Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 16 (Final)
by javabeans
Finally, the end! The angst is over! Phew.
Although I didn’t really have specific predictions for how the story would end, I was fairly certain about the tone that would characterize the finale. The result was pretty close to my expectation, so more than anything, I’m relieved. Did I like the ending? Generally speaking, I was satisfied. Did I like HOW we got there? Um… I’m still working that out. There were things I liked, and things I didn’t.
SONG OF THE DAY
Kim Yeon-woo – “다시 한번 사랑하자” (Let’s Love One More Time) [ Download ]
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EPISODE 16 RECAP
Kang-jin says he’ll take care of Young-sook, but Ji-wan challenges her mother, “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
A bit uncomfortably, Young-sook answers, “I’m going to stay here with your brother.” At this, Kang-jin shoots her a look, as though he was testing her response and is surprised she went along with it.
Ji-wan persists: “If you keep doing this, I’m not going to come here again. I won’t see you anymore! Will you come with me, or not?” And still Young-sook answers, “I’m going to stay here.”
Turning to Kang-jin, Ji-wan asks in a pleading tone, “Oppa, you cut the tie. You do it. Convince Mom, okay?” But he doesn’t speak up, and she realizes he’s not going to. Frustrated, she storms out of the house.
Kang-jin follows her outside, where Ji-wan tells him firmly that she’s going to bring movers by over the weekend. She’ll carry her mother out of the house if necessary.
Woo-jung has been working all night, so she gets up from a nap in a side alcove by the office area. She wanders out and asks Young-sook groggily where Cha Kang-jin is. Without any reaction, Young-sook answers that he’s probably outside. Woo-jung thanks her, but as she turns away, the implication hits her — so Young-sook knows who Kang-jin is?
She finds Kang-jin still outside and says that she has just witnessed something astonishing that he should know. She relates how Young-sook had referred to him as Kang-jin and not reacted at all. Woo-jung’s bafflement grows at Kang-jin’s lack of reaction — does this mean he knew that her memory had returned?
It seems that Young-sook belatedly realizes her slip, but she continues acting as normal. When she burns her fingers on a hot lid, Kang-jin hurries to get the first aid kit and tend to her fingers. She’s uncomfortable at his continued kindness, and her behavior, while less forced than yesterday, is still strained around him.
However, she’s still committed to her act. When Kang-jin advises her to give Ji-wan a call to soothe her hurt feelings, Young-sook asks, as though hurt, “Are you tired of me?” Kang-jin assures her that he just wishes she would pay Ji-wan more attention.
Coldly, Young-sook blurts, “I’ll handle my child myself.” It’s not an outright admission but it makes Kang-jin and Woo-jung both freeze; it’s something you’d say to a stranger, so it’s telling. Young-sook retreats to her room, but adds, “Ji-yong, you’re my son. Whatever happens, you have to stay with me, okay? Don’t go anywhere, or to anyone — stay with me, okay?”
Young-sook must suspect that Kang-jin has a clue, which is supported by a follow-up call from the Sancheong charnel house. The man explains that he discussed the matter of Ji-yong’s vault with her “younger son.”
I’m very relieved that Woo-jung is made aware of this, because unlike our leads, she’s definitely NOT too noble to keep out of it. Sure enough, she meets with Ji-wan at the hospital and gives it to her straight: Young-sook seems to have her memory back, but she’s lying for some reason. Woo-jung is here to ask Ji-wan why because Young-sook’s reaction is so incomprehensible, but she sees that Ji-wan is just as stunned.
Even more puzzling, Woo-jung adds, is how Kang-jin is playing along. He knows Young-sook is faking, and yet he goes along with it. Woo-jung figures, “In my opinion, it was like she was tormenting him on purpose. Doesn’t somebody have to stop her? Don’t you have to stop her?”
Ji-wan thinks back to her mother’s odd behavior in light of this news. Now when she recalls the lunch conversation, she realizes that her mother was purposely hurting Chun-hee.
When Ji-wan arrives at the atelier, she walks into an argument between Jae-hyun and Kang-jin. Jae-hyun is angry with Kang-jin for turning down yet another fantastic business opportunity and calls him wrong in the head. He says that one year working in China would open up their business’s entire future — why can’t he consider it? Is it because of his sick mother, for whom he’s already thrown away countless great opportunities?
Kang-jin snaps that Jae-hyun should go if he’s so keen on the idea, but Jae-hyun argues that the business associates are only interested in Kang-jin. Angrily, Kang-jin retorts that Jae-hyun can split up the business if he’s so upset, and a fed-up Jae-hyun agrees.
After Jae-hyun storms out, Ji-wan repeats some of his words to Kang-jin, saying that he should take this opportunity and that he’d be foolish to pass it up.
Knowing that her mother is the reason for his decision, she says that she’s going to take her mother tomorrow, rather than waiting for the weekend: “She’s MY mother! I’ll take care of it! Why are you living like this, like an idiot? What did you do that was so wrong? What huge sin have you committed? How long will you suffer from that damned guilty conscience? ”
Kang-jin tells her to be quiet, aware that Young-sook is in the house. She continues anyway: “If you do this, do you think my mother will thank you? If you endure this and lie for her, do you think she’ll feel better? Do you think her hate will go away? You should have told me first that her memory had returned!” Her voice grows louder and more impassioned as she demands to know why he is taking this on alone: “Why do you live like this!?!”
His answer is so startling it momentarily stuns her into silence: “Because I can’t give you up.”
Slowly, he takes her in his arms and hugs her. They stand there for a few moments, Ji-wan crying, until a shocked Young-sook demands to know what they’re doing. Guiltily, they break apart, and Young-sook marches up to Kang-jin and grabs his shirt, all pretenses about her memory loss flying out the window as she rages: “What are you doing to my daughter?! You act like the good son in front of me, but what the hell are you doing to my daughter?”
Ji-wan begs her mother to stop:
Ji-wan: “Don’t do this to Kang-jin oppa anymore. You can’t do this. And he took such care of you. You don’t have that right, Mom.”
Young-sook: “What?”
Ji-wan: “Forgive him now.’
Young-sook: “How can I forgive him? How can I forgive this bastard? His mother killed your father, and he killed your brother. How can I forgive him?!”
Ji-wan: “That’s not Kang-jin oppa’s fault, and it’s not his mother’s fault either. It’s not my fault, or yours, or Dad’s. It was just an accident. Mom, stop now. Stop.”
Young-sook: “Shut up! You awful girl.”
Young-sook storms off to her room, and Ji-wan starts to follow. Kang-jin stops her, saying he’ll go.
Kang-jin kneels before Young-sook, who continues to spew hatred at him, scornful of his dutiful son act. How long has he known she was back to normal? Why didn’t he say anything? “Were you waiting to see how I would act? What is your motive?”
Kang-jin keeps his head bowed humbly. His voice is contrite and halting, like he’s trying to figure things out as he explains:
Kang-jin: “I was waiting for you to tell me first. I wasn’t sure why you were lying, why you kept fooling us, what you were planning, whether you were still upset, or still angry, whether you were still unable to forgive. I was waiting. I was trying to figure out if I should go now, if I should give up and step aside, if this was a road that should end or something I shouldn’t have done from the start. I was despairing whether this was something that shouldn’t continue, something that would be pointless no matter how hard I tried, something that would never change even if I poured all my energy into it. But Mother, I don’t want to give up here. I don’t want to leave things here.”
