My Fair Lady: Episode 16 (Final)
by javabeans
Oh my gosh, this was one of the worst finales I’ve ever seen. I’ve been leaving room for the drama to upswing at the eleventh hour, but now that it’s over I can say with certainty that this is a gross disappointment. I can’t say it’s the worst last episode EVER (because there are many dramas I have never seen finale episodes for, of course), but certainly one of the most disjointed, nonsensical, pointless finales I’ve actually watched. It’s as bad as Witch Amusement for weirdness — but maybe even worse because at least Witch Amusement‘s finale was amusing to watch.
SONG OF THE DAY
My Fair Lady OST – “I Love You” [ Download ]
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EPISODE 16 RECAP (FINAL) (thank goodness)
Grandpa Kang comes home from the hospital, and Hae-na devotes herself to caring for him. Life returns to normalcy, as Hae-na admits in a letter that she writes to Dong-chan, “Nothing has changed. Except for you, everything is the same.”
She says she’s doing well and wonders how he is. She writes, “When I miss you, I imagine that you’re with me.” As she goes about her daily business, she imagines that Dong-chan is still around, nagging her and acting as her butler. “I miss you. I can’t help missing you.”
However, she doesn’t actually mail the letter, because the housekeeper later finds it crumpled and discarded.
Dong-chan, meanwhile, is back at the flower shop. Eui-joo gives him the news that the chairman left the hospital. Although he is relieved that this is a sign of improvement, Eui-joo says it’s more that he’s given up on treatment.
The directors all know the end is near, as they hint in a meeting held at the mansion. Hae-na has taken reins of the company temporarily, and counters their insinuations of the chairman’s failing health by saying that he’s well. (They all know the truth, but there’s an usavory eagerness to see him kick the bucket and vacate his spot.)
Tomorrow is Hae-na’s birthday, and Hae-na goes out for a walk along a bamboo-lined trail with her grandfather. As she steps aside to retrieve drinks, Dong-chan arrives. He has been directed here by Woo-sung, who wants to “repay his debt” by bringing him to Hae-na.
The meeting is awkward, and Grandpa’s demeanor stern. Dong-chan says that he didn’t plan this meeting, but now that he’s here, he has something he’d like to say: “Please live a long time. If only for agasshi’s sake, you must live a long time.” (Uh…? I don’t see the point in this dialogue — or this scene — since he ain’t telling Grandpa anything he doesn’t already know.)
He turns to go, just as Hae-na returns with drinks. The shock of seeing each other renders both mute for a prolonged moment, until he bows his head to her and continues on his way.
Hae-na watches him go sadly, until her grandfather calls her back to attention. He doesn’t know how Dong-chan came to be here, and writes this off as “a strange coincidence.”
Later, both indulge in their own pity parties, thinking of each other. Dong-chan rewatches his video clip of Hae-na telling him “I love you,” then wishes her a happy birthday.
In the morning, the staff surprises her with a birthday song and cake. She’s moved to tears.
(Hae-na’s birthday is a random thing that doesn’t serve much of a purpose. I wonder if they decided to shoehorn it in here because Yoon Eun-hye just celebrated her 25th birthday on set last week.)
Eui-joo calls Tae-yoon out to lunch again. She knows he finds her annoying, but she has a reason for this meeting. She sees how sad Dong-chan is, and is convinced that the couple are still pining for each other. Therefore, she thinks it would be a good birthday gift to Hae-na to bring the two back together, and enlists Tae-yoon’s help.
Eui-joo is rather proud of her scheme, and therefore put out when Tae-yoon responds unenthusiastically. She reminds him that they’re partners, and presses her point.
She lays out her plan — all he has to do is call Hae-na out. She’ll take care of getting Dong-chan.
Her suggested meeting point is a tourist ferry that travels along the river. Tae-yoon laughs at her, teasing her for thinking of such a corny activity. Who’d want to do something so lame? Eui-joo answers grumpily that she’s never ridden one before but thinks it would be romantic.
Grandpa asks his butler and housekeeper to keep taking care of Hae-na, as they have done a good job all these years. But the housekeeper speaks up hesitantly to say they’re not the ones Hae-na needs — the person she really needs is Dong-chan. She hands him Hae-na’s discarded letter to prove her point.
(Geez Louise! You’d think Hae-na were a child, the way they are carrying on about her, or at least a minor. She is a 24-year-old ADULT, and a supremely rich one, at that. She’ll be FINE.)
Now here’s where the plot logic starts getting fuzzy for me. I’m not sure if it is as sloppy as it seems or if I’m just missing something. Dong-chan goes to the Han River, where he recalls the last time he’d been here with Hae-na (they’d lit a cake and she’d asked him to stay with her). Hae-na also happens to arrive here and sees Dong-chan sitting along the bank. (I am assuming that she was heading to meet Tae-yoon at the ferry and saw Dong-chan coincidentally.)
