Ghost: Episode 20 (Final)
by kaedejun
I think… I just stumbled into a totally different drama than I had expected. I shed metaphorical blood, sweat, and tears for this drama. Thanks for being worth my time – though I still won’t forgive you for being delayed by London Olympics 2012.
Just this one time.
So the video implicates Hyun Min. That means he’s screwed, right? The court will reconvene in one week as the judges discuss the verdict of the case. Hyun Min goes over to Hyuk Joo and Woo-Young: “It’s not over.” OK – it may not be over, but he sure as hell getting arrested! Hyuk Joo smiles deliciously as he reads him his rights: “You have the right to an attorney… and the right to explain yourself.” Heh.
Media has a field day with this. Hyun Min’s arrest causes shockwaves through the public. He’s held at the interrogation room for questioning, as no official arrest warrant has been issued yet.
Hyuk Joo conducts the questioning, and I wonder if that’s a wise choice… He expresses his hatred for chaebols and their sense of entitlement. Hyun Min can only laugh mockingly. Even with the video as evidence, can Hyuk Joo prove that he killed Nam Sang Won? Is there evidence that he actually killed him? Hyuk Joo: “It’s not just Nam Sang Won. Shin Hyo Jung. Yeom Jae Hee. Han Young Suk. Director Jun. You killed them all!”
Hyun Min: “SO BRING ME THE EVIDENCE!” Wow – this is the first time I ever heard him yell!
Sang Woo and Kang Mi head over to Se Kang offices with a search warrant, demanding to confiscate everything. They order Director Moon to step away from the president’s office, and Kang Mi hurries to the computer. However, the log indicates that a wiping program has already been run. Files as far back to 2011 have all been erased. Kang Mi reminds Director Moon that it’s a crime to delete evidence, but he sees it as simply “taking care of matters for Se Kang Group.” So now, all the possible evidence regarding the vaccine program have been erased.
On top of that, they have no real hard evidence that Hyun Min poisoned Nam Sang Won. The prosecution is getting pressure to close the case as every day is more money being spent. This frustrates Hyuk Joo even more, as he feels that the rich can get away with their crimes just because they have money. Woo-Young disagrees – it’s the information that Hyun Min holds that has more power. Their last hope in stopping him is getting an arrest warrant.
Yeon Joo buys a drink for Seung Yoon at a cafe with an offer. Since Seung Yoon knew Hades for a while, and Hades is Ki Young/Woo-Young, she wants Seung Yoon to write an article on his motives for the trial. If it’s good, Yeon Joo will promise her a position on the newspaper’s daily news beat. Seung Yoon – say no!
Hyun Min is unfazed when Woo-Young enters his interrogation room, knowing that he’ll find more ways to force Woo-Young to take a DNA test. What he didn’t expect was for Woo-Young to be letting him go; the arrest warrant was denied. Hyun Min: “Just give up. The only person who can catch me… is me.” And he walks out of the bureau, a free man.
That evening, Hyuk Joo finds Seung Yoon waiting by his car. Already, he knows that she’s going to ask about Park Ki Young and Kim Woo Hyun for her article. Seung Yoon is disappointed that he won’t trust her, and feels that he treats her like she’s Yeon Joo. Well.. you’re both reporters… He doesn’t say a word and goes into his car, and turns on the radio. There’s a weather report about a typhoon coming soon.
Seeing that Seung Yoon is in her skimpy jacket, short shorts, and on a motorbike, he blocks her path and tells her to follow him; he’s got a scoop for her. He takes her to a sportswear store and buys her a cute purple rain jacket, and some orange rain boots. The scoop? There’ll be a typhoon! Aww… it’s like he sees her as a daughter. (I hope that’s how he sees her…)
Woo-Young stays at work late, mulling over the case and Hyun Min. Before she leaves for the day, Kang Mi stops by to assure him that the case will end well for them. It can only end well.
Ha. The next day at the verdict hearing, Hyun Min is declared… not guilty. No surprise there. Woo-Young is now seeking justice. He wanted to do everything legally, without hacking, to exact proper judgment upon Hyun Min. Since that method failed, Woo-Young is going to things his way. Aw yeah – hacking!?
Before Kang Mi and Sang Woo can stop him, he’s already taken the Dae Young servers with him. He calls up Hyun Min with a simple threat: information is powerful, but if it’s made public, it loses its power. Next thing Hyun Min knows, as his car passes by a jumbotron, he sees a message flash by: Jo Hyun Min’s secret X-List. The X-List has all the powerful people he’s bribed to be on his side. When the X-List arrives at a stock trading company’s inbox, a manager makes the decision to sell all Se Kang stocks, making its price drop.
Chief Shin is busy entertaining some guests, who applaud him for being the most likely candidate to be Commissioner of the entire police department. His happiness fades when Hyuk Joo interrupts this social meeting. Hyuk Joo shows him the list, which has gone viral online, and includes the chief’s name. Chief Shin thought that they were going to make sure none of that information leaked out. Instead of denying it, Hyuk Joo just reminds him that aside from appearing on this X-List, he also gave potassium chloride to Kim Suk Joon that landed him in the hospital. Chief Shin should just resign and disappear. Otherwise, internal investigations are coming after him.
Yeon Joo receives a call regarding the list, but her colleagues tell her of an article that’s already been posted about it. Of course – that article came from True Story, written by none other than Seung Yoon. Woo-Young had contacted her about the list going viral, and asked her to write the story about it. Then, he helped her article be one of the top 10 searched news, and made sure that Jo Hyun Min’s list is in the top 10 searched topics.
The news spreads quickly, and suddenly Hyun Min is in deep water. One of his directors comes barging in, angry over being betrayed by Hyun Min. He can expect to be all alone now, with no one to defend him.
Kang Mi searches for Woo-Young, hoping to help him with whatever it is he’s doing. The news of the list is becoming a serious matter, with the high possibility of a case being opened to investigate Hyun Min – just after he got acquitted too! As Hyun Min wallows in deep thought in his office, Director Moon informs him that the Board of Directors have called a meeting (to oust him), and the prosecutors have issued a summons (to investigate and hopefully indict him). He suggests that Hyun Min disappear for a while, but that is the last thing the President of Se Kang wants to do right now.
He goes back home instead – the apartment right across from Shin Hyo Jung’s, and the apartment that we have not seen him go into in a very long time. He sits in the darkness, only to find an uninvited guest: Woo-Young.
“You’re late,” Woo-Young says. Hyun Min’s surprised at how Woo-Young ever found him, since the apartment is listed under a different person’s name. However, Woo-Young’s pretty resourceful. When Kang Mi joined to help him earlier in the day, Woo-Young had located Hyo Jung’s digital camera, which she handed off to her stylist. The stylist told him that the memory card had no photos in it, but since he’s a hacker, he managed to restore all the deleted files. In it were pictures of Hyo Jung in front of a window. Kang Mi recognizes the background to be the skyline out of Hyo Jung’s apartment. However the angle’s a bit different, so Woo-Young figured that it came from the apartment… across the hall?
