I am so torn on this. It was a perfect happy ending and I should love it. And I do like it, but just wished things went differently.
I already didn't like that we didn't see the first initial confrontation between Chung-ah and her father. Only in the next episode to see them together eating. I just wanted to see some grownling from her father to her, not others.

For Eun-gyeol, I feel like everything he has learned knowing his parents in their teens didn't matter in the end. I wanted to see him making up with his father when he returned to his real past. Sure, small changes would have been fine, but he learned and grew so much and it was basically for nothing.

I sound more negative than I am, because it was a good ending. But it could have been more. I also felt cheated of seeing a scene between Yi-chan and Chung-ah. Can't we get a spin-off, about how they meet again and sturdy together?

I think this drama played the sad scenes to make the viewers feel emotions but not to tell a story that made sense. And it's why I didn't like this drama.

Eun-Yoo and Eun-Gyeol shouldn't have time travelled in the first place. You doesn't treat your depression by changing the life of your mother in the past... She had not right to have this discussion with her grandfather about the abandon of her mother. It was her mother's wound not hers. She needed to talk about her wounds with her mother. Her plan was pretty ridiculous and not credible. If my parents told me things about their past, I would be unable to remember exact dates and chronology.

Eun-Gyeol never communicated with his father in the present. Why discovering his father's adolescence would change the fact he didn't talk to him! They had to change his father's past to make the father accepting his son's choice when in the first place, it was an communication issue. I don't like how they made the whole drama like the present life of the parents was not good enough. The whole point was that Eun-Gyeol didn't have to carry his family on his shoulders, but instead they made the family rich, no more burdensome poverty.

I liked Yi-Chan and Chung-Ah's story. I would have wanted a show about them. Both trying to live their dreams with their deafness with the grandmother, the friendship with the band members, her relationship with her father (what about her mother?), her helping Yi-Chan with his new deafness, etc.

I guess I liked half of the drama.

For the actors, it was the same. I liked Choi Hyun-wook and Shin Eun-soo as teenagers.

I found Ryeoun and Seol In-ah not so good. SIA didn't make feel anything for her character except frustration. Ryeoun was lacking in the music part and for a genius it was quite flagrant.

The show was overall an amazing journey for me, but the best thing that happened was going back to the 90's era , imo. I loved the settings, music, the bond between the characters so much. The show had so many characters to deal with, but none of them felt out of place, I cared for all of them equally. I think that's a strong point of this show - the beautifully woven relationships ,let it be friends, love interests, or parents.

Now about the message of the show, it seemed a bit vague at the end, as @dramaddictally mentioned, we didn't really get to see the character development of Eun Gyeol. But it was clear with its 'Viva La Vida' message & that's good enough for me.

About the time travel plotline, it actually never made much sense. I guess it's natural for these kinda plotlines to have plotholes, so I kinda overlooked it & whenever any questions came to my mind , I gladly gulped them. I came here for the hearts & feels, not for sheer logic, so it was fine.

Now let me be honest, when I found out about Eun Gyeol's new life in 2023 surrounded by luxury, I got a mixed feeling. I had myself wondering if the family bond remained the same. There's a reason for that . Most of the kdramas' best family dynamics come from poor families & the rich people always seem a bit aloof in this section. But seeing them together with the same warmth, my doubt was cleared.

As hard it was for me to see Yi Chan's accident, I'm glad they didn't change it ( the show would've lost my respect if they did). He overcame it, became the best version of himself & came out as a winner.

Finally, I could do with some more information in their present life, but I'd love the show as it is. Viva La Vida, the show that didn't let me down this year.

The ending was a tad disappointing. It would have been better if the circumstances had not changed but both Eun-Gyeol and Eun-Yoo had learnt to deal better with their parents after learning their past.
Eun-Gyeol should have come back to the present and learnt to communicate to his parents about his desire to become a musician. By altering the financial circumstances, Eun-Gyeol essentially had a easier path to pursue music.
Eun-Yoo had to overcome her trauma- time travel is not the way to do it.
While I rolled with the ending, I just felt that the important life messages got blurred on the way.

I love this drama. I watched the last 4 episodes marathon and this are 2 pages of compressed reasons why I love this drama. Where do I should start?

By how pretty Shin Eun Soo in this one. Her eyes so bright and playful. When she uses sign language, even when there is no inner dialogue, it as if her eyes spouting words. Even her hand gestures also pretty. Despite her character being abused she appears so lively when interacting and it’s a delight to watch. I’m already eager for her new project.

When they bandmates gathered at the principal’s office. I love this boys, I love how chaotic and united they are.

When Chung Ah saw Yi Chan’s confession. He was singing not a song for the ears, but for the heart. Easily one of top kdrama confessions for me.

When she gave him “Shining Voice” as a new name and also telling him how that name suit him well because he is shining the brightest when he is doing music.

When they kissed. The sun shining through the trees, the elevating music, girl who fell for him first but boy who is falling harder. It was a light kissing but beautiful and pure.

