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Mary Stayed Out All Night: Episode 16 (Final)

Hurricane Mary, coming through! This drama goes out the same way it began…totally insane. But you know, by now it’d be even MORE schizophrenic if the drama did a total 180 and started to make sense. So it’s best we go out with as much crazy as we started with. It’s time to embrace the mental instability. Or at least start drinking heavily…

SONG OF THE DAY

Mary Stayed Out All Night OST – Jang Geun-seok – “I Will Promise You” [ Download ]

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FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Mu-gyul gets his non-answer to his stupid Choose Me Now or Forever Hold Your Peace question and walks away without looking back. Mary immediately gets a call that Jung-in is awake. (So, if Mu-gyul had waited two minutes, you would’ve been able to answer? I guess that’s not the point, but…)

Mary rushes in and Jung-in looks up at her lovingly. While Mu-gyul goes home to clear his studio of Mary’s belongings and the curtain that divided their bed, Jung-in talks to his father about the wedding.

Jung-in: Father, does this wedding have to happen? I love Mary sincerely. So I want her to be happy. But if she marries me like this, she’ll never be happy.

Finally, some reason. Dad thinks after the wedding will be plenty of time for Mary to change her mind. Ha. Words are meaningless to you. Jung-in asks if Dad is trying to make him even less fortunate than himself. He calls Dad out for loving another woman for thirty years. Jung-in: “It must’ve been hard for you. But it was harder for me, and Mom, who stood by your side.” Oof. Heartbreaking.

And now it makes sense (?!) why Jung-in is so quick to let Mary go, despite loving her. Because he spent his whole life loving his father, and watching his mother love him, while he loved someone else. To live that all over again, in his own marriage, would be the height of cruelty. He asks his father to reconsider the wedding once more, to which his father turns a blind eye, because he is a heartless shell of a man. [Also a plot device. –javabeans]

Mu-gyul packs up the rest of Mary’s things with a heavy heart (which runs so counter to your actions earlier, schizo-boy, but whatever). But Mary comes running in, short of breath.

Mary: THIS is my answer, Stupid.

And, Quote of the Day goes to Mary! Mu-gyul sighs, utterly relieved, as he clutches her tight in a hug. He thanks her for coming, even now. Um, YOU were the one who put a time limit on her answer, dummy. It’s a sweet reunion, if only because the actors play it as such, but frankly, there’s no dramatic tension in it at all, and makes me even angrier about the hospital breakup scene…all that, for this?

Jung-seok ponders for a while, then decides to hurry the wedding. Oy. Even Mary’s dad wonders what’s gotten into him, as it seems rushed with Jung-in’s condition and Mary’s state of mind.

As soon as they’re reunited, Mu-gyul gets a call from Jung-in asking to see him concerning Mary. He heads over to the hospital, and Jung-in tells him that the wedding is still on. Mu-gyul points out that his words don’t match up, and Jung-in just says that he’s being honest, man-to-man.

Mu-gyul leaves and Jung-in says to himself that he’ll see in due time. Oh, jeez. I see where this is going, and it’s not totally out of character for Jung-in to go all Fairy Godmother on them, but it’s still crazy.

Mary gets called home to talk over wedding prep with Dad, and she goes along, too defeated to resist anymore. Dad calmly tells her that he’s not doing this because of Jung-in’s wealth, but because her mother married him for love, but ended up with such an unfortunate fate. He tells her that starting love is easy, but maintaining it, preserving it, is the hard part. Well, now, that makes a whole lot of sense, and is delivered in a non-hysterical fashion. Could you not have been this way from the beginning, dear Papa?

He tells her that all he cares about is her happiness. Well then maybe, just once, you should listen to what your twenty-four year old daughter is telling you, about what she wants for her own life. [Yeah, the “Daddy knows best” argument really doesn’t hold any water when the premise of your argument is how your decisions turned out so badly. –jb]

Mary texts Mu-gyul that night, asking him to wait three more days for her to end things with Jung-in. Okay, now I’m starting to take Mu-gyul’s side with all this. Why do you keep extending things? Mu-gyul agrees and they plan to meet on the third day.

The day arrives, which is of course Mary and Jung-in’s wedding day. Both she and Jung-in prepare with long faces, and she texts Mu-gyul to wait for her. He takes his guitar and plays a new song in the park, waiting for her to arrive.

Meanwhile, the wedding begins, and guests start streaming in. Seo-jun arrives and greets Jung-in, and then calls Leo to ask why they’re not here, as Mary’s friends. It’s news to everyone else that Mary’s going through with the wedding, so they rush over to find Mu-gyul and send him off to crash the wedding and get Mary back.

He runs like the wind, and arrives to find Mary and Jung-in standing at the altar. Although he ran there to stop it, he takes one look at Mary in her wedding dress, smiling at Jung-in, and tears well up. He turns away and leaves, just as their friends arrive on the scene.

So Mu-gyul leaves, and their friends arrive just in time to witness the real reason for the wedding: to stick it to their fathers. Jung-in announces that he’ll love Mary forever (aw) but he won’t marry her, as this wedding is something orchestrated by their families and they don’t intend on becoming husband and wife. Mary apologizes to her father, and says that they’ve chosen to preserve the love that they’ve chosen.

Well, finally a definitive statement from her. Why it required going through with the wedding to announce to their fathers that they have no intention of getting married doesn’t make much sense, but I suppose it’s been pretty well established that neither father will listen to reason, and well, the drama simply wanted to create the dramatic not-a-wedding scenario. Although it’s unclear why, as anyone could see this coming a mile away.

Their friends stand around and call Mary instead of Mu-gyul, telling her to go find him. Why didn’t anyone think he might need to know what went down at the wedding after he left? Do your job, friends!

Mary finds out that Mu-gyul was there, and rushes off to find him. Meanwhile, Mu-gyul comes home, crying over losing Mary. It’s sad for him, but lacks all dramatic tension because we know that it’s just a matter of time before he finds out the truth.

