Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Javabeans' and Girlfriday's review

241 November 14, 2010November 14, 2010

Sungkyunkwan Scandal: Javabeans’ and Girlfriday’s review

by javabeans

You didn’t think girlfriday and I were gonna just let this drama go without commenting on it, did you? Both of us have been watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal weekly, even if we haven’t been able to do the recapping ourselves, due to the finiteness of that thing we call time. But now that the drama’s over, we thought we’d weigh in with our likes, dislikes, and general impressions.

Since the series has been thoroughly recapped, we won’t linger too much on the expository plot elements. Let’s just cut to the good stuff…

SONG OF THE DAY

Park Ki-young – “나예요” (It’s Me) [ Download ]

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JAVABEANS’ REVIEW

And, as we all know by now, there was a lot of good stuff in this drama, so let’s start with those.

Such as the Jalgeum Quartet, or J4, whose members were all very distinct and endearing in their own ways. The drama could have fallen into the trap of sticking each one in their respective corners in a superficial way, designating them things like “The Nice One,” “The Playboy,” “The Leader,” etc. Not that that’s wrong; it worked for F4. But in placing them along different points of the ideological spectrum, they also complemented each other in a more meaningful way.

The most obvious way being how our leads challenged and bettered each other through their friendship. This was no bubbly girl melting the ice man’s heart, or rich man saving the poor Cinderella. It was a marriage of true minds, and while it was not without impediments, it IS why Yoon-hee and Sun-joon won me over early on as the main pairing, even though I will acknowledge that Jae-shin cuts the more dashing figure. Yes, he’s very easy to fall for, and helped along mightily by Yoo Ah-in’s charismatic performance. But I love that the expected Hero Figure isn’t the main character here, and that the Stodgy Nerd is. And that Yoon-hee’s his perfect foil and just as intellectual. Yay for brainy girls!

To be perfectly honest, Yoon-hee was my least favorite character of the bunch, but that’s not really an indictment since the others were so likable. She was obviously necessary and had a bunch of admirable traits, but I probably feel about her the way many people felt about Sun-joon; I understood her place in the story, but wasn’t personally moved. Then again, while Jae-shin and Yong-ha so often stole the show, they are perhaps just that delicious because they aren’t the focus. They’re fantastic in small doses that leave you wanting more.

With all that said, it’s too bad the ending was a huge cop-out.

I always grumble when a drama’s ending delivers us a deus ex machina to save the day — which is to say, a last-minute solution dropping into our characters’ laps that isn’t an organic resolution of the problem, as in an act of god or some other magical fix. In this case, we get an act of king.

I understand that the king’s reaction to Yoon-hee’s identity is important, and appreciate that it was realistic to show him as a flawed man who let himself be swayed by less-than-noble ideals in sacrificing her for the sake of his vision. But when le shit hits le fan only in the very last episode, we know that it’s going to be resolved right away, sapping the conflict of all its conflicty energy. And when the trajectory of said big conflict is addressed from taking King Angry! to King Not Angry Anymore!… Well, what’s the point, really?

Basically you manufactured the final conflict, then manufactured its solution out of thin air. The king’s ire is the big problem, but then he just changes his mind, and therefore the day is saved.

Also, WTF with the vagueness of the epilogue?

First off, the end bit with Yong-ha annoyed me to no end, because it seemed to go back on the whole point of his character. One thing I appreciated so much about the earlier episodes is how each of the four had issues to work through, including Yong-ha and his matter of social class. He’s the tradesman’s son who pretends to be a nobleman, who is shunned for his social standing and then gains a measure of that acceptance back from his peers…and then you go and stick him back in trade?

I can see how the drama thinks it’s being cute in fulfilling his fashionista’s heart by making him a prototypical fashion designer, but this drama also has an ideological streak a mile wide and this just reneges on the point that a classless society is a hope worthy of harboring. This epilogue seems to say that society won’t change, so you may has well live with its strictures, which would make this whole geum-deung-ji-sa hunt and the king’s pursuit of a noble new Joseon…pointless. Yong-ha states that he’s fine because he’s found friends who accept him as is, which is true enough. But given how everyone else is given a pat happy ending that isn’t restricted by the soundest logic, his leaves me with a bitter aftertaste.

Then for the ending scene wherein Sun-joon and Yoon-hee are professors at Sungkyunkwan: She is addressed by the dean as Kim Yoon-shik, so she’s teaching as a man…while being married to Sun-joon? How, logistically, does that even work? What happens to her legally? How do people react to Mrs. Sun-joon after knowing her as Mr. Professor Yoon-shik? These may seem like nitpicky questions, but they’re actually quite important because they’re tied to the very foundation of the story.

All series long, I had been eagerly awaiting the solution to this dilemma of what would become of Yoon-hee once the truth of her identity became known. That was the whole point of all this tension and intrigue: How will it resolve? I had faith that this drama, which had done such a solid job with its plotting and characterizations, would give us a satisfactory answer.

These issues of gender and class — Yoon-hee’s status as impoverished gentry, her struggle to educate herself in the face of an oppressive patriarchal society that deems it illegal for her to go to university — drive the narrative, and part of our addiction is because we’re dying to see how the drama resolves this seemingly impossible dilemma.

Only, the ending didn’t give us any answers at all. It totally bailed on us, which means the whole drama was basically an ideological tease.

I was even ready to accept an ending that may have been historically inaccurate as long as it made sense in the context of the story. For instance, let’s say that Yoon-hee is made an unofficial member of the king’s cabinet — and even though she couldn’t be officially recorded in the annals of history as a government minister, the king would see her worth and find her wisdom valuable to his reign.

Or they could have even kept their epilogue mostly the same, and if the drama didn’t want to contradict history, it could have made the cheeky nod that everyone addressed her as Yoon-shik while knowing she was really Yoon-hee. Thus she is allowed to teach, but for historical record would be known as Yoon-shik. That would explain the crowd of students mooning after her and Sun-joon’s jealousy, as well as why she was teaching under a male name. If you’re gonna give us fanservice, then at least give us concrete scenarios to go out on rather than questions.

But enough about the ending. True, it did knock down my overall opinion of the drama a peg, but it doesn’t negate the fact that I found Sungkyunkwan Scandal to be, for the most part, delightful fun. And I’m aware that perhaps I’m only disappointed because the earlier bits were just so wonderful, so engaging, so cracktastic. Even an okay ending is going to feel like a letdown after the fantastic zippy angsty hilarity that preceded it. Such is the nature of crack addiction, I suppose.

GIRLFRIDAY’S REVIEW

I have this perennial problem with relationships—I set my expectations low, so as to not get invested, and not get hurt, but then once that hurdle actually gets crossed (at great peril, no less), I find that managing my expectations is near impossible. Now, this is sick, mind you, but my problem with dramas is pretty much the same. If you finally win me over, cracking my ice-encased heart and making me love you, then all of a sudden, I go from expecting nothing to expecting you to bring me the moon. Or the Moon. The hot one who doesn’t bathe.

Either way, we’re both screwed.

Because Show, as much as I did love you for a spell, you also let me down. It’s my own fault for letting my expectations get the better of me, but what can I say? I saw what you could’ve been.

Sungkyunkwan is an interesting case, because it didn’t get truly GREAT until the middle stretch. I clearly recall watching Episode 7 and thinking, “Now THAT’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!” and that greatness continued…until Sun-joon found out that Yoon-hee was a girl. And then it lost steam.