When he looks up and they make eye contact, she hurriedly walks away. He catches up to her and they have a short, strained conversation wherein they trade pleasantries. When she gets up to go, Dong-chan grabs her hand and tells her to wait. Presenting her with her birthday coupon, he wants to claim it now: “Spend today with me.”
So they walk holding hands, happily play games at the arcade, feed each other ice cream, and what the heck is going on…? (They’re somber, then giddy, then playful, then somber again? Oh, whatever.)
They catch up on what’s going on in their lives; Hae-na tells Dong-chan that she’s been working hard, and even wrote him letters that she didn’t send. He says he’s been keeping busy and doing okay, although he has missed her too. When he says (lies?) that he hasn’t been struggling too much, she confesses that she has. She lays her head against his shoulder, “Just for a moment.”
All this while, Eui-joo and Tae-yoon wait at the boat for Hae-na and Dong-chan to join them there. At the same time, they both receive text messages, which tell them that the two others will not be meeting them. Realizing that their attempt failed, they try to get off the boat, only to find that it’s already pulling away from the dock. They’re stuck onboard.
Unfortunately, Tae-yoon gets a bad case of motion sickness and rushes to the bathroom to barf. He admits this is his first time on a boat, and feels embarrassed to always show his weaknesses around Eui-joo. She waves it off, saying that it’s not like they’re dating, so there’s no need to keep up appearances.
Grandpa reads Hae-na’s letters, perturbed at the contents since it shows that her love for Dong-chan remains undimmed. The next day, he tells Hae-na that he’s quite happy, and asks if she’s happy too. She answers, “If you’re with me, I’m happy.”
Grandpa says he has a birthday present to give her: “Live the way you want. That’s the best happiness. Whether that’s being the successor, or Seo Dong-chan, seek what you want. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Hae-na sort of understands, although I would contend that she doesn’t because she doesn’t rush off to reconcile with Dong-chan even though there’s nothing stopping her now.
She heads inside to fetch Grandpa a blanket, and when she returns, he’s asleep. Or so she thinks.
After a moment, Hae-na realizes that Grandpa is dead, and cries.
(The music is exceedingly tragic and the tone jarringly solemn. I literally asked my screen, frustrated, “What the hell kind of drama do you think you are?”)
After the funeral, Dong-chan finds Hae-na in the bamboo forest. She tells him she could feel him around her as she prepared the funeral, and assures him weakly that she’s okay: “But truthfully, I’m scared.” She’s all alone now. “How do I live on my own?”
He comforts her.
Su-min wins a child modeling contest and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON NOW? (I know this is just to give us a cute montage of Wang Seok-hyun, but it makes no sense. It’s so random and out of context. Eh, whatever.)
Hae-na calls a handful of directors, including Uncle Chul-gu, to the house for a meeting. She has made a decision: “I’m will decline the successor’s position at this time. However, this does not mean I am giving it up.” She’s going to go study abroad, to learn and gain more experience. So she will leave the company in the hands of management experts.
After the directors leave, she asks Chul-gu to keep good watch over the company until she comes back, and not ruin it. He’s surprised, but agrees. I’m surprised, because WTF? He’s been an immoral and ludicrously over-the-top villain all series long, and suddenly he’s competent?
Hae-na extends a hand, and they shake on it.
Next, Hae-na cooks a meal for her servants as she announces, “I’m going to leave tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll return. But when I come back, I’ll come back as a grown-up, mature Kang Hae-na.”
The servants are stunned and saddened, but also touched at her sincerity in cooking for them. She says that the food is “a bribe to ask you not to leave here and wait for me.”
(Personal aside: Last-minute studying abroad is a cliche I HATE because it makes no sense. You can’t just go overnight to study abroad! What about finding a school and a program and making arrangements? It’s a lame way to get someone on a plane — or under the threat of getting on a plane — and it’s about time dramas either give more thought to it, or figured out a better story to elicit that conflict.)
As she heads to the airport, Hae-na gives Dong-chan a call, but because he’s at work, he misses it. Eui-joo rushes in to tell him that Hae-na is leaving for the States, urging him to find her to say his goodbyes. Dong-chan is tempted to, but decides against the urge. However, when he checks his phone, Hae-na’s voicemail message gives him second thoughts:
Hae-na: “It’s me. I’m calling because I thought I should at least say my goodbyes. I’m about to leave for far away. How happy can I be in a place without you? And how happy can you be here, without me? What is real happiness? Grandfather gave me the freedom to be happy as his last present. The happiness I don’t want to lose is you, but I know how difficult I made things for you by being Kang Hae-na. So I’m going to leave now. When will I be able to return? I don’t know exactly when, but I will definitely return. At that time, if your happiness is still me, and mine is still you, then let’s love again and start over.”
(I AM SO FRUSTRATED.)
Spurred into action by her words, Dong-chan changes his mind and sprints out of the shop, grabs a cab, and heads straight to the airport. Once there, he scours the terminal looking for a sign of Hae-na, who has just arrived and is saying her goodbyes to her butler trio.
