.” (Note to Hong Sisters: It didn’t work.)

4. Tae Gong Shil is a Meanie

“Til the end, she won’t say she loves me.”

Ugh. That line really hit home. The shot of Joongwon’s defeated back in the darkened hallway as he wiped away his tears was just so wrong. I’m afraid I even started to dislike Gongshil a little.

I don’t get why she’s doing this. She “says” it’s to find herself, which I can respect, but her actions say otherwise, as she keeps reliving his near-death, even going so far as to reject the cute, little ghost boy who desperately needs her help. Remember the Tae Gong Shil of ten episodes ago who was all sweetness, and affection, and wanting to help people. Granted, her clingy need of Joongwon could be a little pathetic at times, but at least she was honest about it. These days, I can’t tell what the girl is thinking. It just seems like another recycled case of Noble Idiot, no matter how much she denies it.

5. Sweetest Case of Swearing Ever

Only in a Hong Sisters’ drama could a guy swearing at a girl be romantic. That one word is loaded with so much history, recalling his fifteen year struggle to forget his first love all the way to the conversation where he said he would never swear at Taeyang because she was just someone he ate with and held hands with once. I’m glad the episode didn’t end with the time jump and separation we could all see coming a mile away. Who else thinks Secretary Ajusshi set that whole “accidental” meeting up? If we all had someone like him in our lives, there would be no need for eHarmony.

They have one more episode to answer my questions, which all seem to revolve around her accident, so I’ll make another list:

Why was Tae Gongshil hiking around a mountain alone?
Why did she stay in a coma for 3 years and what woke her up?
Just what exactly was her relationship with Ghost-seeing Photographer in those 3 years?
Why is Joongwon the only person in the world that could be her shelter?

I hope the writers’ create a viable, creative explanation to explain the “accident” and subsequent fallout which has been couched in so much mystery up until now. And I’m really hoping there’s some clever threads woven throughout the story since episode one that will make me sit back and go, “Whoah. That makes total sense!” But maybe that’s asking too much. I guess if we return to the fun, extra-touchy format of the early days for our last episode that will be enough.

The Master's Sun'll come out . . . tomorrow

I felt a little like Joongwon when I finished this episode. There’s still something missing.

So many things went right, including Master regaining his memory. But I still felt a little hollow when the credits rolled. It leaves me staring at my empty hand wondering, what did this show used to have that it doesn’t anymore? As I try to process, here are five impressions it left behind when all was said and done:

1. Award for Best Surprise Guest Goes to . . .

It’s a regular Cyrano Dating Agency reunion up in here. First Lee Jong Hyuk guest stars and now Lee Chun Hee. Did anyone else do a double take? Apparently Chunderella, or whatever character he’s playing this time, can also see spirits. Is somehow involved with Taeyang’s accident. And may have even sent Coffee Ghost as a spy to keep an eye on her. Now THIS is an interesting twist. Too bad it only lasted about 30 seconds. More, please!

2. Award for Best Apology does NOT Go to . . .

Poor Twin Ghost. I’m still not sure which name to call her (although I’m betting on Hanna). She spends all this time protecting her wretched sister, who basically shrugs and says, “Oops. Sorry.” Let me see. Would that be an apology for usurping your twin’s place? Trying to steal her boyfriend? Kidnapping and torturing him? Or maybe, leaving her to burn alive in the car while you hightailed it with a fortune in jewelry? There aren’t enough Hallmark cards in the world to make up for that kind of backstabbing.

So far, the actress playing the evil twin has had two main expressions: smirky and extra smirky. But I really liked how she played the sun necklace scene when Joongwon verbally smacked her down. You could just read the inner monologue on her face: He’s staring at the necklace. I’ve got him now! Wait, my clever little con didn’t work? Did he just call me a counterfeit? This can NOT be happening again! First my sister, and now this cleaning lady!!! Where’s my black hoodie and sunglasses? It’s payback time.

The way she reacted really confirms the whole theory about Joongwon being in love with the other sister, and this one resenting it, and changing places with the sweet, wealthy Hanna. I’m pretty sure this girl belongs in a mental ward.

3. Uncle – Fighting!

This guy just gets better and better. His faulty memory of the Vase Confrontation was too funny, with a gangster version of Gong Shil pointing a threatening finger at him. But in spite of this, he’s still on her side. Whenever his wife wasn’t looking, he was planting a bug in Master’s ear.

I don’t think there’s any serious advantage to him if Joongwon remembers, but he keeps plugging away. The last conversation he had at the fancy shindig was hilarious: Did you know Tae Gong Shil is here? Oh, you don’t want to see her. My bad. But if you did want to see her, I’d mention that the creepy lady in black has some sort of hold over her. SOMEBODY should do something about that.

4. What’s with the flashbacks?

It’s not even the finale, yet. Didn’t we have at least four flashback sequences? The writers even got extra time because of the Chuseok-One Episode week. That being said, I don’t remember the scene they showed from the banquet where Master and Taeyang are in their own little, flirty world. How cute was their laughing and poking?

5. Where has our Sunny gone?

This is the point in the drama cycle I dread. All the fun evaporates like a coma ghost while the angst builds to a fever pitch. The episode itself had quite a few light, entertaining moments, but what has happened to our Ms. Sunny? She’s like a shell of the vibrant, affectionate, extra touchy girl we’ve come to know and love. I understand her guilt over Joongwon’s accident and wanting to protect him, but how long do we have to put up with this horrible of all Drama Tropes – Noble Idiocy?

We’re getting close to the finish line. The amnesia detour made me nervous, but it came and went without too much pain. And I really loved that the fake necklace was not a major stumbling block for our clever Master. Whenever he looked at Hanna Brown, it was either with confusion, annoyance, or “Oh, are you still here?”

Still some unanswered questions, but at least we don’t have to wait seven long days for the answers, unlike last week. To quote that beloved, kids musical Annie, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I love ya, Tomorrow. You’re only a day away.”