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You’re All Surrounded: Episode 20 (Final)

Ready or not, it’s time for the rookies to graduate and find out whether they’ll sink or swim. The team scrambles to catch the baddie, and Pan-seok and Dae-gu challenge each other for biggest heroic sacrifice, because they can’t ever just be content to let the other win at something. Never has abiding by law and order seemed so unfair as it does in this show, but I guess if upholding justice were easy, we wouldn’t have cared about the underdogs who throw themselves into their work day after day, no matter how dirty the politicians, or how thankless the job. You clean up the streets, and does anyone even give you a cookie?

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Ha Geun-young – “The End, And New Beginning” for the You’re All Surrounded OST [ Download ]

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EPISODE 20: “Don’t move! You’re all surrounded!”

Pan-seok faces the room full of reporters and puts his job on the line to get the truth out there. He names Assemblyman Yoo’s daughter as the recently caught culprit in the Masan murder case, and then plays the audio file that was in Chief Kang’s possession. Everyone instantly recognizes Assemblyman Yoo’s voice.

Pan-seok explains that Assemblyman Yoo had Kim Ji-yong’s DNA test forged in order to gain his daughter’s financial backing for his campaign. (And if it wasn’t clear—the money is hers to control because he married into wealth just like his son-in-law. While he is her father, the inheritance is hers.) That led to her snapping and attempting to kill her husband’s ex-girlfriend.

The reporters ask about Chief Kang’s relationship to Assemblyman Yoo, and all Pan-seok says is that it needs to be investigated. But he does tell them that she died shortly after she took possession of the recording, and after leaving a meeting with Assemblyman Yoo. He lets them draw the natural conclusion, and says this is what they want to investigate, because the prosecutor’s office has done nothing to reveal the truth.

He’s prepared to lose his job, but asks that the journalists help the rest of his team investigate the case fairly, and fulfill their duty to report the truth along the way. He says that people call justice dead nowadays, but he urges them to help show the world that that isn’t the case.

The team spills out of the room and greets Pan-seok with hangdog expressions, and he forces a serene smile and chides them for overreacting. But he only gets two steps out of the room when internal affairs comes to take him away for questioning. He asks Eung-do to take care of the kids, and goes to face the music.

The story blows up in the media, and Assemblyman Yoo starts breaking vases. The prosecutor’s office investigates Madam Yoo for Chief Kang’s murder, but she doesn’t even know who Chief Kang is, and scoffs at the accusation that she ordered the family lawyer to kill her.

She goes to confront Assemblyman Yoo for lying to her all these years and causing her to almost kill someone, while he counters that all he wanted was for her to get a divorce—she’s the one who went off the reservation. Which is why you should both be in jail, is what I’m saying.

He says that Chief Kang got involved because of her mess in Masan, so all this is her fault anyway, and adds that none of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t defied him to marry her husband in the first place.

Madam Yoo shudders and says she finally sees now why Mom didn’t leave him a cent. I never thought I’d see the day where I took the crazy lady’s side in an argument. But he gets the last laugh today, and reminds her that he gets to shove her back in an asylum at any time.

The team waits on pins and needles for public opinion to pressure the prosecutor’s office, and Chief Toad bursts in to announce that they finally got the authority to investigate the case. He gives them fancy new gadgets for the occasion and sends them off to do their jobs.

What they didn’t expect was for Assemblyman Yoo to resign, and are shocked to read the headlines. We catch up to his press conference, where he puts in a rousing performance as the contrite father who acknowledges his mistakes, crocodile tears to boot. Of course he only admits to falsifying the DNA test, and resolutely declares that he is innocent concerning Chief Kang’s accident.

The team is floored when he walks into the precinct voluntarily for questioning. They’re not ready for him so soon, which is what he’s banking on. Eung-do says to think of it like an initial round of questions, and not to get sucked into mind games with him. Then maybe you shouldn’t send Dae-gu into the room…

Assemblyman Yoo smirks as Dae-gu sits down in front of him, though that smirk disappears when Dae-gu addresses him by name without the respectful title. But Assemblyman Yoo just ignores all the questions and pokes at Dae-gu’s wounds repeatedly, cooing that he must be so sad that Chief Kang is dead.

He asks if Dae-gu isn’t curious why she became his benefactor, and already Dae-gu loses his temper. He asks how someone could use a person and murder her like that, and Assemblyman Yoo just sighs that it’s too bad Chief Kang is dead, “Since the dead don’t speak.”

