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Bad Guy: Episode 17 (Final)

Here we are, the finale! I thought it was better than Episode 16, but frankly that isn’t saying much. At least 16 was entertaining and off-the-wall. This episode, as the wrap-up, was more puzzling.

I know there was a three-episode cut-down and all that scheduling madness. HOWEVER, the drama finished filming two weeks before the last episodes aired. In the world of the live-shoot production system, that is a luxurious timespan with which to work some post-production magic. Or, you know, throw up your hands in defeat and give up.

SONG OF THE DAY

Bad Guy OST – “웃지마 울지마” (Don’t laugh, don’t cry) by 4Men, Jang Hye-jin
[ Download ]

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FINAL EPISODE RECAP

At the psych ward, Jae-in and Tae-sung find Gun-wook’s room empty, so they split up and scour the grounds for him — where, we must note, every single psych-ward extra plays up the I’M CRAZY act like they’re auditioning for a Park Chan-wook movie. Or maybe they were just trying to one-up Gun-wook. Cringes all around.

In Madam Shin’s office, a perfectly sane-looking Gun-wook sits in her chair, his back to her. Rain pounds the windows and lightning gives an eerie strobe effect to the room, which is lit in a blood-washed tint. But when she whirls the chair around to confront the seated figure, he disappears. Poof.

She whirls around — he’s walking away from her. Then he flickers into nonbeing again. Her voice recording starts playing — the one where she gives the veiled kill order — and she is seriously spooked. Is she going mad, or is somebody in possession of a super-elaborate hologram projector? She screams at her invisible tormentor to come out and confront her.

After their unfruitful search at the hospital, Tae-sung drops Jae-in off. He has seemingly come to grips with her choice, assuring her that he won’t come looking for her anymore so she can go and be happy with Gun-wook. I appreciate the maturity, but the writers keep jerking Tae-sung from one extreme to another and it’s jarring. Emotional whiplash.

Jae-in thanks him for his understanding, then hurries away to see Gun-wook. It isn’t until he’s alone that Tae-sung allows himself to drop the smile and feel the blow of losing her.

Assuming Gun-wook has returned home, Jae-in rushes into his apartment excitedly… only to find Tae-ra instead, staring at his Wall of Revenge. For a brief moment we get that “back off from my man” glare so beknownst to the denizens of Jerry Springer, but Tae-ra drops the hauteur when Jae-in reveals that Gun-wook is alive.

Tae-ra registers Jae-in’s disappointment that Gun-wook didn’t recognize her, and guesses that they were closer than she thought. She also makes a few mental connections and asks if she and Gun-wook were in it together to ensnare members of the Hong family. (No, alas, that was PURE COINCIDENCE.) [Just like my hatred of these last two episodes. Pure coincidence. -GF]

Tae-ra accuses Jae-in of breaking up with Tae-sung because he’s no longer the president’s blood son, but that’s news to Jae-in, who hadn’t known this latest development. She answers that it doesn’t matter to her — what matters is that she wants the person for himself, which is why she can’t be with Tae-sung.

Can we take a moment to mourn for Tae-sung, who eats alone at home that evening? Solitary eating can be such a powerfully sad image in dramas (it comes in just below the crying-into-food imagery on the Pathetic-o-Meter — which, we might note, Tae-sung has also done). After Jae-in leaves, all Tae-sung has left of her is the packed food she had made for Gun-wook.

Always a step behind everybody else, the two cops arrive at the mental ward recently vacated by Gun-wook. At least they make up for it with one discovery: a small gadget is affixed to a wall-mounted speaker, which appears to be a video camera in disguise.

Gun-wook has reportedly been transferred to another hospital, and the nurse hands over an envelope left behind by Gun-wook’s guarantor for the cops. Opening it, they find a voice recording device. Lucky for these two that the clues keep falling into their laps, eh?

We don’t hear the contents, but the evidence is strong enough to arrest Madam Shin for ordering Gun-wook’s murder.

Unsurprisingly, she is hardly cooperative during the interrogation and answers questions with “Ask my lawyer.” This leads to the unintentionally hilarious exchange whereby she scoffs that he’s asking questions he knows the answers to, and he demands that she answer them anyway, growling, “Shin Myung-hwa-sshi! Give me your name!” Oh, lulz.

Tae-ra watches anxiously as her mother, joined by her lawyer, is questioned by the police. Super pet peeve: Upon the lawyer’s exit from the room, Tae-ra asks for a status update and the lawyer says, IN FRONT OF A COP, “The evidence is pretty clear so she doesn’t have much room to make excuses.” WTF, lawyer? [Thankfully, the cops are equally stupid, so it’s a wash. -GF]

As Gun-wook is alive, Madam Shin won’t be facing the worst-case legal scenario, though it wasn’t for want of trying on her part. It strikes me that for such a rich and powerful woman, Madam Shin sure has trouble hiring minions who can do their jobs properly.

Tae-sung enters, in shock at the news that Madam Shin tried to kill Gun-wook. He learns that Gun-wook presented proof against her and grows angry, growling that he’ll have to meet him. (So confused at all the weird emotions. So… Gun-wook was just supposed to let her get away with trying to killing him?)

Gun-wook’s partner meets with Secretary Kim. The two speak frankly about Gun-wook’s Ultimate Plan, indicating that they are in cahoots. We aren’t told how long Secretary Kim has been working with them, but it appears to be a recent partnership.

The partner says how Gun-wook had been surprised to find that Tae-sung was as much a victim in this as he was, and says that “one person” has caused quite a lot of grief for everyone. It has the ominous ring of a Madam Shin takedown, or so we can hope.

Infuriated that Gun-wook is responsible for Madam Shin’s arrest (though I’d put the blame on the one who committed the crime, myself…), Tae-sung arrives at Gun-wook’s apartment and bangs on the door. Inside, guess who’s perfectly healthy and sane? So much for the insanity act being real. [Aaaaaaaaaargh! -GF]

Gun-wook ignores Tae-sung’s shouts and looks enigmatically at his lighter, then burns more stuff. Wait, did he steal this lighter back from Madam Shin? How… and when?

Gun-wook narrates resolutely as though addressing Tae-sung: “Even if the life you hated till now is a lie, it changes nothing. The hurt you caused someone while living recklessly doesn’t get erased. Is that unfair? It can’t be helped. That’s you, and that’s me.”

