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Myung-wol the Spy: Episode 18 (Final)

Oh, Myung-wol. It saddens me to think of the drama you could’ve been, when you were at the height of funny. You were quirky and offbeat and something new, and the possibilities were endless. But you caved to some of the laziest writing and directing known to man, and worst of all, you lost your quirky charm, your sense of fun, what made you… you. Despite it all I held out hope for a good ending… because I’m a glutton for punishment that way. What say you, one good episode, for old times’ sake? Why do I feel like I’m about to regret asking?

 
FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Kang-woo finds Myung-wol in the cave and tells her that he can’t live without her. Heaven or hell, he won’t let her go, and if they die, they die together. She still refuses (after that?) telling him that she doesn’t have it in her to stay here with him.

She tries to walk away but he backhugs her and asks if she’ll let him stay with her on her last night here. It’s a last-ditch effort, but he says if she leaves, he’ll never get to see her again.

Meanwhile, outside the cave, Ryu fights off Chairman Joo’s minions who have come after them, and finds In-ah hiding, having followed Kang-woo. He gruffly walks her down the mountain grumbling at her for coming up here, and finally snaps off her heels when she starts complaining.

He asks why she came, and she confesses that she was worried about him. He asks how much she knows, and by her evasive look, he can tell she knows everything about who he is. He asks why she’s still here then, if she knows.

In-ah: “Because I like you! You don’t know women. That’s why you’re always getting dumped.” Haha. One point for the princess. She adds, “You only see the woman you like. You can’t see the woman who likes you, can you?”

She asks him to turn himself in, but he tells her not to like someone like him. He apologizes and tells her that he can’t accept her feelings. She starts to cry and he’s startled by her tears, perhaps not realizing that she was serious until that moment. Aw, I actually feel bad for In-ah. (I know!)

She goes home and cries, and he contemplates the scarf she had given him to wrap around his knife wound the night before.

Back at spy central, Dae-kang rushes over to tell Hee-bok the big news that Myung-wol is a spy. He then deduces that Ok-soon must be a spy as well, since they’re mother-daughter. Eyes wide, he yells, “You were conned into your marriage!”

Hee-bok pretends to faint at the news, and wonders if he should just turn them in for the reward money, since no one suspects him. Sure, there’s no way that plan will backfire on you.

In the cave, Kang-woo leans on Myung-wol’s shoulder and they sit by the fire. He reminisces about their first meeting, and she’s surprised to hear that he knows it was in Singapore, when she chased him down for an autograph pretending to be the crazy fangirl.

He asks if she won’t run away with him, to somewhere where they won’t be recognized or found. That’s what I’m sayin’! But she refuses, asking why he should have to give up everything in his life for her.

She says that she won’t be happy that way, and has decided to think of it all – her being born in the north, falling in love with a man from the south, their having to part like this – as fate.

And she adds that if they’re fated to be, they’ll meet again. But… that’s… so passive and lame. Guh.

She wakes up the next morning and comes out to meet Ryu and asks why he led Kang-woo here. He asks if she wants to change her mind there’s still time…

She tells him that either way she’ll regret it. But she’d rather regret it alone than to watch Kang-woo suffer as well, and says that she’ll carry that pain on her own. Sigh. I’m not even going to argue with you anymore. Go ahead and be alone with your pain. I hope you have a lovely life together, you and PAIN.

Kang-woo wakes up alone and finds Myung-wol’s ring sitting next to him. He comes out of the cave and shouts her name over and over, breaking my heart. She stops when she hears him, but keeps going forward with determination.

They stop in to say goodbye to the spy parents, and Hee-bok sends Ryu off with worries over their well-being, and they thank each other for everything. And then Ok-soon cooks for Myung-wol, wanting once to make her food like a real mom.

With tears, Myung-wol thanks them for being like her real parents, and Ok-soon in turn thanks her for being her daughter when all she ever really wanted was a family of her own. Aw, can’t you guys stay and be a fam-uh-ly? *sniff*

Ryu waits at the dock for Myung-wol to arrive, and she manages to evade the NSA agents, but someone chloroforms her and grabs her just before she can get to Ryu. Chairman Joo gets the call that they’ve succeeded in nabbing her.

Ryu panics and heads to Kang-woo’s, searching for Myung-wol. Kang-woo hasn’t seen her either and then both boys start panicking. Just then, Kang-woo gets the call from Chairman Joo. He has Myung-wol, and he’ll kill her if he doesn’t get two things: the evidence of his involvement in his father’s murder, and Ryu’s file on the decoded books.

In-ah happens to overhear the phone call, and is appalled to find out just how scary Grandpa really is. Um… the house full of minions clad in minion-wear didn’t tip you off?

She can’t believe that he killed Kang-woo’s father and is threatening to kill Myung-wol, and insists that there’s time for him to back out now. But of course he’s way too far gone to do that, and orders the minions to lock her up in her tower.

Kang-woo contemplates the deal, and decides that he’ll do as Chairman Joo asks. Ryu says that there’s no guarantee that he’ll do as he promised, and offers his help – they’ll rescue her together. Aw, team-up! It sure took an awful long time for you guys to give in to the bromance.

Meanwhile Hee-bok heads to the police station, ready to turn Ok-soon in for a bundle of cash, but he catches sight of a pretty lady who reminds him of Ok-soon, and turns back around.

On his way out, he runs into Ok-soon who’s here attempting to do the same thing. They both accuse each other of betrayal, and then both confess that they couldn’t do it. They decide to go surrender together, holding hands. Aw.

Kang-woo meets Chairman Joo and hands over his last bit of evidence in his dad’s murder, in exchange for Myung-wol’s location. He decides he’s going to trust Joo one last time. Hello, mistake!

Sure enough, as soon as Chairman Joo gets what he wants, he sends his minions to beat Kang-woo, and sends Ryu to the wrong location, and straight into a trap.

