Destined With You: Episodes 15-16 (Final)
by Unit
At last, our destined tale has come to an end, and it’s time to bid farewell to the characters we have accompanied on this journey. The show spends its final week giving us a much-needed dose of OTP sweetness after last week’s angst, and it doesn’t forget to tie up loose ends with their stalker and his other colleagues on the wrong side of the law.
EPISODES 15-16
What do you mean it has been eight weeks already? It was only yesterday that we started with a haunted shrine, Red Hand, and love spells. And now it’s over? *Wails* What am I supposed to do now that I can’t get my weekly Shin-yu fix? *Wails even louder* Okay, okay, back to the final week’s events.
After breaking the curse of noble idiocy, Hong-jo promises not to disappear from Shin-yu’s sight again. They seal this promise with a Spiderman kiss, and proceed to fight for their rights to sleep on the sofa — since they can’t possibly share a bed. You two, please! But they end up spending yet another chaste night together — and panicking when Shin-yu’s parents turn up at his house the next morning. Lol. As always, his dad has it out for Hong-jo (due to her lower social standing), but his mom is on her side, and she scolds Dad for being old-fashioned. Mom reminds him that she was also not in high society when he married her, and Dad retorts with a “That’s why we’re in this state.” Ouch!
“Let’s just get a divorce,” Mom says, but Dad scoffs at the idea as he firmly believes she can’t go through with it. But joke’s on him, because he’s soon served with the divorce papers. Reason for divorce: verbal abuse. And that’s when it finally dawns on Dad that his constant deprecating comments to mom were anything but harmless. Took him long enough. Mom worries if she’s being selfish with her decision, but Shin-yu is all for her living the life she wants — even if it means separating from Dad and returning to her career as an actress.
Since Shin-yu dumped Na-yeon, the mayor is eager to get rid of him, but he can’t be fired without due cause. Hence, Mr. Mayor does the next best thing: send Jae-kyung to persuade Shin-yu to resign from City Hall. Shin-yu remains unfazed, but he wonders why Jae-kyung is on the mayor’s side despite the unfairness of the situation. “I’m his advisor, not yours,” Jae-kyung replies.
Being loyal to the mayor explains why Jae-kyung transferred the ownership of the Mount Onju land that Shin-yu handed over to the city — during the haunted shrine fiasco — to Haum construction. Shin-yu calls him out on the illegal sale, but Jae-kyung maintains that it’s his job to legalize the sale. Since Jae-kyung is seemingly swimming in the Pool of Corruption now, Hyun-seo offers to buy him over — and then goes to brag to Shin-yu about getting a competent person on his side for the Mount Onju development project. Pfft.
Somehow, with Haum construction handling the development project, Shin-yu’s dad’s company is affected. Dad consoles himself by becoming a drunken mess, and in the process, he apologizes to Mom for his past actions. *Rolls eyes* Mom doesn’t accept the apology although she decides to postpone the divorce until the company overcomes the crisis. “Even if things get better at the company, if I don’t have you, what’s the point?” Dad wonders, and Mom wavers.
Still on the development project, Hong-jo attends her high school reunion, and confronts Na-yeon as the mastermind behind the project going to Haum. Hong-jo wants Na-yeon’s apology for slapping her the other day and also bullying her in school, but Na-yeon insists that she did nothing wrong. But as we come to learn, it was Na-yeon who made her high school boyfriend kiss Hong-jo forcefully, and she took a video of the kiss as ammunition to bully Hong-jo.
At present, there’s no evidence to prove that Hong-jo is right, and Na-yeon warns her to stop messing around, or she will deal with Shin-yu and his father’s company. *Insert wine splash on Hong-jo’s outfit* Jeez! I didn’t think I could dislike Na-yeon any further, but here we are.
Hong-jo heads to Shin-yu’s house to trade her wine soaked outfit for his oversized shirt, and we finally get what we’ve been waiting for for eight weeks — a proper kiss! The lights off, clothes off, kinda intense makeout session that satisfies the 300 years of longing from their past life to the present. *Fans self* Hong-jo’s thumb on the stabbing scar on Shin-yu’s stomach was a nice touch, and I may or may not have abused my replay button on the entire scene. But can you blame me? Even shaman Eun-wol could feel the magic of the night all the way from her nursing home — to the extent that she had a conception dream. Our OTP is having a daughter, y’all!
But lest we forget that we have a deranged stalker on the loose, we circle back to Garden Man — who has roped in a friendly grandpa into his scheme. He uses Grandpa’s relationship with Hong-jo to lower her guard, then he kidnaps her and bundles her up to a creepy ritualistic cave. But as it turns out, Grandpa already gave Hong-jo the heads up, and she was conscious the whole time. “Why did you come instead of reporting to the police?” Garden Man asks, on discovering that Hong-jo is conscious. “Because I had to catch you,” Hong-jo replies. Her logic and mine have been clashing since day one, so I’m not even surprised that she made herself bait.
But Hong-jo totally underestimated Garden Man’s level of delulu, because the information that the police are on their way doesn’t faze him. He plans to undergo a blood marriage with her, and end it with a murder-suicide so they can be together in the next life. But Garden Man has to wait for the full moon before carrying out his crazy ritual — giving the police enough time to catch him. Unfortunately, he already fed Hong-jo the poison by then. Welp! Shin-yu is left to rush an unconscious Hong-jo to the hospital — and boy, was I moved by Ro-woon’s utterly devastated acting. He nailed it!
Thankfully, Hong-jo has plot armor, so she survives another round of recklessness. Everyone is happy — except Shin-yu’s dad who complains that Hong-jo’s life is too eventful. No kidding! Anyway, sorry, not sorry to break it to your disapproving ass, sir, but you’re going to be a grandpa soon if Eun-wol’s conception dream is anything to go by. Hehehe.
Now that we’re done with Garden Man, we move on to his accomplice, Na-yeon. A video where she confessed her involvement in the Mount Onju development project, and to bullying Hong-jo, is leaked. Turns out that Na-yeon’s high school boyfriend took the video during the reunion, and released it as a way of apologizing to Hong-jo for what happened back then. But Hong-jo refuses to thank him for his late apology, and honestly, good for her.
To compound Na-yeon’s woes, Hyun-seo dumps her — but not before letting her know that he was only playing around with her because she was Shin-yu’s girlfriend — and she is arrested by the police for aiding and abetting Garden Man. Speaking of arrests, her dad and Hyun-seo are also nabbed by the prosecution.
With Shin-yu as his lawyer (lol), Jae-kyung testifies against the mayor and Hyun-seo in court. Apparently, he reported Hyun-seo’s bribe to the audit team, and sent them the money. As to why he changed his mind after siding with the mayor, Jae-kyung replies that he never changed his mind. He never wanted to join them to begin with, and he only accepted the money because it afforded him the opportunity to be a whistleblower. I knew Jae-kyung wasn’t stupid enough to join in the corruption, and I’m glad he didn’t prove me wrong.
One day, we will talk about how much of a disservice it is for the majority of second female leads to be written as hateful characters who only exist to be a stumbling block to the OTP’s happiness — to the extent that we rejoice in their downfall at the end, like with Na-yeon. And on the other hand, the second male lead — who is also part stumbling block in his own right — gets to flourish because his character is written with a little more grace and flexibility than his female counterpart. But that day is not today.
Today, we give Jae-kyung a thumbs up and applaud his cool departure from City Hall to go into politics. Yunno, since politicians have suddenly begun to fall over themselves to recruit him after his court appearance. Hong-jo thanks him for whistleblowing, but he replies that he didn’t do it for Shin-yu, he did it for himself. Typical of second male leads, Jae-kyung stays cool till the end. Although as he moves out of the house, he admits his regret about not accepting Hong-jo’s confession. Oh well, better luck next life. That’s if Hong-jo and Shin-yu don’t end up together again in the next life. Because as Hong-jo tells Jae-kyung, love is the collaboration of timing and destiny.
As for Hong-jo’s destiny in this life, Shin-yu gets a clean bill of health since the curse has been lifted. And with Jae-kyung out of the house, he buys the building and moves into the vacant flat. What a flex! But since Shin-yu is rich, why is Hong-jo so worried about the utilities? I promise you, sis, leaving the lights on during ~fun times~ won’t increase your electricity bill. Ahem.
Since our OTP have practically moved in together, they invite Shin-yu’s parents and shaman Eun-wol over for lunch. Here, we learn that Eun-wol’s conception dream was actually for Shin-yu’s mom. And I’m right there with Shin-yu’s priceless reaction at hearing that his mom is pregnant. Because, what!? I suppose his parents’ divorce is off the table now. And his dad had better make it up to Mom for the rest of his life.
