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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

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1 word 'Awesome'.
2 words 'freakingly good'.
3 words 'must watch drama'.
4 words 'Love it so much'.
5 words 'a very much recommended drama'.
6 words '....................
it goes on and on and on..

Can't believe it's such a great drama.

Just like Girlfriday, I too, set my expectations low. I tend to easily gets really frustrated whenever a much-hyped drama turned out to be such an emm... just an okay drama to me ...

Luckily, Don't know why, but this drama gave me a similar satisfaction and over the moon feelings as when I'm watching Soulmate.

Thanks to everyone who gives us such awesome recapping + reviews + videos + subs etc...
You guys helped me to savoring this drama up to the core.

My so called quick comments:
1. Love all characters main + extras. Most of the characters are very well develops throughout the episodes .
2. The story is so refreshing and dynamic (Note: I’m so dead bore with all the dramas clichés and )
3. Acting wise, good acting especially YAI, SJK.. as a newcomer, Micky is quite good.
4. The story lines are beautifully developed starting from the episode 1 up to the end…. except tsks.. the last 5 minutes. Though it's cute, but to me, it slightly taint this drama's good story line.
5. I do agree that it should slated for 24 episodes instead of cramped all those good episodes into 20 (argghhhh... can't get enough of the romances + bromances + friendship + all those ingredients that makes this drama so adorable, huggable, faintable … pardon my screwed English please…)
8. I actually like Kang Moo, and had been eyeing him since the first episode. Luckily he gets his moment when he too turned his back from the bad boy, In soo. Note : I'm the kind of girl who not only fawned over the lead characters but also the not-so important characters eg. I've fell for Kim Nam Gil in Lovers even he's a mere bodyguard and it turns out he too can become a BIG Lead. Extra note, I fell for Go Soo's bodyguard too in Green Rose ... Bae Soo Bin in Jumong +++ need me to mention more??....
9. I like the simple fact that Sun Joon sort of easily accepted that Yoon Hee is a girl. Truthfully, I'm so glad it's so different from the Coffee Prince..
10. Music : it’s always very well match with the scenes
11. Cinematography – beyond words – as in Painter in the wind
p/s Sorry for these sort of like a fuzzy kind of comments as I'm still having my SKKS withdrawal symptoms...
p/s 2 : I'm suppose to start watching other drama now.. but have been postponing it as I'm still struggling with these God-knows what symptom.

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Dear javabeans and girlfriday!

Thanks! Knew it: you love SKKS as much as all of us out here who wait for anything remotely related to SKKS, be it a fan-made video or even an article about any of its actors or even its writers, a recap of the recap and what-have-you... We are definitely smitten. :-)

I say you love SKKS because you stayed true to yourselves to the very end, you did not close your eyes to the fact of its many loopholes and in fact made a special recap to recap all recaps! We are all just too delighted to say the least.

But we also know that this is just drama and so even all sincere attempts by its writers to tie all loose ends, make the ending perfect for everyone, the logic tight and satisfying, we know that it is an attempt that is bound to fail.

It took me a while to read this because I had to travel 600km away to visit a dear aunt who who passed away in a place where broadband internet connection is a bit rare and so I dutifully set aside my SKKS fix for love of family.

What taught me in those 3-day hiatus was how we recap the lives of our loved ones. We do not usually take the cerebral route but rather we highlight the positives and accentuate on how that person has touched our lives for the better. Most of it is heart...

Same goes for our love for kdrama, or other dramas altogether...we know there's a loophole here and there, we hoped they could've made it clearer but life, i find, is much like that. Not everything can be spelled out; not all things can be explained.

So I love that you brought us all down to reality with the stuff that we must have tried to set aside because of all the giddiness with the Jalgeum Quartet; but at the same time we know this is the very reason we love kdrama. We know it is not real and we are just here for the fun ride and we have people like family who matter more than our kdrama fix ;-) but we love to watch how lives can be better thru kdramaland...maybe, just maybe we can learn something from them that can make our real lives richer. If we find loopholes in them then we can take it, we hope they can have more time to make it better next time, but we dare to love them continuously not because they are logical but because for a time they made us feel that somehow somewhere somebody's dreams are being realized :-)

Kamsahamnida! ;-) dramabeans is the coolest!

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Yet again samgetang, your thoughts, ideas and feelings are so riveting and true...thank you so much for sharing in spite of the recent demise of your beloved aunt...

Deepest condolences to you and your loved ones...

Since the first day this review was put up in Dramabeans, I have been waiting for your reply/post and I have to say, the wait has not been a waste...

I was typing my second post (which came after novkid's below) after spending some time thinking about what I needed to say, and it was only after I posted it that I saw this post of yours...then after reading your post, I saw some similarities in both of our posts as well as with novkid's post...

How wonderful to know there are others who share our thoughts and feelings, isn't it?

Thanks again samgetang for making my wait for your post so worthwhile...

And I don't have to say that I agree totally with everything you said, now do I?

because I am sure you already know... :)

Bless you :)

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koreandramalover, all my deepest appreciation and thanks for again all the wonderful words!

i just read now in one of your replies to my post somewhere that you are a teacher of high-school level kids. i think that explains how you approach things. i've been around kids and teachers of kids for the most of 10 years as a volunteer and i know how these gifted and beautiful bunch can have the patience and resiliency to deal with all kids of all shapes, colors and sizes. their hearts and minds all work together to bring out the best in their kids and so they develop this ingrained talent for waiting, hoping and loving -- the faith that what they see now in the kids can grow to fully-developed blooms in the future. in the same vein, i see you also approach other things in the same manner, like kdramas. there is a sharp-mind there but you choose to highlight the best that kdramas has to offer treating them like your very own kids that can still improve and develop in the future. this is not to say that you are unaware of their lack here and there, but you are so passionate that they've done their best, they can do more. and so you love despite and inspite of. i think this is the genius of a teacher. so, please take a bow! i'm one of your students! :-)

and i know that even if you choose not to highlight the flaws of SKKS but love it nonetheless, there is also very few kdramas that actually meet your benchmark. you never loved any drama like SKKS :-) and that says a lot about SKKS :-)

how did i know? well, we're soul sisters in the search for kdramaland sincerity, that's why...

