this drama was TOP NOTCH -- the actors were fabulous, the screenplay was adapted to suit the Korean Drama format exceptionally well.

the British original version was different, more "mean spirited" so to speak. the Kdrama version was more humane, more compassionate (?? is this the right term?)... it was more relatable to asian sensibilities/morals...

i liked it very much. i very much disliked the conniving original British version, but again, i am asian so of course i am biased...

WTF? Joon-young runs away from home for a year? I never watched Doctor Foster and avoided spoilers, so immediately after watching the finale, I read the ending and discovered this was the original ending. But thankfully, A Couple's World did not make Joon-young sexually assault No-eul because Joon-young was the only reason I watched this drama, and sexual assault would have made me drop him.

Except for Joon-young, I was emotionally detached from the other characters. I stopped rooting for Sun-woo, so I didn't feel sorry for any of the adults. When Sun-woo betrayed Hyun-seo at the police station, I didn't feel sorry for Hyun-seo, and when Ye-rim received the photos of Je-hyuk, I didn't feel sorry for Ye-rim. Everyone got what they deserved. I could tell every character was getting redemption (Je-hyuk, Myung-sook), so my hatred turned to apathy. Even Tae-oh and Da-kyung, I stopped hating. I was glad Sun-woo didn't end up with Yoon-gi because she never liked him. If they got together, it would only be because she felt indebted to him.

I never believed Tae-oh would kill Joon-young, but he is nothing but selfish for killing himself in front of his son. If Joon-young's catalyst for running away was his parents' embrace, it was literally relief that her ex-husband and father of her child was not splattered on the pavement. There was no love at all in Sun-woo's reaction. Didn't Doctor Foster fans not like the ending?

So.. the rollercoaster ride has ended with mixed feedback from the viewers. I personally didn't really feel satisfied with it mainly because :
1. Speculation about the open ending : I refuse to believe that the ending scene when Joon Young came back home was just Sun Woo's hallucination just because he was wearing black clothes (it could mean death, bad things happened, just like Jehyuk and Yerim's outfit color when they announced their reconciliation but in the end they broke up) and because they blurred his face (╥﹏╥) Sun Woo deserves happiness after all the hardships..

2. They kinda wasted Kim Yoon Ki character (he's one of the best thing that have ever happened in the drama !) but I also understand that the focus was more on Sun Woo, Joon Young, and Tae Oh relationship as a family. Maybe we can see more of Sun Woo and Yoon Ki in special episodes next week, I especially wanted to know about the ocean scene where there're no stuntman involved [ ngl I was shocked the first time I read the article about it (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~ ]

3. Lee family left Gosan, Da Kyung got another chance to live a good life but she definitelly will have a hard time to accept another man in her life (although she seems like she doesn't need a man considering her wealthy family)

You are being naive. Tae oh is a narcissist. He has not learned the lesson you think he has learned. What he learns is that if he manipulates his wife she will protect him from his mistakes. Look up the psychological term gaslighting...
Alas, Sun woo fell for it because at heart she cares for him...
Just like her abused patient in earlier episodes, and just like many women abused by partners, she does not see he is just playing with her emotions to control her.

haven´t watched this drama, but might if only I find time. I have still a lot of homework from the lockdown (we went back to work now but I couldn´t finish the load).
tired of blank faced rookies, so maybe real actrors is what I need

Thank you for the weecap, @missvictrix! I agree with @spazmo that the story was adapted to suit the asian viewers. I agree that Sun-woo tried to save the marriage in the beginning - she actually went thru the stages of being the victim of a cheating husband - denial, obsession, anger (revenge), got depressed when even Joon-young hated her, and in the end trying acceptance so they could at least live as friends, if not lovers. But Joon-young saw it as Sun-woo being swayed again, that's why he ran away. In the end, I thank the writers for Joon-young coming home. He is the victim I've been focusing on since the beginning.

The ending seemed open ended and I despise open ending. They drive me bananas. That being said I'll just treat it as if he finally came home, after a yr(😑😑😑). I get it though, the sheer unadulterated emotional manipulation required to pretend to kill yourself in front of your child is enough to make anyone want to run away. I loved this drama, kudos to the writers and the actors.

@missvictrix What a lovely weecap. Like you, I jumped at the use of sound in this episode. The buzzing of the phone made my heart speed up each time.

The Saddest Moment
When Tae oh stood frozen in front of the truck, and Sun Woo threw her arms around him so tight and wept, when he knelt, her arms still around him, and he wound his arms around her waist and sobbed, and they held each other and the voiceover came on. I cried.

