You From Another Star: A Beautiful Letdown

Maybe I expected too much. They gave me a happy ending. Well . . . a sorta-happy ending. Nobody died. So why do I feel so dissatisfied? I used to worry that the writer would betray me with a tragic, heartrending finale that left me weeping in a puddle. And even though that didn’t happen, I still feel a little let down. I think YFAS is a victim of its own success. The first 20 episodes blew me away so much, that I expected the wrap-up to be this amazing, supercalifragilistic masterpiece of superhero, slapstick, romance, and warm fuzzies. Instead, it was . . . nice. Bittersweet. Like a piece of dark chocolate. Give me a cavity-inducing Resee's Cup any day.

I actually got this joke!

Since I’m still a rookie, who doesn’t even speak Korean, please allow me to pat myself on the back for actually getting this scene. I’ve been a fan of figure skating for years, and I knew of the controversy with the latest Olympics. I didn’t watch the ladies skate, but read that South Korea’s reigning gold medalist, Kim Yuna, turned in a flawless performance. They expected her to take the top spot on the podium again, but the judges placed a young Russian, Adelina Sotnikova, in first place. Apparently, sports commentators and former professionals alike called foul. There was talk of the “Home Advantage” Adelina got by skating in Sochi. Perhaps the crowd’s reaction swayed the marks. Who knows? It doesn’t help that the judges’ scores remain anonymous. No accountability. Who’s to say if the Russian judges didn’t cook the books a little for one of their own. So the fact that the writer alluded to this, and had Song-yi asking Min-joon if he couldn’t do something about it was hilarious.

The teary part, and the really teary part

We spend 20 episodes dreading the return of the mothership, and when the moment arrives, Min-joon just leaves without a word. Poor Song-yi and I both were like, “That’s how you’re gonna do it?” I don’t think I felt weepy at all during the finale. The next-to-last episode delivered the more moving goodbyes. First, with Lawyer Jang’s breakdown, and then Song-yi’s proposal. Speaking of which, would it have killed Min-joon to marry her before Scotty beamed him up? I expected some sort of ceremony after the way episode 20 ended, even if it were only symbolic. We never got that Going-to-the-chapel moment. Call me old fashioned, but I like my happy endings with shoes and rice.

The bromance that never dies

So many little brother moments! Him fighting with Song-yi for who Min-joon belongs to. Sitting with his favorite alien, chocolate milk in hand and promising to be good to his sister in exchange for the prized telescopes. Asking for just one hug and not taking no for an answer. And finally, discovering a planet which he names after his hyung. I just love this relationship. I wish we could have seen the reunion of the brothers-in-law after Do Min-joon’s return.

Pwahahahaha

K-dramas have this infuriating habit of redeeming everyone in the final hour, whether they deserve it or not. I’m so glad this was not the case with Psycho Puppy Killer. Who else enjoyed the satisfying sight of him locked in a dark, tiny cell with no one to talk to except the phantom of Do Min-joon? I expected this character to wreak some last minute havoc by breaking out of jail, or something. But, nope. He’s caught. Punished. That’s all folks.

The big, Hollywood ending

The lights. The cameras. The red carpet and designer gowns. What an appropriate place for a movie star to reunite with her true love. Except he disappeared again. I feel kind of like someone handed me a cookie, then took it back after one bite. “Here’s your happy ending. Just kidding!” But at least we got one sizzling liplock. Someone needs to sit Park Shin-hye down to watch this clip on a loop until the light finally dawns.

In many ways, this drama reminds me of one of my all-time favorites, Queen In-hyun’s Man. The Joseon/Modern juxtaposition. The insurmountable barrier of Time. And even the way they interspersed the heavy moments with bits of humor. But there’s one thing QIM got right, and YFAS didn’t. Song-yi brought the issue up herself. There was nothing she could do for him. Do Min-joon shoulders the burden of returning or staying lost forever. All Song-yi can do is wait. In QIM, the way the hero is able to return to his love is when she defies the fate-induced amnesia, remembers him, and makes a call that connects over centuries. (I wonder who her service provider was?) It took both of them to make their reunion possible. I know some people see this ending as a bit too convenient, but you can’t get more convenient than finding a magic wormhole. At least the cell phone macguffin was hinted at throughout QIM’s story. The wormhole was never even alluded to until the very end. Tah-dah! And I could have used a few more answers to the important questions. Is Do Min-joon still going to look the same when Song-yi is eighty? Will he spend centuries alone after she dies? Was she supposed to be the reincarnation of the original, Joseon widow? Did poor, sweet Hwi-kyung ever get a girl of his own? And, most importantly, was that pesky saliva problem ever solved?!!!!!! (For that last one, they could have showed it so simply by having a baby monitor sitting on the nightstand in that last scene. Just a little present for the eagle-eyed.)