When the father turned out to be someone who is actually pitiful for he put his daughter’s life in the witch’s hand just because a one time voice heard calling him “appa” from that little mouth. What was his sin? Greedines for wanting a “perfect” daughter? Or longing of her voice that makes him hanging onto false hope?

When Chung Ah slapped that bitch. It was so satisfying I laughed in pleasure.

When Eun Gyeol find his mom in that dark attic. Son is crying because mother was caged and so helpless, mother is crying because finally the help has found her and she can break free.

When Yi Chan so angry that he wasn’t the only one who is abandoned by their father. There is a relief knowing despite the existence of missing irresponsible father in his life he would become a good father later in the future

Overall, I liked this show.

I wondered in my comments from the previous recap if our leads actually time traveled or if they were experiencing something more magical, which would provide them with a better understanding of their parents and an opportunity to live their own lives.

My question was answered in the finale, but nothing makes sense. I was actually frustrated seeing how things developed once Eun-gyeol returned to his (now changed) timeline. He changed so much and yet his memories did not change simultaneously. It seems that he still retained his memories of the original timeline while everyone else had different memories. I don't know, but if I were Eun-ho, I'd be very concerned if my brother were asking me questions like "who's this? " what's going on?" "wait, I'm going on a tour?" It wouldn't be funny at all.

We're supposed to believe that the changes Eun-gyeol brought about would also have profoundly affected his childhood, as he would not have had to grow up too quickly and be his family's sole gateway to the wider, hearing world. Okay, but we did not get to see that in action. It seems--based on Eun-gyeol's questions and confusions about what is going on, that his memories of his youth have not changed.

And I get Eun-gyeol's parents and their friends might not recognize Eun-gyeol because over two decades are supposed to have passed. But wouldn't there have been photos taken from their school-band days? The ending suggests that his father finally recognizes that Eun-gyeol was a time traveler, but I'm still amazed that no one would have seen him in old photos, lol.

Yes, it was nice to see the relationship between Chung-ah and her father begin to repair. It was, however, upsetting to see him decide to take her away (maybe he felt that Yi-chan would resent her?). That really angered me. In this timeline, Yi-chan got to know Chung-ah sooner. With both her and Eun-gyeol suddenly out of the picture, I imagine he would have had an even more difficult time dealing with his sudden hearing loss.

While some of the changes were nice, I still wish that Eun-gyeol and Eun-yoo had entered some "magical" (I can't think of a better word) alternate world. With their newfound knowledge, they could have tried to affect changes in their own timelines. Maybe, for example, Eun-gyeol would have tried to reconnect his mother with his aging grandfather (if the later were still alive). Maybe Eun-yoo could have had a heart-to-heart with her mother.

And Yi-chan and Chung-ah did not seem to be miserable as adults. They had a loving relationship and were a good family unit with their two sons. What they should have recognized, however, was their over-reliance on their youngest son.

Side note: I wonder why adult Yi-chan chose to never use his speaking voice. There are people who either lost their hearing later in life or who can hear to some degree (since deafness is more of a spectrum) who...

So basically the whole family would suddenly be better if one member keeps in touch with her chaebol relative. I guess, that is realistic, but at the same time for the show that was so romantic taking the very practical approach to life felt a bit ...depressing?

I would have preferred had Eungyeol changed Yi Chan's destiny only to find out that his present life did not change (different timelines maybe?). I wanted to see Eungyeol talk with his dad, get his approval and mom's support and not to feel guilty for his decision. Instead, we got the easy solution for the character to avoid making a hard decision. What is the main message anyway? Viva La Vida as long as you are rich? I don't even see why Eungyeol could not offer to go to college along with pursuing music in his original timeline.

Twinkling Watermelon
What a great show, even with the time traveling physics anomalies.

One question about the new timeline: Chung-Ah and Yi-Chan run off, get hitched and pop out two wonderful sons. Then they go ahead and name one of their sons after a lost friend? And did they never realize that son looked exactly like their old friend that mysteriously disappeared? They did take tons of pictures back then.

I loved the show but it still inferred that success means that you are rich and famous. I kinda adored part of the original timeline where the family was not well off, but was loving and caring and just needed a little bit more understanding/healing for Eun-Gyeol to join a band.

Chung-Ah played by Shin Eun-Soo.
She was completely unknown to me before the show and now I’m a fan. She portrayed the most emotion much without uttering a word. I’m now a faaaaaan and will be looking out for her in the future.

I was quite disappointed in the ending of this show. The first half of that episode was fine, although I would have preferred the accident not be due to the malicious attempt of the stepbrother, who I had forgotten about. But I realize that the point there was to knock out the bad influences on Chan-ho’s family. I did like Yi Chan as Dad saving Eun Gyeol echoing the saving of a child Eun-gyeol.

Also, Eun-yoo’s giving Eun-gyeol, who was dense throughout the whole show, the “lesson” of his visit—that just because he was a CODA did not mean he had to always assume responsibility, and they his parents were resilient and had been throughout their lives, was also a good way for him to learn it. But from there the episode went straight downhill.