Kang-woo takes out the file that Ryu had given him. It contains the books’ contents as well as a record of all of Chairman Joo’s misdeeds, that he entrusted to Kang-woo.

Ryu asked him to take it to the NSA in exchange for Myung-wol’s freedom. It was the last thing he could do for her, essentially betraying his country and exchanging his own freedom for hers.

Chairman Joo arrives back home, and Ryu meets him at gunpoint. He tells him that Kang-woo is on his way to give the books over to the NSA, and orders him to free Myung-wol, so Joo picks up his phone and calls his minions… and orders her killed.

Well duh. What kind of hostage negotiator doesn’t see that coming? Tsk, tsk, the spies in this world. They all went to Low-Rent Discount Spy Academy. Ryu is furious that the murdering backstabber… backstabbed him… AGAIN (never heard, “fool me twice, shame on me”?) and raises his gun to Joo’s throat.

In-ah rushes in and begs him not to do ite, and stands between Ryu and Grandpa, pleading for his life. Ryu gives in, of course, and leaves. In-ah follows him out and tells him where Myung-wol is being held.

Soon after, NSA agents bust into the house and arrest Chairman Joo for his crimes.

Ryu rushes over to save Myung-wol just in time, and tells her they’re headed to meet Kang-woo, so that she can start her new life, free and clear. She smiles in anticipation and so does Kang-woo, as the two cars speed toward each other on the same road.

But just as they spot each other, the North Korean sniper assassin appears and fires a shot at Ryu’s car, which sends them careening off the cliff.

The car flips over and bursts into flames, and Kang-woo collapses to the ground in tears, screaming her name.

One year later, Kang-woo continues to have dreams about Myung-wol and their happily married life that could have been. He plans to head to the States to clear his head and do some studying, and says goodbye to Dae-kang and In-ah.

In-ah has taken over her grandfather’s hotels, and being a CEO certainly suits her bossy style more than being a lousy actress. She still thinks fondly of Ryu, remembering him every time she trips in her heels.

Ok-soon and Hee-bok are married and doing well with restaurants and coffee shops. Ok-soon opened a Pyongyang Noodle Shop that’s booming, and Kang-woo comes by to visit and say goodbye on his way to the States.

At the airport a woman brushes past him, and though he can only see her from behind, she’s dressed exactly the way Myung-wol was, on the day he first met her. He chases her down and loses her.

He stands there, lost, confused, and then his baseball rolls toward him and stops at his feet. He picks it up and stares at it in shock.

And then Myung-wol’s voice calls out to him, “Have you been well, Comrade Kang-woo?”

He turns around in disbelief, as she tells him that it’s been a long time. She holds up the meanie face autograph he gave her on the day they met, and tells him that she’s going to get his autograph this time, and marry him and live happily with him here.

His eyes fill with tears and he finally breaks into a big smile. She tells him that it took too long to get to this point, and that she won’t ever leave him again. She runs flying into his arms and he hugs her tight.

Aw, despite the circumstances and her whole disappearing-reappearing act being TOTALLY ridiculous, I’m happy for him because he looks so happy in the moment.

Wedding time! Myung-wol and Kang-woo finally get their dream wedding with the spy parents and everyone else in attendance. Dae-kang asks the spy parents where Myung-wol’s been this whole time and they say she wouldn’t tell them. They’re just happy that she’s back, but sigh that it’s too bad for Ryu.

In-ah hears this and leaves, saddened at the mention of Ryu, and comes out to find her scarf on her windshield – the one she gave him. She clutches it and looks around, hope filling her eyes.

Though he doesn’t show himself, he watches the wedding and In-ah from a distance, burn scars showing on his arm and his neck. Why am I more moved by this couple than the main one? Sigh.

Newlyweds Myung-wol and Kang-woo drive off, calling each other by their insulting/endearing nicknames. In the distance a billboard announces the news of their wedding and Kang-woo’s return to showbiz, in the drama Myung-wol the Spy.

 
COMMENTS

Sigh. The thing is, that death fakeout was so obvious that it was hard to feel the kind of dramatic tension that the drama was aiming for. In fact, most of the dramatic tension in this finale was pretty much moot, because we were just re-treading the same ground as before.

Deal gone wrong with Chairman Joo? Check. Warehouse kidnappings? Check. Guns ablaze and no firing? Check. I at least thought that everything with the NSA and North Korea would come to a head in the final episode… but all the stuff I wanted to see “happened” offscreen, which is the lamest cop-out in the book.

Where did they go for a year? Why did it have to be that long? Did they make a deal with the NSA? What were the terms? What about North Korea? Even if the fake death made the North think they’d succeeded in assassinating them, doesn’t her very public marriage to Kang-woo negate all that? So then what the hell was the point of disappearing for a year?

What kills me about this drama is that it started out so funny and absurdist and wacky, with such potential for a fun take on the spy world with hijinks and showbiz meta. But the writing lost all of that initial creative flair and regurgitated one conflict over and over and over and over… until I stopped caring.

I’m glad that they got their happy ending, but I honestly couldn’t have cared less, especially since I knew they’d get their romantic happy ending. What I was curious about was HOW they were going to tie up all the high-stakes loose ends and earn their well-deserved peace. But this drama was all setup and no payoff.

If the solution was going to be this easy, then why did we have to go through all the leaving, not leaving, hiding, dealing, kidnapping, and fake death? When Kang-woo finally got shot to save Myung-wol, my hopes went back up a tiny bit, thinking that at least danger was afoot with the North Korean assassin, and that we’d see a big face-off at the very end. But I suppose if I kept going on about all the things I wished this drama had done, we’d be here till next year.

