Bride of the Water God 2017: Episode 16 (Final)
by LollyPip
Despite my expectations, this finale actually turned out pretty well. Some surprise revelations are made, and all of the puzzle pieces come together in unexpected ways that even manage to wring a few tears, leaving me contented with the way things turned out for everyone.
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FINAL EPISODE RECAP
Yeom-mi informs So-ah that she finally deciphered the rest of her dream, where So-ah says that the person who saved her will be her god of death. She interprets this to mean that So-ah will die.
But she tells So-ah that that’s not the most shocking part. The twist is that it’s not Ha-baek she’s talking about in the dream. Yeom-mi says that it was an older man… then she suddenly stops and picks up a picture frame.
It’s the picture of So-ah as a child with her father, which Ha-baek has switched so that it’s featured in the frame. Yeom-mi says that this is the man from her dream, the one who saved So-ah.
A ring at the gate reveals Joo-dong, back with a brand-new hairdo and information. So-ah walks Yeom-mi out, declining to explain who Joo-dong is, just telling her friend that it’s best if she doesn’t know too much. A little upset, she says that her father never once saved her, and practically pushes Yeom-mi out the gate.
Upstairs, Joo-dong tells Ha-baek that his search for his missing tablet was unsuccessful. He deduces from Ha-baek’s grumpy attitude that he’s been summoned back to the Realm of the Gods, and Ha-baek confirms that he only has six days left.
Joo-dong asks if Ha-baek is thinking about not returning, warning him that it would be a terrible decision. Ha-baek admits that he knows he can’t stay in the human realm.
So-ah starts to put her pictures back the way they were, but she lingers over the photo of her father. Ha-baek brings Joo-dong down to say goodbye, and he sees the photo and clucks his tongue, asking cryptically if the father made the daughter carry his burden.
Joo-dong asks So-ah gently if she wants to find him, which upsets her. Ha-baek rushes Joo-dong out, then goes back to stop So-ah from hiding her father’s picture. He puts it back in the frame, musing that when she says she’s forgotten someone, and that she hates them, it means the opposite just like everything else she says.
He apologizes for not being able to make her wish to see her father come true. He tells her to keep trying to find him, because even if he’s the worst man in the world, she deserves answers. He adds that it makes him crazy to think of her still in that darkness after he leaves, and holds So-ah while she cries.
Mura is on pins and needles, worried that Ha-baek will decide not to go back to the Realm of the Gods. Bi-ryum assures her that Ha-baek knows what will happen if he doesn’t, certain that he’ll go.
Joo-dong shows up to report that he didn’t find his tablet where he thought it would be, but that he knows who took it. Confused, Bi-ryum says that humans can’t even see it, but Joo-dong counters that some humans can. He asks if he can crash at Bi-ryum’s for the night, and both Bi-ryum and Mura shout, “NO!” then exchange awkward glances, hee.
Joo-dong calls Namsuri next to ask him to let him into So-ah’s place. Namsuri says that he’s working all night, and when he hangs up, he jumps a foot to see Yeom-mi standing right next to him. She tells Namsuri about her dream, and thinks that his powers would help boost her abilities… and then puckers up her lips. Namsuri goes running for his life.
In the morning, So-ah creeps upstairs to find Ha-baek still sleeping. He surprises her by grabbing her hand and pulling her down next to him, and he says he was waiting for her to come wake him up. So-ah asks why, and Ha-baek says sweetly, “Just because.”
So-ah shows Ha-baek a new suit she bought for him, and although it’s simple, Ha-baek looks moved by the gesture. She asks him to wear it and take her on a date, just because.
They spend the day doing simple things like running in the park and playing cutthroat games of rock-paper-scissors. Poor Ha-baek is terrible at it, and suffers countless forehead-flicks and wrist smacks from So-ah.
She takes Ha-baek for cold noodles, even though she doesn’t eat cold food, saying that she should solve at least this one problem for him. She struggles to take a bite and drinks the broth straight from the bowl, ending up with a soup mustache which Ha-baek wipes off for her. When they finish eating, So-ah surprises Ha-baek by calling him by name for the first time. She confesses that she’d worried he’d know her feelings if she said his name, so she tried to hide them.