Ji-wan listens quietly at the door, and Kang-jin now finally looks up at Young-sook with tears in his eyes.
Kang-jin: “Please give up that hate now. If there’s something more I must do, I’ll do it. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Please forgive me. It must be hard for you, but please forgive me.”
Young-sook is not in a generous mood. She jeers, “How can I forgive you? What can I do for you to think you’ve been forgiven? What were you thinking the past three years while you stayed with me? Was it for mere forgiveness? Is that it?”
He answers, “Yes. That was all.” But she’s half-incredulous that a person could be so noble, unwilling to give him that credit: “That wasn’t all. You did it because couldn’t get over your feelings for Ji-wan!”
Kang-jin:”I did. I believed I could, and I put those feelings aside. I thought I could live having rid myself of those feelings, and that’s how I lived on. But…”
Here the tears fall, and Kang-jin’s voice breaks in anguish.
Kang-jin: “…but the feelings won’t go away. They weren’t feelings that could be given up. It took me three years to realize that. I asked myself a hundred, a thousand times a day, ‘You crazy fool, why do you live like this? If you live as Han Ji-yong, you have to give up Ji-wan. Why do you live like such an idiot? Why are you atoning for your mother’s sin? Only crazy people live like you. Just run away, like my mother, like Ji-wan’s father. If I could stop fooling myself, if I could just think of myself and devote myself to my own feelings, and look only at Ji-wan…’ I told myself that countless times every day, to grab Ji-wan’s hand and run away. I really wanted to run away. If not for that hurt — if only I didn’t know the hurt of being abandoned — I really would have run away. If the voice of the mother clinging to me had been just a little less warm, if the food you prepared for me had been just a little less warm, I would have gladly run away. I don’t know what the past three years were to you, but to me they were warm and happy. Because of you, it was sometimes painful, but I could endure it. Because of you. That’s what it was like for me.”
Against her will, Young-sook is moved by Kang-jin’s sincerity, and sheds a few tears. In a low, weak voice, she agrees:
Young-sook: “Okay. I’ll forgive you. I’ll forgive everything — so let go of Ji-wan. Just let go of her, and leave. Then I’ll forgive you and your mother.”
The hopeful looks that had dawned on Kang-jin’s and Ji-wan’s faces now fall in dread. Ji-wan drops to the ground and Young-sook breaks down, insisting, “I said I’d forgive you, so just let go of Ji-wan!” Kang-jin protests — this is asking too much.
Kang-jin: “I can’t do that now. I can’t let go of Ji-wan — that’s the only thing I can’t do, Mother. I can’t do that, no matter what. Without Ji-wan, I can’t live.”
Young-sook: “Then I can’t forgive you. If you could only let go of her, it would all end. That miserable bad fortune between your family and mine would all end! I’ll forgive every single thing, so just give Ji-wan up and disappear from my sight, I beg you!”
Kang-jin pleads, but this time Young-sook isn’t doing this to be vindictive. Her argument makes a sort of sense, that as long as there are loose ends and dangling threads between their families, she can’t get over her resentment. But if they could cleanly cut all the strings, she’d be able to move on. Now, Young-sook’s voice takes on a pleading tone as she entreats:
Young-sook: “Life doesn’t end because your love does. You can live on without that. Everyone lives like that. I’ll forget everything cleanly and forgive you. I won’t even think of it in the future, or remember it. So Kang-jin, please go.”
For a few long beats, nobody moves. And then, slowly, Kang-jin gets to his feet. He makes his way numbly to the door, where he sees Ji-wan sitting slumped, but passes without a word. Ji-wan starts to follow him, but Young-sook orders her, “Don’t go. It’s all over now, Ji-wan. Don’t go.”
Listlessly, Kang-jin leaves the house and wanders the street. He falls to his knees, the world blurring around him.
Ji-wan shows up at Chun-hee’s door with soju, suggesting a drink together. She’s already had one bottle on her own, so she’s already drunk. She’s here to ask Chun-hee how she continued living after she had left Jun-su the first time. Was she able to survive?
Chun-hee: “I must have survived because I’m here.”
Ji-wan: “That’s good, then I’ll survive too.”
She asks why Chun-hee returned to Sancheong, then, to see her father again. Chun-hee replies, “Because I missed him. Because I couldn’t forget him. Because I thought I’d die.” This answer is less reassuring than the last, and Ji-wan sighs, “I’m in trouble. That means I’ll go looking for Kang-jin oppa someday.”
She asks why Chun-hee clung and dragged out her feelings, but Chun-hee counters, “Do you think it’s something you can end easily? Those feelings won’t end until I die.”
Ji-wan: “Then what am I supposed to do? I’m supposed to live feeling like this until I die? It would be better to die! How can I live like this?”
Chun-hee: “You’re different from me. I ran a tearoom to earn my living, but you’re a doctor. Meet a better man than Kang-jin and live proudly.”
Ji-wan: “But still — if I can’t forget him, what do I do?”
Chun-hee: “Forget anyway. Otherwise, you’ll become a bad woman like me, hurting others and bruising the hearts of your children.”
Ji-wan: “Do you regret it? If you could have that moment again, do you feel confident you wouldn’t run away with my father?”
Chun-hee would rather not answer that, and drinks instead. Ji-wan asks, “If that moment came back to you, could you please resist? Think of me and Kang-jin, and hold back just once.”
Kang-jin arrives at his mother’s place, surprised to find Ji-wan asleep on the ground. He asks what she talked about with Ji-wan. Chun-hee says that Ji-wan and asked if life went on after love, and that she had answered yes.
The next morning, Ji-wan awakens to find herself in Kang-jin’s car, parked at the road by the river in Sancheong. Kang-jin is outside, looking out at the water, thinking back to their teenage years here.
Ji-wan joins him by the water, where he asks gently if she’s sober now, and if they should start heading home. He starts to give her general instructions, advising her to get along with her mother, not to get angry, to check her medicine, to be sure to take her to the hospital. There’s a finality to his words, like he’s passing along the baton since he won’t be around anymore.
After each part, Ji-wan listens quietly and nods. Kang-jin turns to leave, but she stops him with her question: “Then does this mean we can’t see each other anymore?”
He gives a rueful nod. She adds, “And we can’t call each other?” Again he nods, saying hoarsely, “Yeah.”
“Or eat together? Or hold hands?”
The finality of this moment stretches between them. Kang-jin steps forward and gathers Ji-wan in a hug. Looking over his shoulder, she cries and continues, “And you can’t hold me like this either.” Slowly, he pulls back and looks at her. She adds, “Then I won’t be able to say these words again either. I love you. I love you, Cha Kang-jin.”
He holds her face in his hands and kisses her.
When he lets go, he says with difficulty, “Let’s live happily.”
She nods and repeats those words, understanding that he means they’ll be living separately.
And then… ANOTHER YEAR LATER.
(OM*%^!#$%arg*!@&($^@+^*%)
The architecture business is now Lee & Seo, the Lee being Woo-jung. Kang-jin has moved out of the house but the firm has remained, and so has Young-sook. However, Lee & Seo will soon be moving out, and Jae-hyun thanks Young-sook for putting up with them all this time. She has grown fond of them and will miss them when they’re gone.