In the end I guess the only thing I really liked was what the drama used to be early on, and Eric’s performance throughout. He held on to the very end, acting his heart out, despite no one else really being in the game. While I liked everyone else in their roles and have no major complaints about them (unlike my gripes with the writing and directing), his was the only performance that stood a cut above the rest. While I didn’t love his character, I thought he brought an edge in his portrayal, which surprised me.

You know what this feels like? A breakup after you give a relationship a second, third, fourth, fifth chance, because you’re still clinging to the memories of the happy times… until it dawns on you that now the angst outweighs the happy. Sigh. Ain’t love a bitch?

 
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Thanks for the recaps! I stopped watching this drama lonnng time ago but I still read your recaps every week!! Hopefully there will be a better drama next time!!

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haha me too!
I started being really excited for this drama, but it got more and more tiring to watch. Until i convince myself that there are tons of people not watching and i can just read recaps :P
Even reading the recaps didnt excite me to pick the drama up again..

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yeah... just read recaps "Why am I more moved by this couple than the main one? Sigh" SO TRUE

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Me too.. I am moved by Ryu and In-ah... Especially In-ah for the last few episodes.. She is just cute.. and can acts better than the main lead...

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Me too. This drama started to get boring for me. The recaps were more witty and interesting and SHORT just summarizing the important parts.

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I agree. 16-17, I barely stayed awake while marathoning this. I was actually ok with the ending, except for poor Comrade-Major. Can a guy get a break?!!

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Sorry to say but kinda glad to see it go. On to Poseidon!

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Why do I have a feeling that Poseidon won't be that good too? Okay!!! I'm just not getting my hopes up so....I hope I will be proven wrong but we'll see.

This series just disappointed me.....the drama behind the drama overshadowed everything that in the middle of it all I just gave up. I'm glad it's over. Eric deserves something so much better.

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at last..thanks for the recap

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Wow, Girlfriday! Super-fast recap!! Thank you!! ;)

Off to read!!

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ain't love a bitch is true. i was hoping for a really good drama with eric this time around too... :(

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Ditto your thoughts.

Thanks for recapping to the sweet bitter end JB.

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Oops! Make that thanks for recapping to the sweet bitter end JB and GF.

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movie is very nice and careful with words!!!!!!!!!! Okay ?!!!

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Yikes!! Stopped watching this a loong time , it was a hot mess!! Too much drama! Along with SOAW! Sorry don't want a lot of angst and drama in my drama if they don't deliver it during the script writing! (squeal) on Lee Dong Wook though!!

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ummm....I can't decide for this episode as yet....

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O.k. decision....it wasn't so bad. I wish that the whole show wasn't a mess and had good points. Like JB said it was like giving a relationship to many chances where there was more bad than good.
After the show went awry I was contemplating booking a flight to Korea and physically pounding the PD and Screenwriter to pulps and taking there jobs by force but this episode has me just wanting to write a letter of complaint. STRONGLY WORDED.(I will not be dotting my t's or crossing my i's!)lol
Ultimately I glad its over since waiting for it to be over has been like waiting for a good baby, unruly child/teen to grow up and move out!lol

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Also thank you JB for not jumping ship when it would have been appropriate and recapping to the dying end! U ROCK!:)

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And girlfriday:)

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Yup. For staying till the bitter end, JB and GF deserve a standing ovation. :)

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Or, like what Sam said to Austin Ames : "Waiting for you is like waiting for the rain in this drought: useless and disappointing." HAHAHA.

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Exactly!

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Oh, love that and just tweeted it. We are having a drought here in Texas. LOL Love all of these comments -- gave me so many laughs on this bumpy ride!

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I'm so shocked at this ending. Major wtf moment - all that lost potential...gahhh. Regardless, thanks for the recaps. :)

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Ryu all the way

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SAME!!

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i stopped watching this but i still read the recaps.
this drama was really highly recommended before.. it was funny. i just dunno what happened. the later episodes kinda sucked. it was totally the opposite of the first few episodes. >.< oh well....
and i'm still hurting because of ryu. secomd lead syndrome AGAIN!

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Thanks GF, for your hardwork ^^

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I thank God it.is.over.
Thank you for recapping till the end.

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Thanks Javabeans and GirlFriday for sticking with this recap all the way to the end!

Though my reaction to the end was... "Huh?"

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my reaction to the ending was, "really? quick, somebody tell kang woo to NOT do Spy-MyungWol, coz it's gonna tank!!!"

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I guess jb didn't have it in her to put in her final overall comments after having to post a recap just an hour or so ago. Thank you ladies for hanging in there when you could've dropped the recaps for this show many ah-episode ago. What I hate is that Ryu really doesn't get his happy ending, and with all the trouble he went through, you would thing they would mention what happened to the information he got off the books about those damn rare metal. This is where I call upon the fanfiction writers out there to write a true epilogue to this show where we say how Ryu gets his happy ending, because seriously? I think In-ah is the one that can give it to him.

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yeah, by the end (or rather the end of Ep 16, which is all I could manage to finish), I was all for In Ah and Ryu. In Ah and Ryu are the characters who evolved the most. Of course, they had the furthest to go from pissy princess and wooden block of integrity to genuinely feeling and compassionate individuals.

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To be honest, I cared more about your recaps than the drama. I gave up about Episode 7. I just couldn't get myself to care about any of the characters especially when all the offscreen drama was happening.

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GirlFriday _ Thank you so much for 'slogging through' this drama for the sake of us all.

Others have said, and I agree, *it's not the WORST drama* I've ever watched -- but it's early potential...followed by such poor writing/directing, saddens me.

It's selfish, but all I want now is for Ryu (actor Lee JinWook) to have a drama of his own, where he can shine as FIRST lead. The guy has blazing-charisma and if I took anything postive away from this show...it's my crush on Ryu ~❤

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Actually, he was the lead in Someday. And although I can't vouch for that drama because I skipped episodes here and there, I think any fan of his would be happy to watch it and root for him to get the girl.