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Hi there, samgetang, my dear "soul sister in the search for kdramaland sincerity" :)

Please accept my humble bows to you for your kind and generous compliments...and although I am truly humbled by them, I really do not deserve them because of how I view myself - everything and anything good or beneficial that I say or do for others originate from God because I am God's creation and His servant...and I am just a channel through which God uses to channel all that is good or beneficial from Him to those around me... :)

I am giving credit where credit is due...I am nothing and can do nothing without God's Love, Guidance, Assistance and Favour upon me...

I am truly and eternally grateful to God for showing me the path to Dramabeans, for here is where I am blessed to know and learn from special and blessed folks like yourself, Javabeans, Girlfriday and the other commentors in this blog... :)

I am eternally thankful to God for blessing me with the ability to do and say what is good or beneficial...

but I am not perfect because I make mistakes and have numerous flaws or faults but they come from my ignorance, disobedience, lack of effort to improve myself and disregard for propriety/rule/law...and I am still struggling daily to do and say only what is right and good...as a teacher, a person...

therefore, I really do not deserve such praise...

but thank you, samgetang, for according me the honour of being "my student"...

but the way I see it, I am YOUR student because I have learnt so much from your posts/comments, that now I consider reading your posts/comments as an ADDICTION, as much as, if not more than, SKKS is an addiction to me... hehe :)

I can't go a day without reading your posts and when I don't get to read your posts, I can feel the same withdrawal symptoms that I felt after SKKS ended... :)

Hehe...So please help this pathetic sister of yours and do let me know which drama/s you will be posting your comments on next so that I will be able to feed my addiction...hehe :)

Take care, samgetang, so that you can continue your awe-inspiring posts/comments... :)

Bless you and thank you *bows* :)

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Hi dear sister!!! Surely you are my sister not just in kdrama heaven. There is no such thing as an accident. Everything happens for a purpose. I see that you are what you are because of God's favor upon your life. Isn't this beautiful?

I am indeed blessed to have known you! :-)

We should really get together when I next visit Singapore (did I get your country right?) I presume you are Singaporean (well, you could be just based in this country but actually be some other race...but that doesn't matter really). Ive been to Singapore several times due to work and for personal trips and it is a country that is close to my heart. I have friends there from work and also many of my countrymen who have opted to serve and build their lives there, some of them my own friends.

If you happen to be in the Philippines, and have some free time, please let me know. I would love to take you around. Email me please at [email protected].

Hope to meet you soon! ;-)

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Hi there, my dear sister!!

As the system does not allow me to reply to your post (which I attach below), I give my reply in between your comments as below :

102.1.1.1.1 samgetang November 17th, 2010 at 6:39 am

"Hi dear sister!!! Surely you are my sister not just in kdrama heaven. There is no such thing as an accident. Everything happens for a purpose. I see that you are what you are because of God’s favor upon your life. Isn’t this beautiful?

I am indeed blessed to have known you!"

Yes!! I agree totally with you that nothing happens without God's Hand in it and as such I believe you and I were meant to meet when we did as God's Favour and Blessing to me... :)

"We should really get together when I next visit Singapore (did I get your country right?) I presume you are Singaporean (well, you could be just based in this country but actually be some other race…but that doesn’t matter really). Ive been to Singapore several times due to work and for personal trips and it is a country that is close to my heart. I have friends there from work and also many of my countrymen who have opted to serve and build their lives there, some of them my own friends.

If you happen to be in the Philippines, and have some free time, please let me know. I would love to take you around. Email me please at [email protected].

Hope to meet you soon!"

YES, you got it right!!! I am a true-blue, born and bred Singaporean and I would LOVE to meet up with you when next you come to our sunny island, Singapore, and show you around our sights... :)

So, you are from the Philippines? Oh, such a beautiful country with beautiful and warm-hearted people!!! No wonder then that you are the way you are if you also a born and bred Filipino? I had a colleague who hailed from the Philippines and she was just as beautiful, kind- and warm-hearted as you are... :)

Do email me at
[email protected]
whenever you are free and we can keep in touch... :)

Looking forward to hearing from you and even more to meet up with you!! :)

Take care and God bless you and your loved ones always! :)

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email u soon, koreandramalover :-) thanks so much! Bless you more!

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JB & GF, your comments and analyses are so serious.

I did not have high expectation on SKKS. I have no intention to watch this drama until the stage that I cannot bear with Playful Kiss anymore (probably in the middle) because it's so boring (even though I wanted to give KHJ a second chance).

So when I started looking for other kdrama to watch, I tested out on SKKS. And I found myself falling in love with this drama. I finished the first 8 episodes within one night.

I agreed that the last 2 episodes were too rush without explaining the story properly. But overall, SKKS is much better than what I expected i.e. surprise on the up-side and becomes one of my favourite kdramas which I will rewatch from time to time.

As for the J4, I have the least feeling for JS (maybe because I did not like his role in the previous drama - the man who can't get married. So I may be a bit prejudice against YAI.)

Song Jong Ki is delightful (like chocolate or dessert) in this drama. I hope he can become the main lead next time. He got the look and the skill.

I agreed that Park Min Young acted better in the first half of the drama. But her crying scenes appeared too frequent in the second half of the drama. It might be better if she could replace the crying expression with some other facial expressions. But overall, I still liked her protrayal of KYH. I prefer her to a lot of other kdrama actresses who typically overacted.

Micky Yoo Chun is really a surprise to me. I did not know him prior to this drama. He is also not the type of boy/man that I usually like. But I like the way he protray LSJ. I give extra marks to his voice. I think his acting is better than KHJ, Lee Seung Ki and even Lee Man Ho. I hope he can keep up his good work in the next drama since expectation would be high after SKKS.

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While I appreciate Javabeans and Girlfriday tempering the fangirling with some valid points, I for one loved this drama and can forgive the flaws. Nothing in life is perfect and so is SKKS. Compared to many other dramas, this was one where I loved the female lead and was invested in her growth as a character. I think Park Min Young did a great job and never did I feel that she was out of character or was trying to act cute.

