@missvictrix Am I wrong to think that they might have chose this ending purposefully and were/are planning for 2nd season??

**sobs**** Its over.. Why is it over..

Those 2 scenes in Ep 15 got me.. so much emotions. I don't know how Ji Sung does this. He gets these emotions so dang right.. every single time.. And Woo ShinAAAA.. he did that for this brother..
Brothers!! awwww..

OMG! @missvictrix, where did this Oppa come from?? Like, you found an oppa amidst all this chaos and bloodshed??? Really?? lol..

ok.. the ending - No, me NOT happy.. I was confused last night. and was hoping to get more clarity.. but nope.. it doesn't make sense..
I find it hard to believe Soo-Hyun will fake his own death without his brother knowing. I believe they know what it means if one of them dies.. so if it was Hye-Soo who sent the letter (A tie back to her sending the letter and hence starting the whole thing) why does Adamas matter? TO her, of all people?
And the show did not explain her motive till the end.. and that doesn't make sense to me.. If she did turn dark (like Chairman) i am NOT convinced. lol..When did it start.. and why??
Is this set up for S2? or is it just an open ending?
How much ever I think about it, it doesn't make sense to me.

so in my head, Soo Hyun and Seo-Hee are walking on the beach side by side (my power couple) and Woo Shin is sitting on the shore thinking pensively (while looking sexy while doing so).. Hye Soo listed the company public, gave the shares to employees and killed the family business, ending the chaebol rule..
and Sun somehow died because those shoes, clothes and bike dont belong together.. lol.. THE END.

p.s Ji Sung, my heart.. Such an incredible fine actor..

I knew that it was Woo-sin with the SIH because he kept his hand in his pocket the whole time. Plus when the first person got shot, he forgot himself in shock and we see the bandage. I like that the show allowed us to have that little moment of smugness and also give us the feels when Chang-woo knew it too.

I'm with you @missvictrix - not really sure how to feel about the twist at the end. One part of me feels the last 5 minutes of the finale were unnecessary. I'd braced myself for one of the twins to die pretty much from Ep. 1 when Woo-sin made that "I'll call you hyung once before death" crack.

But then I'm so happy Soo-hyun is alive that story and logic go out of the window 😭. I doubt the show will get a second season, given the ratings, but if it does I'm all in!

The ending leaves me a little perplexed. Is it just an open ending and/or is season 2 planned?
I wasn't really surprised that Soo-hyun is probably not dead. It was too noticeable that his body wasn't found.

That Hye-soo turns to the (light) dark side didn't really shock me. At the latest when she had Ms Kwon brought to the hospital so she could kill Chairman Kwon, this was foreseeable.

I didn't like the penultimate episode as much as the previous ones. One reason might be that I'm not really interested in shoot-outs, I'm more a fan of intrigue and surprises.
It's good that Hyun-jo got his just punishment, but it bugs me that Sun was able to drive off.

The weecap is out so fast, I haven't had time to gather my thoughts. Thank you @missvictrix for the timely and amazing weecaps these past eight weeks.

There's no way this is getting a S2 given the ratings and lack of buzz (I don't think this was fully preproduced so they should have known that when the finale was filmed), so I will just view it as an open ending. It doesn't really make sense to me, but I'm happy thinking Soo-hyun is alive. I knew he was going to die or "die" from the first week given the foreshadowing.

Ji Sung was amazing. This PD needs to get lots of work.

I had this slim tiny hope that Song Su-hyeon wasn’t ending up dead by the time ep 16 ends. The twins must be complete by the end of this long scuffle. ‘His eyes were opened at the end of the strangulation and there was still some life in it', ‘He couldn’t be dead just like that’. These were the thoughts running through my head as the ending drew closer. And in Adamas’s last 90 secs of runtime of which at that point I was accepting that pfft, Su-hyeon is gone for real, two bombs had me in delightful rejoicing. Su-hyeon being alive, and Woo-shin freaking gave Hye-soo a fake Adamas. 'Like what the…😮? That's the exact same stunt Lee Changwoo pulled on Chairman Kwon'. Applaudissez, Woo-shin. You blew my mind to higher levels.