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Ryu, Lee Jin Wook was the main reason I watched. I saw an interview where his looks were compared to Tom Cruise, and now I can see it. I can't understand Korean, so I appreciated the translation. I recommend this drama, Powerful Opponents. You may have to search for the final scene on You Tube and recap elsewhere, if you don't understand it, but it is worth it. His smile is priceless!

Title: 강적들 (强敌) / Kang Jeok Deul
Also known as: Powerful Opponents / Rivals / Adversaries

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u should see him in powerful opponent and Someday.. really great story too.. i love watching it also bcoz i can see a lot of his cute adorable face... xD and of course his killer smile.. ^__^

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I guess this drama would’ve been better if they chose a better lead actress. It’s just too bad that Eric was paired with someone unprofessional. If not for the fuss she’s made, everything won’t be in such a mess. Well, it was a mess, a little but became uglier because of what she did. I just hope the lead actor will have better projects next time. I’m not sure I hope the same for HYS.

She just gave me great deal of annoyance. The drama would’ve been better if the lead actress was different. I feel really bad for the staff and crew who worked hard for this drama. Despite ample amount, they tried hard and worked till the end. Kudos to the other staff who showed that they’re still professional. I don’t need anyone’s anger. I just had to share my thought. Spy MyungWol is good, but the end was rushed. I could’ve been great, but not so. BTW, I believe HYS is totally done after this. Poor thing.

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Oh please. Not that ordeal again. She came back, that's what matters. I've watched their BTS and both actually shared great off-screen chemistry before AND after her return!

As for HYS career, I doubt it's far from over.

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Amen to that aX. Amen to that.

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gotta agree with aX. they finished the drama and kudos to them for that!

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THANK YOU! :D

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Also, I thought Han Ye Seul portrayed Myung Wol quirkyness very well. It just wasn't the same in the second half when she lost all that personality from the first half. Writers fault, not exactly hers.

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@caramelfrappe - I 'bow' to your right to have a personal opinion on the actress (there's another rather famous one, who gets cast in LOADs of stuff....I won't mention her name, because I don't want to offend...but she just rubs me the wrong way...everytime)-----► so I certainly understand the sentiment.

However...I've been watching the character development throughout the show...and frankly...the writing is just All-Over-the-Place.

One moment we have bad-ass spies - the next they're complete morons. Plot lines got introduced then dropped....and the repetition of actions episode after episode with ZERO forward movement...? It was like they took the script pages, threw them in the air and let them land randomly...then scooped them up, out of sequence and said, "Allrighty...let's start filming!"

I wish the entire staff a better showing on their next projects.

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I don't think the HYS drama led to a mediocre second half of the drama. I thought everyone acted their hearts out, despite the mediocre writing. The chemistry between the actors before and after the HYS-drama was seemless and great. I think the drama was in a bit of trouble even before airing because they had so little preparation time in the first place. By episode 4, there were no previews, just Singapore footage that confused everybody. And if her 3-day absence upset some writing processes, i feel like writers should be able to adapt anyways in case an actor becomes ill or gets hurt (i.e. Park Shin Hye in You've Fallen for Me).

HYS may have more trouble getting plum roles after this, but I believe it is over. After all, she came back. And it seems like the crew and actors welcomed her back after she gave a really sincere apology (even went down on her knees).

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i mean i *don't* believe it's over

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I agree.
It is extremely unlikely that HYS will do a drama ever again, or at least not for a long long time.
Based on the contract she signed asking for better working conditions, it looks like she was already wary of doing one.

Films for the most part, don't eat up every minute of every day for months. After a dust off and rest-up, we could see her in a film.

Does she have to go on talk shows for the next while and do confessionals, a la Hugh Grant after his strange experiences with the law?

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UH. I doubt she was the cause of the poorly written script. If it only takes one "disruption" to "mess up" a drama, then the PD and writer have some serious things to work on. But let's say if your argument is correct, couldn't you also argue that it was unprofessional of them to not do their jobs - i.e. do a good job of writing and producing regardless of what had happened?

I honestly just hate when people complain about her unprofessionalism and how she screwed up the drama. You were not personally effected by it; it just affected the drama that you watched, so chill out.

Don't take it personally, because I'm not "angry" at you or anything. But since you put yourself out there, I had to say something.

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LOL I wasn't going to respond to this until I saw that you had copy-pasta'd this comment from the Myung Wol ep 17 recap over here. You must really have been frustrated by HYS.

Anyway, while I agree HYS was unprofessional in her handling of the matter, I really don't see how it has anything to do with the writing being all over the place. How would the drama have improved in quality if HYS had stayed instead of running off? Are you implying that the writer got frustrated at the HYS drama and decided to produce the worst script in 2011? I am failing to understand this logic.

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I think maybe the extension might have caused the writing to go bad? Since they had to extend it by another two hours, they had to add in more ping pong back and forth to keep it going. But during the extension, I felt they lost track of what they were writing about because they were concentrating too hard on extending it.

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No, the writing was pathetic before the announcement of the extension.

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I think it wasn't bad up to episode 13. Then there was the planned extension, then HYS left the country and the plot started going downhill.

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I don't think HYS is done after this although as an actress she should be - not for her 'unprofessionalism' but for her lack of acting talent. I live in a neighbourhood in Seoul that is quite popular in dramas. It's crazy - the whole crew works for nights on end, keeping us awake and inconvenienced, too. So, for standing up for herself - I don't mind it. More actors shoudl that. She should just be a model - she has that kind of beauty highly coveted (and created under the surgeon's knife here in Korea): big eyes and a V-line face. But, c'mon, her facial expression is always the same and always overacted. The actress who played Inah manages to move because she manages to act. Either as a bitchy heiress or a soft-hearted clumsy girl, she's always believable and real. She and Choi had the sizzling chemistry from the beginning. I watched the whole drama for them! Of course, Eric is sizzling, and if he had been paired with a better actress, it would have been more interesting.