And to that end, Seo-jun comes by to tell a sulking Mu-gyul that he should’ve stuck around at the wedding, long enough to watch Mary and Jung-in run out, and even sign divorce papers to end it all. Mu-gyul immediately perks up, and rushes out.

Aaand, we’re back to running! Run, Mu-gyul, run! And why all of a sudden do lovers not have cell phones in moments like this? I mean, I agree that running in the snow is way more dramatic than texting, as far as the audience is concerned, but it’s also conveniently not an option when the drama decides it’s dramatic running time.

Over in the land of errant fathers, Jung-in apologizes to Dad for taking it that far, but tells him that it was the only way to stop him from forcing that marriage till the end. He adds that while he loves Mary, he can’t marry her in place of his father’s love for her mother.

Mary’s dad walks in and overhears their conversation, realizing for the first time why Jung-seok has been pushing this marriage. He declares it wrong (yes, so, so wrong), and leaves, disgusted with him. Thank goodness for that. [Okay, you get to go back to being Second Worst Dad Ever. –jb]

Mu-gyul runs and runs and arrives at the playground, to find Mary huddled and waiting for him. He runs over calling her name, and her eyes fill with tears as she asks what took him so long. Mary: “I ended things with Jung-in and came. But you weren’t here. I was so scared.”

Mu-gyul apologizes (oh thank god for the disappearance of pissy Mu-gyul) and hugs her, sorry for not trusting her, and himself.

Back at home, they’re back to being cute, and Mary fills him in on one important detail that she so conveniently left out: that she and Jung-in signed divorce papers while he was still in the hospital. [Thereby negating the need for that stupidly dramatic not-a-wedding, you mean? –jb] Mu-gyul smiles, instead of asking her if she’s lost her mind, and then gives her the kitty necklace he’s been carrying around since Christmas. She gives him a kiss on the cheek in delight. Mary: “It’s a kitty! Is it you?”

Jung-in gets disowned by his father, and kicked to the curb. He expected as much, and plans to head out on his own. Good for you. High time for you to be an adult now. He meets with Mary to finalize the divorce and part ways. She thanks him for everything, and he wonders how things might have been if they had met under more natural circumstances. She’s relieved that things can go back to the beginning, which they can’t for him, since he’s fallen in love with her. He watches her walk away, lingering for a moment.

Mary goes to see Dad, who was initially under protest, but finally caved to reason, once he saw just how crazy Jung-seok really was. He doesn’t tell Mary about Jung-in’s dad being in love with her mom, but he does tell her that he kicked Jung-in to the curb.

Mary calls Mu-gyul and worries that Jung-in has run into trouble again because of her. Mu-gyul laughs good-naturedly and teases her for worrying about her first husband in front of him. Ha. And why couldn’t you have been this understanding before, I want to ask.

Jung-in tries to sleep on the couch in his office, which really wouldn’t be that uncomfortable, save his really long legs. He tosses and turns, and finally gives up. His solution?

…He walks into Mu-gyul’s studio and drops his bags down. Omo! This drama got REALLY good all of a sudden. [FIFTEEN EPISODES LATE. –jb]

Jung-in announces that he’ll be staying here for a while, and also announces that he wants to put out a single for Mu-gyul’s song. Mu-gyul just looks at him like he’s crazy, and can’t help but laugh at his declaration that he’ll be living here.

Mu-gyul gives him a blanket to sleep on the couch, but Jung-in insists that he can only sleep in a bed. Mu-gyul: “There’s only one bed…”

O.M.G.

Jung-in decides that they can just put up a curtain and share the bed. Mu-gyul grabs him by the arm (with love?) and tells him to follow his rules in his house (the same words Jung-in used when he made Mu-gyul sleep on the couch in his house). Jung-in recognizes the words, and goes to the couch sheepishly.

And thus begins the real relationship that we’ve been waiting sixteen episodes for. Jung-in and Mu-gyul settle into a bickering courtship of their very own, like an old married couple. It’s officially the best thing this drama has ever done. [For, like, 2 whole minutes. Yeah, I’m bitter. –jb]

They ride around in Mu-gyul’s bus, as Jung-in personally escorts him to every media appearance, and on their way home one night, Mu-gyul falls asleep…on Jung-in’s shoulder. Jung-in is startled for a second, and then smiles (Eee!), totally enjoying the moment. Mu-gyul wakes up and ruins it, making for some awkward tension. Ha.

It’s almost even more upsetting for the drama to give us a taste of what could’ve been… [Bitter bitter bitter bitter bitter… –jb]

They arrive home to Mary, who’s waiting with dinner. She finds out that Jung-in is staying there, and Mu-gyul eyes him with great displeasure, as Mary treats him kindly. Can these three just live together like this, forever? Please?

Mary sees Mu-gyul on tv and decides that he’s gotten too skinny. Mary: “That’s it. I’m gonna have to catch a chicken.” She makes chicken soup for their cozy little threesome, and Jung-in gets jealous over Mu-gyul’s extra chicken leg, to which Mu-gyul offers him a date. No…not that kind of date, although…don’t I wish.

Jung-in gets a call that Wonderful Day finally secured all its funding. Cue smiles all around, and a handshake between the two boys.

Mary and Jung-in finalize their divorce…again. Didn’t we already have this scene? At home, the crew prepares a surprise party, in honor of the divorce. Ha. I do love this group’s reasons for throwing parties. Mary and Jung-in arrive home and blow out the candles on their Happy Divorce cake.

One year later, Mary has become a budding drama writer, and Jung-in comes to see her. He’s back to greet his father, who has returned, and things seem settled between their families. While they talk, a guy runs up to her, calling her noona and sunbae, asking who the guy is. She introduces him as her first husband with a smile, and the guy balks, but decides he doesn’t care, because he’s written a song for her. She laughs that she’s got a lot of those, and Jung-in notes that she tends to attract musicians.

She goes to see Mu-gyul, playing in the park as usual. In voiceover, she says that she and Mu-gyul are the same. They broke up twelve times, and are dating for the thirteenth time. Heh. That’s cute.

