Answer Me 1994: Episode 21 (Final)
by girlfriday
We finally conclude the mystery and the journey, as the beginning of adulthood ushers in the end of an era. Everybody gets a name and Na-jung gets her husband, which means she gets to kick that headless groom she’s been marrying for ten weeks to the curb and replace him with the real deal. Bye, Headless Guy.
The series went out on a high of 11.9% ratings. It’s a bit of a rushed production that could’ve used a few hours of editing finesse had they had the time, but overall it goes out in true Answer Me style, as a love letter to the nineties and bygone youth.
SONG OF THE DAY
Lee Seung-hwan – “기다린 날도 지워질 날도 (Days That I Waited, Days That Would Be Erased)” [ Download ]
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EPISODE 21: “To the nineties”
Both the wedding and the housewarming party draw to a close, and everyone gets up to leave except for Oppa and Chilbongie who linger behind. One of them comes up to put an arm around Na-jung as they say goodbye to their guests, and they note that sometimes first loves do make it.
We go back to 2000, when Na-jung gets that message from Oppa on her way to Chilbongie, asking if she’ll come by because he’s sick. She bursts into tears right there in the cab, and sobs the whole way.
The doorbell rings and Chilbongie opens his door… to Binggeure, who’s here to chase him down after he fled the hospital sooner than he was supposed to.
And at the same time, Na-jung braces herself before ringing the doorbell… and Oppa answers. She cries, half-angry that he called and that she came despite it all, and brushes past him to go inside.
He tries to hold onto her but she shakes him off, and he finally just throws his arms around her and hugs her close. She cries into his shoulder and her legs turn to jelly, sending them both crumbling to the ground in tears.
Oppa just cups her face in his hands and looks at her for a long moment, and finally whispers as a tear rolls down his cheek: “I love you. I love you.” Once he says the words, she’s the one to reach out and wipe the tears from his face, and she leans in for a kiss.
Oppa comes to work the next day all better from his cold and floating on cloud nine. He hears the other residents oohing over Chilbongie being at the hospital, trying to figure out how to get an autograph.
Na-jung gets calls from Yoon-jin, then Samcheonpo, then Haitai, all telling her to hurry home because Mom’s cooking something special. That’s so cute. She asks Haitai if he called Binggeure and Chilbongie too, and that’s when he tells her that Chilbongie is at the hospital and checked himself out before he was supposed to.
She calls Chilbongie to ask where he is, and finds him at the baseball field. He waves at her from the mound and she waves back from the stands before coming out to the field. He makes her stop when she’s a few feet away though, not letting her come any closer.
He puts on a smile and says he has a wish, and points to a glove hanging on a bat at the edge of the field. He asks if she’ll grant his wish if he hits it, and though he struggles with his injured arm, he hits his target like he always did.
He turns to her, “Na-jung-ah…” but before he can even say it, she rushes him with a hug, throwing her arms around his waist and leaving him speechless. Aw. He smiles, “How’d you know?”
He continues, “I don’t think I’ll be able to call. I think it’ll take some time. Sorry.” He holds on for one more moment before pushing her away. Na-jung looks up at him: “Joon-ah, of all the people I know, you’re the handsomest.”
She names all his good traits and says that he’s the most impressive person she’s ever met: “Do you know how thankful I am that someone like you liked me?” She says it was because of him that she found out that she wasn’t half bad herself.
She says that someday if she ever has a child, she’s going to brag about how that famous person on TV liked her. “Joon-ah, thank you for liking me. Because of you, my age twenty will be a beautiful memory.”
They smile at each other and he swallows back tears: “Me too.” He hugs her one last time and says goodbye. And then long after she’s gone, he sits alone looking out at the field, and lets himself cry. I’m not crying. I’m not. *sniff*
Later as he packs, Haitai calls to say he should come by the house to have drinks with everyone on his last day. He can’t, of course, because of Na-jung, but he has a final doctor’s appointment anyway to check on his injuries before he flies out.
At the hospital, the doctor tells him his shoulder and back aren’t in good shape, and at some point he’s going to need surgery. It’s his back that’s worse off, and the doc has called in a specialist to do a consult.
In walks Garbage, who’s now the head brain/spine doctor, which is a really hard thing to wrap my head around because I’ve seen him wipe his face with a floor mat. The air is awkward, naturally, and Chilbongie sits quietly through the session as Garbage the Neurosurgeon explains that he can treat it without surgery, but that means he’s always one injury away from permanent damage. He says the same thing—at some point, he’ll need surgery, and perhaps sooner is better so that he’ll have a chance to recover.
The residents line up to get autographs afterward, and Garbage waits till they’re the only two left in the room. There’s no more avoiding it now, so they sit down for a chat. Garbage tells him about his back in simpler layman terms, and gives him advice about what to do.
He knows Chilbongie is headed to the airport to fly out tonight, and stops to put a hand on his arm as he says goodbye and tells him sincerely to take care of himself. Chilbongie replies, “You too, sunbaenim.”
Garbage turns to go and then whirls back around, “Hey, you used to call me hyung. Are you not calling me hyung anymore? What’s with the sunbaenim? All the other guys call me hyung. You’re the only one. What’s that about?” Chilbongie smiles and asks if he’d be able to do that if the roles were reversed, and promises, “Next time. Next time, sunbaenim.” Garbage looks at him thoughtfully… and then scrunches his face to whine that he really dislikes him. It’s cute that he’s trying for the laugh.
As Haitai and Samcheonpo watch Chilbongie board his flight on the news, Haitai decides that he’ll name his child after Chilbongie so that he makes a boatload of money. Samcheonpo says he’ll do really badly in school then, so Haitai revises his plan and says he’ll name his child after Garbage. Samcheonpo: “Do you plan to raise him as half-human, half-beast?” Lol.
At the hospital the next day, Oppa tells Na-jung he’s five seconds away from his office, where she’s waiting with every snack imaginable on his break. His pager rings and he gets lost in thought for a moment, and Na-jung has to call him over and over: “Oppa. Oppa! Jae-joon oppa!”
He finally turns around. And just to put a stamp on it, a close-up of his nametag reads: Kim Jae-joon.
We go back to the wedding footage, and this time we finally get to see the head attached to the groom, and it is indeed Oppa, looking sheepish when Dad scolds him for choosing such a terrible day to have a wedding, having to pry Na-jung away from Dad at the altar, and smiling back at her as they walk back down the aisle as husband and wife.
And at the housewarming party, this time it’s Oppa who takes the phone from Sook-sookie to tell Mom that he’s usually a good kid (while kicking him silently), and he’s the one that Shi-won recognizes as looking strangely familiar, though neither of them can remember why. Heh.
And as the friends get ready to leave, Chilbongie stands up after tying his shoe, standing in the doorway with the rest of the gang after all. Turns out this house was his to begin with, which explains why he’s so comfortable here (enough to take a nap and order takeout). He even took a hit when he let Na-jung take over the contract at a lower price, and they joke that it was the First Love Discount.
She warns him that he can’t take it back, and he says his wife complained, but she counters that she has three kids which pretty much makes her constantly broke. Chilbongie calls out to Garbage because he left his phone behind, and calls him hyung.
Haitai looks at Garbage and Na-jung together and says that sometimes first loves do make it, and they each go down the row saying “Like us,” and even Chilbongie joins in, which makes everyone laugh. The non-blurry wedding photo shows the whole gang there at the wedding, including Chilbongie.
After the housewarming party, Na-jung cleans up, and Oppa goes to check on the kids. The youngest is stirring, so he puts him to sleep, and they nod off with their legs crossed exactly the same way. That’s so cute.
As they get ready for bed, Oppa calls Chilbongie impressive for finishing out his pro career (he’s playing for the Twins after all, fulfilling Dad’s wish), instead of coaching in the States with so many offers coming in.
Na-jung runs down a to-do list with Oppa, calling him oppa, yeobo, and Sannie’s dad in three consecutive sentences. He laughs and tells her to stick to calling him one thing. She says it’s all the same, but he says each makes him feel differently.
He says when she calls him oppa he wants to be really good to her and take her out to movies, and when she calls him Sannie’s dad he gets strength like he’s suddenly a bear. “And yeobo?” He shudders and pretends to be annoyed at the sound of the word, so she yells at him to get away, now calling him Kim Jae-joon-sshi. He just gives her hugs and kisses, laughing.
He asks why Haitai married so late, and she says they had a long-distance relationship too, and broke up another time before getting back together. Oppa asks where she went, expecting the name of another country, but Na-jung says Suwon, which is like twenty minutes away, ha.
Back in 2002, Haitai is still living at the boardinghouse, and Dad asks if he’s going to live here forever. Haitai says he’s saving money, and Mom insists she loves having Haitai around.
Samcheonpo and Yoon-jin are newlyweds, and Haitai says they just had a huge fight the other night because Seo Taiji came back with a new album, and Yoon-jin ran out and bought a hundred copies to pass out to everyone she knows and even strangers in the street. Dad holds up his copy.
They light up when Chilbongie shows up on the news in a report about his surprise return to Korea, and we finally get his name: Kim Sun-joon. Dad worries about him, knowing he’s back for surgery and that he’ll be all alone. Mom and Dad ask Haitai if they’ve talked to him at all, assuming that naturally they’ve lost touch.
Chilbongie returns to an empty apartment, and ponders Binggeure’s worries about him undergoing surgery alone. I’m gonna cry. WHY IS HE ALONE? He winces in pain at his shoulder and opens up his sad empty fridge, and then the doorbell rings. Please be the gang. Please be the gang.
Yay, it’s the gang! He’s shocked as they just barge in unannounced and make themselves at home, talking as if no time has passed. Na-jung is on the phone with Mom who wants to make him food and the rest of the guys are already getting out bottles and bottles of soju.
Binggeure tells him he was going to come alone but they already knew and came along. Two seconds later the doorbell rings again with the chicken they already called to have delivered. The shock finally wears off and Chilbongie laughs.
The group gets into a debate about whether or not Chilbongie should have surgery now, with Haitai and Yoon-jin arguing that he should finish out the season first and go out on a high, and Na-jung and Samcheonpo arguing that he needs to hurry up and get surgery so that he can recover sooner and have a better outlook for his long-term career.