One thing I loved about the drama was that the characters were consistent. Sure, episode 20 could not do justice to many of the plotlines inserted in between, but all of the characters remained consistent and believable. I thought Yoon Hee had ended up as a female professor considering the difference in the dress she was wearing from the male profs, the students' reaction to her and MJS's comment after seeing the blue messenger. It might be a bit unrealistic considering the period, but I for one can't imagine Yoon Hee sitting at home.

What excited me most about this drama was the issues it raised and the larger message it wanted to convey. The scene in the market where the Quartet sees the poor traders being beaten up by the officials and the King's comment that he wanted them to feel angry about it sums up what this drama at least aimed to do. It addressed the fact that youth is not just about falling in love, but having dreams of your own and wanting to change the things around you. That way I am glad the GDJS track ended without the idealistic way out. Sure, the track could have been developed better, but for me it was about the characters realising that the past was another country you couldn't go back to and that the future was getting moulded in the present. That is how I like to interpret the end.

I don't see Jae Shin's growth as a character dependent on Yoon Hee alone. I think I will be doing his character a great injustice if I saw him as the poor second lead who didn't get the girl. Yoon Hee was merely the catalyst to him finding his love for the world he hated so much. Jae Shin's issues were with the past, especially with his father. When he asks his father to forgive Sun Joon saying he has just started off his friendship with the latter, it is a clear proof of his having defeated the ghosts of the past. Now he can look forward to living in the present.

The dialogues in this drama were just brilliant. Take that scene where Yoon Hee asks her mother whether she regretted leaving her family for her love and the surprising reply that she regretted it everyday. Or the Jae Shin scene with his father where he says that he had this false impression that he was hurting more than his father.

For me, the issues the drama dealt with whether it be corruption in society or the inequalities of gender, class or birth or idealism vs cynicism vs pragmatism, all seem very relevant. Sure it had its flaws, but it had its heart in the right place. I for one am really glad and thankful that I got to watch a drama which made me think and feel at the same time. Thank you, SKKS!!!!

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Fantastic reply novkid!!! I am so glad you took the time to think about what you wanted to say and have it typed out and posted here so that it could be read and savoured by humble folks such as myself because I thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts and totally, whole-heartedly agree with your brilliant insight, impeccable perspective and honest thoughts and feelings.

I was typing my post (that came after yours below) before reading this post of yours and then after reading your post, I found some similarities in both of our posts.

Thank you once again novkid for sharing your thoughts...absolutely true and honest... :)

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novkid, hi! koreandramalover was right. thank you for sharing us your thoughts and feelings. you said it perfectly:

SKKS "had its heart in the right place...a drama which made me think and feel at the same time."

kamsahamnida!

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Thank you Javabeans and Girlfriday for your reviews.

I just wish to add on to my earlier post :

I lost interest in the 2 main leads and became TOTALLY focused on MJS...

I felt 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 felt 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 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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you cannot have said it more beautifully, koreandramalover. thanks for all your wonderful, well-thought out and heart-felt postings...

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Thank you ever so much, samgetang, for appreciating my humble opinion... :)

But all that is good and beneficial that I say or do actually come from God :)

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Thank you koreandramalover and samgetang for the support and the extremely kind words. I loved Jae Shin's character, but I was always there with the main lead right from the beginning and their relationship continued to charm me till the very end.

Truly Samgetang, I loved reading your comment where u put into perspective what we can learn from a life lived and a drama watched. I read a comment by someone that this drama gave her back her innocence. For me too, it was about giving my cynical side a break and once again finding that idealist streak in me which had gone to sleep long ago. If good art is about making us think about the world we live in along with delighting us, SKKS has done enough as far as I am concerned.

kdramalover, bravo! u said all that I had wanted to say. I too thought the criticism this drama was getting was a bit unfair ("missing the wood for the trees") considering it had tried to do things which are largely unaddressed. And when I see otherwise inferior dramas being let off because they are just dramas n a good one like SKKS taken to task for aiming too high, I feel sad. I feel so happy that there are people who think like me :-)

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Agree with you, novkid, on all counts. You raised some very interesting points...

Yes, if we wanted hard facts we could be watching History or Discovery, or CNN, FOX News, BBC, Channel News Asia or ANC instead (and still we know we cannot believe everything we hear or read about as the unvarnished or undiluted truth).

But we don't want just hard facts all the time. I believe that people who watch drama series also want to be transported to another world, be inspired with other people's stories, struggles and dreams. We wanted to know if the life we are living resonate also with other people's experiences. We wanted to see if what we learned out of life can make a difference in other people's lives and vise versa. These things we find in drama if we talk about TV or fiction if we talk about books.

I am not a die-hard fan of the genre so I know that when I put a good word on one such drama as SKKS I am not just doing it for the sake of defending TV watching or drama-viewing per se. When I say Im not a die-hard fan Im not saying I loathe the genre -- in fact, I have huge respect for it and for the people to whom the genre mainly caters to. It's just that I did not have the luxury of time to have watched many of them in my lifetime to comfortably claim to be a serious fan.

I would be caught up in one drama sometimes and if the story would grip me I would try to follow its story to its completion but if my life would not allow me to do so, I can easily let it go and just ask other people later on how the story ended without missing a heartbeat.

From those Ive watched in the past I would consider Jewel in the Palace, Jumong, Divine Weapon, King of Baking as great cinema not for its technical excellence or artistry per se but for the values and philosophy that helped me desire to be a better person. Coffee Prince did not pretend to be in the same category but I loved it because it showed how people overcome their own prejudices and learn grace and relationships... and with terrific actors to boot! ;-)

It is the first time in SKKS that I found a drama series where it did not pretend to be in the same category as Jewel in the Palace or Jumong and yet it did not just offer a one-dimensional angle on the love story but decided to offer more. But being a youth drama you are already being primed to expect all the idealism of youth and at the same the transitory nature of this stage. Nothing is carved in stone. As a mature adult we know that what we used to believe in our youth as our ideals we find later that they all cannot be easily achieved in our lifetime and some things, specially changes that matter, do take time.

With this wisdom and grace we've learned in life, we also approach SKKS in the same vein. We love that they armed the main leads with lofty ideals and grand dreams but we also know that we cannot expect those things to materialize in their near future because we know from real life that the bigger the dreams, the more sacrifices of time and effort are required.