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For the most part, I completely agree with you regarding how great the first half was because it was just wacky, weird, and quirky but yes, they did lose it in the second half with its darker tone and melodrama--more importantly, weakening plot.

With that said, I was content with the drama overall. I absolutely loved the first half despite its lacking and more serious second half. I'm also glad that it ended happilly and yes, I was heartbroken for Choi Ryu & In Ah.

Is it wrong for me to want THEM to have a sequel?

Somehow in my mind, I want to believe that Choi Ryu became the fugitive and somehow North Korea allowed Myung Wol to live her life with Kang Woo considering they do not want further troubles with the South. Therefore, they've decided to take revenge on Choi Ryu who is in complete hiding. Oh, what a sweet set up that would be and In Ah goes to back to Singapore to run her grandfathers hotel only to run into Choi Ryu once again who is being hunted by the North. INTERESTING? I THINK SO! They can call this SPY CHOI RYU this time! Who'd watch?

Anyway, Spy Myung Wol was far from perfect but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The thing is, most Kdramas always starts out great and we wish it would stay that way. Some luckily do, some just don't. In this case, it wasn't a complete let-down... it was just as expected.

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I want to sequel!!!!

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I second that motion!:)

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i would watch SPY CHOI RYU. towards the end, like gf said, ryu-in ah couple seems more interesting. in-ah with that bossy dim-witted attitude with stoic serious rock ryu? im in!

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I also vote for Spy Choi Ryu!

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I would totally watch that! Ha ha ha! That would be very funny! And In-ah would be trying to learn how to be a spy despite her dim-wittedness so she can be with Ryu! That would be so hilariously the reverse of Spy Myeong-Wol!

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I already imagine Ryu trying to teach Inah how to disguise herself so that they won't be caught by the North Korean agents. And she would wear the loudest and most colorful outfit of all while saying "A spy is expected to wear black so I'm going for color!". Ha ha ha! (^0^)

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Yes to Spy Choi Ryu too!

The 1st 10 eps of Spy Myung Wol were a delight (from infancy to the pre-teen years) - the last 8 turbulent like the show was going through some teenage angst. So by that logic, the sequel would be a load of fun cos all growing pains should be sorted! lol.

And one last thing... how convenient to involve the NSA here after their long disappearance! -__-

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Yes, I agreed that the first half started out great but loses its momentum in the second half. Almost like the writer didn't know what to do with the story.
It wasn't a bad drama at all but it wasn't the best either.
Would I watch it again? Sure, but not right away. Too many other ones to watch right now.

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hehee like the sequel better..but still..eric must be there..at least doing a cameo perhaps ^_^

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I also really2 want to watch SPY CHOI RYU!!.. it would be interesting and also bcoz he will be the lead actor.. ^^
it would be nice to see the ryu- in ah couple.. as it seems that ryu the only one who can tame in ah crazy behaviour.. and how she just start to develop feeling and fall in love with him.. hahaa.. it would be sweet to see both of them togeher.. and yeah please no more circle plot/storyline like before.. hehee..

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oh gosh.. sorry!.. i reply at the wrong link.. this what i wrote at first.. but i thought i had cancel it already but somehow it also appear here... also i post the comment twice (below).. hehe.. *aigoo*

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I also really want to watch SPY CHOI RYU!!

it would be very interesting.. and also bcoz of him as the main lead.. ^^ it would be really nice to see the ryu-in ah couple.. as it seems that ryu the only one who can tame in ah crazy childish behaviour.. and how in ah start to fallen in love with him.. it would be sweet to see both of them.. and yeah please no circle plot/storyline anymore like before.. hehe.. i would like it if this story could be more like romantic-comedy.. bcoz watching the stubborn bossy ju-inah with a hot-cold charm ryu together sure will be a sweet hillarious one... hehe..^^

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I would watch SPY CHOI RYU. That sounds fantastic!

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That is exactly the same as what I thought too! I wish for the sequel - Spy Ryu!

By the way, I agree with girlfriday. The last few episode was just wasteful and such disappointment! Should have ended earlier for the better, or the could have made the happy ending longer.. Haih~~

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Thank you for the recap!!

My reasoning for her disappearance was to recover from the car explosion. But the truth of the matter is probably just super-lazy writing from the writers.

I can't believe these guys would deal with Chairman Joo time and time again, even knowing he was a shady backstabber. *headdeak* x 10.

I was also more moved by Ryu and Inah by the end. I hated In-ah so much in the beginning, that I'm surprised that I was cheering HER on for most of this last episode rather than Myung-wol.

On the bright side, Myung-wol makes a breathtaking bride! And I'm sure the cast and crew are relieved that the drama is over!

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This drama makes me cry not coz its finish, coz it just disapoint me tht it didn't end well...this drama would hav best rom-com but it didn't...wat the hell the writer was thinkin while writin this last episode...its just bad OR say worst...didn't get wot i expect frm MTS.

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lmao I am seriously more interested in Ryu and Inah here
They're story can be a totally different drama all together...I seriously can't wait for Ryu's next drama. That man is sizzling HOT!!!

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UGH, i haven't had time to watch it, but i was hoping it would be a legit romcom. and finally end up happily ever after with a twist, or at least something big happening. and it's not.... the first few episodes were so much better.

whatever, KW's pretty cute hehe c:

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yeah, I figure they were going to have a happy ending but the way they got to it was like going around in circles and then back to where they started..like you said in your ep 17 post, we are crawling very slowly to get to 18 and then crawling much more slower to get to Myung Wol and Kang woo to get married and start their happy life..