I know. You’re upset. But that’s what happens when your setup is so awesome…and then you don’t deliver the dramatic payoff. And that’s not even counting the finale, which basically made me want to hurl things at innocent passers-by.

Take for instance Sun-joon’s discovery that his naughty crush on a he is actually a not-so-naughty crush on a she. (Taken with a grain of salt, of course, that the drama feigns to be neutral on the issue but succumbs to the same hetero-normative ideas that make his so-called gay feelings just a holdover on the way to true love.) Such wasted dramatic potential there. How can you gloss over such a monumental change in the story? They go from discovery to happy footsie in what feels like a millisecond, and the dramatic weight is sapped out of the thing that drove the main storyline for those crack-laced middle set of episodes. That was the moment, when my love began to die.

I didn’t need Angst to Move Mountains or anything, but Sun-joon’s pulse-less reaction did nothing for me. I’m going to go out on the proverbial limb and say that acting was a major factor in this. Even Jae-shin’s discovery, which came much earlier, was handled better and given more weight, which just further confused the second-lead sufferers out there. I don’t know why you’d bother with such a fantastic setup (and it really was) if you’re just going to skip the good stuff.

And as a side note, I don’t know why everyone’s so up in arms about comparing Sungkyunkwan to Coffee Prince. Of course people are going to compare them. They use the same tropes. Why on earth shouldn’t they?

As much as that particular narrative crux bugged the crap out of me, I did get re-invested once the foursome got together in a more cohesive way. I liked the political intrigue once our main characters were set with the task of finding the geum-deung-frakkin-jisa. (Not that it proved worthwhile. GAH.)

But by then, I was already checked out of the romance, because it lost me back at the Road to Zero Tension. For me, Jae-shin became the hero (which was easy, since he’s written as the classic Big Hero type), and I stopped caring about the main couple’s romantic journey.

That isn’t to say that I checked out of Yoon-hee’s journey, because I stayed firmly with her throughout the entire series. I just cared less how she ended up with Sun-joon, because there was no dramatic push or pull there. I wanted very much for her to be happy, which included her very cute nerdy romance, but that was in no way the thing that made me tune in to watch.

As for the ending…I really don’t understand why they waited until the last episode to deal with the yet-again-monumental story point of Yoon-hee being outed as a girl. That’s a guaranteed second strike against you, in my book. I knew there was no way they wouldn’t leave me dissatisfied. I could’ve spent the entire second half of the drama on this one narrative thread alone, and it got relegated to an afterthought. I felt cheated for wanting so much for her, as the heroine of this story.

And the worst part is, you made us believe that Yoon-hee will bring about a new world, and after ALL THAT…you have her continuing to live as a man? WTF, Show?

I’m further confused as to why the foursome didn’t end up in politics, because what the Zeus was the point of their “legacy” to bring about a new Joseon if they weren’t going to be on the front lines of making it a reality? I get that Sungkyunkwan professor fits the character profile, but it somehow doesn’t satisfy me narratively, even though I get that they’re educating the new generation and paying it forward.

The one thing I REALLY wanted in the finale, that might have made up for my distaste with the rest of it, was that one moment with all four characters, to openly admit that they all knew that Yoon-hee was a girl. Why is there no such moment? You have the three guys meeting up to maybe say it out loud….and then you cut away? (This is when the hurling of objects began.) Again, perfect setup, no payoff.

And it truly killed me inside to never let Jae-shin have one moment of gratitude and acknowledgement from Yoon-hee, for his undying love. But that’s less of a narrative gripe, and more of a wish-fulfillment moment for such a fantastic character.

All of this isn’t to say that I didn’t love Sungkyunkwan, because I did. But it had this major flaw of constantly setting me up for something AWESOME…and then dropping the ball, leaving me hugging my moon-shaped heart.

But what I did love, I loved wholeheartedly. I love how each of the main characters is idealistic in his or her own way, and the idea that in youth and education is the seed of change. Each character’s separate journey or reason for wanting a new society—whether Yong-ha dreams of a classless one, or Yoon-hee dreams of one where she can be equal as a woman—comes together to form a picture of a new world that you honestly feel that these characters could bring about. Even if what they dream of only begins to happen centuries later, I love what the fictional portrayal represents: that the true movers and shakers of the world are not the old and wise. They are the young and idealistic, the ones who dream of something that people in the established world could never imagine. I love that above all else, educating people of all backgrounds is what this story idealizes, in presenting Sungkyunkwan as a safe haven, and as the place where change begins.

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Tags: featured, Sungkyunkwan Scandal

241

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51 ashtoh

November 15, 2010 at 12:12 AM

i have had always been impressed by how to describe the dramas and ur comment. really drawn me into it...

thanks for ur comment..now since i hv just started watching this drama, will check out those things that u hv mentioned as 'unsatisfying' :)

annyeong~~

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52 jyyjc

November 15, 2010 at 12:41 AM

This is why I've been stressing about how they should've extended it by a couple more episodes T.T but overall i loved it.

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53 karened

November 15, 2010 at 12:41 AM

You took the words from my mouth, girlfriday!

I sorly hoped for a scene where Yoon Hee gets to know that Jaeshin and Yongha had long knew her true identity...

And the same thing happened to me.. From the big reveal onwards, I started skipping all the YH/SJ parts...not too interested in those anymore...

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54 Lady Seoul

November 15, 2010 at 12:44 AM

Beautiful! Hands Down exactly what I thought.
Took all the words right out of my mouth. <3

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55 smiley_yoochun

November 15, 2010 at 12:54 AM

so many of us is just not satisfy with the ending, right? I too. I enjoy watching it from the beginning till the end. I like how the story goes, there are more than love story, like father and son/daughter thing. but I agree the ending is pretty rush. is she a girl now and accepted in the SKK? she being discovered is supposed to be the climax in the story( I suppose) but it only appeared and solved in the last episode ? but nonetheless I enjoy watching it and I finished watching it. becoz usually in kdrama the last 2 eps is kinda predictable, but this one makes me think how the story resolve, though I thnk it was wrapped up too neatly for a complex story .. but I still thnk its one of my fav in kdrama.

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56 Angela

November 15, 2010 at 12:58 AM

Personally, I don't think it's fair to attack people for not wanting Coffee Prince to be compared with Sungkyunkwan Scandal -- especially when all during Playful Kiss's run, we were constantly told NOT to compare, despite the fact that it was much more applicable in that situation.

Yes, I wish SJ had shown a bit more reaction to YH's secret (he could've at least yelled at her) but I still don't get why people feel the need to constantly compare him to HK's character in Coffee Prince... sure, they both happened to fall in love with a woman masquerading as a man -- but that doesn't mean their reactions should be carbon-copies of one another.

If I was going to compare them at all, it would be in regards to the *emotions* their reactions were able to evoke in me as a viewer; not necessarily the reactions themselves. SKK lacked the PUNCH that Coffee Prince was able to deliver -- something that was possible, in large part, due to the strong, emotionally-driven male character at the helm... someone who would naturally have a powerful reaction to such a betrayal. But since the characters, time-period, ideologies, potential risk, and their roles in the female's cross-dressing were so different in Sungkyunkwan Scandal -- the lack of such makes sense. For SJ to freak out like HK would've been out of character and redundant.