It’s hilariously heated on both sides, and even funnier for the fact that they’re not listening to Chilbongie or even asking what he thinks, determined to come to a decision as a group, because that’s how they do things. This makes me so happy.
They make Chilbongie make the ramyun while they continue to argue over his future, and Binggeure says they might end up crashing here if they keep drinking. But Chilbongie says that Haitai gets up early to go hiking in the morning, and Yoon-jin and Samcheonpo are taking English class in the mornings, and Na-jung visits Garbage on the weekends.
Binggeure wonders how Chilbongie knows more about their daily routines than he does. A flashback montage shows Chilbongie alone in the States, lighting up every time he received a new email from one of them. They wrote back and forth the whole time, and never lost touch. Awwww.
Oppa is working in Gangneung now, which means Na-jung only sees him on weekends, though she tells Mom and Dad that she’s happier than she’s ever been. She happily lays out her outfit to wear tomorrow to go see Oppa, and heads to bed.
But just as she lies down, she hears someone come through the front gate. She sits up as Oppa sneaks into her room, having driven all the way here just to see her a little earlier.
He snuggles up in bed with her, and Na-jung says matter-of-factly, “If we get caught like this, we’ll both die by Dad’s hand.” He says it’s okay, “I have to get my head cracked open once before we get married anyway, so it’s all the same.” Haha.
She asks how he knew, and says with a huge smile that Dad has plans to kill and pickle him. I love that she says this stuff in the tone of an endearment. She asks when they’ll tell Dad, and he says they’ll tell them soon and she can just hide behind him.
She whispers, “Jae-joon oppa, I love you. Really.” He says he knows and gives her kisses. And then we see their two sets of red family mittens sitting side by side on her desk.
On the day that they do tell Dad about their plans to get married, he comes at them with the giraffe paddle again, screaming his head off. They protest that he’s known they’ve been dating for two years so marriage was inevitable, though of course Dad argues that it’s really been seven years since they started this crazy mess, and refuses to be party to it all over again.
Dad’s temper always precedes his softer side, so he declares that they can do whatever the hell they want, but he’s not going to that wedding. Mom takes their side and says she’ll go, but Dad brings them both to tears when he screams that they hammered a nail into his best friend’s heart and his own once before, asking how they can bring up marriage again so flippantly.
Oof. It’s really Oppa’s relationship to the parents that gets me in the heart—I think Dad was more heartbroken over the first engagement than the kids were. Oppa fights back tears and gets down on his knees, and pulls Na-jung down too. He promises, “Father, we’ll live well.”
Na-jung brings Mom coffee outside, and asks if Mom likes Oppa that much—she always took his side, even the first time when Dad was so against them dating. Mom: “He’s my son. Jae-joonie is my son.”
Mom says she might not know, but that first time when Dad was so upset, Mom was just grateful and cried by herself in the bathroom. She thinks back to that day, when Oppa had first told Mom and Dad about them.
After Dad walks out in silent protest, Mom tells Garbage it’s okay and cheers him on: “Mom is on your side.” She changes the subject asks if he’s picked a specialty yet, and he says he chose neurosurgery.
Mom instantly starts to cry. “It’s because of Hoon, isn’t it?” Awww, Oppa. She says he stayed by Hoon’s side the whole time he had surgery for his brain tumor, and doesn’t even need to tell her—she knows he chose that field because of Hoon.
He lies and says it isn’t, and she tells him to choose something else to make life easier for himself, and that he needn’t do this for her. Oppa just takes her hands and swears it’s the field he wants to go into, and hugs her while she cries. Dammit, you can always count on Oppa for a sneak-cry, just when you thought you were all clear.
Back in the present, Oppa is now on pins and needles around Dad, who gives him the silent treatment and only makes Oppa more nervous and fidgety, if that’s even possible. Meals are tense, and he gets slammed in the face with a ham when he accidentally flicks a radish in Dad’s face.
By February, Oppa brings Chilbongie hospital food. Aw, you fixed up Chilbongie. And in March, he’s still following Dad on eggshells, trying to be on his best behavior and killing Dad’s favorite plant in the process.
Chilbongie is still recovering in the hospital in April, and the gang comes in for regular visits to play games and shoot the breeze. In May Oppa is still on Dad’s bad side, and by June, it’s sort of turned into this immature game, where Oppa follows Dad around like his shadow, and Dad runs away like a little kid.
Oppa follows him to the neighborhood store and perks up whenever he has the chance to do something right like remembering what Mom asked him to buy or paying or doing the heavy lifting.
Dad scowls gruffly the whole time, but then as soon as Garbage steps out with groceries in hand, he’s bragging to the shopkeeper about his doctor son-in-law. Omg. So cute. And SO like Dad.
Four days before the wedding, Korea plays against Italy in the 2002 World Cup, and everyone gathers at the house decked out in their red shirts. Everyone bets on Korea while Dad is the loner who bets on Italy, and then Chilbongie arrives with chicken and joins Team Italy.
Korea ties the game which sends them into overtime, and Garbage, who’s playing bookie for the day, decides that it’s the last chance for anyone to switch their bets if they pay a little more cash. Dad stays firmly on the wrong side, but Chilbongie decides to change over at the last minute.
Garbage takes it back and says he missed his window, and Chilbongie whines, “Hyuuuung!” Cuuuute. Garbage caves to being called hyung, though he tells him he can pay double because he’s a major leaguer. Ha.
Korea wins and makes it to the quarterfinals, and the house erupts in cheers and kisses for all. Dad makes sure to take back his money during the commotion, lol.
Mom announces the big news that Haitai is finally leaving the nest for an apartment of his own, and Dad tells them they’ll be selling the house because nobody stays at these old-fashioned boardinghouses anymore. Aw, sad. End of an era.
Mom tells all the kids to sleep over tonight, and offers to make whatever they want for breakfast. She fills the table with mountains of all their favorite foods, and then everyone comes down for their last meal together at the house, trying their best not to cry.
Haitai can’t even take a bite because he’ll probably sob into his rice (he really did love Mom best, I think) and heads upstairs to finish packing.
Samcheonpo comes up and helps him pack the giant puffy blanket they shared for years, and wonders why he’s taking such a heavy thing. Haitai says he can’t sleep without it.
Then Samcheonpo remembers that it was his, and then they go back and forth trying to remember whose mom sent it. Samcheonpo says he can hardly remember, “What’s mine became yours and what was yours became mine, and now I can’t tell what’s yours-mine or mine-yours anymore.”
He goes back and forth so many times that Haitai loses track: “So whose is it?! Mine or yours?” Samcheonpo says it doesn’t matter: “You have it.” Awwww.
The kids gather downstairs to say goodbye, and Haitai busts out his newfangled digital camera to take a picture. They gather outside the house for a group shot.
Afterwards Dad writes up a handwritten note to put over their boardinghouse sign that says they don’t take boarders anymore, and Na-jung watches with a long face.
Samcheonpo: On June 19, 2002, Shinchon Boardinghouse closed its doors. Thus we became Shinchon Boardinghouse’s first and last boarders. At my age twenty that wasn’t anything special, in a Seoul [called formally Seoul Special City] of ten million, the special connections that were like a miracle. That place, that made the youths of a couple of country bumpkins bustling, noisy, and eventually special. We spent a very special time together at Shinchon Boardinghouse. We cried, laughed, met, parted, and ached. We had different memories, different connections, different loves, but we were in the same time and the same place together, like a miracle.
A trip down memory lane brings us back to the night of the World Cup, when Chilbongie runs down the street holding six chickens in his hands. He suddenly drops out of frame and the fried chicken goes flying, and we see that he’s collided with someone and broken her fall. Eep! The boy just had back surgery!
He helps her up and she lifts the headband out of her face, and omo! Jung Yumi! She says she’s okay but as he cleans up the chicken, she hobbles around clearly missing a slipper.
He asks if she lost something, and she cries after her ddal-ddalie, which is exactly the word that Na-jung uses for slippers, and one of the first conversations they had at the house about Oppa’s ddal-ddalie being his favorite and Chilbongie finding her strange words for things cute.
Jung Yumi suddenly slips into her country accent as she hops around looking for her shoe, and Chilbongie just smiles after her and laughs to himself. Thank goodness they got an actress I love—I think I might’ve died a little inside if they had paired him with someone less than stellar.
Back in 2013, Haitai takes a call from his boss late at night, and Na-jung shuts the TV off, telling her three young sons that chasing stars will make them stupid (ha, it’s A-Pink, for one last Jung Eun-ji cameo). And Samcheonpo tells his cabbie the best route to take home like an expert.
And at the house, Dad takes down the last sign for new boarders.
Samcheonpo: Right now we might be pitiful salarymen who are mindful of the world, but we were once Korea’s first new generation: Generation X. We might now be ajummas who pour on the nagging like waterfalls, but once we were hot-blooded youth who hanged our lives on our oppas. And we were the first generation who was blessed to experience both an analog and digital world.
I repent for the days I used to belittle seventies music and eighties movies. That those movies, that music weren’t just movies and music, but your youth and your era—is something that I now realize when I am no longer young. December 28, 2013. In a few days, we become forty. To all the forty-year-old youths of Korea, and to everyone who lived through the nineties and endured till now, I dedicate these words to you:
Do you remember that we lived through a beautiful age, that our brilliant youth shone brightly, that our relentless loves ran hot, that we were great in years gone by. Though the next era may be a difficult one, let us live it passionately enough to be old-fashioned. That era that was so hot and innocent that I long for it with a chill. Do you hear me? If you do, answer me, my nineties.
COMMENTS
The finale delivered a faithful ending given the final trajectory of the show, so there weren’t any missing pieces or huge twists, and I think in general it puts in every bit of effort to give everyone a believable happy ending with no resolution left unturned. Because I was annoyed enough that we were dragging the mystery all the way to the finale, I was glad when Na-jung made her choice in the first five minutes, which in the very least gives us the rest of the episode for some closure and a chance to wrap up everyone’s stories. I still think the hour and a half left something to be desired for the secondary characters, but I much prefer an ending that focuses on the family as a whole and what that house did to bring these people together, so points for that.