Woo-jung is late to work this morning, so Jae-hyun gives her a call — and is confused when a man answers, sounding sleepy. It’s Tae-joon, who has mistakenly answered her cell phone. Granted, they slept in separate beds and are both fully clothed.
Tae-joon’s not sure why he’s here, so Woo-jung tells him that she had gotten a call from the bar last night, where he’d fallen asleep drunk. This means she’s #1 in his phone, and she asks why. He answers, “It’s out of habit.” Woo-jung says that that’s going overboard; people will misunderstand.
Tae-joon asks teasingly whether she seduced him — “Did you kiss me while I was sleeping? I’m really sexy when I sleep.”
Looking around, he muses that he likes her cozy apartment. If she’d invited him to live with her, rather than the fancy apartment she had set up for them, he could have been happy. And then, he adds that he’s still open to it, then concedes that he knows this is also excessive.
Surprisingly, Woo-jung tells him that this last part isn’t going overboard.
Tying up a few more loose ends, we check in on Bu-san and Jin-kyung. She tells him that she went to see the doctor, who confirmed that she’s pregnant. Anxious and scared, she barks at him to take responsibility — and Bu-san breaks into a wide smile, only too happy to oblige. He promises, “I won’t abandon you or hurt you. I’ll even name the baby and fuss over it and be a really good father.”
Chun-hee now works for Miss Shin, and the two women look over in bemusement.
Kang-jin is still an architecture teacher at the university, where he wraps up a lecture, then heads out of the hall.
Ji-wan has finished her intern year and now scolds a new intern for falling asleep while on his shift. Her supervisor watches with satisfaction at this reversal (Ji-wan is now responsible and mature!), but when he walks off, Ji-wan leans in close and tells the intern that if he’s going to sleep, he’d better pick a better spot. She knows this great place.
She heads to the university library, and in the lobby, she spots Kang-jin at about the same time he catches sight of her. They both stop in their tracks, staring at each other for a long moment, the world blurring past them.
Then they both start moving again, and pass each other without saying a word.
The encounter scrapes at old wounds, and that night, Ji-wan cries at the desk where Kang-jin used to work. Kang-jin sobs in his car.
It’s a sight that tugs at the hearts of both mothers, who watch their children from a distance.
And so, Chun-hee calls Young-sook for a talk at the cafe. Chun-hee inquires after Ji-wan, and gets back the polite response that she’s fine. Chun-hee replies that Kang-jin is fine, too. Then she gets to the point, asking bluntly whether Ji-wan smiles these days. “My Kang-jin doesn’t. Is Ji-wan happy? My Kang-jin is unhappy. It seems like he’s trying his best, but he doesn’t look happy. Does Ji-wan cry?”
Young-sook hurriedly speaks up, but Chun-hee goes on: “My Kang-jin cries sometimes.” She informs Young-sook that he will be leaving Korea in a week for work, and will be gone for three years. However, she and Bu-san are both pretty sure he’s actually planning to stay away a lot longer than that.
Young-sook tries to maintain her calm, but her hands shake. When she gets home that day and sees the bare kitchen table, she’s reminded of all the happy times she spent there with Kang-jin, back when she believed he was her son.
As a last goodbye, Kang-jin revisits his mother’s old tearoom in Sancheong, then the river. Standing on the bridge, he looks at the pendant in his hand and remembers all the teenage scenes that occurred as a result of the pendant — how he’d lost it, how Ji-wan had tried to retrieve it for him, how he had confessed his feelings for her.
I appreciate that these recollections are captured in stills, rather than in motion, because it strengthens the feel that these are old memories, to be kept in the past like photographs to allow one’s current life to continue. To underscore that point, Kang-jin opens his hand and lets the pendant fall. As it drops into the water, he breathes, as though in relief.
Then, as he walks on, he comes face to face with Ji-wan.
They haven’t spoken in a year; he looks intently at her, and lets her establish the mood. Ji-wan smiles pleasantly, phrasing her question as a stranger would: “Are you a resident here?” Playing along, Kang-jin answers, “Not anymore. I used to live here.”
Ji-wan replies, “I see. I used to live here, too. Then do you know a man who lives here named Cha Kang-jin?” Still polite, he says, “I do. What is it about?”
Ji-wan says, “My mother asked me to convey her greetings to him. Before he leaves the country, she asked him to come eat dinner at our house.”
The significance of this is clear: Ji-wan waits for his response, both hopeful and nervous. The longer his silence stretches, the more her confidence flags, and she adds, “If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll go…” She waits a little more, hesitantly repeating, “Do you have anything to say?”
Keeping his gaze fixed on her, Kang-jin thinks to himself:
Kang-jin’s voiceover: “How have you been? I missed you. I’m glad to see you looking healthy. I’m really glad.”
Disappointed, Ji-wan says, “Since it seems you don’t have a response, I’ll go now…”
She starts walking away slowly, but she can’t quite believe that he won’t say something or come after her, and steals a glance backward.
Kang-jin watches her walking away, and thinks:
Kang-jin’s voiceover: “Ji-wan once asked me: If time turned back to let us make our choices again, which road would we choose? I told her, if time turned back, I would choose the same path. If I just have her — if I just have the woman walking in front of me — I would willingly, gladly choose that path again.”
And now, he starts to follow after her, walking (literally) into the light. The camera pulls back, and in the distance, he catches up to her.
COMMENTS
I’m still not sure how I feel about this finale. On one hand, just the fact that nobody died and our leads ended up together should be cause for relief, if not outright celebration. We even got a few extraneous happy endings to add to the glow, such as with Woo-jung and Tae-joon, and Bu-san and Jin-kyung. I never really cared about the latter coupling, but the former surely deserves their second chance, now that both have mellowed out a bit, matured, and learned to appreciate what a good thing they had going. If anything, watching star-crossed lovers struggle so mightily to love each other must have taught them not to take their relationship for granted.
The ending isn’t quite bittersweet — it’s actually pretty positive, so I think it’s too happy to be bittersweet — but it still leaves me wanting a little more, so I’m not perfectly satisfied.
I think I am of two (disparate, opposing) minds about our finale. (1) On an intellectual level, I understand why the writer chose to do things this way, but (2) as a viewer who has laughed and (okay, mostly) cried with these characters for weeks, I wanted more.
For example, I understand Young-sook’s plea for Kang-jin to cut ties with her family. I did not like it, but I could see that it wasn’t her being a villain determined to ruin his happiness. So I won’t complain that it’s a plot contrivance, but I will complain that it made the ending somewhat anticlimactic.
I loved that Chun-hee went to Young-sook to inform her about Kang-jin and remind her that the kids aren’t happy. I understand why the writer chose to keep this moment small, rather than going big and emotional like in the previous episode when Chun-hee begged for Young-sook to let go. Young-sook needs to come to the decision on her own, so pushing her won’t achieve the desired effect. She has to make that step on her own. But still, I wanted more of a compelling reason for Young-sook to change her mind. She goes home and remembers Kang-jin acting like her loving son, and that’s it? I wanted a bigger epiphany for Young-sook — like a scene of her talking to Ji-yong, maybe of him urging her to let go, or something to really convey that she is healed.