Eun Gyeol’s emergence into a completely changed world of 2023 in my opinion undercut the lesson, and really undermined the show.

Then the changed time line totally left Eun-yoo’s story. Why were Si-kyeung and Eun-yoo not living at their “old house? How did Eun-yoo know how to find Eun-gyeol at the concert? In fact why did she suddenly become all-knowing? What truly happened to her and her Mom when she got back? Why was her story confined to an epilogue, with nothing fully answered? And then, not that I demand consistency in my time-travel dramas, why wouldn’t both she and Eun gyeol have all sorts of new memories when he got back to 2023.?

If Eun-gyeol had arrived back in similar circumstances that he had left then he could have showed his new understanding of his place in the family. He could have knocked on Si-kyeung’s/Eun-yoo’s door and seen a new relationship between mother-daughter, and also have had Si-kyeung surprised (maybe at first a little alarmed, but then (hopefully) sympathetic, on seeing the romantic relationship between Eun Yoo and Eun-gyeol.

The Dad could have agreed to Eun-gyeol being in the band, with the caveat that he delay the world tour. Plus, the Dad could have been reconciled with his friends in a more realistic way. Finally, the Dad finding the tape. with a smile across his face, could have been shown in an epilogue, revealing that he in fact did have memories of Eun-gyeol’s visit, and it had influenced his parenting and his marriage.

Of course, the fact that the ending didn’t conform to what I wanted doesn’t make it bad. But this ending was not fully explanatory; it didn’t affirm the theme of the show, and it neglected the story of both Chung-ah and Eun-yoo. So for me, yet one more dud of a last episode in a year of truly bad endings, but this one was particularly disappointing because, as @dramaddictally says, the writing was so deft early on.

I really don't know how I feel about how this ended. Some things were predictable while others were a pleasant surprise. Some things were meh while others were "seriously?!😑"

In the end, one of the things that honestly came to mind was @enriquequierecagar haha because I had just written how we viewed the "logic" of the show differently and then the finale happened haha.

Something that I've been saying for weeks and I once again felt in the finale: Eun Yu was the weakest element in this whole thing. I almost feel bad for the writer having to include her because they really couldn't do it in a really organic way. She was supposed to be Eun Gyeol's "helper" but as for her own stuff, it was just so under everything (underwhelming, underprepared, underdeveloped)

The best part of the entire series was Eun Gyeol and Yi Chan and that was true for the finale as well. I got teary eyed SO many times during their scenes. I think Yi Chan getting hurt while saving him was very in character and full circle. It also satisfied the rule of 3, which I don't think (or at least I don't remember) happens much in kdramas. Yi Chan had his head hit 3 times. Dad saves/attempts to save Eun Gyeol 3 times. Eun Gyeol pushed Yi Chan out of the way during their early days together.

I know this was a devastating, life altering event for Yi Chan but I was taken aback by his suicidal thoughts considering he had a deaf girlfriend so he knew being deaf didn't mean the end of the world. I understood the anger, frustration, and depression moments more. I also wondered if the fact that he knew some sign language already helped his progress and acceptance since he was able to communicate.

Cheong Ah. While I was never as interested in her as others here seemed to be, even I thought she got shafted in the finale. They didn't even show her learning of the accident or seeing Yi Chan in the hospital. Just the fax of her saying she wanted to be a support to him followed by information that she's leaving the country and wouldn't come back for years. What even?! Did her and Yi Chan break up and reunite during their university days? Did she actually come back to see him?

Does the family now live at the Chairman's house? If they don't that's kinda sad cause that's such a big house for only one person and his house staff.
The Spine 9 guys annoynace/frustration with Eun Gyeol's confusion made me chuckle. Same with Eun Gyeol and Eun Ho's moments haha.

And then we get to the big event. I have no idea how I feel about it. One thing I thought of was there wasn't any captions on the screens behind Dad nor did it seem like there was an intrepreter off to the side of the stage (especially since we the viewers can hear what he's saying) even though he was doing the speech in front of a hearing crowd. I don't know how realistic that whole thing was but that's what stood out to me. Another thing was Dad seemed to react to the Watermelon Sugar guys...

The ending was very sweet, but the middle to get there was a mess in these two episodes. We never got to see how Yi Chan and Chung Ah reconnected. I'm happy she got to connect with her dad though. We don't find out how Eun Yu's hair grew and what happened with her family, but at least her and Eun Gyeol are together. We never find out his the girl his Hyung had a crush on was Eun yu, but at least he gets to tour. So we got a bunch of sugar, but missed out on the full dessert. Overall I enjoyed the drama, but it really could have been better.