As for Na-jung’s choice, I fully expected her to pick Oppa, and I fully expected to have my heart break for Chilbongie, so I was neither disappointed nor surprised about it. I don’t even feel weird about my feelings being split (in that I’m happy for Oppa and Na-jung and crying for Chilbongie), because the show was written to make me feel bipolar about the romance. I do think in that sense neither guy gets the classic win because both got shafted throughout the journey for the sake of keeping them in the race till the last possible second, but as far as resolutions go, I was satisfied for both of them and found the final hour more pleasant than most of the second half of the series, which so often put mystery before character development.
I’ve said as much already in my year-end review so there’s no need to rehash everything, but it goes without saying that Answer Me 1994 got stuck in its own tunnel of mystery, and sacrificed far too much of what was good about the show in service of fueling this strange fixation with the bait-and-switch. I mean this on a structural storytelling level, and not the fact of the overarching who’s-the-husband mystery, because that’s just a gimmick and is as annoying or not depending on how they want to play it. The writer was just obsessed with the bait-and-switch in this drama, wherein we’re purposely led to believe one truth (they’re siblings/not), or more frequently led down a path of murkiness where nobody outright says a thing (What does Binggeure feel for Oppa? What does Oppa feel? What is Na-jung’s reaction to anything?) just so that the story can be clever and jump out at us with a surprise twist.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it’s confusing, but by and large what happens if you do it for long enough is that we stop trusting your truth as truth and keep ducking for that sudden left hook. I felt totally shafted on Binggeure’s character development and found his sudden resolution to be a twist for twist’s sake—had he been confused about his sexuality, been exploring what his conflicting feelings meant, had we been in on his journey from the start or been allowed to know what he was going through, I’d have found his resolution to be fulfilling and a nice statement about the fluidity of sexuality and the importance of choice. Mostly though, I feel cheated out of what could have been that story because the show was more concerned with teasing the idea that he’d be gay so that they could swing around and do the big tadaaaaa moment. What is the point of that? I don’t disagree with the outcome, but I’m disappointed in how we got there.
The biggest misstep was with Oppa and Chilbongie, which of course ignited some crazy fan wars, the depths of which I don’t care to relive. The story chose a frustrating withholding strategy to prolong the central love triangle by taking turns putting Oppa in the corner and then Chilbongie in the corner, then back and forth and back again, until at some point we stopped caring whose turn it was and wanted it to stop. For as much thought as this writer puts into creating nuanced characters, she let The Hand of Mystery motivate their actions, which I found to be endlessly frustrating. I kept wanting deep, complex reasons, and kept getting non-answers and purposeful omissions for the sake of keeping things opaque.
Now that we’re able to look back on the series as a whole, the latter half really sags with the weight of a single mystery stretched far too thin—now it shows just how little conflict was being prolonged for that much story time, and makes me wish they had just answered the question early if only to force them to come up with more story afterwards. If they had told this story in twelve episodes, it might’ve been brilliant. Told in twenty-one, it loses all that pizazz. It’s doubly encumbered by the episode length, which grew preposterously long and drew complaints, eventually leading to the production releasing apologies, but sticking to its hour-and-a-half episodes anyway. What kills me is that I know this director has a strong sense of comic timing because Answer Me 1997 was spot-on and felt whip-smart because of its pace (until it also started to lag via bloated air time). This time scenes went on endlessly, jokes got lost because there were no editing choices made, and I could actually feel them padding out episodes and refusing to kill their babies, which dulled the zing factor—and one of my favorite things about this franchise is its zing! It felt like a raw production that should’ve gone through one more hardcore editing pass, perhaps from someone who wasn’t so attached to the cast.
Even still, this show was fantastic when it was firing on all cylinders—when friends became family, when people showed up for each other, and when they finally learned how to ask for someone to stay by their side. Go Ara finally got to shed her acting criticism and her just-a-pretty-face image, and did an fantastic job of being believable in every moment, no matter what tiny thing she was doing. It was lovely to watch. Jung Woo is just amazing, and gave Oppa a vulnerability and a depth beyond what was written. His character is literally one that can’t exist without that actor, which you can’t say about most roles. Yoo Yeon-seok got the full Nineties Lee Jung-jae workup, so in a meta sense he gets cosmically rewarded for walking away without the girl; you get to take all of the other women in the world with you, which you can’t exactly call a raw deal. I’m pretty sure I haven’t watched a drama that so romanticized an unrequited love and gave it the hero treatment since the nineties, so I have to assume his entire character is a love letter to that era. Which I guess just makes me a goner from the start.
In execution, this drama was proof that you do lose something when you try to have your cake and eat it too. But what this franchise always manages to do right is make us smile and look back on our own youths with the same sense of longing and nostalgia, and the hindsight that comes from maturing. I wish it had been a smoother ride because I love all the characters dearly, but I’m glad we at least go out on a good note. Thanks for the memories, Shincheon Boardinghouse—the good, the confusing, the funny, the frustrating, the heartrending, and the sweet ones all.
RELATED POSTS
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 20
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 19
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 18
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 17
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 16
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 15
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 14
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 13
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 12
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 11
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 10
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 9
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 8
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 7
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 6
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 5
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 4
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 3
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 2
- Answer Me 1994: Episode 1
Tags: Answer Me 1994, featured, Go Ara, Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon-seok
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101 hapacalgirl
December 29, 2013 at 5:41 PM
Overall I leave this drama pleasantly happy, even with all of its faults it was a good slice of life drama full of nostalgic moments. Although the drama was draggy and definitely the triangle could of been hashed out much earlier I am happy with how they chose to close the stories in the time they did have in these last two episodes. I know a lot of people were disappointed that Chilbong wasn't the husband and that they felt that Chilbong was shafted. I do agree that more could of been done with his character and would of liked to see him dating his now wife, even in flashback, but I am not too disappointed that we didn't and feel that in a lot of ways he wasn't too pitiful and the writers weren't too mean with him. Although he didn't get the girl in the end, what he did get was the family and friends that he never had and deep down wanted the most. I think by showing the friends be there during his time in the states, before his surgery, and during his recovery was a great way to solidify that point. I do believe he genuinely loved Najung but I think part of the affection he associated with her was because of the care and affection he received from her and her family which at that point he was sorely lacking so when he lost that it was heartbreakingly sad but I think over time that void filled up when Najung wasn't part of the puzzle anymore and he was able to see and appreciate that even if Najung didn't love him back that he wasn't alone anymore. I loved Trash and Najung's relationship and although there are some parts where I wish we were given more insight, what I liked about their relationship was how simple and realistic it was, there wasn't any dramatics and it was just two people trying to figure out how to shake old habits from a long platonic relationship and treat each other like the partners they now are which I am sure resonate with anyone who has tried a relationship with someone they had been friends with for years. As for the side characters, although I wish more was done with them overall I am not too bummed that they weren't the focus of the last two episodes since their stories were pretty much tied up by episode 19.
One more thing I will take away from this show is a new appreciation for actors that haven't wowed me in the past (Ara), continued adoration and gained appreciation for actors I have already loved (jung woo, Song Dong Il) and a new eye for actors that I never noticed before or are new (YYS, Son Ho Joon, the actor that played SCP, and do hee, and the mom). On paper these characters were pretty bland but each of these actors brought a level of nuanced and understanding to their characters that just hit you in the gut and made you care for them. I personally loved Ara's previous works but wasn't impressed with her but definitely loved her nuanced and in the moment acting of Najung. Jung Woo amazed me in YTBLSS but his portrayal of Trash was probably one of the best performances I have seen this year by a k-actor and I will definitely check out his past works and follow his career from here onwards. From here onwards I hope Korea can get past his unconventional looks (by korea standards) and give him main leads from here on out.
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102 nj
December 29, 2013 at 5:42 PM
This shw really does remnd me if How I met ur mother where Chilbing as Ted,trash n najung as barney n robin...n yj n smc as lily n marshall...well even though im not really satisfied with the ending i just hope the writer should hv done better brushing up the ending 4 chilbong...
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103 adette
December 29, 2013 at 5:50 PM
sigh. I'm so disappointed in the end if chilbong's storyline, with him meeting that girl. I remember having a conversation on this site with someone weeks ago about Chilbong's potentially fetishizing behavior... I tried to make the (very important) distinction between liking someone from a certain place and liking someone because they are from a certain place, to which I believe the response was something like they could see him down the line falling for some other random masan girl. I don't remember if I replied, but I didn't really buy that because you can't judge people for something they haven't done, you know? but then... this episode.... damn. gahhhhh. it was going so well, too. he mentioned that he had a wife, and was on good terms with everyone in 2013 so I was assured he had a good ending... and then they just had to go and show that his future wife was a girl with the exact same dialect as Na-jung... ugh. that was so unnecessary (maybe it made other people smile lol it just kind of ended the series on an even more bitter note for me)
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cheezels
December 29, 2013 at 11:40 PM
Me too. I thought it was really uncool for them to show Chilbong (possibly?) falling for Na Jung V2.0.
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Amell
December 30, 2013 at 5:31 AM
I was thrilled when they flashed back to CB's meet cute with his future (probable) wife but as the scene went on I became very disappointed that she was so NJish.
I would have preferred if he'd ran into the team manager from earlier in the series or even Trash's psychic cousin. The accent would have been the same but at least it wouldn't be the only thing we know about her.
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104 COOLass
December 29, 2013 at 5:52 PM
After a few months of Answer Me 1994, I could only say "Heads up to the crew in front of the camera and behind the scenes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Appreciate them for the storyline and lessons about life that gave me a closure to my year of 2013!! xD
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105 jane
December 29, 2013 at 6:09 PM
I cant even understand why people called this a triangle. In fact it even upset me that most people didnt even watch this show from the main girl's point of view but from the guys'. Like NJ's love for Trash was always so focused and she never once wanted someone else. Even if some people had hopes for the other guy, why couldn't they see how much she wanted her oppa? he was her dream and it didnt matter that he was too passive and he had flaws, he's the one she wanted. The only thing that could have made her choose CB was if Oppa had died or something. There are some feelings that you just cant shake. Even after their breakup, she came back home and she still didnt think about starting something with the other guy. Later on, it was pretty clear that both NJ and Oppa weren't over each other, they were just waiting for each other, waiting for the distance to disappear.