Hyun Min isn’t scared of Woo-Young now. Even if Woo-Young thinks he’s won, Hyun Min is sure people will forget about it after some time passes. If a more shocking event occurs on the morrow, they’ll forget about Hyun Min’s list. (I hope you’re not planning a massacre then…)
But Woo-Young isn’t here to threaten or arrest him. He just wanted to know why Hyun Min killed Hyo Jung. Ha – like Hyun Min’s going to tell him? So he weaves a possible storyline:
Back in May 2011, Hyo Jung and Hyun Min met up at Hae Myung resort, where he first heard that Nam Sang Won was going to give his laptop with the beta vaccine program to Woo Hyun. He also heard that Nam had a meeting with Jae Min that evening too. He planned to kill Nam then, and frame it on Jae Min. He involved Woo Hyun to make him an unwitting accomplice.
However, he never expected Hyo Jung to come out and record the whole thing. He must have thought that Hyo Jung was asleep from exhaustion, but she really wasn’t. She played with her new Se Kang phone, and then quietly opened the door to see the three men sitting for drinks. She started recording the video (since the phone has such a great camera) when Hyun Min got up to get the glasses and the alcohol, and then poured it for Nam and Woo Hyun. Then Nam choked, and collapsed before her very eyes.
Hyo Jung quickly shut the door, aghast at what she just saw. She rushed to dial for help, but before she could press “call,” she heard the front door closing, and Hyun Min heading to the room. Hyo Jung slid the phone under her pillow and hid beneath the covers. Hyun Min came in to tell her that he needed to go back to Seoul, so she’d need to get ready to leave too. Hyo Jung could barely control her shaking and her fear of Hyun Min, but he mistook it for a cold.
Woo-Young wonders if she confessed to having taken the video, and that’s why Hyun Min killed her. Maybe, if Hyun Min just turned himself in back then, they wouldn’t have reached this point now. Hyun Min: “I should get punished? My father died in front of me to protect me, but did they (Kyung Shin and Co.) get punished? They got more powerful and richer.” To complete his revenge, Hyun Min needed to be cruel and ruthless; only then would he be able to protect the one thing he wants – power.
But Woo-Young adds that Hyun Min’s already lost power, and it began with finding the phone that Hyo Jung used to record the video. It turns out, after Kang Mi had visited Hyo Jung’s aunt, she was told that Hyo Jung’s mother (the aunt’s sister – not Hyo Jung’s sister) visited the grave often. She may have left some of Hyo Jung’s belongings there.
Kang Mi heads the the cemetery – and what luck! The Se Kang phone is there! Without looking too worse for the wear! If only Hyun Min had visited her grave often, he would have seen that phone and destroyed it before the Cy-Team got to it.
Woo-Young adds that the video shown in court was the complete video. However, the “Phantom” video file that he found on Hyo Jung’s computer that evening was slightly different. In the “Phantom” file, Hyun Min’s face was never shown. That means, when she was thinking of reporting his crimes, she thought better of it, and didn’t want Hyun Min to be targeted. She loved him, and it must have been too hard on her to give him up to the police like that.
Woo-Young: “She loved you… and she was pregnant with your child.”
Hyun Min’s eyes grow wide: Woo-Young’s a liar!! She had told him that she wasn’t pregnant! Clearly he never knew. Woo-Young shows him the phone in its plastic evidence bag. In it was more than just the Nam Sang Won video. If only Hyun Min had stopped his revenge when Hyo Jung had asked him to, things would have turned out better. Woo-Young leaves the apartment, and the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ music starts up again!
Oh… how could we close this series without it showing up one more time! But at least this time we get the full song.
Woo-Young slowly makes his way down the building. Hyun Min slowly reaches for the phone and opens up the pictures folder. Inside are pictures of the baby’s sonogram. And it was dated May 29 – the day he killed her. Hyun Min was a papa. When he saw her pick up a pregnancy test earlier, he was ticked off, and so she must have lied about being pregnant.
The song reaches its final crescendo. Woo-Young steps out of the building and down the steps. Things are becoming a bit too deja-vu for my liking…
A crash of glass. A thud. A scream.
Hyun Min’s dead, having jumped out of the same window he pushed Hyo Jung out of. Yeah. Whoa. It’s all over. The phantom is dead. But now – so is Park Ki Young.
Some time later, Woo-Young visits the cemetery where Woo Hyun’s ashes are kept with Park Ki Young’s name on it. He’s not alone – Seon Woo has joined him too. Woo-Young introduces Seon Woo to his “friend” and tells him to say his greetings. It’s so sad, because Seon Woo is basically greeting his father. But they’ll visit again once Suk Joon gets better. Yay! Grandpa Suk Joon survives!
Seung Yoon calls Hyuk Joo out to a cafe and gives him a doe-eyed look.
Seung Yoon: I’ll give you permission.
Hyuk Joo: For what?
Seung Yoon: For us to date.
Kaedejun: WHAT!?
Hyuk Joo: *Ditto to Kaedejun’s comment – without the caps lock*
Seung Yoon: However – with one condition. You can’t lie.
Hyuk Joo: You seem to be having fun by yourself.
Seung Yoon: Kim Woo Hyun is Park Ki Young – right!?
*Pause for effect*
Hyuk Joo: He’s really not!
Kudos to Hyuk Joo for sticking to it til the end. It’s all over now, and yet he still won’t say the truth. Seung Yoon threatens: “Fine, you don’t want to go out with me? I’ll count to three! One…. TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO… three!” Hyuk Joo gives in. Ok! They can date! However, just this one time, Kim Woo Hyun is still Kim Woo Hyun. He leaves, and as soon as his back is turned, Hyuk Joo gets the biggest, childish grin on his face.
Seung Yoon understands – Hyuk Joo won’t ever lie to her, except for this once. She returns to her home and finds the document with her notes on Woo-Young. Ever since she saw him when she broke into a victim’s apartment, she’s had a nagging feeling that he was really Ki Young. The notes could have been used as an article or evidence questioning his identity. But Seung Yoon deletes the file for good.
Kang Mi meets Woo-Young in a park, noting the weirdness of having everything be over, and so many people having died, and yet the world moves on. Things may appear peaceful on the outside, but full of turmoil on the inside. Kang Mi congratulates Woo-Young on being a true officer now. He doesn’t think he’s a good policeman, and he warns her not to trust him. She then hands him her phone and makes him listen to Woo Hyun’s message of being a great cop, and to catch the criminal no matter what.
It’s certainly a heartening message for Woo-Young.
Fast forward a little more in the future. A bunch of cadets are waiting in a classroom for a lecture on cyber crime. Their guest lecturer makes her way down the hallway, reading the cadets’ recent text messages on her phone. She walks in, and calls out a number: “Are you the one who wrote, ‘Today’s lecturer is the “Beauty” Yoo Kang Mi’?” Yeah – you’re caught dude! She introduces herself to the class as not the “Beauty” but “Crazy Girl” Yoo Kang Mi.
Seriously? You’re ripping off of Mad Cow’s nickname now?
Reminiscent of the first episode, she leads the lecture on how criminals now use games and credit card companies as fronts for identity theft. They would even pose as investigation bureaus and call up their target, lying that the target’s information is being used by criminals. They would then tell the target to input their credit card number into a website so that they can run an investigation. But that website just goes straight to their servers and is used for identity theft.
As Kang Mi is detailing it, Hyuk Joo and Sang Woo lead a team of officers to the criminals’ hideout. They burst in just as they finish getting one more target, and beat every single one to the ground before they can turn off the computers. One criminal had gone out for snacks, but saw the cops in the hallway and ran out the building.