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kappy

November 15, 2010 at 2:26 AM

I think it's expected that comparisons will be made between Coffee Prince and SKKS, and I agree with your points on why the reactions to boy-really-is-girl are not carbon copies. Similar situations, but the differences beget the different reactions. Feelings of betrayal initially, sure, but relief (though somewhat underacted/portrayed), for the character Sun Joon, quickly overrode that.

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Sara

November 15, 2010 at 5:32 AM

it would be a matter of taste.... though majority is enamoured by CP ,I'm in the minority where CP is just another drama for me.... so I was able to enjoy and blissfully addicted to SKKS on its own entity without comparing with other drama.... I certainly don't want for Sun Joon to be all angsty that last for an episode or so where I have enough of it in episode 13 to 15... just want my OTP to get it on already

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57 keunsukfan

November 15, 2010 at 1:03 AM

The one thing I REALLY wanted in the finale, that might have made up for my distaste with the rest of it, was that one moment with all four characters, to openly admit that they all knew that Yoon-hee was a girl. Why is there no such moment? You have the three guys meeting up to maybe say it out loud….and then you cut away? (This is when the hurling of objects began.) Again, perfect setup, no payoff.

totally agree with you GF! that was my only wish for the final ep! so disappointed....

but SKKS will always be one of my fave dramas of all time...because of Moon Jae Shin!!! I never really went for the 2nd leads, this is my first!

i miss the moon!

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58 rinkalove

November 15, 2010 at 1:09 AM

Dear JB & GF,

Wow. I'm constantly amazed at how eloquent the both of you are in putting across your thoughts. You said what I was thinking but could not have possibly written. Thank you once again. I often feel like I'm attending an English Literature lecture everytime I read your comments and reviews on a drama. It makes me stop to think and compose my own thoughts about a drama and in that, I enjoy the drama more.

Great job! This website is just awesome. Thanks for brightening up my dreary work day! =)

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59 ohgeeze.

November 15, 2010 at 1:09 AM

I started this drama Friday and finished it today. I was really hesitant at first because I had watched Yoochun's previous "banjun dramas" and I didn't see so much acting. I heard his acting got better which is why I watched it (and because I adore PMY and YAI) but.... it really hadn't improved that much.

I just thought I'd say that I was rooting for the Yoonshik-Jaeshin couple the whole time. AND that I thought the school president and his little... minion were the most annoying characters in a drama I've ever watched.

The ending left me with a lot of questions as well. Too bad the "new Joseon" didn't work out like the King wanted but overall, it was a good drama.

Thanks! BTW: I love reading your guys' recaps after watching episodes to read what how you analyzed it. This time I only got to read one episode recap because I had watched it in such a short amount of time but I still love what you guys do and I really appreciate it.

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60 meve

November 15, 2010 at 1:10 AM

YES!!!!!

i feel like i just won the lottery! haha knew i could count on you guys! yipeeeeeee!

1 item on Christmas wishlist...check!!!

now off to read...had to comment off the bat coz if i may say so..i've been raving and ranting about these comments for days!! haha

I Love you guys! err.. girls!! err the Thanks has no gender!! =D

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61 hjkomo

November 15, 2010 at 1:21 AM

Road to Zero Tension ROFL! :lol:

I love you, GF!!!, even if you call me hJOkomo ㅋㅋ...(and, of course, I love you, too, JB! ;)).

WTF, Show? -> I said that many, many times in the latter third of the drama, and many tangerines were thrown at the screen (thanks, Your Majesty, for the Jeju treasure). The ending was a cop-out of utter nonsensical proportions, especially the way they TOTALLY CRAPPED ON JEONGJO. Grrrr.
Seriously - WTF, Show?! O__O

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62 Phoebe

November 15, 2010 at 1:28 AM

I too feel disappointed with the ending, especially the epilogue part.. As much as I love the cuteness of the main pairing and Jaeshin, I feel like their characters in the epilogue are somehow... out of characters? It feels like they're very different characters from the ones we've adored, except for maybe the headmaster.

I would actually be satisfied if they really opt for open ending, e.g. GDJS was found, everyone's happy, YeonHee was acknowledged as an awesome girl... and the show just ends like that, leaving us pondering abt the future of the characters and their Joseon. Even though it was not complete, but I can still accept it if it was left like that.
But this one, they give us a sort of resolution that is not really a resolution. For example, they construct so many build-ups and sacrifice a lot of Jaeshin's blood for finding GDJS just to make it so easily found and burnt not long after. WTH?? At least if they intend to destroy it in the end, give us some time and stronger reason to do it, please?

And what I found really unacceptable is the fact that YeonHee still pretends to be a man even after she got married and everything is supposed to be 'resolved'? woot... What about the part when she said she wanted to proof that men and women are the same? What about the real YeonShik? No one thinks about him anymore? whew...

It's really frustrating especially since I loved the show and the characters so much...T_T
But hey that's only my opinion, and I cannot change what's been done anyway. I just feel so bitter with the ending I so wish I hadn't seen it, or at least had the power to cut the epilogue out.

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63 Ladymoonstone143

November 15, 2010 at 1:31 AM

Thank you for this review Javabeans and girlfriday. I thought I had my last say on SKKS but your reviews are awesome and reflected most of inner angst on the finale.

Truthfully speaking, after Sunjoon discovered that Yonhee was a girl...it went downhill for me because I know that my fave character, Jae Shin is on its way to the kingdom of the brokenhearted.

I blamed the SKKS writer solely for making me fall for Jae Shin so hard because she gave his character an aura that is full of intrigue and lots of hotness scenes right from the start (he looks good sleeping, he can kick ass, makes eating an apple so sexy, the swagger, I can go on and on...). As a woman, who would caught my eye first...definitely, Jae Shin. And discovering that he got brains to match his brawn...it eclipses everything that Sunjoon had to offer.

Yongha also help on the final push because I kid myself that if Jae Shin didn't get the girl, at least there is Gu Yong Ha that will be forever on Jae Shin side...:))

At least the writer gave a cute ending for Jae Shin...he is still available for the taking...and who knows in the not so distant future, someone with brains will do a spin off about him and Yongha because that person knows it will be a big hit...(even if they just do the special episodes on youtube )* wishing thinking*

Quick, I need another vaccine of the second lead syndrome...it was kind of dormant the last two days because Secret Garden occupied my mind but it came back again after this reading this review. The JS virus is so hard to control esp on a Monday because it will totally engulfed my system for the whole week....*sigh*

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Ashley

November 15, 2010 at 1:43 AM

If you find a treatment for Moony syndrome, let me know.

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Ladymoonstone143

November 15, 2010 at 1:51 AM

There is a vaccine out there offered but like everybody else that caught the Jae Shin virus, no one including me wanted to be cured...lol

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Sumee

November 15, 2010 at 2:30 AM

OMO ..i never want to be cured of MJS virus... ;-)

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aoikarin

November 15, 2010 at 6:48 AM

Go to http://yooahinhaven.wordpress.com for more supplement of moony virus infected!!

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64 Memei

November 15, 2010 at 1:41 AM

I'm having an overload. Almost everyone had their own EPIC EPIC REVIEWS. It's just....epic.

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65 Ashley

November 15, 2010 at 1:41 AM

I promised myself I wouldn't comment on this drama again, because waaaaaaaaay back in the early episodes I made the comment that Jae-shin struck me as just as good for Yoon-hee as Sun-joon, and the blog exploded. Rabid fandom is very, very scary.

But... Then this came out, and your comments were so astute I find myself too tempted to resist.