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106 crashbabe
December 29, 2013 at 6:12 PM
I will miss this show sorely...it's really one of the few shows i literally LOL. Though it does have flaws...and yes the mystery is one big glaring flaw as everyone had pointed out. But it's the moments, the little moments that you see that each one cared for another, like how Yoon Jin cried while Samcheonpo was trying leaving a message for CB when the mall collapsed, like how Haitai was wringing his hands with worry for the two of them, like how Yoon Jin held the bus hostage waiting for Haitai and the list goes on. These are the moments that made this show special for me.
I guess i was on neither ship...though my heartbroke for CB, it was not 'ridiculous' or 'trashy' to have him move on or not get the girl, because he clearly knows her heart is somewhere else, so he understood that to continue pining for her will only make himself more lonely. This was clearly shown, and this development was as realistic as was heartbreaking and touching. To think he made a wrong choice in the woman he likes is IMO an insult to his character development.
Trash and NJ, initially, I was struggling to understand why they have broken up, I thought it was really the missed calls, and that mundane life had caught up with them. However, that wasn't a strong enough reason for me as NJ's feelings for Oppa goes back a really long way and 2 years apart does not seem enough to break that bond. Then the show went into more by explaining that the relationship was not balanced. Oppa will always be oppa, and not a lover, and in his eyes, NJ was a sister first. As someone who have gone through the same unbalanced relationship where one party will always look at you like you are the sister, it only takes a while before you give up and stop trying to convince him that you are equals in a relationship, and you need to share experiences and feelings and thoughts, so that was the moment i was convinced they are not over and the writer, despite her obsession with the mystery did think through in very real terms about the relationship between each and every character.
And that drawing out of the subtle yet poignant moments of these relationships are what i love about the writer and this show. So fan wars, pls subside and look at the moments instead. Those are what make the show special.
Thanks gf and jb for recapping this ride for us!
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107 matchagirl
December 29, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Is it weird that I stopped watching the finale when the husband was revealed? I was already annoyed at the long episodes, but damn am I glad that I used the last +60 min on another drama.
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108 Quiet Thought
December 29, 2013 at 6:24 PM
I've never understood the goat and I hope someone can tell me where the goat came from. He's definitely funny, but also confusing.
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109 Quiet Thought
December 29, 2013 at 6:29 PM
By the way, awesome wink by Ara in the wedding picture at the top of the page. She obviously enjoyed playing this character immensely, and every time I've watched the show she held my attention whenever she was on the screen. A real star-making turn. And the wink should remind everyone that it wasn't the show demanding that everyone get emotionally over-involved with Na-Jung's choice of husbands. That's all on the viewer.
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amara
December 29, 2013 at 11:00 PM
she was SO funny too. and it was nice to hear that she "let go" she's such a pretty person and seems so earnest. her english accent was sooo cute too. i hope she can get out from under that SM actor thing and continues to develop. i had so much fun watching her i loved her character so much.
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thursdaynexxt
December 30, 2013 at 3:44 AM
Every time I see her wink, I have the urge to back away ... even if she's not drunk ;)
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110 Tess Cho
December 29, 2013 at 6:42 PM
Loved the finale. Loved it loved it loved it! Sure, there were flaws with the storytelling (but perhaps more specifically the editing) and the series could have been shortened a ton to make for a tighter narrative, but overall what I will take away from this drama is...well, the FEELS! I know most people were not in favor of the husband mystery, so I am definitely in the minority to have actually enjoyed the back and forth (up until maybe the last quarter of the series). I can't remember the last time I finished an entire drama feeling equal amounts of love and affection for all its characters. And where I didn't suffer from second lead syndrome. And where I wasn't tearing my hair out at a two dimensional heroine. And where I wasn't yelling at the hero for obscene amounts of wrist grabbing and forced kisses.
I will miss this show so dearly! So long, 1994! And thank you JB and GF for recapping the show so faithfully and wonderfully - you really added to the experience :)
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111 Rovi
December 29, 2013 at 6:45 PM
Noooo~!
Why no closure to Jun-hee and that red car??? T~T
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Jen
December 29, 2013 at 7:50 PM
Because Joon-hee story was very beautiful and precious that I rather prefer it is kept that way!
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112 raine0211
December 29, 2013 at 6:47 PM
The ending brought back the "answer me feeling" that was missing. The whole thing should've been 16 episodes at an hour. For twenty episodes they needed a bigger plan. I honestly dont mind the 'whose the hsuband' gag, but they played it up SO much that it became old. I would've loved the sexual ambiguity issue explored and more of the effect of Hoon's death on the family. I love the characters, and the acting was fantastic. Baro, blew me away. This series is well casted, but....its not 97.
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113 kooriyuki
December 29, 2013 at 6:50 PM
I don't know who'll see this (except DB admins), I've accepted the ending, but it is by no means I think it was a fantastic closure to the love triangle.
I'll proudly admit that I'm on the Chilbong ship from the beginning, never jumping ship at all.
I wish people will just accept that the ship we choose is a personal one; just as some thinks Chilbong is creepy/stalkerish/sexually harrassing Na Jung with his kisses (3yrs on the average are common for me. We are people who don't kill off our unrequited love easily. If you think he is creepy for that, then just think about second lead females in dramas who never say die to their crushes. Are they creepy as well? Why is it when it is a guy it is creepy? Everyone is entitled to their emotions so who are we to ask them to stop it?
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kooriyuki
December 29, 2013 at 6:57 PM
I can only lament that the Writer gave him false hopes time and again, making him pathetic. For this, Reply Me 1994 will forever be sullied, despite all the great friendship moments.
For all the 2013 moments, it just felt like Chilbong is the husband. For all the explanations given in the finale, they can't help but feel filmsy. The other ship may disagree, they may say we're delusional, but drama viewing is subjective, no matter how objective we wish to be. Even if we were just shown the 2013 cuts, those who're firmly on their ship will still see what they want to see.
For me, the drama ended at Episode 19, when Mom tells Na Jung Chilbong is their good luck. I thought there was a change in the way she sees him. If the writer wanted to make Chilbong the end game, it is perfectly logical because they could have just dated from then, for a year or so, and get married in 2002 June.
It doesn't mean you dated for a long time you have to marry that person. Time changes things, and marriage isn't about marrying the person you love most.
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jozie
December 29, 2013 at 8:39 PM
I didn't find CB creepy. I ended up being more team Hatai then anyone. However, I DO find a lot of the second female leads in Korean dramas very creepy. I often think you could easily find them boiling a bunny (Fatal Attraction reference, I don't know how many have seen it nowadays).
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kooriyuki
December 30, 2013 at 1:43 AM
Haitai is a gem on his own! I <3 Haitai too! And Samcheonpo!
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Lulu
December 30, 2013 at 5:23 AM
I was team Hatai too :3 And I got so upset he ended up having a not so good development... I wish we could just skip the whole army thing and explore his character more
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114 ilikemangos
December 29, 2013 at 6:53 PM
Okay, aside from all these major disappointments -- and i've got another to add on -- anyone else super disappointed there was no sex scene?
They couldve done a threesome, love-triangle style and i would have been so happy. Monogamy who?
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kooriyuki
December 29, 2013 at 6:58 PM
threesome ftw!!
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115 liz
December 29, 2013 at 6:57 PM
Some CB fans are sooo focused that he did not ''get'' the girl, that they do not see that:
Yes his character had closure. He decided for the sake of the other person (NJ) to move on, he FINALLY acted selfefless after clinging onto NJ and thinking about his feelings first for 20 episodes.
Yes, his character did not end miserable or was pititful in the end, this is what some fans want to believe, but CB got his happy ending. He got what he wanted the most: a loving family, that he found in the boarding house. He was no more alone with his friends. Doesn't matter he did not end with NJ, he moved on and could cherish this friendship that become most important to him than ending with his ''first love''. He also never stopped playing baseball and even got married at that.
What is the message CB character means ? That in life someone you don't get it all, no matter how much you work hard. Life is not a fairy tale. You guys keep saying how predictable is NJ ending with her first love but CB ending with his first love is as predictable as it.
CB was or wasn't main lead? He was not main lead, but surely was part of the MAIN CAST, he got more scenes than some boarding members, and got more development than some of them. I mean, you keep complaining CB didn't had many development than others, but I disagree.
What YJ had? Just Seo Taiji crush and her romantic line with CP. Did they ever developed the relationship between her mute mother and Yj's embarrassement about it? Her getting over it and confidently showing off her mom ?
Or HT that was used more for comic relief than anything else. What was HT story? What they showed more than HT never forgetting his ex and wanting sex with seoul girls? Did we ever get more insight about AJ? No, she was throw there again in the end to make HT love line end and play first love wins again because of NJ's first love line.
CB was not treated well by the boarding members? Really? You blame the members for not being so close for CB, but CB himself seemed more focused on NJ and baseball than them, so they never really knew how much they meant to CB until he himself pointed it out in that interview. The members might forget his birthday but they visited CB on the hospital worried for him, they keep in touch when he was in japan, keep in touch with him when he was in America, always sending emails, and always treating CB like a normal guy instead of the top star he was, they never gave him star treatment, and CB loved it, loved he was being treated as a human being and for what he was.
Sooo yeah, if some of his so called fans focused more in other aspect than he not being the husband, I would say he got his happy ending, but of course it isn't the happy ending you guys wanted, you just wanted him to get NJ when NJ heart was never his and never ligenred for him.
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liz
December 29, 2013 at 7:00 PM
lingered**
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Michelle
December 30, 2013 at 3:14 AM
so utterly true. so many cb fans are claiming that they are MAINLY upset bc CB got a faulty ending (which i agree with cuz i wish the last minute wife was a lil eh... ) when EVERY other character got a satisfactory ending (which i dont agree with).
its like CB got so much more of an ending than HT JY or Bing or SCP.
sometimes i feel like some ppl are using the facade of supposedly being upset at CBs character development when actually its mostly about him not getting the girl.
cuz CB in the end got what mattered most to him. a family. and i think was what his whole arc was about. but watever.
and i just want to clarify that i think SOME fans are doing this, not all.
