Secret Garden: Episode 20 (Final)

638 January 16, 2011January 24, 2016

by girlfriday

It’s the bow-tied, triple-knotted kind of ending for this cast of characters, as we say our final goodbyes to Secret Garden. I’d personally like to say farewell to omo-queen Secretary Kim. Thanks for the laughs. And of course to my new favorite idol-oppa, Oska. Yoon Sang-hyun, I was never on your bus before, but I’m totally on it now. Oska, fighting!

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Joo-won tells Mom that he’s going to live the rest of his life as Ra-im’s husband, despite knowing that it’s going to be near impossible for her to accept. She reels, spitting out that this is nothing but a momentary feeling—it’s something that happens once in everyone’s life. He looks at her curiously.

She means Joo-won’s father, of course, who we’ve never heard mention of until now. She says with bitterness shaking in her voice that “they” are always the ones to grow tired and leave first, while “we” are always the ones left behind. Hm. So she’s lumping Ra-im in with her husband, for a myriad of reasons including class. Well that explains a lot, but did it really require us to wait twenty episodes for that explanation? Is anyone going to be sympathetic for you after all that shrill shouting, for all those episodes?

Joo-won tells her that it doesn’t matter—even if it ends up that way, he’s never going to leave her. He tells Mom that someday he’ll walk her down the aisle with Mom’s blessing. She replies that she’ll roll over in her grave before that happens, and Joo-won takes his leave with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Ra-im heads to the bus stop, trailed behind oh-so-conspicuously by Mom’s secretary. She decides to confront him, and hands him a coffee, saying he must be tired following her around in this cold weather. He looks at her sweetly and says he’s secretly on her side (aw) and offers to drive her where she’s going, since he’s going to follow anyway. Hahaha. Awesome.

She goes to meet Ji-hyun, who’s been going over Ra-im’s charts looking for the reason that she woke up from her brain-dead coma. Ra-im tells her that she’s not going to find the answer in medicine. She adds that the time she visited Ji-hyun wasn’t her; it was Joo-won. Way to advertise to a shrink that you’re batshit crazy.

Ra-im just explains obliquely that it was a miracle, and that she and Joo-won have experienced a miracle that can’t be explained by science and medicine. Or logic. You forgot logic.

At the same time, Joo-won sits down in a café with Jong-soo, who’s called him out for his concession speech. He tells Joo-won that this is normally the kind of conversation they’d have over drinks, but he’s already seen Joo-won’s drinking habits. Heh.

Jong-soo tells Joo-won that he’s always wanted to be a father, an oppa, and a man to Ra-im. But now Joo-won has to be all of those things to her. Joo-won just answers, “What if I don’t wanna?”

Joo-won: “I’m only going to be a man to Ra-im. A father, an oppa…you be those things. Don’t leave her an orphan. That’s MY request.”

AW. Seriously, aw. Can you…hug it out? No? Come on!

The next day Joo-won drives Ra-im somewhere, as he confirms that Oska and Seul have arrived. She wonders if they’re all eating together, but he doesn’t answer. He takes her inside, asking pointedly that if she wants to run away, it’s her last chance.

She halts in her tracks. Are we…? He just smiles, asking if there’s anything she wants to do in her last ten minutes before becoming a married woman. Buh…way to be romantic, dude.

She calls him a jerk for deciding this on his own, without so much as an “I love you,” even if he doesn’t mean it.

Joo-won: Why would I say something like that? You really aren’t very bright, are you? It’s not because I love you. It’s because I love ONLY you. I have no other choice in the matter, you amazing woman.

Pffft. Okay, I know it’s meant to be romantic, but um…it sounds like you’re saying this is your only option in life…which is just not the way you intended it to sound, methinks. He puts out his hand, as he says that there isn’t going to be any flowers, or candles, or even a ring…but will she still become his wife?

She puts her hand in his, and says, “Of course.”

They head inside to register their marriage, with Oska and Seul as witnesses. Joo-won peers over as Ra-im is writing, complaining that she’s writing awfully slowly, when he was totally fast. Heh. They sign with matching heart-signatures, the way Ra-im had signed Joo-won’s name when she was in his body.

Oska and Seul gag at the hearts, and Oska retaliates by signing the document like an autograph. Ha.

They head to Joo-won’s house first, to decorate his room for the newlyweds. Oska tells Seul that he’s learned something by watching Joo-won and Ra-im: that all memories, even bad ones, can be wiped clean with time and love. He promises to remember everything, even the bad stuff, and turn it all into happy memories of how they met, fell in love, broke up, and then got back together.

He gets her to agree to do his music video, and hugs her in delight. Joo-won and Ra-im walk in, asking what they’re doing here. Oska: “We’re here to do all this.” (Pointing to the decorations.) Joo-won: “You were doing OTHER stuff!” Ha.

They thank Seul and Oska, and Joo-won can’t help but take another jab. He turns to Seul: “If we had met when we were 21…” Ra-im and Oska scowl, and they all laugh, as Joo-won kicks them out. “We have…stuff to do…”

Rawr?

He chases her around the bedroom for a while, and then lands on the bed alone. She tells him to freeze, and then climbs on top of him for a kiss. Finally, the Ra-im of yesteryear, pre-wrist-grabs and buckets of tears.

We get a montage of their happy first days as a married couple, taking walks together and staying in together. As they laze around and read (Is it sick that this is the thing I’m most jealous of—that these people have time to laze around and READ?) Joo-won shows her the rewritten ending to The Little Mermaid.

She calls him Secretary Kim (cute) and tells him that his ending sucks, as he chases her around the room in circles. I suppose it works out nicely that they’re both immature in the same ways.

They go to ask Grandpa for his blessings, but he sides with Mom, saying that they’ll have to get her permission first. Easier said than done, Gramps.

Joo-won notifies Mom of the marriage registration, and she ends up in the hospital. Joo-won goes to see her, and she admits defeat. She disowns him as her son, and though she lets him keep his job, she takes back everything else, and tells him to cough up money for the land that his house is on. Well that’s actually way nicer than I thought she’d be. All those dramatics, and you get to keep your job AND your house? What the hell was on the line, then?