At home, she complains that the studio is too warm now (successful musician = running the heat as much as he wants). She says this place was better when it was cold; they used to keep each other warm. Mu-gyul smiles and comes over for a snuggle.

Seo-jun is her usual self, and continues on her path as an actress.

Mary and Mu-gyul walk along together, sharing tunes, and happily in love.

Mary (in voiceover): In the face of many crossroads, in the youth of our twenties, we chose another path.

 
GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

Well at least we got a nice last half of a finale, with somewhat open-ended, but well-wishing farewells for our characters. There wasn’t anything revelatory, but we at least got some Jung-in/Mu-gyul hijinks, which amused me. And I do enjoy the ending for Mary and Mu-gyul, that they very realistically broke up a dozen times and continue to grow up together, without easy solutions to everything.

As for the first half, don’t even get me started on the not-a-wedding. Mary refusing to tell Mu-gyul, just to “fool” (pffft) the audience….blech. Of all the things I hate, it’s manufactured conflict that really makes me sigh. I feel nothing when events in a drama unfold in a way that is solely in service of creating dramatic tension, because for me, it has the opposite effect. If characters don’t act organically, then the scenes lose all tension because I know that these are just machinations to make them breakup/makeup back and forth, simply because it’s the finale. And that’s lame.

So overall, the finale is exactly what the drama was, on a whole: bipolar. It’s the perfect encapsulation of the two ends of this drama, somehow existing in the same space. It’s both I-am-youthful-free-and-indie, and drama-tropes-on-hyperdrive. Watching this drama was a lot like Mary, yo-yo-ing back and forth between her two guys: trying to do right by both, which eventually just leads to being confused. I wish Show had done a lot of things, but choosing one tone and one path would have done a lot to buoy all the crazy.

Mostly I wish for better things for the three leading actors, because I really love them all, despite nobody getting the chance to do anything here. It hurts me to think of what this drama could have been, if they had been written as characters, and not as caricatures.

 
JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

Even though I’d long given up on Mary being a good drama, the finale was even more disappointing than I was bracing myself for, because while it was a mess of non-logic, it wasn’t even the FUN kind of crazy. And for all but the last ten minutes, it was strangely morose and lethargic. The characters were sad and resigned, like they’d given upon themselves just as the drama had given up on them.

I have the same gripes about the lame wedding fake-out as girlfriday — and since the drama wasn’t very clever about the misdirect and probably tipped a lot of us off right away about being a fakeout anyway, it didn’t even have that surprise-twist factor to justify such a cheap shot. For one brief moment, I was ready to grudgingly accept the wedding scene because I thought they were going for the bookend effect, using it to parallel the drama’s opening sequence — Mary’s Tim Burton nightmare about being married off to the wrong groom — and then they DIDN’T EVEN DO IT.

Now, as for the last ten minutes — they reminded me about all that I’d previously enjoyed about this drama, which is a bittersweet thing since it came so late and was so fleeting. I’d actually forgotten the sweetness of these people, because their recent moping/sulking/brattiness has been so unpleasant to witness, on top of being jarringly out of character. But seeing the dryly funny moments between the two boys? Hilarious. Now this is the kind of stuff I was hoping for when we first heard the words “two contract marriages” — wacky hijinks between the three that gives rise to hilarious scenarios. Gah, it kills me that the writers didn’t think to bring Jung-in into the studio household earlier, which by the way would’ve contributed a better side conflict as well if they paired it with Jung-in losing funding and needing to save the drama while crashing with his wife and her boyfriend. I mean — how great would that have been? Remember all the awesome bedtime jostling scenes of Sungkyunkwan Scandal? To think we could have had that here. Arghhhhalskdjf;ajdf;akjds;fs. Bitter sad bitter.

More than anything, I feel sorry for these actors, because they’re not just good-looking fresh faces capable of cute-ing it up — they’re also some of the bright shining talents of their generation, and were utterly wasted. I’ve learned long ago that a drama with a great cast isn’t enough — that directing and writing are even more crucial — but somehow, I always fall for it every time, getting excited and then facing that crushing disappointment as you watch the cast gamely doing their best despite the sinking ship. Kudos to them, and hopefully we’ll see them soon, in something much more worthy of them.

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Excellent performance from the lead actors/actress, lousy storyline from the writer(s). Beautiful OST.

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i totally share jb's bitterness. it upset me that i loved the last few minutes of the drama and like jb said; it showed the potential of the drama...all in vain.

this has just left a bitter taste in my mouth. gah.

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Finally! *heaves a sigh of relief*

It is finally over. I really don't know what to make of this drama. LOL!

I finished it because, just like javabeans and girlfriday, it's all about loyalty...just like mae ri to mu-kyul and jung in, I promised someone Id see this drama through...and I did!

But making sense of the whole of this drama is killing me, hahaha!

And so I will not attempt to do such a herculean task but rather pick out the scenes that I liked/learnings that I gained that brought me through to the very end despite the confusing twists and turns of the story's plot:

I think that for all it's crazy plot, the main thing that really carried this drama, aside from the 3 lead stars obviously, is the recurring theme of PARADOX. Paradox is defined as "(n.) A tenet or proposition contrary to received opinion; an assertion or sentiment seemingly contradictory, or opposed to common sense; that which in appearance or terms is absurd, but yet may be true in fact."

We find the role of JGS aka Mu-kyul and we all agree with the two fathers, albeit secretly, that this guy is not the kind of guy you would want for yourself/your daughter/your sister to marry. And yet we find ourselves drawn to this character. We are hoping against hope that he will turn out better than what we would usually expect from a rocker-boho-laid back guy who is full of talent/creativity but can be sorely lacking in the responsible adult department. We see him twice in the story where he backs out/cops out on his word/responsibilities...and we nod as if saying we knew it coming.