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116 geese
December 29, 2013 at 7:08 PM
It would have reallly been better if it ended at the same episode 16.....my torch goes to AM1997..i could re-watch 1997 till the time i get to memorized the whole line but AM1994...i couldn't even watch a scene without skipping all the romantic scene of NJ-Trash and i'd rather watch chilbongie without sounds just watch him and the other guys with sound...ha ha ha...
am not even shipping any of them but the story was drag too long and it kills the romantic side of oppa and najung with the heart breaking-tear jerker situation of chilbongie...good thing i got haitai, binguerie and SC-YJ couple healing...goodness gracious the drama lost its light in the middle and the light just flicker till the end never gaining back its bright light.
all ends well..finally its over...whew...
not chance of re-watching it...grrrrr....writer....
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117 Jen
December 29, 2013 at 7:15 PM
If I had gone into this show knowing who the husband was, I would have enjoyed it a lot. All of the parts that did not focus on the romance were terrific. The friendships, the sense of family, etc. But the who is the husband mystery and the love triangle ruined it for me. By the end I didn't care who won, because I didn't care about any of them anymore. The big mystery being so drawn out gradually sucked all the joy out of this show.
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Abby
December 29, 2013 at 7:51 PM
AGREED! That's what made the show! They really didn't have to add so much emphasis on the romance, because the comedic and heartwarming moments in the family is what made the drama amazing!
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118 LEEEEZZZZ
December 29, 2013 at 7:24 PM
I am not really reading all of the comments because I can tell there is a lot of hate being thrown back and forth. But I really wanted to put my last thoughts in because I really enjoyed this drama, if you pull out all of the love triangle melodrama.
If you take all of the slice of life moments, this is what I am left with:
SCP and YJ: To this is how the show should have showed a relationship. The up and down. How love can take someone in their darkest moment and lift them up and turn it into something wonderful and heartfelt. Their journey was in step with each other. If one fell behind, the other waited and if one step ahead, the other moved faster. This is the love story that I really wanted the show to mirror in the leads.
Haitai: What is there to say but he is the one that wants to be forever young. Trying to be so in the moment that he can't see that he is clinging to something that isn't there anymore. I really loved his relationship with everyone. Esp with SCP. The showed how they went from complete opposites to best friends. How touching was their last moments together.
Binggurie: His journey from a puppy to dutiful son to an adult really shined through. His love for his cousin was endless and a true brother. I only wished that they didn't make his development such a mystery with is he gay or not gay. I did like that in the end he could voice his opinion and stand behind those words.
Oppa: Oh, there is so much to say about him. His character was the most developed. Every scene that he is in outside the context of the love triangle was amazing. This is a testament to Jung Woo because he could have easily became annoying. The scene with Dad just killed me. He really didn't have to say much, but his eyes and body language you could feel his sadness and guilt. Jung Woo really brought this character to life.
Na Jeong: She is aggressive but soft. Tough but sensitive. A complex character that fell flat in the middle. Then towards the end came back here and there.
Chilbong: Outside of the context of the love triangle, he didn't have that much. THere was the heartfelt one sided talk with his mom, then here and there glimmers of his loneliness. Only the very end of ep 20 did her really talk about how alone he really felt, how much he had to push down in order to move ahead. I know that he has a happy ending, but it would have been nice to see more of the in between. That I think is the problems with about of CB shipper. We don't want a CB show, but just something other than the love triangle.
I really loved every scene with the parents. How much would I have loved to have seen the talk between mom and Oppa after the confession. I think that I would have been able to root for him more. In terms of the relationship between NJ and Oppa, I would have loved to have seen them go from a a brother/sister relationship to a man/woman relationship. The show skipped all of that. I think that if they showed those kinds of moments, and not the love triangle, I would have been an Oppa NJ shipper. Yes there was love between them, there was no doubt in that, but after love there needs to be growth in order for them to last. That is why the cafe talk in ep 20 hit me like a ton of bricks. The very reason for not liking there relationship was summed up in NJ saying "I am you younger sister" There also CB his undying love died and that is sad to watch. But one of the best things...
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LEEEEZZZZ
December 29, 2013 at 7:33 PM
post got cut off:
One of the best things about the show was friendships between the boarders. How they went from stranger to friends to family.
So am going to take the melodrama love triangle out and only focus of the friendships. I know that there are going to have people disagree with me, but that is okay. People will see what they want to see. There is no point in arguing if you are not willing to see the other point of view. I don't know if I am going to rewatch this drama, but I hope that they next drama this team does will learn from the mistakes and missteps they made in this drama. I could have been better, but it is better than most. I guess I set the bar too high.
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skelly
December 30, 2013 at 12:03 PM
I decided not to read your post because there wasn't enough hate being thrown around.
Just trolling!!! :-)
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119 anna
December 29, 2013 at 7:39 PM
I ended up crying my eyes out reading this all over again. For some time, I lost sight of the love triangle and didn't really care who she ended up with because the most important thing is that they all stayed as friends and that is so heartwarming.
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120 selina
December 29, 2013 at 7:45 PM
I loved, loved, loved the last episode. My Jae Joon oppa and Na-Jeong were such a cutesome and adorable couple. That break-up did them so good in that they truly came to understand each other's needs and grew from the whole situation. They now share the burdens, the laughs, the good bad, hard, and ugly. Proof solid of that was when oppa pulled Na-Jeong down with him to beg appa. So different from the first time when he went at it alone. They are also a cute married couple just cuddling in bed talking about boring old daily things, and how adorable was daddy oppa and his mini me.
Outside of endgame status, I really enjoyed how the end focused on the life long various forms of love, friendship, and family that the boarding house gang (yes that includes appa and omma) developed with each other.
I adored Chilbong's arc kind of coming full circle in that he is no longer alone and he accepted that it really is over when it's over. So happy that the gang was always there for him looking out for and taking care of him. I like how they filled his cold apartment with instant warmth and laughter. For the first time my heart bleed for him when he had to let go of the one-sided love he held on to for too long. I shed a tear while he cried.
I love oppa! He is now my most favorite k drama male lead. He is one of the rare leads who wasn't an ass to the heroine (or anyone else for that matter) and he truly does have a tender heart like omma told Na-Jeong. I adored that he was the one to step up try to mend fences with Chilbong in his oppa way and respected his wishes of needing time (notice how he wasn't at any of CB's gang meet ups, and brought him meals when he slept). I grinned like an idiot when Chilbong called him "hyung" again. He became a surgeon because of Hoon. He is just awesome with both appa and omma, and he heard her in the cafe and changed for the better. I could go on and on in my love for him, but I will refrain.
SDI and Jung Woo are always golden together but their combined comedic timing are perfect. Poor oppa was such fail in winning favor (I died from laughter when he dropped the table on his toe, twice LOL) and poor appa and all he had to endure. The World Cup scene was such perfection and gave me such happy feels. I cried when it ended ended. For all it's flaws the drama also did many many things right. The good out weighted the bad. This is a drama (and oppa/Na-Jeong) that is going on my favorite drama/re-watch/buy the dvd list.
As always though we did always agree, thank you javabeans and girlfriday for all the recaps.
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121 Abby
December 29, 2013 at 7:49 PM
Complete and utter shock and disappointment for the ending. Trash can have Na Jung, I don't care about that. I just reaaalllly wanted Chilbong to have more time in getting over his first love. They paid so much attention to his sadness and loneliness and so little on his recovery that the melancholy of CB's character made me at one point feel physically ill. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: YYS is no longer considered the nation's bad guy in shows and is getting loads of love from around the world! This is definitely the year where second leads are getting the most attention (i.e. Woo Bin) and I hope for a change that the nice, cute second lead get the main girl in the upcoming 2014 dramas!
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122 grace
December 29, 2013 at 7:52 PM
i am on team CB.. so this is a BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT FOR ME.....
.aww i wished till the end it will CB... my bad.
though i lost it in the middle where CB isnt shown for 2 episodes..since HOPED some MIRACLE would happen...
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123 Jen
December 29, 2013 at 8:02 PM
Really not understand the sentiment here on:
"CB being a plot device"
"CB character got shaft"
"CB not being the husband"
Etc etc etc etc
All I am seeing is CB this, CB that ... this is not a "Chilbongie Show" but an Answer Me. Narratively speaking, the ending is satisfying as there is closure.
And the one thing appreciative about this is that the writer and PD stick to their original and never waver on what they want to narrate on Answer Me 1994.
And if anyone want to argue about the original intent of the husband, then there really is no argument as the original has and always been Trash.
Why, because the character who from the beginning has a higher risk of being shaft was his character especially with Jung-woo scandal (that he is in a relationship, which I still don't know why it is consider a scandal) was big that time.
There has even been interview and all questioning if the original story will be change (as people believe that his scandal would had gotten his character shaft) but NO!
The writer and Shin PD did not waver and stick to their original because Answer Me hold dear to them (as 1994 was when they first enter college) and it is a story they want to tell. Appreciate the writer and PD for that.
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124 bigwink
December 29, 2013 at 8:07 PM
Thanks for the recaps JB!
I've finally appease with the outcome after reading your recap on the finale. I still couldn't watch the episode but I'm ok now, I understand.
Despite all the trolls, this drama is a heartwarming one after all. I've laughed and cried along with the characters (I still couldn't sleep soundly because of Chilbongie), and its been a great journey (regardless the ending) (I'm still butthurt yes) (I wish they made Chilbongie's happiness more believable and not rushed)(ok I gotta chill).
And it's been a great pleasure to read all the viewers thoughts and hearts about this show too. I love every insights I got from the CSI team. I'm amazed by how dedicated and intelligent you guys are.
Looking back to the shipping war (it's still going I know), I feel like watching a world cup match where everyone all over the world gather to watch the show and roots for their favourite team. What an excitement!
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bigwink
December 29, 2013 at 10:31 PM
Oops sorry its girlfriday!!!
But thank you anyway JB and all the team.
You guys have been an insightful source from all the 'lost in cultural translation' I'm getting.
True to the character that I will hold dearly in my heart..
7..6..5..4..3..2..1.. Happy new year guys and girls!
Onto the promising new dramas and movies in 2014!
KISS (or a peck more likely)
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125 teiisha
December 29, 2013 at 8:17 PM
I loved it. :)
Na Jung got her happy ending, Trash stopped crying and Chilbongie got a whole family for himself.