Jae-shin and Yong-ha stole the show. I mean, I wasn't bored with the other two, or fast forwarding, or hating them, or any of that, but I just didn't feel the same EXCITEMENT for them. That may be part of why the ending was so frustrating-- Jae-shin gracefully steps aside for the main couple, and NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGES HIS SACRIFICE! I'm not even talking about someone saying, "Wow, that was really big of you." I'm talking about an aknowledgment of his facing humiliation, prosecution, inconvenience, awkwardness, and bodily harm all in the name of helping Yoon-hee. I know the four of them are supposed to be good friends, and close friends don't have to go around thanking each other constantly for favors, but come on, Yoon-hee could at least have given him a hug and said something akin to "I appreciate you and all the injuries you have sustained on my behalf." Instead, Jae-shin gets an implied romance with a woman who is not as smart as he is. While the scene was funny, I'm kind of sad the guy ended up a guard. Really? A guard? Okay Show, I guess going out of your way to show us how smart the guy really is was just a tease, and he's NOT going to go and change the country in order to honor his brother's sacrifice. Well, maybe when he gets promoted.

I actually was NOT upset with Yong-ha's ending, because to me it showed that he now has the confindence to do as he pleases without feeling the need to impress anyone. I WAS upset that the four of them are not shown TOGETHER in flash forward at all. Are we to assume they've drifted apart now that two of them are married?

Speaking of married, I COMPLETELY agree with Javabeans. Sun-joon and Yoon-hee are teachers? And Yoon-hee is teaching as a man? I thought when all the students were following Yoon-hee around there would be some acknowledgment that she was a woman, and everyone knew it, but no. I suppose I'm allowed to just imagine it that way, but the show chose to leave that as one big, strange question mark. I find this funny, since I would have been perfectly happy if they chose to leave off with no time jump at all, but if they were going to tie everything up in a neat little bow, couldn't they have at least explained how Yoon-hee's gender fits into her new, evidently perfect life?

I agree with everything Girlfriday said, and I particularly agree with Javabean's comments about the King. Couldn't they have made him angry around episode 15 and allowed some time to change the guy's mind? At least then I would have felt like it was earned somehow. In fact, everyone's minds seemed to change rather fast in the last episodes. Cho-sun decides to like Evil Boy (by the way, WHY IN HELL WAS HER STORYLINE NEVER RESOLVED?!), Sun-joon's Dad decides he like Yoon-hee (and he wants her to marry his son? Seriously? The cross dresser who ruined your political career?), and the King decides to burn (rather than, oh say, keep for later political leverage) the thing he has been seeking for the ENTIRE SERIES. It was like priorities and life goals just sort of evaporated in the name of the Happy Ending gods.

I know this is a rant, but the set up was just so good, and the characters were so well drawn, I felt like they deserved better. Jae-shin was so compelling, even though the writers had to jump through hoops to keep him away from Yoon-hee (I still feel like those two were granted very little time together because the writers feared the audience would realize Jae-shin was just as adequate a match for Yoon-hee as Sun-joon was. Now, before I am murdered for this comment, I am NOT SAYING Sun-joon wasn't a good choice for Yoon-hee, or that they didn't compliment each other, or any of that. I'm saying he and Jae-shin were pretty equally matched when it came to being good options for her.). Yong-ha was awesome, especially when they finally revealed his flaw. I loved Yoon-hee, until they made her storyline so average, and made it perfectly clear they weren't going to resolve it in a compelling way. (Did anyone notice that Yoon-hee remains completely unaware of the fact that Yong-ha and Jae-shin accepted her as a peer even though they knew she was a woman basically the whole time?) Sun-joon was great too, honestly, especially when he started to transform, but the poor guy suffers from being in the same show with Jae-shin and Yong-ha. The writing on his storyline sort of fell apart as soon as he knew Yoon-hee's gender, and it became harder to get invested in him. I've seen a lot of people blaming the actor for this, but honestly, I think the character was just written that way.

Anyway, I enjoyed the show, and I wish it had ended better. Thanks for the recap, it emboldened me to get all of this frustration out, and now I can go back to just remembering the good times, and mooning over Moony :)

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Ladymoonstone143

November 15, 2010 at 2:04 AM

I totally agree with your comments. We never get the chance to glimpse of a scene where all our 4 characters gathered and say..."Hey Yonshik...we know that you are a girl...and I would love to hear Jae Shin piping in.."yeah...I got it confirmed when I saw you taking a bath.." (which would escalate to a bloodbath with Sunjoon).

I guess that the reason behind is that....the lesser people know that Yonhee is a girl...the lesser people will get punish if she will get caught being a girl. From the very beginning, it is implied that if she get caught in SKKS as a girl, it means death for disobeying the law. And in the conversation between Prof Jung and Yonhee's mom..it always goes to the line that if Yonhee gets caught, her mother would received the punishment....same goes with Prof Jung when he was talking with the King. Probably that is why, Prof Jung made the King promised to accept all the "flaws" that the quartet has...which open to all the possible flaws including being a girl.

This angle of the story was not explore thoroughly that is why we never get that scene of recognizing Yonhee as a girl with the quartet. I guess if they didn't acknowledged it ...they will not be an accomplice of the crime of knowing Yonhee as a girl.

The SKKS book is a treasure to read (judging by the snippets I read on the yogurutu's blog) but then, the drama crammed everything on it on just 20 episodes which gave us a hurried finale. If only they got 4 more episodes......I guess it will be a more satisfying ending.

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66 meve

November 15, 2010 at 1:50 AM

ok done.

great reviews as usual and as expected and as loved by all of us! really, as i don't think i can write a whole review the way you guys do (and i'm too lazy to set up my own blog), you guys basically almost said what i wanted to say. see that is why i was SOOO VIGILANT, almost ranting/demanding, that you guys do your reviews on SKKS coz it's such an irony of a drama. true, true the set-ups, the plotting, the potential..oh how sweetly they were all there that is why it drawn me even more than YAB did, because it seemed to promise not just to be a pleasant surprise (coz i expected it to be same ol same ol romcom w/ same ol same ol characters prior to watching. in fact i watched it only as filler while waiting for MGIG-w/c seems to be less addictive but so heartwarming it will always stay close to my heart-& i'm listening to fox rain as i read/write now hehe) but also a great and well-made drama. ah! IF ONLY! they would seriously vie for end of year awards NOT JUST for popularity but for SUBSTANCE too! too bad on that aspect!

STILL, i enjoyed it very much and the promise and refreshing-ness it brought me are enough to make me stay in love with it. and do i even have to add the 4 main chars and their friendship? precious!

"They are the young and idealistic, the ones who dream of something that people in the established world could never imagine." - gotta say GIRLFRIDAY, THIS got me! sooo inspiring! makes me feel powerful, of making a whole better world. (how i wish the Moon <3 will smile upon me on this endeavor =D)

ok this is too long, but you should have expected it. because this is the ONE POST I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO READ SINCE DISCOVERING THE LIL GEM THAT SKKS WAS/IS, as in from episode 1/recap 1!! ^^

And as My lil teeny weeny request, which was granted, and i'm sure was really because you guys have so much to share/say about this drama and you're just both so generous but i'm sorry i just feel so brilliant right now for even just conjuring it up in my mind and then seeing it materialized..it's like wow!!! haha for this, an all caps...

BIG BIG DAEMUL THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D
I READ AND READ THIS SITE, IT HAS BECOME A GOOD "HABIT"...