And I also understand why the writer framed the ending this way — this is teh first time these kids have had a completely clean slate, so now they get their second chance. No guilt, since Young-sook has forgiven the Cha family, and no opposition, since Young-sook has now extended her olive branch. It’s like Kang-jin’s ending narration — if they had the chance to make their choices over again, he’d choose the same way as long as he had Ji-wan. This is their second chance to make that choice, and now he has Ji-wan with him, so no matter what happens, there will be no regrets.
So I understand that the writer opted for an understated, quiet ending — she’s already given us the melodramatic big gestures, so this would be a refreshing contrast. I understand it, but dammit, I’m Korean and I’ve got a love for melodrama running in my veins — gimme that grand, definitive gesture already!
As for the drama as a whole…
Despite the melodrama tag, this drama was actually infused with a refreshingly light, enjoyable atmosphere. That’s particularly true of the early episodes, and had the drama ended with Episode 10, I’d have been firmly in love with it.
There was a lot of goodness after Episode 10, but that’s where my feelings start to grow conflicted. I understood why things happened the way they did, but I wasn’t enjoying the angst as much. The angst in the first ten episodes was actually a lot of fun (in my opinion), because we always had a payoff and relationship growth accompanying it. In the drama’s latter third, it started feeling like angst for the sake of angst. Poor Go Soo and Han Ye-seul! Did they even realize what they were getting into?
Of course, I say that in jest because both leads have certainly benefited from this drama, despite its middling ratings (it ended today with a 10.9%). I read a few complaints that Go Soo’s tortured acting became tiring to watch, but I think those are in the minority; this drama has been touted as the “Rebirth of Go Soo.” He’s had successful roles in the past, but this and Into the White Night have really established him as not only a pretty face but a pretty strong, intense actor as well.
The responses to Han Ye-seul have been more tempered, and I’ve run across a lot of articles and reviews that qualify her performance, saying, “Even though she has vastly improved her acting here, it’s still lacking…” I agree with that, but on the whole I think Han has acquitted herself pretty well. She could have done more with her role, for sure (and I wish…!), but her efforts to improve are evident; in some of the recent episodes, I thought she showed even more range of expression than Go Soo. She’s still an actress who has difficulty fully immersing herself in character, and she’ll have to choose carefully in the future, but she’s made a lot of strides to distance herself from her old image as a pretty face with marginal acting skill.
And we can’t leave out Jo Min-soo, who played a character who could have been merely irritating and brash, yet instead gave Chun-hee a lot of depth. I could see a number of other middle-aged actresses attempting this role and making Chun-hee hateful, but Jo hit upon that tricky balance of assertive, immature, and vulnerable. Her scenes with Go Soo were simply wonderful.
So I have to conclude that while the ending didn’t leave quite the strong impression I wanted it to, I am glad I went counter to my impulse to avoid all things melodramatic and gave this drama a whirl. I doubt anyone would call it one of Lee Kyung-hee’s best works (not when she has I’m Sorry, I Love You and Thank You to live up to) but it’s not her worst and I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely, either. In between the copious angst and tears, there were a lot of delightful moments.
Will It Snow For Christmas is pretty much a straight, standard melodrama, and some have said that it feels a bit out of step with current trends, or dated. I agree, and the ever-so-slightly-faded color palette and melodic score enhances that feel. However, I look at it in a glass-half-full way; it’s reminiscent of earlier melo fare, but with better acting, music, and overall production quality, making it a “classic” kdrama romance.
RELATED POSTS
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 15
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 14
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 13
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 12
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 11
- Go Soo: “I didn’t know this role would be this painful”
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 10
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 9
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 8
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 7
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 6
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 5
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 4
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episode 3
- Will It Snow For Christmas: Episodes 1-2
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1 shzei
January 28, 2010 at 10:07 PM
\It felt really long didn't it?
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Thinking.likeYG
March 3, 2012 at 5:55 PM
It did, i think thats due to the continuous change of the focus point. There was like 10000 focus point of the story!!!! From the "low life" to "death of brother" to "losing of job" to "death of father" to "crazy mother" to "omg, i cannot marry my gf"!!!! But I think its also due to the time elasp
I ENJOYED IT THOUGH!
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2 ronjbonj
January 28, 2010 at 10:19 PM
ahh, it's kinda finally over D:
when christmas came out at first, i was so exctied because it was actually a really nice drama with a cute & loving cast :]
....so much for quick judgement, huh?
after like the 5th episode, i knew it was never going to have a happy ending.. there was never a real solid time where kangjin + jiwan were happily in love without it being over in the next minute
i think this drama deffinetely dissapointed me
i feel bad for go soo, especially since this is his first like "performance" since he got back from the army - and it kind of failed
otherwise, if it was a happier drama - maybe it would have gotten more ratings?
anyways, it's over
thanks dramabeans for your wonderful recaps every day :]
i know it must have been annoying/hard to watch this dragging on drama EVERYDAY when it was getting suckier by the minute
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3 99
January 28, 2010 at 10:28 PM
This episode was the most heart wrenching episode. Thank you for your review Sarah!!!
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4 soyjoy
January 28, 2010 at 10:29 PM
Hahaha... "(OM*%^!#$%arg*!@&($^@+^*%)"
I had a feeling about halfway through the episode that there was going to be another fast-forward, and I kept hoping... But no. It had to be done. Cuz time heals all wounds (that the story can't work out), right? :P
I was definitely pretty dissatisfied with the ending; it almost felt like it should have ended just before that fast-forward, because there was so much more to that moment than to everything that came after, which felt like a series of afterthoughts. You know? Like he should've gotten up on that bridge, tossed the pendant in.. and then, I dunno, she jumps in after it and he jumps in to save her but they manage to come out alive and realize they can never be apart?
Well, I guess that's why the writer did it the way she did... my alternative isn't that much better, LOL.
I also thought Jo Min Soo did a fabulous job in this role... hadn't seen her previous work but was definitely impressed.
Thanks for recapping this series javabeans! It's one that I wouldn't have started watching if not for your recaps, and I enjoyed it... plus found a new heartthrob to love :)
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5 oozzeee
January 28, 2010 at 10:31 PM
I am no expert in dramas but honestly, I hated the fact that the last few episodes were centered on Young-sook . It was like for every action/move that the main characters perform, they have to take into consideration the consequences it would have on Young-sook. Granted that she is the mother of the lead but honestly, she wasn't even a good mother to start with..
That aside, I would like to thank you javabeans for the recaps. It is still doubtable if I will watch the drama for real but I enjoyed reading your episode recaps.
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6 Anh Nguyen
January 28, 2010 at 10:36 PM
Thank you, JB for the final recap~
For me, I will stay away from melodrama for a while. :) Having said that, I do love WISFC a lot. Less so for the later third of the drama. But overall, it is a quality drama, who has the tone of its own.
And perhaps I am not Korean, I like the quiet ending. lol. The moment is not big, but still captures a lot of emotion. The way I understand about the drama is like this. The first arch is about holding on to love, and face the past. CH came to seek out JW's father. And JW had to overcome so many things to face her past.
The second arch is about letting go of the past, to forgive and come clean. This, however, feels inadequate compared to the first arch. Using Young-sook as the main angst is a bit tiring. Although I do understand why KJ behaved the way he did, it was a bit too painful.