Speaking of spending the rest of their lives together, Mr. Gong and Eun-young get married! But is it a K-drama wedding if there are no dramatic scenes preceding the event? Like when Mr. Gong’s blind date came to the Park Maintenance Team to slap him and drag Eun-young by the hair as payback for being dumped. And when he publicly embarrassed proposed to Eun-young at the dining hall, sending her running for the hills. Next thing you know, they’re walking down the aisle and reciting funny vows. Lol. At least one couple got married in the show.
But hey, Shin-yu managed to catch the bouquet, and you know what that means? It’s proposal time! Shin-yu pops the question at the beach after seeking permission from Hong-jo’s dad (so sweet!) and it’s a yes from Hong-jo. To wrap up the show, our OTP returns to Mount Onju to bury the wooden box (thank you for your service, box-nim) and with this, they proceed to walk the flowery path together forever.
That’s it, guys, we are done! Shout out to the show for keeping the momentum going till the end. I remember worrying about how the drama was going to handle the past life bits in week one, and I’m happy that it turned out better than I expected. Seriously, the past life story could actually stand on its own as a melo/tear-jerking sageuk, and I’d watch the hell out of it. If not for anything, for the gorgeous cinematography, the forbidden romance, and the compelling characters — especially Aeng-cho. She’s such fantastic heroine material. She knew how to push forward and hold back when necessary. And she combined her undaunted attitude with a sense of self-preservation — something that Hong-jo so badly lacked.
Hong-jo’s propensity to dive into problematic situations without a second thought frustrated me to no end. But she’s the heroine of this story, and I liked her (and sympathized with her plight as a bullying survivor and the office outcast), so she gets a pass. As for Shin-yu, I started out not liking him in week one, and then I went on to fall for him. It has to be a combination of The Ro-woon Effect and Shin-yu’s charms. Or maybe I was the one who drank the love potion.
In any case, our OTP gave us some great moments as they went from not being able to stand each other, to not being able to do without each other. They’re well deserving of their happily ever after, and you’ll get zero complaints about this ship from my end.
I do have a slight beef with how the show treated Wook. Just when I forget he exists, he shows up like the 29th of February, and disappears just as quickly. I guess I was expecting more from the character because of the actor playing the role. But to be honest, the screentime given to Hong-jo’s gossipy colleagues — who added no value to the plot and just existed to annoy me — would have been better utilized for the development of Wook’s character.
It’s sad because there was so much potential with Wook that the show failed to explore. It shouldn’t be in the final week that we’ll come to learn that Wook felt stuck in his career as a lawyer. Why should I care about his inner struggles when I haven’t been given enough chances to connect with his character? And it’s not like I didn’t want to. So he finally quit his job and became an actor? Good for him. It was kinda random, but hey, as long as he’s happy.
Overall, did the show have its flaws? Yes, there were a few hiccups here and there. But did I love it? Absolutely! Destined With You is one of my favorites watches (and my fav coverage) this year. But I’m not sad the drama is over (are you kidding me? No more Shin-yu!). Neither am I relieved that it’s done — as I usually am whenever I complete a torturous watch. I think I’m just content. I’m happy with the way things went, and I can send the drama off with a smile.
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Tags: Destined With You, Ha Joon, Jo Boa, Kim Ro-woon, Lee Pil-mo, Yura
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1 Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 5:01 PM
I was very disappointed with these final two episodes, as I know were many Beanies, but I don't really want to pile on. So many dramas these days crash and burn at Episode 14 that I don't wish to do a whole lot of complaining. I’d just like to keep it to one simple point:
This week, we saw flat, shadow-puppets of our beloved characters acting out desiccated story lines. Sure, Ha Joon simply glowed as Jae-kyung the whole time, and, sure, Hong-jo was the same as ever, always having been a flat shadow-puppet acting out her own inane story line...but they took away my wonderfully complicated, damaged people. I wholly resent this unforced error.
Thanks @unit for the ride—and the Fan Wall photos!
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2 lapislazulii
October 13, 2023 at 5:02 PM
I thought I might be in the minority but I'm with you there on being happy with the ending @unit! The last few minutes on the beach especially got me blinking back tears. One of the BEST proposal scenes I’ve seen yet & will definitely go down as a favourite of mine - I really loved how understated but sincerely heartfelt it was. And the ring wasn’t ugly!! Double win! (on the topic of PPL - that close up shot on the rings and the bracelet while they were hugging is really pretty too, feels like it came straight out of a Tiffany ad.)
Could final week have been better? Sure, there’s always a margin for improvement. But in a year of questionable endings, I thought this one was one where they did a pretty good job of landing it. Loose ends were tied up, happy endings were gotten without being rushed. There were things this week that were unnecessary for sure (basically the entire Gardener Psycho plot to name one) but the best bit about DWY, if not the core of what kept the wheels turning, has always been the Shin-yu and Hong-jo moments, and we got a lot of disgustingly adorable scenes with those two this week so my heart is feeling full and satisfied in that regard.
If I were to start really listing all the things that could’ve been done better overall, it’d go for a while. But the truth is that I think I made my peace with the fact that this show was going to be all over the place a while back and I think I subconsciously adjusted my expectations accordingly as I went, so I wasn’t really super annoyed or unsatisfied with any plot points and was just more enjoying what I was enjoying, as simple as that.
I think I found also towards the end that just focusing on what I was enjoying made me enjoy it more? Where in other dramas I’d be like “this was cool BUT here’s all the things I was frustrated by”, having put that critical part of my brain to rest while watching DWY, I really just liked basking more into the glow of the stuff I was liking. It helped that the stuff I was enjoying was done well. If they’d butchered the OTP scenes or made it unbearable in that department, maybe that would’ve pushed me to focus on what wasn’t done well. But when I finished the last episode, all that stuck with me really was all the cute stuff that made me smile, squee and laugh, and the star-crossed lovers moments that made me tear up and root for the OTP to have a happy ending. All the other bits - the bits that were the technical downsides’ - I just never apparently bothered to properly save in my memories so they didn’t even really register in the first place for me to make critical commentary about. I simply just brushed it off apparently considering how not-fussed I am about them/the fact that they’re not sitting at the forefront of my mind right now 🤷♀️
I did mention this in a fan-wall post but I’ll say it again here: I think Rowoon come really far as an actor and was getting better and better as the show went on. He really sold the emotional...
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lapislazulii
October 13, 2023 at 5:03 PM
intensity when it was required, and equally really believably portrayed ‘man now free, unburdened and hopelessly in love’. I started watching this show in part for Rowoon, so I’m glad to be walking out of it as an even bigger fan who’s very excited to see his future projects. And it’d be remiss to not mention Bo-ah - Hong-jo isn’t going down my ‘favourite FLs’ list any time soon but I thought that JBA really put in the legwork to make such a not-so-well written character into someone who was tolerable at worst and someone you could sympathise with and cheer for at best. Anyone else and I could see my feelings dipping more into the ‘dislike’ territory. So 👏 to the cast - in my eyes they did a lot of the heavy lifting to fill in the gaps of the plot.
And I say this for every second show I know, but especially for DWY - Beanie commentary, discussion and the GIFs really did make watching so, so fun! The two are inseparable in my mind at this point, all of my memories of episodes come with corresponding memories of various jokes, rants, images etc. courtesy of all you wonderful people. Thank you all so very much for making this live-watch so comical and entertaining 💕
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:09 PM
It’s always fun chatting with you too, @lapislazulii!!! I’m so glad that you could bring your trademark silver lining to all of this.
I focused my comments here on the last two episodes—and was honest!!—but I would probably recommend this drama to others who like to make up their own endings :)
Besides, there was Jae-kyung…my second favorite 2ML evar.
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lapislazulii
October 13, 2023 at 6:43 PM
Likewise Seon-ha!! ❤️ Totally get where you and other Beanies who weren't fully satisfied by the final week are coming from - surprised that I found myself on the other side of that, and whether that's because I'd just subconsciously decided to make do with whatever was being offered or what I'm not sure! But while I'm personally fine with how it ended, I definitely do think it could have been better.
Making up endings is defs a lot of fun and gives rise to excellent fanfiction pieces so hopefully the more creative & imaginative Beanies like yourself might be willing to indulge us into your own alternate endings and share your ideas here/on fanwalls :D
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drabea
October 29, 2023 at 1:00 AM
Unit, "they proceed to walk the flowery path together forever. That’s it, guys, we are done!" and lapislazulii, " I'm with you there on being happy with the ending @unit! "
<- I am disappointed in the ending recap and reading quite a few of the Beanie comments, because no one addressed the "epilogue" type scene during credits starting at E16, 01:04:07.
There , Rowoon as Jang Mu-Jin seems to have just left the dug up, open box full of talismans in the ground and was walking away carrying the blue Spells Of The Heavens book.