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67 annie

November 15, 2010 at 1:53 AM

Thanks for your - as always - brilliant comments, Javabeans and Girlfriday.

I am stuck in the middle of episode 18 and somehow have no real impetus to keep watching, especially now I know how it ends. (And this is me the spoilerphobe, but I ended up reading some spoilers because I thought it might revive my interest in finishing it.)

Girlfriday, I agree with you 100% about episode 16. I wasn't crazy-obsessed with SKKS like a lot of others, but I was really enjoying it - and giving up sleep to watch it - when the beginning of 16 just left me feeling so - blank. It was a waste of a brilliant set-up and all that dramatic tension, as you said, and I felt myself emotionally checking out from that point on. After that my emotional investment was about the same the feeling in Sunjoon's eyes. (Okay, that was mean.)

I don't even know if I'll finish this... Still, I have love for this show because of the cuteness, the bedtime fights, the look in Jaeshin's eyes, and those few absolutely amazing dialogues between Sunjoon and Yoonhee in the middle episodes.

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68 meve

November 15, 2010 at 2:10 AM

WOW you know what just made this epic post more epic, as 1 commenter said, it's the epic overload of epic reviews! they bring forward so much more opinions and what-haves into the foray. ahh for this alone i really appreciate this drama. and hope that something like this BUT BETTER will come along.then we'll have our merry-go-round of epic reviews/discussions again! LOVE THIS SITE!

THANKS to you all!

also! thanks that in spite of differing views, the respect here is JUST..it's...what yoon-hee's dad and jae-shin's hyung would have wished for =)

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69 kappy

November 15, 2010 at 3:05 AM

Thanks so much, red_pill, cassie, JB and GF for great recaps and reviews. Just wonderful.

I loved this drama. Wasn't without flaws, and the ending left some stuff to be desired, but I forgive it.

Yoo Ah In wins as Best Actor. I read a comment by a fellow actor in this show (one of the lesser characters, a student at SKK) that said he not only played Jae Shin, he WAS Jae Shin. I could totally see that. The quivering lip, the power with which he said his lines, his expressions. I mean, he had me at, at...whatever his first line was.

My favorite MJS moments include his hiccuping (and his embarrassment because of his inability to control it), his advising against doing something so much it'll turn into a habit, his love for and protection of Yoon Hee, his loyalty to his friends, family (brother), and his cause. I cracked up when he was semi-drowning the two In Soo up-to-no-goods with a stick. His dialog and actions there - precious.

Loved the love story between Sun Joon and Yoon Hee. He's such the upright, in-control kind of guy whose world is going topsy turvy because of Yoon Hee, but in a good way. Yoon Hee was a good heroine, and the type that didn't irk me (as I've experienced in other dramas). Yong Ha, unique in his own right, with his confidence (I'm Gu Yong Ha, after all!) and loyalty to his friends.

I'm sure gonna miss this drama. I wish KBS would throw us a bone (episode) or two, or three, but I'm grateful for what we got. It will easily go down as one of my all time favorites.

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70 Juwo

November 15, 2010 at 4:07 AM

Wow, I was secretly hoping you guys would have your say on it as well, given GF's recapping stint and JB's occasional comments, so was definitely pleasantly surprised to see your combined afterthoughts =].

Thanks for continuing to provide drama reviews with a critical eye!

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71 Rachel

November 15, 2010 at 4:49 AM

Thank you for the reviews and recaps, red pill, cassiopeia, javabeans and girlfriday! It was a pleasure watching with you ^^

I actually rather enjoyed the last episode - there were too many punch-the-air-yes-woo-HOO moments for me not to. The problem was, when I turned my brain on again, everything wasn't so hunky-dory. The inconsistencies don't sit too well.

"The one thing I REALLY wanted in the finale ... was that one moment with all four characters, to openly admit that they all knew that Yoon-hee was a girl." - THIS EXACTLY!
I was actually looking forward to this moment. What a lost opportunity! I can just imagine how deliciously hilarious and touching it could have been - Yoonhee realizing how much her boys have done for her, keeping her secret. Where was the J4 love? The last scene that featured all four of them together was the drinking session early on in the final episode - I checked!

I think the thing that completely endeared me to the drama was that the female lead wasn't dumb as a bag of hammers. Like javabeans said "This was no bubbly girl melting the ice man’s heart, or rich man saving the poor Cinderella." Yoonhee could be plucky AND intelligent.

I wonder, could this drama have been made in Korea twenty years ago? Ten years? Somehow I think not and I look forward to seeing more characters like Yoonhee in kdramas in the future.

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kappy

November 15, 2010 at 8:54 AM

Yes, I so agree on the lost opportunity with the lightbulb moment of "we all know she's a girl!"

'...female lead wasn't dumb as a bag of hammers." LOL, I like that. And amen to that. How many do we know who are plucky AND intelligent?

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72 anon

November 15, 2010 at 4:56 AM

Thank you for reviewing!
I myself thought it started to get worse in episode 17, and I understand the ending wasn't perfect but it did satisfy me.

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73 aberdeen_angus

November 15, 2010 at 5:08 AM

Thanks for your comments, girls, they're exceptionally well written and in-depth :D

As for me, I think I checked out emotionally circa episode 10 or 12, don't remember, but I finished it. I never caught any viruses (LOL), because all the characters seemed so artificial and obvious to me, leaving me with no choice but to stay away from any impulse to root for anyone.

Still, I continued, only to be utterly dissapointed by the same facts you two described so eloquently (and some more, but don't wanna think about this anymore ^.^)

*sigh*

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74 Sara

November 15, 2010 at 5:43 AM

love the latest translation of the novel by bad milk....hilarious scene of the first night of Jae Shin-Sun Joon- Yoon Hee as roomate.....
http://yogurutu.blogspot.com/2010/11/skk-scandal-scene-8.html#comments

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75 aoikarin

November 15, 2010 at 7:00 AM

I enjoyed reading the comments by JB and GF and all comments in this post!!

True. I don't care about SJ and YH lovestory. What keep me watching till the end are Yoo Ah In's JaeShin and Song Joong Ki's Yong Ha. They really steal my heart. I'm still overwhelmed by their actings.

I don't hate acting of PMY's Yoon Hee. But I wish she shed less tears. Mickey's Sun Joon is a bit boring. I don't even bother to see his scene. But interestingly, I like his voice. :D

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76 mandarinoriental

November 15, 2010 at 7:17 AM

omg, so very well written! and i COMPLETELY agree with everything! i just can't write as well.. thanks so much for your input. :) couldn't agree more, seriously.

was really invested in sungkyunkwan, but my love decreased at the ep when sun joon found out she was a girl too.

and it was horrible of them to solve the whole girl issue in ONE episode. the whole archery competition thing took about 2/3 episodes? yeah that was fun to watch though.

and i know a lot of ppl have already said this but i wish, wish wish jaeshin and yongha could see her dressed up as a girl. esp jaeshin. ahhhh i seriously fell for that guyyy! MAN! hahah

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77 sm1leitsamy

November 15, 2010 at 7:26 AM

"But when le shit hits le fan..."
HAHAHAHAHAHA omg this is a great way to begin expressing your disappointment... props jb ^^

i totally agree with both of you guys, the story totally bailed on us and left us unsatisfied, especially since my expectations were so great from watching the first half of the series. Really, the first half the series was pure awesomeness and the plot was something that had a great potential, only for it to all really fall flat. Even the moments I was expecting for (LSJ to find out KYS is a girl, LSJ-KYS kiss), I felt significantly less giddy about than when MJS found out she was a girl...

the only part i enjoyed of the final epilogue is where MJS becomes a police officer and he marks up the note from Blue after hiccuping... HILARIOUS, and so consistent with his character.

that said, I love SKKS, and I had tons of fun!
thanks everyone for being so great!