Dae-gu can’t contain his tears, and when Assemblyman Yoo gets up to walk out, Dae-gu snaps and slams him up against the wall, growling, “I’m going to kill you!” Ack, Dae-gu, no! The rest of the team rushes over to pull him off, but the damage is done and Assemblyman Yoo gets what he came for. He chuckles that Chief Kang bought a young kid’s heart at a cheap price, and tells his lawyer to get the CCTV footage of the interrogation before walking out.

Eung-do meets Pan-seok as he’s released from questioning, and brings him the security tapes from Assemblyman Yoo’s building that he asked for. He begs Pan-seok to get through this with his job intact, and threatens to resign if he leaves the force: “I’m not kidding! You have to take responsibility for all five of my children!” Pan-seok grouses at him for being needlessly virile and having five kids in the first place, ha.

Dae-gu goes over Boots’ black box footage of the exchange with Lawyer Kim, and this time he notices that the envelope Boots hands over has a different logo for Chasung Group than the one he knows. The internet tells him it’s the logo from 2003, and he tells the team that it’s likely the money wasn’t the price for his life, but whatever was in this envelope.

The logical conclusion is that the object inside is also from 2003, though they make some leaps to guess that it was a burner phone that Boots used, perhaps with an incriminating recording on it. Wouldn’t that be mighty convenient. The question is whether it still exists.

Director Shin comes out of a board meeting and tells his wife that he just gave his shares away to their employees. Madam Yoo freaks out and asks what happened to her shares, and finds out that Ki-jae followed Dad’s lead with the shares she put in his name following her arrest. Assemblyman Yoo comes home to the news that they’re now penniless, which is pretty satisfying, and daddy and daughter blame each other for ruining their lives.

Dae-gu risks the bluff and sends Assemblyman Yoo a photo of the Chasung envelope and tells him that Lawyer Kim is going to hand over the phone inside. Assemblyman Yoo doesn’t give himself away, but he does immediately call Lawyer Kim to threaten his life if he dares to betray him now.

Lawyer Kim fears for his life (Beware of trucks!) and rushes to his sister’s used bookstore, not realizing that Soo-sun and Gook are right behind him. He goes straight to the room in the back and digs out the phone—it’s right where he left it, which leaves him more confused than ever.

Tae-il joins them as they spy on the bookstore from afar, and then Gook suddenly gets a bright idea and asks Tae-il for his jacket. He grabs a few business cards off the street then stands next to Lawyer Kim’s car wiping at the smudges on the window, and the sister naturally assumes Gook is his chauffer.

Lawyer Kim runs back out, and this time Gook plays the part of nightclub promoter, making conversation with Lawyer Kim so that it looks perfectly natural when he returns to the bookstore a minute later to tell the sister that he was sent back to fetch something that Lawyer Kim forgot. Smooth, Gookie.

He rifles through the back room where she sends him, and lucks out when he spots a few books put back upside-down. He digs around behind them in the shelf, and bingo—there’s the phone tucked inside a box.

Dae-gu arrives to join the team, and Gook walks out dejectedly, only to fake them out with the evidence just to look extra cool. You earned it! They cheer and give him his due, but that lasts about seven seconds before a van full of thugs comes spilling out onto the sidewalk to chase them. Huh? Did I miss something? Who are these people?

I don’t think they know why they’re being chased either, but I guess when gangsters come at you with sticks, you just instinctively run first, ask questions later. They split up, but Dae-gu and Soo-sun run together holding hands, and they get backed into a corner.

They turn out to be the target anyway, and are kidnapped and brought to Assemblyman Yoo, who’s now just fully embracing the gang boss persona and drinking whiskey in underground basements.

He tells his minions to play the audio files on the phone to see if it’s really the one they’re after; sure enough, it’s another recording made by Boots, of Yoo giving the order to go clean up the crime scene and make sure Mom is dead. He tells Boots to kill her if she’s still alive, and then to kill her son.

Dae-gu reels, and Assemblyman Yoo says he should’ve died eleven years ago. He gives the order to take care of them both and starts to walk out. Dae-gu stops him and says the only person he really needs to kill is him, so he’ll make it easy and kill himself so that it’s a clean suicide, just as long as he lets Soo-sun go.

He reminds Yoo that he’s already suspected of multiple murders—this is a way to walk away without getting his hands dirty. This’d better be a trick, Eun Dae-gu.