And surely 20 episodes are way too limited for such gargantuan tasks to be accomplished ;-). Not that we are undermining what fiery and dedicated youth can do, just that we know how it is, we've been or are still in the very same shoes that they are wearing. We've decided to be gracious with everyone including ourselves.

I did not realize that SKKS is receiving more flak for what others consider as shooting too high a mark and failing to meet them while other kdramas who did not pretend to be anything other than just a happy-go-lucky rom-com and yet failed miserably in even remotely inspiring others to seek to gain self-respect and aim for deeper relationships are let off the hook too easily.

Perhaps it is the nature of expectations. Spiderman's uncle's saying is apt in this case: "With great power comes great responsibility."

For the humdrum kdramas that did not wield much impact, the viewers do not expect much. But with a drama that wielded much power, suddenly everybody expected more than just drama but also world peace, eradication of poverty and a love story that would surpass titanic's jack and rose and shakespeare's romeo and juliet ;-)

That's life, for all of us! :-)

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Wow, samgetang!!! I was totally floored, awed and blown away by your insights!!! :)

You said everything that need to be said on the issue of SKKS as a drama, the world of dramas on the whole and the connection with real life...

and you did it all with such eloquence, flair and grace that it was such a pleasure to simply sit back and savour each and every precious morsel of thought...

And as it is my habit each time I read your posts, I was nodding my head in total agreement with everything you said...

and was simply amazed by how splendid and humbling the whole experience of gaining a tiny peek into your exceptional mind and flawless skill in putting them in writing... :)

Thank you so much, samgetang, for the invaluable and unforgettable experience... :)

I do hope you will continue to grace Dramabeans with your inspiring and inspired writing gleaned from the immaculate mind that God has blessed you with, so ordinary folks such as myself can benefit from your sharing... :)

How wonderful life is... with exciting things to look forward to...one of which is your extraordinary posts... :)

Look forward to your subsequent posts on other dramas... :)

Please, do let me know which drama/s you are thinking of posting your comments next...:)

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I am truly and sincerely humbled beyond words for all that you say/write here, koreandramalover.

I can only say, likewise. I look forward to your comments and postings here, too, because I know there would be curiosity, sincerity and generosity always.

I am very privileged to have met you here at dramabeans and to be at the receiving end of your thoughtful and appreciative feedback.

I know your students are so much blessed to have a teacher like you who desire to learn not just from books but from so many other resources which only hints of a creative soul and a humble mind.

I am learning so much from you and your thoughtful and encouraging feedback here. I do not know yet what is the next kdrama I would like to invest my precious time in. SKKS is definitely a tough and hard act to follow ;-)

After SKKS, I decided to re-watch Mulan and Divine Weapon because that's the closest I could relive the ideals Ive found in SKKS. I finished watching the first one, and still finding time to re-watch the other. I hope to watch King Sejong also for the first time and Fighter in the Wind for the second time.

Maybe I will also view Painter in the Wind and Tamra Island if my schedule will allow it, since I heard some similarities to SKKS from what I read from the other posts here. Such is the nature of SKKS addiction I now realize, haha! ;-)

But also, I might just continue watching MSOAN just to give my grey cells some rest and activate the giddiness to auto-pilot...although this might not require much comments/intelligent discussion :-) But I'm really hoping to be surprised, as I always am, by life at large ;-)

This is the downside when you meet a love of your life like SKKS...you cannot help but compare the next ones to it :-) God help us :-)

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Dear samgetang, as the system does not allow me to post a reply to your post (which I attach below), I give my reply in between your comments as below :

105.2.1.1.1 samgetang November 17th, 2010 at 6:13 am

"I am truly and sincerely humbled beyond words for all that you say/write here, koreandramalover.

I can only say, likewise. I look forward to your comments and postings here, too, because I know there would be curiosity, sincerity and generosity always.

I am very privileged to have met you here at dramabeans and to be at the receiving end of your thoughtful and appreciative feedback.

I know your students are so much blessed to have a teacher like you who desire to learn not just from books but from so many other resources which only hints of a creative soul and a humble mind.

I am learning so much from you and your thoughtful and encouraging feedback here."

Thank you, dear samgetang, from the bottom of my heart for such lavish praise, but what I can say is - right back at you! :) because to me, YOU deserve all the praise that you gave me...and a lot more than words can ever adequately express how appreciative I am for your willingness to bestow the honour and privilege of knowing and learning from you... :)

I think it is God's way of showing His Infinite Love to us by allowing us to meet and learn from each other, don't you think? :)

"I do not know yet what is the next kdrama I would like to invest my precious time in. SKKS is definitely a tough and hard act to follow"

YES!!! I agree!!! SKKS is REALLY a tough act to follow!!! :)

"After SKKS, I decided to re-watch Mulan and Divine Weapon because that’s the closest I could relive the ideals Ive found in SKKS. I finished watching the first one, and still finding time to re-watch the other. I hope to watch King Sejong also for the first time and Fighter in the Wind for the second time.

Maybe I will also view Painter in the Wind and Tamra Island if my schedule will allow it, since I heard some similarities to SKKS from what I read from the other posts here. Such is the nature of SKKS addiction I now realize, haha!

But also, I might just continue watching MSOAN just to give my grey cells some rest and activate the giddiness to auto-pilot…although this might not require much comments/intelligent discussion But I’m really hoping to be surprised, as I always am, by life at large

This is the downside when you meet a love of your life like SKKS…you cannot help but compare the next ones to it God help us"

Hehe...I agree!! Having met as you say "a love of your life like SKKS", how can we NOT compare the next ones to it? God help us, indeed... :)

I wonder if you have watched "Family's Honour/Glory of Family"? I did and I have to say that it is one of the best in the family drama genres. I cried so much watching it because of the heart-rending moments...and came away feeling so humbled and rejuvenated as well... :)

And like you, I shall try to find time to watch MSOAN, also because of the same reason - the need to just switch off my brain cells for a rollicking-mindless fun for a change...but just like you said, who knows MSOAN may surprise us yet and turn us into MSOAN addicts too? :)

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I will watch "Family's Honour/Glory of Family" just because it came highly recommended from you. ;-)

And with regards to MSOAN, yes, I always love to be surprised...