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kappy

November 15, 2010 at 8:59 AM

'the only part i enjoyed of the final epilogue is where MJS becomes a police officer and he marks up the note from Blue after hiccuping… HILARIOUS, and so consistent with his character.'

I found this part hilarious, too. The rebel with a cause showing his inner professor. Priceless.

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78 Northern Star

November 15, 2010 at 8:01 AM

Thanks for the reviews.

Despite it's shortcomings, overall it was a lovely & enjoyable drama.

One of my favourites, definitely.

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79 katz

November 15, 2010 at 8:16 AM

Totally agreed with both of your comments! I was so vested in the drama until episode 15 or 16 and then it all went downhill. I loved all the characters in the show and it's a pity it wasn't a better ending that they all deserved.

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80 ladeeda

November 15, 2010 at 8:19 AM

Silent lurker, but I appreciated all the recaps on this website! I agree, the ending was too rushed. I also wanted to see Yoon hee admit to everyone she was in fact a girl, some scene to see they acknowledged it or something. I also wanted to see some interaction between the quartet in the future!

Funny, when I started the series, I thought I would fall for the dashing emotional character of Jae Shin (I still like him a lot), but I ended up liking Sun Joon a lot, even being the restrained-emotions kind of guy he is. I think Micky did a good job, 'cause it's hard to make an unemotional character believable, but he did it for me (unlike another idol in a few other dramas playing a similar unemotional character but coming off.... unbelievable and bored). I also ended up rooting for Sun Joon and Yoon Hee. It's just that I hardly ever see that kind of chemistry between a couple, the intellectual chemistry where the love comes from the other challenging each other and as equals. It was really stimulating to me! I felt sorry for Jae Shin, and hoped that Yoon Hee would notice his feelings for her, but girl is kinda dense when it comes to how others feel for her (she didn't even know Sun Joon liked her until his confession in the marketplace), so she unfortunately needed someone else to tell her all that Jae Shin had done for her (but I give her some break, because she didn't really know all he'd done because he kept it hidden, only the viewer knew). But in the end, my favorite was Yong Ha, cause that dude was just so fun and out there, and so believable!

I'm going to miss the drama and all four characters! Also, the drama was rife with drinking games! Drink every time ... Sun Joon grabs Yoon Hee's shoulder to stop her... Jae Shin gets hurt... Yong Ha twirls around... Yong Ha takes away Jae Shin's drink...

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81 Stephanie

November 15, 2010 at 8:32 AM

The drama never went beyond my expectations. I accepted it for its light-hearted, dreamy feel since the start. I mean the drama isn't that convincing in terms of reality - some of the character's arguments were really not realistic. But I fell for MJS and GYH and KYH's pretty eyes. Not to mention the exciting plot and 100 squeal worthy moments filled with wit.

Even though it did not deliver what it could have, it gave me lots of space to imagine. It could have been a serial: year 1,2,3, at skk, then being an official. That could last 4 seasons. It could add up to a hundred eps and I wouldn't mind. It would be the best series ever. That plus the fact that the drama is more idealistic than realistic is the reason why I have never really compared the plot to coffee prince. I would readily accept skk as the best series ever while CP holds its place as no. 1 drama in my heart.

That said, I agreed with many of gf's comments. The producers were as idealistic as the show, believing a miracle could happen and they could get an extension to properly play out all of skk's potential.

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82 Venus

November 15, 2010 at 8:33 AM

I agree with both JB and GF...the drama had great set up and characteres were adorabble, but I was very dissapointed after ep 16 its just felt FLAT!!! the story got stuck and I felt that it wasn't moving foward...I mean they should have outed her by ep 18 then you have 2 whole episodes to deal with her secret, breaking the rules, lying to to the king, and all the political intrigue. BUTTTT NOOOO it was a great meltdown for me...I stop watching to be honest and just fast foward....the writers in my opinion had no idea on how to wrap up the story....
Final episode...to me was a big WTH and WTF at each moment......it just DIDN"T MAKE SENSE....I though maybe final episode could be a redemption for the last 4 lackluster episodes...but NOOOOO it was worst....
I mean does Yohee has a double life or something WTF?....why couldn't she be the first woman to be a professor? it was just a big big letdown for me...yeah fanservice at the end....that doesn't make sense thank u SHOW for nothing......

I love the drama and I will recommended but aishhhh...maybe I invested too much...high expecations indeed...ohhh well moving on ....

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83 SuziQ

November 15, 2010 at 8:39 AM

Thank you JB and GF for your wonderful reviews and comments. I agree. I wished that the ending gave us some more info on what happen to Kim Yoon Shik (the brother). How could she still continue as a professor using her brother's name?That confused me. Also, I wanted to know what happen to Ha In Soo with Cho Sun, and Ha Hyo Eun. What happened to the new Joseon? Instead of being a male professor at SKK, couldn't Kim Yoon Hee be teaching women to be more intelligent and use their brains instead of becoming an airhead like Ha Hyo Eun who reads romance novels.

I did not think Park Min Young was believable as a man and Micky Yoochun's acting was rather stiff. Maybe that's why I was not so interested in their two characters as much as Soong Joong Ki and Yoo Ah In's whose acting was so much better and ran away with the show. Coffee Prince, Painter and the Wind and Queen Seun Deuk were some dramas where the actress pulled off a believable girl pretending to be a man portrayal. PMY was too girly, had too much makeup, and so-so acting. Was bored with the romance storyline until the Yongha/Jaeshin drama parts showed up. Love those two actors who have better acting chops. Hope those two will be cast as leads in the future.

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84 sw

November 15, 2010 at 9:19 AM

i really think that all k-dramas should hire you both to keep them on their toes!!!

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85 conan

November 15, 2010 at 9:20 AM

Thanks to javabeans and girlfriday for sharing their thoughts on the drama that filled my days for a little over a month!

The problematic endings. I hated the ending too. It left me with a gaping hole and three letters. "WTF". Endings and dramas don't seem to fit well with each other. I haven't really found a drama that had an awesome ending where they didn't take a time machine or killed a character. They all tend to end up bla-bla-bleach and everything! That's why I stick to movies.

But! I love this drama a LOT! I don't really watch saeguk because of many, many reasons but this fusion-ed one is pretty cool. I do have to say I love this drama more than I hate it. I actually don't hate any of it. I hate evil characters, yes I do, but the ones in SKKS can pass. Somewhat. I will definitely be replaying this, for the simple joy of re-watching the awesome bromance between Jaeshin and Yongha. You know you love it ;D

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86 missminami

November 15, 2010 at 9:33 AM

i fall in love with moon jae shin from the very first moment he appears on screen, i think it's love at the first sight *sigh*

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87 Koaladec

November 15, 2010 at 9:46 AM

I find that I share the same sentiments with Girlfriday -- as the series progressed I steadily lost interest in the emotional struggles of Sunjoon and Yoonhee--and got more drawn to Moon Jae Shin's character.

You might agree or disagree with me on this but somehow I could feel the director's partiality to Jae Shin or perhaps it was Yoo Ah In's portrayal of his character. He seemed to have more depth and substance in the whole story. Like it or not, people have more attraction and empathy for a character with a tragic back ground.