Resting all matters aside, I am glad to have a good ending. A quiet one where things look brighter.
About the time leap - I knew even before this episode began that we would need another one. lol. Time is such an important factor in this drama, almost like a "character" itself.
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7 hye
January 28, 2010 at 10:37 PM
The ending lacks... Something.
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8 estel
January 28, 2010 at 10:38 PM
I'm with you, JB - the understated ending is artsy and all, but darn it, would have been so awful for them to get together in some grand, sweeping moment of unadulterated happiness?!?
Thanks so much for recapping WISFC! I've enjoyed all of them immensely. :)
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9 Kender
January 28, 2010 at 10:39 PM
Not gonna lie, I almost started crying reading this recap. Mostly it was the bit about Jiwan crying on Kang-jin's desk, and him crying in his car.. That really got me. I felt mostly detached from this drama throughout the entirety of it's running, but it's as if all of the angst that's been building up suddenly flooded over me while reading this. Very strange feeling, and now my heart feels heavy.
This isn't a drama I ever felt compelled to watch, so I've mostly just been following your recaps. Still, I don't think it's something I'll forget easily. Oddly enough, it touched me without me even realizing until now.
I'm glad you decided to recap this drama, JB. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the trendy, super-popular dramas and go back to something "classic."
And I've now been introduced to Go Soo, Song Jong-ho, and Kim Soo-hyun, so I'd say this was 16 episodes well spent. :)
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10 csfan
January 28, 2010 at 10:40 PM
Thanks javabeans for the recap! I loved this drama and I absolutely agree with your thoughts overall :) I loved reading your recaps from the beginning to the ending of WISFC.... Makes watching WISFC more fun heheeh
Loved both GS and HYS... :)
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11 nixxochick
January 28, 2010 at 10:42 PM
i had read some spoilers and comments people had posted about the ending..saying how much they hated it and that it wasnt a happy ending, i believed them and all day had told myself i would probably hate the ending but i needed to watch it myself....i LOVED the ending. i can see why other viewers would hate it but i really loved that they are starting with a clean slate and have chosen the same path
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12 socal
January 28, 2010 at 10:43 PM
Finally it is over... I'm mixed about the ending, b/c like javabeans, I wanted more... for the two to finally really be happy together. but alas, this is a melodrama.
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13 amg01
January 28, 2010 at 10:44 PM
The question of forgives and guilt (Shame) is quite different in the western mind as oppose the a Confucian culture, I am extremely disapionted that the writer choose this route, It is unrealistic to see someone take on the role of another person just to try to find forgiveness for the guilt that one feels, but in the judeo/christian, or secular mind that is not reasonable, the writer made Kang-jin into the most mess up person in the drama JI-Wan was able to overcome here demons so the other characters, but Kang-Jin at the end was the most pathetic excuse for a man, the strong male that we saw up into chapter 10 turn into a p-ssy woop male, the ending tank IMHO!!!!
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14 lovewls
January 28, 2010 at 10:47 PM
Ahhh it's finally over! I'm glad the ending is positive, although for me it lacked a little bit of happy emotions. At least a long hug.. since they've been longing for each other and not seeing each other for a year. I thought that a better, more emotional (in a happy, overjoy sense) would be appropriate after witnessing all the angst.
Thank you for the recaps of WISFC Javabeans. It's been a pleasure reading your summaries and insights.
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15 socal
January 28, 2010 at 10:54 PM
Thank you Javabeans. I always love reading your recaps... maybe more than watching the dramas. Can't wait for your next project. xoxo
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16 daisies
January 28, 2010 at 10:56 PM
ahh! *sigh.
i knew that i wouldn't get this big HAPPY reunion between our main couple when there were only 5 minutes or so left. YET, i still hoped and was a bit [understated] disappointed. I became a fan of this drama and loyally watched it the day it came out and read your recaps every week, so this somewhat lacking ending left a bad impression. Sure, it was satisfying in the way one would get satisfied from eating a small sandwich after starving the whole day, but i still have my reservations about it.
okay, enough complaining about the ending.
i actually liked it too. im glad it didn't end with jiwan-and-kangjin-eternally-separated-because-of-parents'-problems.
THANK YOU JAVABEANS for providing these recaps every W/TH. you never failed to deliver and i mean DELIVER. i thoroughly enjoyed your insight and comments and i hope that you'll continue recapping dramas you enjoy for readers to gobble up.
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17 lollilollilollipop
January 28, 2010 at 10:59 PM
@9, Kender.
did you see the actual scene with Kang-jin and Ji-wan?
if you didn't you should. reading about it doesn't compare.
it was heartbreaking to watch and made my heart ache too.
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18 maria
January 28, 2010 at 11:06 PM
i'm not korean, but i AM asian, and you are SO right: on an intellectual level, i *get* it. *sigh* fine fine fine... but on an emotional level, i was promised a freaking melodrama, and i wanted LIGHTS! GRAND! GESTURES! dang nabbit. overall, i think it's really more the *realness* of the plot that annoys me, more that the making up of the plot itself, does that make sense?
...i mean, it's an asian melodrama, they were soooo free to roam and test the limits of imagination where boys are knights in shining armor, love conquers all and all that fluff. this isn't to say that i would've been happy with a kerfluffy ending that didn't make sense either, but THIS one just felt so.. REAL. and it could've still been that way, but with some more touching touches. heehee! (like the scene where they're both crying separately? THAT JUST GOT ME!! ARGH!! MY HEART! IT BLEEDS!!! ) but the ending... it's almost like it made TOO much sense, yunno? like the sensibilities of the charcaters made it less than a TV show more real life. and i watch TV shows to get out of the restrictions of real life, dammit! it's ESCAPISM! ...and while i appreciate the writer's respect of the the viewer's intellect by not injecting inexplicable plot lines, i guess...... for me, it just wasn't enough to help-- to LET me-- escape.
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19 shiningmoon
January 28, 2010 at 11:09 PM
Thank you very much JB for your recaps, I really liked it. I'm not sure about the ending of the drama thought, I would like a little bit more of joy in the end for ours leads.
But anyway is not to bad, suppose they're together or gonna be together, hope.
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20 Kender
January 28, 2010 at 11:11 PM
@17 lollilollilollipop
Nope, not yet. My internet's being slow today (stupid Comcast), so I haven't been able to download much. Trying again tomorrow, though.
And OT, but thanks for getting that song stuck in my head. x.x
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21 Marie
January 28, 2010 at 11:21 PM
Thank you so much for your wonderful recap JB . I was a bit disappointed with the ending I would have been happy with at least a hug but , at least there was a positive move. Anyway thank you for making the series enjoyable to those of us that don't understand Korean.
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22 eiko
January 28, 2010 at 11:23 PM
sighhhhh....the only person I felt deserved something better was Ji Wan! That ending sure left it all up in the air as with all the previous times she tried to get him back. What happened to him? I mean psychologically and emotionally he looked like he had been beaten!
I'm glad it's over....
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23 elaineD
January 28, 2010 at 11:36 PM
if this drama had a bigger ending for these two leads, i would've actually started to watch the drama, but they didn't...sooo... onto ANOTHER DRAMA! hmm... what is next?!
(:
it seems hard to find quality dramas these days with the full package.