Madam Shin is tried for her crime, and here’s the gist of her cross-examination::

Prosecutor: “Did you order Gun-wook killed?”
Madam Shin: “Nope. Never.”
Prosecutor: “Really? For sure?”
Madam Shin: “Yup.”
Defense lawyer: “The defendant didn’t order a hit.”
Madam Shin: “Why would I? My life is great. He could have been my son. I deny everything.”

(Worst trial ever.)

Next, the recording sent to the cops is submitted as evidence. Now we hear its contents — it’s taken from the scene where she ordered Secretary Kim to take care of Gun-wook, who should have been offed twenty years, and threatens that she is not a patient woman.

Madam Shin is unruffled because the tape isn’t actually that damning — I mean, it implies things, but it’s not conclusive proof. She calmly identifies the voice as hers, but says she never ordered Gun-wook killed. She spoke out of anger, and points out that people say “I’m gonna die” all the time and don’t actually mean to drop dead. You know the prosecution sucks when Madam Shin is the one making the most sense in the courtroom.

She even keeps her cool when Secretary Kim testifies against her and reveals that after getting the order, he had instead warned Gun-wook of what she was planning. (Ah, this explains how he was able to ride with him in the ambulance to the hospital, then act as his guarantor.)

However, one more witness is brought in, and this ruffles her composure. He’s the hit man ordered to kill Gun-wook the third time (or is it fourth?), and he confesses under pressure. After the previous attempt failed, he was ordered to kill Gun-wook.

Clearly she hadn’t anticipated yet another trusted employee turning on her, and she loses it. She shrieks, in her nails-on-a-chalkboard screech, “When did I say that?!” She starts babbling about a setup, insisting that this is a trap and that she has no idea who the guy is.

However, that’s not all: More evidence is submitted, this time a video. Now we see what the hidden devices were for (keen eyes will have noticed a glimpse of this device in Madam Shin’s office as well). The clip shows Madam Shin’s paranoid rant from the top of the episode, where she screams at an invisible Gun-wook about how she should have had him taken out twenty years ago.

Madam Shin shrills at the court that she didn’t kill anyone, but her desperate reaction is pretty damning. After she has regained her composure, she gives her last statement, taking the martyr’s stance that she’ll endure all this to get to the bottom of the mess. You and OJ both.

Now it’s Jae-in’s turn to lose her mind. Just as Madam Shin says she had no reason to kill the boy she once treated as a son, Jae-in stands up IN THE MIDDLE OF COURT and starts screaming that Madam Shin is a lying horrible murderer who ruined Gun-wook’s life and stole away his family. She’s dragged away by the bailiff.

Outside, Old Cop comes up to Jae-in to give her the recorder containing the evidence, explaining that there was additional material on it. Gun-wook’s message says, “Moon Jae-in, are you listening? This is the truth of the world you longed for. What will you do now? You choose. I’ll always be in the same place.”

Having lost her case in this alternate universe where conspiracy-to-commit-murder crimes are tried in a single day, Madam Shin is loaded onto the prison bus. She turns to address Gun-wook, who is watching nearby, and asks how he feels after messing with his father and sister — and reveals that yes, he’s the real Tae-sung.

Explaining that she’d kicked out the true child and brought in the fake, she taunts him with the truth that he lost everything for himself. She smirks, “I won.”

This delivers a huge blow to Gun-wook, as well as Tae-ra, who has overheard. The housekeeper now turns to face him, addressing him as “Young Master,” apologizing for not telling him earlier.

Tae-ra has such a shock at this news that I wondered if she was somehow unaware of her own paternity and thought she and Gun-wook were full siblings. (Gah, this drama has too many birth secrets.) It turns out she does know they’re not related, but her reaction makes me think wistfully of the awesomely dark drama we might have had if they’d actually gone there and made them blood siblings. Oh, Bad Guy, you leave me with so many what-ifs.

With this revelation comes the knowledge that Gun-wook destroyed his own family, and he finds his father. President Hong is conscious and aware, but still recovering and unable to speak as Gun-wook breaks down clutching his hand. Although he’s mostly reacting in remorse, I have to believe there’s a tiny bit of relief mixed in at finally reuniting with his father. [Such a waste of a potentially interesting relationship. -GF]

The two longtime servants muse over the grievous sin they’ve committed against Gun-wook. Secretary Kim explains the reason for his defection from Madam Shin’s ranks, relating how he lost his wife to illness during the time he was serving prison time after taking the fall for the president. When he was released, the president expressed no interest or care about the wife.

That had shattered Kim’s illusions and his unwavering loyalty to Haeshin, and afterward he sought out Gun-wook’s dead parents (and cared for their graves) in an attempt to ease his guilty conscience.

Tae-sung submits his resignation letter to Tae-ra, who tries to talk him out of it. He answers that he wants to live on his own now: “And if I come to work for Haeshin, I’ll come on my own merit. I want to live not because I’m somebody’s son but just as myself.”

He’s come a long way, hasn’t he? Now he acts the part of concerned brother, explaining that at least she and Gun-wook aren’t related. Therefore, he advises her not to agonize too much about it.

With a smile, Tae-ra asks for a hug, and I wonder if it’s a first for them. He’s always been the troublemaking rebel, and she’s always been the censuring older sister who took her parents’ side. Funny how Tae-sung is acting the part of son and brother now, after realizing he’s not their blood relation.

Tae-sung guesses that Tae-ra still cares for Gun-wook and urges her to protect her relationship with him. That prodding is enough to send her to Gun-wook’s apartment, where she finds him on the ground, lost in a daze.

She tells him that she’ll call him by the name Shim Gun-wook for the last time today, as they still have some things to settle. First of all, she doesn’t regret meeting him — she felt thrilled and excited for the first time in a long time. Even though she knew he wasn’t being honest about his interest in Mo-nae, she couldn’t help falling for him.

He falls over, and she rushes to his side. Seeing that he was clutching an old family photo — back when he was part of the Hong family — Tae-ra makes a keen insight, that this all (the revenge plan) was his way of returning to the family. Did he miss it so much?

She confesses that she had a tough time after he was kicked out of the family, and even though she knew it wasn’t his fault, she had felt betrayed by the young Gun-wook. She apologizes for that, and adds that perhaps that thought might be a comfort to him now. Tae-ra’s voice starts wavering with emotion as she says she’ll try to call him Tae-sung.

Tae-ra returns to the auditorium, where she imagines the spirit of the young Tae-sung greeting her enthusiastically. She kneels down and hugs him, and says sorry. The boy cheerily tells her it’s okay.

(Is this whole family prone to hallucinating now? These fantasy bits can be quite evocative when used sparingly… but Little Tae-sung has made an appearance in multiple people’s imaginations now, which would be more apropos were he a paranormal specter and not a metaphorical device.)