Indeed, God is infinitely good and more than wonderful for using dramabeans to connect us with one another and also with all the other lovely people here.

Just shows us how He can accomplish over and above all that we can ever think of or imagine! Truly amazing! :-)

I thank God for you, dearest soul sister! ;-)

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Once again, I have to attach your reply below and give my reply in between your comments :

105.2.1.2.1 samgetang November 17th, 2010 at 7:14 am

"I will watch “Family’s Honour/Glory of Family” just because it came highly recommended from you."

Oh, I do hope the drama will not be a disappointment to you because I would hate to cause you to waste your time and effort watching it and come away feeling lost or bored...hehe :)

"And with regards to MSOAN, yes, I always love to be surprised…"

Yes!! We are indeed on the same page with that!!! :)

"Indeed, God is infinitely good and more than wonderful for using dramabeans to connect us with one another and also with all the other lovely people here.

Just shows us how He can accomplish over and above all that we can ever think of or imagine! Truly amazing!

I thank God for you, dearest soul sister!"

Absolutely!!! :)

I echo your sentiments whole-heartedly and I thank God for YOU, dearest soul sister! :)

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thank you, dearest soul sister :-) bless you more ! see you around dramabeans....

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You are most welcome, novkid!

And I am in total agreement with you regarding how the evaluation and judgement of certain dramas by certian folks can reveal so much unfairness and bias...

and how frustrating it can be for folks such as you, samgetang and I...

I am only too happy to have found a kindred spirit in you and samgetang on this matter... :)

Bless you, novkid and samgetang!!! :)

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Thanks JB and GF for your indept review on SKKS.

I too have set my expectations low on this drama simply because I have no idea who the actors are--(well, i just found out that Yoochun is from a pop idol,Song Joonki is an MC of Ingkayo, PMY was the evil princess from a drama Princess JMG and YAI from Mighty Chilwoo) which made me not too expect much from them. And slowly I grew into loving each character. The bookish LSJ,The Shallow yet adorable GYH, The charismatic and lovable MJS and the fighter KYS/H.

The series has so many flaws (like the unforgivable shoes that was drifted by the water,night and day sequences) but whenever they do their lines...its like the focus turns to them which made me forget some flaws.

I never viewed skks as a romance series because the synopsis says its about the lives of the scholars. Love maybe a part of it but it must be in general like love for family and friends so the ending was quite satisfactory for me.

The one thing I like about SKKS is how they made you think of your own philosophy in life (the values you adhere).

Also, the writer gave a quick touch in what the society thinks (rumors) and how politics play and what is the difference between reality and idealism.

Skks may not be the perfect kdrama series but i would say it is one of the best series to watch over again.

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enjay, yes! i echo yr sentiments. im also watching it again...and reading again all dramabeans recap (cos i was only able to read their recaps from episode 8 when the show was being aired/online and so i missed the double joy of watching SKKS and reading their lovely recaps right after)..

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I watched the show for Yoochun and I'm glad he didn't let me down :) I love him and Yoonhee together but at the same time I'm jealous >o<

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What if ep 20 had ended as Serendipity envisioned?

http://thundie.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/skks-serendipitys-krazy-koncluding-scenario/

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thundie, thanks a lot for sharing the link -- sounds really interesting! will check that one out next time....

javabeans and girlfriday, following serendipity's example, is there a better SKKS ending that you have on your minds that you might want to share with us? :-)

we would love to know what is the alternative joseon crack ending that you have up your sleeves...must be mind-blowing to say the least.

perhaps, with many here expressing that they were disappointed with the ending, there must be a thousand and one alternative endings already playing in a lot of the minds here. any chance they'll have a venue to share them... here at dramabeans?

i would be one of those interested to read and play out those alternative endings....i know this will not help me move on to the next kdrama but who cares? haha! :-)

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I second your suggestion for JB and GF to come up with their versions of how SKKS should have ended... :)

Even more if they could write a drama of their own and then...we could...critique it to our heart's content...hehehe... :)

Now, wouldn't that be just AWESOME?! Hehe... :)

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YESSS! on all counts :-) thanks, koreandramalover!

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Thank you too (a gazillion times), samgetang!!! :)

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at one point, i think i even saw her with longish nails...

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so true jb!!! was sooo whining over and over about the deus ex machina that saved the day! like whatever....>,,,,,< i'm also with gf when yoonhee and jaeshin didn't have their confession-farewell moment. like what is that?!

but whatever. i still loved this drama for great writing and cinematography and acting and i'm accepting it for all it's flaws (which happens to include a lot of frustration over a flat seonjoon-yoonhee loveline among other things). i dled the entire show already and the subs... to watch over and over again for the joong ki - ah in scenes!^^

thanks gf and jb for the end review!^^

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dunno why my comment didn't post properly... so i'm reposting it. sorry for that.

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so true jb!!! was sooo whining over and over about the deus ex machina that saved the day! like whatever....>,,,,,< i'm also with gf when yoonhee and jaeshin didn't have their confession-farewell moment. like what is that?!

but whatever. i still loved this drama for great writing and cinematography and acting and i'm accepting it for all it's flaws (which happens to include a lot of frustration over a flat seonjoon-yoonhee loveline among other things). i dled the entire show already and the subs... to watch over and over again for the joong ki - ah in scenes!^^

thanks gf and jb for the end review!^^

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so true jb!!! was sooo whining over and over about the deus ex machina that saved the day! like whatever.... totally blew off the entire integrity and capabilities of j4 because at the end of the day, they still really didn't do anything.

and what's with that yongha's a fashion designer?! so his didn't transcend social rules which everyone else got to break?! why was he at skk at all?!

totally shocked at that error with yoonshik's name. maybe it was because she was registered as yoonshik?! i dunno.=/ i was trying to make sense of it as i assumed everyone already knew she was a girl. i mean jaeshin said there were girls at skk right?! which is why i was hoping there'd be some narrative for the epilogue --- cuz i totally buy your yoonshik yoonhee name proposal. but ok... i was hoping they'd all be working for the king!!! -___-;; cuz why else would the king give them reason to believe they could change their time but have none of them end up working in the palace as government officials?! why was there no official who ended up showing seonjoon how it is to have an official who would choose to be close to his people instead of guiding his people?!