What was that about? How did it relate to the rest of the drama? I was hoping the Dramabeans staff had some good explanations that Unit gave us, but it seems she, and many Beanies, didn't even see that.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
October 29, 2023 at 1:14 AM
The weecaps always leave parts of the storyline out so that it gives a flavour but still allows the element of surprise if someone wants to use this info to help them decide whether to watch the show. Beanies, on the other hand usually fill in the gaps in the comments so I am surprised that no one else mentioned it here or on their fan walls.
Hopefully, someone who did watch the show and is interested enough will respond, but my impression was most were disappointed with the ending and have moved on to other dramas now.
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lapislazulii
October 29, 2023 at 2:55 AM
I was very thrown off about that too to the point where I actually don't know what on earth that was for so I didn't really raise it here. I saw a couple of theories on reddit about it being a set up for a second season or like some parallel world thing, and then some others say it was just showing us that Mujin had in fact hid the spell-book initially and wasn't going to hand it over to the baddies - i.e. that scene was him coming back for the real spell book after everything. I honestly think it felt so left-field and bizarre, opens more doors than it does close, so literally don't know what to make of it enough to comment on those theories or come up with my own.
I think overall there were a lot of questions still left about the 'magic' part of the story - including the story of how the spell book was where it was, and also the question marks surrounding the second 'black magic spell book' - but I was willing/basically did sweep it under the carpet because the show seemed to for the most part, but then that ending scene sort of undid that partially and very confusingly????
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Kurama
October 29, 2023 at 3:38 AM
I don't think they have enough plot to make a second season.
So I interpreted that they were showing that Shin-Yu hide the real book. He was still wounded on his face, the same wound he had when he wrote the letter to his descendants and was wearing the same hanbok in the scene in walking in the snow.
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3 Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
October 13, 2023 at 5:33 PM
Sigh. So much of this was fun, and then it started to veer all over the place and never really got back on course. I wish you had come to your senses,
Jang Shin-yuDestined With You.My take is as choppy and scattered as episode 16.
@seeker made a good point elsewhere that it’s really a 14-episode drama, though I’d add an epilogue taken from minutes 52 to ~55 of the otherwise non-existent episode 15. Episode 16 was pretty flat and disjointed, but no worse than I expected at this point. There were a lot of perfunctory wrap-up scenes and the courtroom may have been the most phoned-in, useless one. No, wait, Gong and Ma making up in the cafeteria was the most useless. No, hmm, HJ’s girly-squealy bonding with the obnoxious coworkers was even more useless.
Those of us who had "spending yet another night doing nothing but giggling at each other in pajamas" and "wearing his dress shirt (and nothing else)" on our bingo cards win a prize, right? (My prize starts with the initials JK.) The return of the cheesy love lines was great but too brief - I would have cheered for more, especially at the expense of everyone in the office except Gi-dong. Our koala boy didn’t get nearly enough screen time in these episodes.
They must have showed that bracelet PPL a record number of times - I was distracted from SY crying and clutching HJ’s hand by the shiny flash of it in nearly every frame, which I suppose is what the show wanted but Rowoon was doing a fine bit of emoting there and it was a shame not to focus on that.
His ring is gorgeous. Hers is so big and gaudy it looks like a prize out of a cereal box, and I can’t help but think how often she’s going to snag it on her tights or a towel or whatever.
Did SY wash his hands between handling the octopus and handling HJ? Also, that food looks disgusting, as well as incredibly awkward to eat.
Jo Bo-ah’s baby talking was maddening.
Rowoon was *good enough* for this show. He went blank occasionally, and he doesn’t have enough of the subtle something extra that better actors can bring (I’m still thinking about what Lee Jae-wook could have made of this role), but he’s done well at showing goofy, swoony, sulky, and snarky, and is at least believeable in angsty moments like stabby-crying in hanbok in the snow. I think he’s even improved since the early episodes, and he was excellent in the hospital scenes – the frenzy, the anguish, the perfect hand positioning to display PPL jewelry – and his hair looked great! On the other hand, imagining our Uncanny Val in drag during moments that drag has been life-giving, especially in these messy last few episodes.
Beanies were the stars of this show.
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DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 6:10 PM
@elinor:
I love how much fun we had that day when we wished for, imagined and laughed at the possibility of Rowoon acting as gorgeous drag queen, and when you inimitably coined his drag name as “Uncanny val”!
I’m glad you mentioned the baby voiced HJ. I know that a minority of women have naturally such voices so Beanies, if any of you fall into this group, please know that my following comment is not directed at you: I find it unbearable when women change their voices to adopt such a cadence and that includes in film and other media. I find it embarrassing and it just appalls me. Is it me or does it seem to happen so much more in KDs than in non-KDs? I know a tiny bit about aegyo and I understand the tentacles of sexism which pervades the KD industry but still! Why are there so many female actors who adopt such voices? Are they directed/required to do that or is it their choice? Adopting such a cadence detracts from my enjoyment of a character and makes me so irritated.
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:14 PM
Ah, Uncanny Val. We hardly knew ye.
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indyfan
October 13, 2023 at 8:19 PM
Oh, be glad you don't watch c-dramas where this is far more common. They sometimes dub women with perfectly fine voices in these baby tones. Obvs we know why.
I say this even though my voice is slightly childish. Of course, in my head I sound like Lauren Bacall until I hear a recording of myself...
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DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 8:38 PM
@Indyfan: Yikes! And, natural voices are all ok as we can’t help what our genome lands us with!
ps - Btw, I am now and forever going to believe that you have a sultry voice like LB!
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Enigmah
October 13, 2023 at 9:33 PM
The baby voice is JBA natural voice, she does same voice in variety shows when she is happy or talking with friends..I know some are mad or annoyed with baby voice, but JBA brought her real voice into character since the characteristics of HongJo is similar to JBA(many in Korea know her image of lively and bubbly from alley restaurant she did and other variety appearances are viral too)…there are people with aegyo specially with environment JBA was brought up…so all don’t be so hard on HongJo or JBA..
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DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 9:50 PM
But she didn’t sound babyish in “MP Doberman”. She has a soft voice but there is a distinct difference between her voice in “MP DB” and in most of her scenes in “DWY”. And, if indeed she had a naturally-occurring baby voice, I would have exempted her from my comment as I qualified it at the outset.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 4:57 PM
Not to be obnoxious, but do you know Rosa from "Brooklyn 99"? Allegedly, her normal speaking voice is an octave higher than in that show ... and her personality is exactly bubbly ... much like Mirabel in Encanto. That's "Rosa Diaz", Stephanie Beatriz, singing and smiling through that Disney Musical!
Enigmah
October 15, 2023 at 11:17 AM
She modifies as per role..but having watched her variety shows, she has lot aegyeo and she has similar voice in surplus princess and All about my mom as Jang Cheri character
Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:13 PM
In every real sense, the summary of these last two episodes is, “that food looks disgusting, as well as incredibly awkward to eat.”
PS: Wait what whoa. Luckily for you, I think that Jae-kyung contains multitudes and we can share.
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indyfan
October 13, 2023 at 7:17 PM
This is so funny. I was just speeding thru Extraordinary You. And while I was blinded by Rowoon’s face (or was it the constant, ridiculous spotlight on him?), I couldn’t help but think how amazing was Lee Jae-wook. He took an awful 2ML role and owned it!
Nonetheless, I think Rowoon did just fine in this role. And a couple of times, he was great. I hope he keeps getting better. And Lee Jae-wook, I’m so glad you’re getting your chance in the sun.
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DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 7:40 PM
I like EJW’s acting a lot but his yelling and obnoxious character got on my nerves big time in EY. Rowoon did a great job playing Haru with sweetness, hesitation, wonder at his character’s existence as a nameless background character and for recognising he acquired whatever agency he had because of Eun Danoh.
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indyfan
October 13, 2023 at 8:12 PM
You're right. And I was with you midway (or someway). But then Rowoon kinda got stuck on that note, and LJW broke out of his awful character and added complex, empathetic shades to his role. I thought that a feat.
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DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 8:43 PM
I hear ya. Haru got jerkified for a few eps but am glad he escaped that persona. Despite his yelling, EJW was an acting powerhouse. I gotta admit that but I will also always love most of Haru’s journey.
4 Enigmah
October 13, 2023 at 5:39 PM
I loved reading your recaps, it’s always like a dessert to complete my week’s analysis of this drama lol…
I love JBA as HongJo, was able to sympathize and connect with the character….I was excited when she went to record Nayeon, but I was disappointed when she told to Nayeon she couldn’t spread it…I am like what girl!