She takes Ha-baek to a portrait artist and tells him that if he wins a game of rock-paper-scissors against the artist, he’ll draw their portrait. On the third throw the artist’s wife steps on her husband’s foot and makes him lose. Hee, Ha-baek is so amazed that he won.
Something is up, because the wife hustles So-ah away, leaving Ha-baek with the artist. The artist says that his wife and Ha-baek’s bride seem to have a plan, and Ha-baek’s head whips around at the word “bride.”
So-ah returns, and when Ha-baek sees her, he loses every last wit he possesses. She’s stunning in a wedding dress with a coronet of flowers in her hair, and she approaches him and asks if she looks pretty. Speechless, Ha-baek can only stare at her in wonder.
As they sit, Ha-baek’s eyes still locked on So-ah, she says that photographs fade. She tells Ha-baek that in this portrait, his face will remain more vivid than in photographs.
The artist’s wife brings So-ah a bouquet of flowers, and Ha-baek can hardly tear his eyes away from her. He eventually looks up to pose for the portrait, which turns out beautifully.
Joo-dong visits with Hu-ye and says that he’s looking for the person who saved him when he first arrived here, thinking that this person may have the tablet that he lost on the day that he saved Hu-ye from lightning and lost his memory.
Joo-dong says that the man who was with Hu-ye’s stepmother that night found him and took him to a hospital. He thinks that the man found his tablet and kept it, and he asks Hu-ye if he knows where that man went.
Hu-ye remembers that the man had just returned from being abroad for a year, and that he said he was going to visit his wife’s grave nearby. He does recall the man saying that he needed to find his daughter, and that his name was Yoon Sung-joon; they looked for him but never saw him again.
Joo-dong goes to So-ah and asks if she remembers where she was on December 20, 2004. Ha-baek clocks So-ah’s distress and drags Joo-dong upstairs, angry with him for upsetting So-ah, and asking how So-ah is linked with the day that Joo-dong went missing.
Joo-dong says that he believes that So-ah’s father took his tablet, because as a descendant of the gods’ servants, he would have been able to see it. Joo-dong believes that he intended to give it back when he woke up.
Ha-baek asks again what this has to do with So-ah. Joo-dong says that the tablet must have recognized a servant, even one not “awoken,” but Ha-baek is still confused. Backing up, Joo-dong tells him that before saving him that night, So-ah’s father saved Hu-ye, and that he’d said he needed to find his daughter.
Things start to click into place, and Ha-baek remembers that the tablet has the power to grant the servant’s most earnest wish. Joo-dong continues that the tablet must have taken So-ah’s father to her, and he asks again where So-ah was that night.
Joo-dong goes to the spot where So-ah jumped off the bridge that night thirteen years ago, the same night that her father saved Hu-ye. Looking out over the river, he says, “There he is…” He calls Ha-baek and says that he found him. Oh no.
Ha-baek goes downstairs and finds So-ah planning more fun dates with the help of her stuffed dragon Yong Yong. She tells Ha-baek brightly that he was right, and that she’ll keep looking for her father and make him apologize. Ha-baek says he has to go out for a bit, and that he’ll be back soon.
Hu-ye thinks on what he’s learned about So-ah’s father, and how Joo-dong asked him not to say anything if he discovers who Yoon Sung-joon is. He calls So-ah and asks her to meet with him.
At the river, Joo-dong points out to Ha-baek where So-ah’s father lies, along with his tablet. He thinks that So-ah must have survived her fall into the river that night because of her father.
Ha-baek is stricken, remembering how badly So-ah wants to see her father one more time. He says that he’s going to get So-ah’s father out, and dives into the river.
When So-ah arrives at his office, Hu-ye tells her that this will be his last session, and that he’s going to tell her the rest of his past. He’d mentioned previously that the night he came to the human world, he followed a light out of the woods, which turned out to be a car’s headlights.
Cowering in the road, Hu-ye had been terrified. So-ah’s father had covered him with his jacket and hugged him, saying that it would be okay. Hu-ye tells So-ah that it was the first time he’d felt the warmth of a human body, and learned the power of someone saying, “It’s okay.”
