A very satisfying end to the show.

Overall, even though I had issues, I enjoyed the show. It’s always nice to see flawed characters on screen who can be self aware or eventually show growth. Eun Mi was willing to make changes and let go of her daughter. It’s a big step and a step in the right direction. She even was willing to consider marriage in the hopes that her daughter would have more people in her life. Jin Hee too was more vocal with her mother and said she was not ok and verbalized her feelings. This is probably the first time she is expressing herself and making decisions for herself. Which again is a great first step. I definitely see these two find a good balance eventually.

Also, I really enjoyed the show ‘s handling of ‘family’. The last episode nailed it. I don’t even want to call Eun Mi’s family as found family. Because they were family. And the writers did well in having Eun Mi reject a family for Jin Hee just because it’s blood related. She knew it’s not the family her daughter needs. It was sweet of Jin Hee to reach out to her Gomo/aunt. That would be a family she would choose. Well done show.

Jae Won continued to be passive but thank goodness for Jin Hee. She is my favorite character and it was satisfying to see how she is headed in life. She deserves the best. And it’s wonderful that she is surrounded by people who love her.

Jin Hong was a pleasant surprise. He gained my respect as the show progressed. Jae won and Jin Hong’s silent bonding with a melona bar was perfect!

Also kudos to all the side characters. They were all fun and I enjoyed their scenes as much as the main characters. A potential love line between Dr.Park and Aunt/sister was cute.

Ending:
I think those last pics confused people. Eun Mi went on a Spanish pilgrimage trip. So I saw it as them meeting for a week or two in Spain and Jin Hee continues her trip. I did not think Eun Mi did a year long trip with Jin Hee.

Other interpretation is that those pictures were shown together while they were in fact on their own. Meaning it’s a stitched photo of two separate pictures. It’s almost like ending the show with OTP pictures. even if one of them died.

I have no doubt in my head that Jin Hee went on a solo trip. Because otherwise this drama makes no sense. Also Eun Mi was really struggling with letting go of her daughter and she knew it was the right thing to do as an adult. So I don’t think she backtracked on that. She also saw the relationship with Jae won and knew her daughter is making new relationships.
She just needed time to let go. And joining her daughter in her first trip abroad even if it was for a Short duration was her way of being in her life yet giving her space. And I see this as a pattern going forward.

The main theme was clearly the family. And when it was about that, the drama was pretty interesting.

I'm disapointed by the end. I hoped they would have understood they're family and don't need to share everything. Own space is healthy in a relationship and they needed it.

The one year trip was really sudden. She never showed any interest to travel. The Cathedral of Rouen is magic I guess.

I wasn't really interested in the love story. I don't know why but I found Park Sung-Hoon was little involved in this role. He was very self-effacing or always looked tired. Half of their scenes was the FL being drunk, even the kiss scene... I didn't like she asked him if he loved her instead to say she loved him.

I really didn't care about their investigation. I wished they focused more on Jae-won's story instead.

100% completely agree with you @dramaddictally about those closing credits shots. I know I've been in the peanut gallery for this whole show, but I, too, was ready for this ending to sweeten up my own bad attitude, and have me eating my words. And, with the sweet halmeonis and Jin-hong's wonderful words and attitude about love and what it means to feel connected to another person, I was ready to be eat crow.

But no...talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!! Those last images had me seeing red. Eun-mi even said what it meant to raise kids--which is to do your job and then let them go--to Jin-hong (who agreed, even though he had literally no experience in the area...which was part of the point of the whole show :)).

Sigh. What could have been. Eun-mi led a difficult life, yes, but that's no excuse for never growing up...even if/because...oh whatever...everyone around her enables this state of affairs.

I found the last two episodes bittersweet but not in that delicious dark chocolate way, more like two clashing tastes that do not belong together and make each other taste worse. I liked the exploration of chosen vs. biological families and the show should have explicitly done more of that earlier. Having all the families that have chosen themselves reunited, one way or another, was a sweet finish. The flip side with them turning their backs on the crappy ‘real’ families was saisfying, too, but Jin-hong’s parents were caricatures.