Spotting her in the crowd, walking to her gate, Dong-chan heads straight for her, their steps echoing the scene from Episode 1. Now he speaks to her in casual speech, startling her with his assertiveness: “Hey, you! Where do you think you’re going, without my consent?”
Hae-na looks up at him, perplexed, as he insists (oddly, with a pretty unemotional delivery), “Don’t go! I’ve been thinking, and I can’t let you go like this. I don’t think I can be happy in a place without you. So don’t go.”
But maybe the lack of emotion is the whole point of this scene; to play the big reunion without the big drama. Or whatever. Hae-na starts to catch on, and she retorts, “Hey! Do you think I’m the kind of woman who will come and go when you tell me to?”
By now it’s like they’re so relieved to be back together (again) that they revert back to their familiar script of bickering, where they fight but don’t really mean what they’re saying. He taunts her to try to leave, and she taunts back, “You think I won’t?”
Dong-chan blocks her path and says, “I can’t ever let you go. And I won’t let you go in the future.” She looks at him, holding back a smile, and reminds him that this is his cue to carry her out.
So he does, just as he did in Episode 1, and scoops her up over his shoulder. As the crowd watches, he shouts laughingly, “She’s my woman!”
And now for a truly choppy, random epilogue:
Su-min shoots an ad or photo spread of some sort, while his family brags that he’s one of them. The PD practically rolls his eyes at the silly Kangs.
Tae-yoon takes on a case representing Dong-chan’s debt collectors, who are now in jail and blame their misfortune on Seo Dong-chan.
Eui-joo complains that Su-ah has stolen her shoe designs and pleads with Tae-yoon (whom she’s been calling “Mr. Lawyer” all this time) to help her. He turns her down, which upsets her, until he leans toward her flirtatiously and says, “I’ll help you if you call me Tae-yoon.”
The butler trio go on a group blind date… only to find that it’s with the maid trio. All are disappointed.
Butler Mr. Jang and housekeeper Ms. Jo have some flirty vibes going on.
And finally, Hae-na and Dong-chan are fighting once again over some insignificant thing, and Hae-na shuts him up with a kiss. Dong-chan says jokingly, “That has lost its effect,” which prompts her to kiss him repeatedly.
The end. Or whatever.
COMMENTS
What an awful finale. It felt like a school play and I cringed throughout. Honest-to-goodness, I think that everyone — even the writer and director — gave up in this last episode and simply ran out of steam. I am relieved this drama is over. The best thing about this episode was the IRIS trailer at the end of it.
I think the thing that rankles most of us still watching at this point is that this drama should have been better. The scenery, lighting, and wardrobe were all gorgeous. The music was badly overused but not bad on its own merits. The cast was certainly easy on the eyes. And aside from Yoon Eun-hye’s slow start as snooty Hae-na, the acting was never the problem. I think she was the only one actually trying to act in this last episode, actually, and was impressed she could still wring out some tears when we’ve all lost the ability to connect with the story or these people.
Heck, the only reason I stuck with this drama for so long was because there were bits and pieces scattered throughout that hinted at a better drama. I kept hoping that the story would swing back upward and return to its high moments, but instead it kept crawling downward in a steady decline. I feel duped.
I think it would take days to nitpick all the little things that went wrong, so I’ll skip that exercise. But there were some huge threads left hanging, as most of you have already pointed out before, such as Hae-na’s first love. Seriously, what was the point? It would have been more fun to make Hae-na a bitch just for fun, rather than giving her a big emotional backstory and then never addressing it.
Furthermore, her transformation was so excessive that it feels like Hae-na grew a new personality entirely. I wish we’d gotten to see traces of the old Hae-na lingering in the new one, because otherwise it feels like one of those daytime soaps like All My Children where actors leave and new people are brought in to replace them and it’s just treated like it’s normal. What I liked about Fantasy Couple, for instance, is that Anna softened her hard edges and became more sympathetic, but she was the same person at the end that she was at the beginning. It’s like Hae-na started out similar to Anna and then turned into Eun-chan from Coffee Prince.
It speaks well of Moon Chae-won that she had people both liking and disliking her so strongly, because I just realized that Eui-joo is a completely blank character. What do we know about her? What personality traits is she given? What character quirks? All we know is that she speaks her mind and wants to design shoes. What a complete failure of the writer to create a character — but Moon Chae-won somehow made Eui-joo a real person. (Jung Il-woo fell flatter in that regard, because I think he was thinking too hard about analyzing his character instead of just, I dunno, being it.)
I like Yoon Sang-hyun and I thought he did as well with Dong-chan as could be expected. Unfortunately, the Dong-chan dance (butler, not-butler, butler, not-butler) got repetitive about eight episodes ago, after which we were essentially seeing the same story repeating itself over and over again. And that made his storyline, and therefore character, tiresome. His relationship with Hae-na suffered the same lack of imagination with same conflict playing out in episode after episode. It’s sixteen episodes of Groundhog Day. Urgh.