Woo-shin is my favorite twin. Sometimes I ask why he isn’t working in the criminal department because he’ll be so good at it. Cho Yeo-jung was really good with her writer instincts in Cheat On Me, If You Can, but Ji Sung’s Ha Woo-shin has me in absolute awe. His mind works at high levels.

The Adamas reveal scene at the SIH new base between father and sons, it was crystal clear who was who. Ji Sung did wonders characterizing two people distinctly. Woo-shin crying silently or Su-hyeon crying loudly had me in awe with Ji Sung's acting. He's so good and I can't stop praising him.

I thought Hye-soo had a decent heart to be different, turns out she's as crazy as Chairman Kwon. Min-jo would be disappointed to see what she has turned out to be. But I must say that the punishment she meted out on Hyunjo and Yoon had me in a mix reaction of shivers and respect.

Ha Woo-shin vs Hye-soo. I’m in for this sugar-fest for season 2. They are way different from the people we have as adversaries in season 1 - refined, calm, regal, serene individuals. To see them go against each other has me salivating, the kind of adversaries I've wanted in dramaland.

Loved how Jisung cried to match the personalities: reckless sobbing for Suhyeon and restrained tears for Wooshin.

Tbh, was kind of disappointed at 16. I spent the middle 90% waiting for the drama to bring Suhyeon back alive and speculating the # of days that must have passed by, which kept me from paying attention to anything else. Would have preferred if they kept it a thriller until the end.

I know I keep repeating this but I still want to say JISUNG IS AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!!! Even if you wake me from sleep I will say this 😬

Although, I will miss these weekly episodes and be amazed by his acting. I can't wait to see him soon in his next project. Hopefully a much better project and reach( ratings)

Since I'm mostly going mention only Ji Sung, here goes. He put me in a emotional rollercoaster mostly with angst, fear and pain. My heart ached when Soo Hyun sobbed and Wooshin comforting him. Also, when Wooshin confronted Lee, I wanted Wooshin to shoot him right then, and when he did I was way beyond pleased. (I cheered when he shot his other leg too!!! ) Which was followed by Wooshin's breakdown, which was heartwrenching for me, his eyes when he endured Lee's taunts and how is hand was shaking when Lee will not reveal what he did to Soo Hyun!! Jisung made me cry here and it doesn't end here. That beach scene with Seo Hee, OMG! His words filled with pain ' I miss Soo Hyun!', ' I did everything for him but he was pushed into the sea by myself' and 'nothing matters now Soo Hyun is gone' it's endless and I was drained like Wooshin at the end of it.

Honestly I would've accepted that Soo Hyun died if they are going for the darker route (or he shouldn't have died in the first place) instead of turning this to a bait for s2😐. There were many hints that Soo Hyun might not make it but still it doesn't make it easier to watch that horrific fight with Lee, I was denial when he was strangled and went limp (later carried to his car). I mean how did he survive? I just to threw the logic out of window ☹️. If they want to show that he survived, prove me !! Who sent this letter to Wooshin? My guess was Hye Soo too but I don't think she knows it's a fake?! I don't think she really cares anything now?! She was the reason Soo Hyun died in the first place 🤷🏼‍♀️ I don't think it was Soo Hyun who sent the letter either! He was shot and strangled, and who rescued him? Was it Wooshin/Soo Hyun at the end?

I get Wooshin plan to expose corruption and it will be a starting point?! But we need closure atleast with the twins - we deserve that. The good guys lost - terribly.

I don't think we will get s2 either,but they can't let the audience to hang in there?! Remember vagabond? If there was any S2 happening I would definitely watch it, just to see Wooshin taking down Haesong and Hye Soo.

On a side note - Jisung is way too hot ( and sexy) in that suit and with that gun. I want see him a action role?! 😬

Kdramas and mucked up endings will give any other tropes a run for its money. I completely disliked the ending even though there were scenes that I enjoyed.

Hyuk Pil resigned but he could still call the special-ops to save the SIH team? If so, why did no one on the SIH team think of it and why Seo Hee wasted time on Byung Cheol instead of convincing Hyuk Pil to gather special-ops?

Lee Changwoo's death after a great build up of him as former Team A leader had me rolling my eyes. With his experience, he couldn't identify the black sheep in the team? When he simply kept sitting and watching the SIH team, I thought he was observing them and would catch the spy. I guess, I expected so much after the stunning Ep 13/14.