A year alone seemed over-ambitious when Jin-hee’s never been away before, but I was beyond infuriated that Eun-mi just could not let her daughter go when they both so obviously, desperately needed that separation - especially Jin-hee. When Eun-mi showed up at the airport dressed identically for backpacking I said “you have got to be f*ing kidding me” out loud. Now it’s Eun-mi who’s goldfish poop. It made the last part of the show feel like a fakeout - look, she’s grown! Ha ha, no, joke’s on you, viewer - she hasn’t and apparently can’t.

Jae-won retained his always-holding-back character to the end, and although I was disappointed that there was so little in the end of him with Jin-hee, that felt true. And there is finally a happy same-sex couple that’s together at the end of a drama - even if they were parachuted in for like 2 minutes. The Melona bars were the best part of the finale, and I’m going to go have one to wash away the ‘bitter’ part of bittersweet. Park Sung-hoon, sigh, bigger role next time please - but feel free to bring the police station family along with you.

Recap didn't mention that Jin-hee had a bout of nasty back trouble, and it sure looked like she was still wearing a back brace when she was planning her trip.

I don't know about you, but back problems are not the thing to make me think about strapping on a huge heavy pack and hiking all over everywhere.

Oh, well. As long as she has her copy of Hitchhiker's Guild to Kdramaland, a towel and her Babel fish...

It was fine. I think there was a hidden gem in there somewhere, but it got lost in Eun Mi's selfishness. I didn't hate it, but I didn't quite just like it either. It was just fine.

Wait was that the finale? I had hoped we would see Jin Hee back after the trip and would see a hug with Jae Won at the very least. "I'll be waiting" "Ummm yeah" - thats the extent of the damn romance? And we had to watch so much of Eun Mi and Jin Hong. What a let down. Is there a season 2 maybe?

I started off this week thinking "Oh good, its all about Eun Mi. FUN". Jin Hong acting like her personal slave was especially gratifying. However, I may be wrong, but they appeared to have toned her down a little. Jin Hong's parents are toxic and Eun Mi handled them so well. And then she hid Jin Hee's panties forcing her to go somewhere she didnt want, and the frustration returned.

"Do you like me?" "Yes". The kiss. My heart. That was so adorable.

Did Jin Soo come out of the closet?

Gotta say, the finale was a little underwhelming.

Thank you, @dramaddictally, for the weecap. I love the way the story was realistically depicted but I maybe I wanted more from Jin-hee and Jae-won's relationship. They consider themselves together and then suddenly she just decides to go on a backpacking trip. I just wanted to see more of their cuteness like what I saw with Eun-mi and Jin-hong being honest with each other.

Having flawed character in a drama is fine; we all ARE, after all. But watching the said character for twelve hours without even realizing that flaw IS totally unacceptable.
Early on we saw Eun Mi treated those who loved her badly by being manipulative and immature. I was dissapointed the writer just brushed it off as something normal. Even the ending where she insisted on having a trip just like Jin Hee albeit a short one screamed immature to me. Why couldn't she just let her daughter grow up? I didn't expect Eun Mi to change overnight, it was impossible. But I was hoping she would realize she behaved badly and truly apologize. But hey, at least she managed to be consistent in being selfish!
My dissatisfaction with the show admittedly is solely with the writing. Most of the characters seems unreal and cannot be found in real life. For starter, Eun Mi; the combination of her traits isn't something that I haven't seen in real life. Next, Jin Hong; who can just coolly accepted they have new found daughter and decided to just treat her like stranger even when they get to see the child in daily basis JUST BECAUSE they love the mother??? He is not normal IMO. Thank God we have his sister who behaves like any normal people would. Lastly, I adored Jin Hee and she was part of the reasons I stuck with this show; she is such an angel. Imagine living your whole life with a mom like Eun Mi and managed to grow without emotional bruises and strained relationship. Psychiatrists SHOULD BE AWARE of their job.
I seem to nitpick everything that I dislike about this drama. But to be fair, I confess, I LOVE some part of it.
1. The orthopedist doctor. I was hoping he would be Eun Mi love interest. I imagined he would bring good change to her with his personality.
2. The Aunt; family isn't always about blood, indeed.
3. Jae Won; outwardly he looks grumpy, but all I can see is how lonely and sad he is all the time. He tugs at my heart just like Park Dong Hoon in My Mister. I root for him instantly. Sadly we didn't get to explore his character more.
4. Police team with all their misunderstanding and bonding throughout the series.
5. Jae Won and Jin Hee. I love EVERYTHING about their relationship. Not rushed, very organic, mature, and most of all, without drama. I love how comfortable both with each other that the confession comes out as natural. Even when Jae Won acted as a noble idiot the next morning by saying it was an accident, Jin Hee didn't make a big deal out of it and instead call him out on it. I could see they have a long lasting relationship. They just complement each other.
6. And the last PPL; how COOL is that??? I enjoyed it immensely!!! Please PD, do more like this!
All in all, thank you for entertaining me these past few weeks. I WILL NOT miss you.