and like gf said, why didn't the j4 admit openly to each other that they knew yoonhee's a girl?! could've done it at ep 19 if they really wanted to.... i'm also with gf when yoonhee and jaeshin didn't have their confession-farewell moment. like what is that?!

but whatever. i still loved this drama for great writing and cinematography and acting and i'm accepting it for all it's flaws (which happens to include a lot of frustration over a flat seonjoon-yoonhee loveline among other things). i dled the entire show already and the subs... to watch over and over again for the joong ki - ah in scenes!^^

thanks gf and jb for the end review!^^

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For those still pining away for SKKS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M40UKFZZ63A&feature=player_embedded

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For me, for all those reasons mentioned above and more, lessons after 14 of Sungkyunkwan Scandal don't exist. Lesson 15-20 don't make any coherence with lesson 1-14. I decided to keep only lesson 1-14 in my memory and throw away 15-20. For me, it doesn't even seem to be the work of the same person. 15-20 seemed like written by someone who hated the glory of 1-14 and somehow tried to ruin it without seeming that way. I will not recommend Sungkyunkwan scandal to others as I did before.

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This may be my first time to go against your thoughts.

I understand there are certain rules for the drama to be called 'good ending' but I personally like to weight each one differently by not using the same guidelines.

Sometimes we are so used to our own perceptions how things should go and obstruct ourselves to see beyond what we used to see. Limiting us to greater new ways of how the story developed.

This drama is special and the writer did a great job in creating such wonderful unique leads that we all came to love so much. As I watched the series, I had hoped that the writer would be able to end the story without bringing the issue of Yoon Hee being a girl into the open, if she could just somehow make the three knew she is a girl without spoken into words but kind of mutual understandings, I thought that would be classic.

And I just love how Yoon Hee never knew JS's feeling. I like JS that way.

SJ's reaction to YHee gender revelation is what I always always want to see. To me, if the love of my life turns out to be a girl and lifts all the conflicts in my mind, I will smile with joy and happiness, that's how it should be in real life. I don't quite understand the word 'dramatically' at all. If as soon as SJ sees her bosoms and smiles with joy and relief and hugs her tightly, I will be even more satisfied.

And the ending, I love that the writer leaves us to think, to have conflicts, to guess what REALLY happened. And most importantly the drama doesn't leave us with the feeling of emptiness. On the contrary, it leaves smile on our faces and perfectly completes its genre.

What you said all above, are all the reasons I love the ending. It doesn't follow the normal drama ending rules.
It's fictions, it's scandals. It can be either right or wrong ending. Somethings were left for people to talk it over, over time, it's the nature of scandal --something seem right with reasons, some are not, no solid facts confirmed.

The ending leaves everyone smiling to the very last moment. The warmth and the joy of the last moment made us feel the characters live on. Thus our love and happiness is safely solidly preserved in our hearts.

Thanks for you guys final views, crucial part to close the curtain, really. ^^

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Totally agree to every word you said.

"It’s fictions, it’s scandals. It can be either right or wrong ending. Somethings were left for people to talk it over, over time, it’s the nature of scandal –something seem right with reasons, some are not, no solid facts confirmed."

Yes, the characters live on in our heart and one can imagine them continuing with their lives.

Now that the series has ended and I see other shows, I truly understand how special SKKS was!

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While the drama ending didn't quite sum up this otherwise awesome drama at least I have the equally awesome OST to remind me of all the comedic and touching scenes
Especially with MJS saving the day XD

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Moon Jae-shin! Be still my flippity-flipping heart.
I've been going through Strongest Chil Woo and just watching Yoo Ah In's scenes. *sigh* Anyway, I would die and go to drama heaven if they made a sequel but with Ha In Soo as lead with the introduction of female lead. Maybe about him trying to climb up the ladder in the Ministry of War after his family is owned since Minister was arrested. Here they could totally get into the nitty-gritty of their setup for SKK and deal with the real issues. It's true that SKK was idealistic and a sequel show a more realistic view of the world. And we would get more Kang-moo. And our characters would be more layered. Wishful thinking maybe.

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I don't consider myself a kdrama fangirl, I pick what I watch very carefully which is why I haven't seen as many shows as most people here probably have. But still, I have seen enough, and throughout my life I've read enormous amounts of shoujo manga/manhwa, so I have a good preconception of what to expect in both kdrama and shoujo.

SKKS was exactly that, shoujo. It was a magnificent shoujo that had a surprising amount of wit, depth and wisdom that you don't expect in such a show. But it was above all an endearing story about friendship, learning, growing up, not being afraid to dream big or to fight for it. A celebration of youth. Everything else was secondary. Yes the ending could have been better in terms of sheer storytelling and some of the stories could have been given more development, but in terms of everything else, of what the show really was about and what it wanted to convey, it was a perfect ending. When I watch kdrama, from ep to ep I am always afraid of the dreary, tiring episodes that are sure to come, and in this show they just never happened. It was a delight to watch from start to finish. I cannot express enough my gratitude to the show for not making me go through the agony of drama related to her being a girl. I agree with what dara said 100%.

If I want some serious social drama I will not watch a k-show aimed at youth. Honestly I will not really watch a k-show at all in such a case, I will read a book. And I will enjoy the show just for what it is.

As for all those who were disappointed that she didn't explicitly change the world, I would have actually found that too disney/hollywood-like and unrealistic.

To those who didn't like their jobs or that none of them went to politics. I thought their jobs were really fitting. The world can't change upside down dramatically overnight, and one person as a politician in such a society against a myriad of those of equal standing who will oppose them in every way will just get stepped over. The better way is to be sly and do small steps by trying to change the core. It won't happen overnight but ultimately will achieve its purpose. If you remember the way the guards behaved, MJS can make a difference there, and it suits him so much better than the position of a politician. SKK was the academy where future officials are born and shaped, if you want to change politics and politicians, there is no better way than to raise a new 'race' of them by instilling in them all the virtues and principles the old ones lacked. Furthermore, being the bookworms and academic geeks they were (and speaking as an academic geek), there was no better or more suitable job for them. I am not sure whether she was, silently or not, recognized as a female (she was wearing visible make up), and sincerely I do not care. In her position I would have gladly accepted the position pretending to be a man, and ultimately it's not even as important since even if covert, the fact remains that even in such a closed minded society, important people knew the truth and allowed her to do a male job, admitting she was as good as any man can be.
As for Gu Yong, as it was previously mentioned, he grew out of being ashamed of himself. Thus, as far as I am concerned, the show delivered its premise of hope and change. It was fun, smart, delightful, endearing, touching, hopeful and I will never forget watching it.