I think we can all agree that the actors deserved better, and that they all have brighter futures ahead of them. Let’s wipe the slate clean and move on, shall we? (If I didn’t leave this drama behind me, I’d be too bummed about the time I spent on it.)
RELATED POSTS
- My Fair Lady: Episode 15
- My Fair Lady: Episode 14
- My Fair Lady: Episode 13
- Who’s to blame for confusing characters?
- My Fair Lady: Episode 12
- My Fair Lady: Episode 11
- Stars of My Fair Lady deny dating rumors
- Jung Il-woo is confused with his character
- My Fair Lady: Episode 10
- My Fair Lady: Episode 9
- Fans rally to support Yoon Eun-hye
- Yoon Eun-hye sheds tears at acting criticism
- My Fair Lady: Episode 8
- Happy birthday, Jung Il-woo
- My Fair Lady: Episode 7
- My Fair Lady: Episode 6
- My Fair Lady: Episode 5
- My Fair Lady: Episode 4
- My Fair Lady: Episode 3
- Moon Chae-won promises more smiles in My Fair Lady
- More gifts for the staff of My Fair Lady
- My Fair Lady: Episode 2
- My Fair Lady: Episode 1
Tags: Jung Il-woo, Moon Chae-won, My Fair Lady, Yoon Eun-hye, Yoon Sang-hyun
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1 Lisa
October 8, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Judging from my skimming, I'm glad I gave up on this drama on episode 5. Still...those are five hours of my life I could have been watching something else. Of course my five hours don't compare to the time you spent on watching+reviewing.
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dramaaddict
February 4, 2011 at 3:26 PM
I gave up on episode 5 aswell and I don't regret. I couldn't connect with the plot or characters.
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Hyongsherain
May 7, 2015 at 3:32 PM
I gave up the moment I realised Jung Il Woo wud b the second fiddle.... Wats with Yun Eun Hye ... She is pretty though
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Hyongsherain
May 7, 2015 at 3:36 PM
He holds her back and finally proposes(in a way) wen she is leaving for good and to become something in life..
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2 jackie
October 8, 2009 at 8:54 PM
dang. what a disappointment. it was good up until, like, episode 9. and then it all came tumbling down. D:
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3 ripgal
October 8, 2009 at 9:00 PM
Wow, ouccchhhh to MFL fans and such...
I'm now interested to see how you'd rate this drama in your Drama Ratings section..
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4 lalala-drama
October 8, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Hi, thanks for the fast recap.
I was only watching this because of Yoon Eun Hye. But the story really sucks... hehe
still, I love YEH and I think no one can pull that Kang Hye Na character like she did. And I'm not gonna watch this drama ever again...
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5 kimchikay
October 8, 2009 at 9:09 PM
glad i quit on episode 2~ kudos to you for reviewing this entire drama...seriously, I almost pulled out my hair at the 2nd episode.....I thought this would be a great comeback drama for YEH, its too bad...hopefully she'll choose a better one next time (and do some research on the writers!)
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6 yubikiri
October 8, 2009 at 9:09 PM
i am just satisfy with tae yoon and eui-joo...dot
but i still love YEH...in coffee prince and goong.
Like all of u said, hope she'll chose a better project that will suit her best!
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7 Lucille
October 8, 2009 at 9:13 PM
Thanks for the recap and thank goodness this drama is over. I think the lesson I learned is to stop looking forward to dramas. Everytime I do I am saddened. BBF, Heading to Ground, Ijimae (sorta of), My Fair Lady, Triple, ect. I was excited about IRIS and You're Beautiful, but now I am too afraid to be hopeful. I hope they don't start out great and crash and burn around episode 6.
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8 kaedejun
October 8, 2009 at 9:13 PM
glad i gave up at episode 6.
thanks for the recaps. mightily disappointed at the fact that these great actors were given such a sorry script. they should have seen that this was not going to go well - unless the writers were still writing it when they entered production.
(funny how many comments are saying how glad they are for having given up on the drama so early!)
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9 yoora
October 8, 2009 at 9:13 PM
I haven't watch the drama...but I've read your recaps since first episode until this final episode...you're right, this drama getting worsen every episode...at least, the ending is happy ending..no one died (except grandpa kang) because of cancer or leaving the country for couple years and back just for smiling each other (what the point?)...maybe I'm just a too romantic person :)
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10 ar_arguably romantic
October 8, 2009 at 9:14 PM
NoOOOooOoo they never went back to talk abt Haena's first love! it's like a rule for all dramas and romantic fiction that when you drop such a hint about a tragic past, you HAVE to go back and talk about. Yet MFL followed every cliche out there.
And i'm really sad that they killed off the grandpa even though he doesn't have much of a perosnality. a death isn't a good way to end a rom-com!