Tae-sung interrupts Jae-in’s lunch to tell her to be with Gun-wook now, because he’s bound to be in a lot of pain with the discovery that he was the real Tae-sung all along.

Shocked, Jae-in heads to Gun-wook’s apartment right away, just as Gun-wook takes out a gun. He contemplates it for long moments before lifting it to his temple… which is when Jae-in bursts in.

Quickly, he tosses the gun aside. She approaches silently and puts her arms around him. She speaks consolingly, saying that she understands that he must be feeling upset after harboring his revenge plans for so long.

Gun-wook starts to protest, but emotion wracks his voice and he can barely get the words out. Jae-in says that the family can forgive him, then takes his hand to turn him around to face her. She introduces herself as though this is their first meeting and they’re starting afresh, and prods him to introduce himself as Hong Tae-sung. He struggles, but gets the words out.

Jae-in holds him, and they share a moment as the embrace turns into a kiss. Which is when Mo-nae, back from the States and wearing a peeved expression on her face, arrives at the apartment.

Mo-nae lets herself in, further incensed at the sight of YET another woman making out with Gun-wook. Quickly, she turns and goes without being seen.

(Does nobody in this drama lock their doors, either? Have they been watching Personal Taste? ‘Twould save everyone a lot of grief, is all I’m sayin’.)

Mo-nae waits outside in the shadows, biding her time until the opening presents itself. Jae-in invites her sister over and leaves the apartment to meet her in the street, which is when Mo-nae lets herself in. Gun-wook isn’t in sight so she looks around, further pissed off to see that photo of Jae-in and Gun-wook. So much pain hath that Polaroid wrought.

And then, she sees the gun on the ground and picks it up.

When Gun-wook enters the room, Mo-nae points the gun at Gun-wook and blames him for wrecking her family. All her earlier bitterness of being passed up for her sister is multiplied by her fury at hearing about her family’s misfortunes and the knowledge that Gun-wook was behind it all.

Mo-nae makes her accusations, which are all fairly on the mark, her voice shaking with rage as Gun-wook tries to calm her down. He takes a few steps toward her, but she shrilly yells for him to stay away. How dare he even use her name?

She blames him for making her this way — she’d been happy before — and shrieks, “I wish you were dead!”

She fires the gun.

Out in the street, unaware of any trouble, Jae-in greets her sister. As they chat, Won-in expresses her approval of the match, saying how much better this is than Gun-wook and his rope.

In a bit of dramatic irony, she points out that his rope would have taken him to heaven, which would imply death. Little does she know how prescient that sentiment actually is.

Gun-wook’s not dead, though, and when we return to the scene at the apartment, both parties are still standing in their original positions. Mo-nae looks startled with herself at the gunshot, but when Gun-wook starts to approach her again, she gets all worked up again and keeps the gun fixed on him.

Gun-wook speaks to her gently with a hint of a smile and says, “I’m sorry.” He asks her to call him oppa just once, like old times, but she refuses — he’s nothing to her now.

Finally, Mo-nae lowers the gun and drops it on the ground, the fight sapped out of her. She leaves quickly…

And it’s only now that the camera pans down and reveals to us that he’s been shot. Ahhh!

He falls to the ground and holds his bleeding side, but for some reason he doesn’t call for help. He’s fixated on the gun and grabs a towel to wrap it in, intent on getting rid of the evidence.

Staggering to his feet, Gun-wook leaves the apartment, headed for god knows where, doing his best to stay upright while keeping the gun hidden. He attracts some curious stares but nobody intervenes.

Jae-in goes grocery shopping with her sister, intending to make Gun-wook that home cooking he loves so much. They figure that he must have stepped out on an errand and wait for him to return, but the night grows long.

Finally, Jae-in spots a hand-written note, which says that his adoptive parents from the U.S. called him about an urgent matter, which she interprets to mean that he dashed out on a last-minute trip to the States.

All the while, Gun-wook continues to stagger in the streets until the camera blurs and fades out, denying us confirmation of his whereabouts.

When we fade back in, it’s some unspecified time later. President Hong sits with his daughter, able to speak now, and asks about Tae-sung. She answers that both are doing well, assuring him that “that child” will return someday. He muses that he’d like to bring the whole family together for a nice meal when that happens.

Tae-ra receives a box in the mail, which she opens to find a care package. The note is addressed to So-dam, but the contents are meant for Tae-ra — a DVD of Dirty Dancing, for example, recalls her memory of her long-ago day of playing hooky. The note tells So-dam to smile a lot in front of her mother and is signed from “So-dam’s loving uncle.”

In Jae-in’s apartment, a crane falls as she walks by — it’s the one she found that day in Jeju, upon which Gun-wook had written the names of the Hongs and described them as “family.” Underneath that he’s added “Jae-in, Won-in” and a non-word that seems like he was about to write “family” but cut out one character short.

Won-in brings in a care package from the mail, and this one contains a glass mask, similar to the one Ryu-sensei had made. [One-of-a-kind my ASS! -GF] A note reads:

“How would the world look out of the eyes of the one you loved? Jae-in-ah… I’ve had that thought. If I look at the world through a different gaze, how would it be? Jae-in… how are you? You have to be happy no matter what. If you look at my world through those eyes… I’ll be able to laugh, too. Now, won’t you look at my world instead of me?”

Excited at this indication that Gun-wook is back (clearly she read the note without actually READING the note), Jae-in rushes to his apartment — but it’s empty.

Apparently justice is swift but short in this universe, because Madam Shin is let out and resumes her place in Haeshin Group. Tae-ra takes over, while Tae-sung appears to be traveling on his own, and Mo-nae continues her dilettante lifestyle of yoga lessons and spa treatments.

Meanwhile, Jae-in thinks over Gun-wook’s note, which ends with the words that began this journey: “In the complete darkness of night, it’s hard to tell which is the sky and which is land, and whether the light is fire or stars. Where is it I’m going? Is it heaven? Or is it hell?”

And then! A body is found by the water: Gun-wook.

As Jae-in wanders by the police station, she misses the notice posted directly behind her, which is an announcement of a dead body bearing Gun-wook’s resemblance, replete with back scar, asking for people to help them identify it.

Jae-in wonders, “Gun-wook, where are you? Is the world you’re looking at happy now?”

THE END

 
Bad Guy OST – “어디에” (Where) by Mi (美) [ Download ]

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JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

WTF, finale?