I too, was watching this drama purely for Eric, he delivered his acting scenes so well, he was crying, yelling, screaming and doing what he needed to do and he still looked HOT doing it. haha..:D

Siwon fans, please dont hurt me but I personally wanted Eric to do Poseidon instead of Siwon, I think Eric is a much better actor than him, even though Yes Siwon has the action packed drama under his resume already (Athena) so playing the role probably wasn't too difficult.. the trailer does look interesting and I probably will end up watching it for the storyline and Yunho!!

Thanks for posting!! :)

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I'm sure Eric wanted to do Poseidon even more than you wanted him to do Poseidon, but with the production delays and uncertainty, etc.. was he going to wait forever? Now that the fickle Poseidon has secured a timeslot, he must be really regretful. What rotten timing!

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Yeah, that does suck.. but hopefully that means another great project for him sometime soon right?? I'm sure his good talents aren't going to a waste.. ( I hope) Guess we can only wait and see what else he's going to do next.. Good job again to his hard work for Spy Myung Wol! :)

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i agree, i do wish he'd get a good project and get it soon so that we can watch more of his excellent acting. i've been his fan for a long time but it still surprised me how great his acting was in here. watched it all because of him :)

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Gawd. I feel like crying. THIS show was soooo good then it just became crap. Uh. I want to read the original script. I want to know what could've been.

Thanks for the recaps though. You guys made the show so much more entertaining.

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Now onwards to Poseidon! I foresee abs, a bunch of half naked men getting wet and (hopefully) slow running montages.

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cant wait!

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Thanks for the recap, Girlfriday! ;)

And I can't agree with you more on your final comments on this drama because they seem to be a reflection of my thoughts on this drama from the beginning.

I have stopped watching the drama from the 2nd ep and have only been reading the recaps without commenting because even from the 2nd ep, I knew that this drama will not come even CLOSE to being an awesome drama like City Hunter...and I have been proven right...

Myung-wol the Spy is like a tired, sputtering engine desperately trying to be something it cannot be...

and I think a major cause of it is the behind-the-scenes shenanigans made so public esp by the lead actress being so unprofessional...I have never been a fan of Han Ye Seul and after what she has done, I dislike her even more...unprofessionalism is a big NO-NO for me and I believe her unprofessionalism has a big hand in the overall decline and demise of Myung-wol the Spy as a drama...

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I think HYS went bananas because she had recognized the insane writing/directing and wished for something better. Even if there had been no fiasco over her leaving, I doubt it would have made a big difference to the overall quality. Some shows are just... not meant to be.

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She wished her characted showed more of the quirky sides, too... I wished they listened to her for the second half portion!

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I think HYS went bananas because she had recognized the insane writing/directing

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too. It's a real pity.

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I've already stated this, but if unprofessionalism is a big NO-NO for you, shouldn't you also be angry at the PD and writer(s)? In my book, it's unprofessional for them to allow something, such as her departure for three days, to negatively affect their writing. It just doesn't make sense. It can disrupt the production process, but the writing??? That doesn't equal up. She's an actress for goodness sake, she basically does what she's told. If the script sucks, she still has to act it out. Did her acting ruin the drama, or was it the plot? You decide.

Anyways, if one person can ruin a drama, then there was already a big problem to start with.

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I agree with you that if one person can ruin a drama, then there is a big problem with the whole drama to begin with..

and the reason I did not mention that the writing, producing and directing team were also unprofessional was NOT because I think they are professional because I think they are just as unprofessional...but I chose not to comment on their unprofessionalism because I am just not interested to do so because I have lost interest in the drama and the direct cause of that are definitely the writing and directing...

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Wow. I think HYS's debacle was a symptom of the behind-the-scenes disaster that was clearly already in the making. It's unfortunate that she will be the one tarred and feathered as a distraction for the more systemic and fundamental problem.

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Yes, I agree with you. There seems to be fundamentally flawed about an industry that could allow for the actions of one person, an actress, to be so disruptive to a drama in the way that the HYS's debacle has done to Myung-wol the Spy (MTS)...which makes one wonder what or who pushed HYS to take such an extreme and immature measure to deal with the matter about the writing and directing of MTS?

but personally, I am of the opinion that no matter how dire the circumstances with the writing and directing, HYS reacted in an immature, petty and thoroughly unprofessional manner and because she is an actress and thus constantly in the public eye, her actions and reactions are made all the more public and glaringly bad...

I mean, how long has she been in this industry? A year? Surely by now she would have picked up the werewithal and savvyness in dealing with whatever thrown at her instead of reacting in such a manner? What did she hope to achieve by running to the US? She knows she has to go back home and she did, with her tail between her legs at that...and had to apologise to everyone for her behaviour...

Contrast her behaviour with the total professionalism and savvyness shown by Jang Geun Seuk and Moon Geun Young in Mary Stayed Out All Night/Marry Me, Mary - another drama with insane writing and directing...

Both of them stuck with the drama and never once was accused of being unprofessional even though all of us can witness how insane the writing and directing of the drama turned out to be...if we, the audience, could see the insane writing and directing, imagine how they, the lead actors, felt having to act their parts in spite of all the insaneness?

And what is more remarkable about JGS and MGY is that they are so young, compared to HYS...and yet they were able to behave so professionally and maturely...

In fact, JGS was even able to negotiate with the writing/directing team such that he was able to have a hand in changing the way the drama ended - he suggested changing the ending and I believe it was because he has been so professional that his suggestion was used in the drama...

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I don't want to start another convo re: HYS's culpability. That's the point. The more we talk about was or wasn't she, we don't get around to talking about the industry-wide problems.

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oh my.. you're so fast in updating this...
thanks alot & i'm gonna read it now :)

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AGH, this ending was just so bad I couldn't even feel frustrated. I just feel nothing, it's like, "Oh that's nice." And to think this is the drama I adored for 6 episodes. Ugh.