I don’t want to sound ungrateful. You From Another Star provided me with so many moments of laughter and squees, and I thank it for those whole-heartedly. The end may not have been everything I wanted, but the journey sure was fun.

You From Another Star: Brotherly Love

So much good stuff this week that I won’t even try to catalog it all. Instead of focusing on our main couple of deeeessstinnnnyyyy (Is anyone else getting tired of that soundtrack?), let’s take a look at the brothers in the show. From side-splitting to stomach-wrenching, they gave us some of this week’s most memorable moments.

Cain and Abel Korean Style 

He’s been alluded to throughout the show. But they finally introduced Hwi-kyung’s older brother in flashback, and he’s just as sweet and supportive as Jae-kyung is sinister and psycho. As so many suspected, the original heir to S & C group fell prey to his middle brother’s homicidal tendencies. Does Nail Ring Guy practice these little speeches he gives to his victims? I imagine him laying awake nights thinking, “What is the most hateful way I can gloat over their paralyzed bodies as they take their last, dying breath?” It looks like the oldest and youngest brothers got all the kindness genes in the family. They must take after their mother, because it sure ain’t Papa-kyung that passed on any good traits.

Welcome to the family 

Yoon-jae continues to play the man in the family as he gives Do Min-joon his blessing to marry Song-yi. Then he takes him to meet his absentee Dad and gives his best imitation of a turtle as he huddles inside his jacket collar, trying to pretend he isn’t there, all the while soaking in everything his father says about taking care of your loved ones. Did anyone else get the impression that the Dad didn’t even realize this was his son? The fact that he never once looked at him during dinner made me think this. He hasn’t seen Yoon-jae since he was a tiny boy, so he might have thought he was just a friend of Min-joon’s. But later when Song-yi went missing, the Dad sat with Yoon-jae and Mom like it was no big deal. I’d like to see an actual reconciliation scene between father and son. Is that asking too much?

If Baby Brother is Rhett Butler, does that make Min-joon Scarlett O’Hara? 

Did anyone else notice the way Yoon-jae pulled Min-joon’s collar tight to protect him from the cold on their walk home? I just love this relationship. Drunk Do Min-joon is too cute. But what can beat the sight of our 400-year-old alien cramming his baby brother-in-law in a phone booth and teleporting home? How about said baby princess-carrying his hyung off to bed? I bet Kim Soo-hyun never thought he’d be on the receiving end of one of those swept-off-your-feet moments.

E.T., phone home 

You may not believe this, but I have never seen E.T. How did I make it through the 80s without that pleasure, you ask? It just worked out that way. But even I can recognize an extraterrestrial parody when it’s coming. When Yoon-jae held out his finger with that pleading expression. Oh my word! And then they HAD to go and play the E.T. theme music to back it all up. Just priceless. I really love how Min-joon humors his baby brother-in-law. And I don’t think it’s just to earn points with Song-yi, either. The Cheon siblings just have a way of melting a crochety, old alien’s heart.

So much for blood being thicker 

Hwi-kyung stepped up to the plate in a major way these last few episodes. At the beginning, he was a sweet, but empty-headed rich boy who spent what little brain power he had on ways to win over his beloved’s heart. But now you get the feeling romance is waaaaay down the list of his priorities as he orchestrates a plan to catch his scheming brother in the act. I don’t see a way that Nail Ring can get out of this one, with the pen recording of him murdering his older brother, the CCTV footage of him threatening his younger brother, and even his infuriatingly supportive father finally accepting what a monster his son is. I thought it was a plot hole that he would prepare the wine poison for Song-yi in advance. How would he know Min-joon would be there? Then I realized he probably did it as leverage with Hwi-kyung. He knew there was some sort of recording and probably thought he could trade Song-yi’s life for the pen. I guess he didn’t count on a teleporting alien being there to save her.