First, the things that don’t make sense (and there are many):

For instance, the lighter. Gun-wook got that back how? I’m sure there are ways to fanwank this so that it’s technically possible for him to have gotten the lighter back from Madam Shin’s possession, but it doesn’t fit with what we’re shown. It’s a tiny detail, but when you take lots of little details and add them up, the plot logic of everything starts teetering.

Let’s even say we forget the lighter. What about that crane? Jae-in has had it in her possession since the day she found it in Jeju Island, only now it bears her name and Won-in with “famil–” written on it? When did Gun-wook steal the crane, open it up, add to the note, fold it back up, and return it to its place? I don’t doubt that there’s a way to fit this into the technical timeline, but it was clearly done for dramatic impact without considering all the pieces fitting into the overall logic.

What about Madam Shin’s hallucinations? Was she really just suffering from guilty conscience? I don’t buy that she HAS one, so while her mental breakdown is greatly satisfying to watch, I find it out of character. I read a Korean blog that was greatly disgruntled with this point, having thought (and hoped) that perhaps Gun-wook was medicating Madam Shin’s water or some such with the aid of the maid, which would have been great.

Also, it’s ridiculous how she keeps killing people to clean up after herself, which requires more killing, which turns into this whole mad cycle. There’s a Mad TV sketch where a character kills a pet by accident, but is seen by the postman at the door, so he kills the postman to keep him quiet, and then a neighbor comes by and sees the dead postman so he kills the neighbor too, until there’s a ridiculous pile of bodies heaped at the front door.

One murder, chilling. Two murders, probably still chilling. But when murder becomes her go-to solution for managing a problem, it becomes laughable.

Watching Bad Guy is like looking at a piece of lace. At a distance, you’re not quite sure what the pattern is but it looks pretty enough. But then you get up close and realize those are huge honkin’ (plot) HOLES, not lacework.

All that aside, however, my biggest beef is that NOBODY GOT WHAT THEY DESERVED.

I guess Gun-wook let himself die because it was more important to clear his little sister of the shooting, but why didn’t he go for help? The fact that he doesn’t try — and it must have been a survivable wound if he was able to walk all the way to the river — suggests that he was ready to go. Maybe this is the punishment he said he would accept “later,” after his revenge was meted out.

Only, I’ll contend that Gun-wook hasn’t actually done anything deserving karmic retribution. In fact, I recall griping that he’s hardly a bad guy at all, because he didn’t do anything that illegal. He uncovered the Haeshin Group’s corruption and Tae-kyun ended up dying, but it was Tae-kyun’s own behavior that got himself killed — he was the one conducting shady deals, and he was the one drunk driving.

Even if we were arguing karmic retribution, the drama is woefully inconsistent on this score, because Madam Shin gets out of prison in a matter of days. (Perhaps weeks, but if Gun-wook mailed his care packages before dying and they were delivered after Madam Shin was released, we’re talking a very short time.) And Mo-nae must have seen that Gun-wook was shot — so she just gets away with murder? She ends the drama blithely indulging in luxurious activities while Gun-wook’s body lays unclaimed and moldering?

HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE. WHAT IN THE HELL. WHY DID I WATCH YOU.

Perhaps one could argue that that was the point, that revenge plots will result in your own downfall. (And murder plots won’t?) So then Bad Guy becomes this exercise in futility, because Gun-wook’s life served no purpose and the ones who created so much misery and stomped on people like bugs are just going to keep on keepin’ on.

A brief note on the acting. Kim Nam-gil was good. Not brilliant — he unfortunately did not live up to his performance in Queen Seon-deok for me, because his Gun-wook was just so damn enigmatic and impassive all the damn time that I couldn’t connect with him or understand him. Han Ga-in reminds me a lot of Han Ye-seul in Will It Snow For Christmas — that is to say, serviceable at times but really nothing worth particular mention. Jung So-min was a lovely surprise and I’ll look forward to seeing her portray a (hopefully) more enjoyable character in Playful Kiss.

Oh Yeon-soo was the shining star in terms of acting technique, and I’m sorry I haven’t mentioned her before. However, as much as I appreciated her performance, I felt absolutely nothing for her character, so my admiration remains on a purely technical level for her restrained, repressed performance. In contrast, even though she was better than Kim Jae-wook, his character was much better written, and therefore his performance had greater impact for me than hers did, because I felt for Tae-sung. That was a trait missing from everyone else, which may explain why there was so much praise directed his way. Is he a better actor than Kim Nam-gil? I wouldn’t say yes or no — but the alchemy of his performance and his character was stronger, for me.

On the direction, music, and cinematography score, this drama gets an A. Maybe A+. On the story score, I don’t even feel able to score it properly because right now there are not enough letters to do it justice.

 
GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

This whole final episode was one big steaming pile of crap. I hated it with the fire of a thousand suns. With a cherry on top.

Dear writer: you took seventeen episodes to tell us that the rich stay rich and the struggling middle class DIE, people who have money can get away with murder, and that blood purity somehow washes away all sins. Yeah. Hitler thought that too. If you wanted me to be bitter and angry about the human condition, you should have set up your drama to, oh, I don’t know…BE a dark and insightful commentary on the human condition. If I hadn’t donated my heart to science to pay for my overpriced education, I’d have shed a tear.

For the sake of my fragile sanity, I’m going with: Gun-wook died twenty years ago that rainy night along with his dog, and Ghost of Gun-wook has been haunting us ever since. Think about it. It totally works. Yeah. I’m done.

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I came across this interesting review for the last episode of Bad Guy and really wanted to share it here:

"Bad Man" - Final episode (SBS TV, 9:55 PM)

"Where am I heading toward -- heaven or hell?" The narration, spoken by character Gun-wook (played by Kim Nam-gil) as he fell into the water in the first episode, was repeated at the last moment of his life which eventually ended with a suicide. However, the person who ruled the world of "Bad Man" was actually Lady Shin (played by Kim Hye-ok), not Gun-wook. Lady Shin was the first and last person who set it up so that Gun-wook's life would solely be focused on revenge, and the mirror who reflects the twisted world inside "Bad Man" as it is. The moment she says, "It is me who won" as the trial ends and lets viewers know that Gun-wook is really the character 'Hong Tae-sung', Gun-wook's 'revenge fantasy' -- which had been made up of artificial things, or 'images' -- is shattered in that one moment. Perhaps he had already died at that moment, before he was shot by Monet (played by Jeong So-min)'s gun and left to take his own life. Jae-in (played by Han Ga-in) came to Gun-wook too late to save him from the scar that had long ago been formed in Gun-wook and from the emotional hurt that wounded him deeper than the scar.