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126 saranga
December 29, 2013 at 8:29 PM
samcheonpo's ending voiceover made me want to cry. the poignancy of it was so beautiful. it was a gorgeous ending to a drama that wasn't always so perfect at times, but that ending is what i think i will end up taking away from reply 1994.
it made ME rethink all the times i'd bemoaned certain phases of my youth (well, my teen years). like going through a hair glitter phase, tiny butterfly clips, my first awful highlights (bright blonde, one strand on each side of my face, like goddamn twins) etc. more superficial stuff, but trends of the day. i'm sure there's more, but what i want to say is that it made me realize that these are still all precious memories and a part of me and the era i grew up in, that i should embrace and remember the fun i had.
setting sentimentality gently aside... contrasting 1994 to 1997, 1997 was definitely the zippier watch. it was better edited, and it didn't feel like it was "yanking at our chains," to borrow DB and GF's term, with the love triangle, so much as 1994's did. chilbongie never really had a chance, but the drama made us think one might be around the corner, all the way up the end for some, i think. that's just irritating, and as a result i think we sacrificed watching a satisfactory development of chilbongie's growth.
one thing i think 1994 should have had in the bag from the get-go, and i can never forgive them for, is the editing. my god. the incredibly long, dragged-out scenes that made my eyes glaze over. it felt like a director's cut dvd edition (or a super deluxe director's cut) the whole way through.
but still, to its credit, it's 1994's characters that i feel more attached to. i feel like we explored all the characters more in depth than 1997. the casting was remarkable—perfect, really, just like 1997. i didn't think lightning could strike twice in that respect. and i'm really interested to see what this does for go ara's career. she's never really made any serious waves in the acting world, despite being "famous," so it'll be very, very interesting to watch where she goes from here.
thank you so much for all the recaps.
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127 liz
December 29, 2013 at 8:38 PM
Hum, there is something many people ignored while watching this show.
The OST. The OST of this show was perfect and really gave us insight of each character and the situation.
When Trash feelings were not really show before episode 11, everyone that payed attention to the song choice for his scene would know what his feelings were, and that something was holding him.
The pds pre-filmed 10 episodes of this series, episode 0 showed it pretty much. Who talked first? Go Ara, Jung Woo.
Who is in the middle of main poster? Go Ara and Jung Woo's using couples clothes and using same pose.
Who the pd waited going to army and coming back? JW. He wanted JW to play the main role since Answer 1997.
I don't know if you guys know it, but the PD and writer wanted to air and show Answer 1994 before, that this was their original idea, but changed things and made Answer 1997 first (must be the casting they wanted was not available, and not sure how well welcomed their story be)
So, yeah, watch the drama again guys and pay special attention to OST, it should answer your doubts.
Ps: the 2013 scenes might cling to CB being the husband, but it also gave hints that Trash could be. It happened in answer 1997. The 2012 scenes, made it like TW was the husband but aside it everything else showed YJ would be. Like A1994 showed it was trash since the start.
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Lyna
December 29, 2013 at 8:47 PM
The OST is fantastic. The lyric and song fit so well with Na-jung/Oppa story.
I think the biggest expectation through this all is that everyone is expecting a twist and I think I finally found what the BIG TWIST is.
That there is no love triangle!
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thursdaynexxt
December 30, 2013 at 3:52 AM
Yep, I always look to the OST for cues - it's a big part of any drama-viewing experience for me! :)
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hapacalgirl
December 30, 2013 at 5:39 PM
According to interviews of the PDs, they really loved Jung Woo's movie (dont know which one off the top of my head) and wanted noone but him as Trash in Reply 1994 (he was the only actor they wanted for the role and felt it couldnt be anyone else) but he was serving his military duty at the time. Because he was in the army they produced Reply 1997 first and waited for him to finish his service before filming reply 1994. i also read that they based Trash on a real person and took great care in his character which is why I am not in the least surprised at the focus on him.
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Lyna
December 30, 2013 at 7:26 PM
Yes it is true that they wanted him and it was his talent that shine as he brings out the best in his character and shine.
And I think what others are not understanding is that yes, the producer wanted to work with him but again, his character could had been shaft for his scandal if the producer truly care about all those craziness, scandal, popularity etc ... but in the end, they didn't care and stick to their original intent of the drama, that the love story had always been Trash and Na-jung progression of love, their stages of love from oppa/dongsaeng to that of husband/wife.
There really was no love triangle from the start to begin with.
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128 Fishy
December 29, 2013 at 8:48 PM
I love Reply 1997 and was even rooting for Trash in the beginning of Reply 1994 but the show just went downhill from there. The only thing I can look back on in 94 is the cameos from the 97 cast. I am very disappointed in how they built this wonderful second lead Chilbong and wasted him and he didn't even get a good solid ending. How did everyone else get a future wife in like one episode and our main second lead just ran into a girl in the last ten seconds of the show? If they were going to make Trash end game then they should have wrapped up the mystery early on and just gave Chilbong a better end story that could be believable. Oppa in 94 had JooYeon which made for a funny twist. I find it sad that they made CB so sad with his own friends forgetting his birthday, he didn't get the girl, he's the nicest character written, and he got screwed over.
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129 earthna
December 29, 2013 at 8:49 PM
"It isn't over 'til it's.." Finally, it's over!!!
When Oppa's name was revealed I was just like, "Woohoo! Finally, I'm done with the drama!" lol. This one had good and bad stuff. It would be better with shorter episodes though. I agree that they can edit so many scenes and just cut some of them.
I've always seen Go Ara as just a pretty face but this drama changed that for me. She is a really good actress. I look forward to seeing more good projects for her in the future.
Thanks girlfriday and javabeans for the recaps!!
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130 Stuart
December 29, 2013 at 9:01 PM
When this drama started, I was amazed. I really thought the first six episodes were as good 1997, in a "same but different" kind of way. Then the obsession you talk about with the bait-ans-switch kicked into overdrive, along with the bloated, self-indulgently overlong episodes. I stuck with it for the outstanding pairing of Min Do Hee & Kim Sung Gyun - they got the sort of plausible and involving relationship arc the main OTP ought to have. The sweet, funny, real-feeling second pairing and the always superb Il Hwa and Dong Il made sure that I enjoyed the drama to the end, despite the writer's best efforts to turn into underdone spaghetti - long, stringy, and doughy. I'm definitely going to be looking out for Do Hee and Sung Gyun again, and also Go Ara- this was the first drama I saw her in, and she did just fine, , her scene with Il Hwa reminiscing about the late Hoon still the most emotionally moving of the entire drama for me.
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131 mikmik
December 29, 2013 at 9:15 PM
I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS DRAMA! I LOVE THE CAST! I LOVE THE PD! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! I WILL MISS THIS DRAMA!!!!!! I HOPE THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER DRAMA AS GOOD AS THIS ONE!!!!
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132 cinthy
December 29, 2013 at 9:17 PM
awww I did a marathon and I loved it!!!!! I knew she was going to pick oppa-ya I love him!! a great show with great actors and please those kisses, you can see how go ara liked them from the first to the last lol thanks for the recaps!!
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133 eetsuko
December 29, 2013 at 9:42 PM
What's done is done. Looking at it in the narrative sense, everything really was resolved clearly and to some extent I can accept Chilbong's resolution and well, consolation prize: success, fame, fortune and family (in the end the 10000 hours did work). I guess if you just look at the development of the characters individually, that's where you find that certain aspects of the characters introduced during the first 10 episodes that have been overlooked in order to accommodate this ending. Like how Chilbong's mother (who expressed her love for her son in no uncertain terms like 'Joon is the most important person to me in the whole word') was later thrown under the bus by being presented as this neglectful mother just so Chilbong would be in need of a surrogate family and would realize that the family he forms with the people in the boardinghouse is more important than Na Jeong.
I also do agree that the conflict was stretched too thin with this one. And in my mind the various incidence in between Na Jeong and Oppa dating could have been presented in 2 one and a half hour episodes (like AM1997). Instead it was given too much unnecessary focus that could have been given developing other characters since as some said since Chilbong never really posed a threat, this couple never really had that much conflict to begin with.
Anyway, I think one of the real reasons for the shipping war is the fact that Na Jeong was never really clear about her feelings until this episode which gave our Chilbong ship hope. I don't think it's wrong for me to say that though this may not be Na Jeong's intention, she definitely lead Chilbong on. Some have pointed out that it was obvious that Na Jeong did not have any feelings for Chilbong. I just want to say that this could have been made clearer and I do feel definitely manipulated that it was not. In my opinion, the writers and PD-nim deliberately encouraged this 'does she love him or does she not' expression in Na Jeong to hold on to Chilbong viewers long enough until the finale while throwing buzzwords like miracles and 10,000 hours. I wish this wasn't the case because I really truly loved the Na Jeong character from the get-go: spunky, smart, confident and STRAIGHTFORWARD. But during the last few episodes, it's as if her established characteristic especially the straightforwardness was deliberately withheld in order to accommodate the mystery, making her a puppets of the PDs & writers at least for those episodes. This is a shame for me because comparing this to AM1997, the mystery there did not in any way interfere with the character development nor the already established characteristic of the characters. (i.e. Shi Won remained consistently straightforward, in 1997, 2004 and 2012)
Anyway love triangle aside, I still love this series because of the life lessons it taught and espoused especially in the case of Binggrae who had to choose between the people he loved and his dreams, and then eventually chose the former because he realized that in the long run, the first one is more important to him than the latter.
I also love the relationship between Yoon Jin and Samcheonpo as they, not being burdened by the mystery, really showed the smoother and more organic transition of two individuals, with 2 totally different characteristic, aspirations, dreams and ambitions, who from the very beginning did not understand each other into a couple who went outside themselves to understand each...
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eetsuko
December 29, 2013 at 9:43 PM
... other. I will forever remember their lines for each other: "If you don't understand me, who will?"
I also love HaiTai though I connected less with him than with the other characters though I can always appreciate the goodness of his heart and his caring for this surrogate family and his friends.
Love triangle and shipping aside, Oppa is amazing. And really during the times when the tensions run high with the shipping wars, what kept me a sane shipper is the fact that I've never forgotten his quirky disposition, amiability, friendliness and general concern for his family and patients that were shown during the first 10 episodes.
I'm no longer bitter about the ending because I really took to heart the lessons showed by Chilbong in this drama. One of which is that if the tide isn't going in your favor, you suck it up and accept it, then better yourself for the upcoming times (haha, so does this mean I'll be a better shipper next time around?)