For me Aengcho is perfect character, knows how to protect herself..she is fierce even with king and that will be my fav scene of JBA ever from now on…
agree that Female characters are written weaker compared to male characters in last eps..what is with 2 40+ woman fighting over for a guy in office..If Nayeon is not in previous life, why wasn’t her story closed sooner and make ML look like 2 legs…
In spite of all these flaws and second couple that I skipped, DWY is drama that captivated me enough to laugh, giggle and cry due to the leads, as emotions and angst was very visible..This drama would have been amazing if not for plot holes and better editing ..
Cho Bo ah and Rowoon, and their chemistry is most memorable for me…I just couldn’t get out of their BTS and Netflix videos now lol…
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:17 PM
Wouldn’t it have been fantastic if Aeng-cho appeared at all ever in these last two episodes? I gathered that we were supposed to see echoes of AC in Hong-Jo’s stupid stand-off with Na-yeon in the wine bar—complete with OTT makjang wine-toss—but um, no. I’m not that gullible and desperate, writernim.
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Enigmah
October 13, 2023 at 9:21 PM
Yes that’s why I was sad that prev life was short because it is so beautiful..Aengcho was powerful character that was not explored further and also Mujin after life could have shown better like how he casted spell in box
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Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
October 13, 2023 at 7:11 PM
Comment was deleted
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5 Kathryn51
October 13, 2023 at 5:45 PM
Thanks once again @unit for the terrific recap because it explained much of what I FF through (including the romance, but that's me). I was in a rush when Ep. 16 aired so I'll probably go back and watch Mr. Go and Boss Lady wedding.
I came for Ha Joon, stayed for Ha Joon and the magic spells, and after Episode 9, continued to stay for Ha Joon. Which is more than I can say for My Lovely Liar (dropped in spite of Seo Ji Hoon), 19th Life and Heavenly Idol (dropped in spite of Kim Min Gue).
I have previously enjoyed many so-called fantasy dramas, but 2023 era fantasy seems to have lost its enchantment (yeah, I said it) for me because of super focus on the OTP/cinematography/CGI and less focus on the actual plot and development of side characters and side stories. Plus, Hong Jo has mush for brains. Lust will do that, I hear. 😂😂😂
Absolute best twist was Shaman Eun Wol apparently "once again" (according to SY) being wrong when it came to her prognostications. I loved SY's expression when he learned he was about to have a baby sister which is totally improbable but heck - this is fantasy after all.
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:21 PM
I thought he was worried about all the babysitting on deck…or maybe even how he knew how unhappy his mom was and how she was now stuck not only in a marriage filled with verbal abuse, but also with a newborn child. Just throwing that out there.
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Kathryn51
October 13, 2023 at 7:29 PM
Lol, but I thought he was freaked out at the idea of his parents having sex. I mean, most kids (by the time they are in their teens and older) just Do Not Want To Think About That With Regard to Their Parents.
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6 Kafiyah Bello
October 13, 2023 at 6:05 PM
Sigh, at least we got a hot makeout session out of this remarkably dry couple. I got my bean, kkut, the end, meh.
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7 Semma Vetti
October 13, 2023 at 6:15 PM
Thanks for the recaps throughout @unit!
I liked the show over all, but the the ending week left me wanting.
One thing I do not like about kdramas is how gooey the MLs become after they get into a relationship. It was worse in the case of SY - the snarky SY, who flirted with Red Hand and shot cheesy lines like a canon, where was he come the end?
And I feel sore about the whole NY arc. That was unnecessary. Sigh.
And we still don't know why SY took a picture of HJ in the haunted house and how SY reached from the Garden Creep's shop to the hospital.
Oh well, there were some good parts, which I will re-watch.
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 6:21 PM
SO MANY LOOSE ENDS, @semmavetti. We’ll just have to imagine how they fit together on our own? Why can’t we have nice things???
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Semma Vetti
October 13, 2023 at 7:53 PM
I swear. My latest theory: I think they wrote a 20 ep drama but got into budget constraints. So they cut it to 16 eps and squeezed in a shtload of ppls.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 5:01 PM
Yes, but then why the cat fight at the office? That was so obviously do-withoutable.
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Semma Vetti
October 14, 2023 at 5:18 PM
THAT was the WORST!
sakuradaydream
October 15, 2023 at 6:36 PM
you know this makes a lot of sense
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Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
October 13, 2023 at 7:07 PM
Ngl, in terms of plot and vibes, episodes 1-maybe 11 and 12-16 feel like differently dramas to me. I didn’t even remember about SY taking a photo of HJ and I think the writers didn’t either.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 13, 2023 at 7:40 PM
Yes! Why did he take that picture?
And not to compare, but if Hong-jo hadn't, as I expected, attracted teenage Na-yeon's dream guy (without trying and/or without knowing NY had called dibs on the guy) why would NY go through so much trouble to be mean to her? and even make her own boyfriend kiss HJ? Just because?
I know they say the curse was lifted, but I would have liked a closure that explained why the hands were there and why they dissapeared (Did they caress every generation like that (ew) or just Mi-juns reincarnations?)
How could the hand be there while Hong-jo was alive and had hands?
Why was the IncelGardenGuy™ s wife's corpse different with the hands, was it an Aeng-cho thing?
Why did HJ find it necessary to protect Shin-yu by going away but did not find it necessary to keep bodyguards near her?
WHy did they think it was safe to bury the books in the forest?
And why did she not perform the Spell of FOrtune when she was obviously going to marry a dog and hopefully spend more than ten years together?
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Semma Vetti
October 13, 2023 at 8:01 PM
Right? Bullying, stalking, social inequality, tragic past life, office politics, corruption, business rivalry, SO many conflicts... this was enough stuff for two dramas. And instead of starting to resolve them earlier, we get, for example the cringey phone conversation scene, multiple chaste sleeping scenes and, endless goobne and subway scenes, ppls for banks and cash apps, tiffanys... aigoo
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 2:04 AM
The PPL pays for the show, I guess, to some extend, but MaHong would have been obviously better with less plot.
And I could even see the point in going for garden man, but it was so plain stupid the way she did it, you more or less lost interest ... that whole way she just didn't bring her common sense with her, also when she left her cover address was disenchanting. It was so easy to be protected and together, and it didn't have to be for life time, only untill he was caught. But since he had help in not being caught, they could have spend some time finding that out.
And I would have liked NY to at least have a motive. Now, bullies can be pretty mean for no good reason, but making her boyfriend kiss HJ because of no previous provocation? Better, we would have got some kind of real understanding of the bad girl. Like, seeing her scolded for the wrong reasons by her dad (not being clever enough at hiding things or failing to make construction guy marry her - maybe even that the marriagae was supposed to cover for corruption) and *that* being exposed.
He could also mock her for previously not having got him the business connections he wanted, already in High School or when that was.
And I would have liked to know more about how and why that women ended up under a tree in the park, IncelGardenGuy™ or not.
But first and foremost I would have liked the FL+ML to keep more craziness in their relationship.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 2:06 AM
Not for lifetime - by that I mean, it's was not a rule about how, for the rest of her life, she should go nowhere alone, because woman, but just as long as a man who had tried to kill her, and then tried to kill her love, was walking about.
Kurama
October 14, 2023 at 8:40 AM
He took a picture of of person who was on his land when it was private land. It was just a proof for him.
It's NY who found him on the parking lot and got him to the hospital.
It looks like the curse doll made them both sick.
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8 SooHa
October 13, 2023 at 6:24 PM
I’m sad because I can’t see Shin yu again but glad it’s over now
The story is out of places and choppy but the love line is really save the show. I just don’t get it why they put so much problem in 1 plate, to much issue that must be solved and it solved in rush hour of last 2 eps.
My fav chars is Shin Yu (absolutely) even though I’m a bit dissapointed about him in earlier eps but then he just stole my heart, thank goodness he got his cute mother DNA running in his body.
I think Innever watch any drama with a lot of sweetness douse like Destined With You. I don’t how many time I rewatched how cheesy Shin Yu saying pick up lines with a straight face.
I’m not really a fan of Rowon, my first drama of him is Extraordinary you, which I’m in SLS, so I’m not into him in that drama.
I skip She would never know, Tomorrow and even King’s Affection because of him but this drama really change me, it makes me watch Rowoon other drama and really it can’t be compared with his role as ShinYu.
I really feel he’s grown up and his acting sky rocketing with this role. When I see him in his older drama, I often feels, he can do more like he did in Destined With You and all disappointed is redeem in this drama. Rowoon as Shin Yu will forever my fav, he just nailed it.