Seo Hee visting the sea more than her parents graveyard made me question if she even cared for her parents. She was more gutted by Soo Hyun's absence than her own parents.

Hye Soo's sudden ambitions and Woo Shin's idea to inform the public of the deception through the book was very confusing. I do not understand their end goal.

The entire lead up to the SIH team getting ambushed to Soo Hyun getting killed in Team A's site was very disappointing.

Inspite of my complaints, I am actually amazed at the directing because I wanted both Ji Sungs on screen at the same time, but for most part of their conversation in EP 15 the camera had them in either long shot or singular focused shot (despite them sitting side by side in a car) and I was pretty frustated, but everything vanished the moment Woo Shin consoled Soo Hyun. It was at this point I realized the director's brilliance because the camera work of separating the twins till that scene, made the tears all the more powerful and real.

Nothing on Ji Sung because he is a fabulous actor ❤ and if you haven't watched "Familiar Wife" what are you waiting for?

Thank you @missvictrix for the recaps and LOL at you finding a new oppa in unlikely scenes😂

I enjoyed the drama until Ep 14 and I am going to pretend that everything worked according to Soo Hyun's plan and Lee Changwoo confronted Lee at the funeral room and both got arrested in the end. The drama ends with both brothers having a burger in the same spot as the opening scene.

JI SUNG IS AMAZING. THAT IS ALL.

I knew he wasn't dead. As bombastic as the show is, his death was super anti-climatic, so I didn't believe it for a second. I didn't like the ending. Sun is still alive being annoying. Her older sister didn't call for doctors because Sun claimed he would be comatose. Hye Soo is doing something. I couldn't tell if Woo Shin had a fake Adamas or not. SIGH, this a throw back to OG kdramas where the ending was open ended. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now. Otherwise it was a fun ride.

I think I’m going to have to say that the ending is unsatisfying for me.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
- Neil Gaiman (who in turn paraphrases the original G. K. Chesterton quote that I will put at the very bottom of this)

I swing the other way from you on this, @missvictrix.

Sometimes, a story’s purpose is to leave you with the message that the fight against the dragon is a constant and ongoing battle, but it is a noble battle that must be fought, over and over again, if necessary, nonetheless. And that’s fine.
But sometimes your story should just let the dragon be beaten, and properly, wholly defeated, as the end note instead. And that’s also fine, because that’s what fiction is for.

For me, this show should’ve been the latter, rather than the former.

Although Woosin’s comments to Seohee about constantly fighting for truth are not WRONG, I felt the show had better set up for a proper takedown, and indeed would’ve been more narratively satisfying if so, than a “well the battle is fought (or is it though) but the war is not over” approach, instead, and used Haesong as the metaphorical dragon to instill a sense of hope and fulfillment in both the characters and the audience.
You can do that you know; you don’t HAVE to torture your characters for all eternity. You don’t have to succumb to a kind of (purportedly) inevitable meaninglessness or cynicism.

I think it would’ve been stronger for this.
To end on a note of true defeat for Haesong, and for the Twins and Seohee on a note of peace, or the beginning of finding peace.

I think this would’ve made the Twins’ (and Seohee’s) fight, for each other, their adoptive father, their real father, and all the people that died on the way more worthwhile; why leave Seohee and Woosin fumbling to pick up the pieces (which aren’t even necessary if Soohyun isn’t dead) at all. Why not give them a moment of respite, that the dragon has been beaten, not without sacrifice, but still beaten, and then they can go and nurse their wounds and each other’s?

And similarly, I think I would’ve given this kind of ending to, and favored this for Hye-soo also.
As interesting in some ways as it is for her to decide to steal Haesong from those who have wronged her and her dead lover, instead of being its downfall, I think I would’ve preferred overall had she stolen it from out under the Chairman and her husband, and then just utterly destroyed it.

I felt like they were originally going for that also; a ”I will take down this entire company and burn it to the ground, for you have killed my lover and you will rue the day" arc for Hye-soo, and then decided to switch to and end on a ”I will take everything from you and have it for myself as revenge whilst you suffer in silence/death whilst I succumb to my thirst for retribution turning to a thirst for power"...