Only two episodes left and I still heart this show. So. Much. The Romance! The Bromance! One-upping the villain. Then two-upping him. Adding an insurmountable disintegrating alien storyline and leading our couple to a metaphorical cliff of sacrifice. Is the writer capable of building a plausible bridge to the other side where our happy ending awaits? If the first 19 episodes are any indication, we’ve got nothing to worry about.

YFAS: Not ready to let go

How does this show mix so much light and dark into one hour without setting off the eye-roll alarms? It should seem manic the way it swings from pain to punchline and back again. But I'm buying every minute. And wishing I could get my hands on the recipe, 'cause this angsty, alien fruitcake is too good to only enjoy once.

The thing I love about this show 

No matter how hopeless the future looks, the script never forgets to mix in a heaping spoonful of humor. After a heartbreaking scene where Song-yi abandons Min-joon in the woods because she can't handle the one month expiration date on their relationship, we're treated to a sobfest sing-a-long in Se-mi's van. I credit the writer for inserting such a scene at the right moment to relieve the tension. And I double credit Jeon Ji-hyun for her ability to sell any situation and make it seem sincere, no matter how farcical the premise.

Keeping the in-laws happy 

I dub this scene “Do Min-joon babysits Song-yi’s brother”. The way he humored an irate Yoon-jae like he was entertaining a five-year-old, and then bribed him with an offer of chocolate milk delighted me to no end. And the fact that this milk came in a juice box with a straw just added to my glee. All it took was one selfie with his fancy, high-powered telescope to turn “Stay away from my sister!” into “Hyung, she doesn’t deserve you”. I hope this isn’t the last we see of this duo because I can imagine all sorts of brother-sister squabbles as they fight over who gets to play with Do Min-joon today.

Petty superpowers for the win

I’ve already devoted an entire post to how awesome the superhero vibe of this show is. But how much fun was it to see Min-joon use his abilities to be the best Alien Boyfriend ever? Someone needed to teach that spiteful director a lesson as he made a woman WHO JUST GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT ON HIS OWN FILM SET dive down a hill for take after take. I wish that mound our hero mind-pushed him off of had been a little taller, but at least his sadistic sidekick went tumbling down with him. And then the hilarious scene with Song-yi taking everyone to the cleaners in Go-Stop. Talk about a sore-winner. I wonder if she knew her superpowered boyfriend was stacking the deck? But the best part may have been the adoring smile on his face as he watched her enjoy her lucky streak. I’d trade in the flying, teleporting, time stopping extras any day, for a guy who would look at me like that, even when I'm being ridiculous.

The Sides are stepping up 

I understand the necessity of giving extra screen time to the side characters as the story nears the finish. The stars must be exhausted from their copious scenes, and need someone else to share the burden. In so many other dramas, it feels shoehorned in, like a sudden romance for a co-worker that we don't even remember the name of. But I'm really enjoying the deeper storylines for Star's side characters. The little brother hijinks are totally floating my boat. And I am loving the new and improved Hwi-kyung. I'd actually be satisfied to watch him take down his brother, instead of our alien hero. I don't know why they refuse to flesh out Se-mi's character more. After Queen In-hyun's Man, we know Yoo In-na is totally capable of winning us over. I'd like redemption and a happy pairing for her and her longtime crush.

The most revealing epilogue, yet

So now we know that Song-yi makes it out of this show alive. I had my suspicions that we might be headed for some sort of double-death Romeo and Juliet climax mixed with a reincarnation They-Can-Be-Together-In-The-Next-Life cop out. But this epilogue showed us a hale and hearty Song-yi 100 days later. So that’s a little over two months after Min-joon’s scheduled departure. And she’s sitting in Namsan Tower waiting for someone. The obvious question is “Who?” I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a fake-out with her comic-book store friend arriving to keep her company as she sits there remembering her lost love from the stars. I really have no idea where this show is heading. Well, I have lots of ideas, but which one do I really want? If Min-joon misses the spaceship for the second time and chooses to remain on earth, he will still look like a baby-faced twenty-something when his significant other is a tottering senior citizen (a fact that was hilariously realized this week by a panicking Song-yi as she tried to slow down the aging process with face masks and hula hoops). As our age-obsessed actress so aptly put it, “That’s not a happy ending!” What if Song-yi decides to return to his planet with him? That somehow seems unlikely. Or our alien explorer could leave for home, find a magic pill that turns him human, catch the next new and improved comet back, and come walking into that restaurant as easy as pie. Yeah, that’s a total cop-out. I must have my happy ending! I just don’t know what it is.