The Most Powerful Moment
When Joon Young's face broke, and he took off running. He was done. With his parents. Their whole sorry, convulated mess. I felt him. I ran with him. It was...freeing.

The Most Satisfying Moment
When Tae oh broke down and cried at the restaurant.

Tae oh remained true to character to the end. He never apologised to Sun Woo. He was still struggling at the end. I wonder whether he and Sun Woo still keep in touch. Whether they are still together. We are not told. They are still living in Gosan, bound more than ever by the agony of a missing son. It is probably kept vague on purpose.

I liked that Ye Rim moved on. She cut him out of her life, and it was the right move. There is no happy ever after even when you try again. Trust is gone. He broke her. She, like Sun woo, may never ever trust another man or another relationship again. Once bitten, twice shy.

The ending feels dream-like and unreal to me. Could she have conjured up Joon Young's return in her imagination? His figure was a blurry black sihloutte.

And one question, how did she know where to find Tae oh and Joon Young? I held my breath there, I thought Joon Young had jumped. That awful, awful cliffhanger scene all over again...and I got played again.

Terrific drama. Best drama ever. I hope we will see more of such clever, twisty dramas.

This was a terrific drama. For me the drama excellently portrayed how divorce and the breakup of a family affects every family member so completely. Sun Woo, Tae Oh, and Da-Kyung may have been the main actors to the divorce(s), but Joon Young and Jenny will suffer the consequences for the rest of their lives too.

This was a great ending, much better than usual for kdramas. Dramatic, unexpected, but it also feels right, a natural consequence. For 16 episodes these characters have been selfish and immature, not putting the kid's best interest first, never doubting their true motivations. The last eps hinted that it would have a consequence but when JY was shown back in school and apparently well adjusted I thought show was simply going to pretend he and SunWoo were fine and TO would be only one to pay. It was a nice surprise.

Wow, finally an end to this roller coaster of a drama. I enjoyed every part of it, to the point watching doesn't feel predictable and boring even though I always watch the clips from JTBC's youtube in advance.
I absolutely love the ending, everyone got the lesson they really need to learn. Jaehyuk-Yerim couple, I really thought they will have a 'happy' ending, but instead Yerim realizes she will never recover her trust on Jehyuk and Jehyuk realizes his actions affect Yerim even far after his repent. For me it's the most realistic outcome for this couple, for them to realize that as much as they love each other it's already time to let go.
Then Sunwoo-Taeoh-Joonyoung family. My heart always breaks for Jooyoung, poor kid! :'( He's hurt by his parents' endless push-and-pull relationship, and just when he thought it would end for good this time Taeoh almost gotten hit by a truck revealed that no matter what, Sunwoo and Taeoh will always have attachments to each other. The thought of the thing that has been tormenting him so much would never end sent him to the brink, hence he was running away.
I'm honestly worried about him running away at that age, but if you remember the scene where Sunwoo gave new clothes to Joonyoung and Joonyoung lamented that worst dressed kids are the ones whose outfits get picked by their parents, Sunwoo said next time she would just give him her card. Maybe after that scene she really did give it to him and that's why Joonyoung is able to survive on his own for such a long time. Which brings me to theorize that Sunwoo knew his whereabouts all this time (since you can track credit card usage) and she was just waiting for him to come back on his own terms.
As for the ending I conclude it as an open ending, that it could be both Joonyoung came back for real or it's just in Sunwoo's imagination. But regardless I do think Joonyoung would come back, just the time may not be the one shown in the drama. Also referring to the scene I mentioned earlier, Sunwoo bought him bright-colored clothes, and at the final scene it's shown Joonyoung was wearing black, so I like to think that symbolizes when he did come back he's completely changed, becoming his own person and has already broken free from his problems, which was from his previous life on Sunwoo (and part Taeoh)'s terms.
All in all I really adore this drama, all the actors has done extraordinary job bringing this drama to life. Definitely won't forget this drama for a long time!

A roller coaster ride indeed! All the emotional and physical side effects of this ride were manifested throughout this drama. wow!

Although my eyes were wide open throughout, I need clarification or reassurance that all of Sun Woo’s actions with Da Kyung and Tae Oh were revenge driven. Dropping hints to Da Kyung regarding Tae Oh’s marital behavior, leading Da Kyung to face Tae Oh’s duplicate choices of lingerie, perfume, and even their plaid blouses and more...were these deliberate to erode this second marriage as part of Sun Woo’s payback?

I find all of Sun Woo’s efforts to be too contrived to be anything but revenge.