He says that if that man hadn’t been the first person he’d met that night, someone who told him it was okay and hugged him, he doesn’t know what he would have become. He tells So-ah that he’s met three gods in his life—that man, his stepmother, and So-ah herself. He asks to thank her with a handshake, and she readily holds out her hand with a smile.
Still soaked from the river and weighed down by his terrible burden, Ha-baek hesitates at So-ah’s gate. When he sees her, he struggles to speak, and she asks why he looks like he’s about to cry. She hugs him, worried, and he finally says, “Your father… I found him.”
She knows immediately that something is wrong. So-ah asks where her father is, and Ha-baek tells her that he’s still in the river that she jumped into that night. So-ah doesn’t understand what he means, so Ha-baek tells her that her father came back to Korea that day.
He explains that her father picked up Joo-dong’s tablet on his way to her mother’s grave, and that the tablet granted her father’s dearest wish: to see her. He catches So-ah when she starts to collapse, the truth hitting hard—that her father never abandoned her, and in fact wanted to see her more than anything in the world.
We go back to that night, and this time we see the events from So-ah’s father’s point of view. While trying to make his dead phone work, he’d looked up to see So-ah standing on the bridge railing. He screamed her name, but she didn’t hear him as she plunged into the water.
Her father jumped into the river right after her and saw her sinking, unconscious. He swam down and grabbed her by the waist, pushing her towards the surface. But the further he pushed So-ah upwards, the further he sank. As So-ah woke and swam up towards the light, she never saw her father below her, sinking to the bottom of the river.
Ha-baek takes So-ah to the river’s edge, where she collapses, crying. She starts to scream, “Dad! Dad, come out, please…” So-ah clutches at Ha-baek, begging him to save her father, wailing that he can’t die like this.
Ha-baek kneels and hugs her, and he reminds her sadly that he can’t bring the dead back to life. So-ah sobs that she always thought she got herself out of the water, but now blames herself for killing her father and spending so many years hating him. Ha-baek holds her, repeating that it’s not her fault.
So-ah tries to follow her father into the water, convinced that he’s there waiting for her to save him. Ha-baek holds her back, begging her not to do this as she fights and screams.
Joo-dong tells Bi-ryum and Mura that Ha-baek tried to retrieve So-ah’s father’s body, but it wouldn’t move from its resting place at the bottom of the river. He tells them that because of the tablet, his body is perfectly preserved, so Ha-baek left the tablet there.
Ha-baek stays up all night, keeping vigil as So-ah sleeps. He thinks about So-ah saying that a god is a being that grants a human being’s deepest wishes, feeling helpless to do anything for her now. He never takes his eyes off of her, until Namsuri finds him the next morning and calls him up to the roof.
Bi-ryum and Mura are there, as is Joo-dong. Bi-ryum tells Ha-baek that he and Mura also tried to retrieve So-ah’s father’s body, but it wouldn’t move for them, either. Ha-baek tells them that So-ah wants to go after him herself, but Mura asks why they can’t just leave him there.
She grows angry, reminding Ha-baek that she’s known him for millennia and that she knows what he’s thinking. She says that Ha-baek is planning to use his one burst of power to help So-ah, instead of using it to get himself home.
Ha-baek’s silence is all the confirmation they need, and everyone objects, reminding Ha-baek that he’ll die if he doesn’t go back and become king. They all refuse to allow it, but Ha-baek tells them that So-ah believes it’s a god’s duty to protect humans.
He asks them, “How can I call myself a king if I can’t save one woman?” Mura counters that So-ah wouldn’t want this, adding that if Ha-baek dies, he’ll disappear from the memories of humans, including So-ah. Before he can respond, they all turn at a noise.
It’s So-ah, who ignores them to stare incredulously at Ha-baek. She asks him what this means, but he can’t look her in the eye. He follows her inside where, crying again, she asks, “How can you think of doing such a cruel thing to me? You’re going to die? You’ll disappear from my memory? I’ll forget about you for the rest of my life?”