The premiere episode of "Bad Man", which ended with Gun-wook slowly falling into the water after looking as if he had descended from the sky, was a preview of the entire series. Claiming that he was going to find his 'real self', Gun-wook suddenly appeared on the scene one day, started his revenge by captivating everyone and was destructed by one single person who had known his true identity. The excessive amount of images and symbols, comparisons and metaphors which had been shown during the hours of his revenge have also hidden behind a glass mask, which is almost visible yet invisible. All that is left is the emptiness felt by people who ended up losing Gun-wook. Thus the tragic death of this man, about whom almost everything is unknown, is quite suitable to be the ending of "Bad Man" as all that was left of the show were images and no drama. Where did Gun-wook, who charmed everyone but ended up destroying himself, head toward -- heaven or hell?

- Written by Yoonina (TV critic)

Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@

Source : http://www.hancinema.net/review-tv-series-bad-man--final-episode-24577.html

This link has other viewers’ opinions about BG drama and the acting side too.

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yup, that's an interesting review. reading it somehow lightens up how i feel about the ending. and thanks for the link.. comments there are generally much more positive.

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Thanks

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this finale episode is one of the WORST I've ever seen... too bad because when I started watching this drama I really liked it and I tingle with anticipation each week... But this ending killed everything for me... Not even the hotness of KNG and KJW can make me watch this again...I just feel cheated!!! Maybe the cut did it but sad to say, my respect for the writers and PD have totally gone pooof... tsk tsk tsk they should have made the wrap up better...they ruined the drama.....totally ridiculous ending with a lot of loopholes... i wasted 17 hours of my life watching this... oh well....

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hey guys
i watched bad guy ep 17 last week with a friend
and really this was the worst disappointing episode ever
there were some highlights with mrs shim being taken to court and her acting all noble and petty
but that the twist
gun wook is the real hon tae sung
and that tae ra was having some sort of incestuos relationship, comon guys im sick on this incest shit
really
writers you can do better
and why does gun wook walk around aimlessly when he is dying
a moment a go he was with jae in and they reconciled before he was about to commit suicide and later he is okay to let monet to kill him
really
and he decides to clean the gun to protect his true family
oh wow
but he could of got help or something but no he goes to somewhere that no one can help so he can leave the world as if wasn't there to begin with 20 years ago
how sad was that
lots of things didn't add up
like the boxes of gifts he sent later
was it something he planned before he was about to commit suicide
and what about the two butlers talking among themselves that they should have done better
they could have stopped this madness but just did nothing
in the end all the hae shin family were fine
monet stills goes shopping carelessly
tae ra is now happy
mrs shin is released and gets to see her daughter overtake the haeshin group

this has so many gaps in the show and felt the last ep did not conclude anything
yes this is a noir drama
but it didn't feel like it ended
that night after watching it
i couldn't sleep at all
the ending was f up
i wish they could have done something better

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crazy ending.......hahahah.....

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What a great recap!
I watched very little of Bad Guy but enjoyed reading all the recaps so thanks!

The small similarity this show has to Hamlet (GW/Hamlet avenging parent(s)' murder by Claudius/Mama Shin) made me wish it had ended that way too. More people had died, and we never know if GW were crazy or not.
I think that would have been satisfying. Especially the crazy thing.
At least then some people would get what was coming to them like Mama Shin (ooh, imagine if, before she died, Mama Shin had tried to kill Gun Wook but accidently killed her husband- like Claudius/Gertrude- that would have been awesome!). Perhaps Jae In could have been our Horatio, and been the one alive at the end. That would have been a nice purpose for her.

But, like both JB and GF, Bad Guy leaves me with many what ifs.
So many.
I didn't even watch it and I am thinking of all these possible what ifs!

Damn you, script writer, I totally would have watched this show for the awesome music and cinematography if not for you.

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Allow me to quote everyone: WTF?!?!?!

I can't believe what a disaster Bad Guy turned out to be! What kind of ending message is that?! o____0 I'm utterly and thoroughly disappointed because this show has been oozing potential from the very beginning. All the what-ifs are making my head hurt right now! The writer/writers totally ruined this show and I'm so pissed because everything else was top notch. ARRRRRGH!!!!

By principle, I believe that a drama can still be good in overall even if things go downhill near the ending e.g. Will It Snow For Christmas. But for a revenge/thriller drama it's imperative that things at least MAKES SENSE in the end especially since this kind of drama creates a bunch of loose ends that it drops along the way. We forgive those loose ends while watching the episodes because we're expecting them to be tied up and explained properly when the finale arrives... so the last couple of episodes are vital to judge this kind of drama as a whole. What a mess... and let's not even mention some of the characters.

I'm just glad it's ended so that the actors, actresses and director can move onto better things. Also, My Girlfriend is a gumiho will be airing this week as a result! Yay to that... definitely need some good laughter after this.

All right, enough of my ranting. Kudos to javabeans and girlfriday for all the recapping work! It's much appreciated as always ^^

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what the heck is that!?! i do know that they need to rush things in order to have an ending but really!!! what the hell happened? the drama for the past episodes have been in the ok level but the last 3 episodes were such a waste in terms of the plotlines and story.

if they wanted to have a different approach for the ending (like to lead to be dead and the villian to win) they should at least have a logically polish way to do it.

my only consolation i guess would be the few actors who managed to tug me with their performances like Oh Yeon-Soo's Tae-ra which she delivered quite well. Jung So-min even as a newbie held on her own. will wait for the playful kiss to see the other side of her And Kim Jae-wook's Tae-sung which i should say the main reason i watched this drama for. He played Tae-sung with so much depth that you cant help but to root for him. i do hope he gets more projects that will explore his acting chops.

all in all its sooooooooooooooooo frustrating and a such disappointment!

now in waiting for My girlfriend is a gumiho and playful kiss, i do hope they wont be as dissappointing as this one.

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Same as Newbie, to answer JB’s Question whether KJW is a better actor than KNG = a definitely NO. For me, KNG had the whole package to bring out his character even though GW was kind of a confusing character. KNG’s acting was plausible and well delivered. The incredible facial expressive, the truly expressive eyes, the unspoken body language (including hand gestures), the expressive and mesmerizing voice make his character come out. Personally, to me KNG’s acting skill went up a notch here compared to his more intriguing and adorable Bidam character.

On other hand KJW, HTS character was the well written one. However, his average acting and expressions I can’t found myself falling or rooting for him. JB word to KNG is my feeling for KJW “he’s good but not brilliant”.