There was another series not long ago (Delightfully Deceitful) whose finale was good enough to make up for the sins of the earlier episodes. Satisfying endings are so rare these days that they count for a lot in the overall ranking of the drama. Give me a series with a problematic beginning if its going to be wrapped up well at the end.

Thanks for the recap!! I'm probably one of the few that loved the show from beginning to end and can see myself rewatching it. It's got such an emotional kick to it. That family picture scene with grandma's portrait and then panning into having grandma. I got a kick out of what I felt like an ambiguous ending. Did they backpack together the whole time or did they just meet up? Or did today's crazy phone technology allow for them to create these pics. I prefer not confirming!

Love how this is a family drama without it being a long, dramatic weekend drama. And it's been interesting to have the OTP of a drama be a mother-daughter after we had a mother-son drama. We should have more family pairings. I like how Eun-mi - even though she's ridiculous and selfish at times - doesn't really fit the molds of the other moms we see in kdramas. Jeon Hye-jin killed it. And Soo-young too. Actually everyone had such great chemistry with each other.

I liked this show a lot, and I thought there was a lot of character growth starting to bud out in the last two episodes. It fit the 12 episode time line.

Mom was annoying at times but realistically acted like someone who never got to fully be an adolescent as a teenager and so never got that behavior out of her system. This happens to a lot of people who get developmentally interrupted by difficult things. I liked seeing the first signs of growth in her. I also really admired the strength that she got from those hard times was to go out of her way to be courageously crazy about helping women in need.

This made me love Sooyoung even more. She always plays interesting characters.

This definitely was a drama. That’s all I’ve got to say after the finale.

Considering the many many disappointing dramas this year at least NOT OTHERS remained consistent. This was ultimately a story of mother and daughter, their codependency and inability to let others interfere or shake up their dynamic. Sometimes this was a positive thing, not needing to rely on anyone else meant that Ji-hong’s parents had no hold on them. The three generations of women was also touching, found family or related family, when love is the foundation it’s far more meaningful and lasting. Especially in comparison to Ji-hong’s hostile and resentful relationship with his parents.

Perhaps Eun-mi relied on Ji-hee too much and Jin-hee unable to create boundaries for herself and being somewhat passive with her mother (which is interesting as she was definitely the opposite with Jae-won), is the crux of their codependency.

The Ending of the drama finally seemed to show Eun-mi and Ji-hee heading in different directions and yet the epilogue ruined that. So I don’t know what to make of it? Both of them definitely have issues and I do want Jin-hee to be independent. And yet they love each other and always will. They think about the other first. When Eun-mi finally got to drink again she celebrated with her daughter. When Jin-hee was thinking of travelling, she first thought of her mother.

Maybe Ji-hong and Jae-won will always be secondary to their bond as mother and daughter. Change is hard and ultimately there will be a day where Eun-mi has to let go of Jin-hee. But perhaps it’s just not the time yet, and while I wanted more, I can understand and hope for the best for these characters.

Side note: I didn’t mind Jae-won’s passivity at all, considering the stigma surrounding him and also the fact he is Jin-hee's boss, him not making the first move or creating an awkward work situation (looking at you KTL) was nice. This is one of the few times I liked a boss and subordinate relationship. It was a slow burn romance and Jin-hee being honest and frank without being too pushy was satisfying to watch. One of my favourite couples this year hands down!