And yes, we all agree that Jung In seems to be the better choice for Mae Ri. On both accounts when Mu-kyul copped out Jung In saved the day. We thought maybe this drama will be different and choose the better guy for the girl and yet we know in the end she will choose the wrong one. And yet, is he the wrong one? Like in real life, many times we make the wrong choices...which in the end turn out to be the best because we learn something in the process/ there are higher purposes being achieved.

The Paradox here turned out be not with Mu-Kyul whom I expected to turn out the opposite of what we all expected from someone with that lifestyle/philosophy in life, but rather the paradox was that he is what we thought he is, warts and all (broke up 12 times with Mae Ri, remember?), and yet that crazy albeit honest relationship with Mae Ri was the very instrument for the turning point of Jung In's development as a person in his quest to be independent from his dad.

For all it's worth, I am drawn more to the character of Jung In for this very progress in his persona. When Seon Joon asked him why he decided to let go of Mae Ri and accused him of doing so because Mu Kyul was more important to him/for his business his reply was very telling. He said that he did so because finally he wanted to be free to decide for himself be it career-wise or lovelife-wise. Good for him!!! And who knows...with the open-ending we may just see him make more progress with Mae Ri than Mu-Kyul would...perhaps Mae Ri would finally realize when she's tired breaking up with Mu-kyul after their 39th break-up in their tumultous future Jung In might look more appealing to her... just a thought! :-)

If we love PARADOX, then it's okay to accept the ending of this story and what happened to the main characters. And like girlfriday, I like that Mu-Kyul and Mae Ri did not end up marrying right away and being all too wise for the worse and might fall into the trap of pride and inflexibility. They continue to learn more as they grow into their relationship. H/ever I just hope that there would be a clearer goal into their near future together...for the benefit of the sanity of those around them, if not for the two of them, hahaha! ;-)

I remember realizing that after watching the film Peter Pan. The youthfullness and carefree attitude of Peter Pan were much extolled in that story, how adults with their responsibilities and rituals might miss out on the fun of living with fresh take on things and with much freedom. But what we might really miss is the sacrifice made by Mr Darling, the father of Wendy and her siblings, who had to let go of his youth so that he can provide for his family and protect them just like what he did in the end.

It is the same for the Mu-Kyul character in this drama. We love that he lives as he pleases unlike Jung In who is bound by the crazy wishes and whims of his father and so gets them all into problem. But it is the Jung In character who often saves the day and when finally he grows up and stands up to his father he was able to redeem himself and restore the relationship of the two main leads. It is like that when we care for people, we have to make sacrifices for them. In the end, Jung In gets his much needed freedom, success in his business and earned for him valuable friends in return. And looks like he reunited with his father in the end, too.

And so I contemplate whether this show's 16 episodes was really all a waste of my time, and Im glad I have some wonderful take-aways despite all its craziness and inconsistencies and illogic. The drama gods must have shown me some of their mercy :-)

Thank you JB and GF for sticking it out this far...you earn million loyal points from all of us!

And to my moony loony sistah, koreandramalover/kdl, thanks for making me watch this drama in its entirety. JGS MGY and KJW made it all up for the script's laziness in doing their best for their talents and the audience. Hope to see them in more amazing roles/stories than this. But I did not end up completely empty-handed....plus watching JGS performing on stage is the biggest treat for me! :-)

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Thank you for sharing your insights on the paradox in this drama. Fascinating!

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Hey, I really enjoy your comment, 2 years and a few months after you wrote it. Nobody "forced" me to see it. Korean Drama is what I watch when my husband goes away for work for months at a time. This leaves me with a lot of free time, when the baby is asleep, but, as I joke, he never leaves for long enough for me to bother to get a lover, so I just indulge in watching films and dramas on the internet. I have to admit, that as far as korean drama, although I do like a good story (I thought that City Hunter and Faith were good stories for adult audiences and that Your are Beautiful is a great teen comedy, so great that I enjoyed it being an adult and it made me remember being that age, rather than be bored by it - true by the way of all great children literature as well, which I am reading aloud to my son now, the best is very enjoyable to adults as well) there are two actors I like to watch, Lee Min Ho and Jang Geun Suk, and a story is just secondary to that for me. Through MSOAN I saw for the first time the actor playing Jung In and found him as charismatic as JGS so I might sook up his other work as well. But coming back to your comment - nicely put about the "romantic comedy paradox". It's not just here, most RC make you root for the "wrong guy", because they are fantasies. It's good for scriptwriters to remember that. If you ever read that you might like to check out my comment, which is probably still one of the last ones on this thread. I mention in it, that I actually lived a similar story myself, being kind of a MR in MG indi rock world. My guy, who fell for me immediately at a concert I attended with his doctor(my childhood friend) and pursued me aggressively for weeks until I agreed to a date, told me he wanted to marry me and have children with me within the first couple of months and proposed to me on our first anniversary. I saw his love grow, as he was maturing. Getting involved with my family problems, being a "son" to my mother. Supporting me emotionally and also by making actual physical an financial sacrifices. I remember his family members remarking to me how he changed through his love for me, how the more he invested in me, the more precious I was to him, how he identified with my problems, and would not let anyone criticize me (even if I remember these family comments as really very benign). Yet in the end, when I finished college and wanted to plan for the real life he felt pressured in the face of actually planning a wedding and he chose "rock and roll" lifestyle with booze over me. Yes, the same guy who almost bored me with thinking up names for all the kids we would have. My heart was shuttered into pieces. In real life I have seen very few long term relationships, and even fewer ones with children amongst our musician friends. This is a profession which is so entangled with the lifestyle that the chances of success in the real world are just very slim. But since this is a romantic comedy and not reality, I think the fantasy should have been made more plausible, by making MG that rare exceptional musician guy, who is capable of loving MR and devoting himself to family life. As far as your comment about how she might be better off experiencing something real, even it it doesn't end up in marriage (if I understood you correctly) it also parallels my life. Despite my heart being broken into smitherins at the time of the breakup, from a perspective of a successful marriage and family life, I am thinking of my past with a pleasant, nostalgic smile on my lips. Probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed at least part of this series ( up to the kiss, then it got really annoying) was that it made me think of those years I lived in a barely heated apartment full of expensive music gear, in which we had the best parties. I hope i will not offend the woman here by stating that although I find woman in general are as talented as men, I think a lot of us lack the passion ( and/or selfishness) to pursue our dreams. This guy was a star to me and I basked in his light. I could have pursued my own dreams with the same tenacity, which I did to a certain extent, but I preferred to be with him, and be thrilled by the passion and talent he had, then do my stuff. In other words I was professionally lazy compared to him. So now when I look back I am grateful for the time I spent with him, and I see how much I got out of it, although at that time I was too young to see it. I only saw the love and devotion I was giving him and felt completely betrayed when he "chose music". Only when I had a child, I realized that he had the same kind of passion for music as I have for my child. And in my case, it is simply impossible to me to feel so passionate about anything else, but my child. I am glad we were not married. He knew he could and should not have children. My current husband is also a passionate man, but his profession ( breeding and training horses) leaves enough room for a family. I think it's because performing is so stressful, that musicians often have to be "out of their mind" at least during their early years, when they are very creative and nothing is routine yet.