Except… he bumps into a well-suited Woo-Young instead. Criminal: “Who are you?” Woo-Young: “I’m a policeman of South Korea.” Me: “Woohoo!”
Sang Woo comes across one computer where a self-destruct program has already been implemented. The criminals smirk, thinking that they’ve won, since Sang Woo can’t stop it. Good thing Woo-Young comes in on time. He calmly sits in front of the computer and gives Hyuk Joo a small shake in the head. Hyuk Joo has everyone get out of the room except for him and Sang Woo.
Woo-Young inserts his trusty USB and runs the Hades hacking program, which stops the self-destruct program from completing his job.
Yay! The Cy-Team wins again! See. Having a hacker as a cop is a good thing.
Comments:
This has got to be one of the most cheerful and satisfying endings for me ever. When it ended happily, I seriously thought, “Wait – what drama am I watching? Do they really get their happy endings?! Oh my God! They do!” After Sign I came into this drama with high expectations, but I was preparing myself for a main good character to die. It kinda does happen in the first couple of episodes, but not in a way that made me feel a severe loss (’cause technically, the face of Woo Hyun is still around). But to have the Cy-Team intact makes me happy. To not have a romance between Kang Mi and Woo-Young makes me happy.
To have a romance between Hyuk Joo and Seung Yoon is a little weird. Seriously, people would think he’s a sugar daddy because he’s old enough to be her dad! Chemistry be damned! (Although, they did get a lot of cute scenes together.) They should have gotten an actress who at least looked older, or was taller! Anyways – Hyuk Joo’s giddy expression kind of makes up for it. If Mad Cow is happy, then I’m happy.
Hyun Min’s death was devastating, but in a good way. As soon as the montage of Woo-Young walking out the building happened, I knew he was going to commit suicide. Things like to fall at Woo-Young’s feet, whether it be bodies, computers, or burdens. It’s sad that after everything he went through, the only thing he could do was kill himself. He could barely enjoy the fruits of his labor. He lost everything – and more – with revenge. Sometimes in K-dramas revenge works in the best of ways, and sometimes, like here, it works terribly. I’m a bit surprised that the final straw for him was Hyo Jung having a baby. I never felt that he truly loved her, and it’s probably because he so easily and ruthlessly killed her. But I guess he did – and he actually did want that baby.
It’s kudos to Eom Ki Joon‘s acting that I actually felt sympathy for his character. He humanized his villain just enough for us to truly understand his motives, but was cold-blooded enough for us to not like him. I truly enjoyed watching his performance out of everyone in the cast. His microscopic facial expressions told us so much about his thoughts and feelings that I really felt like I understood him. It was an art of subtlety that was obvious enough, but not too over-the-top.
It’s very different from So Ji Sub‘s acting, which I’d say is super understated to the point of almost wooden. He does loosen up a bit as the series goes on, but his eyebrows are constantly knitted together, and he gives you that intense blank stare so much that I hope his face is not frozen like that. Smile more, So Ji Sub! It can’t hurt! Plus, Daniel Choi smiled a lot, and you were supposed to be channeling him!
I loved this series as a whole, and in many ways it mirrors Sign for me. It follows a very similar formula, and instead of a main character’s death occurring literally, it has Ki Young’s “identity death” as the metaphorical death of a main character. It had many twists and turns, and was at times very dark to very fast paced, to very comedic. (“Twinkle” anyone?) It never insulted my intelligence, but I was grateful when they explained how the hell they got certain evidences. (Not everyone understands computer speak, yunno.) I found myself enjoying each actor’s performance (including Lee Yeon Hee, believe it or not, and to an extent, So Ji Sub) because they managed to create endearing personalities for their characters. There was always that extra smile, smirk, gasp, or earnestness that made me like them more. (Sang Woo – I’m especially looking at you.)
Here’s to the writer’s next endeavor – and now I have hope that she can write something a little happier.
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Tags: Eom Ki-joon, featured, Ghost, Lee Yeon-hee, So Ji-sub
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1 Ivoire
August 11, 2012 at 1:25 PM
Thank you for the recap, Kaedejun!
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2 yumii
August 11, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Thanks for the recap.
I've appreciated your work.
I have enjoyed the series--through your recaps. It has been great following the story without having to make the time commitment for watching the series.
I realize this is can be seen as insulting to the artists who worked so hard to put the series together. But one does the best one can. [and mysteries aren't my cup of coffee, come to think of it, neither is coffee.]
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3 toritorisan
August 11, 2012 at 1:32 PM
Thanks for your recaps. This was one of the dramas this past season that kept me captivated all the way through. Usually I don't like dramas without a romance storyline, but there was so much that was going on, that I didn't miss it at all.
The cast was great in this drama. I agree that SJS should try to smile more. Maybe one of these days he'll step out of his element and do a romantic comedy or something.
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sm
August 11, 2012 at 11:47 PM
Funny that, in real life, SJS actually has a great smile, as you can see in these behind-the-scenes photos:
http://www.hancinema.net/this-is-why--so-ji-sub-s-20-smiles-44759.html
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Momos
August 13, 2012 at 6:35 PM
SJS as Woo Young could not smile enough becoz...how can he? It must be hard for him after undergoing such major facial reconstructive surgery... from Ki Young to Woo Hyun.
So, that's why also to the perpetual knitted brows on Woo Young... Hahahahahah... Imagining, someone has gone thru plastic surgery to have a stiff face and angry brows...
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jicachan
October 13, 2013 at 12:50 PM
I was also comparing the characters of PKY and KWH and thought that PKY smiled a lot more and was a more cheery person than KWH, so it wouldn't have hurt if SJS smiled some more and loosened up a bit as PKY, because I think he played the two of them a bit similarly.
But then on the other hand, the flashback showed us PKY when he was happy and more carefree. After his friend's death and he took on another person's identity PLUS he had to catch the killer, the situation for him was more grim. He was a bit playful with YKM at times, but mostly he had no reason to fool around really. So yeah, the way SJS portrayed PKY was also believable.
Rewatched this again after Master's Sun and while I do enjoyed the Master more, I also really like SJS here. The characters are really different from each other, so I actually think SJS is great doing different kinds of personalities. And he is hot as ever. XD~
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4 srkambbs
August 11, 2012 at 1:39 PM
This will definitely be one of my all time favorites.
I was hoping the other cop guy to get together with the reporter but Hyuk Joo did. I like him but the chemistry doesn't work well.
I still can't digest that the baby was a good reason enough for him to kill himself as a few minutes ago he was too confident. Only if they'd have reduced that confidence or added a scene where he was going towards suicide, the baby would have been a logical reason to push him off that edge.
Like Hyun Min said that the only thing that could destroy him was himself (or his sperm) lol
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Msb
August 11, 2012 at 2:14 PM
Family was everything to him! It made sense! Had they said something earlier we would have had a different series
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Koko
November 6, 2012 at 8:12 PM
But...family WASN'T everything to him.
The foundation of every good, happy family is the love shown between a man and a woman. Children see that and thrive.
...Yet Jo Hyun Min didn't even flinch when he shoved the woman he was dating out the window. If I remember correctly, he smirked afterward. That's what you call a Sociopath. And him not knowing she was pregnant doesn't make his actions OK. It makes me wonder: would he have shown ANY kind of remorse if Shin Hyo Jung WASN'T pregnant? Probably not: he didn't visit her grave ONCE.