Anyway, thank you for the recap. It definitely helped me coped with my dissatisfaction about the ending by providing a more balanced view of things.
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Tina
December 30, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Na Jung got engaged to Trash and somehow you feel she led CB on? CB was clear about her feelings. He saw it when she shared an umbrella with Oppa. He said it when he confessed to her. He knew where her feelings lay.
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imzadi
December 30, 2013 at 12:35 PM
I don't understand, how she could have led him on, when everybody knew how she felt. Unfortunately we never saw the direct aftermath of the first kiss. Perhaps she did tell him so, perhaps she didn't. But she never gave him hope or strung him along.
He choose to go after her, move in and so on. I never disliked him or found him creepy or anything like that. There are just two instances, where I felt he was wrong. He shouldn't have given oppa the baseball and tell him, that he would get his girl one day. And also the whole "he was too nice" line.
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eetsuko
December 31, 2013 at 7:48 PM
As I've said, Na Jeong's feelings could have been made clearer by her saying something about it. The fact is we did not have flashbacks at all and so, I'm taking all the scenes as complete in themselves. And the fact that she did not say anything at all when she was clear about her feelings for oppa is a point against her in my book.
If you want to know what I was going for, please watch Yoon Jae's confession (Episode 12) and Shi Won's response in Reply 1997. After Yoon Jae's confession there, Shi Won clearly said that "I hope we can still be friends. I don't understand why the writer could not have Na Jeong's response clear in this drama when it was all too clear in Reply 1997 where Shi Won stood and that was considering the fact that Shi Won was very confused about her own feelings then.
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134 coby
December 29, 2013 at 9:43 PM
I will never let myself be trolled by another drama ever again. This is the most bitter and painful second lead syndrome that I've experienced.
Why drama? Answer me?!
Thanks for the recap! Happy New year guys!
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135 joycekang
December 29, 2013 at 9:53 PM
Loved that moment when Chilbong says "Because I'm a Major Leaguer!!!" :) Aaagh it's almost unbearable waiting to see him in another drama!
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136 Lucifera
December 29, 2013 at 10:11 PM
"Jung Woo is just amazing, and gave Oppa a vulnerability and a depth beyond what was written. His character is literally one that can’t exist without that actor." I'm so with you, thank you for saying that. I'd only seen him in "You're the best...", so I really didn't have any inclination towards him when the show started, but I was hooked in as soon as I saw the way he looked at the girl, and I saw the girl pining for him... I've known my husband since I was a kid and he was a brat and the phase they went through when they realized they were in love was so sweet to me. I was cheering for Oppa from the very beginning and I was so happy in the end when he got the girl. I'm biased, of course, since he reminds me so much of my own husband. Thanks for the recaps. I enjoyed them immensely.
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137 moon.
December 29, 2013 at 10:31 PM
Hmm. Honestly speaking, I have a feeling that in the beginning the husband was supposed to be Chilbong? But I guess in the middle of it the writer changed her mind seeing how Trash oppa is gaining a lot of attention from viewers. I think that kinda explain the plot-holes when it comes to the 2013 scenes. Like for example the wallet scene. If I remember correctly Trash oppa already has his wallet in his back pocket, no? So why is Najung passing another wallet?
Well anyways, I actually don't mind the ending because I love both guys so I don't mind Najung ending up with either of them. Tho truthfully I am kinda disappointed at the writer for the lack of character development when it comes to Chilbong. All the other characters have their fair share of character development. We get to know their family, their background story and how they overcame the problems they faced. But when it comes to Chilbong I feel like there's nothing at all.
His character basically just revolve ard baseball and Najung and nothing else. So okay he has problems at home with his mum who doesn't give much attention to him at all. And? That's it? No conclusion to that at all? They couldve expanded that and have him reunited with his mum.
& like everyone else, I agree that the writer should've let him move on earlier when he left for japan. And then from there they could've expanded his character more than just the other person in a useless love triangle.
Now for some compliments abt this drama. Jungwoo! I've always liked him from when he was acting as breadman in ytblss and here he surely didn't disappoint. He's amazing! Oh and one thing I'm thankful abt this drama is that I've discovered Yoo Yeonseok. Yoo Yeonseok is a gem! I've never seen him in anything except werewolf boy in which I hated his guts. But wow his chilbong character is so lovable. Such a huge contrast. Definitely looking forward to his other works. & despite some flaws with the story, I think the drama is still enjoyable and has a lot of heart. It left me teary in some moments. Tho I don't think its rewatchable. As much as I love Trash-Najung, I don't want to rewatch Chilbong getting his heart broken again. Haha
Now can I get a spin-off? Reply 2002, anyone? With Yoo Yeonseok & Jung Yumi(love her) as the leads? I wanna know how Chilbong's love story goes from there! Lol
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amara
December 29, 2013 at 11:08 PM
very untrue wrt the first part if you go up or to the second page and find cafelatte's? comment (or search viki it was a viki comment) it explains
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moon.
December 30, 2013 at 12:43 AM
Really? Well, I could've sworn he already has his wallet tho which is why thought there could be a bit a change. I don't know maybe I didn't concentrate enough or did I miss anything? I mean this is a kdrama after all so due to their live shooting system, there is a high possibility that that there will be changes. We can't deny that.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not accusing or anything. I'm just thinking that it might be possible since from their early promo of this drama and the earlier 2013 scenes, things seem to point out more to Chilbong. However it could just be the show's way of trolling its viewers.
I think towards the ending(like late-mid eps to the last) its quite obvious that the husband is Trash oppa tho since Najung has never once wavered. As much as I love Chilbong and wants happiness for him, I also don't get how some people think Chilbong has a chance after he returned from Japan. It's too little too late to turn the tables. Chilbong could've been a better love triangle rival if he written better and have more presence but the way they written him it's obvious that he won't get the girl. Kinda a waste(we could have had a better love triangle!) but yeah.
But anyways in regards to the wallet, it could also just be the director's error so...I guess we'll never know.
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amara
December 30, 2013 at 10:59 AM
honestly idk abt the wallet stuff. i wasn't super interested in like finding out about the husband and thinking about it so sometimes i tuned out. i enjoyed the main couple loads and theyre one of my fav couples but it like..wasn't that important to me what the outcome was? in a sense so i missed a lot in the sense of looking out or being more aware
so idk how to answer that the only things i can say is that they purposefully didn't release that trash wasn't her actual bro but they did have the first 10 eps written and the pd consistently said it was never a love triangle, and they waited for jw and they said that after ep 10 if people didnt like nj-t they would change the format (that's probably a lie tho) i hope this makes sense but it was always their original intention to go this route
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hapacalgirl
December 30, 2013 at 5:51 PM
I disagree with your first statement. It is well known that the only reason Reply 1997 was produced first was because the PDs waited for Jung Woo to be discharged from the military before producing Reply 1994, he was the only actor they wanted for Trash and they put a lot of care into Trash. I highly doubt Trash would be so important to them to delay the show if he wasn't the main character. Additionally Jung Woo stated himself that if korea didnt respond well to the NJ/Trash storyline that they were going to do reply 1994 in a more sitcom style of drama. They originally were planning on making Najung and trash a couple and were only going to change it if the public didnt respond to them but Korea ended up loving Trash and Jung Woo so they stuck witht he original plan. If you notice nothing in the drama had Najung liking Chilbong so I have no idea what makes you think Chilbong was originally the husband. I think Chilbong's arc was always about getting that surrogate family and unfortunately that was lost in the PDs stretching out the triangle far too long.
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138 mimosa
December 29, 2013 at 10:37 PM
Any of the two guys end up being the husband is just fine with me, though why they have to twist the story that way?! Why gave CB two times new year countdown with NJ but nothing happen? To trick viewers? And nobody notice the heights difference of NJ and groom? When the face was still a mystery? The groom was much taller than NJ compare to when they show us that he was oppa after all.
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139 Ace
December 29, 2013 at 11:05 PM
I enjoyed this show so much. I love Chilbong and teared up when he finally let go but I knew from the start (had some doubts in the middle) that it was gonna be Oppa. I actually enjoyed the moments that made me doubt it was gonna be Trash so I didn't mind the efforts CB made to get NJ's attention. He's really a good kid and I could understand how most of the international audiences (except me) rooted for him with a passion, but the fans took that passion to heights (or depths) that left a bitter taste to AM1994 discussion sites. That's the saddest thing in this series, I think.
Anyway, thanks for those sane CB fans who kept the discussion civil and rational. I know it was hard, but hope you loved the series for everyone's journey, not just for CB's one-sided crush. Glad that YYS got recognized and has tons of offers so fans could watch him more next year.
Jung Woo/Trash/Jae Joon Oppa - I love you!
Great cast, characters, cameos, OST. Though each episode was 20-40 minutes too long, I still enjoyed every moment and didn't feel much the drag while watching. It was an awesome journey and this is gonna be one of my favorites this year. It's certainly better than IHYV imo.
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Lily
December 30, 2013 at 12:35 AM
The first show ever that ive fallen in love with every characters emotionally. I dont want it to end!!!
I dont feel injustice for CB because not like he ever had a chance from the beginning anyway, but his love story couldve been a tad bit better.
Thank you for recapping this show! <3
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140 cheezels
December 29, 2013 at 11:53 PM
I think YYS's bashful grin is what did me in.
I love you, Chilbong. I just hope you are happy now, and have 8 kids with your awesome wife who loves you back.
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141 dashi
December 30, 2013 at 12:03 AM
The finale would have been beautiful, if they didn't decide to take a Chilbong trajectory in EP18 and EP19. If it had been Oppa who had come to Na Jeong on NYE 99 instead of Chilbong, they could have used EP19-21 to finally give Chilbong a love arc of his own and both sides would have LOVED the finale!
I love the AM franchise, but I just can't see the Chilbong who never once faltered for six years, have a change of heart in two years.
Thanks for the caps JB, GF <3
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142 Junhee
December 30, 2013 at 12:04 AM
Enjoyed this drama but was a little dissatisfied at how the writer closed up CB's story. She dragged the "Who's The Husband?" game on and on for eternity and then very abruptly brought it to a conclusion.
I don't know. It might just be me but it all seems a bit unfair.