Thank you @dramaddictally

The scene where Halmeoni comes to the hospital is almost unbearable it’s so fraught with pain — and Eun-gyeol actually has to leave the room because of it

Choi Hyun Wook was awesome as a fun loving youth, but he was stellar in the last two episodes with emotions ranging from despair and agony to never giving up and taking things in stride. He is definitely one to look out in the future ❤

Trying not to be outdone, Ryeoun gave one of the best performances of his career so far in that scene, but unfortunately the actor playing halmeoni and CHW overshadowed him. Nonetheless, I had tears welling in my eyes during that sequence :,(

I thought the dad turned into an idiot again by making the decision to never let Chung Ah visit korea,but when the drama showed that Yi Chan graduated from the same college as Chung Ah, I assumed that the dad helped him. So many things are to be considered as having happened offscreen that I would have liked an entire episode being spent on the 2023 parents or their journey after Yi Chan's accident.

Too much time was wasted on Eun Yu whose resolution was resolved as easily as switching on a light bulb in the brain 🙄🙄 Even Se Kyung's resolution was mediocre, at least she was interesting as a character, but we were robbed of seeing the changes in her future.

Speaking of screen time, Shin Eun Soo got less space out of the four main characters, but her performance was phenomenal. To get a lot of people to root for your character that does not have dialogues and can only gesture, is nothing short of an achievement. Anyone can act with good training, but to make the character shine needs innate talent. I now have newfound appreciation for sign language.

This writer's stronghold is definitely emotions and she/he delivered it with panache. Definitely recommend it for a watch.

Reading the recap/comments, I must have turned off my critical thinking skills. LOL.

Sure, I also wanted more from the resolution, but relatively speaking (and esp. after the spate of recent unsatisfactory endings), I was satisfied by the finale, and thought it was a joyous, heartfelt show overall.

One of my top shows of 2023. Over and out.

A few questions left unanswered in the last episode (maybe one or two extra episodes would have finished up the ending), but apart from that, this drama was a beautiful celebration of life. The characters, the dialogues, the monologues, the OST, some iconic scenes... everything makes this drama a new classic in my book.

Why did murderous stepson think Eun-Gyeol's father was the chairman? Or was that just a lie made up by the fired "chairwoman"?

It's been a heartwarming and eventful ride back to a sparkling youth! All the major storylines were wrapped up nicely. I like the moment between Chung Ah and her father, Yi Chan and his grandma, EG and his father especially the one at the end. EG made big changes to his future.

I like that Chung Ah finally smiled at her father when he made an effort to communicate with her through sign language. It took time for him to realize it but it should've been this easy dealing with her daughter's disability from the get go.

EG played a big part in preventing his Mom from experiencing more abuse from the teacher/stepmom. Its surprising she got away with what she did for 12 years and more. Its great she was punished dor what she did and didnt get to live comfortably as EG promised.

I always love Grandma and YiChan together. But that scene at the hospital made me cry. She loves her grandson so much.
Of course, the real heart of the sfory is EG's relationship with his dad. He tried so hard to stop the accident from happening. I have always been apprehensive on how this will be resolved. Part of me didnt want EG to stop the accident from happening since what will be the message the show be giving to the deaf community. I am glad it went the route it did since I wanted EG to realize that there is nothing wrong with his father being deaf. Its part of who he is. What is most important is that he left a positive impact that helped make his father stronger in dealing with losing his hearing. Also helped bring about the positive mindset he gained until adulthood.

EG was never meant to stop his father's accident. The time travel was meant for him and Eun Yu to discover themselves, live their youth and understand their parents a bit better. In the process though he still helped enrich the lives of everyone he came into contact with back in 1995.
How sweet was it that Watermelon Sugar still kept in touch with each other. Viva la vida!

This was such a warm drama 🩷 I loved the caring and empathetic characters, and of course the music 🍉✨️ It definitely has that sparkle that made me fall in love with k-dramas

I think I'm in the minority haha, but I liked the finale. I was expecting Grandpa to be the one who sent Eun-gyeol and Eun-yu to the past but was surprised there was actual time-travel involved. I thought it was going to turn out to be an "all just a dream" sorta deal. In another drama I might've been disappointed with the changes in the future, but Cheong-ah especially was never given the opportunity to shine and endured the chairwoman's abuse for who knows how long. I never felt either parent was unhappy in the original timeline but it was nice to see them get a chance to do something they were passionate about, and still be the same loving little family.

Overall, I loved what we got but wish we'd have seen more of Yi-chan and Cheong-ah. Choi Hyun-wook and Shin Eun-soo were real stand-outs in the cast! I would have also liked to see what changed for Eun-yu in the present. But those are just some small quibbles. I was late to the game starting the show, but glad the Beanie love on the fanwall got me to check it out!

I loved every minute of this show!

My take from the beginning was that Eun Gyeol and Eun Yu were given an opportunity to go back in time to save THEMSELVES, which ultimately altered the lives of their families as well.

That opportunity was given to them by the spirit of Eun Gyeol's mentor/Eun Yu's grandfather disguised as the Time Master. Eun Yu figured that out at the end.

He gave them this opportunity because both of them were blaming their parents to some extent for their own unhappiness. And frankly, everyone in both families was in crisis. This was a chance to see their parents through fresh eyes, and therefore their own lives and the roles they played in creating the unhappiness. Along the way, they changed the timeline for everyone.