I was extremely disappointed in the ending, and his sudden suicide 45 minutes into the finale just makes me think the writers ran out of ideas. If I had a dime for every time a villain kills themselves at the end of a Korean drama, I'd be rich!
I truly loved the drama, but the ending was horrible.
And for a show about police, I saw no justice. Putting Jo Hyun Min's suicide aside, what became of his assistant? He also committed many crimes. They quickly mentioned something about Commissioner Shin dying, but what happened to him after the list was revealed? Heck, did Jo Jae Min even get out of prison? Or is he still rotting in the jail?
I spent 20 hours watching corrupt people abusing their power, and what do I get in the end? Nothing. -_- /endrant
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mchall
August 11, 2012 at 3:12 PM
Hyun Min explained that his dad gave everything to protect him, that's what motivated his revenge from the beginning. But when it was revealed to him that Hyo-Jung was pregnant he realized how differently he had behaved. His dad sacrificed his life for his son while Hyun Min.. well, he jus killed his. I think that's enough reason for him to commit suicide
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mysterious
August 11, 2012 at 4:25 PM
I agree with Msb and mchall. In killing off his child (and the child's mother who loved him) he destroyed his one chance at having a happy (normal?) life. And the fact that he did it with his own two hands made it ten times worse than if someone else had killed them. He had no one to blame but himself. Having a child changes people so does losing one. Losing his by his own hand was too much for even a killer like him to handle. Weighed down with that kind of guilt, where else could he go to escape his guilt, except death?
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GH26
August 11, 2012 at 4:56 PM
Suicide does seem drastic, BUT in his final few moments, we get to see just what he was going thru on the inside. It's clear that his ever-present smirk was hiding a lot of anger, pain and resentment.
Bad guys don't always get the traditional "justice" they deserve. Often, they are let off the hook or reap karma in some other way. When he killed his girlfriend, he was on a power-trip to preserve his father's legacy and would kill anyone who got in his way. On that front, he was a merciless killer. But, his devotion to his own father shows that he took that parent-child bond very seriously and deeply.
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5 A_Donuts
August 11, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Thanks for recaping this series. It was sooo good!
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6 MsB
August 11, 2012 at 2:09 PM
I was so happy ending! I was all set to be disappointed like Sign! I was so glad there was no romance between Woo young and Kang mi because she really liked Woo Hyun and he liked her (in secret) and it would have been too weird for her to develop a relationship with Ki Young while they were still trying to solve everything. I actually thought Mad Cow and Seung Yoon were cute; granted he is older but he is so silly and immature, their maturity was actually the same. My sympathy for Hyun min went out the window with Hyu Joon! The only one deserving to die was his uncle! Overall, everyone did well with Eom Ki Joon exceeding my expectations! Loved him in Scent of a Woman so his acting was no surprise! I so want ghost 2!
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7 marky
August 11, 2012 at 2:47 PM
whats going to fill the gap now that this is over????
thanks for the recap.. this ride has been very enjoyable.
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8 cherry
August 11, 2012 at 2:47 PM
I can't believe it ended! :(
I'm soooooo happy no main character died (not Hades at least :) )
But the way Jo Hyun Min died.. It killed me!!!! I know he's a villain BUT i felt bad for him :( he killed the one person who loved him along with his baby without knowing. Ok, so i'm glad he actually died or guilt would have eaten his alive!!!
All in all, it was great, one of the best this summer along with Golden Time ♥
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9 zeTgi
August 11, 2012 at 3:13 PM
Eh? i thought, police will do autopsy for the Shin Hyun Jung's case murder. CSI always do like that right? so then pregnancy thing is not the last thing we know. And where is Tae Gyun? Not pop up for final episode?
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Msb
August 11, 2012 at 3:23 PM
The pregnancy did come out in the autopsy! Not sure why Tae gun disappearted
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kopytko
August 11, 2012 at 3:56 PM
Who was Tae Gun actually? ;)
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10 houstontwin
August 11, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Thanks so much for your dedication and terrific comments! I love Mad Cow!
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11 GH26
August 11, 2012 at 3:39 PM
Ghost is easily the most tightly-plotted k-drama I've seen recently. Others might be exciting or entertaining, but they're also filled with plot holes. The few issues that Ghost has are minor. I really enjoyed this series and thanks to the writers for, like you say, never insulting the viewer's intelligence. I will miss it.
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12 kopytko
August 11, 2012 at 3:53 PM
All in all I liked this drama. The beginning episodes were so-so, but thankfully it got on the right track. There were some great, well-written twists and some interesting characters, though, some of them were written without much care for details, like the main villain. He didn't bat an eyelash about killing his girlfriend, but committed a suicide when he learnt that she was pregnant. It seems a wee bit inconsistent to me, but I may be overreacting.
I understand those who say that SJS didn't take his chance to chanel two distinct characters. I blame the writing here. There were few situations where he was given an opportunity to show the easy-going personality of KY. I think facial expressions are not the core difference between WH and KY, it was rather what and how they did. I wouldn't expect KY to chase a murderer with a cheerfull smile and a playful wink. The little situations off duty could be helpful in that matter.
I like the way the potential couples were handled. The viewers got a surprising combination of Mad Cow and Potato ( love their chemistry - unlike one similar couple in AGD). I am so thankful that KangMi and KiYoung didn't become engaged in a romantic relationship. Shipping them just because he looks like WooHyun would be too easy and too makjang :)
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13 Cdt
August 11, 2012 at 4:09 PM
Thank you for recapping this series, it was a blast reading them and having the same reactions at some ponts. :)
This was a really well-executed drama and I was surprised that the writer could actually keep the excitement going, even with the delay due the Olympics. This was a great drama as it kept me on the edge of my seat and had me shouting at my screen like a madman, amazing.
Though satisfied with the ending and everyone's (not completely everyone) own little ending, I can't completely close my thoughts on the drama. Mainly because of Hyun Min's death. I just feel as if his death didn't really solve anything, much less the chaos and deaths he caused. This may just be me and years of watching heroic scenes and stuff, but I feel like there's no sense of well, justice.
Sure he's dead and everyone's safe from any death threats but, I just feel like his death didn't really conclude anything. What about Jae Min? What about his secretary? Se Kang? The accusations against him? What happened? Okay, so maybe I'm over-thinking and I'm reading too much into but...contrary to the words of the drama; to me - it's really not "all over."
Okay, rambling done. Haha. Thanks again, and I sure am looking forward for more from the writer! :D
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14 mysterious
August 11, 2012 at 4:15 PM
First: I loved this show. Second: I think Eom Ki Joon was phenomenal in this especially in the end when he learned he was going to be a father; the devastation on his face struck my heart. Yes he was a murderer but so much was taken from him that he wanted the people responsible to pay. He wanted justice/revenge; don't we all on some level? Third: Yes, So Ji Sub should have smiled more to properly channel Ki Young's character, but after Ki Young joined the police I think he was all business in catching the criminal. Fourth: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! DID THEY SERIOUSLY PAIRED MAD COW WITH BOILED POTATO?They were cute together but more in a father/daughter way not boyfriend/girlfriend way. I could get on board with Kang Mi/Woo Young but not Mad Cow/Boiled Potato. But it was nice to see Mad Cow smile like that. And I can agree with MsB's comment that maturity wise, they ARE on the same level. So I guess it could work. (Maybe) Fifth: The end when Woo Young stopped the computers from self-destructing, the look of triumph and comradery was classic. Well Ghost, goodbye. I enjoyed the ride with you. You made me laugh, made feel sympathy for a cold-blooded killer and made me consider the fact that there may be a Hyun Min in all of us (but we don't have to give in to it). I shall miss you, Ghost. Oh wait. I can always come visit you again. Hehe.