Ha-baek pleads with her to understand that it’s because he’s been unable to do anything for her. He begs her to give him a chance to grant her a wish as a god, and to let him keep his promise to protect her. So-ah sobs that she never asked him to sacrifice his life for her.
Frantic, Mura desperately searches for a way to make Ha-baek go back to the Realm of the Gods, but Bi-ryum says they can’t force a king to do anything. Mura orders him to use his own powers to help So-ah, but he reminds her that none of them have enough power to do that.
Bi-ryum talks to So-ah, telling her what will happen if Ha-baek doesn’t become king. He explains that Ha-baek exists for one purpose—to be king—so if he doesn’t become king, there’s no reason for him to exist. Bi-ryum asks So-ah to tell Ha-baek that she’s willing to leave her father where he is.
She agrees, and Ha-baek tells her that he’s been selfish by asking her to live with her memories of him. He makes her promise that she’ll cherish her life after he leaves, and says that her father will be at peace where he is. Ha-baek swears that as the water god, he’ll look after her father forever.
He asks So-ah to go with him to see her father and takes her back to the river’s edge. She apologizes to her father over and over, so Ha-baek tells her not to worry. She answers that they’re just following their original plan and asks where they should go now.
Ha-baek just takes her hand and looks at her sadly. He whispers, “I love you,” and kisses her. But his kiss is desperate, and So-ah senses something wrong and tries to push him away.
When Ha-baek finally breaks the kiss, he tells her that the kiss was a god’s grace, bidding her to live a happy and full life. So-ah starts to panic, realizing that he just gave her his power, understanding dawning that it’s too late to reverse it.
Ha-baek calmly tells So-ah to find someone to love and live her life in happiness. A tear slides down his cheek as he says that happiness is what she’s always wanted most, but So-ah refuses to listen, accusing him of planning this all along.
Ha-baek hugs her fiercely and says that he can’t leave without doing anything for her, because he knows she’ll go to her father and die after he leaves. So-ah fights him, calling him foolish and asking what she’s supposed to do now. Ha-baek tells her to go to her father now, asking one last time, “Let me do something for you while I’m still here.”
Bi-ryum, Mura, and Joo-dong materialize nearby, and they instantly sense that they’re too late to stop Ha-baek. Mura buries her head in Bi-ryum’s shoulder as Ha-baek tells So-ah to go.
Finally accepting his decision, So-ah dives into the water, with Ha-baek following right behind. With Ha-baek’s power, So-ah doesn’t need to breathe as she swims deep to the bottom of the river, where her father’s body lies. He almost looks alive, protected by a magical bubble of power created by the tablet still in his pocket.
So-ah looks at her father, asking why he’s here all alone, and why he didn’t call her sooner. She takes his hand, his body rises easily at her touch. So-ah pulls him to the surface, saved by his daughter as he once saved her.
So-ah has her father’s body laid to rest under a tree, and she promises to bring her mother here too, in time. Ha-baek is still with her, his time in the human world not yet up, and as he hugs So-ah, she says sweetly that she’s never going to forgive him. She promises to hate and resent him, and to regret meeting him, and he agrees to it all.
Then So-ah tells Ha-baek that she’s going to put everything back to normal before any of that happens. Ha-baek asks what she means, but it’s Mura who pipes up, “I thought she was stupid, but I guess she was smart enough to think of this.”
They turn to see all of their friends there, and Namsuri giggles that So-ah has come up with a solution to their problem. Joo-dong holds up his recovered tablet, and So-ah tells Ha-baek that she’s going to use her wish to help him return to the Realm of the Gods. Mura urges them to hurry before she gives in to her desire to kill them both, ha.
Ha-baek stares at So-ah, moved to silence, as Joo-dong hands her the tablet and begins the ceremony. But a voice interrupts, calling out, “So this is where you were!” and they all look to see the high priest approaching, dressed in modern human clothing.
The high priest says that he came to catch an escaped servant, holding up a baggie with a goldfish inside. In the process, everyone notices his distinctive silver ring. The taxi driver who gave So-ah advice was wearing it, as was the old man who paid Ha-baek to help him pick up cardboard. They realize that the high priest has been watching over Ha-baek all along.