Director Park is lamenting his lost job when Joo-won calls, re-hiring him and taking him under his wing. It’s a win-win, as Joo-won earns an ally and loses an enemy, and Director Park gets to keep the job he loves.

Ra-im announces her married status to the action school, and the guys stare agape, some of them even crying (heh). Jong-soo congratulates her and gives her a script to a new project: Sector 7 (another shout-out to a Ha Ji-won vehicle).

Jung-hwan thinks she’s a genius for taking care of the paperwork first (since he’s never been shy about thinking that Joo-won was a catch) and wonders if maybe she’s pregnant. She glares him down, and he decides it’s time to pay Joo-won a little visit…

He shows up at LOEL with backup (and bats! Ha.) to make it clear that Ra-im’s got a bunch of oppas, and that the day Joo-won makes her cry is the day he dies. Aw, this is the cutest thing EVAR.

Joo-won says he already spoke to Jong-soo, but Jung-hwan’s like, I’m the director now! Why are you talking to him!? Hehe. Joo-won accepts the warning this time, but says the next time, he’s gonna tell on them to Ra-im. The guys look around nervously.

Oska handwrites invitations for his concert to his fanclub, and Tae-sun worries that he doesn’t have any time to waste if he’s going to do a decent performance. He makes Oska practice over and over, concerned that his vocal skills aren’t going to top the charts.

Oska tells him that he doesn’t care about those things anymore—now, every moment, all this, is what matters to him. He tells Tae-sun to use this studio from now on and make the music that he wants.

He goes to film his music video, and finds that the story is his first meeting with Seul. Aw. What’s hilarious is that they cast someone to play the younger her, but Oska plays himself. Ha. Oska winks at her as she watches from the monitor, and she smiles.

Joo-won and Ra-im each do well at work, and enjoy the sleepy exhaustion of being newlyweds. Ra-im: “You have to let me sleep sometimes!” Heh…heh. Heh. Heh.

Oska gets ready for his big concert, and everyone watches happily as he sings. Tae-sun is the only one who looks on with a heavy heart, as he sighs wistfully, slings a bag over his shoulder, and walks away.

Seul sees him, and chases him down backstage. She asks if he’s really leaving this way. He answers that it’s because he doesn’t like her (still calling her ajumma). She realizes that he genuinely loved Oska, and asks if he can’t stay and be his friend.

Tae-sun: “You mean you get to be his lover while I have to be his friend?” Well, when you put it that way…

He tells her not to lose Oska to some other girl, and says that the song “Tears” is his gift to her, as he walks away. She tells him that if he ever needs something, to call her. I do really love these two as frenemies fighting over one man. Too bad he has to leave.

On stage, Oska sings his 7th album title track, “Tears.” Seul returns to her seat holds up a sign that says, “Sun said that this song is about me. Do I have that right? With the excuse that I was hurt, I hurt you so much. I’m really sorry. Truthfully, the roasted chestnuts is me. But the cheesecake is some other bitch. I still love you anyway, Choi Woo-young.”

Hahaha. I do love her sassiness. Oska makes a big heart over his head as he sings, signaling to her that he loves her too, and she cries, holding up her sign in the middle of the audience.

As we watch Ra-im do sit-ups while Joo-won holds her legs (an excuse for him to kiss her, of course) he narrates in voiceover that they spend their days finding out just how immature a man and a woman who are in love can be. Heh. Accurate description if I’ve ever heard of one.

They wear MATCHING SPARKLY TRACKSUITS as they play and run around in the snow, and they continue to fight and make up like always. This time he follows her into the elevator for a makeout session, only to be awkwardly interrupted by his entire executive staff. As everyone else gawks and averts their eyes, Secretary Kim takes out his camera….LOL.

Five years later, they have three kids, and Ah-young’s dream comes true, as the couple takes the kids to Grandma’s house for a visit. There, outside the big gate, the kids cry that Mom won’t get them some new toy. Ra-im remembers the dream, and laughs that it really did come true.

Grandma comes out to greet the kids warmly, but coldly ignores Joo-won and Ra-im, making sure the gate shuts firmly behind her. Joo-won says in voiceover that his mother really was true to her word. They expected that time would change her, but she’s remained as firm as ever.

I rather like that her character stayed consistent. No easy answers in life. You know, except for coma-killing-body-swapping miracles. Except for those.

Ra-im becomes an action school director herself, echoing Jong-soo’s lines from the first episode to her team of stuntmen.

Oska proposes to Seul with a chestnut and then the ring he’s kept for all those years, and tells her that fifteen years have gone by since the beginning, and he plans to never grow up, and remain like this with her forever. Well, it’s good that you set realistic goals. She cries, overwhelmed (and probably exhausted, what with fifteen years of dating).

Ah-young and Secretary Kim walk along the river, and happen to find the message in a bottle that he had thrown into the ocean on Jeju Island after they had first met. She takes it as a sign and hugs him in delight.

Jong-soo goes to meet a casting director for a project, only to come face to face with Sohn Ye-jin. Dude, he gets Sohn Ye-jin as a consolation prize? No need to feel sorry for this guy!

She tells him that she happened upon his script that’s been stuck in development hell for the better part of a year, and asks what he thinks of her. He’s like, whaaa? Sohn Ye-jin: “What, were you thinking of casting Angelina Jolie?” He literally OMGs to her face. Haha.

Joo-won and Ra-im put all the kids to sleep and sneak out, thinking they’re home free…only one of them wakes up and announces that he’s going to sleep with mommy tonight. Joo-won: “Who says?” Kid: “Moooommy, I don’t like Daddy.” Ra-im: “I don’t like YOU right now.” Hahaha.

Joo-won puts the kid back to sleep with one finger to the forehead (That’s exactly what MY dad used to do! Why do all Korean dads do that? Where do they learn this stuff?)