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LOL

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loved the last 15 mins....i agree it should have happened 15 episodes ago...so sad for what could have been :-(

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WHEW! Finally, MSOAN is over. Though I really wish Jung In had a concrete chance with Mae Ri. As the episodes progressed, I gotta admit, I grew sick of too much MG+MR moments and wished JI+MR had their own moments as well. And the last few episodes made me wish JGS's face didn't show up too soon on the screen. Yeah, weird right? You know the characterization has gone so bad when you end up hating the actor/character that got you into watching the drama in the first place. Tsk.

I would really love to see Kim Jae Wook and Moon Geun Young be paired up again in another drama. I do hope they work again together soon 'coz I think their "JI+MR love story" in MSOAN was greatly underused. Oh, well, good luck to the three main actors and their future dramas. :)

P.S. Thanks, girlfriday and javabeans for recapping this drama. Been reading since ep. 9 (and backread after that) and it helped me pour out some of my frustrations from the craziness of the drama. Kudos to both of you! :D

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I didn't agree with you all that this drama lacks drama all this time. just cuteness was enough for me, god bless plot and logic. but the last two episodes! it was overboard! so silly and useless! I thought I'm already used to k-dorama-writers way of doing things and spoiling fun in the middle of series, but this time it was too much.

last 10 minutes are still cute.

and thank you for your recaps! I have none to discuss k-dramas, but reading these I feel like I have -))))

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such a dramatic ending. i barely passed out

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How I wish the Runaway Wedding comes sooner..a few episodes sooner...why tey even want to got tru the wedding beats me when afterall both JI& MR are consenting adults who can go strait to the Divorce court once they both realize they have been co by their demented dads..but just let say to make an impact to their DEAF fathers they went tru the wedding so they can announce their divoce in a grand way, then followed by JI moving in to MG's place...how fun it wud be to watch the 3 of them tried living & geting along together especially JI & MG rivalry & trying to win MR's affection...so there wud be a waste of an ep such as ep 15, when MG became an alient character while JI practically sleeps tru the whole episode...

As it is the 2nd half of ep 16 was more like a beginning of a story instead of an ending...but kudos to all actors for their hard work & natural acting that make it worth watching...at least they made me forget the unrealistic part of the story...

Frankly MGY & JGS is what prompted me to watch the drama..to me its like AIMH EunSuh meets HJN EunHo...and they do not fail me with their amazing chemistry.. And reading the synopsis it was such an interesting story when of a girl with 2 marriages on hand, a fake & an arrange one...I tot its gonna be abt these 3 outwitted their demented dads & falling in love for real along the way...to bad they focus to much on uneccessary plot...but thanx to JGS&MGY chemistry it was still one of the sweetest drama this yeaR

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I wish the ending could have been even more...happy. Ha!
I just like to be completely sure that everybody's fairytale is set in stone.

Instead, I guess I'll just have to convince myself that they all lived happily ever after forever and ever.

All in all, I loved this one. Spotty, embarrassing, hilarious, discontinuous, confusing, adorable. I'm glad I watched it through.

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Amanda...I agree with you...they broke up 12 times, made up 13 times in duration of 12 months..and MG was never the kind who wud get back with a girl after they break up..not even SJ, no matter how much she pleaded..but with MR its different its like they broke up but get back almost immediately..with his temper which he still learning to curb plus for the 1st time in his life he has fallen deeply in love, its understandable his possesiveness becos he's too scared of losing MR..cos for the Ist time in his life he feels totally love by a person for being just him..with all his weakness and all...

Sure he doesn't have much compare to JI..he ws brought up lacking from everything from material to love..at least JI has his father's money & his mom's love...and the main point is its not JI's wealth or refine character that MR was drawn to but MG's bluntness & sincerity..she was really touch when he beg her father to let them date, promising to be a successful musician and provide good clothing, foods & material for MR... And he did..in the last episode, though still lving in the garage, it was upgraded...and remember MR once told him, her dream is to live normally, going back to school, doing job she loves...she doesn't want designer brand or a mansion home, as long she can live comfortably with ppl she loves, she's happy...and the garage studio has always been hers & MG's nest..from the very beginning when they reluctantly decorated it together...

JI on the other hand is the calm, obedient & thoughtful...but at times he thinks too much..when truly in love often more than not emotion always overule the brains..that's why old married couple who bickers/fights a lot are more passionate than those passive couples..cos everytime they fight & they made up, they"l be xtra sweet to each other...and as for JI, he never show any interest or attraction for MR until he reliazed she's the girl from the past..the one he promise long ago to protect..the one that he has instill in his mind to marry some day...but was it the right kind of love..honestly he seems more alive when he was with SJ in the beginning...he seems to care abt her even more until he found out who MR really is to him & decided to pursue her...still MR has never show him any interest other than respect & pity...not a good basic for happiness in marriage...if she's looking for a luxurious life than she shud marry JI...but since she's looking for simple & comfortable life with lots of love, than MG is the best choice..he's not rich but he never walk off his responsibility...he never leave his band mates nor has he ever leave his irresponsible mom..no matter how broke he was he still find ways & means to get the money to bail his mom out of trouble..