Joo-dong begins the wishing ceremony again, and again the high priest interrupts to ask what’s going on. Mura snappishly informs him that Ha-baek used his last power on So-ah, so he can’t go back on his own.
The high priest asks So-ah if she’s really going to waste her wish on such a useless thing. Bi-ryum says that Ha-baek will die if he fails to go back, but the high priest is all, He completed his mission, why wouldn’t he go back?
Ha-baek finally speaks, suddenly understanding what the high priest means. He says that his new mission was to discover the reason for hiding the divine stones in the human world. Taking So-ah’s hand, he repeats his own question: “How can a god save the world, when he can’t even save one human being?”
The high priest nods proudly, then he advises So-ah to use her power on something more valuable. He leaves, taking his goldfish servant with him.
Joo-dong begins the ceremony again, and the tablet shines in So-ah’s hand. She hesitates, so Joo-dong tells her that this is her chance to be happy for the rest of her life.
So-ah thinks carefully, then she looks at Ha-baek and says, “I wish that you would leave a little later. Please stay by my side until I die. Please live with me until then. You can go back and become a good king after I die.” With tears shimmering in his eyes, Ha-baek nods over and over.
Mura disappears after snapping that she’s too angry to watch any more of this. Grinning, Bi-ryum follows her, pulling Namsuri with him. Joo-dong also goes, leaving Ha-baek and So-ah alone, not that they notice anyone but each other. They hug and tell each other “I love you.”
The high priest finds Hu-ye watching from a short distance and tells him that because he did a good deed, he’ll be happy in his next life. Hu-ye argues that all he did was tell So-ah about the tablet’s power, but the high priest says that taking risks is Hu-ye’s greatest gift.
He formally introduces himself, and asks Hu-ye to teach him how to use fire. They make plans to see each other soon, and Hu-ye leaves, contented.
The high priest goes back for Ha-baek, who tells So-ah that he has to go to the Water Realm now. He promises to return soon, kissing So-ah gently on the forehead. Then he vanishes with the high priest.
Back at Hu-ye’s hotel, Jaya corners Secretary Min to tell him that she’s figured out what he meant when he told her to become a human being. He actually smiles (and it’s beautiful!) as she presents her proposal to start a foundation for single mothers, orphans, and elderly people.
Secretary Min says it’s not a bad idea, but first she should make a list of the people she owes apologies to and get them to sign it; then he’ll go back to being her church oppa. He says that if she gets a little closer to full humanity, he may even become “just oppa.” Heh, I love how committed he is to making her live up to her potential.
Sometime later, So-ah stands on the bridge and tosses a white flower into the river. We see her fall into the water, but Bi-ryum’s voice calls out, “No, no! Don’t even think about it!” He tells So-ah that if she jumps, Ha-baek won’t be able to come save her, but So-ah stammers that she wasn’t thinking any such thing.
Mura fusses at So-ah for polluting the water with her flower, heh, then informs her smugly that Ha-baek won’t be coming back. Alarmed, So-ah asks if a messenger came, but Mura says she just has a feeling and saunters off arm-in-arm with Bi-ryum, who tells her to focus on their relationship and asks if she really doesn’t like any of the rings he’s given her.
Back at work, Sang-yoo tells So-ah that he’s decided to marry Hyung-shik, the friend he’s always ditching So-ah for. So-ah is shocked, but Sang-yoo says that as long as two people love each other, that’s all that matters. [Hyung-shik is traditionally a boy’s name.]
So-ah tries to talk some sense into Sang-yoo, saying that he can’t marry Hyung-shik, but he’s determined. He tells her that Hyung-shik is here to see her, and calls for his friend (cameo by Park Hee-bon). As it turns out, Hyung-shik is a girl and So-ah already knows her. Hyung-shik apologizes shyly for not visiting more often, admitting that So-ah scares her, ha.
As So-ah walks home, she complains on the phone to Yeom-mi about Sang-yoo’s harebrained decision to get married. She turns the corner to her alley and stops dead, nearly dropping her phone in her shock.