I can't believe she handed the company for her evil uncle to manage! He was trying to bring her down and it's not like they ever showed that he was reformed! this part is the most nonsensical part of the entire drama. And i agree with you about the whole study abroad thing. most people I know plan their study abroads at least 6 months in advance. Maybe she's just going to hang out in the US and do a sketchy online MBA.
at least the Taeyoon and Euijoo parts sound good. I was afraid that they wouldn't meet up again. and i liked the ending where Dong-Chan picks Haena up and the epilogue.
this drama could have been so good. and i really like that one song in it...it's by some girl group i think.... sad that it didn't turn out well. But i'm glad that YEH and the rest are free now to pursue better projects. I can't wait to see what YEH will choose next!
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11 fotomemory
October 8, 2009 at 9:22 PM
well...i can say that MFL doesnt top my dramas of 2009, but i was pleased that the the finale episode gave in about 19% rating.
thanks for reviewing the drama!~
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12 erin
October 8, 2009 at 9:24 PM
who cares about your bitchy opinion? the viewers certaintly disagree with you since last night episode was no 1 drama and broke the 19% ratings
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13 glalam
October 8, 2009 at 9:27 PM
I loved the recaps but gave up watching the actual episodes about episode 5'ish.
Somehow I just couldn't immerse myself into the story. But I do want to say "Thank You" to Javabeans for doing a recap for the entire series. I enjoyed reading it and the comments that followed. I can't say I'll be watching the remaining episodes, this will be one of those shows that I never bother to watch in full.
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14 camein
October 8, 2009 at 9:31 PM
I knew you would say this.
Of course it's the worst ending because your JIW isn't the main guy. :)
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15 Molly
October 8, 2009 at 9:33 PM
Wow, this recap came earlier than I expected. Thanks, Javabeans!
The last few episodes have been a bit too nonsensical that I'm not sure how they would have given us a great finale, but oh well. I still had fun! :) And while I won't miss wishing for something to have been that wasn't, I'll still miss Yoon Eun-hye and Yoon Sang-hyun...and Jung Il-woo pre-haircut of course. Moon Chae-won was just too pouty for me but she did manage to portray a cute, bubbly (but pouty!) Eui-joo.
So, all in all, based on everything I've read and seen up to Episode 15, to me, My Fair Lady was a bubbly series that was fun to watch, despite the many loose ends that it didn't tie. I will miss it. Or maybe I'll actually be missing the leads, not the drama. Well, either way, I had a great time! Thank you, Javabeans, for sticking through and your dedication as always.
-begins to read recap- It's the last night I'll be taking MFL homework breaks! :(
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16 camein
October 8, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Other is I thought you're a good drama-review except when you review drama which your idol's in it.
Sorry to say this but it's so true and quite disappointed in you with this bashing review.
If you said this's your opinion, so this is my opinion toward you and your review too!!
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17 Biscuit
October 8, 2009 at 9:41 PM
All I have to say is that it had so much potential.
I had much more I wanted to say yesterday that I was waiting to say today... but I lost my motivation to type most of it...
There were moments that were fun, and I enjoyed watching them.
However I'm happy this series has ended. Although I almost gave up on the series, it's the kind of show for me where I have to keep up with it to see what happened.. or if there was any hope for it to pick up. Sadly, that didn't happen... it wen't down. So far, episode 9 (or was it 10?) was the best episode.
Hopefully the next series the cast picks is much better.
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18 Anh Nguyen
October 8, 2009 at 9:41 PM
I give all the credit to the cast. The writing is so horrible.! Anyway, thanks for the recap.
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19 omo
October 8, 2009 at 9:42 PM
Thanks for an awesome job in recapping all 16 episodes. WHAT A RELIEF! Yes...let's move on. I hope this cast or any other cast should stay away from this writer.
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20 Molly
October 8, 2009 at 9:55 PM
I just finished reading the recap and will be watching the last two episodes this weekend. For now:
"The butler trio go on a group blind date… only to find that it’s with the maid trio. All are disappointed."
LOL. So random but that's just too funny.
Overall, I felt that one of the main flaws is that there were too many little conflicts that obstructed the central one and detracted from good pacing, flow, and plot. The first love; the crazy, competitive uncle; the shoe-designing; Tae-yoon's issues with his parents; Hae-na's tough images as a sporty girl; people's reactions Dong-chan's former profession as a jebi...The plot felt too simple, but at the same time, there were too many complex little things.