Interestingly, despite their frustrations with their parents, both EG and EY thought that saving their parents was the reason they went back in time. The show was essentially about them coming to the realization that that was not the point.

And both of them DID come to understand this. It was shown by Eun Yu realizing she didn't want to end her life and Eun Gyeol apologizing to his father in the lobby of the building where they were having the presentation/concert back in the future. He also apologized to his brother.

The protagonist of this story is Eun Gyeol. Yi Chan and Cheung Ah being appealing characters in their 1995 forms doesn't change that. The story is about Eun Gyeol's journey. We see his story from start to finish. There are many other characters along the way, including EY, but we weren't meant to get the full and complete picture of all of them as well. How did Cheong Ah and Yi Chan get back together after she went to the US? Did EY's parents stay together? We don't know, and it really doesn't matter in the big picture. We can imagine how those things (and others) played out in the new timeline.

Also I'm fine with the "successful family" ending. Why not? It meant that Cheong Ah and her father reconciled and she didn't have to abandon her family, which originally had changed the whole arc of her life (and not in a good way). It's not about the money per se, it was the broken relationship that was repaired, and all the good that came from that happening.

It also meant that Yi Chan had an outlet for his love of music, despite his hearing loss. Yes, they were more comfortable financially but they were each able to contribute to others in big ways through their work.

Plus, the ending was a huge nod to Back to the Future, which really made me smile. Wouldn't we all love the chance to tweak the timeline of our lives at some point, steering it in a direction we would prefer now as we look back on it? That's the fantasy we all got to consider as we watched this story unfold.

Honestly this was my favorite series of 2023, not because it was perfect in every way, but because it was so clearly made with love and care. The cast and production team went all in and...

Viva la vida! 🍉

1. THE GOOD.
I love Watermelon Viva la Vida Sugar. I love how much that band meant for the kids.

I love that it let them challenge themselves, form new bonds and find love. Thanks to that band the kids were able to take a breath, find the light of youth.

Cheong Ha was able to make new relationships and fix some old ones. Yi Chan was able to find something (and someone) he truly loved, he was able to enjoy his youth. Eun Yu finally let go of some of the guilt and resentment she felt for existing. And Eun Gyeol... well, he was pretty lost until the end, but he also made beautiful memories with his family and friends, he was in a band, learned more about his parents, he helped them, and even got a girlfriend in the process.

We knew they we going to be fine in 2023, but that's not what was important in this show. The future wasn't important. The past (and present) was. The kids needed to be kids (teens)! To act like kids, enjoy life like kids and love like kids.

They needed to create those priceless memories. They needed to stop time and do all the things they couldn't do before and all the things they won't be able to do after. To live without so many restrictions and judgement. A life were your motivations come from the inside not some random external force.

This show was literally about vivir la vida. And maybe that's why the kids travel in time? So the kids could "live life"? The writer needed to separate the kids from any pressure (society expectations) to really make them free.
The writer set the Eun-Eun couple free, and the Eun-Eun couple set their parents free.

No one expected anything from Eun-Eun in 1995. They left their parents and school in 2023. And then they got to 1995 and told their parents "you too can be free". Eun Gyeol told Yi Chan he didn't have to go and make money the second he graduated from school. He told him he could do wtv he wanted, he helped him with his grades to make halmoni happy, and he helped him with the band to make him shine. He also helped Cheong Ha with that psycho, her dad, and sign language.
And at the end Eun Yu told her mom to stop living like someone else's replacement, to go and ask her birth parent why did he abandoned her.

For me the show was about giving teenagers wings, so they could fly as they can. Like a butterfly.

It's even the same for the rest of the band members. They had a hard time in the OG timeline. After they fight they all had to leave the band and do what they parents wanted. But thanks to the time travel couple they got a second change to shine.

While I think the show lost the plot by the end (Eun-gyeol never actually dealing with his perfectionist tendencies and guilt, but simply making the problem "vanish"), I still came out in the end feeling highly positive. The messiness of the writing didn't ultimately ruin the lovely characters and romantic and platonic relationships - the heart of the show. It may not have been perfect, but it had a ton of heart and in a year filled with disappointments, Twinkling Watermelon was a standout. I predict this will be a cult classic in coming years.

I realised early on that I cared much more about the characters than the charming but wonky rules about time travel in this series. I followed the Frozen chorus and let it go. But, somethings I couldn’t as not withstanding my love for and sustained emotional connection to this drama, like many of you I’ve felt disappointed that Chungah’s character didn’t receive a fair shake. I adored the performance of Shin Eunsoo (as well as Choi Hyunwook’s) and wanted to know so much more about her. As much as I enjoyed and liked Seol Inah’s performance, a disproportionate attention was paid to her Eunyoo character and this was to the detriment of the story as for me, the self-empowerment of Chungah was not developed enough. Her loving friends and family stood up for her and supported her but the drama shortchanged this poignant and incredible character’s strength by not devoting at least equal screen time to her. Also, the love story between Chungah and Yichan deserved and should’ve received more beats to blossom on screen for our viewing pleasure and earlier pain.
I also want to say that Chungah’s father’s rehabilitation didn’t work for me as a parent that negligent, indifferent and oblivious who facilitated the torture and mistreatment of his daughter didn’t deserve such a redemption arc.
Last but not least, a bouquet of the most gorgeous peonies for Goo Dooshim who turned her role into the loving, generous and fiercely protective heart of TW. I loved her performance and felt bereft thinking that she is no longer part of Yichan and Eungyeol’s lives.