Under the streetlight, as if he never left, waits Ha-baek. So-ah meets him under the light, and he fusses at her for staying out too late like he always does. She asks what took him so long, and he complains that the process for deferring his enthronement was complicated.
So-ah laughs and steps into Ha-baek’s arms. They hold each other for a long moment, then head inside for something to eat. So-ah asks if Ha-baek will keep getting hungry and he confirms it, adding that he wasn’t allowed to bring his powers or his driver’s license with him, either. HA.
As they walk though the gate and into the house, the names they wrote in chalk on the wall so long ago float away like little while clouds. They reform as a plaque on the gate, spelling out their names side by side.
So-ah narrates: “People can survive anything with the strength they have. But if that strength were love, it would be even better.”
COMMENTS
Well, that was actually a lot better than I expected. I thought that this finale was one of the better episodes in the drama, with some interesting surprises (I didn’t expect So-ah’s father to be dead, and the scene where he saved her was both gorgeous and heartbreaking). I only wish that the good parts had been spread out more evenly—I’m left with the impression that the writer had some very good ideas, but just lacked the ability to flesh them out into a full sixteen episodes. The general story outline was good, and elements such as Hu-ye’s dilemma, So-ah’s complicated relationship with her father, and Bi-ryum coming to terms with his grief were quite unique and compelling. They just seemed to come in clusters, leaving gaps between the interesting moments that felt really dull and flat. And while it’s nice that everyone got their happily ever after, my disappointment comes from the fact that I never really worried that they wouldn’t.
I have a lot of small complaints about the way this show was executed, but I thought about it, and I realized that they boil down to the show breaking one of the most basic of rules—don’t tell me, show me. So much of the backstory was just told to us, when I would much rather have seen it play out. Add to that the fact that when we were shown the Realm of the Gods, it felt like the show gained a vibrancy that it didn’t have in the modern-day scenes (and I’m not talking about color, because the cinematography was beautiful throughout). Something about those flashback scenes really felt alive and interesting, and I wish we’d gotten a lot more of them.
I know I said that I would judge the drama on its own merits, and I’ve tried to stick to that. But you take a risk when you adapt a show to be so different from the original, especially when the original is so good. Whenever you allude to the original story, it’s bound to be more interesting, particularly when the source material has such a loyal following, as the Bride of the Water God manhwa boasts. I don’t mean to imply that I don’t think a modern-day adaptation of the original manhwa couldn’t have worked well—there were many moments when I thought, “Yes, this is good! Give me more of this!” The disappointing thing is that those moments were few and far between, and that they usually involved Hu-ye’s storyline, which was a completely new invention.
I do believe that the drama had a lot going for it; it’s just that it didn’t seem to know what to do with those good things. I even think (and I may be in the minority here) that the show was cast well… the gods were beautiful and portrayed effectively, and I found the characters mostly engaging and their personalities interesting. But so many of the things that drew me in early on just seemed to have been forgotten, like whatever happened to the fact that Ha-baek’s powers returned every time So-ah’s life was threatened? The show could have mined so much from that fact, both in exciting scenes and in exploring why Ha-baek’s powers had disappeared in the first place. Instead, everyone just stopped caring about his powers at all.
Which still would have been fine, if the show had been about Ha-baek learning about humans and how to care as much for them as for himself. Or if it had been about what makes someone human, using Hu-ye’s struggles to highlight the differences between gods and mortals. Or even if it had been about the gods learning how to love in a way that changed their attitudes about marriage and fidelity. So many interesting themes that were touched on that could have made such a great, introspective drama, and yet what we got instead was a lot of arguments about land and coffee mugs.
Oddly enough, it’s the casting that worried me most at the beginning, but the characterizations turned out to be my favorite part of the show. I thought Ha-baek was delightfully arrogant and haughty, and I loved that while he softened under So-ah’s influence, he always stayed fundamentally himself. So-ah changed the most during the course of the show, going from someone who’d almost entirely cut herself off from the world, to someone who deeply cared about others. Bi-ryum and Mura were both hilarious and emotionally volatile, and I felt that they were played well by Gong Myung and Krystal. And Im Joo-hwan gave his usual strong performance as Hu-ye, whose deep longing for acceptance and love were so well-realized that I would happily watch a whole drama centered on his quest to find his place in the universe.