Assemblyman Yoo agrees to the terms, and tells his minions to let Soo-sun go. She pleads with Dae-gu not to do this, and they drag her away from him kicking and screaming. She asks if he really thinks this is for her benefit, and how she’s supposed to live: “You told me never to die in front of you! What’re you doing now?”

She screams in resistance but they keep dragging her away, and finally when she feels like it might actually be the end, she cries, “I love you! Ji-yong-ah, I love you. I love you, Ji-yong-ah.”

He hasn’t looked her in the eye all this time, but he does now, and a tear falls. She begs him to stay alive no matter what, and gets taken away.

Once she’s gone, Dae-gu picks up the gun in front of him and raises it to his temple. One of the thugs stands beside him with a gun pointed at his head. Dae-gu says he wants to know just one thing before he dies—did he kill Chief Kang?

Assemblyman Yoo finally admits to ordering the hit on Chief Kang, and Boots too. He tells Dae-gu to pull the trigger now that his curiosity’s been satisfied. Dae-gu’s hand trembles as he presses the gun against his head. He reaches for the trigger… and then throws the gun down on the ground.

He stands up and challenges Assemblyman Yoo to just shoot him, because he’s not going to hand his life over to someone like him. Assemblyman Yoo grabs his minion’s gun and points it in Dae-gu’s face himself, and Dae-gu says it’s better this way since he might as well get blood on his hands for this. He grabs the barrel of the gun with his hand and pulls it close: “SHOOT!”

At the same time, Gook gets a video file sent to his phone and yelps when he opens it—it’s Assemblyman Yoo pointing a gun, seemingly straight at the camera. He shows Tae-il and Eung-do, and they race to get there faster.

Dae-gu now reveals the button-camera he’s been wearing all this time, and says that even if he dies here today, the evidence will remain and Assemblyman Yoo will be forced to pay for his crimes. I see that you had a plan there, but does dying actually have to be a part of it? Does it really?

But before Yoo has the chance to pull the trigger, Pan-seok comes busting his way in to save the day. Woohoo! I love that he’s wearing a gardening hat for his big hero moment. He knocks out the thugs and points a gun at Yoo, and Dae-gu uses the moment to fight him for the gun.

The boys arrive at the compound, and a shot rings out. They scramble down to the basement, where Dae-gu is already handcuffing Assemblyman Yoo. He arrests him for the murder of Chief Kang, Boots, and his own attempted murder, and reads him his rights. Finally, it’s done.

The team remains behind, and Eung-do wonders when Pan-seok got here. He looks down quizzically at the gun in his hand: “Eh? It’s a BB gun!” The kids look over at him in shock, and Pan-seok just shrugs, all I’m suspended, whadduya gonna do? HA.

Pan-seok in turn asks Dae-gu what he would’ve done if he hadn’t arrived to save the day—was he really just going to die? The rest of the guys wonder what he means, and Pan-seok just brushes it aside.

Soo-sun stumbles in crying, and the guys leave them alone to talk. Soo-sun: “If you ever do something like that again, you’ll die by my hand first.” She hugs him in relief.

An arrest montage shows Assemblyman Yoo and his daughter both being taken away in handcuffs, and poor Ki-jae crying for his mom. The rookies take a moment to enjoy the satisfaction of finally catching that bastard and closing the case, and reminisce about the things Pan-seok used to say about them.

Dae-gu brings up Pan-seok’s final disciplinary hearing tomorrow, and they sigh wondering if they’ll really lose their team leader like this. At his hearing, Pan-seok says his team was out of options, and that press conference was the only thing he could do to support them.

Pan-seok: “I wanted to lend them by back so that they could step on their despair and stand up. That is what a sunbae and adult is supposed to do.” He doesn’t make excuses for his actions, and says he’ll accept whatever punishment they see fit.

Noooooooo, in the next scene, Gook carries a box out to Pan-seok’s car, and everyone comes out to see him off. Whyyyyy? Can’t he just get a suspension or something?

Chief Toad hands him some enchanted red beans for protection, Eung-do cries, and Gook hugs him goodbye. He exchanges silent looks with the rest of the kids, and Sa-kyung motions at him to call her later. And just like that, he leaves the Gangnam precinct.

The team gets back to their desks, and Eung-do sees that Pan-seok left his notebook behind. He’s stopped at a red light down the street, when Dae-gu suddenly appears in his rearview mirror waving his notebook and running to catch up.