Oh and as for Micky YooChun's portrayal of LSJ, at first I thought he was too stiff and not convincing, but with every ep he got better, and the initial stiffness and lack of emotion made his change later all the more believable. It wasn't stellar acting but he did the job very well, and I loved his restrained, brainy character. In fact he became my fav character. I also loved his nerdy romance, I thought it was very sweet, and I would have hated an overreaction when he found out KYS was a girl. It would have been so out of character.

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Very late to the party - I didn't watch SKKS until mid-December. I'm actually on my third viewing since its airing on the KBS affiliate channel on my Korean cable package. You probably won't see this, but I feel a need to chime in with my thoughts.

You summed up the epilogue exactly as I was thinking. And I mean exactly. Cheers!

I do agree there were flaws - no series is perfect, and even my two favorite all-time television shows, The West Wing and Doctor Who (could they be any different? :-P) had/have a number of them. (WW went downhill in season 5, and DW is kind of week to week, but for all their flaws, I love them dearly) The continuity errors in SKKS speak of a lack of time, and indeed, they were filming right up to the last minute. It's jarring, the most obvious gaffe for me being when they went to the bookstore in broad daylight, encountered Hyo Eun, and when they left five minutes later, it was night.

The last episode was a bit rushed, and it was clear they would have benefited from an additional 4 episodes, or even an extra half hour, but they were already cutting it close, and with the actors' schedules, particularly Yoochun's, it just wasn't possible in the time they had. For me, it didn't diminish the series; I enjoyed every second of it.

What bothered me most, I think, is in reading recaps and comments - here and elsewhere - just how heavy the expectations were, and not just heavy, but also a bit...off.

Not that people shouldn't criticize, and in fact JB and GF and others make valid points. But what it comes down to is personal taste, and because of that, you can't please everyone.

"Micky Yoochun's acting was stiff."

Sure. I thought so too in the beginning. Because the character he was playing was a stiff, unemotional and strictly cerebral character, particularly when we meet him at the beginning. That was the whole point. He was a social pariah and the only people who ever showed him any affection were his parents and Soon Dol. He had no friends, didn't know how to be a friend, and his heart was closed.

This is part of what made the drama so endearing to me: the changes and growth that all of the characters went through. And not only that, but the how and why of them. I love adventure-type stories, but no matter how fantastic the journey, if the characters remain static, the story will fall flat. I don't even have to identify with any of them personally or even feel any kind of attraction for them. I do have to like them or feel intrigued on some level, even if it's just a matter of wanting to see that growth.

And it wasn't just the Quartet. Almost all of the characters, even the minor, side characters, grew in some way. It was not just a joy to see, but refreshing as well.

"Jae Shin deserved to be with Yoon Shik/Hee."

Okay, this one really drives me nuts. No, he doesn't deserve her. She's a person, not an object, and certainly nobody's reward. The requited love of a person is not a prize. Every time I see that sentiment expressed (about any characters or real people, not just in SKKS) I want to bang my head against the wall.

Many, if not most times, people fall in love with someone for reasons that defy logic or sense. It just happens. People don't return others' love for the same inexplicable reasons. There's no formula for it, and it can't be simplified. Why do we love some people so dearly as friends and yet we're not physically or sexually attracted to them? People need to take a look at their own relationships, lovers and friends and family, and even ex-lovers and former friends, enemies, before they judge. Yes, "you" (general you) might choose Jae Shin over Sun Joon, but "you" are not Yoon Hee and she is not "you".

/rant about pet peeve :)

Yoo In Ah was fantastic as Jae Shin, and he really should have been nominated as best supporting actor, not newcomer. He really embodied the role so completely. Again, a joy to watch.

As for the complaint that he never confessed to Yoon Hee, just the thought of that makes me cringe. First, it would have been so out of character for him. And second, why? So people could see him rejected? It would have completely diminished his character. He went out of his way to watch over Yoon Hee from the shadows, so to speak. He protected her, tried to keep her from harm He could clearly see that she was in love with Sun Joon.

Was he supposed to make her choose? Seriously? Does he look like a character who wants anyone's pity? And more, is he the type of man who would hurt Yoon Hee that way? Because that's what would happen. It would have become a huge obstacle in their relationship and it could have ruined their friendship. He didn't only love her as a woman, but also as a friend.

As for Yoon Hee not acknowledging all he'd done for her, well, as was pointed out above, she didn't know about some of it. (Like when Byung Choon and Go Bong followed her) And the rest, of course she knew. And when she told him, after Sun Joon was arrested in his place, that she "would have done the same for you", what further acknowledgment was required?

These are not characters who walk around wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Dramatic moments just for the sake of having a "DRAMATIC MOMENT" tend to be crap and out of place. Any confrontational confession scene between Jae Shin and Yoon Hee would have been completely out of character for him.

The same goes for Sun Joon's reaction to discovering that Yoon Hee was a woman. He's probably never raised his voice once in his life. But beyond that, for Sun Joon, his position was "I love this man, and we can't be together because two men can't be together like that." He left her to protect her. The revelation that he was in fact a she wasn't "OMG She lied to me!" It was more along the lines of "I love this person and now there's a possibility that we can be together." He had no idea how Yoon Hee felt about him at this point, whether or not she returned his feelings.

And he wasn't all sweetness and light when he came back to SKK either. He came back to help her leave initially.

Yes, for many of us, finding out we'd been tricked would have set us off on a rant, but again, that's us, not Sun Joon, He is not us, nor are we him. His reaction was exactly in character for him.

/end second peeve rant. :)

I love how you compared it to a shoujo. It really is. It reminded me a bit of Ouran. (My favorite manga/anime series are FMA and Saiyuki, which are more shonen, but FMA has fantastic female characters.)