In conclusion, I come away from Bride of the Water God 2017 feeling like it was a cute drama, but that’s about it. There was very little real conflict, and what there was didn’t even involve either of the leads. The love stories were sweet but inevitable, though at least the resolution wasn’t predictable and actually surprised me a bit. It’s not that the show wasn’t enjoyable as it was; it just feels like there was so much wasted potential. It makes me wistful for what could have been, and the epic magical drama we could have had. I think I’ll just view the drama and its source material as being unconnected, and go re-read the manhwa to remind myself of what an amazing story Bride of the Water God truly is.
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Tags: Bride of the Water God 2017, Gong Myung, Im Joo-hwan, Krystal, Nam Joo-hyuk, Shin Se-kyung
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101 leni1965
August 28, 2017 at 4:36 AM
I thought the ending was quite good, not epic but touching and romantic enough. NJH has a lot of limitations and i kept wishing while watching the show that he would be able to show the character's complexity through subtle nuances. But i think he tried very hard and his voice quality made up for his limitations. Not to mention of course that he provides such good eye candy on screen. I am sure that he will improve with time and experience. I was quite surprised with SSK's performance. I think she did very well in portraying her character that sometimes she carries the poignant moments on her acting chops alone. I like the drama. Fluffy and entertaining. IJH redeemed the drama a lot of times. Over all, i believe that the cast did a good job. That's good enough for me.
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102 Evone
August 28, 2017 at 2:35 PM
They didn't explain Habaek's marital status and his descendants.. So Ah brought it up twice. I was looking forward to some twist connecting So Ah to the "history" she looked up. And why Habaek is always clueless when she asked him about this. Anyone knows the answer?
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103 Jordan
September 1, 2017 at 9:36 AM
I'm so disappointed. I actually never saw the manhwa so this was my first impression of the Bride of the Water God. What I thought was going to happen was that she would have wished to become his bride they were even talking marriage at one point. Somehow I also thought her wish would involve them being able to come back and forth to earth, so he could be a real deity. I mean deities need to care about humans. Besides those little things that disappointed me, I signed up to watch a show about a WATER GOD. I thought he'd have way more issues not having his powers, I mean they've been a part of him for 2,000+ years. The most fraustrating thing about the show is it really could have been sooo good.
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104 Mangos
September 4, 2017 at 6:35 PM
Okay I feel like there's a huge plot hole. When SoAh was running away from her house to commit suicide, her mom was still alive! Yet they said that her dad was there to visit her mom's grave? Maybe I'm just confused and they're right.
On a second note, why couldn't SoAh just use some deep sea diving gear to grab her dad?
Habaek having to use his last power just so that she could bury her father is the most ridiculous self-sacrifice that could be conjured. Overall, I feel like I could almost hate this drama for all of its nonsense (sorry to those who love it).
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fangirlingoppas
September 6, 2017 at 12:31 AM
"Okay I feel like there's a huge plot hole. When SoAh was running away from her house to commit suicide, her mom was still alive! Yet they said that her dad was there to visit her mom's grave? "
i thought im the only one who think about this.
as a fan of the manhwa...... hm, maybe im just going back to the manhwa.
let's move on to the next drama. hahaha.
anyway, why those intimate scenes make me cringe? except the 2nd (and the 1st) kiss. i usually enjoy NJH kissing scene, why it doesn't work here?
oh my, why bother...
better let's move on..
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LollyPip
September 6, 2017 at 5:49 AM
The scene of her running after her father's car was from a few years earlier. Then a few years later, her mother died, and that's when she tried to kill herself by jumping from the bridge.
I didn't get the timeline at first either, the show wasn't very clear about that, but So-ah said it when she was telling Ha-baek about that night.