For me I actually love the ending..becos if they ended it with marriage between the 23 years old MG & MR, I can forsee another divorce coming up, since they're still young and still have many things to accomplished before they settled down...but this way just being in a relationship learning abt each other, learning to get along with each other, fights & made up as they grow together yet loving each other more everyday...this was the best ending for such a young couple...and MG now prove that he now has absolutely no problem showing MR his affection in public when he lean over to kiss MR in the busy street...love it.

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I wanted to really enjoy “Marry Stayed out All Night”. It would have been my 35th completed Korean drama/movie. I was on a roll; my addiction was well nourished. I desired yet another weapon in my arsenal to testify to the glory and splendor of Korean dramas to a production weary America. Unfortunately it left me with a literal sickness to my stomach.

I had kisses stolen from me 6 times, between the ages of 12 and 22. When I was 12, there was a boy, my same age, who liked me, and I didn’t know. He kissed me to express his affection, albeit on the cheek, a kiss is still a kiss. The same thing happened later that year with another boy of 16. With one exception, the other occurrences can simply be attributed to desire. It seems in America, we have a habit of taking what we want, living for ourselves, and then justifying our actions with our words. We portray, reinforce, and fiscally support this theme at the box office.

What has made Korean and other Asian dramas so breathtakingly beautiful to me has been the portrayal of the respect and sense of duty afforded members of society as well as love interests. Be it purely entertainment, I think not. Art reflects the culture. This is the reason this movie offends. Kang Moo Kyul reminds me of so many Americans where “skinship” is achieved for one’s own gratification, without regard to the impact on the receiver.

Kang Moo Kyul’s actions are truly juvenile. He in no way reflects a respectable man; there is no honor of elders and only nominal accountability to others. The deeds worthy of praise for the one he says he loves are at best miniscule. This lack of respectability in America is a trend. There yet exist many upright men and women in our land. However, since the 1950’s, the leaning has been toward the raising of a new breed of independent, free-thinkers, following the mantra, “if it feels good, do it”.

But this is not the only grounds for my offense. Irresponsible and self-seeking parents make you gasp in horror. The one man of power who has the potential to engender respect has distorted motives.

I adore Jang Geun Suk’s voice quality and appreciate his acting. Moon Geun Young touched my heart in “Innocent Steps” and “My Little Bride”. Kim Jae Wook’s character in “Coffee Prince” thrilled me with his devotion to his love. The three remain consummate actors; otherwise I could not be convinced of this current folly. The brilliance of Kim Jae Wook’s personality is not reason enough for me to offer “Mary Stayed out All Night” to my acquaintances as an example of why I love Korean dramas.

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This drama was too predictable to begin with. It would have been better if JI and MR ended up together.

Can't wait to see KJW in his next drama. As for JGS, can't wait to see him in the korean movie version of Kimi Wa Petto. I hope he essays his role better tham Jun Matsumoto(whom I adore BTW). :)

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Christy, I agree. My time investment would have been justified if JI and MR had sailed off into the sunset together.

JGS in Kimi Wa Petto - definatley something to look forward to!

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haha... yes I did finish the show the day after it last aired simply because I don't like to watch dramas halfway and also for the slightest glimmer of hope that it'll still be worthwhile. But of course it's the most ridiculous script ever - for giving up good story possibilities for an endless mary-go-round (oops pun fully intended) of nothingness.

One can literally switch on any episodes between maybe ep5 to 10 and see the characters doing the same thing, speaking the same lines, wondering the same thoughts etc. In short they recycled the plots within the show and what's more unforgivable is they recycled the worst parts not the best. 'Environmental friendly' to the max! The writer just needed to copy and paste several parts of the script.

As opposed to watching the first few minutes of He's Beautiful which was kind of non-promising (the beginning 3 minutes was a bit draggy for me) but which continued thereafter to be Extremely good, this romantic comedy on other hand started off very promising but went all the way downhill. This is probably how a very very slow moving roller-coaster on a downward ride feels like.

This show is worth watching only for the following:
1) JGS - even more delicious looking than ever
2) The bedroom scene between the two male leads at the ending of episode 3 (IIRC)
3) if you enjoy getting very annoyed by wasted talents or super irritating and impossible characters (the parents)
4) if you ever want to see the fume and chaos of the whole team behind the show seep on screen. Yes, I can actually feel that there's something wrong even before they announced the disagreement of the writer and the director.

Run from the show if you:
1) want to watch JGS or Kim Jae Wook flex any acting skill - they can't even if they wanted to, esp KJW.
2) want a good storyline - what storyline? They abandoned whatever good story leads immediately after they give you a hint of it. And you wait and wait and wait and there will never be a follow-up to it or you'll get the worst anti-climax follow-up in history.

This will go down the record as the worst show the 3 main leads ever done.

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Dreaming of a parallel and re-written MSOAN with Noh Min Woo as Mu Gyul. A girl can dream can't she? ;P

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Did anyone else wonder why Jung-In was trying to sleep on that little couch in his office when there was a nice looking futon on the other side of the coffee table? Because I sure did ^_^

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I haven't really finished this drama yet. I have left it to watch another better drama but I still like JGS so I will give it a shot to the end. The storyline of this drama is terrible ! I didn't like the characters either especially Mae Ri's dad ! Oh I want to smack him sometimes ! So much about wanting Mae Ri to be happy but yet he keeps forcing her to do stuff she doesn't like. I actually like Jung In's character. He is totally cool but a little too quiet for my taste. I didn't like Moo Kyul's character too much. He is selfish sometimes and didn't treat Mae Ri that well too. At the end of the drama, both of them were still bickering...shish ! I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone because although I like JGS, I felt like I have wasted my time watching the rest of them.