The ending was great except for the decision to go around the globe for a year. Jin Hee was never shown to be shaken by all the unexpected events that happened in her life because she handled them all calmly which makes the sudden idea to travel abroad a bit weird, but then the fact that the show started out haphazardly makes it not much of a big deal.

I would have liked the partner of Jin Soo being introduced much earlier because Jin Soo was more interesting than Jae Won, whose character seems like an afterthought and did nothing to the overall show.

I like that everyone is at a comfortable place much like the beginning of the drama with no hard feelings and still sharing love. Additional good thing about this drama is that the side characters did not hog the limelight from the main theme of the drama by having their own plot threads. Even the murder victim and the murderer were not given more screen time than what was needed.

@dramaddictally thanks for the recap.

I like the drama, even if the main characters were sometimes frustrating, especially Eun-mi, who I didn't always understand. But that was part of the charm of this series and it was refreshing to see characters who were unconventional and not always likeable.

In terms of Jin-hee and Jae-won, I had forgotten before the finale that this drama wasn't going to go the typical route and was hoping for a romantic dating phase. Yet I actually knew after episode 11 that not everything would be rosy, as Jae-won's problems didn't just disappear into thin air. I hope that he will get his professional problems sorted out while Jin-hee is travelling the world. At least he made it clear at the end that he will no longer run away from a relationship with Jin-hee.

As far as I know, the webtoon consists of three parts. I would linke to know if only one part of it was adapted into this drama.

I definitely wanted more of Jae Won, I don’t really understand why the actor agreed for this role, but as long as he got paid I can’t complain, I don’t really understand why mother could not just live her life for a year with her boyfriend

Thanks for the recap! I didn't read the ending the way you did. I didn't assume they took the photos while in Europe, but afterward, because of the rapidly switching screens.

What I really appreciated in the ending was that even though both of the protagonists wound up with their appropriate boyfriends, the writers resisted the impulse to make Eun-mi wind up married to Jin-hong. This, even though it's clear by the end of the show that he wishes he had been allowed to stay with her in high school. The relationship that gets officially affirmed in the last episode is the one with Eun-mi's chosen family. To me, that seemed like such a big deal! A much bigger deal than marriage, which is the way that people usually enter each other's families in Korean dramas. In most dramas, you see people having a problem with blended families, illegitimacy, and adoption. I also really appreciated the hiking scene with the pancakes and makeoli and singing to the baby. It was so moving to know that Eun-mi bought her mom long underwear with her first paycheck and sent her money. They were just all so committed to each other.

I just liked how, even though Eun-mi wound up with a first love who has a big enough heart to be a great dad, we didn't make him be the dad. He was a walking green flag, as the kids say, but he wasn't the resolution to the conflict in the plot, which was about Eun-mi's unsureness that she had raised *herself*. Obviously she did a great job raising her daughter, with the help of a found family. But she did have to raise herself in the absence of appropriate parenting, and she's kind of an immature person! That's why I thought the photo scenes at the end were not them traveling together, but coming back together afterward.

At the end, I'd prefer to think of it as a slice of life because to be completely honest I'm not quite sure how to take this one as a whole. Nevertheless, Not Other has been a fun watch. I kept thinking about it and I think the finale just convinced me that truly the strength of Not Other's are actually in the conversation heavy scenes.... The goldfish conversation, basically the finale week focuses more on these kind of scenes and I love it so much, tbh even more than the supposedly comedic scenes.

As someone who has watched a LOT of Sooyoung's drama (I think I have watched hers most amongst soshi actress line), Run On would probably the first one I was totally impressed with but in this one.... It was such a weird experience because for the first time... I feel like I'm watching her just like how I watch my fave actresses rather than my idol in a drama.. idk how to convey it but it just feel like she's so good this is the first time I have properly seen her as an actress (not that she isn't good the other times...)

The last two episodes was mush better than the previous ones. Eun-mi was less frustrating. The grandma story was so beautiful and heartwarming. Our young couple finally kissed. Also side characters had good endings. BUT the one year trip was so sudden that felt unrealistic and like a part of another drama. It didn't bother me much that Eun-mi went with Jin-hee on her trip, though I didn't like it either.
Park Sung-hoon is one of my favorite actors. I've seen him in different dramas like Into the ring, Glory, Justice and psychopath diary and he never felt off like this. I don't know if the problem was writing or his acting. He didn't show emotions. At least at the first half he was angry all the time.
Also anyone notice the teen pregnant girl who came for sanitary pads? It means that she got abortion, right? What really was the point of her story?
Overall I can say that I was disappointed considering the anticipation I had.