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105 coffeereads
September 10, 2017 at 12:45 AM
Oh thank God it's finished! I love Nam Joo-hyuk but that was painful to watch.. The start of the drama was ok but as it went on it became bland and lacked chemistry between the actors. Shin Se-kyung did a better job pulling off her role than Nam Joo-hyuk. Too bad I was excited to watch another Nam Joo-hyuk drama...
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106 DramaJunkie
September 20, 2017 at 6:23 AM
This finale was just the same as the whole drama, so much wasted potential it makes me cringe! Plus the whole story doesn't make much sense in my opinion
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107 Pratiksha
September 27, 2017 at 8:00 AM
I really like the idea of such a Romance come drama. Fluffy and entertaining. In fact I enjoyed it thoroughly. But I wish I would have 10 or 20 more episodes to watch. It has ended so quickly.
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108 angelica
December 12, 2017 at 1:16 PM
me gusto mucho el dorama pero quede con unas preguntas que me gustaría que me respondieran.
1. el se queda con ella hasta que ella muera o el vuelve por momentos para visitarla?
2. si el se queda con ella hasta que ella muera , entonces el envejecerá con ella y luego se ira o ella envejecerá y el seguirá con su apariencia?
3. si el se quedara con ella hasta que ella muera , entonces el suspendió la coronación pero no era que el se tenia que coronar? cuando llegara el agua roja?
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109 Elisaury Rodríguez
August 24, 2019 at 10:34 PM
Enjoyed it.
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110 San
December 18, 2019 at 11:37 AM
But I don’t get one thing? How is she the bride? Like how was she destined to be Habaek’s bride?
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111 Sam
January 14, 2020 at 6:08 AM
I’m so confused, the way this show portrayed it, it makes it seem like they can’t bare a baby. It’s said that a god and a human can’t have a baby and that it’s not supposed to happen. But an exception happened with the second lead but he was known as the god of death. So my question is,
1) Is the main lead able to have a child?
2) Would that child then be known still as the descendant of the servant?
3) Is she only able to have one child as stated the servant can only have one child?
4) Would the child also be a Demi-god?
I have many more questions but that’s all I could write now.
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112 Jean Manuel
November 3, 2020 at 9:36 PM
Loved Habaek. Hated he could not get his powers back. It didn't make sense.
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113 Geeky
February 25, 2021 at 8:53 PM
I just finished watching this drama last. I don’t like the ending at all but am at a lost to what would be a good ending.
So HaBaek will remain with Soah until she dies of old age. Imagine Habaek’s pain to see his love wither away and in the end has to live with those painful memories for eternity. Goes to show that immortality is a curse, not a blessing.
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114 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
April 9, 2021 at 2:43 AM
"LT."
"LT!"
The voice rose in pitch, pulling me out of my deep slumber.
"LT, it's finished. You made it!"
I snorted slightly, my body jerking in response to the influx of electrical impulses temporarily dampened by the sheer pointlessness of the show I had been watching.
I wiped the small amount of drool from my chin and pulled my flagging wine glass close to keep it from spilling, draining the last drops as I pressed STOP finally.
"I am here,"I said to myself softly.
"My journey to nowhere is over."
"I have arrived."
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mugyuljoie is preciousss
April 9, 2021 at 4:53 PM
So, was the subplot worth it?
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
April 9, 2021 at 4:57 PM
It really wasn't because they just pushed him to the side and pretended it didn't exist.
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egads
April 9, 2021 at 6:39 PM
Subplot? Subplot? There was a subplot?
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mugyuljoie is preciousss
April 10, 2021 at 2:19 PM
Lim Joo Hwan's character's story.
LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
April 10, 2021 at 2:22 PM
Yeah and it was a good subplot. Well acted too. Clearly they had to get rid of that.
egads
April 10, 2021 at 6:29 PM
I've obviously blocked most of this drama from my memories. I'm not sad about that.
115 Qingdao: likes scented candles
May 16, 2022 at 4:57 PM
Thanks for the recap. Don't bother as there as so many GOOD dramas out there!
Yes, people do watch dramas long after your recap/review is posted. This was recommended to I took a chance but was disappointed. So much potential, so much disappointment. NJH was so attractive, very tall and cool in blue hair.
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