What a disappointing ending.

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Agreed.

I never watch any KNG acting but his acting here is very subtle and mesmerizing. As much as I LOVE KJW but I felt his acting not there yet. Great but not as as excellent. But I love his character.

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I was sooooo pissed that I wasted 17 hours of my youth watching this when it ended with a supersized potion of ratpoo!!! *grr*
and btw WHERE THE HELL DID THOSE PACKEGES COME FROM IF HE IS DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I'm quite frustrated on how the ending was made. But the open ending leave us with so many options.

For me, he is not dead. He is somewhere and just live his life. The package has been sent months later.

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"On other hand KJW, HTS character was the well written one."

I differ from that consensus opinion. Hong Tae Sung was a more conventionally (and necessarily) written character (as was his sister Hong Tae Ra.) HTS followed the K-drama Road to Redemption, that we as K-drama watchers have been conditioned to process, anticipate, and really expect as catharsis for all matter of Chaebol Doing Bad Things. And the show executed all that well, but it worked in order to provide a conventional frame of empathy for the show's cluster bomb plot. You could always feel bad for Hong Tae Sung, because this was never his revenge and through the 2nd half of the show, he became a kind of domesticated pet for Jae-in's indecisive hustle. But, then again, I also really, really liked Jae-in. She was a Bitch too; but unlike the Alpha Bitch, she wasn't willing to go bloody murder for her greed.

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Can I say I'm your fan belleza? I always love your opinions and comments. Please, write a recaps. Like thundie's reviews. Your insight really made my day!

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Dear JB, you've raised a question on whether KJW is a better actor than KNG right? Since you're reluctant to give your answer,I would like to give my opinion on that. Well, first of all, I think KNG was given a more complicated character to deal with than KJW.I guess it would only be fair if I give my answer based on the same kind of scene they had done,which is oddly enough,the solitary eating scene. I think KNG pulled it off a lot better, very touching, don't you think so. Whereas KJW is rather bland.
So, there is my answer JB....only based on that one scene,just to be fair.
I do think KNG is overall better than KJW though.
Thanks for recap, keep up the good work.

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i love kim nam gil.......

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unlike most of you i really enjoyed this drama from beginning to end..the only sad thing i see in some of these posts is that people complain and criticize without actually having watched the full drama but whatever i can't change the way people are but it would be nice for criticisms to actually come from people that put the effort to watch each episode

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nixxochick, I totally agree with you. How can people criticize, complain, giving opinion about acting etc without even watching the whole drama.I mean, if people only watch 1 or 2 episodes or none at all and then decide that this drama is bad or that actor's acting is bad only based on merely a tiny fraction of the drama, it won't be fair to everyone who has put their effort to this drama.

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I watched the whole drama and the ending sucked period.

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Broke my heart, can't forgive, will forget etc.

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i feel like i've been rick-rolled...

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"We've known each other for so long..."

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BY. FAR. THE. WORST. DRAMA. OF. 2010!!!

Only KJW and OYS made me stay on till the end, kudos to these 2 actors for keeping BG afloat..

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Reading this . . . I felt like what I felt when I watched What Happened in Bali. 'Nuff said.

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My comment is super late lol but at least bali's ending made sense. Jae min started to go insane in the middle of the series from his family's abuse,his extreme jealousy towards in-wook and his possessive and crazy love for soojung etc.
He was going to break at any moment so after he thought that soo jung betrayed him to be with inwook that was the last straw and he ended up killing both inwook and soo jung and then himself,and while the ending DID catch me off guard it was not that surprising it ended the way it did.Bad guy otoh was just idiotic and it felt like the writers were belittling the viewer's intelligence.The ending was executed stupidly,written stupidly,and was just overall stupid and made no sense what so ever!I would not even compare the two dramas personally,WHIB made sense from beginning to end,Bad guy didn't!

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If there is one thing I can point out in this drama, it sure has showed how versatile kim nam gil is as an actor. He can be vengeful, seductive, vulnerable, funny, and all in just one drama. He is one truly fine actor.
I love KIM NAM GIL

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JB thanks for your recap!
I enjoyed BG drama overall but was a little disappointed about the not logical ending due to the plot holes. Anyway, I would like to join others to give you my opinion to your question as to whether KJW is a better actor than KNG? Estrella wrote ‘KNG was given a more complicated character to deal to deal with KJW’. In additional, his role was unfortunately not a well written one and that’s why people found GW confusing. In my opinion KNG portrayed GW character brilliantly with very classic acting skills.

Indeed I loved this drama so much that I followed and read nearly all discussions in Dramabeans/Soompi/Vikki. The comments from Soompi & Viikii (excluding JB blog) that I’ve read, I can summed up and answer your question whether KJW is a better actor than KNG ~ More comments are favorable toward KNG brilliant acting. Kudos KNG, a truly shinning star!

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Oh JB, why did you start comparing KNG and KJW....you are going to start a war here.....LOL.
First of all,they're both hot but so different. KNG is more like manly, macho, handsome...and KJW is ..I can't even describe him...but they are different.
As for the acting, I tried to be as objective as possible here....I guess I should go for Kim Nam Gil. You should read Estrella's comment on 61 .
I think if both of them should change roles, KNG will be able to pull of TS character quite well, but there's no way KJW would be able to act as GW and give as strong impression as KNG.

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"my biggest beef is that NOBODY GOT WHAT THEY DESERVED" - Oh Boy, I absoutely agree with you , GF

My biggest grouse is this. I mean I spent 17 hours watching this show, not doing any FF at all. But this ending????

If GW is meant to die, I rather that Jae in discovered that he is being shot by Mo-nae so that Mo-nae has to go to jail while GW die from the shot. & please put mdm shin in mental hospital. Her banshee screams hurts my ears.

At least with such an ending, i can see that the revenge that GW initially wanted is done - that the whole HONG family gets destroyed. 1 Mad, 1 jailed, 1 dead, 1 Paralyzed, 1 divorced, 1 left

Rather than, GW dies alone at some river & the Hong family continue with their rich lifestye??? Geezh, this is like saying doing bad things does not have bad karma.

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oops, Correction - – "Oh Boy, I absoutely agree with you , JB" (not GF).

Sorry for the typo. Too agitated with the finale. Grrrr

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I suddenly feel bad for the writer, PD, LNG and the rest of the crew for having worked 24/7 in the last week before KNG's enlistment just to get the finale done. :/ But still, the ending sucked big time. BOO~

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AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH ! I have always knew knew knew I shouldn't watch this drama. Lol thank god I did not wasted my time with this drama, especially after being so "rick-rolled" by CS few last episodes.