The ending was a bit rushed but it's also very close to the most 'perfect' K-drama ending I've seen in a long time, in my books anyways. Sure we didn't get to see the rest of his parents' journey, but this story always centered around Eun-gyeol as our main 'hero' and he'd finished his hero's journey in many senses (getting to know his parents as individuals, helping Yi-chan achieve his dream of experiencing a shining youth, helping his mum find freedom, finding his own solace and comfort.) in the 1995 timeline by the time the accident happened, so I get why he had to leave when he did.

As for the future changes - yes it would've been nice to have him return to an unchanged future and just talk it out with his parents, but I found the changed ending quite heartwarming so kind of liked this glossed over fairytale version more. There's been many a time when I've wished that my parents had happier pasts or been like 'if only I was around back then, they would've had someone in their corner' (which is why I was lowkey surprised this drama had the same theme - apparently I'm not the only one who thinks like that!) so coming from that angle, I thought it was nice that the show was able to take liberties with its fantasy premise to give this really sweet family a Happily Ever After ✨ It left me with a really warm & fuzzy feeling inside and a smile on my face till the very last scene, so I don't really mind that they chose to finish the story this way at all.

Overall, this drama was always more about feeling for me than it was about plot, which I guess is why not much of the narrative details are sticking to my mind right now and all I can think about is the amazing emotional rollercoaster journey I went on instead. It made me feel really deeply in each episode, and I love that it centered its emotional core around the theme of family - both the one you're born into and the one you find. Thank you Twinkling Watermelon team for such a beautiful drama and Beanies here for providing insightful commentary and discussion each week. I can definitely see myself coming back to rewatch many, many times over the years 💕

I felt like the writers did not answer all the questions they have raised. They could have given a bit more time in the current timeline. As it is it feels like life is beautiful if you are rich.
I was curious about Chung-ah's mother. It looked like she was removed by force, then no trace of her.

Thank you for the recap!!

Choi Hyun-Wook as Ha Yi-chan has left such a strong mark on my kdrama-viewing soul. I knew we would see him in those initial days of deafness and would be heartbroken, but when it finally happened, it really hurt!

Also kudos to all the actors,staff, and sign language teachers who did such fantastic work on this series.

I knew information travelled slowly back in the 90s, but I was surprised that no one told Chung-ah that her bf was in the hospital and that she was okay with not hearing from him for days.

I'm one of those who feel at conflict with the ending. I'm happy 1. that there is a happy ending 2. that our lovely Yi Chan and Chungha ended up sparkling in their chosen professions 3. that the new world is more inclusive of deaf people and 4. that the changes also lifted the burdens of our Watermelon Sugar gang, but I felt discombobulated with the return to such a drastically different 2023.

I thought it's be great to see Eun-yoo and Eun-gyeol leave a trace of their influence and be able to move forward, but having all their problems just get erased is too weird and almost like some fevered dream. I wanted Eun-gyeol to resolve the argument he had with his dad pre-time travel. That dad is different from 1995 Yi-chan and post-time-travel 2023 Yi-chan.

Anyways, what a lovely gem of a show with characters whom I just want to reach into the screen to hug.

Twinkling Watermelon, you make me smile! Grandma’s wish for a happy ending came true! Eun-gyeol could have returned to 2023 with nothing more than an understanding of his parents’ backstory. Maybe that would have been enough, but it wouldn’t have been as interesting or compelling. As a CODA, he carried a self-imposed responsibility for the happiness and security of his family. He was a good kid, even in his rebellion. But he needed a bigger view of his world and that’s what he got. And deserved.

Things I loved:
How the ending showed Eun-gyeol conversing with the 1995 version of Yi-chan and then with the transformed 2023 version without his guilty face. I’ll tell you what, I have high respect for Ryeo-un’s and Hyun-wook’s acting chops! Those bromance scenes! Usually, I would say three accidents are over the top, but the way they were written into the story (as much as I hated watching the impact) was genius because Eun-gyeol had to confront his greatest fear that he couldn’t stop his father from becoming deaf.

Se-kyung: I didn’t like her at first, but she won me over more than any character in recent kdrama viewing! She was very cool! I don’t just like her, I love her! Even though her life was super stressful with perfectionist demands placed on her, the spontaneity she had deep down saved her.

Eun-soo had nothing going for her. I wondered how she sat in school everyday and then returned home to an evil prejudiced stepmother. Of the changed endings, I loved the story of what she accomplished the most!