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mysterious
August 11, 2012 at 4:36 PM
Okay, I know I am replying to my own comment but I have to ask once more: MAD COW AND BOILED POTATO?!!! That is the one thing about this series that I don't think I'll be able to wrap my mind around. No Kang Mi/Woo Young couple-fine. I guess Potato likes older men/mad cows. Like kaedejun said: an older, taller, less baby-faced actress would have made the relationship seem more plausible.
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kopytko
August 11, 2012 at 4:54 PM
tsk tsk tsk why does everybody look at the appearance and not at the heart?
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chasen8888
August 11, 2012 at 6:40 PM
I enjoyed this show from start to finish. As for the Mad Cow and Potato dating relationship, I'm not surprised the chemistry was definitely there leaning towards a romantic aspect. Every connection between them proved it. Usually I am not really in support of the over 12 year age difference relationships where one is close to 16 years older but in this it works between them, as Mad Cow is like a little child/teenager while Potato with her quirks just matches his.
We have seen cases where mad cow knows the songs and dances of a young popular group, he even went to these concerts. Also I checked the actress's age though her face appears young she's actually 26 (Korean age), Mad cow in this show could be around late 30's so its not so bad.
The father/daughter connection would not have worked in this case. Potato's concern for him was too personal for that.
I liked the fact that they started the romance element at the end, there were hints throughout but that was not the focus of the show so the balance was there. With Kang Mi and Woo Hyun anything was possible and left in the air which was fine with me.
Ghost was one of the best kdramas for 2012 for me and left me totally satisfied, will miss it.
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lishuys
August 12, 2012 at 5:50 AM
lol
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lishuys
August 12, 2012 at 5:51 AM
lol:)
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15 Mia
August 11, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Ghost was the biggest pleasant surprise for me of any kdrama I can think of right now, because I expected nothing and got everything, I'm so glad I started watching it despite the totally nondescript posters, drama I love you!
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16 Ennayra
August 11, 2012 at 5:19 PM
Thanks for the recap!
And I never realized, but is Hyo Jung's character played by the same woman who was the only girl in White Christmas?
I miss Daniel Choi. He's such a ray of sunshine, lol.
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17 Lolita Caruncho
August 11, 2012 at 5:50 PM
I love this drama soooo much. It readily made it good for the viewers. This is a very good example for high intelligence viewers. Fantastic and nicely-woven story line. And Uhm Ki Joon, as Jo Hyun Min, it's Daebak!!!! Remarkable role play. You're great' worthy of getting a grand prize. And though I've not seen "Sign", personally I have all praises for the writer of this drama. I love Mad Cow and Boiled Potato. I see it as more of a cutey Dad and daughter team! They can have a date, why not? But not the boy-girl relationship. And Kang Mi and Woo Yoon? Why not as a loving pair in the end; but it's okay. It did not spoil the ending after all. Nice acting, Sang Woo! I remember you as the ever loyal aide of Dokko Jin in Greatest Love. Love you!
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18 Sudi
August 11, 2012 at 6:21 PM
Thanks for this.I watched this drama without subs So this was much helpful for me.As soon as i finished watching every episode..I go through this recapping And while reading I get clips of drama in my head .Thanks a lot...And Hoping for reading Recaps Of New Dramas Which are going to be premiered soon.
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19 jvs
August 11, 2012 at 6:40 PM
Enjoyed the show too, appreciate your efforts on the recaps.
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20 Elise
August 11, 2012 at 6:45 PM
Woo hoo! I called it-that phantom would die the way he did! Well sorta coz i'd hoped somebody would push him instead as there was no way i could see him commiting suicide...that was a shocker drama!
And no i dont buy the whole devastation to the point of killing himself, not once did the drama hint he had such immense feelings for the actress altho am willing to buy the reasoning that he was really an ok guy until his father's death then, by his own admission, he had to become cruel.
How interesting if gaksital follows this logic with Shunji towards the end, cuz he deserves death imo...sorry i digress, couldn't help the comparison!
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21 carie
August 11, 2012 at 7:25 PM
The ending is absolutely amazing. I love the twist that came about. Hades sure is amazing...being able to outdo Hyun Min. It is one or the other...better him than Hades.
I love the fact that he is taking on the responsibility of bringing up the Woo Hyun's son.
This is one drama that has everyone on the edge of their seat.
Can't believe that it has now ended.....withdrawal syndrome :(
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22 Shin Haido
August 11, 2012 at 8:05 PM
thank you, i think i'll try to read this from episode one. :D
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23 sm
August 11, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Awesome. So smart. So intricate. So relevant to today's social issues. So much fun!
And now I've been spoiled. I tried starting a romcom after finishing Ghost and I couldn't do it. There wasn't enough brain stimulation.
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sm
August 11, 2012 at 8:28 PM
And so I started rewatching Ghost from episode 1. :D
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24 Awe
August 11, 2012 at 8:16 PM
LIKES:
kaedejun: enjoyed your recaps throughout this series. thanks.
minimalizing the romance in this drama allowed for more focus on the crimes and catching the criminals
writers appealed to the cerebral--no ditzy femme clutz tyvm. im sorta getting fed up w/those kinds of dramas. it was quite refreshing to be able to watch a mature drama. quite refreshing.
actually wished there was a way they could have proved guilt without the hack...but the jumbotron trick had me cheering like a fangirl.
DISLIKES:
sigh. hyuk min nose dives to death. im calling this lazy writer syndrome. really wanted to see him squirm in court.
overall, this drama was kick-ass. hats off to cast and crew. thanks to all recaps and commenters. gj gj.
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25 Kang Song Kyung
August 11, 2012 at 8:18 PM
Even though Hyun min was evil, I totally understood what drove him there.
While all the commenters on Viki were bashing him, I'd sit in my corner like "Leave Uhm Ki Joon alone! I mean Jo Hyun Min"
I totally understand his thirst for revenge, he just went the wrong way about it.
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sm
August 11, 2012 at 10:21 PM
I have to confess to rooting for Jo Hyun-min against his uncle. If this were a different drama, Hyun-min could have been the main character. It makes you wonder, if he hadn't gone over to the dark side, could he have succeeded in bringing down someone who controlled the movers and shakers of Korean society in such an enormous web of power and corruption? Even at the end of this series, only Hyun-min pays for his crimes, voluntarily. Although the public calls for investigation of the officials whose illegal activities are leaked, you get the sense that they will never truly be brought to justice. Prosecutors don't know where to start because there are so many crimes and their own bosses are implicated. Police Commissioner Shin, an accomplice to murder of his own colleagues, will probably just resign.
Retain one's morals and let others commit injustices? Or become a monster to fight back against them? Were these the only options?
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26 smiley
August 11, 2012 at 9:32 PM
Funny seeing how Lee Yeon Hee trying hard to be an actress-Poor poor girl. Without her, this story can be more interesting.