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24 nitnotzz
January 29, 2010 at 12:17 AM
This drama should have ended at ep10....*sigh*
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25 victoria
January 29, 2010 at 12:18 AM
Hello, I don't normally leave comments but I just wanted to say thank you this time round because I really appreciate your efforts in recapping dramas. :) I'm studying and am always too busy with school and other commitments to catch full dramas so I check your site everyday for updates! :D
Reading your recaps is like speed watching the drama. I get to 'watch' the drama in that sense and still have time for other things. So thank you javabeans! :D
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26 jeankaycee
January 29, 2010 at 12:22 AM
@javabeans, thank you soooo much for recapping this drama. i have great time reading your recaps!
regarding the ending, as a viewer you cant really help your self to ask for more coz thru out the drama the leads have suffered too much that you ask for a more grand ending but i guess in line with the characters that they decided to end this way.
kudos to the cast esp to go soo, who personified his character and the eyes that really breaks my heart everytime that he cries. he really step-up acting wise (hopefully he would have more projects to came!). also, Jo Min-soo did a superb job in being Chun-hee, she makes the character relatable that you cant seem to hate her.
this drama, even the countless year(s) jumping(is it 4 or 5 times? i dont want to count again) sequences they have in the series still they manage to make you appreciate the story and the characters. (also, no lead characters died in cancer or accident, so its a big relief!). WISFC as you guys said is a standard drama but added with more sophistication and heart. and good cast!
in general, as a viewer will it snow for christmas touched my heart.
@javabeans, thank you again!!!
off to re-watching again!
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27 abcdefg
January 29, 2010 at 12:24 AM
@22 eiko - i agree with you, i do not like what the writer did to go soo's character in the last few eps. kang jin in the later eps is just a mere shadow of kang jin in the early eps - diminished.
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28 OzChick
January 29, 2010 at 12:39 AM
I gave up on this drama a couple of episodes back but continued to read your recaps. It started off so well, but then the plot started to become tiring and I just lost interest. Also, the manner in which the two leads got together seemed a little... forced in my opinion. It just didn't seem natural and there was just too little interactions between the main couple to make their 'grand love' seem believable enough. So yeah... didn't really enjoy it much. Pity though, because I thought Go Soo was fantastic and I was really warming up to Han Ye Seul's acting.
Likes:
1. The actors who played Tae-joon and Woo-jung were great. I loved their interactions with each other as well as with the other leads. They shone individually also. Am looking forward to seeing more of their roles.
2. Go Soo. Enough said. And not just because he's absolutely gorgeous, but also because the man can actually ACT. He emote so many feelings and words with just one look from those deep, soulful eyes of his. Brilliant.
3. The child actors were fantastic. I would've been completely satisfied with just watching those two for 16 episodes.
Dislikes:
1. The storyline. Found it a bit boring and cumbersome. It tended to drag a bit also when it came to Chun-hee and Junsu's parts.
2. Han Ye Seul's acting. She could've done so much more with her character and was very wooden during the earlier episodes. However, she improved quite a bit over the few remaining episodes, but I still would've preferred another actress for the role.
3. Too little screentime between the main leads! Would've liked to see more cute interactions and just... more interactions in general.
I will end up finishing this series... eventually lol. But with so many interesting dramas this year (Lee Min Ho's, Chae Rim and Siwon's, Kim So Eun's first lead role, Changmin's Paradise Meadow) I'll probably end up forgetting about it! Overall, I wasn't completely satisfied with this drama. It started off so so well but just left me wanting more and in the end, it just left me feeling disappointed. Thankyou so much for your insightful recaps JB! Am eagerly anticipating your next new drama - 'Paradise Meadow' next perhaps? :D
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29 maximillian
January 29, 2010 at 12:49 AM
thank you so much JB for 16 episodes of WISFC.
thank you for your comments and insights.
just like you i wanted MORE but satisfied with how it ended.at least it did not end with death...physically or emotionally.
ill definitely watch this drama.
JB another great work done! see you in Wish upon a STAR!
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30 snow
January 29, 2010 at 1:09 AM
thanks for finishing the recaps, javabeans!
i felt there could be a little more to the ending, but i guess a quiet one works too. still, something seems to be lacking in the last 6 episodes of the drama, i wish they'd gone about things a different way, and they never properly addressed the issue of han jun-su, either. i just wish kang-jin and ji-wan got to spend more time together, happier ones too, since most of their scenes were drowned in angst.
anyway, at least they got together!
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31 faridah2201
January 29, 2010 at 1:24 AM
Am I the only one who liked the quiet ending? (Thx for the recaps). I think the best aspects of this drama were the quiet moments so having it end on a more quiet note was nice. It was clear that they were going to be together, no ambiguousness, but since the show seemed more about circumstances than big whole destiny thing, I felt a big ending would have been too much.
I agree that the Young-Sook's transformation was annoyingly quick but this episode affirmed my love for Chun-Hee's character. All in all I was satisfied with the last episode (the last time jump wasn't so bad , we knew it was coming).
The last third of the show was annoying to watch for me b/c while I got why Kang-Jin felt he had to nobler than everyone, I personally didn't find it believable. KJ is an amazing man but his sacrificing himself for everyone was ridiculous to me. The last sacrifice that I approved of was when he told Chun-Hee to leave, after that, anything involving Young-Sook irked me.
On a final note, maybe this is just me but I think Chun-Hee and Jun-Su's love story would have made an interesting melodrama in itself, granted an ahjumma one, but a good, sad one. Right up this PD's alley, angst galore.
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32 sachi4jay
January 29, 2010 at 1:34 AM
Yay :) Now that its over, I can't wait for the subs to be finished so that I can sit down with my friends and watch it all in one go. Going to make a weekend of it! Go Soo is amazing. Have not watched any of his previous works before but I might give it a whirl now. Lovely eyes, lovely expressions. Wow. Can't wait to cry now ^^ Thanks for the recaps btw, amazing as always! What is going to replace WISFC now btw? Does anyone know?
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33 Pully
January 29, 2010 at 1:37 AM
Somehow, melodrama still doesn't do me any good. Since I can't sympathy any of them, and as I watch I feel incredibly bad for the actors. Now the drama is over, they must laugh until their stomach burst because they won't have to cry everyday anymore. YAYA !!!
Thanks for the recaps, as always.
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34 Emeldy
January 29, 2010 at 1:42 AM
It does fit in to classic K drama. It feels like going back to the root, which had drawn me to the world of k drama. I enjoyed WISFC, and i loved every bit of it. But i want more.........
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35 glencorajane
January 29, 2010 at 1:50 AM
JB - Thanks for the recap and sticking with WISFC thru the end.
I think the ending is appropriate for the whole tone of the show. ep 16 really is very watchable, nearly all the scenes are memorable. I cried thru the whole show. Perhaps I am biase, but I like the how Go Soo and Han Ye Seul has carried the show and I like Sun Woo Sun too. This is indeed a classic melodrama with an updated feel (with the light hearted moments).
I have mentioned before, if there is a scriptwriting school for korean dramas, this show should be used as textbook material for discussion and analysis.
#32, a new medical drama about OB-GYN will be replacing it. JB has featured it in an earlier post.