The cassette tape, wow, so cool that a message from the past was woven into Eun-gyeol’s live in such a meaningful way. The voice of his father captured before he could no longer hear and speak. He couldn’t even share it with his 2023 family. It was his secret, perhaps only shared with Se-kyung’s grandfather, but what a bittersweet treasure of the soul.

Things I am reminded of:
Hardships can be overcome with love. (a nod to Grandma).
You can never care too much; just don’t be a martyr about it.
There is always a bigger picture to consider. Sometimes we can’t get that view from where we stand, but it is worth trying to look beyond your own little world. You will find out about others, but more importantly, you will learn things about yourself. And you will grow.
Never underestimate the power of bromance. When done right, there is nothing as raw and as heartfelt.

Two questions:
Do we know what happened to Eun-soo’s biological mother?
Did Eun-gyeol become a doctor? Or is he part of the entertainment conglomerate of his father’s and brother’s as a R&R star? I’m totally fine with that, I was just wondering.

Finally, I will be hard pressed to sacrifice a bean for any drama other than Twinkling Watermelon this year! Viva la vida!

This story was so beautiful but riddled with plot holes and loose ends.

One gripe I had was the amount of screentime the relationship development between Eun-gyeol & Eun-yu got as compared to Yi-chan & Cheong-ah.
Eun-gyeol & Eun-yu had multiple episodes whereas yi-chan & cheong-ah had a few scenes, or like the cool kids say, a few crumbs.
I was so annoyed with the direction they took. I wanted to see more development between them, more interactions, more situations, not just a scene with Yi-chan staring at her through a window (how did he even get in the school????) the possibilities they had with this incredible dynamic, quiet but headstrong Cheong-ah who's unable to hear the world, falling for the loud boisterous Yi-chan who can let her hear the world through other means ohmyGOD and they fumbled it for the other two.

Don't get me started on that rushed ending.

Scriptwriter Jin Soo-wan is a favourite. 'Twinking...' is so different from any of the others when I compare it to 'Moon Embracing Sun' (from 2012) which was my gateway drama to Korean Sagueks, or 'Kill Me Heal Me' (2015) ...both of them now are still in my top 10. Jin Soo-wan defintely included an element of fantasy in many of her scripts (i.e. reincarnation in 'Chicago Typewriter'). She's a multi-faceted talent who reflects amazingly diverse topic choices for her dramas...and there also seems to be an undercurrent of philosophy & self-learning threading through her characters lives, even when a character has multi-personalities. I lliked this series and I think Twinkling Watermelon was yet another tour de force for her. I found the second leads' romance the most gripping. Our first leads were the focus, but Yi Chan and Cheong Ah were the centerpiece as well as the heart & soul of this series, as it should be, given how spectacular Eung Gyeol's parents are in 2023. Whether they got rich or stayed poor, they would have stayed solid and loving. Eun Gyeol's character was also special, but sad to say, the only weakness in this awesome show for me was Eun-yoo's character, who I found a bit too self-centered, superior and quite smug with him, although her vulnerability did leak out near the end, but by then she had lost me, especially after having to watch her be good or win at every little thing she tried (except facing an music audience). I LOVED gramma and ALL the bandmates. Every scene with them in it was fun. The cameos by well-known actors were really appreciated too. And finally, that great music, his guitar lessons & conversations with that philosophical 'haraboji' at the 'Viva la Vida' music store were entrancing; the band relationships so real in both time zones, and the OST was outstanding. All of it was a beautiful metaphor for the often-repressed but never muted voices of youth as they come of age and learn their fown family histories and truths. Brava Jin Soo-wan 작가님.

Enjoyed this show overall. Especially, since a lot of the tired tropes were absent from it. So nice to see strong really smart female leads without the need to portray them with some unrealistic powers (see writers it can be done and done well) and the absence of angry and insulting for no damn reason male leads. The bullies were bullies in this one and there was no need to waste time redeeming them. I thought the ending kind of dismissed the legit struggles the family went through in the beginning though. Still liked it though.

I must say that I enjoyed seeing the evil stepmother thrown to the curb and the household help also for going along with her evil ass.

I really, REALLY loved this drama, and felt it ended well. I relate a lot to Eun Gyeol and how he tends to take on more responsibility than is due to him. I think the point of the drama was to a) give him a break and let him be a simple high schooler instead of primarily the CODA, be in a band, fall in love, etc. b) let him positively influence and help his parents (because EG being EG, he's going to do that anyway, right?), c) save the grandpa's granddaughter, and d) learn that you can only live your own life, and it's important to have faith in others, and let them work things out, too. (I think that is why he left to return to 2023 with things still not resolved--he had to have faith that his parents in 1995 would figure out life on their own). Oh, and possibly e) the chance to see that even if we can't avert all tragedies, the efforts we make in behalf of those we love really do make a difference. I loved seeing that in the new timeline, the parents were still the same loving and hopeful people they were in the original one. The point was "everything is better with money." The point was that mom was able to reconcile with grandpa and have the opportunities that she really deserved to have. And by association, so did dad. They weren't handed that on a platter--Yi Chan had to choose to keep going. Chung Ah went through so much, and she held on and survived. And at the end of it all, Eun Gyeol as well was able to finally have faith enough in his family that he could let go a little, trust them to do their thing, enough to live his own life. He grew a lot AND it was worth it and paid off in the end. In the end, everything he learned and everything he did mattered.