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ar_arguably romantic
August 12, 2012 at 12:22 PM
I don't see how cutting out Lee Yeon Hee will make the story more interesting. The story was already written awesomely.
YH's role was pretty low-key. She's pretty much a secondary character, which suits her acting level. I think the real leads are Uhm Ki Joon and So Ji Sup, but kdramas have this thing about advertising the leads to be one man and one woman.
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27 cv
August 11, 2012 at 9:49 PM
Thanks for a wonderful recaps!
Awsome drama. :) I was happy with this ending---I didn't go, huh? wtf happened?
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28 wisdomprincess
August 11, 2012 at 10:17 PM
Overall, a great K drama, though I found it hard to believe that someone as ruthless as Jo Hyun Min would be all that moved that his mistress (whom he did not seem to love that much since he went ahead and killed her quite merrily) was pregnant with his child, and that he had killed them both.
Also, what's with all this committing suicide??!! How about breaking that mould and have Jo Hyun Min own up to his mistakes, though I realise that would have been less dramatic.
And I actually like it that this is not the usual mushy romantic drama.
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sm
August 11, 2012 at 10:42 PM
I think this drama has shown that it is possible for someone ruthless to still love his own child. Like how Hyun-min's uncle obviously loved his son and died in hopes of saving him.
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ar_arguably romantic
August 12, 2012 at 12:09 PM
The suicide almost seems more merciful. He has screwed over some super powerful people and killed his uncle (like Jae Min isn't going to get his pound of flesh for this!). If he didn't kill himself, I'm sure he would mysteriously get a fatal heart attack.
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29 smile134
August 11, 2012 at 10:19 PM
Thanks for the recap, and I would like to thank you more for bringing Ghost to me! I actually started watching Ghost after reading your recap of first episode and then got hooked :)
I like this ending so much, even though it didn't end in a high note like Sign (whose ending was never in my favor). At that moment Huyn Min knew he not only killed Hyo Jung but also his baby, I pitied him a lot. I believe that someone who have loved his father with all his heart and mind to go through this painful/cruel revenge like Huyn Min would also love his child as much. That's why he committed suicide after knowing the truth. With his death, I feel like Huyn Min still had a conscience left even after going through his cruel revenge plan. And I sympathy him more for that (unlike Kang Seo Yeon in Sign whom I have never been able to sympathy for any reason).
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smile134
August 11, 2012 at 10:28 PM
I'm half happy about the ending where Ki Young decided to be Woo Huyn. We all know that this decision is good for almost everything, Ki Young can take care of Woo Huyn's son and his job, be a good cop, find his faith and fulfill his dream again. But part of me just feels sad that Ki Young may never be himself again (or actually be known by everyone as Ki Young).
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sm
August 11, 2012 at 11:18 PM
It's true Ki-young will never have his own face again, but by adopting Woo-hyun's identity, he is able to keep his best friend's name and memory alive. It reminds me of what the two friends did in the film Lover's Concerto - the living friend taking on her friend's name after death. Fortunately for Ki-young, the people closest to him know he is really Ki-young. And conveniently for the storyline, Ki-young has no living parents or family, so no one misses the old him.
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30 yuechan
August 11, 2012 at 10:51 PM
It was that kind of mix feeling. I was watching the show at 5AM and it was like... Hmm... I wanted, really bad - for Park Ki Young to be alive. Not that he is alive as Kim Woo Hyun, but Park Ki Young. He is different, he is not tragic and not your typical hero. He's all smile and a guy who believes in basically justice even when the world basically screw him over. It was said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and it's fitting how his hacker name is "Hades", but, I don't think he's going to hell - not just yet. He's not living in hell either. I mean, at the end he got a family - albeit not his own, but the one he had taken in as his because it was his bestfriend's family. Still, I understand why he could never go back to being Park Ki Young. When you consider the implications and how bad it'll be - impersonating a police officer, duh! I guess, this would have been a good road to be on... It's just that... Almost... Oh well...
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31 sm
August 11, 2012 at 11:04 PM
Whoops, I almost forgot to say - thank you, thank you for the recaps! :)
"To complete his revenge, Hyun Min needed to be cruel and ruthless; only then would he be able to protect the one thing he wants – power."
I believe he says he needed to gain power so he could protect what was most precious to him, implying his father/family. He does not say he wanted power for the sake of power itself (although he did appear to be getting high on power with each murder he could get away with). Then Ki-young informs him that Hyun-min has already lost what is precious to him - his child, and the mother of his child. And that realization devastates Hyun-min.
"Seriously? You’re ripping off of Mad Cow’s nickname now?"
I was rewatching episode 1, and "Crazy Girl" (or "Crazy B___h") is what Mad Cow nicknames Kang-mi. So it seems that at the end, after Mad Cow and Kang-mi become close teammates, Kang-mi embraces the name. I think it's actually more of a compliment than her old nickname, "Pretty Face." She's not just a pretty face; she's proven herself to be a resilient detective - just as daring and obsessive as Mad Cow, if not more so, when you consider the risks she took at the beginning to conceal Ki-young's identity.
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32 swui
August 11, 2012 at 11:15 PM
I love this series- it whetted my appetite for more procedurals that I finally decided to tackle TEN as well (which was also recapped by Kaedejun!)
Anyway, I actually loved that there was no love line between KangMi-KiYoung. She might have crushed on WooYoung (who might have harboured similar feelings) but to fall for KiYoung with a WooYoung face is just too much of a stretch.
I thought everyone did okay except maybe SJS. He was just a tad too wooden for me. Even when he says the lines which are usually spoken by DanielChoi, it never sounded the same. There's a lack of enthusiasm when SJS says it. He never channelled KiYoung vibes for me...which is such a pity because I thought he could do it. I have a soft spot for him since my early kdrama watching years. But I decided to ignore that and immerse myself in the story.
KangMi and TaeGun were just okay for me but I definitely love SangWoo and MadCow, together and individually. These two are such a riot. I remember hating MadCow's character in the beginning for his stubborn pursuance of KiYoung but I understood it's part of the character description and it's only because I care so much for the characters that I'm all riled up.
I actually don't have a problem with Mad Cow and Potato's loveline. They were cute together and the writer has been hinting rather heavily at that for some time now. And come on, he looks older but let's not be that superficial and give the man some much needed love.
The story is taut and engaging and I love all the twists and turns. (Even my parents are following the story religiously!) There were some smallish loopholes but all in all I thought it was alright. I love procedurals and for once KDramaland has gifted me three very different but equally impressive versions this year : Ghost, Vampire Prosecutor and TEN.
I thought Hyun-min's suicide was acceptable. He strove to destroy the people who caused his father's death - which only proves how important his dad was to him. He was supposed to protect the people dearest to him. But along the way, he got a little lost and misguided. It was as though he was pursuing vengeance for vengeance sake. When Woo-Young reminded him how he lost the things dearest to him (namely the woman who loved him and his unborn child), he must have realized how much he's strayed from his original purpose. And to have killed them both with his own hands would have been devastating.
opps sorry for the long rant!
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MsB
August 12, 2012 at 6:12 AM
I love procedural dramas also and always glad to find them because they are rarely subbed (talking about you The Chaser)! It's not always about the romance for me!