Overall, I liked the drama and its characters. I think I invested a lot of my emotions into this story line and I'm not sorry that I did. It was pretty solid. (But the darn Oppa vs. CB shenanigans was repulsive...)
If I was asked to choose between 1997 and 1994, I would immediately say 1997. The husband game was interesting but wasn't my thing. It felt a little sloppy at the end and I think 1997 was more balanced throughout it's entire running.
But nonetheless, I'll miss waking up on Fridays and Saturdays to watch this drama. Farewell Najung, Trash oppa, Chilbongie, Binggeurae, Haitai, Samcheonpo, and Yoojin. You guys were great. *tear*
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143 ML
December 30, 2013 at 12:23 AM
Thanks so much for the wonderful AM 94 recaps. In spite of its flaws (draggy episodes, long drawn out love triangle and the so tiring who is the husband mystery), I will always have fond memories of this show for the heartfelt and sometimes humorous insights to issues facing all of us through the lives of the boardinghouse members which are family, friendship, love, studies and life in general. This was one of the few shows where I watched and read spoilers, looked forward to every DB recaps and visited soompi to read up the numerous comments.
My favorite couples of the show are Appa-Omma and scp-yj. Even after years of marriage they can't keep their hands off each other and their unwavering support for each other whether their son's death or bad investments was beautiful. scp and yj's relationship was so organic in that we as viewers get to see how they had positive growth together and as individuals through all the trials and individual weaknesses and flaws over the years.
And lastly, thank you Yoo Yeon Seok for the beautiful and nuanced portrayal of a beloved character, Chilbong. It has been a very long time since I rooted so hard for the second lead to get the girl. Chilbong had all the traits that I admire in a man; a go getter but never fighting for his rights, a gentleman in love and war, humble, loyal to his friends and family and never self- pitying when things don't go his way. Thank you for bringing all these traits across to the viewers.
Thank you AM 94 for the rollercoaster ride of a time; the laughter, the tears and the gnashing of teeth at all the trolling! :)
PS: Went to soompi and from the number of times Richard Simmons was quoted, his name is the new curse word and his rep probably worse than the devil :P
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144 annflln
December 30, 2013 at 12:39 AM
I definitely would skip the whole Oppa-Na Jung-Chilbong romance part. That part make my heart broke :'( *sniff. I don't mind with Oppa-Na jung, but the way they swings CB back and forth really get my nerve.
The friendship and family part that will always win my heart. That's make the AM franchise win some of our hearts.
Thanks for JB and GF who share their views. Happy new year everyone :)
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145 outsider
December 30, 2013 at 1:09 AM
this show will always be close to my heart. It could've been better (shorter length, fewer episodes, faster pacing...) but we all did enjoy the friendship and family wackiness, right?
I am still wounded from the Chilbong heartbreak they gave us, however I am more than thankful for them bringing to us such wonderful personas. Najeong, Trash, BG, Haitai, Samcheonpo, Yoonjin, the parents and even trash's trashier brother.
thanks gf and jb for all the recaps!
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146 LEEEEZZZZ
December 30, 2013 at 1:59 AM
This is for all of the people who say that they hate this character or that character for one reason or another but say that they loved the show. Did you love the show because it was the ending that you liked? What if it didn't end the way you like, then what? What irks me the most is that everyone who says that really couldn't see the beauty of the moments between NJ and CB and even Oppa and NJ. For me the scenes were so amazing between NJ and CB. They were wonderfully beautifully tragic. Just because it was one sided love doesn't mean that love can't burn as bright or as hot. Ask anyone who has been through that situation. It was so sad but at the same time tinged with some hope that you felt for CB. I really think that this is where the writer and YYS the actor shinned. How many of us had believed in something and wanted to believe in something so bad but knew deep inside that it wouldn't happen. So much so we made mistakes and became foolish and lost because because of it. Did that make us bad people, no, that made us human. Fallible, petty, irrational, those are words that could describe anyone of us at certain times for us. For those who connected with CB, we felt his pain, his loneliness. We wanted him to be happy, if that meant for him to be with NJ then that is what we wanted. Ultimately that did not happen, but that is okay. We just wished that there was more insight to that journey then what was given.
For those who hate Oppa and NJ together. The heart wants what it wants. NJ just got there faster, while Oppa took the long way. It was a disservice to them to show so little of their love development. There could have been some great moments that could have happened. The writer could have done it. I have seen her do it. When she does it, it is gold it is moving. We really didn't get to see that. I wish there were more scenes like the last cafe scene. I cried for them, for the loss that they felt, that for them they too were lonely even when they loved each other. Because, love is not enough. They could have dwelled upon the complexity of love and could have said something poignant and meaningful. But they got caught up in the mystery, it took all of that away.
For those who say get over it, it is just a drama. I say no, it is not just a drama. This is art. Art is suppose to move us, make us talk, make us think beyond the surface. How many of us listened to music, or watched a movie, or looked at art, and it spoke to you. You felt something, it changed you. If the drama was suppose to be fluffy fun, then take it as it is. But it wasn't fluffy fun, it was a looking glass to the human heart. For some this drama was heartbreaking, for others not so much, but that doesn't mean that what one person saw was wrong and the other person is right.
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amara
December 30, 2013 at 11:10 AM
i DISLIKED a huge chunk of cb bc i do not like men like that or appreciate it. i enjoyed the show as a whole because i found it profound and while i would have been completely off guard if nj married cb (and it would have been improbable, so idk why im even thinking abt this) i still would have enjoyed it bc this show got me through a rough transition in my life
the problem is that a lot of people are saying things that are clearly not even close to facts and lowkey misogynistic too and just dumb. no, you don't have to /like/ anyone but purposefully dodging points to support untrue claims is senseless
also re: your losing comment there is the rub too because it's not a lose/win situation so. a lot of people probably find my comments and some others harsh, but it is interesting to discuss but a lot of it is ridiculous
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amara
December 30, 2013 at 11:12 AM
and on top of that you can be unhappy because you didn't get what you want but i feel so protective over the show because it gave me such joy for weeks and so many people are quick to drop it for several reasons and a lot of them happen to be because their favorite male character did not receive the life they envisioned when it wasnt even about him to begin with.
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147 Lysrouge
December 30, 2013 at 4:02 AM
This is not Chilbong1994...some people are so bitter about him not being the husband or getting an "unfair" ending just blows my mind, if the show disappoint you because of that then i dont know what to say! He got a happy ending, an amazing family full of the people that loves and care about him!
Anywho, thank you for recapping, its been a great run. Not sure if i'll ever find another show that bring so much "feels" to me anytime soon. I loved every single characters on this show and how relatable they were. Loveeeeeee!
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apples
December 30, 2013 at 1:35 PM
CB should have gotten a happy ending sooner. At 1.5 hours length, they had enough time to work it in!
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148 thursdaynexxt
December 30, 2013 at 4:37 AM
Ah, well, who'd have thought?
Out of my favourite k-drama men this year, one guy dries his face with the bath mat and the other guy scored 270 on his TOEIC! Alas, my taste in men...!
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149 Pinkspider03
December 30, 2013 at 4:37 AM
I totally agree with this review. I felt exactly the same way about this drama. It could be done in 12 episodes (1 hr max). It was simply too draggy and 21 episodes of back and forth issues between NJ and Trash is just too much. I think the drama would have been great it they kept it short, if they want to complicate it a little bit, they jolly well have good content to account for the longer episodes.
In any case, the drama is still very good. I still enjoy the drama but merely wished that the editing could be tighter.
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150 alcoholicbubbletea
December 30, 2013 at 4:41 AM
what made me SIGH big time is the fact that oppa had it all so easy. ok you can argue with me that he suffered during LDR and guilt(-ed? idk the right word) after his breakup with na jeong. but chilbong has to go through one struggle after another.
he doesnt have a mother figure, he had to work his ass off to succeed in baseball, he had to confess TWICE and got ignored (ignored! not even rejected) twice. and the girl he loves thanked him for liking her because "it made her feel better" (what kind of girl says that?!). and THEN his shoulder's broken but NOPE its sooo unfair if chilbong is the only famous one so oppa as his doctor has to be famous too.
oppa had the privilege to take his time on confessing and still get the girl. he could have the LDR broken but still end up with the girl. he succeed in his job, which yeah well he earned it. which is, good for na jeong because sister's got some persistence right thur... and again and again THE SHOW IS ABOUT NAJEONG SO LET HER CHOOSE. chilbong doesnt automatically gets the girl just cus hes nice.
but i mean, writers, cant you make chilbong's life a little easier?
i dont dislike any of the character its just its like watching cinderella and i feel like the writer is trying to make viewers dislike chilbong? its like oooh oppa is so so nice he forgives CB just like that and ask him to call him hyung. while CB is always portrayed as a bitter loser.
btw i dont mind the first love joke because hey, its been 10 years. he needs to be over her already. their friends arent "bad", come on. i dont get fans who bash on the sinchon gang just because of that joke :/
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amara
December 30, 2013 at 11:18 AM
okay question you do realize that a large majority of the characters suffered right? and trash also lost his best friend (though nothing compared to losing a brother and NOTHING compared to losing a child) and later his mother where he felt he had to be strong.
loneliness is horrible and that is one aspect that i felt like i could connect to cb on (and so is not receiving the love that you should from your parents, or in the best way) but his pain is not single
literally no one is stealing cb's shine esp because oppa became famous? he is still a famous player and succeeded. cb had to work hard to become better because some things come naturally and he became incredible because of that
i do not think the writer tried to make people dislike him at all but it's his nature to do the things that he did. i never not once pitied him and i shouldn't have to. i didn't pity anyone. it is kind of in cb's nature to potentially be a bitter loser but that's the hole he dug
oppa didn't have anything particularly easy, neither did any of the characters and the idea that because he [cb] faced every obstacle he's somehow...better? or deserves more? i don't know if that makes sense but getting upset bc things are hard for someone and easy for another is strange
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redmoon103
December 30, 2013 at 1:39 PM
The writers messed up with the character inconsistencies because they were obsessed with the husband mystery, so just used both Trash and CB in the end to get higher ratings.
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Lysrouge
December 30, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Oppa "had so much time to confessed" because he had an extreme complicated relationship with their parents, his biggest fear was losing that famiky bind, therefore he waited to further his and NJ relationship.
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