They finally get the kids to sleep, and Joo-won carries her out. They go for a walk, as Ra-im says in voiceover:

Ra-im: We still don’t have a single wedding photo. But we live every day, loving and being loved, living a magical life. Maybe being in love is a lot like swapping souls. May your soul have flowers that bloom, a cool breeze, a shining sun, and…once in a while, a magical rain that falls.

It starts to snow as she says those last words, and they snuggle as they watch the snow come down. Still in voiceover, Ra-im asks Joo-won if he’s really not going to tell her…what he meant when he said he tried to deliver her father’s message sooner. Well you sure did ask soon. Five years and three kids later, you finally want to know?

We flashback to thirteen years ago, when Joo-won had gone to the funeral in his hospital gown, and seen Ra-im for the first time. He cried outside and watched over her all day and night, but couldn’t bring himself to go in.

Finally in the middle of the night, when she had fallen asleep on the ground, he came in and repeated, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over to her. He collapsed next to her, and in a stupor, he watched her sleep. She started having a nightmare, and he put his finger on her forehead.

He then fell asleep with his hand over hers. They had met that way, in the wake of her father’s death, only to repeat the same actions over and over again.

GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

What’s fated is fated. That’s pretty much the moral of the story.

As a final episode it didn’t exactly wow me, since including yesterday’s, that’s two full episodes of denouement. All the dramatic payoffs actually happened last week, and this week was mostly a happy send-off for all the characters, one by one. On the upside, it wrapped everything up neatly with bows and all, and we got an entire episode of future bliss for all involved. On the downside, no dramatic tension to be had whatsoever.

On the whole this series was kind of Frankenstein’s monster, what with all the piecing together of disparate genres and picking and choosing elements that don’t really bind together…but it walked and talked like a drama. I think this writer’s strengths are in the moments—her dialogue is crisp and witty, and all the butting of heads crackles with humor and dramatic possibilities. I especially loved the rampant immaturity in all the adult characters. It was aggravating at times, but always entertaining. Her sense of humor is dry and immature, which totally jives with mine. Heh.

What I find lacking (besides a satisfying use of the body swap element, grrr) is a true connection to her characters. I just never fell in love with Joo-won or Ra-im. I know lots of people did, and I’m happy for your beautiful and fulfilling love. I just didn’t, and well, it’s impossible to fall in love with a drama when you’re not in love with the main characters.

I found Joo-won’s character very compelling at first, because he was so damaged and flawed and curiously new…but he ended up being SO socially abrasive that he lost me. Ra-im seemed like she was going to be all spunk, but ended up quite the lackluster heroine, for all the badassery that was initially advertised. That’s not to say that they were wholly unsympathetic, but my heart didn’t expand and contract along with theirs; I didn’t cry when they cried; I didn’t hold my breath when they declared their love….and I really really wanted to. I just didn’t.

I don’t think I’ll ever get past the utter waste that was the body swap plot (oh, the potential, what could have been…I bleed, I cry…) and wielding the fantasy element with such disregard for narrative satisfaction. In the end I think the show courted the audience a lot like Joo-won courted Ra-im: it wore a bunch of shiny things and then expected us to come running, impressed at all the awesome. Hand-stitched in Italy is impressive, yes, but I think I’ll stick to machine-washable: earnest, and full of heart. But that’s just me.

JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

First off, the finale itself. What a weird, uneven cobbling together of epilogue-type scenes. You can really feel the rush job with the awkward cuts between scenes, changing threads without a proper sense of build and flow. I thought it felt like the finale episode of a drama that has been given a last-minute extension—lots of padding to provide fanservice and fill out the time.

I have to admit that the latter half of the episode felt like a copy of My Name Is Kim Sam-soon to me, but without the emotional resonance—I LOVE the finale episode of Sam-soon and felt it was a beautiful fit to the drama, but here, it feels tacked-on. I wish the writer had found a way to make a finale that was more organic to THIS show, that felt like it flowed out of the 19 episodes preceding it, but I think she’d run out of steam (and perhaps more importantly, time).

As for the drama as a whole: Secret Garden is like Gourmet to me—the loveliness of the packaging totally obscures the ordinariness of the story and the hackneyed plot. That’s totally not an insult (and I really enjoyed Gourmet), although I know there will be those who take it as one. But let’s take a look at the drama first before jumping that gun—it’s a show built entirely around the premise of two lovers being held apart by social class, fantasy body-switching shenanigans notwithstanding. And with regards to that central conceit of She’s Just Not Good Enough, there’s nothing really new about how it’s addressed: Hero struggles with self, eventually gets over it. Hero’s mom struggles with it, causes a shitstorm of trouble to keep them apart, never gets over it.

Nothing wrong with a simple plot, and certainly, Secret Garden is buoyed by enough other aspects to make it a fun watch. The acting, for sure, and the chemistry between Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin, which I think was fabulous despite never fully warming to either character. The depictions were great—the characters, meh. Ra-im was a shell of a character, never given much development or complexity; the writer chose to pour all her energies into Joo-won, at Ra-im’s expense. (This is not exclusive to Secret Garden, since it happens in a number of dramas, but the prevalence of this particular flaw doesn’t negate its weakness.) Thankfully Ha Ji-won’s performance was enough to gloss over that insufficiency for most viewers, although I wished I could have felt something for her character or connected with her even a little.

The magical element frustrates me the most because one of the biggest issues in the drama’s plot IS the body-swapping, and yet the drama never defines its magical rules, never explains the purpose, and just leaves us hanging. I don’t mean that everything has to be explained in minute detail, but when you create a huge conflict and then resolve it with absolutely no explanation, I’m going to feel cheated. I don’t need a logical explanation about how this works in real-life physics, but hell yeah I’m going to want to know why and how it happened within the context of the show itself. Instead, I’m left wondering, What was the point?