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indigo
August 14, 2012 at 2:50 PM
Okay, I need to jump in to defend So Ji Sub here:
Many keep complaining that So Ji Sub didn't do well portraying Park Ki Young...EXACTLY! He was portraying Ki Young impersonating/embodying Woo Hyun so he should behave like...WOO HYUN! His cover would have been completely blown had he shown Ki Young's personality and the drama would not have worked.
I think So Ji Sub's portrayal of the straight-laced, by-the-book, embattled Woo-Hyun was subtle and appropriate. Without his poker face much of the suspense would have been lost. And he still managed to leak out enough of Ki Young that you felt the sacrifice/loyalty of Ki Young throughout the drama.
Excellent job from the cast, writers, director of this drama! And thanks for the recaps, dramabeans.
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33 bb
August 12, 2012 at 12:10 AM
Thanks for all the recaps!
An awesome drama with an equally awesome ending. I'd like to congratulate the cast & crew on their hard work!!
I really liked the way Eom Ki Joon portrayed Hyun Min. Even after he became ruthless in pretty much killing off everybody who betrayed his father, It's clear that what motivated him in the first place was his overwhelming love for his father, vowing to restore his father's good name in a rare moment of vulnerability. Family was everything to him and he took the bond between a parent and child very deeply to the point that he could not handle the injustice of what happened to his father quietly (who would if that were to happen in real life). Although he drew no sympathy from me in going about his revenge in the worst way possible, I felt no animosity towards him, only pity which in some ways was due to Eom Ki Joon's abilities as an actor.
I think what led him to feel such guilt, was that while his father sacrificed everything to save him, Hyun Min unknowingly killed his unborn son/daughter along with the only person who loved him. Faced with that, it was understandable why he chose to kill himself. Just my take on why he did what he did at the end.
What's really interesting was that the only way Hyun Min could exact revenge was to become like his uncle as he would never have won a legal battle against him, with everyone in a position of power eating out of his hand. It's really sad that that was the only way to go, by his own admission he had to become cruel.
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34 Dara
August 12, 2012 at 2:18 AM
Thanks for your hard work KJ!
Love the drama, amazingly intelligence writer, love everyone in the cyber team. The ending was so awesome and satisfied , love when KY listened to WH message, he got to be a cop with WH's face wah...clever writting.
And DC got the best cameo of his life, few scenes but he was there with us for 20 eps! Such a cool drama of the year and I'll follow this writer's next project.
As for SJS, I think he did well being two in one. When he listened to WH's message, it's SJS's voice but I didn't lose the moment, or when KY (SJS) did the flashbacks of WH(SJS), I didn't get confused or lost touch of the story, and that ,to me, is professional acting there. EKJ totally shined in the last episode, especially when he picked up his kid 's picture, no tears but I felt how devastated and shocked he was.
The directing was cool with great music except the phantom one.
Love this drama, miss the cyber team.
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35 Lady Seoul
August 12, 2012 at 2:36 AM
Indeed, it was a beautiful ending! <3
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36 dls
August 12, 2012 at 3:50 AM
Oh my, it's the final ep. Ghost is an engaging drama, it's just too bad the olympic kind of turn down the last hype in ep 18. I enjoy all the twists and all the characters here. It's just too bad that Woo-Young cannot go back to be Ki-Young, to live as himself with his own face. But, I like that Woo-Young is taking care of Seon-Woo (my favorite is the scene of Seon-Woo visiting Woo-Hyun grave under the name of Park Ki Young) and the Cy-Team becomes a solid team as ever even after knowing Hades.
Great job for recapping this drama Kaedejun!
Thanks so much.
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37 Elise
August 12, 2012 at 3:58 AM
I would cringe everytime they referred to miss detective as a beauty...i mean she is pretty but not to the proportions the drama was referring to, i know she didnt do much make up and stuff but if ur like ohmygawd gorgeous i'd think u'd still dazzle even without much fuss. Plus her acting...oh boy! Give me SJS's so called wooden expression anyday but atleast he delivered his lines with conviction, she talked like she was literally reading a book, sigh!
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38 makoto
August 12, 2012 at 8:19 AM
That's really great ending. :)
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39 antonia
August 12, 2012 at 8:24 AM
thans for the recap :))) now the journey is over :(((( i will miss this drama so much...
first i must thank to sjs for taking this drama because if he hadn't i would've missed this great drama, the best of the year so far, and to be sure one of my all times favorites!!! kudos to you Ghost!!!
i have to say so ji subb was awesome, he played WH and KY in a way that they're truly 2 differents persons to me.. and he made me love the 2 of them (though KY was my favorite) i never found him expressionless, he was a man (KY) trying to act like another one (WH) and he was perfect in it, and it made more priceless every smile, every smirk every hot glance, every restrained expression, plus he looks so good, what more can i ask for? he gave me wonderfoul looks and 2 brilliant and difficult characters (the lines would be so hard to memorise yet he delivered them so natural) . enough of my singing praises to sjs
HM and Mad cow, were great, GO and SW were cute, and i really liked KM
the writing was perfect, the ost was good (and i love how they played tha phantom of the opera in the suicide secuence, it fits so well) the filming was awesome, a perfect and complete drama
and the finale, it made me so happy, the only way HM would end was killing himself, that secuence from the interview wiith KY to his death was so impressive, the scene at the cementery was so touching, i felt so sad for HM and KY and their lost friendship, i felt sorry for the boy and HM as a father, but i'm happy that KY decided that he was going to live!! (love how he took half of the pic)
the scene at the park with KM and KY was also touching... and perfect. if they have hold hands or hugh i would've faint for happyness but i'm ok with it, i know they would end together anyway
and the las secuence was brilliant i was so smiling and happy and swooning!!!!! thanks Ghost team!!!!! thanks kaedejun!!!!!
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40 true.bawaka
August 12, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Ghost, I like you...but the ending?!
I hoped for justice. Justice for the people who died because of Hyun min. But because he killed himself and wasn’t prosecuted...it feels like he escaped again...
Overall, it was a great drama...marathoned 18 episodes last weekend. What a ride!
Kaedejun, I’m looking forward to the next drama you recap.
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41 ar_arguably romantic
August 12, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Thank you for the recaps Kaedejun!! I do love procedurals and conspiracies, so this drama was pretty fun. And I agree that it is a very cheerful and satisfying ending. I found myself grinning at the end, despite feeling an overwhelming sadness for Hyun-min. His uncle was the true bad guy and everyone who decided to side in the conspiracy against his dad deserved to die. Sad that innocent people got in the way.
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42 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
August 12, 2012 at 7:26 PM
GREAT JOB kaedejun!!!!!
I always read you recaps whenever I finish watching the episode! because of you I started this drama and had a lot of fun! till the next drama we go! :D
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43 MEalways
August 12, 2012 at 7:54 PM
Dear Kaedejun,
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your wonderful and always on time recap. I really appreciate your hard work.
Sometimes, I got more interested in reading your review than to watch the drama... ahahaha....
Now, I am wondering what should I watch after all the best dramas reach their ending? Now Ghost & The Chaser, and just several episodes left, Gaksital.
Those three are very intense, full of revenge and twisted characters, I could say The Chaser & Gaksital are quite 'noir' (both of them have the face/off of Hero vs Villain... who knows the best villain turns to be the hero and vice versa... Your president is a murderer, anyone? Your hero is the person who beats your people....).
Haugh...
As for Ghost, it is really a above average drama with some very good actors (salute to So Ji Sub, Kwak Do Won & Uhm Ki Joon). The episodes are really interesting (minus the girl school episodes if I may say so - personal reference).