Given the lacklustre ratings and lack of buzz (boo!!), I seriously doubt Adamas is getting a second season to answer the questions left behind by the open ending. Regardless, I don’t think it’s quite so open-ended that I’m left dissatisfied by the ending. It’s not much of an happy ending or even a bittersweet one, but it feels thematically right, I guess. I don’t know. I still don’t fully know how to feel about episode 16 yet.

Mixed feelings about the ending aside, holy shit. What a show. Ji Sung is best. Ji Sung is the best. Ji Sung is the freaking BEST. I never want to see anybody ever question his place as one of the best actors working in the industry. The supporting actors were all incredible as well - with particular praise to Seo Ji-hye as the enigmatic and ambiguous Hye-soo, Hwang Jung-min as the complicated Dragon Lady Kwon, and Heo Sung-tae as the not-bad-guy Tae-sung. They would’ve been one-note caricatures in many a lesser drama, but Adamas took the time and effort to see what made them tick underneath the easy stereotypes they initially came off as and the drama is so much more better for it. Plus, it’s nice to see Heo Sung-tae not be an irredeemable piece of shit for once.

The writer has instantly shot to my must-watch list with just their debut work, which is also unbelievable to me. Imagine debuting into this notoriously competitive and saturated industry with a work this brilliantly crafted, this remarkably consistent in suspense and narrative structure. I have nothing but utmost admiration for writer Choi Tae-kang. He’s going places, that’s for sure to me. PD Park Seung-woo too, has done stellar work here. His previous drama Kairos is also amongst my favourite shows and it’s great to see him continuing his streak of excellent thrillers. I hope this writer + PD duo collaborates again. We deserve more dramas of this calibre.

This was a fun few weeks, guys. The comment sections and the ensuing discourse were a blast to participate in. It really did feel like a tight-knit community hyperfixating over our niche little drama. I’m gonna miss it. Thank you, @missvictrix, for the wonderful recaps. They were just as part of the viewing experience for me as the drama itself and all the chatter in the comments. Adios y’all and all hail King Ji Sung!

It has been a delight watching Ji Sung act. It was cool seeing him taking on the two characters and making them different.

For the finale, I just don't know. Lots of it was compelling and nerve-wracking. Gosh, the silent view of the sea was bleak and heartbreaking. I still held on the hope that Soo Hyun survived. I think the finale wasn't as strong as the other episodes. There was plenty of strong acting. I'm unsettled when it comes to the story/ending though.

The show coming back full circle with the mansion again was a nice touch. Chuckled slightly seeing Dragon Lady Kwon there, waiting to greet Woo Shin, just like before. This time I can imagine Ms. Oh would not be as submissive previously. She was probably thrilled being free from Dragon Lady Kwon's command.

The body count was less than expected. Team A survived. Tae Sung. Dong Rim! Sun too. I did like how she got her revenge against her sister instead of doing a simple kill.

The good guys in their secret warehouse knew that there were moles in SIH so I wish they had been prepared for that. Did they think the 4 "trusted" members were that trustworthy?

Hye Soo remained mysterious to the end. Was her goal always Haesong? She wanted revenge for Min Jo. She wanted Chairman Kwon destroyed because she thought he was behind his death. Then Hyun Jo was her target when she learned the truth. But Sun was the actual killer and she is still alive. Perhaps because she has been a pawn and is still a useful weapon for now. Or taking over Haesong is the best, most satisfying revenge. Or she grew to enjoy her new level of power.

The twist at the end... Eh it's an open ending when there's no guarantee a second season is happening. For this drama, I wouldn't mind a second one as long as the writing and acting remained tight and stellar.

So both twins got the bioimplant GPS tracker in their left hand. I'm thinking it could be Soo Hyun who was holding the real adamas at the end. He injured his hand just like his brother and some way somehow, they wanted to fake his death so Team Leader Lee would no longer target him. By offering the (fake) adamas to Hye Soo, she keeps Lee alive to be punished by the law/courts/etc. But it's mind-boggling that Woo Shin can trust her? I wish they had shared a plan with the viewers. Maybe I'm used to Woo Shin having some plans or I want more of his deep thinking scenes lol. I think that's it. His plan and execution were missing from the last hour. I get that they needed time to show his grief though. *sighs* An open ending is just not a good way to end things.