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9 Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
October 13, 2023 at 7:04 PM
I… really enjoyed myself? These episodes were really good? I wasn’t sure if I was watching the correct drama at some point lol. But yes, all the fluffiness, the cute moments, the, er, spicy moments… they gave us everything in return for all they put us through. I loved how, at the 11th hour, Hongjo grew a backbone stood up to Nayeon and refused to back down. She was instrumental in getting the stalker arrested, so I forgive the usual Hongjo moment of disregarding personal safety. Sinyu continued to make me Ro-swoon all over him; the pre-parental scramble was hilarious and him asking her dad’s permission genuinely moved me. Even Jaekyung redeemed himself and helped put sexual predator CEO & corrupt mayor behind bars (I think). We won, lads.
Did I have an issue with a lot of things? Yes, ofc. Why is his mom still married to that jerk? The writers essentially handcuffed her to this jerk with pregnancy. And as much as I liked knowing that our OTP is getting married, weren’t they against it like 2 seconds ago? Anyways, I’d rather see them getting married than Gong and Ma, who were always depicted as super toxic. WHY IN GOD’S NAME IS HONGJO FRIENDS WITH THE COWORKERS WHO BULLIED HER? Did she forget when they leaked that video or ostracized her? Why were were the City Hall girlies fighting in the office when I can’t even get a text back??
I could go on…. But I’d rather just think about the Spider-Man kiss… or the candy floss kiss… or… 🥹🥹
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10 indyfan
October 13, 2023 at 7:05 PM
I will take a cue from our recapper, who was generous on the final episodes…and…and…alas, I cannot. But I can praise the highlights of the show overall. The kinky possibilities of the red hand. Shin-yu getting a grip! The Joseon flashback with its glorious, tragic end. And of course, my crash course in Roswooning. That last pulled me through to the very end.
But no, what pulled me through were Beanies! What fun this was gabbing on the recaps, enjoying the gifs and memes, the intense fan wall posts, and the final live(ish) fan wall watch. It was a blast! Till the next one!
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 7:14 PM
Ah, yes, Shin-yu getting a grip on staying in character. Let’s instead have a sageuk spin-off with the red hand, shall we? What will it be called? The Red Hand Cuff? Oh wait, I don’t…oh WAIT!!?!? Yes.
Until the next one! I wonder what it’ll be. I don’t think it’s airing yet. I wonder how awesome it will be until it’s totally not awesome??? I mean this one wasn’t HeartBeat devastating at least…and lots more people actually liked this last week!! Maybe next time, it’ll stick the landing. Nah, it won’t. But BEANIES!
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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
October 13, 2023 at 7:36 PM
🤣🤣🤣 OMG, yes! But this is kdrama so it would never be as gloves-off kinky as it needs to be. Maybe a movie special?
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Semma Vetti
October 13, 2023 at 7:48 PM
NGL, beanie buddies were the best part of DWY! My first bean, and thanks all for the super fun ride!
The drama itself was good, but then I think it had the potential to be awesome. Onward!
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Seon-ha
October 13, 2023 at 7:53 PM
FIRST BEAN?? @reply1988 do we need an award or recognition for a first, acknowledged bean?? I think we do. I don’t even know what that would be for me? Would we count as a lurker? Is it Beanie’s choice?? So many questions.
Anyway!!! Until we have a new honor (or if we even need another one), I hereby bestow upon Semma Vetti a 🫘 Beansprout for your first Bean 🌱 and for joining our community so enthusiastically and with such humor and grace!!
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Semma Vetti
October 13, 2023 at 8:02 PM
Aww🥰🙏
DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 8:29 PM
Whoop whoop!
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
October 13, 2023 at 10:56 PM
I agree a first bean deserves a separate 🫘Beansprout🌱 of recognition. I am not good with the names but plenty of beanies are so should we do a call out for an epic name for an epic achievement?
Congrats @semmavetti here’s to your achievement:
🫘🎉1st Bean award👏🌱
This is my contribution it keeps it short, specific and on brand through the emojis.
DancingEmma
October 13, 2023 at 10:40 PM
Oh @Seon-ha, you had to go and mention “Heartbeat”. Our sweet, funny, tank of a vampire. Gone. Still sob sob.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 13, 2023 at 11:03 PM
**Still sobbing behind the sofa, which is likely to float anytime now in my sea of tears**
😭 😭
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11 ♡Peach_Mochi♡
October 13, 2023 at 8:26 PM
The ending was ... fine? And so was the show. It's just too bad that the most interesting parts -- Red Hand, Ice Hand (we never really dug into this, did we?), the spell book, how the curse worked, Aeng-cho -- were largely abandoned down the stretch in favor of a cycle of dangerous (dumb) decisions, rescues and unearned redemption stories. A compelling, tightly plotted, character-driven show with gorgeous cinematography and visuals could have been created out of this premise with this cast and budget. Oh well. DWY was entertaining enough, and the Beanie commentary even more so. What's next?
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lapislazulii
October 13, 2023 at 10:07 PM
Onwards to the Fantasy Dog show?? I'm curious as well to see where all the DWY watchers will head over to next!!
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hacja
October 13, 2023 at 10:49 PM
Just speaking for myself, the CGI generated dog spell show a-curse too soon after this one, so I won't be joining what I'm sure will be doggone wonderful thread.
But I think there are at least two more curse based fantasy romances scheduled for this fall, so I will probably won't escape my destiny to watch one of those. A curse upon you, kdrama scheduler!
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lapislazulii
October 13, 2023 at 10:56 PM
HAHAH "a curse too soon" 😂 - your comment in the Open Thread discussion really got me thinking hacja, I knew there were a lot of fantasy dramas this year but I didn't realise just how many or how similar a lot of them were!
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Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 3:26 AM
Most likely, but that show has one episode a week too little to properly fill in the empty spot left by DWY so I'm kinda skeptical for now.
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12 bbstl 🧹
October 13, 2023 at 9:45 PM
@unit, thank you for the hilarious and gracious recaps, I laughed so hard many times, like about your and Hong-Jo’s logic clashing from Day 1.
It’s a Tale of Two dramas for me: the good one one has Rowoon being so darn funny, Jo Boa making the best of a weak character, a SML who was appealing and a beautiful, emotional sageuk.
The second drama for me was utter waste: coworkers, so boring SFL, creepy Garden Man, the parents, the obtuse FL actions, wasted spellbinding potential and sooooo much PPL.
Bean, completed. 👍🏼
DWY, adios forever. 👋🏽
Beanies, thanks for the blast ❤️
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13 hacja
October 13, 2023 at 10:38 PM
First, I want to say: @unit -- I would have enjoyed this show, just from your recaps! Thank you!
As for the show, I've been on the record with some bold, striking interpretations, clearly intended by the writers, in terms of its metaphors depicting the heartbreak of sexual dysfunction and the legacy of Joseon sexism.
So, in realization of the first theme, we finally got a physically intimate scene (discreetly filmed, which I also appreciated) and the characters woke up and clearly didn't have clothes on. I'd say the bloody hand, aka the "only sleep together in sweaters curse" had been lifted!
But what about Hong Jo's battle against the legacy of the truly horrible Joseon patriarchy as represented by her reincarnation of Aengcho? Alas, here I think the writers lost the thread. What was Hong-jo doing semi-apologizing to the Dad, CLEARLY the representative of the Joseon male attitude? And what was Shin-yu doing ECHOING the serial killer villain's Joseon era line about male possession and jealousy, so much so Shin-yu bought the building WITHOUT consulting his future wife?!? Let me just point out, the failure of the show to fully realize "legacy of evil Joseon patriarchy" theme was the writer's fault, not this interpreter!
The problem was that these last two episodes were haunted by the ancient curse of the show's beginning. By portraying the two office colleagues with a mentality of 12 year olds and not having them change, by setting up a misconceived relationship between a smart and dynamic office manager and a kind-hearted but generally oafish second in command, and then for no reason having them get married; by having the second male lead coldly deny the FL's early confession and then, again for no reason whatsoever, switching him to being smitten until the end; by showing Shin-yu's mother trying to escape a horrible, abusive marriage via divorce but then totally mysteriously, have his Dad "suddenly" realize he hadn't been nice to her, further entrapping her with a miracle pregnancy that defied biology at age 49, this show taught us the important lesson: even the power of Rowoon cannot escape the destiny of a weakly written script spell book!
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 7:50 AM
So well summed up!
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:53 PM
I want to see a K-drama written by you! ❤
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Seon-ha
October 14, 2023 at 2:47 PM
Each sentence of that last paragraph deserves to be the topic sentence of its own paragraph. I don’t even know where to start in responding. Gah. Why don’t you write on your Fan Wall, @hacja, why 왜 why 왜 why? We’d have the whole comments section to discuss these thoughts!
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14 ryunami
October 13, 2023 at 10:44 PM
Phew! Finally this one is over.. This show started really strong, and I loved it, but ends up with me barely watching ep 15-16, still need to see it through anyway. at least I know what happen to Jae-kyeong 😥 Now I need a long break from Rowoon and Jo boah but will carry on with Ha joon! 😂
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15 9TailedFox
October 13, 2023 at 11:19 PM
I agree with @Unit about just about everything. Like @Unit - I loved DESTINED WITH YOU, flaws and all.