It’s clear that Dad initiated the swap to save Ra-im from a horrible stunt accident, based on his comments at the Mysterious Garden restaurant and after she misses her audition. Joo-won effects his so-called miracle to get her the role anyway, circumventing Dad’s intentions, which I can accept as one of those hand-of-fate motifs that kdramas so love to incorporate. But as we see, after she’s in her coma and pronounced very likely brain-dead, Dad still has the magical wherewithal to restore her body, healthy and whole. So why did he ever initiate the swap in the first place, if his mojo could revive the brain-dead?

I don’t buy that they needed to be swapped for Dad to save Ra-im, or that her body needed Joo-won’s soul to heal, because her own soul was perfectly intact—it awakened fine in Joo-won’s body. The only thing damaged was Ra-im’s body, and it was revived just fine.

The same goes for the amnesia—it happens for no reason, then goes away just as easily at a convenient moment. The 21-year-old Joo-won gave me some of my favorite bits of hilarity so I’m fine with the drama taking us there, if only to provide some bubbly fun. But couldn’t the drama have cobbled together a reason, any reason, no matter how flimsy, to explain it? Instead it just waves its figurative wand o’ hoodoo and makes the inconvenient questions disappear into bubbles with that narrative cure-all, magic.

So I am left to conclude that that magic was utterly pointless, and that makes me feel like Drama jerked me around and toyed with my feelings. And it’s too bad, because it’s such a well-made drama that had they tried just a WEE bit harder to connect its dots, it could have been more than a very prettily wrapped box… of air.

I know I know, people will always tell me to shut up and just enjoy it already. I’ve gotten the emails. But that’s not how it works for me— if a drama simply ceases to make sense, then I can’t enjoy it, because I like stories to not make my brain hurt. Or rather, let’s put it this way: I can fall in love with a crazy, messy ball of contradictions, flaws and all (which I’m sure you already know if you’ve been reading this site for any length of time). But I’m not going to try to convince myself that it’s not actually a crazy, messy ball of contradictions. In fact, I enjoyed Secret Garden despite much of its absurdity, shed a few tears, and laughed out loud at its wackier moments. It was fun, and often entertaining and zippy with the comedy. It didn’t rock my world, but not everything has to.

638

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1 Susa

January 16, 2011 at 8:54 PM

Loved it!

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aloedrinker

January 16, 2011 at 9:16 PM

Me too. Loved it much. and what a nice grand ending for the SEQUINS track suit. LOL...

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jo

January 16, 2011 at 10:20 PM

all five of them should have come out with the sparkling tracksuits. that could have made my day!

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dramalover2012

January 17, 2011 at 3:07 AM

totally agree!!!

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Sarah

January 17, 2011 at 4:53 AM

LOL!! best idea ever!

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Saa

January 23, 2011 at 8:44 PM

You. are a GENIUS. xDD

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Qingdao

May 8, 2022 at 7:06 PM

so clever--perfect ending!

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Lenita

January 17, 2011 at 5:47 AM

really, really love it.

ok, now here's the thing. i have not watched ANY of the episodes at all yet, just read the recaps here, and youtubed a few scenes (definitely not more than half hour worth of scenes in total). i don't like the weekly waits and prefer to watch my dramas marathon style. probly this coming weekend :D

HOWEVER, i have to say that this is the first dramabeans recap that i wait for every week, and for episodes 17-20, you don't even know how many times i refreshed the blog to check if the recaps are up. and i've been a lurker here for more than a year. so, i bow to JB and GF for your power of story-telling. despite not liking a drama, you are able to draw out the story and re-tell it well.

it was fairly early in discovering dramabeans that i realize my taste in drama differs from JB's and GF's, but i now just come to the realization that despite not liking the ingredients much, you gals can use those ingredients to cook up a meal and have it enjoyed by others who do love them. and that's like the ultimate fanservice. so, kuddos!

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Shawnee

January 17, 2011 at 5:58 AM

Lenita, I feel the same way. But sometimes it kills the excitement!

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sara

January 18, 2011 at 2:24 AM

"it was fairly early in discovering dramabeans that i realize my taste in drama differs from JB’s and GF’s"
it is exactly my thought! and it's the first time in my kdramaland I watched a drama when it is on air, even raw! because I really really really love this drama.
thanks a lot girls, I do love you too.

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iluv_shillang

January 17, 2011 at 6:27 PM

to watch or not to watch. .
??

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Freedom

January 17, 2011 at 9:43 PM

Definitely to watch... You won't be disappointed!

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seattlebound

January 18, 2011 at 12:31 PM

to watch! :D

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lala

January 19, 2011 at 3:09 AM

watch..lol

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LIZ

June 1, 2011 at 11:02 PM

WORTH WATCHING. definitely!

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Madellyn

May 3, 2020 at 5:52 AM

To watch..it's full of funny!!!!!!!!!!

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secret garden director cut dvd

January 18, 2011 at 2:45 AM

Secret Garden Director’s Cut dvd pre order started
Drama ng, makingmovie, spcial pakage so many additional images will siteul
20 days one month next month will receive limited edition pre-order
pre-orde is in English and Chinese pages

– Korea dvd community – http//cafe.daum.net / secretdvd

– English dvd community -
http//secretdvd.wordpress.com /

– 中国语 – http://blog.sina.com.cn/secretgardendvd

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Faith hye kyo

July 10, 2011 at 6:49 PM

Hi everyone!. I really really deeply loved this korean drama i mean drama/comedy it tinkled me alot from my nerves, bones until to my entire body(lols!=p).ahahaha .. Im so amazed & impressed, specially to the writer of these show watta huge ideas and thoughts u have to created this, may the Lord bless u more ideas better than this or i mean the same good like this=)..Hyun Bin i saw u before on other show but im not serious rather focus to watch u but in this time, i've finally i so inlove on u;] hehe ur character here so fit on u & also to ha ji won ur both great I wont forget this SG it makes me inspiration how to be inlove(hope in reality have like this?)...hopefully keep me updated on the next show?..Now! i am ur number one fan!.CONGRATULATION! secret garden=).Thumbs up! cheers!...Kamsahamnida...hyun bin love u..mwah!