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i saw every episode of this drama and was hopeing that the writers whould not cause the drama to go downhill like this .... i gave up on this drama after 15 but still watched for KNG and a small hope that the ending may be...i dont know...GOOD. overall i loved this drama until episode 15 its music, and cinematography and its actors really drew me into this drama ...

i keep wondering if the show got its full 20 episodes and did not have so many production problems would the ending be better? .....i guess no one will know..

overall Bad Guy was a great drama that just did not know what it wanted to be in the end ....i think i will just forget about episodes 15-17 and just remember when Bad Guy was good ^^ i really enjoyed KNG and also jung so min.

thank you javabeans and girlfriday for recapping Bad Guy ^^ and sticking till the end cheers !

now its time for me to go re watch episodes 1-10

p.s its it true that the body of GW found near the river is that stunt double for KNG?

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started off with mounds of potential.. and, yeah. lol
Grr I watched this finale and serioiusly wanted to wring my eye-balls coz I was uberly disappointed.. Uberly..

oh well, thats a wrap for Bad Guy. it hangs in the air with that Bad Whiff-type drama with a huge What if? hanging over its Badly Executioned Closing Episodes' - head..
MEH.
such a same..it could've, but wasn't because it should've, but Couldn't..

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This drama was so much better than a LOT of other Korean dramas. Yeah there were gaping holes in the story but c'mon that's all part of watching a series that is patched together week by week.
The overall feeling was great and I loved all the tension and the developing characters.
Didn't mind the ending. What were you expecting ........happy families playing on the lawn together?

Now if you want to watch a pile of dog doo doo complete with lame acting, over acting, stupid story and no quality control then go watch Baker King.
No style and every Korean drama cliche in the book.................and it's rating it's butt off.

I'm thankful that the odd Korean dramas like Bad Guy doesn't treat the viewer like a total moron.

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It looks like you are jealous that a hyped drama like BG got its a.. w....ed by an underpromoted drama BKKTG.

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actually, it is BG that treated its viewers like stupid morons - KNG for his over-acting, the director for his stupid directing and the writers for their crappy writing.

so glad this stupid drama is finally over, so now i can watch MGiaG. Go, go, go Shim Mina!

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LOL.

actually the directing as said by JB is brilliant. Not stupid at all.

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If you referring KNG's over acting to the scene in mental institution, I think you have to read the comments made by a med student in psychiatry and some people who had relation/seen mentally ill patients, in the comments for episode 16. KNG was not over acting at all, in fact he could portray a mentally ill person quite precisely. Although it was surely a not so nice scene to watch a crazy person's behavior.

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Probably we should get the writer or the PD to hold a press conference and explain to us what really happened at the ending, and why, what do they mean by all the symbolism and the poetic words.....because nobody seems to understand anything.
They left us in a haze....and it is awful

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I was more than disappointed with the finale. Can someone please kindly post the name of the writer? I need to make a note to myself to NEVER WATCH his/her future work. This is turely the worst of the worst finale. I am so angry at MN (the little princess) who clearly is a daughter of her evil mother. The fact that she did not even know she has killed GW and did not get what she deserved (in jail) has made me so mad at her character....so mad that I don't even wanna watch her face in Playful Kiss.

I know I am thinking irrational. i just have not been able to calm down ever since the finale aired.

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i hate the ep 17 ! haha come on guys we love the other episodes thats why we are so disappointed at the ending.
well when i watch an interview of kim nam gil and he said that he likes to die in all of his drama. i got it my mind that he will die at the end of bad guy. but not in that cruel and lacking ending. and i think its because of his army enlistment. BAD GUY IS SUPPOSED TO BE 2O EPISODES RIGHT WHICH MAKES FANS ANGRY WHEN THEY HEAR THAT IT WILL BE 17 EPISODES. THE ENDING WAS NOT NICE BUT TO THINK OF IT. THATS HOW THE STORY GOES.. well i still love kim nam gil and i will wait for his next project at 2012. ^^ BAD GUY MAKES ME MISS AND WANT HIM TO DO ANOTHER DRAMA . AJA NAM GIL FANS

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I think that might be the WORST finale I've ever heard of. I'm so glad I gave this drama a miss.

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JB and GF, thanks for the recap. 17 episodes and it comes to this!! I liked everything about it except for the last 2 episodes, the worst was the finale which was really disappointing. I thought the actors/actress did a fine job, the cinematography, etc was great too. Why do Kdramas start out so well but end so badly? Argh.... WTH. Oh, and about the acting., I was totally taken in by KNG, I thought he was brillant, but the writing did not do him any justice. Unfortunately he had to work with what he was given.

JB and GF, although episode 17 sucked, your recap was hilarious, and I enjoyed it far better than the finale.

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It would be better if Monae was jailed for killing SGW, it will be a great punishment for her mother. What a very bad ending!!!

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what's with all the KNG and KJW rivalry all of a sudden?
Shouldn't they be in the same team to defend BG?
But If I must choose, I would gladly and without any doubt vote for Kim Nam Gil as the better actor.
He is just awesome.

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thank God i dropped this drama in the middle itself...but Kim Jae Wook is absolutely stunning in this drama for whom i started watching it...

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My oh my...and after all the rantings about the final episode, here comes the time to vote on who is the better actor? and whose fault is that ? well, at least It's a better thing to do than being frustrated about the ending.
I had read some comments about KJW's average if not lacking of facial expression, and I shared the same thoughts. I just couldn't feel the character's feeling through KJW. I don't know,but to me,he is kinda flat and boring
So I have to vote for KNG.
Are you really going to count the vote JB?
Thanks for the nicely done recap.

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i echo u JB.. wtf finale. GF is right the ending is crap! a whole load of them.

i watched till the end & this is wat they came up with as the ending? really? i watched this mostly for KNG & KJW though but still i am reeling..

i bet that if the finale turned out differently other than the crap they showed so many people would be rewatching it..

the real bad guy..in its sense is madam shin. she is evil personified. she is one tough b....

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*sigh* I'm going to pretend the last 3 episodes didn't happen...

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omg, the ending, I know this kind of drama can lead to death of main lead but can they make it more meaningful, not like this?lol

Somehow, I can guess Mo Nae who will be the one who kill GunWook ^.^

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"On the direction, music, and cinematography score, this drama gets an A. Maybe A+."