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a note: I love Jung Geun Seok in here...very pretty...huehehehe

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sorry to say this, but this one is a bad drama I've seen. Why Mary choose mo gyul instead of Jung in. Jung in has much more good things as we can see than mo kyul, who is stubborn, keep yelling to Mary, don'† have a good background. After 13th times of breaking up, why Mary doesn't try to start a new relationship with Jung in. Just feel bad for wasting such a good man with good criteria as Jung in to be with someone like mo kyul.

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I watched this merely because of JGS in it. Yep he stole my heart since "You're Beautiful" & I've been searching his other works (dramas & movies) :-)

It's a cute story, but this show is a bit "torture" for me to watch. I don't like the leading actress, though she's a good actress in general but I don't see any chemistry between the two leads. She doesn't seem 2B compatible w/ JGS here. Therefore I don't get any connection to the characters.

I think if Yoon Eun-hye (My Fair Lady) or Koo Hye-seon (Boys Over Flower) is the one who played Mary it'd be so much better--in terms of chemistry, as they are more quirkier.

Anyway, only because of Jang Geun-Seok & Kim Jae-wook I was able to finish this series :-)

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This show started out okay, and then inexorably got worse and worse, and what a relief it was that it finally ended. What was wrong with this show? Well, gee, here's a few things:

1. Mary, while not ugly, was hardly a babe, and when you factor in her "unmade bed" look (i.e., Salvation Army clothes, huge mop of unruly hair) the idea of two guys competing for her affections is kind of a joke.
2. Outfits for the Mu-gyul "rock star" must have been inspired by Sergeant Pepper and Peter Frampton circa 1976. STOO-pid... with two o's!
3. Mu-gyal's mom was a disgusting parasite (as was Mary's father) and every time she was on the screen I wanted to do an Elvis and shoot the TV with a handgun.
4. The "secret reason" that Mary was supposed to marry Jung-in was apparently that Jung-in's father had once had the hots for Mary's mother. Now, I may have to add another "o": STOOO-pid!
5. Jung-in, I think, is somewhat handsome in real life, but the combination of wardrobe, makeup, and hair made him look like someone who badly needs sunlight... and food. Imagine an Oriental male version of Twiggy, and you're in the neighborhood with this guy.
6. It was perhaps fitting that the ending didn't seem to make much sense, or have a whole lot to do with the rest of the movie.

This show has taken about 16 hours of my life that I will never get back!

PID. i'm adding third "o" to STOO-pid j eing her just , and the

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*sigh* I love Jang Geun-seok with all my heart but this was just ODD. I wanted to love this drama. It started off so adorably cute...then it became tedious. I left this drama feeling exhausted and confused. I was super happy to read this recap and see I wasn't alone! I'll continue to be Jang Geun-seok's fan (I've gotten my 13 year old to finally watch "You're Beautiful" so she's on the bandwagon now--boo for sharing) and hope that he can find a drama that brings him further into the forefront.

Thank you for your recaps! I love them!

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Isn't the OST by JGS from You're Beautiful?

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jang geon soek is pretty like a beatiful woman

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I thought that the wedding bit was something that had a lot of potential and made a lot of sense, but was executed poorly and trumped up by Mu Gyul not knowing to increase the bizarre "she loves me, she loves me not" writing his character suffered from in the last episode and a half. Completely unnecessary.
The wedding, however, made sense to me on paper - for them to go through with this lavish ceremony even though they were already divorced - because neither of their fathers understood the word No. Even when it couldn't be plainer, they cajole, kidnap, threaten, and blackmail the kids for 'their own good', so the kids put together an elaborate ruse in public, at their public wedding, with their fathers in attendance,for an undeniable and emphatic We Are Not Getting Married to their fathers. Another private No would have gone unheard, so it had to public.
But not the way it was. There was really no reason for Mu Gyul to be in the dark, particularly when Mary gives her answer to him not five minutes before and still doesn't tell him the plans, because - and yeah, I am getting a bit tired of the abuse of this concept in dramas with 99% logically misunderstandable situations - he should just trust her in her wedding dress standing with a guy in a tux in a wedding ceremony he was in the dark about. Pointless...grumble grumble.
That being said, the trio were still enjoyable in their interactions with each other, and I kind of wish we could see the three in something else together, roles perhaps reversed? Could be fun!

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...cute:))I like the rule of jan geun suk here...his very charming:))

I also like the chemistry merry christmas and JGS:))