Honestly, the show could’ve ended and solidly secured a spot on my ‘underrated gems’ list - if not for that fucking end. The moment I saw Eun-mi at the airport with a bag pack, I knew this all was for nothing. How wonderful would it have been if the conclusion showed that despite the miles between mother and daughter, their bond remained just as strong and loving, but no; Eun-mi just had to be her selfish and possessive self till the bitter end. Distance would’ve done both women so well. Eun-mi could focus on her new relationship and possibly move in with Jin-hong, whilst Jin-hee finally gets the chance to centre herself over others. But no, the writer was fucking determined to keep our leading ladies codependent on one another. I’m so bitter. Seriously, why couldn’t Jin-hee have gone on that trip with Jae-won? He’s the one with the passion for travelling; he’s even journaled all his favourite destinations and he’s the one with the map. Furthermore, if Jin-hee is someone magically capable of taking a year off, then why not him? It also would’ve worked as a parallel to her mom; both women deciding to focus on themselves and their respective romantic relationships free from their messy, entangled daily life. I was actually convinced until the last ten minutes that Jae-won and Jin-hee would be travelling together, but alas, the writer completely passes on this great idea. What the hell.

Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. It definitely had its flaws along the way and the ending left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth, but it was still decent for most of the run. I still think the serial killer/stalker/criminal side-plot - like in most dramas - was too overemphasized and that time should’ve instead focused on Jaewon and Jin-hee’s relationship and the growing team dynamic, but it wasn’t too distracting.

I liked this drama. It explored the ins and outs of a unique mother/daughter bond. Mostly securing, but sometimes strangling. I just wish we could have seen more of Jin Hee and Jae Won as a couple. Maybe Season 2?

I consider this a gem of a drama. What I like is these characters are as realistic as it gets - flawed but true to themselves.

Eun-mi is the one getting the most criticism but come on, she raised the girl almost single-handedly to become an independent and responsible person - while at the same time establishing herself a health professional. This is some remarkable achievement by any standard, not to mention in Korea. She is clearly a bit wild and selfish but why can’t she? Clearly, those around her including her own daughter, bestie and colleagues adore her. I gather the daughter knows her flaws the best but Jin-Hee loves her mom with clear eyed. I think the writer has written a consistent character and Jeon Hye-Jin understands that character very well with an ace delivery. The current story happens in the space of a few months and seriously, you think a person in her forty can change that easily in such a short time. I like how real this character is written and portrayed.

Soo-young has really honed her acting skills in that her Jin-Hee is so natural. She obviously loves her mom to the bone despite at times got really annoyed. Here, the bond and love outweigh other things and believably so.

This is front and a centre a story about the mom and daughter with the two men in the background - interestingly both are passive for different reasons. I really like Park Soon-hung here, apparently not many lines but less is more to make him so desirable. I’m never a fan of Anh Jae-work but his Jin-hong is just right - a beta guy recognising his wrong and doing his best to make up. The arc of his not pursuing to be the dad is great and realistic - far superior than similar arc in many other dramas.

Then, I like how all the side characters enrich the whole story to immerse us into their small communities - the police team, the clinic crew, the halmoni trio, and also the bestie and her mom. The doctor’s character is well constructed as a man of his own principles.

It’s at the end of the day a story about what family means. While we have no choice to choose who in your natural family, you could shape and decide the type of family relationship - and we have the Eun-mi and the found family on one hand and also the Jin-Hong toxic family on the other hand that both brother and sister choose to disassociate. And you can have your extended family in your workplace where you spend more time there than with your own family. I appreciate how this drama in just 12 episodes thrashes these out quite well.

Viki at least in my region cut out the final credits. I didn’t get to see those travel photos AT ALL! What I can tell is they head off to different directions in the airport but I won’t be surprised that they meet up at some point. After all, the mom and daughter love each other deeply. They are not enemies and I totally expect them to meet up.

Not Others is a top drama to me this year.