Great drama.. One of the best...will miss it a lot

I liked so much your recap. I think it's very deep and I like that you emphasize the narration and those thoughts, because that's what I think this show is about, exactly like you said, your choices. And probably all the characters understood that and in some way regret their choices at the very end, that's what I think. Life is going to teach you in a bad way If you don't want to understand It. It' s going to be difficult to move on from this show, there was a profound complexity of the characters that I don't see in other dramas, and I liked It so much. I understood completely some feelings even if they were acting so wrong, but I prefer being compassionate and not judgamental. Writer did her job well, life teached them something very important at the end, I really hope so. And I hope some people understand that being vengeful toward others it's not something to be proud of in real life , even if you crave for it.

Thanks for the weecap.

I think the ending, like the entire drama, wanted to hit at these more symbolic points of justification and redemption rather than make it realistic. I liked the way the drama wrapped up for most of the characters, but honestly, Joonyoung running away...where on earth would he go!! That kid's been sheltered for most of his life without any practical worries about money, shelter or education. The only people he seems to know outside of his family are all his mom's friends, Noeul's family or his school mates. I guess I'm being a bit nitpicky, but him running away and then coming back all safe and sound is just a bit too dramatic and totally just meant to suit the purpose's of Sunwoo's emotional story arc. Considering all the things both she and Taeoh did for Joonyoung throughout the entire season, I doubt they would actually just let him go like that so easily.
Regardless of this slightly out-of-character ending, props to the show for keeping my heart racing throughout all these episodes. I totally agree, each time the doorbell rang aughhhhh, I get so nervous!!! This show has definitely left me drained......I probably shouldn't have binge-watched it :D think I need something more light-hearted after this, any recommendations??

I loved this drama, and I thought it was much better than the British version. I also thought the last episode was perfect.

DAEBAEK!! Brilliant and definitely a work of fiction. This show held its tone throughout the show. Usually affair shows focus on the affair, but here it showed us what it could do to a child and the effects as well.

Oh wow, Tae-woo was the culprit the whole time. What a piece of work. In the end, the child (symbol?) saw his connection to his parents. He knew that he was the one standing in the way, and the tie between his parents. When he left, the parents were separated.

Kim Hee Ae, Daesang and other awards when?? Brilliant layered and complex role. The mistress role could have been cliche too, but the writer gave her more complexity as well. Thus, it elevated this show even further. We felt for her, despite her affair because she was a pawn in Tae-woo's game.

Thank you for your last recap ! Till the end, the drama was perfection. DAEBAK. Great acting, directing and writing. I am really happy for having enjoyed this awesome rollercoaster. For years, I was really disappointed by many dramas that I stopped watching them. I am looking forward discovering next masterpieces from this level. I discovered Kim Hee Ae who is now my favorite actress. Her acting is stellar and deserves many Daesangs and more.
Regarding the open ending, for me, the ending is happy. One year was enough for JY who stayed in a center that Sun Woo sponsored. But if they want to make a sequel, this open ending really suits this perspective. It has been a week since this drama has ended but I cannot move on. I felt all emotions of Sun Woo. Not many dramas cannot do that.

I only have one question "Who killed Park In Gyu?

Somehow I find Ep 16 the most unsatisfying of all the endings it could have chosen ( now, I know there is a source material that they would have to follow, but this episode truly doesn't make sense to me).

First of, why oh why the mother and son choose to go back to Gosan, knowing the vindictive father is still lurking there, plus the whole town knows what have been happening to this family. Any sane person would have left like what the Yeo family have done. It doesn't make sense that Sun Woo will take any risk to put his son in danger again, for the son, budding romance not withstanding , why would he want to face his schoolmates again ?

Secondly, how in the world can a minor gone missing, and the parents still live their lives normally while waiting for the kid to come home. It's impossible for a kid to go missing for so long and turn up unharmed.

Dr Kim appearance as the only good guy in this drama had me rooting for Sun Woo to find happiness with Dr Kim, but at the end, I was rooting for Dr Kim to please stop waiting for her, the lady is clearly not interested.

I find Da Kyung's arc most satisfying, the moment she made the decision to leave and cut off clean is pretty awesome and had me cheering for her.

She really deserves the award! 💯

Personally I'm going to accept the ending as a good one, but it would've been better if they showed her moving on and maybe dating Dr Kim and letting him help her find Jun Yeong together.....I would like to think that our heroine is able to move past the trauma, truly forgive herself and be willing to give herself a second chance at a happy family with the guy who saved her life (literally and probably to some extent figuratively as well).

kinda weird last second flex w/the son running away for a year. I kinda understand it as a person (he couldn't stand all that any longer), but then like... where did he go?? the police couldn't find him in 1 year? in a small city like that?