But I'm still glad that I stuck with My Fair Lady, because like I said before, I'm a HUGE Yoon Eun-hye fan and it was great to see her again after Goong (I haven't seen Coffee Prince yet! Gasp). I especially loved all of her styling in the drama - clothes, hair, makeup. I'm tempted to dye my whole head red too, but who knows how horrible that will turn out! :)
Goodbye, My Fair Lady! I had tons of fun and you were a great stress reliever over the past few months. :)
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21 OK je
October 8, 2009 at 9:56 PM
*Sigh*
Well at least I got my wish for JIW and MCW to end up together :)
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22 Molly
October 8, 2009 at 9:58 PM
camein, I didn't really notice that. It's true that Javabeans is a Jung Il-woo fan, but I didn't feel that she was biased and gave MFL a poor review because of it. His character was only one of the flaws of the drama, and Javabeans focuses on the big picture. It was unfortunate that he didn't get a larger and better role, but the fate of My Fair Lady wasn't entirely dependent on it. I do wish he'd had a better role though...I still prefer his character over Yoon Sang-hyun's in some aspects. :)
PS: Does anyone have a picture of Hae-na's bedroom, before and after? I'm looking for a new bedding set and it's an inspiration and I can't find any good pictures of the room before the bedding was changed.
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23 ockoala
October 8, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Thanks for a great recap series, JB. Your writing and observations are still spot on. Too bad the writers of MFL couldn't pick your brain first before delivering such plot drivel to us.
But I still enjoyed MFL, it was cute, light, pretty, and showcased four very good actors. I didn't feel my time was wasted, but am sad the end result was so meh. But the Yoon coupling was a win in my books! Love the credit montage, all that banter and kissing and teasing, so cute.
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24 John
October 8, 2009 at 10:11 PM
What a waste of time and energy! It's as if the writers just ran out of ideas and went out drinking instead of trying to brainstorm a proper ending. The only good thing I can say about this episode is that Seo Dong-Chan and Kang Hae-Na FINALLY end up together. I feel sorry for the actors involved, and hope they get better projects in the future.
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25 Sonam
October 8, 2009 at 10:15 PM
To all those people who think JB is bashing this drama.
It's funny because I thought just the opposite- she was being too kind and patient with this drama. She seemed to try desperately to find something to like about it episode after episode until the finale when she couldn't bear it anymore and let rip.
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26 Mathew Kraft
October 8, 2009 at 10:21 PM
I agree with JB's comment - for me horrible kdrama for 2009
eventhough with high ratings but with EMPTY substances, Tamra is way better.
Will move on to You are beautiful and IRIS
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27 ida
October 8, 2009 at 10:27 PM
DISAPPOINTING... I dont know.. they may have decided to just rush through the episode so that its over and DONE with.. NADA..... Stop all the foolishness.
Hae-na's first love should have been introduced, he was the main reason why she turned prickly and bitchy before DC happened..he could have provided some conflict between Tae-yoon or DC.. whatever... And again, I feel that there most be more passion.. I missed Hae-na's drive and her spunky self.. I dont know.. I am really baffled...
I would have wanted them to expound on Tae-yoon and Eui-joo relationship,... Yah, we know they are supporting actors but I think they have great chemistry and maybe a material for a spin-off for a drama (or is it overkill!!)
I agree with you Dramabeans, the drama is like a TEASE.... we always rant that the writing seems a bit off, but there is two or three five minutes scenes that redeems the 120 minutes worth of BLAH... That is probably the reason why I keep on watching this since I am hoping that the drama will set itself right.. but it turned from Gray to Black as it nears its end..SO FRUSTRATING...
Kudos to the actors (I keep on saying this, I am sounding like an old vinyl record).. !! And Dramabeans, thanks for sticking it out till the end! It must be a painful ride for you, but you are making a lot of people happy and that includes ME!!
To #20 Molly, .. If you enjoyed MFL, then Coffee Prince is a DELIGHT.. Excellent writing, directing, music and acting , it probably spoiled me for life (I cant imagine YEH as a rich girl during the first episodes of MFL, I am so used to her as the no-make up and boyish Eun Chan)....
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28 goodness
October 8, 2009 at 10:28 PM
yea~ thank goodness it the finale, so that we don't have to read BITCHY, BIASED comments from you ever again.
And for those who wonder why I still visit DB when I hate her recaps, probably the same reason why JB watched this drama.
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29 jn
October 8, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Bravo for YEH and YSH, even choppy scripts from writers they still bring in 2 digits rating. I enjoyed this drama. Good luck to YEH, YSH on next projects.
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30 dramafreak19
October 8, 2009 at 10:31 PM
"The best thing about this episode was the IRIS trailer at the end of it."
OUCH.
LMAO....I think I can agree with you there, JB, and even go as far as to say that the IRIS trailer was probably the best thing about the entire friggin series!!!
I am SO happy I stopped watching this stupid drama after Episode 11, at least I can say I gave it a fair chance! Eleven episodes is a lot more than I've given to dramas that are twice as good as this one.
****Sighhh***
I think everyone should just forget MFL ever happened, including the actors and actresses. What a sad, crying shame. It can join Triple, BBF, Dream and Worlds Within on my Drama Duds of 2009 list.
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31 camein
October 8, 2009 at 10:35 PM
@ Sonam
"I am relieved this drama is over. The best thing about this episode was the IRIS trailer at the end of it."