Somehow, I could feel the director saw and loved YAI's deeper understanding of Moon Jae Shin's character and used that to present a character who is able to touch the hearts of viewers. We can't help but see that in every scene he has. I believe that the director enjoyed showing MJS's side the most among all the other members of the quartet. (But then again, I could be wrong. :)) )

Im not saying that the other actors acted poorly--but their characters were not as meaty and touching as that of Geul-oh.

The romantic angle became too shallow for me in the end what with unresolved issues on Yoon hee's identity withstanding.

Yong Ha provided some light hearted moments in the drama but there were parts when I felt he seemed somewhat cruel in his manipulations of people's emotions. Also, I felt his appearances were too little and too short.

All in all, MJS stood out the most for me. And his heartbreak and resolve on Yoonhee's complete obliviousness to that fact made me admire him more ( and made Yoonhee smaller in my eyes).

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koreandramalover/kay

November 16, 2010 at 10:28 AM

Thank you very much Koaladec!!

I totally agree with you!!! I too lost interest in the 2 main leads and became TOTALLY focused on MJS...

You are exactly spot-on in saying that the MJS character somehow had more depth and breadth than the other 3...

Whether it was intentional or not on the part of the writer/PD/Director was inconsequential...

The fact is I was distracted by how RIVETING the MJS character was (especially because of the captivating and charismatic portrayal by Yoo Ah In!!!)...

I agree with you that the romantic angle has lost its lustre and intrigue the moment they kissed in the elevator...

but MJS has kept me riveted from the beginning right up till the end of the drama...

As for Yong Ha, I agree wholeheartedly with you that I somehow found him shallow and manipulative at times as well, especially when he KNEW how the other 3 characters were feeling about each other and how they would react to his tauntings and teasing...

the way the writer/PD/Director probably asked Song Joong Ki to portray him left me cold and at times downright angry...

even the times when he helped/saved MJS or the other characters out of sticky situations, I had a really hard time being thankful to him because those times were overshadowed by the numerous occasions when he taunted and baited the other characters to be more open or honest about their feelings...

and yet ironically he himself has some much kept close to his heart about his background that when Ha In Soo eventually revealed the secret he has kept to himself for so long, he finally showed how affected he could be by others' tauntings of him about honesty, something he has been doing to others, even to those supposedly close to him (MJS, LSJ and KYH)...

To me the moment when In Soo revealed about Yong Ha's deception was a pivotal moment in this character's portrayal because I felt that he has finally learnt how bitter a pill honesty actually is for him to swallow...
that was the only time he dropped his high and mighty persona and became to me...ordinary...and weak and vulnerable just like how anyone else can be...

And I love how the writer/PD/Director has made the MJS character display such a measured and magnanimous reaction when faced with rejection of his love for KYH - and I believe they had no problems getting that done with perfection by the charismatic Yoo Ah In playing that role...

I may not have loved every minute of SKKS but I have never felt bored watching the whole drama - not even for a single second...

Thus, even though I respect and admire Javabeans' and Girlfriday's minute and detailed dissection and constructive criticisms of SKKS, for me SKKS is one drama I can forgive the flaws simply because I have thoroughly enjoyed myself watching it without feeling that I have learnt nothing after investing so much time and attention to watching it and giving my humble opinions and comments here...because I did learn so much more about so many things than I had initially expected/anticipated...and yet I have never felt stressed out by what I have learnt from SKKS...

And what is drama if it is not enjoyable and entertaining and yet still able to make me think about serious issues seriously BUT MINUS the STRESS of thinking about them?

I believe that if we wish to find a drama that can give us everything - entertainment and bitter realism - we may be in for a rude shock...the drama world is NOT the place to find them...because we already have bitter realism in our REAL lives...

dramas are essentially for the portrayal of bitter realism BUT with the POETIC license to be unreal as well...because it also serves the needs of those of us who wish to ESCAPE the bitter realism of our real lives once in a while and DREAM impossible dreams...

thus, dramas should NOT be taken TOO SERIOUSLY...

I agree with a few commentors here that if we over-analyse or over-dissect the dramas, we may in fact be too hard on ourselves...or take the dramas TOO SERIOUSLY...that we may miss the wood for the trees...and lose our sense of wonder of the infinite WHAT IFS of life...

I believe dramas that succeed is providing an avenue for the viewers to savour the beauty and WONDER of SIMPLE things in life are TRUE works of art...that in this day and age are to me too few and far between...
because we are so consumed with being REAL and EXACT...

Just enjoy the good that the dramas have to offer and accept the bad as well because true wisdom lies in accepting the good along with the bad without losing sight of our ultimate goal - the PURSUIT of excellence - however elusive it may ultimately be...

Just my humble opinion... :)

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88 meo

November 15, 2010 at 11:56 AM

i love this drama....its gonna be one of my favorites for a looong time ....all the characters were good....

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89 loveisouchO.O

November 15, 2010 at 2:40 PM

I really think that this drama brought out a concept never shown before. Because of that, it was really interesting to watch and wasn't blocked out by the typical drama cliches that the story "could've had".

For example, the whole girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy idea could've turned out as a major theme, like Coffee Prince or You're Beautiful. I'm not saying that those dramas turned out bad or anything, but I'm saying that most people could've went like, "Oh, wait. This is almost like what happened in Coffee Prince/YAB, so I guess the ending's probably gonna end the same way." So, im glad that Sungkyunkwan Scandal had a very deep and complex story to it.

I'm also happy they cast "new" and "fresh" actors that weren't known yet. I mean, imagine how it would go if they put Kang Ji Hwan as Lee Sun Joon, Choi Ji Woo as Kim Yoon Hee, Lee Jun Ki as Moon Jae Shin (lol, he'd carry on his iljimae legacy), and Gong Yoo as Gu Yong Ha (and he'd kinda carry on the omg-am-i-gay question)?? At first it'd be pretty awesome yet weird, but it wouldn't work with the visual part of this epic drama, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, that's what I think. :)

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90 aida

November 15, 2010 at 3:00 PM

I notice korean drama mostly have a rush ending. That's the most disappointed in kdrama. But i love kim Yoon Hee & Sun Joon pairing..:D I know many people prefer her with Jae Shin.. And for sure, NOBODY PERFECT.. I Just love this drama..:)

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91 goldlilys

November 15, 2010 at 3:10 PM

Thanks for this interesting recap both of you. I too found the last 1/3 of the story loosing its addictiveness. I really was so excited when Sun Joon was about to find out that Yoon Hee is a girl but then I griped at how they did this.

I felt her slipping in the water and falling unconscious to be "undressed" by Sun Joon, hmm how shall I say this, a cop out. Even after the revealing, the intensity of it was not there. True, I didn't want it to be over dramatic like they had in Coffee Prince when Han Kyul found out about Eun Chan being a girl... but at least show some emotions man. Sun Joon and Yoon Hee's chemistry only felt cute to me but not romantically involved.

It is also hard to give this a historical genre because the historical part of it left me unsatisfied. It felt like watching Bad Guy's ending where no real solutions happened. At first I thought cool they made Yoon Hee a professor so now they're allowing her to teach ... ahh wait did they call her Yoon Shik?!! Yipes, so do they even know she's a girl with all those student after her ...

I really wanted to know how her friends (the trios, Sorons and Norons) felt about her being a girl.