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36 deannadsc
January 29, 2010 at 2:17 AM
I LOVED THE ENDING, although others may NOT agree with me!!! It is a MELODRAMA afterall, what did you expect??? (in fact, I was even fearing a worse ending-scenario!!!) The finale brought a more 'realistic' closure to ALL the characters' dilemmas, especially because of the two families conflicts. Forgiveness is never an easy thing to do or give & even in real life...TIME heals all wounds & parents could never turn their backs on their childrens' happiness!!! I'm satisfied w/ the ending & cried a bucket of tears in this last episode...just as I would have expected...only KDramas could do!!! LOVED IT & WILL MISS GO SOO!!! time for me to re-watch it over & over again!!!
Kamshamnida, to the subbers, actors & everyone involved in this meloDRAMA!!!
But more so to you, JB...i wouldn't have appreciated WISFC as much, were it not for your insightful & beautifully-written recaps!!!
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37 anne20
January 29, 2010 at 2:27 AM
i like the ending. I chaff at open endings though because i want to know how "exactly" the writer wanted the protagonists' stories to end, but hey, at least this way we can be creative and let our imaginations run wild.
Anyway, i'm dissatisfied with the way KJ's guilt over JY's death & YS's amnesia have been handled which was why i've been keeping mum the past few episodes, because I wanted to see the ending before I made any final judgments. :P I'm happy though with WHERE all the lingering drama has brought Kang Jin. I did wonder several episodes ago "what if KJ gets the stupid idea of dropping the pendant back into the river" but it got buried in the shower of plot twists. I remember thinking "then JW's sacrifice would have been such a waste, and who knows if the pendant can still be found a second time."
But this time, letting the pendant go serves a strong symbolization of KJ letting go of the guilt. Hence, the reason why I love the scene tremendously. This time, with both KJ and JW having been freed from the burdens of their pasts, they can fight more consciously and ferociously for the future they both know and feel they deserve. This time around, they can't possibly lose with both of them at the helm of their relationship.
It's a quiet, non "spectacular" ending but I think it's consistent with the overall tone of the show. This ending works for me. ^^.
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38 anne20
January 29, 2010 at 2:30 AM
oh, P.S. Young Sook forgiving CH and KJ for JW's sake (for her happiness)..in the end, it's the first generous thing she's done for her daughter, isn't it? tsk2x
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39 ella
January 29, 2010 at 3:11 AM
YES! i liked the ending. i was really afraid the writer would allow them to get together without tying all the loose ends. but i don't love the ending, since as you pointed out, ji-wan's mother didn't have that big epiphany to make her forgive kang-jin. but it's good enough for me. it's hard to end melodramas, and this is one of those few k-drama endings that didn't disappoint me.
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40 anna
January 29, 2010 at 4:00 AM
i love the ending. and, no i am not korean either. but from experience of all the kdramas i've watch, i have learned not to have super high expectation on its endings, esp, melodramas.
the final episodes was pretty great for me, i like the fact that the writer showed us what happened to the other small plots, and didn't leave their story hanging. the jiwan and kang jin's crying scene and both witnessed by their mothers was one of the best scene for me in this final episodes (and as a drama in whole) - it somehow reflects that what had happened to both of them aren't their fault and both mothers have part on the kids suffering.
and also, the ending on the bridge, when kang jin threw his pendent in the water. that somehow made me cry and smile at the same time, it's like everything that he had hold in for the past years, all the guilt has finally setting away.
all and all, i really really like this drama. it's one of my favorite. for many reasons, (fine, go soo may have been one of them), but story plot, ost, acting, and directing wise for me all seems to be solid from the very beginning. i like not to go to small flaws-it suck out your enjoyment, not that i have found a lot in this one. and i have to say, personally, i prefer this than 'thank you'
anyway, thanks JB for the great recaps from the beginning!
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41 reverie
January 29, 2010 at 4:21 AM
hhh.....somehow the last few episodes makes me feel 'tired'
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42 cans
January 29, 2010 at 5:21 AM
During the final episode, my thoughts ran like this:
Ditzy Ji-Wan is the only one making any sense.
Oooh...crazy woman busted.
I think "crazy" is contagious, because I swear Kang-Jin has caught it also.
The going out of the country subject has come up. I knew there was an element missing from this drama.
Ji-Wan, you go girl! Yell out all the deep, hidden analysis.
Dang, Kang-Jin! Now I have that BoA song, "I Did it for Love" stuck in my head.
Crazy lady alert! Hide all sharp objects.
Someone kneeling for forgiveness. Check.
Where is Kang-Jin going with his speech? OK, he came back on track (Go Soo is freakin' amazing). Yay, let the healing begin -- HUH?!?! WHAT DID CRAZY JUST SAY??
I love how a naive, ditz Ji-Wan and a brash, street-smart Chun-Hee are kindred spirits.
Misty-eyed with their love story montage...then sobbing hysterically over their heart-wrenching, quiet break up.
White light? SERIOUSLY?? Are we going to see their kids fall in love in 20 years?
Why is Crazy still living at that house?
I feel bad for Woo Jung and Tae Joon. They had such big parts in the beginning, now they're just hanging around for the wrap party. To do list: Just finish Woo Jung and Tae Joon's storyline ASAP. Check.
Quickly finish Boo-San and Jin-Kyung's storyline. Check.
The student has become the teacher. Now Ji-Wan's scary supervisor can go back to the seul-lung-tang restaurant with a peace of mind.
Ji-Wan crying (awww...tsk, tsk) and Kang-Jin crying (pppuuuu...hahahaha). Of course their respective mothers see them crying like some teenagers that didn't
get asked to the prom. Let's just have Go Soo play basketball.
Then as I am totally engrossed in the ending, my boyfriend comes up from behind and asks, "Is that Jackie Chan? What movie is this?"
And I'm glad I was distracted because this was the My Name is Kim Sam Soon ending! SERIOUSLY?? Boo-San had the better ending.
********
Then I slept on it and read Javabean's recap in the morning.
It makes sense the final scene ended this way. The story started quietly with Kang Jin sitting in the back of a moving truck on a small country road. The beginning of the story was about how Ji Wan was constantly following Kang Jin trying to prove to him her love. In the end, Kang Jin is following Ji Wan (and has followed her throughout the years) proving his love for her.
This was a melodrama for me. At first I couldn't see why this was classified as a "melodrama" since it didn't seem like some of the "classic" melodramas from the past. But like the other melodramas that I've seen (not a whole lot, just a couple), my emotions were really heightened -- anger, frustration, sadness, giddiness. I got really attached to the characters because I wanted them to survive after all their hardships. The ending had the same taste...what a journey, life goes on.
Thank you Javabeans!!