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Unlike most people here I quite liked this series (with some room for improvement in MG character and MR wardrobe)until the end of the episode 8. As long as MG and MR were "stuck" together in that garage I could see how he feels so comfortable with her that he begins to like her. I can also see how the competition with JI has fueled his possessive feelings towards MR. I also really like the "indi scene'. I lived that life when I was younger and it feels very real to me. We were poor, but the social life was great. There were some girl rockers too, but it was mostly men centered world. And the ones who were very talented or very good looking or both could have any girl they wanted (within our world, that is) and they were rather spoilt. I was a gilrfriend of someone very much like MK for 3 years and I can tell you they got the generic character rather well. It would take something unusual to make a guy like this fall in love and in my case it was that I, like MR came from a different world, was a friend of this guy's physician's. I was very causcious of him and surprised by the attention. The guy would not give up and as I really fell under his spell the frist tie I saw him perform, I finally gave in. . My charm for him I believe was that I am an introvert, that I am very smart and well read and quiet and I kind of "live in my head". He called me "the most remote person he ever met" and apparently the attraction was to break through that. In the end he turned out to drink too much and he did break my heart. So you can see my own experience does make me sort of an expert. Up to the end of episode 8 I can buy this story. But then, with their feelings declared it just doesn't make any more sense to me. Like Joon said, MR just does not seem like a realistic love interest of the guy like that. They should have made him into a better person, more interested in her life besides how good she makes him feel about himself. The jump from the hidden quickened pulses and sweet moments to total bliss is not handled well. They really have little in common and she is revealed as so childish ( let's do all the couple things) . It would make sense( to the script) if he was saying that. If he was so gaga over her, that Mr. pissy/smirky/sexy is childish all of a sudden. Somehow when the guy does that it's the proof of his love, and when the girl does that she just seems clingy and childish and un-sexy. This is my opinion only, of course. Mary has some great moments which show her as an interesting person beyond being this uber loyal friend and a warm, nurturing person and an assertive brave person, but they mostly happen with the other guy. In real life it should be enough good qualities to be loved, but it doesn't. A man has to be also fascinated with a woman. We know that with MR its not her looks or sexiness. JD, who is secretly a nerd has this in common with MR. She also shows him to be a very talented writer and to have business sense. But the only really great moment which shows that MG and MR belong together in the same reality as "people on the same level of development" is that stage performance, when they are chained. That dance is just great and shows that MR can be and is an "indi muse". The writers just did not do enough of that. I have to mention MR clothes as well. When with MG she is dressed attractively for her face, figure and artsy tendencies about 30 % of the time (the costume people could have done a better job), but am I the only one who thinks that "glamed up" MR is just all wrong? She looks uncomfortable ( on purpose?) and ugly in those clothes who first of all seem like more appropriate for someone who is middle aged, and secondly don't suit her at all (shapes , colors, hairdo, especially the feathers and gigantic costume jewelry). At times , between the ridiculous clothes, the "I'm being scolded and I feel like a fool " acting and the crossed eyes she just seems too pathetic. So , to sum up, I think the writers 1.did not show MR as enough of an interesting person in MG presence and they made her look unattractive, even ridiculous at times, 2. they made him too cool, too ungrateful, completely humorless, self-centered without any sense of self awareness (which could make him funny), basically too shallow to really like a girl like MR 3. the did not give him opportunities to sacrifice for he, which grows the love beyond the mare attractiveness- it is the giving which develops love, not the taking 4 Also I am missing him really going silly over her, if we saw that it would cover up for all of these little things that are missing from the plot and character development . What we needed after they declared love was to believe that "only Mary will do for him" instead MG becomes almost unbearable with his moodiness.

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i wish the 2 lead boys have another drama

BROMANCE 4EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Seriously, dis drama is a Waste.. Now I read d recaps, I dnt feel like finishing it to the end. The actors were all Great but d storyline sounds more childish, immature and non-creative.. OMG, I can't even continue again..

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This show, more than any other one I've seen, TOTALLY had the potential for a ~true OT3, & it just.. completely ignored it, ughh! From the moment JungIn saw MooKyul, & recruited him for his company, that could have been an epic of trangle indeed, ie JungIn falling for MooKyul who (very reluctantly, hehe) falls for MaeRi, who loves them both equally (& that itself would be SO refreshing! siigh), & then just to shut both the crazy fathers up (& get them out of the picture more, ie less screentime- much, MUCH less!) & for JungIn to bide his time until his company can stand on its own / break free from his dad's control, MaeRi & JungIn get married, but they end up secretly all living together (this is where contrived hilarious reasons come in- hey I'm not ~currently (re)writing the series so pardon their absence from this AU imagery, lolol) alternating at each other's place, ie sometimes they end up in MooKyul's studio, or in JungIn's house.. can you just see it, 16-20 eps of adorkable trio-shippy hijinks ensuing?? GAHH!! >__<

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Hahah 5 years later, after watching so many dramas, I still love this show and find it most entertaining. (My other all-time favorites are Misaeng and Shut Up Flower Boyband). Love My Gyul and Mae Ri forever! :))

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I'm going voting crazy!

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Even if this drama ended a few years ago, I still watching it and love it...Like everyone have said, its was a waste drama...yes I agreed with that in certain parts but I really like the chemistry between the trio, JKS, MGY and KJW...and i enjoyed watching it to the very last episode....hahaha...actually I really don't like the ending of the drama because its too flat...but at least much better than the original writer ending...thank you to JKS and MGY for re-write the happy ending...should be more romantic scene for the KMG and MR especially after the hospital breakup instead of simple hug...anyhow, I stand to the end of this drama just because I love JKS...and whenever I missed this couple, I will re-watch this drama just to looked at their cuteness...

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Not gonna lie, when Mary and Jung-in declared they weren't getting married and he got kicked out and went to live with Mu-gyul, I could have kicked something. Why didn't this show do this four episode ago? Why have 16 episodes of the fathers declaring they were getting married and them saying they wouldn't? Some episodes had the same argument between the characters more than once. It was like being stuck in some recursion or implosion where the drama just kept spiralling in on itself.

The wedding itself was meaningless if these two were already legally married. And if they weren't already legally married then there was no drama. So why build the climax around a wedding that was meaningless when we could have had an hilarious romcom where Jung-in is forced to co-habit with his legal wife and her boyfriend in his Indie rocker studio after standing up to his father?

I heard that Jang Geun-suk wrote this episode because of the drama's problems with writers. If he did then I wish he'd write more. Despite the silly wedding fake-out, this was better characterised and tighter than the other episodes. It had ideas in it that could have made a great drama.

I'm done @ndlessjoie. I'm finished.
So is my wine.

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You made it! I stand by my irrational love for this drama. Now I want a drama fully written by Jang Geun Suk.

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I just read the recap to refresh myself, and I have two takeaways:

1. I really miss Javabeans and Girlfriday intercepting each other's recaps, it was so much fun to read.

2. Jang Geun-suk should ABSOLUTELY have written the whole thing! We could have had a weird grumpy bromance from day one!

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Wait what?? Jang Geun-suk wrote the ending? The two minutes of bromance were the best bit of the whole show! Too late and too little. #bitter

And my wine's gone. Thanks for the delivery Precious! I hope you remember our deal? FULL HOUSE TAKE 2 awaits you (The drama is on YouTube - everything except Episode 1).

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P.S.: I should have known that JGS wrote this episode because he purposefully removed his Worst Mother in the World character. She didn't appear at all in the finale. Good riddance.

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