Now I am waiting for the dramas with Joo Won, Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Seung Woo and Cha Tae Hyun (he won't hurt) as main casts... That would be epic...
Sigh....
(a girl could wish/dream, couldn't she?)
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44 Lilly
August 12, 2012 at 8:29 PM
Good show. Can recommend it to others with the advice to just wear through the girls school part to get back to the good stuff.
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45 DB5K
August 12, 2012 at 10:49 PM
Song Ha Yoon - 1986
Kwak Do Won - 1974
I wouldn't say he's old enough to be her dad ^^ though the age difference is a bit daunting. It always surprises (and creeps me out) when really old Korean celebrities marry twenty-something year olds. However, in this case, it forever amused me when you thought that Mad Cow was acting fatherly or uncle-ry with Seung Yoon, because personally, I always knew that they would end up together. The writer pitted them together frequently, and everyone knows excessive bickering is a sign of hidden attraction, esp in dramaland :) Besides, it just became more and more obvious as time went on ^^
BTW, So Ji Sub and Lee Yeon Hee have an 11 year age difference. Which is pretty close to Song Ha Yoon and Kwak Do Won's 12 year age difference. I guess Mad Cow just has an old face?
I agree with your opinions about So Ji Sub's acting. His perennially raised eyebrows started bugging the heck out of me. However, he did state in an interview that the actors' role in this drama was not to convey emotion, but to convey/narrate the plot. I have to admit he did play an important part in explaining everything logically. However, I still wish he could have changed his expression once in a while.
EOM KI JOON IS BOSS. I love him. Nuff said.
About Ghost's similarities with Sign, in my opinion, Ghost is eons better than Sign. The script for Ghost demonstrated much greater planning, pacing, consistency, mastery of dramatic tension, logic... the whole caboodle. There were similarities, but if Sign were a store-bought birthday cake, Ghost is a génoise cake crafted by a master Parisian pastry chef *yes, craving some cake right now*
I already posted this on soompi, but just to complete this post, I have to say I was disappointed with the ending. Actually, I was disappointed with the last 3-4 episodes because the plot started dragging and the script writer recycled the same plot devices. (I did like that the script writer chose to show that Jo Hyun Min was remorseful in the end, though).
My problems with the ending:
The script writer slacked off in so many areas. For example, one of the recurring motifs in the drama was how easily data was manipulated and yet Jo Hyun Min chose to believe his arch-nemesis' words that Shin Hyojung was pregnant just based on a few ultrasound images? Come on, there should at least have been a video of her at the hospital, happily filming and talking to herself about seeing her baby for the first time.
Also, Kiyoung-Woohyun concluded in the end that the legal system was flawed and couldn't bring about justice, so he turned to illegal methods and released Jo Hyun Min's x-files. In fact, he frequently used his hacking skills throughout the drama. Yet in the end, he chooses to keep pretending to be Kim Woohyun, who personifies rigid adherence to legal and police codes. The ending reiterated Kim Woohyun's last message to Kang Mi, "become a good cop, unlike me." But how is Kiyoung-Woohyun supposed to be a good cop when his very nature is to be a renegade hacker? And doesn't Woohyun's son deserve to know the truth? Kiyoung-Woohyun's whole purpose of becoming Woohyun was to avenge his friend and clear his name. He accomplished that, so why can't he begin the steps towards reclaiming his identity? With Jo Hyun Min gone, there's nothing stopping him.
And since we had a nice happy ending, couldn't the script writer have closed some ends on the budding Kiyoung-Woohyun and Kang Mi relationship? Just one scene of him teasing her or something would have been enough.
And I can't believe the whole solution to Jo Hyun Min's master-mind plotting and manipulation was simply to release Jo Hyun Min's x-files. If that's the case, why the fudge couldn't Kiyoung-Woohyun have released them sooner? Kiyoung-Woohyun realized that Jo Hyun Min's power of coercion lay in blackmailing ever since he talked to the crooked prosecutor and found out that Safe Tech's antivirus software contained backdoor trojans.
Sorry for the paragraphs. I wish there was a spoiler button >_<
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46 rheina07
August 13, 2012 at 12:28 AM
I. LOVE. THIS !
I have never thought that I will be able to pity Hyun Min in the last episode !
My heart suddenly broke, together with his when Woo young said that Hyo jong is pregnant with Hyun Min's baby and Hyun Min DOES NOT KNOW that !!
Instead, he killed hyojong and also his baby.
I pity him, Poor hyun min T.T
He lost everything, right from the start.
At that moment I reallllyyyyy want to turned back the time for hyun min so he can make up for everthing that he has done !
It will be great if he realized the murdered of nam sang won, and turned his self to the police , soon after he's become a papa !
It'll be nice - but well, if it happens like that, there will be no GHOST hahaha
Though it's a bit sad that ki young has to live as woo hyun for the rest of his life, but i think it's the best solution ever for this drama.
well, overall I love this drama !
It's highly recommended !! :D
Thanks for patiently recap-ing for us, kaedejun ! :) :)
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47 im_eve
August 13, 2012 at 6:33 AM
if i were hyun min i would have been devastated too. i killed all those people for my father, who killed himself for his son...but me, being a father. i killed my own son.
hell.
this was a pleasant surprise of a drama. what made me actually watch it was coz i wanted to see SJS being more fun, how he will channel daniel choi. well, wasn't perfect, far from it, but the little smirks, smiles, subtle humor kind of made up for it. i like me my cheery SJS! so cuute! True that, the smirk vs hyun min made me more excited than the face-off itself! haha
here's to SJS in a ROM-COM next!!! :D
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im_eve
August 13, 2012 at 6:39 AM
also. the picture above = LOVE.
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48 wormsoup
August 13, 2012 at 8:14 AM
"Things like to fall at Woo-Young’s feet, whether it be bodies, computers, or burdens." LOL-tastic.
kaedejun, thank you so much for introducing me to this gem of a drama. Loved watching it alongside your recaps :)
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49 riya88
August 13, 2012 at 10:25 AM
THANKS FOR THE RECAPS GUYS!!!
I truly love this show.... one of the best show .. love DC, SJS , UKJ ... i m gonna miss this show alot.. :(
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50 Cheri Greear
August 13, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Thanks for the Recaps. They always make the viewing experience more enjoyable and provide much needed insight into Kdramaland/Korean culture.
From the comments above, I get the feeling that some are confusing the actor (Daniel Choi)with the character(Park Gi-Young) he plays. I remember thinking at the beginning of the series of how serious and intense Daniel Choi played his character, Park Gi-Young which is why I was so sad when his part was finished. I wanted more.
It took a few episodes to get used to the shift, but I felt So Ji Sub’s version did the job. Think about it. The actor plays a character who’s trying to imitate another character. Apparently he left enough clues about his real identity to have Choi Seung-Yeon question Woo-Young’s identity. Also think about being accused of murder, blown up, spending a year in rehab from broken bones, burns and reconstructive surgery, not to mention deciding to become your best friend to solve his murder, and see how lighthearted you would be.
This was an intense plot with intense characters. Kudos to the writers for being true to the story arc. They brought the plot around full circle tying the beginning to the end. Ditto to the comments about Uhm Ki-Joon’s performance.
Thanks again for a great ride, kaedejun.
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