And this has gotten ridiculously long. I feel better for having vented, I must say.

I loved your comment which is why I'm responding here.

SKKS had its flaws, but it also had fantastic characters, a compelling storyline that went far beyond romance, and while it would have been nice to be able to finish with more closure for characters like In Soo and Cho Sun, and even the J4, I was pretty satisfied with it, and loved it as a whole. I can't wait for the DVDs!

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i really think for a newcomer....micky did a grt job in the acting field! all of them are adorable but i agre with JB, the ending was quite baffling for me but that said overall it was fun watching this drama! i'm now a big fan of all these four actors! i luv yoo ah in - he was hawt!

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SKKS is one drama that will not be forgotten easily. I loved it and will cherish it. There were many levels to watch and ponder over in this Joseon era story. Simply because it was the Joseon time, there could not be a truly correct ending. It had to be like loose change in the pocket after having large banknotes in our hands from the start. Indeed if the writers had brought the era up to the top level there would have been a totally different story altogether. YoonHee would have been hauled out of the school immediately her gender was found and she would have been imprisoned and later killed. A woman in that school was impossible and a crime if attempted. Therefore the tale, as it was told, would have been almost impossible to end as we would have liked. Personally I was a little sad at the brief way the last scenes were rendered but all I would have changed would have been a longer memory of all four characters just to satisfy my curioslty about their future lives. I do think that Jaesin will be instrumental in the government as he progresses. He won't just be a policeman.His father was a Minister if the state ,so Jaesin would have things to do and high place to do them.
I am not so sure that Sun Joon would always be a professor at the school. He has the intellect and the family structure to rise as high as his father in his later years I think. The only one I am not sure about is YoonHee. I don't think she should be at the school in any capacity. She is a woman. Out of the school she is a wife and there is no career even tho she is definitely the equal of her husband. I can see her father in law finding a place for her. He knows and respects her brain and talents.
Gong Ha is in his element but I agree with what someone has said before, that he will still have input from the ground level up to the Ministers and the King. He is well known now as not just a 'Ladies Man' but someone who had lots of abilities outside book learning. He really does know people and can judge them very well.

I don't think a sequel would be a happy thought. We can never see these characters if they grow older. We loved them as they are here and now in "SKKS". Nice to imagine them in the future but I for one don't want them to change into much older adults.

I love this drama so much.

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I looooved this drama, but I wanna nitpick - was anybody else thrown by the weirdly modern beliefs that they ascribed to "the West"? Um, we didn't really let ladies learn at that time either, Prof. Jung! The equality of all landowning white males was our revolutionary thinking.
Ugh, I feel stupid for complaining about it.

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Thanks for the insights.

Well, I am probably too late to give mine, but I'd still give it anyway.

There are dozens of things I'd agree with you guys, especially the ending. Hell yeah, it was rushed, with everything closing neatly, as if afraid to disappoint their oh-so loyal viewers.

But I can't help noticing, how everyone goes disappointed at Sun Joon's reaction when he found out Yoon -hee's a she. I mean, isn't the reaction completely fine? Everyone differs from each other, and I'm sure dramaland isn't an exception. So when Sun Joon did not react the same way as Han Kyul did, I hope no one has gone berserk on how he remained almost-calm on it. Because they are certainly two different personalities in two different persons at two different times. Everybody's expecting a Han Kyul-ish reaction, please, don't deny.

Well, that's all I have to say. Heh. After all, this is my first time posting, even if I have been stalking your site ever-since-God-knows-when.

So, thanks for all the recaps (to redpill and cassie too!)

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Although I have been stalking the sungkyunkwan recaps since the drama was on-air, I just had a sudden urge to re-read this review. The ending was a quite the let-down, however I loved the drama. It was a brilliant ride. I didnt like Yeorim and Geol Oh's endings though. I believe they deserved better endings. And also the fact that nothing had changed politically despite the hunt for that-thing-I-cant-pronounce, irritates me. But it was still a gorgeous drama, with brilliant actors. This will probably sound super childish, but I hope in the alternate Sungkyunkwan dimension, where this drama is reality, that our Jalgeum Quartet are still best buds. Sigh. And I hope the bromance is still going strong.

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HELP! What's the song in episode 17 starting around 23:17? It's the scene wherein yoon hee starts reading the letters sun joon leave for her in the library. UGH! IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

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HELP! Does anybody know the song playing in episode 17 around 23:17? It's the scene when yoon hee starts reading the letters sun joon leave for her in the library.

askjdnajksdnkjasndkajs

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I can just never thank you guys enough for these recaps - I would be lost in my writings without them! Thanks so much!

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Loved this part of the review from Girlfriday:
"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."

I agree completely!

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Heh.
For a while after Scandal was finished, I happily accepted the "facts" as I went on in Life. But when I thought back on it, I found some parts lacking but just couldn't put my finger on what (or fingers in this case!). In the end, both of you brought up the points that I had issues with.
But the good parts of the show (many) did make this show a fav for me. So, I won't say this drama is a complete loss and hey, no drama is absolutely perfect right?

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I love how this blog brings people (KFans) together (well mostly...)

I also was waiting for the conversation between the guys about who knew what and when ("I knew that you knew but I didn't know you knew I knew" haha).

I was sooo waiting for the guys to see Yoon-hee dressed as a woman especially at the end. But she changed her girly clothes and was dressed as a man again. Boring!
I can just picture a super closeup of their faces, eyes, mouths staring at her as a beautiful woman. All of three actors could have done a fantastic job with that.
Oh well....

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"They’re fantastic in small doses that leave you wanting more." Javabean-san, one can not explain our feelings more perfectly more than your line. Yeees!!! Me need see more Yong-Ha and Geol-Oh >.<

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After 4 years, I got to see this little gem of a drama. Honestly, i watched SKK because of PMY - to cure me of my Healer withdrawals. PMY's acting here and to that of Healer has really gone a long way.

Me discovering this drama is not that bad after all - I got to discover Yoo Ah-in also. The way his character was written here, he will always be just a second lead. He has given up his chance with Yoon-hee way before. How great would it have been if it was played out a little more, so that Sung-joon could be threatened just a little. However, I will definktely look out for more Yoo Ah-in in the future.

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