Is this called as "too kind and patient with this drama"???? This comment is too much as an insulting. I never think this drama is greatest drama ever but this kind of comment had too much bias attitude in it.
Yes, the script isn't that great but the way she wrote a review was liked a bashing review which didn't want people who never try this drama before to hate it already.
I had many disagree with JB myself with other dramas too which she considered it as great or whatever but I would never write something totally bashing or insulting like this.
This is too disappointed of you.
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32 Jerlyn
October 8, 2009 at 10:37 PM
I hate to say this but I had high hopes for this drama, especially since there was Yoon Sang-hyun. He was great in Queen of Housewives, which i thoroughly enjoyed.
It just became unbearable for me to watch by the time it got to the middle.... It was just .....TERRIBLE. Makes me scratch my head at what they are trying to portray or bring across. All in all, a waste of my time - both anticipating and watching it - gonna move on to Smile, You! At least it's funny.
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33 cheekbones
October 8, 2009 at 10:39 PM
I couldn't help but lol-ing at your exasperation., javabeans :D. Thanks for the entertaining recaps !
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34 canucks79
October 8, 2009 at 10:40 PM
Thanks for the recaps JB. Very much appreciated by me and keep up the great job in your site. I enjoy reading your site a lot.
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35 jacq
October 8, 2009 at 10:42 PM
I skimmed thru the recaps but I gave up watching MFL around episode 5'ish. And I'm glad I did not waste time actually watching this whole drama. Having 2-digit rating doesn't mean it is a great drama; it just means YEH is in the cast in this case.
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36 Leah
October 8, 2009 at 10:43 PM
Worst or not but look like the viewers disagreed with you.
The drama can manage to pull 19% of ratings and fyi, it's the 2nd highest for Wed-Thu dramas in 2009.
Is it only me or DB is turning to be Popseoul?
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37 ar_arguably romantic
October 8, 2009 at 10:43 PM
the ratings really jumped up in the last 2 episodes....there is something about this drama that makes you want to know what happens if if it's a bit of a trainwreck. the ratings were great for the first few episodes...then people got tired of the drama and the ratings dropped a bit...until the very end, when you just HAVE to know what happened to the talented YEH, YSH, JIW, and MCW even though you probably knew anyways. Also regarding ratings: Boys Over Flowers pulled in over 30% on ratings and yet it's not a very good drama. I guess dramas with crazy storylines that aren't logical is all the rage!
to all those who bash javabeans for being bias....uhh....duh, this is an opinion blog, not the new york times online (and even they can be a bit bias sometimes). but have no fear, I'm pretty sure there is some other blog out there giving Lady Castle rave reviews and giving it two thumbs up That's what so great about the internet- if you disagree with an opinion, you can always easily find someone to share your opinion!! =DD
thank you javabeans for all the recaps and your commentaries!
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38 Lal
October 8, 2009 at 10:44 PM
It's so funny how some commenter said that they gave up this drama after watching several epi but they still read your MFL reviews JB... It just strengthen my opinion that whether MFL was good or bad it still attract people. Just look at the rating of final epi last night, and just look at how many commenter would wrote in your thread about this drama (it's more than the other articles)
You were right JB when you talked about the 4 actors "charismatic persona", what else will explain this "phenomena", that despite of all the holes in this drama it still can gain high rating.
Now, I won't worry about the all of actors career future. I believe they will get tons of offering soon, especially YEH & YSH. Although YEH didn't show her best in this drama, she still a magnet for viewers, and the people in K ent. industry know it.
And no, I won't comment about your recap of the final epi, I just want to say that I'm happy with the ending :)
Lastly, I'm very thankfull for your effort to recap this series (whether it's good or not), I really appreciate that.
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39 thankyou
October 8, 2009 at 10:45 PM
I'm so relieved this drama is over. And my relief is for the sake of the actors who deserved so much better. I only had to watch it twice a week. They had to act in it and now live with it for the rest of their lives.
I think it is time we move on to you're beautiful and just forget this ever happened. Eun hye shall be remembered as Gong chan. Moon chan was Moon guem's love interest in painter of the wind. And then there was return of illjame and queen of house wives.
Life is good all over again.
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40 scriptwriters
October 8, 2009 at 10:47 PM
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8325/2009100814564625685939.jpg
^Yesterday after the shooting wrapped up at the airport, the PD apologized to Yoon Eun Hye for burdening her with this project, but in my opinion, the ones that should have done the apologizing were the scriptwriters for doing so bad. Yoon Eun Hye was consoling the PD cause he felt so bad and guilty about it, you can see her looking at him sadly while consoling him in the picture above.
I really admire Eun Hye cause although the bad scriptwriting ruined her comeback drama, she never blamed or pointed her finger and blamed anyone else for it, she instead thanked the PD, scriptwriters, staff and crew gave out 112 Puma shoes for their hardwork. Even the maids mentioned in articles that they are not surprised why Eun Hye became the huge star that she is today, they said that they learned a lot from her. I agree with them great acting will take you far but humility will take you even further.