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2 eatsleeplove

January 16, 2011 at 8:54 PM

thank you!

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3 stars4u

January 16, 2011 at 8:54 PM

I feel like the last episode was the writer's fan service...
not that I'm complaining though! I keep replaying the scene where they put the kids to bed! It's my favorite scene...

Double the sparkles!!!

I'm having a serious withdrawal!!!

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ana

January 16, 2011 at 11:09 PM

yea i agree with you about the fanservice thing, but man i loooooooooooooooooooooooooooved it.

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Twilight

January 16, 2011 at 11:19 PM

Thanks to dramabeans team for the update. I think the body swap was designed to make the story a little longer. I agree with the 2 reviewers that the whole body swap was pointless but it did gave me some cheap laughs especially the way Hyun Bin and Ha Ji won acted on the switch.. it was hilarious! I also noticed that the character of Gil Ra Im was poorly developed but thanks to the excellent performance of Ha Ji Won - she added a different kind of persona to the character which made Gil Ra Im real and vulnerable. I think the casting director should be given an award.

The finale's message was simple that both characters (Ji Woon & Ra Im) were connected by tragedy and ended up being destined for each other.

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sansukini

January 17, 2011 at 2:57 AM

I think the body swap is incorporated to make the plot more interesting, otherwise, it would just be like any other kdrama out there. hey, I think the drama could make do without the magical twist, it's completely illogical, but this is a drama. There really is no need to internalize everything deeply and make everything logical.

The drama itself is pure awesome-sauce in it's totality. I really don't get it why jb and gf are acting uber sensitive feminists with the drama.

As for the amnesia, maybe it was designed so JW can remember his accident and his promise to relay R's father's message to R. I know, it's too complicated, but it gave us some laugh over the 21-yo JW.

I think the ending's awe-inspiring, it's not glossed with "everyone lived happily ever after" since JW-R still hasn't gotten JW mom's approval, but I think everything worked out for the best.

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dokutokunaneko

January 17, 2011 at 6:15 AM

i dont think her (jb) only quips with this drama is the feminist issue. if you care to read their commentary, they pointed out a few issues which i think are very real. why condemn us if we're ambitious about the story we read/see? is it wrong to have standards? it being a drama can mean being a little lax with the realism, but LOGIC is not always realism, and this story lacks logic. A narrative needs logic to be convincing. this wasn't (convincing).

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leo

January 17, 2011 at 12:47 PM

It's not wrong to have standards. But I think the style employed in dramas and movies are different. Hence, the standards are also different. You would understand if you have watched a lot of (good enough) films. I watched SG just because of Ha Ji-won, and I'm glad she finally has a happy-ending drama. This drama is meant to incorporate fairy tales, and I think these elements had brought extra dimension into the drama.

ck1Oz

January 17, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Don't we have to watch Comrade,Giant and Life Is Beautiful for those type of dramas?

However I started SG for the rom com and I loved it.The melo part..meh.

SG rocks even though quite a few people felt it didn't rock their boats.Oh well...to each his/her own.

In my case...Hyun Bin...leaving for MS?SIGH.

Do you think they will make him a Marine officer?

sara

January 17, 2011 at 8:26 AM

I think that the life the dad wanted to save through the body swap was not his daughter's, but Joo-won's.

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Menci Ang

May 15, 2012 at 9:40 PM

Re body swap, perhaps it is necessary so that the hero can prove his love and thus save the heroine.

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Niki

January 17, 2011 at 12:39 AM

I LOVED the FINALE! The fan service was awesome. Unfortunately, i didn't enjoy a single moment of it as i kept feeling that the author will pull the rug from under my enjoyment during the last 5minutes. Only when the credits rolled, did i breath a sigh of relieve. I will definitely rewatch this ep when the subs are available and i'm going to enjoy every damn unsuspenseful moment of it this time!

But i do agree with JB that HJW's character was neglected. She had no development and i didn't feel any bond with Ra Im. Although i rooted for her and hope her backbone didn't pull anymore sudden disappearing acts throughtout the drama, i felt detached as well. It was such a waste as HJW is an excellent actress.

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sosoxrah

January 17, 2011 at 3:34 PM

The finale was episode 19 for me. The only thing I really liked about ep 20 was the couple tracksuits lol...they'll never let us forget about that, will they? And the only reason why I stuck with Joo-won was bc of Hyun-bin; I can't think of anyone else who would fit the role. At the same time, I'm in the same boat in that I didn't feel a special connection to Joo-won and Ra-im. I just feel that Ra-im is one lucky girl and Joo-won didn't develop that much. Anyways, thank you for the recaps once again!

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PickmePICKME

January 17, 2011 at 7:18 PM

Hahah totally agree. Loved the scene with the kids, I was like awww. SO cute. This is how a Kdrama should end after all the tears and what not. I mean, I know it wasn't as complicated as others liked it. But It was totally about the POWER of LOVE. lol, it's basically seeing how a relationship btwn two opposites, are. I loved it. ugh I can rewatc this anyday, everyday lol

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4 Agatha

January 16, 2011 at 8:54 PM

Wow the end finally, thanks gf.

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5 blueceramic

January 16, 2011 at 8:54 PM

Thanks JB & GF for the wonderful recaps!!! You guys are awesome!! *sits & waits for subs*

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6 Peachy

January 16, 2011 at 8:55 PM

omgosh its here!

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7 Molly

January 16, 2011 at 8:59 PM

Thanks for the wonderful recaps! I will miss all the characters! Despite the flaws towards the end, Secret Garden was still a fabulous drama.

The ending reminded me a lot of City Hall's though - did anyone else think that?

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opal

January 16, 2011 at 9:49 PM

Yes...., it totally reminded me of City Hall which I prefer much better than SG.

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Molly

January 16, 2011 at 10:23 PM

I liked both - Secret Garden was just way more addicting for me because of Hyun Bin!