The most interesting thing about the ending was Choi Ryu and In-ah. What a shame for Eric, to get this mess as his first post-service role. He put everything into it, and I hope karma rewards him with a juicy, successful drama next.

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I am strongly against unprofessional behavior but if I was the main actress I would not have returned to set. Because any way you slice it, this role is a career killer. Who wants this drama on their acting resume? No one. Even though the major problem of this drama can be whittled down to the Directing and script, in the end you still agreed to a role in the hot mess. I have nothing nice to say about this drama, sure it had an intriguing concept, but that should be a given for all dramas. I'm not going to give points just because it seemed interesting. What is important is the follow through. This is my view of the beginning and end of this drama: a sheet of paper floating in the wind, your eyes eagerly following the loops and dips, it's really exciting because you don't know which direction it's going to go next. Suddenly the paper slowly starts to descends, you are confused not knowing what just happened, why is the paper descending? You are bored because now it's just a sheet of paper that is taking too long to hit the ground. The paper finally reaches the ground but right into a puddle of water. "Sad face," this is too sad an ending, so desperately the script writer and director scramble to the sodden paper, lowers themselves to ground level and starts blowing on the sheet of paper in a desperate and pathetic attempt to revive this once zest filled paper. Even sadder ending.

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Thank you for the recap.

We suffered.Not as much as the poor cast.

Good luck in their next drama.I hope they are resting now.Finally.

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In the end I guess the only thing I really liked was what the drama used to be early on, and Eric’s performance throughout. He held on to the very end, acting his heart out, despite no one else really being in the game. While I liked everyone else in their roles and have no major complaints about them (unlike my gripes with the writing and directing), his was the only performance that stood a cut above the rest. While I didn’t love his character, I thought he brought an edge in his portrayal, which surprised me ~~~
I love the variety range of emotions Eric displays in Spy Myungwol. He & Yeseul completely crack me up with their comic acts in the early episodes. And then he tore my heart to pieces with the sad emo scenes.... oh I had I mention Eric's deep voice? soooo sessy.... I could not even........... hahahah

Back to the drama, I'm not shy from angst stuffs but the plot going in circle after EP.10 was a bit much to bear. I'm not sure if they really gave the ending much thought early on since all those crazy back & forth could had been saved for better developing the pairings's love / conflicts more in depth so the viewers can be more connected with the couples, specially KW-MW. Still, they manage to give me a wack load of butterflies in their lovey dovey scenes.... but yes, it could be much better…..

As for the ending, despite feeling like drinking the glass half full since it didn't resolve all the loose ends BUT I am quite content that at least it's a happy ending, no one dies, amnesia.... You know, the writers could had make it worse….

Despites all the naggings, I still love this drama a lot, specially the early episodes. My 9 years old niece is totally hooked on this show! Although, I probably won't let her continue pass EP.11, too much angst for such young soul to handle, HA!

DB & GirlFriday, thank you both for recaping this drama and adding a good dose of your thoughts & wittiness while poking fun at the characters from time to time is awesome!!! I cracked up so many times reading the recaps :D

Wishing all the casts and crew a well deserve rest! Good luck to you all on your next projects. Hwaiting!

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I still like this dram.the actors performance are good esp. eric n also the ryu..the problem lies with the plot n lines..i hope they'll give HYS another chance coz she is really a good actress.

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Seriously, of all the recent stupid/illogical heroines, I think Myungwol is fair game for the top job. She could even ‎give Geum Jan Di a run for her money. ‎

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Also, there are serious issues with a drama when I prefer the second female lead over the main lead. ‎Especially when the second lead is In Ah.‎

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haha!!!

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Hi, thanks for the recaps. I enjoyed reading it because of your funny reactions and comments. I like this kdrama at the start and at the end. In between, they were getting lousy and boring. The actors have played their roles very well especially Eric. Sad to say the failure of this dramas it reflects the performance of the PD/s and Scriptwriter/s...maybe lack of experience?, trainings?, exposures?, or they brought their bags of problems in the set...hahaha!

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You know what this feels like? A breakup after you give a relationship a second, third, fourth, fifth chance, because you’re still clinging to the memories of the happy times… until it dawns on you that now the angst outweighs the happy.

Totally! Today, I dumped all of my Spy MW files. That said, your recap made me want to dig up the files from the back up drive. Gah!

I too liked Eric's performance more than any other element in this drama. I even thought about keeping the files because I was impressed with him. But I figure Eric must shine in at least one drama that doesn't suck. Any recommendations?

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Que Sera Sera. That's a good one.

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Que Sera Sera.

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Thanks!

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Thank GOD its over!!!

Thanks JB and GF for the persevering till the end.. Hugs.

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Gah, I was hoping for a HEA for Ryu! Towards the end, I was more interested in the In-ah/Ryu dynamic than anything to do with the main couple. Sigh...this drama was all kinds of unsatisfying. *sad panda face

Fabulous recapping!!

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bring on Poseidon...........

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Not the worst of dramas I've ever seen, nor the best; as a whole, it's pretty average. But that's part of what's particularly disappointing. This drama had the potential to be so much more. I always refer to the promo posters for this series for what could have been: those images kicked my imagination into gear wondering what shenanigans the writers and production team would come up with. I wanted Kang Woo to be a bit more the beta male and Myung-wol the alpha female. We had hints of that, but they were few and in-between. The first three or so episodes had that refreshing quirkiness that was different from a lot of other romcoms, with a bit of a dark edge to its humor. But, around the fourth or fifth episode, things started to change. This drama squandered too much time on repeating plot lines, and what stories there were were far too conventional for a show that started out pretty unconventional. Don't get me wrong, there were some great moments along the way (Myung-wol's attempt at bedroom seduction? Hi-lar-i-ous.), but the thread connecting these moments wasn't as tight as it could and should have been. This is why I don't understand the people blaming HSY for how this drama turned out in the end - Spy Myung-wol was already having trouble long before the off-screen drama happened. Maybe it's an effect of the low ratings in those first couple of weeks...? This show definitely seemed to have an identity crisis as to what it wanted to be for a very long stretch in the middle. And that to me all points to the production team. The actors definitely did what they could with the material given; and as girlfriday mentioned, Eric really sold his character. But, man, if only the writing was sharper...