I really loved the drama! One of the best dramas of the year.

I honestly didn't think too much of the plot lol. I just enjoyed watching this drama and loved the characters especially Yichan. He never really stood out to me in 2521 but I really liked him here. But one thing that I was sad about is how they didn't show Segyeong in the end. Or if that girl Eunyoo saw when she went to visit her father is really her mistress. Maybe things changed for their family too just like how it did for Eungyol and I wished they have shown that or maybe just let Eunyoo talk about it.

I know Segyeong is just a minor character but I really liked her more than Eunyoo and Cheongah. I know Cheongah's life is sad but I really didn't liked her that much the moment Segyeong approached her and tried to be her friend but all she thinks about is Yichan. You can see how genuine Segyeong is and how sad she is when Cheongah didn't came to the concert/event she invited her. Also how she like thanked Yichan for "saving her" I don't remember the exact words she said i mean wrote in that message she sent Yichan but isn't it Eungyol who saved her all along?

Also I know that Yichan has really fallen for Cheongah but it is also clear that Cheongah is just a rebound because Segyeong/Eunyoo rejected him.

What a heartwarming and uplifting drama--I loved it despite the numerous and major plotholes.

One thing this drama really needed in the first several episodes were LABELS of the time periods. It really was unfair to viewers when it nonchalantly jolted into the ice cream shop with no indication that it was 1995. No wonder there were so many negative comments about the confusing plotline as the time travel scenes began before our characters actually time-traveled.

Although the ending "kinda, sorta" wrapped up the main plotline satifactorily, I have to agree that the lessons learned (family love, etc.) during time travel were lost with the "everything is fantastic" scenario.

Yet, overall it was full of "feels" and so entertaining so yes, I would recommend this drama.

Twinkling Watermelon

With the amount of love I had seen for this show I was going to discreetly avoid giving any reviews. Then I checked the recap comments and laughed out loud. So everyone knew logic wasn't this show's strong point!. It is even worse my dear @emsel , this show actively removed every single bit that might have made sense in any context! 😆

The show's number of plotholes was like a shooting range, they increased by the second!! I was starting to get angry by ep 8 and 9 but then I decided to forget everything about any storyline and just enjoy the emotional bits, because those were insanely good.

The acting by the two boys, and Chung Ah was amazing! The emotional scenes, the bickering, or wordless ones, between the three was in master class level.

I also loved the bond between the band mates, them and Chung Ah, and the grandmother/grandson.

I know the plotholes are simply too many to count, but I want to mention the ones that were the most unpalatable to me, taking me completely out of the show, would have dropped the show because of these at ep 8 if the two boys were even one percent less perfect in their roles.

No.1: I'm absolutely sure that it is impossible for two 18 year olds from 2023 not to immediately catch on to each other in 1995. And I mean immediately!
Language, mannerisms, the need and habit for technology. Especially with one as impulsive as Eun Gyul, and the other one as careless as Eun Yoo.
It is impossible for teens having been born after 2000 to never ever mention anything related to internet and smart phones. They should had had many many slip-ups, showed many many frustrations. And the slip ups could be hurriedly misdirected if there was only one of them in the past, but with two of them?? The other one should have immediately caught them! Not to mention both of them were so careless that at least 4 of the characters should have caught them by ep 10!

No.2: Chung Ah instinctively reaching for a phone on more than one occasion. That is simply, emphatically, impossible for a girl having been born deaf and living with it for 18 years. And the thing that made me even more frustrated was that in the beginning it is like she has been forced to live by lip reading her whole life, later the more the friends try to communicate with her the more she reverts in this. In the end it is like she doesn't understand anything by lip reading.

No. 3: The show's terribly washed out, blurry, and dark (even in midday outside scenes!) filter. It was terrible. I kept wishing it were brighter, sharper, and more vibrant at literally every scene. How much more beautiful the emotional scenes would have been if the show had some sense of visual. I had rewatched Scent of a Woman a few days before, where you can even count the number of browns in Lee Dong Wook's hair. Who decided washed out means pretty in the past decade? Fire them.

There are a million...

I found this to be an enjoyable series. Even though it is based on Back To The Future, it wove in additional plots to fill the number of episodes. I found my wife was teary eyed the first 2 episodes and then the last 2 episodes.

Maybe they could have dialed back some scenes and added more on how Yi-Chan and Chung-ah dealt with his deafness and how they handled her going to the US. Did he eventually follow her?

The biggest surprise for me was seeing Yi-Chan in a Calgary Flames sweater. Number 3 - Phaneuf. Wow.... that was a deep dive there and very enjoyable. They played the opening chords to Viva La Vida from Coldplay as incidental music throughout the series and I was hoping they would actually play at least part of the song during the credits/outtakes at the end.