The ending of SG, with the motif of a fateful encounter before the OTP's official meeting, triggered some tears and a big fat "awww"...until I had a big deja vu moment and realized that Writer Kim copied one of her old dramas! I was hoping for something more original. Ah well, gotta think back to all the lovin' I did earlier...I'm going to miss Hyun Bin.

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elle loves kdrama

January 16, 2011 at 10:43 PM

Yes, I thought the same thing. City Hall is also one of my favorite shows, so I didn't mind Secret Garden's ending so much.

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City Haller

January 17, 2011 at 12:21 AM

This is kinda random but since Molly brought up City Hall which I'm currently watching, did anyone realised that stuff toy cat in GRI's room is also seen in Mi Rae's room. Go check out City Hall episode 15.

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moomincandylalala

January 16, 2011 at 10:57 PM

I was just about to say that!! And actually a lot little things of how this drama went reminded me of the other. Except JW actually finds out about the fateful meeting which give the characters the satisfaction of knowing it's "fated"and JG and MR didn't about the phone call (so only the viewers know)
And it was a (near) Win-win ending for both main male of the drama. JG and JW both were able to pretty much keep doing what they wanted and keep the girl but lost their "evil" dad/ mom's support. somehow I was expecting that..the mermaid ending that JW rewrote fell along those lines too, and it was totally hilarious.

Yes and what did happen to JW's sis? There better be some explanation that surfaces...she didn't even get written out logically (at least could say she went overseas or smth). did SYJ last min guest spot "steal" the original story line? hmm.. speculations...

It also seemed to me that at the end the same plot devices kept getting rehashed...
But they gave us the gratuitous Couple Tracksuit (and a kiss along with it too!!), so I couldn't complain.

JB and GF Thanks for the wonderful ride of recaps, as always!!
The drama did stop making sense, but HB an HJW continued to rock it so they got away with everything.. oh well!

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amg01

January 16, 2011 at 11:05 PM

*Secret Garden*

The potential for this drama to be great was undermine by the hand of its own creator.

In all great story telling whether fact or fiction there must be a thread of logic that binds all characters to the dynamic of the events that occurred within the context of the story line.

I am afraid that in the case of 'Secret Garden” once again the writer over extended herself, and did not commit properly to a
proper development of the main characters, instead she made used of comedy and illogical fantastical assumptions, mix with a high dose of angst, to get lost in the shuffle.

The main hero never really grew from being and obnoxious Jack Ass, who was abusive to all the people around him, even after the fact that he went trough a series of traumatic events that could have serve him as a vehicle for his redemption and subsequent, mental, and spiritual restoration, that enables one to be deem worthy of someones love and affection.
Till the end he remain the same Jack Ass as when he started.

Our heroine did not fare much better, from being a self sufficient bad ass stunt-woman we ended up with a crying female afraid to stand for herself while being abuse by her so call suitor and his mother.
I agree that she out of all the characters was the one that suffer the most, her relationship with the hero was one of antagonism, and constant fight and bickering, something which I do not find “Cute nor Funny”.

So what make this drama so successful?
The acting between the main leads and the supporting actors IMHO is what made this drama a success, if we take a hard look at the story line we will realized that is full of inconsistencies, due to the lack of proper logic in the story line, the only reason why I enjoy this show was because I force myself to overlook at all its flaws, otherwise I will say the lack of logic is reminiscent of the idiocy of MSOAN!

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mimosa

January 17, 2011 at 3:28 AM

"Till the end he remain the same Jack Ass as when he started."

@Amg1, a bit too harsh, aren't we ?

Is this the same 'Jack Ass'

who took RI to the hospital to have that nasty gash attended to ?

who actually came back to check how's the wound healing ?

who took back Director Park, the man who almost cost him his life ?

who sees through his cousin Oska's bluster and fake-antogonism and appreciates his love ?

who inspite of his upbringing, able to NOT end up like his mom and willing to give up EVERRTHING for his love ?

who made the ultimate sacrifice, willing to DIE in the place of RI so that his love could live ?

Let's be clear, our hero is NOT perfect, not even near that, but...... Fair is Fair, no ? he is definately not a Jack Ass right to the end, or even from the very beginning.

As for the heroine "a crying female afraid to stand for herself while being abuse by her so call suitor and his mother", don't get me started on this one too !

Hey, everyone's entitled to their rant and rave ? but to run them down over like that, well........

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britener

January 17, 2011 at 8:38 AM

Woo Hoo!!!! Good job:) I'm with you!

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zsa

January 17, 2011 at 9:21 PM

that's right...there's no perfect hero or heroin anyways(where's the drama in that?)...it's so easy to critize...

bd2

January 18, 2011 at 1:14 AM

The problem w/ all that is that writer didn't properly develop Joo-won's character (plus his character wasn't that believable in the 1st place) so the "changes" didn't ring true and felt forced/hollow.

But then again, the writer didn't really develop any of the characters.

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jfc

January 17, 2011 at 7:52 AM

to say JW was abusive is going too far, imo. He might've been arrogant and had a high opinon of himself as a defense mechanism but to say he was abusive? I disagree strongly with that. We can say that Ra Im physically assaulted Joo Won many many times in that case.

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Molly

January 17, 2011 at 10:03 AM

Now that the withdrawal is starting to sink in, I'm getting really disappointed with how the writer managed the last few episodes. I've always agreed with JB and GF's comments, but it's only now that the flaws are becoming glaringly obvious. It's sad because I'm starting to picture what could have been Secret Garden and it doesn't feel as fresh as it was at the beginning. So all in all, I do agree with JB, GF, and Amg1 (though not as harshly as the latter) in that Secret Garden didn't utilize its elements as well as it could have.

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leo

January 17, 2011 at 1:12 PM

I'm really surprised to find people giving out negative opinion about this drama, because I thought this is about the normal quality of a drama. Alright, I haven't watched many dramas, because I prefer watching films. (In fact, many Jdramas are better than Kdrama.) Dramas and films have different length, hence different styles. And I can always find millions of loopholes in drama. That's why I don't understand about the complain.