Ah, well, I don't regret the time I invested; it wasn't as entertaining as I thought it could be at times, but I had fun. Would I watch it all the way through again? Maybe not, but it was enjoyable summer fluff...kind of like cotton candy: light, easy to digest, but not something you want to over indulge on.

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I totally agree with you GF regarding Eric's acting, he really did well. He pulled it off. I really hope that he will soon have another show that has good writers.

I was hoping for a happy ending for Ryu, he deserves that, In-ah and Ryu will make a good couple, they've been heartbroken so why not give them eachother atleast.

I'm going to miss the whole cast especially Eric, HYS and LJW.

:)

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Given all the traumas this cast and drama have suffered, I am less inclined to be critical of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this show. The last few episodes were very melodramatic, which gave me a sense of what K-dramas are all about, but I didn't care. I just enjoyed watching the work done by this wonderful cast. It's certainly made me a fan of Eric. My heart breaks every time his character's heart breaks. All the while he maintained that narcissist persona his character was supposed to be. I loved that contrast. I look forward to rewatching the episodes in detail when I have time. I really wish all the cast members the best. They suffered and did the best they could. I truly respect them for it.

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Finally.... glad to see it go. This show was really disappointing. It had so much potential, yet none of it got fulfilled and some how it ended up in the dump. Really wish Protect the Boss could have been recaped instead of this show. Well, the good news is we're off to Poseidon. And Siwon!!! :D

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Me too, I enjoyed this show. :)

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I'd still be ALL-In for a drama about a honourable, North Korean spy who falls for the bitchy but soft-hearted South Korean heiress... all the makings of a cliche harlequin romance ergo all the makings of a brilliant korean drama....

Oh Ryu, why couldn't you have pulled a Kim Min Jong and become the lead? I love Eric, but this drama just pulled me into your sad sad lovestory...

:D

Ahh well, I'm glad the ride is over. It started out exciting [like a rollercoaster] but I started getting dizzy and nauseous at the end

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This is really random, but for some reason, I kept getting Fantasy Couple flashbacks whenever Myung-wol kept trying to leave LOL :D

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Clap Clap .. GREAT job JB & GF!

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I really liked this drama, it had major flaws, I will admit that, but I've watched dramas even more ridiculous that did well because of idols that acted on them (I will refrain from mentioning them but I'm sure the word 'idols' will give them away)....so I loved it and I'm glad I invested my time in it :)

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I think a lot of members here stopped watching this drama and just waiting for the recaps.
Very big THANK YOU for that GF!

For me, i stopped watching after Kang Woo slaps Myung Wol.
Thats really a turn down for me. :(
but then i still hoping HYS will get better script after this... as for Eric, hope he too will mature and not taking the same plot hero style...
Be a gentleman Eric!! :D

Hopefully there will be a better drama next time around...

Cheers from Malaysia..

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Huh, what do you mean by being gentleman?! If you refer to the slap, then Hyun Bin slapping Jung Ryu Won in ep.7 of My Name is Kim Sam Soon makes him ungentleman too? LOL.... A movie/drama character DOESN'T reflect a person in real life!!!

Eric has done a variety of different types of rolls so you don't have to worry about him doing the "same plot hero style" :D

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Lol . Absolutely the script of the last episode was very much absurd. How come Choi Ryu alone got burnt scars on him from the accident BUT myung wol does not have even a single scar on her. Isn’t that quite funny????? And why were they hiding for 1 year? If it was because to create an impact that they were indeed assassinated to the north government, then marrying kang woo who is a public figure, wont that still indicate that she and choi ryu are very much alive??? And what happened to those NSA guys who were chasing here on episode 17? Have they lost their senses or got amnesia to remember that myung wol is back at the end?? Oh god if anyone can give a good explanation for this, Then i think the ending will be indeed good. ~~~~ Anyway kang woo and myung wol are back together , that atleast is very much appreciable~~~ ^ ^

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Choi Ryu alone got burn scars because he pushed Myung Wol out of the car before it burst into flames. (They deleted that part out.) They were gone a year because it's typical of Kdramas for there to be a time lapse, and they had to throw one in there. Where they went for that year is thus insignificant, plus they didn't have time to write in a good reason, so we have to conjure up our own. Thinking on it more seriously, they hid out for as long as it took for the happy merger of North and South K regarding the "rare earth" resources to kick into gear. At that point, the North no longer cared about assassinating Myung Wol. Their attention was turned to a more weightier subject.

Despite the monotony of the middle, the "here and there" of the writing, and the unfulfilled Choi Ryu result, the actors acted well, and I got my happy ending.

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This show might not be the best for everyone but I love it so much. The script writer may not done a good job but the actors and actresses all does. Absolutely good acting.

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Yes, the acting was great from the actors/actresses. I think it was the story that was confusing and not so clear.

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You know, I read these recap summaries in the beginning and was laughing at every single one I read (you both do a fantastic job of recapping). But midway through, I stopped laughing throughout the entire recap. More like an occasional "haha" here and there. It lost its charm and wit and it probably would've done better without the two episode extension. And everything went around in a big, big circle.

But thanks for giving us the summaries and recaps! :)

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wow Happy ending for our couple! it sounds the writer just thought about main couple not Ryu and In-ha...poor Ryu...I just read the recap,I should wait for watching full episodes of 16-17-18 in couple of next weeks.Up to now the show was strong enough ,hope it will be strong at the end as it was started at the beginning.

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