Hong Jo was likeable despite some TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) moments and I suspect that the the writer went slightly too far in trying to make Aeng Cho and Hong Jo different individuals and ended up with Hong Jo missing the spine of steel that Aeng Cho had. It is a credit to Jo Bo-A that she played both characters well. It would have been better, IMHO, if some of the steeliness of Aeng Cho passed through the lives to Hong Jo. After all, if one believes in past lives, one would think that certain traits come with our migrating soul.
My one other niggle is that while I thought the past life episode was really compelling, it should have been brought forward by maybe a couple of episodes so that the pacing would be more even - the 2-episode finale wouldn't seemed so rushed and all the storylines would have room to play out without cramming everything in.
Otherwise, I'd rate DWY a solid 8 which could've been a 9 or even 9.5.
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bbstl 🧹
October 15, 2023 at 8:42 AM
Yes, and it was so frustrating to see glimpses of a strong, sarcastic, smart Hong Jo and then she’d go back to being limp and illogical. I think you’re exactly right about the writer.
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9TailedFox
October 16, 2023 at 7:47 PM
@bbstl - Yup.
On another note, I think Rowoon has done well portraying a man who loves his soulmate enough to do the hardest thing (but the right one in the long run). *That* was worth tuning in to watch despite all the other flaws of the series.
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16 sonai
October 13, 2023 at 11:31 PM
@unit thank you for the recaps! 👏👏👏
These last episodes surely felt like a bumpy ride, and all of what didn’t sit well with me was mentioned already. The writing of female characters was my biggest peeve, and I’m disappointed the last episode quasi gaslit some of the previous events, just to end on a high note. Hongjo befriending her horrible colleagues? Mom making up with dad, after years of of being ridiculed? Naw…
Shinyu’s silly cuteness (and eyebrows) could distract me there though (shout out to all beanies catching these formidable moments with gifs! 🤟); Jaekyung improving by each episode (I have had my suspicions about him long enough, lol, in the end I really liked him), the beautifully heartbreaking Joseon scenes, Aengcho being badass… I have to say that overall, I loved the drama! I had such a blast watching this show with all of you 😆 Oh, what am I now going to do with my Wednesday and Thursday evenings… Maybe I can dig up some old spell book and just see what happens.
🍿🦒🍿
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17 Nefret
October 14, 2023 at 12:20 AM
The drama and I had been out of sync for quite a while, which is why I only half-heartedly followed the last episodes. It's a pity, I could have watched much longer Shin-yu thinking his feelings were affected by the potion and fighting against it while making incredibly cheesy declarations of love. That was exactly my kind of humour.
I'm not a fan of adult couples written as if they seem to have no libido. I also don't melt when I see a newly in love couple fully clothed and holding hands in bed. This was another reason why I became less and less emotionally involved towards the end. All the more surprising then came the closet scene, out of nowhere. I admit, suddenly the drama had my full attention again.
It was good that Hong-jo finally stood up to Na-yeon. In a way, it's telling that she's doing it now because she wants to protect Shin-yu, not only herself.
I'm disappointed, but not surprised, that Shin-yu's mother didn't go through with the divorce. As if the father would actually change that quickly. I bet he will fall back into his old pattern after a short while.
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18 Kurama
October 14, 2023 at 1:16 AM
Honestly, I wasn't so angry against Hong-Jo for the gardener situation. She wanted to stop this situation and she had the opportunity but not a lot of time to arrange it. She told to the Police and had the watch. She would have let the bodyguards following her. But like Aeng-Cho, she confronted her stalker. During these episodes, she didn't back off, it was the same with Na-Yeon. I liked she said she didn't win but she was feeling relieved and I was happy she did it alone without Shin-Yu's help.
It's funny that the Gardener actually saved our couple from the curse, in the past he made them separated by death, in the present he let them to be reunited. It was definitely a merciless curse with someone who had to die. The past couple had a tragic story since the beginning, they were not from the same statut after all. But in the present, their love saved them. They were both so lonely, Hong-Jo because of the situation of her family and guilt, Shin-Yu because of his mysterious sickness. The spell book made them spending a lot of time together. Is the love spell worked or not? I think the Shaman said it, if you believe in it, it works. Between the fact Shin-Yu was already interested in Hong-Jo and the fact he believed in it, he just fell harder and sooner. During the scene of episode 2,
he was a total jerk, but he alreadly felt bad for it and before knowing for the spell did nice things to her : ate with her, gave her the dress, knew how many tasks she had etc.
The love spell made the typical cold ML in a very honest and cringey one. Rowoon really mastered this part of his role. In the meantime, Hong-Jo couln't resist to have someone in her life who took care of her, listenned to her, was interested in her life. I liked they went on her Dad's beach to get engaged, he's not a strange man in her life now.
If not a lot happened in the last 2 episodes, I was really happy to see our couple sharing nice, lovely and sexy moments together. It's always frustrating when the couple gets back together in the last 5 minutes of the drama. But I realy liked that in the last episode, it was Hong-Jo who took the lead. The bed scene was so cute! For once, I really think Shin-Yu was just tired to arrange/clean his new appartment (not that he didn't have thoughts for the future) and called her.
For the rest of the drama, I didn't really care about the other colleagues. They were obnoxious too many times with Hong-Jo (except Ma). Park Gi-Dong was the best one! It would have been nice if he followed Shin-Yu in the law firm, he liked him so much.
I always knew that Jae-Gyeong wasn't a villain. He was too different from his father and showed how he didn't have any once of respect for him. I liked that he wasn't connected to his past life. I never had a SLS for him, but I really liked him as a character. He had his chance and missed it, it was his own mistake.
I had hopes for Na-Yeon when she explained the past to Shin-Yu, she did bad...
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Kurama
October 14, 2023 at 1:17 AM
I had hopes for Na-Yeon when she explained the past to Shin-Yu, she did bad things because of the divorce of her parents. It was plausible. But sadly, they just wrote her as a very bad character...
For resumé, I only cared and liked the couple. The past was beautifully trafical and the present was chaotic but very romantic. They are my favorite couple of 2023!
Jo Boa and Rowoon did well. They had a lot of chemistry and nailed the sad and funny scenes.
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19 ScreenName
October 14, 2023 at 2:10 AM
@unit has a way of spinning recaps in the best possible light and with DWY that wasn’t an easy task. Thank you, @unit for helping me acknowledge the good parts of DWY.
If DWY had a truly redeeming quality it was that the actors rose above the terribly inadequate writing. There was no point in so many useless storylines. The co-workers from hell suddenly turning into HJ’s best friends, the Gong & Ma show that simply filled time (not to mention that terrible scene of his ex showing up at their work). The storylines that bothered me most was making Shin-yu’s mom pregnant. Dad is an abuser no matter how you spin the writing and even to the end was still denigrating HJ. Becoming pregnant is not a magic bullet that changes an abuser and shame on the writer for including that as a way to wrap up that couple’s storyline. Second, making JK a trult evil bad guy back in the Joseon era served absolutely no purpose. Zero. There was no character evolution in this series to explain why he changed and for that matter why HJ went from a strong, purposeful woman to a completely timid person who simply accepted being slapped multiple times. And like so many stories from 2023, the rushed endings with completely unrealistic resolutions was lazy writing pure and simple.
As I said, the actors rose above the material and I see Rowoon improving with each successive role so much so that I’ll give his roles a chance beyond his visuals in the future. Natural or not, Jo Bo-ah and her baby talk grated me no end, but the woman has such a sweet, open face and those beautiful, huge eyes. I’ll be checking her out as well.
Thanks for accepting me back, beanies. As I learn to navigate the site, I hope to interact with you more consistently. Again, great job, @unit!
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20 DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 2:39 AM
Burying that spell book in the woods did not seem safe to me. Quite apart from the spells we would have liked to see performed, Spell of Fortune most of all. With GoodBoy Shin-hu. Woof! But even without that, leaving the spell book where people like IncelGardenGuy™ could find it ... not good.
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Kurama
October 14, 2023 at 3:07 AM
Nobody can open the box except Aeng-Cho and her reincarnations.
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Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 3:38 AM
Wait, was that a very subtle sequel bait? As in "OTP's granddaughter accidentally digs it out and opens, accidentally again uses a wrong (ofc!) spell on some did-not-ask-for-any-of-this hot guy she's at great odds with and here we go again" fashion? Oh my...
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 4:01 AM
That spell has been used. Of course, being in the ground, the book might shoot new pages, like a potato.
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Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 4:07 AM
There is still a Seduction Spell, I believe.
DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 6:42 AM
Yes, they definitely should try that one out!
DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 6:45 AM
Yes, they definitely should try that one out!
Or ... imagine if they made a series of shorts, doing all the good spells and maybe a single one of the bad ones, if it's a bit funny. Either toward a *very* bad person, or also something which is more or less on a prank level. "Being a frog for one day".
Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 7:36 AM
Surely a wasted potential with all the remaining spells and frog references. Tho with ratings like that it will likely remain unexplored *sigh*
Kurama
October 14, 2023 at 4:51 AM
She doesn't need to be from the same family.
But yeah, she has some spells to use...
It would be nice if Hong-Jo put the ones she used back. Shin-Yu memorized them and she remembers when she wrote them.
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Seon-ha
October 14, 2023 at 6:59 AM
oh god no
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Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 7:33 AM
Even if JK's lookalike grandson is going to be that unlucky ML? *winks*
🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:57 PM
The article by Soompi describes “a banned book that was sealed 300 years ago”.
Obviously Mu-jin took it (last scene) and kept it safe for Hong-jo to find.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1618775wpp/rowoon-jo-bo-ah-yura-and-ha-jun-bid-farewell-to-destined-with-you-with-closing-remarks
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21 imzadi
October 14, 2023 at 4:03 AM
It was a cute ending and I thoroughly enjoyed the show, though I wasn't as invested in the last episodes as I was in the beginning. The FL was indeed TSTL, but they made a cute couple and Rowoon was do damn funny and yes, really hot.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:38 PM
TSTL - too stupid to live ?
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imzadi
October 14, 2023 at 3:45 PM
Yes, you nailed it.
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22 🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 8:48 AM
Granted I was Team Girrafe through and through but frankly Jae-kyung had been a large (and entertaining) part of the story.
Not only was his part severely curtailed in the last two episodes (was he shooting for Live Your Own Life and was hence unavailable?) he was thoughtlessly thrust into the Joseon plot.
If the writer was trying to say he was a villain in past life and has now reformed - that did not come through. Also it directly contradicts that we had been led to believe about him being a "honest and strong man" in past life.
It did no one any favors to have Jae-kyung smile and eat PPL sandwiches as punishment for past life! 😭
Hong-jo has changed Shin-yu's name in her phone as My Dear Groot ... did Shin-yu ever get around to re-naming her contact in his phone?
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ar_arguably romantic
October 14, 2023 at 12:06 PM
I'm glad they didn't try to have him be villainous in this life just because he was in the past life. I prefer the drama, Heartbeat's, take on having each life stand on its own.
Yeah, I think he was also thoughtlessly thrust into the Joseon scenes. He wasn't a major character either. Was just a random soldier following orders and it had no bearing on the current life. Maybe they just needed someone to make up the numbers without having to pay for another actor? They shoved Garden Man in there too, and he was a lowly soldier there too.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:34 PM
IKR? I was convinced Na-yeon was the Joseon Queen - in fact NY had made some random remark about
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:37 PM
Cont/-...
... Hong-jo being in her service or some such.
** sorry pressed send before completing the remark.
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23 Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 9:55 AM
Low expectations is truly a receipt for a success. I mean, 2023 was The Trash Year for romance kdramas in general and fantasy romance genre in particular. So where does DWY stands if we keep aforementioned fact in mind? Well, it's kind of like SWDBS to me - cute story that delivered a lot of funny, swoony and fluffy moments despite being a hot mess overall. And another idol actor's "he really CAN act" performance as a cherry on top. That's it - no more, no less. To be honest, I expected MUCH worse from it only to be pleasantly surprised most of the times, finale included. Idk what masterpiece people seemed to expect here, but I was never in that camp, so for me all is well that ends well. And DWY did end well - not perfectly by any means, but satisfying and smoothly enough to forgive the show its many lower moments.
Our favorite cringelord JSY is back! That alone washes away so many script sins, isn't it? I think I can watch this guy being unabashedly corny besotted boyfriend for an eternity or two))) This kind of thing is VERY hard to pull off naturally, so mad respect here. Agree with everyone else that JBA as a badass AC outdoes JBA as no-sense-of-self-preservation HJ by mile, but octopus jump-hugs, bear hoodie and Cool Woman's promise to be responsible for a man she scandalized won me over as well))) And OK, can we TALK about THAT love scene? There was a bit less of aggressive femdom than I hoped, but otherwise - damn, kids! *fans herself* Worth all the wait indeed. Tho I side-eye SY's clearly supernatural ability to keep a perfect abs even after weeks of skipping his workout routine due to a serious abdominal injury. No real human being is capable of that, sir! And yes, I was worried that his stitches may not survive all that wild closet action... Guess his surgeon has an iron needlework)))
Beach proposal was very nice, unlike that other one, ugh. But really, who asked for filler couple's wedding scene? Not me! NY and jerk chaebol endings had me cackling - so much for a passionate illicit affair lol. Good for him to know that even he can do better tho. Classmate dude suddenly growing a spine along with SY's dad suddenly growing an empathy for his wife was super random and unbelievable, but whatever. Mom still should divorce him, even despite another kid - no point of staying with a man who's only good as a quality sperm donor. Wook as an actor? Uhm, ok. EW's jumpscare call was a riot, but I still dislike her misdirectingly vague oracle ways, meh. And hope HJ finds better friends than those two brain-dead girlies. Gardener remained a plot convenient mystery till the end - rofled how police questioned him about motive to kill his wife, but not where he learned black magic stuff. JK as a politician? Hmm, somehow it fits. Kudos for him to vacating the space for SY to move in. Did I FF the resolution of his dad's issue or there was none? Not that I care...
P.S. Still a much better love story than
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Gikata
October 14, 2023 at 10:05 AM
P.P.S. Stylists did RW dirty with those low-waist white jeans during cherry blossom alley scenes.Man has legs longer than my list of kinks and you made him wear THOSE to hide the fact?! Truly a fashion crime. One good thing about his upcoming show - it's really hard to mess up the pants' length in a hanbok set...
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:27 PM
😆
Your comment was much much more fun than the last episode.
Thank you for the genuine laughs elicited by your spot on remarks.
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24 SP2022
October 14, 2023 at 11:31 AM
I absolutely loved the first half of this drama and loved the beanie discussion the whole series prompted, I haven't been this invested in a live watch since Alchemy of souls s2.
I was less invested as the season progressed, but the recap and the comments have helped me focus on the good. Even the comments with lists of of the less than great elements were nice to read (it's reassuring that I'm far from the only one they annoyed) - I can accept that and just remember (and likely rewatch) the parts I liked and the rest can fade from memory...
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:21 PM
What a positive way to view the drama. 👏
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SP2022
October 15, 2023 at 6:25 AM
Thanks! My main takeaway/reminder from my DWY experience is that everything is better with the community here!
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 15, 2023 at 12:01 PM
Most definitely... infact left to myself I almost didn't tune in for the last week.
However, I happily joined in with the Live(ish) Watch of the last two episodes on the fanwall and boy! did we have a blast!
As many Beanies commented, reading our comments was more fun than the episodes!!
Yes, indeed our Beanies make everything better. 😀
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25 ar_arguably romantic
October 14, 2023 at 11:54 AM
The rom-com elements of the finale week helped somewhat smooth over the really frustrating elements that has been building up for the last 8 episodes. It's all thrown together haphazardly, but turning off my brain and just enjoying the cute really helps!
Yay! Shin-yu caught the bouquet! I really like rom-com weddings to be the secondary characters' wedding and then hinting at the main couple being the next ones to get married.
I'm bummed Shin-yu's mom is pregnant now that she's restarting her acting career. Hope the dad will take on most of the childcare!. Sometimes, I feel like the writer hates her characters in this drama - particularly the women- so I'm wary.
Jae-kyung remains endearing. Ha Joon, I guess I'll see you in your other drama now.
The best reaction to a surprise public proposal (at work *cringe*)! And the most reasonable!
The drama could have been a solid 10 to 12-episoder. The writer knows how to write those super cute rom-com beats, but I felt like the writer (and maybe even the director for dragging on the moments) sort of lost control after the midway point and had the characters just circle the drain (particularly with Shin-yu sticking with Nayeon for so long, Garden Man on the loose, and all those snide/mean-girls moments) until we got some movement in the final 2 episodes that don't really connect to the rest of the story or characters much at all.
Hong-jo really won me over (Credit to Jo BoA). Sure she's naïve and has little self-preservation, but instead of making me want to throw something at her, I wanted to protect her. I stuck through the drama to see her get her happy ending and see her give Nayeon the smackdown. And now she also has a mother's love from Shin-yu's mom. I did cringe at her still trying to be friends with the mean girls.