Congrats to the whole cast for all their hardwork.
Congrats for the ratings! Flaws and everything...I still love this series to death!
TNS
National - 19.0 # 2 // Seoul - 19.4 #1
AGB
National - 18.3 #2 // Seoul - 19.6 #1
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41 yay
October 8, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Finally this drama is DONE! What a relief! Time to move on! YU-HOO!!!!
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42 sue
October 8, 2009 at 10:51 PM
oh wow, this is sad to hear, but i'm glad now i didn't stick with it..
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43 Phil
October 8, 2009 at 10:53 PM
Well I'm just happy that Korea has such a vibrant film/Drama industry.
When it's good it's REALLY good (Coffee Prince, Worlds Within) but when it's bad it's appalling.
But I think that it's just the way it is. Living along side the "Art" is the Light Entertainment and perhaps we shouldn't judge one by the other.
MFL was meant to be a big dumb air head drama and some people love that. Good for them. My wife absolutely loves MFL. She knows it's silly but she understands the way it works. Just suspend disbelief and stop trying to make sense of everything. Have a good cry and have a smile on your face for the whole episode.
I'm happy just to watch YEH breath.
Just hope that while this dross is being made that some talented writers and producers are cooking up something to feed our brains and hearts.
It really does reveal what a good script does for the actors. YEH had such an incredible depth in CP. She portrayed emotions that I've never seen in any other actor............in the world.
Terribly treated by the writers in MFL.
I hope the fee was worth it.
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44 djeedjes
October 8, 2009 at 10:58 PM
lets move on and ignore Javabeans' haters!
thank you for spent your time watching and recapping it - since i've gave up sometime ago and only read it here.
rating is high? so what? we have learned that rating doesn't represent the quality of the drama. but whatever. MOVE ON~~
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45 linly
October 8, 2009 at 11:01 PM
Thank goodness I didn't watchi this drama... I think YEH is highly over rated... I personaly think she can not act... the only reason Coffee Prince got such a huge ratings was because of her babyvox fans... I personaly think Coffee Prince was a over rated drama too... and she doesn't appeal to me as much as the other singer turn actress does... say like Eugen...
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46 emma
October 8, 2009 at 11:02 PM
ahhh thnk java!
i downloaded all of it and am waiting for xmas to watch it
but i dont know if i should spare my precious time to watch it
it really looks boring? but sometimes i like boring things so im not sure..
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47 bean
October 8, 2009 at 11:03 PM
"rating is high? so what? we have learned that rating doesn’t represent the quality of the drama."
Totally agreeing with you. This drama was high in rating not because it was written, produced or acted well, it was because of YEH and YEH alone. People would watch whatever with YEH in it, for hours for days for weeks. So, whatever.
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48 Nom_Kitteh
October 8, 2009 at 11:04 PM
How strange. I actually enjoyed the finale. I thought it maintained the tone it had set (however imperfect it may be) and gave me what I wanted (angst, longing, and then reconciliation). I was sad when DC and HN ran into each other in the bamboo forest with gramps, and gramps's death was emotional for me. And I liked all the romantic pairings -- cute.
The drama overall: meh. But it was a fun meh. YEH was great, and I hope she doesn't take years to find another drama. The high ratings are almost exclusively YEH's pull. The writing was mediocre and there were no cute men (for the age demographic being targeted; don't start another "I love me some men in their 30s"), So it was YEH all the way.
Thank you for the recaps. I admit, JB, that I tried to watch the episodes and get an understanding before reading your reviews because I was sometimes put off by the harshness/imo bias of your reviews, but I do that anyway with the other dramas. That said, thank you for the hard work you put into bringing recaps to us, and for serving the non-Korean speaking community so well. Thank you also for giving us a space to congregate -- and it is credit to you that so many of us come here.
Off to You're Beautiful! Iris will have to wait :-( .
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49 withsugarplease
October 8, 2009 at 11:07 PM
I kept waiting for your reviews of this drama to improve... so I could start watching the show with confidence in the story line. BUT that never happened lol. I don't think I will ever EVER try to watch this show.
Thanks for your recaps I truly appreciate them. Despite what others may say, you're not being bitchy, just straight and to the point. Ratings mean nothing.
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50 mia
October 8, 2009 at 11:08 PM
"I think YEH is highly over rated… I personaly think she can not act… the only reason Coffee Prince got such a huge ratings was because of her babyvox fans… I personaly think Coffee Prince was a over rated drama too… and she doesn’t appeal to me as much as the other singer turn actress does… say like Eugen"
I think you are way out of line. Baby V.O.X isn't a huge fanbase and most of them dont even support YEH, so your little useless rant there is ridiculous. If you hate her just say so, but dont sit here nd bash her previous works and accomplishment as an actress, you are way out of line!
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