Two weeks and still plenty of story left. But even if there wasn't, I imagine Jeon Ji-hyun could make a phone book sound brilliant, so I'm looking forward to our remaining time together. But when all is said and done, will I be able to let go?

You From Another Star: You remind me of someone

I got a snow day this week, thanks to the Head Weatherman Upstairs, and spent part of it re-watching Miss Congeniality. Anyone else remember, “I’m GLIDING here!”? When I later watched You From Another Star, it struck me how Sandra Bullock-like Song-yi can be. The girl has a gift for comedy. I never got around to posting about last week’s episodes. (Well, technically, I got around to the screencaps and typing out a few words on the computer. It was the finishing that never happened.) So I thought I’d pull from last week and this week to showcase several moments where our lovable egomaniac was the most Sandra-esque.

Roly-poly Princess 

This bit went on and on. But it never got old! The way she shuffled around in her vinyl cocoon. Min-joon flipping her over his shoulder and dumping her on the couch. And who could hate her doing a ninety-degree new year’s bow to her host’s “father”. I hope Jeon Ji-hyun isn’t claustrophobic. She probably spent hours wrapped in that full body straightjacket to get all those shots. For which I am ever so grateful!

I’d like to be a fly on the wall 

Let’s just ignore the fact that her outfit is lemon yellow. That might be the latest trend in South Korea, and I have never been what you would call a fashionista. But this posture! Watching Jeon Ji-hyun play this role makes me realize how prissy a lot of the K-drama actresses are. If they kick off their designer heels to chase after the guy, that’s a big action scene. But JJH climbs on furniture and sticks to the wall like a piece of silly putty. She hobbles around in sleeping bags, and careens across the ice like a five-year old. I wonder if she runs marathons or something? Where does she get all that energy?

Nutty as a fashionable fruitcake 

Again, let’s ignore the fact she’s wearing a primary color, striped poncho. Maybe it’s supposed to represent the bars on the cell they’re going to toss her into when she’s declared legally insane. Cause Song-yi is giving new meaning to the phrase “crazy love”. Her eyes bug out as she compares love to chicken legs and designer handbags. And the doctor wastes no time in upping her meds. I admit this scene felt a little over the top to me. But I’ll take over-the-top slapstick over unbelievable-amnesia-twist-makjang any day of the week.

Lock up the liquor cabinet 

On second thought, please don’t! Cause drunk Song-yi guarantees all sorts of funny-bone-tickling good times. Props to the writer for revealing her descent into Plasteredville bit by hilarious bit. I love the little things, like the way her body went straight as a board as she slid off the couch. Or the giant clip just dangling from the ends of her hair. And I REALLY love the big things. Like her screaming DO MANAGEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR over and over. And Song-yi trying to buy Min-joon’s love with her sparkly heels. Remember, he has super-hearing. Did he have to listen to her drunken ramblings all night? Pfffft. Serves him right!

A little goes a long way 

You could feel the heavy in episode 12 as our leads spent most of the time unconscious or apart. Min-joon pushes Song-yi away knowing that every card in the universe seems stacked against them. But there’s always that glimmer of frenetic funny that our heroine brings, no matter how dire the situation. How about her faking tuberculosis as she hobbled to her front door, in an attempt to keep someone from buying Min-joon’s apartment? And who didn’t guess what was in her head the moment she glanced at the giant flower box separating her balcony from his? It was only a matter of time before she’d be scrambling up there. Thank goodness he called when he did, or he might have had to pull another Superman when she fell off the skyscraper, screaming DO MANAGEEEEERRRRRRR all the way down.

I saw Jeon Ji-hyun in The Thieves, but this drama has opened my eyes to what a well-rounded actress she is. She rips your heart out one minute as she faces her former “best friend” telling her their relationship was a fake from the beginning. Then she’s pure comedy gold as she flops around in a t-shirt and shorts with mascara streaks running down her face. If she ever gets together with Sandra Bullock for a movie, that is one ticket I will be lining up to buy.