Ro-woon did a really good job- particularly his crying scenes- and has fantastic chemistry with Jo BoA. I couldn't warm up to Shin-yu for most of the drama, but he makes Hong-jo happy and will handle a live octopus for her, so I guess that's enough.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:19 PM
Hong-jo was fearless in diving head first into any / every danger because she had plot armor.
Frank when Garden Creep fed her poison I was more worried for her baby than her.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 12:20 PM
** Frankly
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26 DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 14, 2023 at 12:55 PM
Obviously, Shin-yu was going to catch the bouquet ...
https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1469192/#acomment-1469869
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27 panshel
October 14, 2023 at 4:58 PM
Who was the wedding guest who saluted Manager Ma and held her hand? Do we know him?
Last week, after Hong-jo opened the door for Garden Man and went alone to meet him, I said, "If Hong-jo dies, oh well." I have no sympathy for her stupidity. So when the cliffhanger ended with Hong-jo unconscious in the cave, I didn't care. Then when Shin-yu wailed over her poisoned body in the hospital, I still didn't care. I knew that she wouldn't die anyway.
The two best lines this week were:
Jae-kyung was the best character in this drama, which says a lot about this drama because he wasn't actually a very good character. Last week, I had teared up when our OTP broke up but not because of our OTP, but because of Jae-kyung and Wook. I was so touched when Jae-kyung told Hong-jo, "I came out because I was worried," then when we found out that Wook hadn't left and held the car door open for Shin-yu. Hong-jo and Shin-yu are lucky to have such great friends.
The one thing I'll give Destined With You is that our serial killer was someone creepy from the beginning. I'm so tired of plot twists turning handsome, lovable characters into serial killers (Crash Course in Romance, My Lovely Liar, May I Help You?). If you're going to have a serial killer in a rom-com, it should always be ugly, old dudes.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 14, 2023 at 7:25 PM
Both quotes are👍
I love your take on Wook and Jae-kyung. Indeed they are excellent friends.
"If you're going to have a serial killer in a rom-com, it should always be ugly, old dudes."
🤣 🤣
Agreed.
The actor was creepy throughout well deserving of the Garden Creep moniker. Last episode he really made me shudder.
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SP2022
October 15, 2023 at 6:22 AM
100 times yes on the serial killer being creepy throughout being very welcome! The plot twists in all three of the dramas you listed were some of my least favourite parts of those dramas.
It's become so common that not having the plot twist was the plot twist, especially thinking back to all the beanie theories and predictions early on.
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 16, 2023 at 2:27 AM
In Crash Course I was thinking pretty early that the assistent seemed more than sufficient invested in his job. I was just glad they didn't make him a homosexual ... there's a horrible trope about homosexuals being obsessive lunatics, we can do without that, please.
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panshel
October 16, 2023 at 8:36 AM
Have you watched My Lovely Liar?
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DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 16, 2023 at 9:09 AM
No. Is there a maniacal homosexual, or on the contrary, one that demonstratively isn't?
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panshel
October 16, 2023 at 11:21 AM
He wasn't maniacal, but the twist made him gay and manipulative.
28 Miju
October 15, 2023 at 11:04 AM
And its done! While I may miss my time winding down over the weekend and relaxing, I don't know if I'll miss the drama itself all that much. Overall it was a decent 7/10. Had fun initially so theres that!
It was cute for a don't-think-just-watch for a while and then it veered off and made it very hard to not think.
Hong Jo's brilliant logical planning made me want to throw something and the cute OTP moments that followed barely made up for it.
The finale felt disjointed without a proper narrative flow and some of the happy tie offs felt unearned (Sin Yu's father Im looking at you).
Though if I think too much, there'll be a lot of questions (as in what even the curse was? wasn't his dad affected by it? what was psycho stalker's deal? were the spells even real?...) BUT I've come this far enjoying without thinking so it's better to keep it that way till the end.
Ro woon did very well though and his "Get a grip Jang Sin Yu" will be iconic! So thankyou for the good times show and beanies! Its been fun.
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29 sakuradaydream
October 15, 2023 at 6:32 PM
I'm really glad this show is over. I truly hate myself for sticking around for god knows what reason throughout when I should have dropped it when I had the chance.
Everything about this show was just so wrong.
There was nothing likeable about any of the characters. The show started off strong and got so boring. The spells plot was heavily used at the start just to be barely mentioned towards the end. The FL made so many questionable choices which rubbed me the wrong way.
Also the casting for Shin-yu's parents was so bad. They failed to convince me that they were actually his parents & their relationship was plain toxic. I hate that they still remained together despite all that and have another kid on the way too.
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30 hallyucinations
October 15, 2023 at 10:02 PM
This drama became really boring by the time it reached the mid-point. The past life bit and the "thriller" bit was the cause of its undoing for me! Even Rowoon's charm could not keep it afloat. I just started skipping most bits and watching. Should have stuck to spells and romance. Why did we stop enquiring into whether the spells work or not again?
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31 Vincy
October 15, 2023 at 11:40 PM
Everyone else has already given the full analysis so I don't really have much to say, apart from: I miss Shin-Yu's deadpan delivery in ep 4 but him in love is cute.
My favourite part about watching this drama was the community built, all the comments and gifs made! Thanks again 🥰 haven't had this much fun on db for a while! Onwards to the next drama :)
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32 DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 16, 2023 at 1:35 AM
Comment was deleted
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33 DK-Drama 🫘 Giffing n Space Cadetting🍉🌱
October 16, 2023 at 1:47 AM
In the current state of affairs, I fear my not very orderly dripping of "one more funny-in-spe gif about Shin-yu" are not reaching the taggees, so for you comfort and convenience I am giving you the permalink here for those interested. You can go here and check out maybe today and again in a couple of days. https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1469192/
***
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Yes, I do try to get a grip, but I fear it's either gripor gifs. So "Get a gif, DK-Drama".
@claire2009 (Healer’s) @seeker (Cera) @attiton @Jillian
@jls943 (unaspirated) @indyfan @hopefulromantic @vienibenmio @elinor @coffeprince4eva @DncingEmma @lapislazulii @sonai @mayhemf (Blue) @Gikata @marysadanaga @sp2022 @darkcc
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34 Goyangi and the Camel Crickets
October 21, 2023 at 7:43 PM
The plot of this drama can be distilled down to this: Hong Jo takes stupid risks, Shin Yu rescues her, then repeat.
I felt frustrated so many times. Hong Jo's boyfriend hires two bodyguards to keep her safe, but she sends them off on a break(?!!), and they both go?? She actually wants to be friends with the bullying colleagues who never demonstrated the ability to be a friend? The only character in her office team whom I liked at all was her boss Ma. Shin Yu's mom is left stuck with a man who has verbally abused her for years, and the baby is supposed to magically give her a happy ending? Just when she's restarting her career as an actress?? How did Shin Yu stay involved with Na Yeon for years without discovering her real personality?? It showed that he didn't really love her, it seemed like his character had enough confidence that he should have walked away when he was not invested. Maybe watching his parents' awful relationship meant he didn't realize the flaws in his own. I don't care to list them all, but every episode had moments that left me shaking my head.
I did enjoy the cute, the leads were a fun pairing. The scenes of the two of them being happy together were done well and this was the main reason I could continue watching. Rowoon nailed the emotional hospital scenes and he definitely did the eye candy doting boyfriend well. For me the best part of this whole drama was the historical storyline and characters. I liked Hong Jo but wish she had carried with her more of Aeng Cho's fire.
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35 Charlotte
November 20, 2023 at 12:05 AM
Hands down this role has been Ro-woon's best. As I said in early episodes when some were put off by the cold indifference of his character, I just kept sliding my palms together up and down, smiling in anticipation, knowing that the colder our K-drama CEOs start at the beginning, the warmer-hearted they become along the way because of the FLs’ spirited heart. And ultimately, he will charge into the finale as an amazingly romantic ‘green flag’. It’s a character trope I Iove. There’s nothing like an old classically aloof & jaded hero who carries his past wounds alone and in silence. This character often matures the most over the series as we watch the shell of his cold heart warm up to her, and then melt into love. Jo Boa's character was empowered from the start, yet her life was stalling a bit when they met. The ‘love spell’ she cast on him was an awesome addition to the plot, especially seeing him go back-and-forth with himself trying to repress his ardour for her. Great humour. The time slip into the past was a highlight too as our leads each absorbed their past life’s tragedy. Going through that pain lifted their present-day relationship and made it so much more meaningful. All in all, this was a great recipe for a rom-com and Ro-woon’s kisses definitely added the spice that kicked it up a LOT of notches. Phew! 🔥🔥 Thanks #unit. I really like your recap style. It certainly mirrored the ‘com’ part of this interesting ‘rom’.
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