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43 Monika
January 29, 2010 at 5:38 AM
like everyone else im not satisfied with the ending either. but uhm its a relief its not a bittersweet ending. Will it snow for christmas really left me with confused feelings. But overall i enjoyed it. thank you so much javabeans <3
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44 honest_will
January 29, 2010 at 5:38 AM
hey all
great last ep
watched it on wiikii with subs
the writer did well with tying up all the loose ends
with the KJ and JW, TJ and LJ, and BS and co
great acting by the leads and special mentions to CH
CH and YS reconcile was very small and great but i was hoping for more
and the ending really left a bad taste in my mouth, it felt like i was watching a similiar series IM SORRY I LOVE YOU with so ji sub and that ending was a bit half and half
i wanted more and since it was a korean drama, i either wanted it really sappy or really bad, i dont like middle ground
if it was me and the ending was of my choice
1. have the last meeting at where all kdramas usually finish, THE AIRPORT
2. where YS decided to give her daughter's hand to KJ over dinner
3. a final kiss scene, actually i wanted the whole show to finish at the point where KJ takes the drunken JW back to their hometown near the bridge and say their I LOVE U
4. KJ having a secret behind the scenes relationship with JW without the mum knowing
5. even on a lighter note, let KJ go to the ER of JW hosp and pretend and propose or even admit to break the trust of YS to be together
6. when they met at the library/school where KJ taught, they should have made this the last scene where instead of the school, maybe outside near a park with a large tree, they meet up with each other for the first time in the year, as they see each other they look for a moment and continue on, but as they walk by, KJ drops his goods he was holding, grabs a hold of her hand and then kisses her to tell her that he had missed him and then snow starts to drop7.
7. instead of the bridge where they met up last, instead, go back to the very begining where they met, have KJ walking along the road, remeniscing about the past and then throwing away the pendant into the field of grass, then JW is driving back to town and unexpectedly sees KJ on the road, at that moment, there is a car follwing behind JW, she gets rear ended cos she suddenly applied the brakes
KJ hears the bang and runs up to the first car, see JW bleeding and unconscious, and the last thing she remembers is seeing KJ's face, he starts sobbing and starts saying his true feelings to get her to start waking up and by the time the ambulance people come, she's fainted, in a ER and KJ holding her hand all the way
WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK ABOUT MY SPECIAL ENDINGS? ANY COMMENTS WILL BE APPRECIATED
anyway another thing i wanna talk about is WHERE THE HELL DID HE FIND HIS PENDANT, IVE WATCHED THE LAST EP TWICE AND COULD NOT FIND WHERE HE FOUND HIS PENDANT (SORRY FOR CAPS)
ps last thing that i really hate is the title of the show WISFC
can someone explain to what it meant, was it supposed to be aymbolism or something
i was expecting the ending to end with some snow
but nothing happen
maybe the weather couldn't produce it or something
but i remember there were scenes earlier on with snow
but none now
can DRAMABEANS please clear up these thought for me, i really liked the show but there are still something lingering about it before i can really close this chapter
in ep 15, he found the ripped childhood photo in the drawer and knew that YS had something to do with it but then he couldn't find the pendant in the drawer or atleast how the video portrayed it
then he somehow had it at the end and then dropped it back into the water, how ironic, can SOMEONE explain to me where he had that pendant all along, did he have it on him all this time or what?
thanks DRAMABEANS FOR SUBBING, LOVE THE COMMENTS AT THE END and keep up the good work
i look forward watching CHUNO when available with subs and then reading your recaps for better understanding of what was happening in that era
honest_will
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45 su-pah
January 29, 2010 at 6:06 AM
Javabeans, thank you SO much! For recapping this entire drama and so beautifully too. I was in tears again reading this recap, it was a really emotional episode and you’ve more than done it justice.
Oh boy! This is going to be one longass comment:
That for me was a satisfactory ending. And I like that their reunion took place in the same place they first met.
I don’t think I can stand walking off into the sunset type scenes and other such flimsy cheesefests, and this ending kind of continued with its consistent theme, yet this time you could hear KJ’s thoughts. So sweet!
My fave ending remains to be the Tokyo scene in Soulmate though.
I agree with a lot of commenters, at first this episode left me wanting more too, but then it seems much better once you’ve stepped back and had time to mull over it. The more I’m looking back the more it’s making sense. Sort of like WKW’s films or HK film Lavender, I’ve often been like ‘WTF?’ while watching them, but the underlying meanings and metaphors hit you much later on and stay with you.
The writer did well. I may not have liked the Young-sook having amnesia story but I can live with it.
I think the theme resonating throughout the episodes (more than CH and JS eloping) was Ji Yong! They really milked that kid’s death, and so they should. How could these two star-crossed lovers have had inadvertently killed off my beautiful SJK? Bah! Stupid teenagers!
From how I see it, the story is split in three parts: 1) the childhood in Sancheong, where it all happens. 2) Seoul where Ji Wan has spent eight years in atonement. After episode 10, JW finally overcomes her burden of guilt towards her dead bother and develops a maturer approach. 3) YS' amnesia - from episode 11 it’s Kang-jin’s turn to pay up for both Ji Yong’s death and his mother eloping with Young-sook’s husband.
I think if you can understand that both JW and KJ are stupidly selfless, they would go for the forgiveness option as impossible as it is, above all other ways out, there were a gazillion things they could’ve done, but didn’t. Even if it meant eventually parting ways. Which I’m glad they bloody didn’t.
Yes, it was hella frustrating but all in all, a really good drama. Was painful seeing a once proud and astute Kang-jin as a broken man in the last episode, I cried like a baby at the desperate way in which he kneels before YS (and finally SPEAKS his heart out!), later when he keels over in the street, the way he cries in his car. Painful, much! I don’t really need to say this but will anyway; Go Soo is such a brilliant actor.
Still can’t get a lot of the scenes out of my head and sad that WISFC has finally come to a close. Sigh! Having withdrawal pangs already.
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46
January 29, 2010 at 6:19 AM
Off to the next Go Soo drama...I melt for him.
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47 anne20
January 29, 2010 at 6:35 AM
P.P.S. I just finished watching the subbed version and I'm laughing because while episodes 11-15 sort of draaaaggggeeeddd, I understand now that those episodes (and the equivalent number of years) were only there to give support Young Sook's "mild/out of the blue" moment of epiphany in episode 16. Those moments in eps 11-15 set the groundwork for YS to MISS Kang Jin and want him back in her life hehehh. Sneaky approach. Also, she must not be so bad after all, to want KJ back for Ji Wan, just because she saw that losing KJ made JW really unhappy.
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48 RandomTouristX
January 29, 2010 at 6:41 AM
First 10 episodes pretty much sums up what i love about Korean Drama:
* So much Heart
* Characters
* Great Scenes
* Interesting Set ups about ordinary lives.
* Real page turner
The last 6 episodes sums up what i really dislike about Korean dramas
* Over plotted contrived story lines
* Ridiculous intejectories to keep couples apart
* Dollops of unecessery emotional torture
* Not knowing when too much is not a good thing
* Really annoying endings (which frankly ruined everything, aka Autumns Tale)
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Two scenes that came up really off are: the crying scenes of JW at KJ's desk, and KJ at the car wheel. Something about the poses and the acting looks a bit fake. It almost felt unintentionally laughable which totally ruined the scene.
The final greeting scene, something is totally off. Could be the acting or the directing. I am just not satisfied.
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49 Ladymoonstone143
January 29, 2010 at 6:42 AM
Thanks Javabeans...I truly enjoyed this drama...am gonna miss Go Soo..:((( Hope he will have another drama soon...
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50 abcdefg
January 29, 2010 at 6:53 AM
@44 honest_will -
honestly, all your suggested endings are funny!!!
the pendant, is with the director all along. he gave it to kang jin to throw into the water because they don't need it anymore because the drama is over, yeheyyyyyyyyy!!!!
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