OK. Maybe I'm outdated, and recent dramas have improved a lot. But regarding "...Secret Garden didn’t utilize its elements as well as it could have," how would you have written differently?

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Molly

January 17, 2011 at 3:18 PM

Rather than saying that I would have been able to write it differently, I'm just agreeing that the fantasy element could have been better justified and explored (for example, as in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, where rules were set, as JB and GF mention). Another thing is the amnesia, which personally, is a no-no, although Joo-won's self-sacrifice was swoon-worthy and just about the sweetest thing ever.

Ultimately, it's not about me complaining; it's about enjoying what we were given but at the same time, wishing for the things that could have been. That said, as I mentioned before, I did love Secret Garden and it hooked me in and got me addicted and squealing like no other.

dokutokunaneko

January 17, 2011 at 3:20 PM

theres a post by crook or some username like that that detailed out what COULD have been. No, SG is not of normal quality. It is of EXTRAORDINARY quality - the acting, cinematography, and dialogue are all top-notch. Which is why I'm angry. It's like going to the French Laundry, going through the first 5 courses like a dream - so satisfying, so good - only to have mediocre courses for the last 5. Sure, the dessert is pretty and sweet, and wraps up the meal wonderfully - even if the dessert is not extraordinary by itself. But I still have a bitter taste in my mouth. Fuck, I paid 500$ for this. I deserve better.

The body-swap: did they really learn to empathize with each other's circumstances? I don't see it. And to repeat jb and gf, if Dad's magic was so convenient as to fix everything at the end, WHY FUCKING SWAP IN THE FIRST PLACE?

The amnesia: oh, so, he can only recall his lost memories if you erase ALL his memories one fucking more time? because there's no other way to make him remember, otherwise?

dokutokunaneko

January 17, 2011 at 3:34 PM

oh and sorry for my language. i was just angry at something else at the moment and the anger spilled over lol (as expressed in my strong language).

bd2

January 18, 2011 at 1:05 AM

SG was totally HOLLOW.

No real character or relationship development; storyline w/ the body-switching and amnesia plotlines seemed more of a cheap, convenient ploy, than something essential to the story (JB is totally correct in that the writer failed bigtime in giving some kind of proper background for them); most of the characters were 1 dimensional, caricaturish and/or annoying (it says something when the best was Son Ye jin's cameo) and the acting was OK to subpar.

I could forgive all of these shortcomings if SG, at least, had funny/witty dialogue or really heartfelt, emotional moments, but sadly, no (there has been more of both in 4 eps of "My Princess" than the entire run for SG).

All in all, SG was a mediocre drama and an even worse rom-com.

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Juliet

March 11, 2016 at 8:01 AM

This is the only comment in here that I agree on 100%.

This drama was recommended to me and I had a lot of ussues since the start. So yes, it is hollow. And to a point, superficial.

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Aqua

January 21, 2011 at 8:29 PM

U don't realize how amazing this show became to be, sure not all shows are perfectly made to what we wanted but Secret Garden showed us what most of us wanted.
The actors and actresses worked very hard for the show because i wouldn't be able to cry that much if i tried and acting two characters is not very easy.
For me i think acting like a guy being an actual girl is easy but for a guy to act like a girl is not that easy, especially one squealing while seeing a "naked" guy. So thank you actors and actresses for doing this hard worked.
Sure it dragged a little, and the viel of unswitchness thingy was confusing but it was only for our benefit, to show the true feelings and just another way to show how the actors and actresses could potray 2 different people.
The plot had its flaws here and there but what do you expect from a magic fantasy drama. Not everything that happens is going to have logic, right!? So don't be complaining here because so far a lot of the show is based on fiction fantasy not logic so the amnesia and dad suddenly changing them back is something that can happen in this storyline.
I admit that sure Ji Woon was a little jack ass but he also loves her and cares for her like nobody can. He didn't even know her but yet he took care of her bruised leg when they meet, and who risked his life for hers during her accident? Him!
So think about it, are the stuff that u actually wrote, make sense? When you go around saying that the plot does not have proper logic, what would u expect from a totally made up, fantasy drama!!!?

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pohonphee

January 17, 2011 at 3:13 AM

me, me. How neatly wrapped it is, reminds me the City Hall's end. It like clearly say: That's a wrap!

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Shin mi rAe

January 17, 2011 at 4:54 AM

Cityhallera hello! Gosh I thought it's only me but that ending was so city hall. That bits and pieces of what happens with the characters and the explanation that the OTP actually met so many years ago. That OTP are fated to meet and fall crazy in love. I don't know if I'm reading too much but when the voice over says that Ra-Im and Joo-Woon has no wedding picture, it reminded me how city hall ended with the jo guk - mi are wedding photo shoot.

Aren't these two dramas from the same writer?

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elle loves kdrama

January 17, 2011 at 6:06 AM

Yes, I think I remember reading somewhere that it was the same writer. I loved how in both "City Hall" and "Secret Garden", Hyun Bin and Kim Sun Ah found a way to mention each other in passing. So cute!

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8 Jewels

January 16, 2011 at 9:02 PM

Thanks for the recap.

I was drawn into this drama from the first episode and was caught up in the emotional roller coaster. Kudos to the actors who made their characters come to life. It was a great ride!

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9 xiaoSxin

January 16, 2011 at 9:02 PM

WTH ~ ep 20 boggled my mind

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10 susie

January 16, 2011 at 9:03 PM

Darn we all commented at the same time ^^

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11 Balletgoddess

January 16, 2011 at 9:03 PM

Ahhh this episode was pure fan service but you know what I am one happy viewer ^_^! The writer kinda had no choice but to give us a happy ending or else she would have had some very angry fans and a divorced ex-husband ( or so I read somewhere on Twitter)

My favorite scene was when Ra-Im come downstairs looking super exhausted and her hubby gives her some water to drink (how cute was that ^_^)

Thanks for the recaps ladies and the comments from SG fans. This has been a GREAT drama, I'm adding it to my top 5 K-drama list!!!!!