Is it the ending that was rushed ... but they only had that much time to begin with, 20 episodes is pretty long enough. It's not like episodes were cut off unlike Tamna Island. Unless the producers really didn't know how else to close all the questions. They probably could have cut off some pointless things in the beginning like lessen the "contest" episode to half and develop the characters more.

Even with these missing pieces, I enjoyed the show mostly the quartet just hanging out and having fun.

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92 ej

November 15, 2010 at 3:41 PM

you guys just said everything i thought about the drama's finale: great set up only to be let down. what attracted me first in the first two episodes was it was a seemingly "smart" and "intelligent" drama with witty and idealistic characters but with a shot of humor and harboring some pain in their hearts. very human (flawed!). the first half of the series was quite polished and liesurely, enough to put in some CG animation but the rest of the show? was obvious how it was suffering from some time constraints (bad editing!) and will have a rushed ending.

yes! i was also left wondering what the hell happened to yong ha's ending. a fashion designer? and soon jun? though as a SKK teacher he will also be teaching a different perspective to the scholars (think John Keating in Dead Poets Society) i was expecting him (all of them in fact) to be in politics! that's where i saw their characters and idealism will take them. And yoon hee still using her brother's name? whatever!

all my angst-y beef about the drama aside, SKKS will be one of my fave things to look back on for 2010. it was flawed, it was fun, it was sweet... most of all, Moon Jae Shin still holds a piece of my heart. and i don't want it back. :)

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93 mattever

November 15, 2010 at 6:42 PM

Its interesting to read through all your thoughts esp. JB & GF. Even if I don't agree to some but still I guess everyone of us have their own opinion. I for one, really really enjoy it especially the J4. I've rewatch lesson 1 on how I fell in love with Sunjoon and Yongha character and Yong Hee. And it's still there! Like no.50 I give my thoughts on SKKs as a whole, for me non of the actor/actress fail in their deliverance of the character. We would say that PMY is too cute to be Kim YoonShik but isn't it that he is after all a girl and as for SunJoon he is just adorable. But the only problem is how they rushed the ending, guess maybe they run out of film or whatever. Anyway, it is fun, exciting, exhilirating and fresh drama and definitely worth watching again and again.

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94 kirara

November 15, 2010 at 7:08 PM

Good Point Girlfriday! I agree with you that delivery is soo important!

I wondered about that myself why the 3, all knew that Yoon Hee was a girl but yet she never had a clue that they all knew from the very beginning.. We all knew Jae Shin and Sun Joon clearly knew but What I was surprised was in the last episode Yong Ha already knew too. Throughout the series he was guessing and question it, but there was never really a firm confirmation until all of a sudden we come to.. QUICK WE GOT TO HIDE HER IDENTITY?

I mean she went through all this trouble to hide her identity only to be revealed too quickly..

I also agree that the mystery portion in the last 4 or 5 episode was good and exciting yet it also got tossed in the back.. All their hard work seemed like nothing..

Well all in all it was good drama.. Loved reading both Javabeans and Girlfriday's review.. Thank you!

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95 zazuki

November 15, 2010 at 7:48 PM

i felt that there was no impact when JS decided to let go of yoonhee..it was like a meaningless scene cos we all know he's definitely going to(or have to)give her up ultimately..

i thought that an emo scene should be given to JS for giving up the girl or at least a flashback of the happy and cute times they've spent together! i mean all these while we see JS doing things secretly for her and there's no scene to depict whatever love he felt for her?

i do agree that SKKS was a fantastic watch and i enjoyed every single minute of it. i don't know why but i felt that the dean was absolutely hilarious.

thank you jb, gf, cassie, red-pill for all the enlightening recaps:) i loved your fangirly comments cos i had the same effect.Will be looking forward to dvd when it is released:) will be looking forward to other projects:)
PS: my, your english is powderful!!!

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96 zemega

November 15, 2010 at 8:35 PM

i'm sure enough that from the beginning of this drama, the quartet are growing together. The same with the discovery of love. Somewhat, as dramatic as the k-drama have shown us for this decade, couples in most part of Asia country do meet in university and fall in love the way the main character did. It wont hurt to let the amiable character like Sun joon end happily.

I love the way they end the series. I dream of different ending everyday.

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97 Tess

November 15, 2010 at 9:18 PM

And what happens when she gets pregnant? What then?

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mattever

November 15, 2010 at 11:12 PM

Hmm...guess that YoonShik just put on weight / fat.:P

Let just hope they decided to turn it into a film, just to wrap it up once again.

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98 OppaOppa

November 15, 2010 at 11:28 PM

Did anyone else notice that SKKS seemed to borrow from several recent dramas such as "You're Beautiful", "Iljimae", "Tamra" , and "Coffee Prince" maybe a little Hong Gil Dong also?
I know there are the stereotypical drama themes common to all dramas, however this seemed to be an actual mix of several dramas rolled into one, excellent dramas at that!
However SKKS didnt quite pull it off as one great drama, on it's own.

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99 juni

November 16, 2010 at 1:08 AM

dear JB and GF,

thanks for the recaps. they're my references when i found it difficult to follow the story due to some ancient or customs of your country. this is not my first saeguk but as an indonesian there are lot of things to learn...

i learn a lot from your recaps as well as from the series themselves.

thanks again :)

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100 alex

November 16, 2010 at 2:26 AM

I am so shocked about some of the things I have read above . SS is all about love and intelligence . It cannot be seen without those two points of view .
Let us talk about the end :
Yeorim has not progressed much . He is as always in the tissues and alone .
Jae - Shin remains on the roofs and is turned to his past when students knew how to write .
Youn - shik has had all she wanted and she won't progress either .
The only one who is still on a way ahead is Ga - Rang who challenges himself again , this time in bed .
I believe it is one of the lessons in Lesson 20 .

This end can be taken either for " real " within the story or fictionnal .
If it is real , it means that only those who continus to challenge themselves can be happy : every thing is about questionning the world . Yeorim and Jaeshin are alone ; maybe they live together but they don't seem to meet often as long as one is busy in daylight and the other one works during the night . What can they build together ?

If the end is fictionnal within the fiction , the real story has stopped in the library when the pair are facing each other . And afterwards , it's only the dream that it should be so if it were possible .

Any way the writer continues questionning herself . She has taken the persona of Yeorim ; it is obvious in the scene with Heo Yun ; Yeorim is the deus ex machina , as some one said the glue between the characters , even the one who makes the things happen : in the island and along the river : two major moments for the plot .Slowly his role fades as the end approaches .
So what does the end say about the writer ? I am brilliant but I , personnally can't change the world . I am the one devoted to the tissues ( Youn - Shik had written on Wang Seo - Bang attire ) and I cannot do more .
Who can do more ? Lee Seo Jun who is still challenging himself both with a book and by acts . She appears to be a real student of the teacher , an eminent philosopher of practical philosophy . Books and act : intelligence and love .

Did you notice how the King changed his mind about Kim Youn Hee ? A sudden glance when he looks at her instead of looking at his own self and only seeing her . And this is a look of love for the beauty and the intelligence of the girl . That changes everything .

A beautiful message of the power of love and intelligence : you must have the intelligence of forgiving the flaws of the drama as the King has forgiven the flaws of the people and you can only do it if you love .

This is my favourite drama along with Painter of the wind . Did you notice that they had the same conception : pictures and lessons ? Painter of the wind is all about art and life . SS is about litterature , books and life .

Thanks for your recaps and all your work .

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