Yes, in that respect it does deserve an A+, doesn’t it… The last leg was crap, but gorgeous crap. I never tire of the soundtrack especially. Beautiful pieces. But I still love my woobie KJW the best – the only man in the universe who can get away with a center-parting and look beautiful. For me, Tae-sung was always the badass but vulnerable "Bad Guy" of the hour.

And this

[One-of-a-kind my ASS! -GF]

GF, hehe, I admire your powers of observation and acute attention to detail.

Thank you so much JB, and GF, for all the time you must have taken to put together the BG recaps :-D

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Aish. I was trying really hard to like it; I was looking for one redeeming element in this episode, but I couldn't.

Thanks for recapping the whole series, Javabeans and Girlfriday! I would have just dropped it.
P.S. I like your theory better, Girlfriday.

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Agree with #31, hahaha.

Yep Monae inherited her mother's evil genes.
This show wasted 17hours of my life, I didnt get anything out of it. Mostly because of the crap ending.

I think the producer and director + writer ought to shoot themselves in the foot. Even if KNG is not avail, surely the ending could be better?

I am just very disturbed over Monae's seemingly continuation of her good life. Doesnt she enquire about what happen to Gun wook? Doesnt she has any conscience?

I feel really sorry for Jae in and Tae ra both who care for Gun wook but will for the rest of the lives wonder where he is or what happen.

And Taesung suddenly all grown up ready to strike out on his own? Come on, he should have demanded a sum of money for being held hostage against his will for all these years. or sue the Hong family for mental anguish.

Stupid show!!!!

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UGH. BAD FINALE. I don't like how they made Mo Nae shoot him. She's a spoilt girl, but not a gun firing maniac, and it turned the situation into some cliched scene. Tae Sung and Tae Ra grew- a little- and their characters were believable, but what the hell did they do to Mo Nae?! Sigh.

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Well the ost, for me, hands down, without a doubt gets an A+ and is THE best ost of any drama or maybe any television show I have ever heard.

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And I also have a sly suspicion that Gun Wook did not actually die.

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Sorry this has nothing to do with ep17.

To those who are interested to clarify about KNG crazy scenes in ep16 recap. How the ‘insane KNG’ was commented to be over-acting, batshit crazy and over the top etc. Well, fortunately, @ comment 77.2 dramfun99 who’s a health professional in the field of psychiatry, to me has given justice to KNG precise portrayal of a mentally ill patient. Also, comment @66 newbie and @66.1 gakky are worth to have a read too because they’ve actually seen real insane patients.

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Dear Joy, I'm sorry that I hadn't post this sooner. It's an honor that my comment on ep 16 recap was regarded as a means to justify KNG's acting. But I'm not a health professional (not yet) and surely not in the field of psychiatry (might not take my further training in that field cause it's too depressing for me).I'm a med student, and it will take another 1,5 year for me to get my MD degree. I just happened to have finished my 2 months round in psychiatry, so I'm more exposed to mentally ill people. I do think that KNG had quite precisely imitated some of the behavior of a mentally ill patient, and I admire him for having the courage to look bad like that. If that's the case, would you call it over acting or over the top,etc ?.I don't blame those who said that they laughed out loud seeing KNG's acting though, because I myself sometimes found it hard not to laugh seeing those patients bizarre behavior.Hope you're not disappointed that I come clean about this.

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I can't help but feel so sorry for this production... They really were screwed since day 1. *sigh* Which is why I can't be that pissed off about the ending, I knew it was going to be bad with KNG having to go so suddenly, but couldn't they have given us the Gun Wook and Jae In riding into the sunset ending? Eeeesh.

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Kim Jae Wook/Tae-sung is the only reason I still stick to this drama till the very painful end coz I've sensed Bad Guy turning to a Bad Show since from episode 14.

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I'm a bit confused as to why everyone is so mad at the ending. IMHO the ending made perfect sense from everything that was shown in the drama. I also agree with #51 - the review on HANCINEMA; it also occurred to me, in episode 1, how it matches his death scene (i.e. being found in water). These words have been implied all throughout the series. I don't understand why everyone is so shocked.

When Monae shot him, did everyone think he was going to go running to the police telling them, "LOOK WHO SHOT ME?" and completely ruin her life? Knowing he is her real brother, knowing what he has done, and how she feels, why would he do that? He grabs the gun and starts to wipe the prints from it. He's probably trying to dump it somewhere to not incriminate her. As her brother, this is his last sacrifice to her.

GunWook has said in several episodes that in the end he would take the punishment given to him for what he was doing. And, in the end, he received that punishment - realization he ruined his own family. In the end, his love for his family, his remorse for what he did, and his sorrow within himself were too much. Even if Monae had not shot him, he probably would not be able to live with himself - that was implied when he raised the gun to his head. A happy ending was never in the cards for him.

Why wouldn't Monae go on as if nothing happened? Of course she goes on not caring she killed someone, she doesn't know he's dead - nor does anyone else. He was talking to her just fine after he was shot. Wouldn't a sane person call 911 and get some help? Then again, no sane person would go looking for someone they shot either. Jail anyone?

As for the packages arriving after his death. His sidekick could have sent those after the end of the trial, or, if he had those already paid for and then timed to be mailed. This is just like people who pay for flowers to be delivered every year to a grave or to a person.

I didn't see the lighter so I don't get how that comes into play. Fire is fire - does it only come from the gold lighter?? LOL

Yes, the rich and powerful get away with everything. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't this actually happen in real life (HELLO O.J.!). Again - why is everyone shocked??

All-in-all, while it missed some holes, I liked this series. I thought the end was a little rushed but overall I was satisfied with the way it worked out.

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i beg to differ with the many commentaries that suggested that the ending was horrible. yes, indeed. it wasn't the conventional we-are-all-happy-and-we-have-realized-our-crimes/mistakes kinda ending, but we have to realized how real life is equally unfair - ie. the rich may (and i must emphasize "may") get away with various crimes and some are even wealthy enough to pave their way through societies and the very laws that govern them. and think about it another way, perhaps those who lived (eg. mdm shin & mo nae) would lead a life far worst than gun wook who died. these evil creature(s) (eg. mdm shin) would have to live through judgments passed by other people who are aware of their wrongdoings and worst yet, they are living in constant fear/guilt (not that we can be certain that mdm shin has one).

however, i do agree that there are a whole lot of loopholes and unanswered questions in this drama. despite its could-have-done-better-ending, closing an eye, i would say this drama is worth watching. so to newbies who have yet explored this drama, fret not! you should not be deterred from watching 'cos of its ending! the worth of a drama definitely goes beyond that~ (:

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