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Nana

January 16, 2011 at 9:09 PM

agree that was my favorite scene as well ^^ super adorable!!

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kappy

January 18, 2011 at 9:30 AM

Oh, was that water? I thought it was a smoothie (from the bottle). But that might have left some smoothie foam on her mouth which would have come across as another "invitation" and, oh, we are tired already.

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12 Beng

January 16, 2011 at 9:04 PM

whatever the others might say, i love the ending. each characters wrap up nicely except what happened to HB/JS precocious sister?

Thanks so much JB and Girlfriday for another very successful recaps =) More power to Dramabeans!!!

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13 Cecilia

January 16, 2011 at 9:06 PM

Thank all of you for recaps, for the pictures, for everything. I love and loved this drama!

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14 twylah

January 16, 2011 at 9:06 PM

it's here!thank you much.off to read.

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15 annaNuna

January 16, 2011 at 9:06 PM

OMG!!! You're so fast!!!
Thank You JB and GF, I have been dying because I haven't read ep 19 and 20, FML
;____;

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16 Shawnee

January 16, 2011 at 9:08 PM

I can say now that THIS is one of the must-watch drama/series!...from ep 1 - 20, never failed me. I always look forward to watch every epi, raw or subbed, + reading recaps/
... Thanks SG for emotional roller coaster, the best ride, ever!

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Liz

May 3, 2011 at 10:43 AM

You took the words right out of my mouth. Secret Garden is definitely one of THE BEST!!!!

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17 Natalie

January 16, 2011 at 9:08 PM

I agree with JB and GF, i really liked the series, but I never loved it or really fell in love with the characters. And it had really brilliant moments, but what's disappointing is not that it sucked or anything, but the low moments were lackluster, and that's actually even more disappointing to me.

like with dramas that i really loved last year--- SKKS and MGiaG, I was so in love and invested with the characters, even the villains in SKKS, and I think that's the most important thing for tv shows, you have to feel an emotional connection to the characters.

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18 olivia

January 16, 2011 at 9:08 PM

Thank you!! JB & GF Thank you Thank you!!!

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19 That Girl

January 16, 2011 at 9:11 PM

I only watched this drama for two reasons: 1) body swap and 2) HyunBin. And both delivered beyond my expectations. It was a delightful drama to watch when it wasn't bogged down in unnecessary drama.

But unfortunately I don't think I really caught the "Secret Garden" fever everyone seems to have. I actually just skipped through the boring parts (basically any scene without HyunBin&HaJiWon or Oska&Taesun).

I honestly wished the Mother wasn't just so evil and stubborn. Maybe it is realistic for the Mother to not accept the couple but still wished something more was done there.

The only episodes I truly enjoyed were the first body switch and the last two episodes.

But it was fun while it lasted. Oh I am going to miss HyunBin.

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Wildflower

May 23, 2013 at 5:42 AM

I only watched this for Lee Jongsuk. I only got into watching K-dramas somewhere around January this year, and I never got round to watching Secret Garden. My first Lee Jongsuk drama was School 2013, and now he's my favourite actor. <3 Haha, yes, I'm guilty of that too—I read the recaps, then watched the scenes I wanted to watch. Most of them were the Oska-Taesun scenes, haha.

Also, how coincidental is it that Infinite H's Special Girl came on the radio right when I was reading the part where Taesun decided to leave Oska? Nuuuuuu. Why do K-dramas always love to break my heart. First it's Hoya's Joonhee in Reply 1997, now it's Jongsuk's Taesun in Secret Garden. Whyyyyy. Many K-dramas tend to handle homosexuals in the drama lightly, and always either leave them hanging, or give them a sad ending (much like Taesun). At least let Taesun say something in voiceover like "It'll be hard, but I'll let go. Because I love him, and I want him to be happy." Or give him a short scene (somewhere in the five-years-later scenes) where he's waiting at the side of the street, and his boyfriend comes to pick him up. Just give him a happy ending, please!!

I really feel like giving Jongsuk (or rather, Taesun) a big bear hug now.
*hugs*

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20 kit

January 16, 2011 at 9:11 PM

wow, actually an hour of happy endings? o_o
usually i hate it when it's drama drama drama until the last ten minutes, but this feels even stranger.
i actually didn't watch the latter half of the drama, although i enjoyed the recaps. the chemistry was sizzling, and the other trio sounded like lots of fun but i think i'm getting sick of kdramas that kind of only hold on together because of the actors. kind of like watching tangled, i think. i don't know if it's me getting older, or because it's a 21st century version of an old disney classic, but i'm half rolling my eyes even whilst thinking it adorable.

thanks for the recaps though <3333

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21 Jasmin

January 16, 2011 at 9:12 PM

When Jang Hyuk's name was attached to this drama I didn't jump on the bus right away. But as soon as Hyun Bin's name got thrown in the mix, I was all aboard. Glad I gave this show a chance and I've found a whole new appreciation for Hyun Bin. I wanted to give Joo-won a few kicks in the shin myself during the duration of the show but Hyun Bin kept me hooked on the show. My goodness, how is this man sexy, adorable and endearing all in one package. Loving him all over again.

Thanks again JB & Girlfriday for the always fabulous recaps. It was a good ride!

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22 JD

January 16, 2011 at 9:12 PM

I agree with you on your commentary. I never fell in love with the main characters, thus, never fell in love with the drama itself.

This episode does look cute though.

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23 Jenni

January 16, 2011 at 9:13 PM

Thanks so much for recaps!
<3333
I love you literally xD

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24 aloedrinker

January 16, 2011 at 9:13 PM

I'm stalking this site for almost 8 hours. and I left to take shower for 15-20 min. and here you are.. Voila.. thanks for the super sweet recap.. and boy 15 minutes with 20 something comments. Love it. and was crying crazily. because it's ended.

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25 okitokki

January 16, 2011 at 9:14 PM

i feel... letdown ):

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