Dae-gu hands him the notebook and Pan-seok asks if he ran all this way just for this, and Dae-gu shakes his head. When asked if he has something to say, Dae-gu finally tells him, “Thank you.” Aw. He says he’s thankful to him for a great many things, and then says goodbye with a salute. Awww. I might cry.

Pan-seok looks up at him and salutes him back with a smile, trying not to cry. They stay frozen like that in the middle of the intersection, and Dae-gu’s tears almost spill out, but the light turns green and he awkwardly escapes the mushy moment by directing Pan-seok to go on green.

Dae-gu bows one last time, and Pan-seok drives away, keeping his eyes on Dae-gu’s shrinking reflection in his mirror as he goes. The more Pan-seok tries not to cry, the more it kills me. He tamps down his tears and says aloud, “Be well, Ji-yong-ah.”

One year later, Pan-seok is the chief of a tiny regional police station, where his latest case is the mystery of the great chicken escape. Phew, at least he didn’t get kicked off the force entirely.

He gets a package in the mail, and finds a framed picture of everyone in the Gangnam precinct and a letter from Soo-sun catching him up on the latest news and assuring him that his kids are doing well.

She tells him that Chief Toad has finally been promoted to chief of police, and he’s so happy about it that he doesn’t even yell at them anymore. Eung-do got a commendation from the president, and his wife is pregnant with their sixth. Dude.

Tae-il is really into forensic science lately, impressing even their lab experts with his know-how. And Gook is dating—we watch him get a love note from one of the female officers.

As for Dae-gu, Soo-sun sneaks into the evidence room where he’s taking a nap, and gets caught red-handed trying to steal a kiss. He opens his eyes and calls this a crime, and then when she tries to run away in embarrassment, he pulls her close to kiss her back. They inch forward slowly, and then just as their lips touch, two detectives crash the party and send them scrambling for cover. Boo.

They find what they were looking for and leave, and Dae-gu and Soo-sun breathe a sigh of relief and blame each other for almost getting caught. Thankfully Dae-gu isn’t about to let the moment pass without getting his kiss, and turns her face toward him to pepper her with kisses. How adorable.

All Soo-sun writes in her letter is that she and Dae-gu are getting along and doing well, but Pan-seok reads between the lines and chuckles, “You naughty pet rabbits!”

She promises that the team will take a day off soon to go visit him together, and signs off with, “Forever your kid, Uh Soo-sun.”

Pan-seok gets a call and runs cheerily to the bus stop where Sa-kyung has just arrived to visit, but he barely has a chance to greet her before noticing a man ride by on a scooter with a chicken poking its head out of a box. Thief!

He whirls around and gives chase, and this time Sa-kyung doesn’t even bat an eyelash that he’s breaking a date for a case, and just chases Pan-seok chasing the chicken thief. Pffft. I could watch this chase scene all day. Pan-seok outruns the scooter and cuts him off, and his chicken case is solved.

And in Gangnam, the kids answer a call for a robbery in progress, and Dae-gu leads the way as our four rookies strut down the aisle to go save the day.

 
COMMENTS

Ah, the slo-mo power walk. Where would our foursome be without it? As a finale episode, I actually enjoyed the hour and the note we end on—Pan-seok returns to his simpler idealistic roots as a passionate detective who chases chicken thieves with just as much fervor as he would any murderer, and the rookie foursome grows confident enough to stand on their own feet without him. On principle, I like the story of growth that pushes them to become future Pan-seoks of their own, rather than remain under his wing forever. BUT, it breaks my heart anyway that Pan-seok had to leave, and it’s not enough that they keep in touch. Would it have killed anyone to add an epilogue with Chief Toad putting in a request for Pan-seok’s transfer? It’s just wrong to end with him out there in the countryside when he belongs with his kids.

I actually don’t have too many qualms about the story events that happened in the finale, but my problems with it echo the problems I had with the series as a whole—that is, the show didn’t play to its strengths. We spent a needless amount of time on villains and exposition and building the overarching case against Assemblyman Yoo, when the stuff that I loved about the show was everything besides that case. And in the same way that we spent precious time on prolonging the capture of Madam Yoo at the cost of leaving Pan-seok and Sa-kyung’s romance underdeveloped and key character moments underutilized, the finale gave us too much Yoo and not enough of the development and resolution I wanted for our characters.

It’s too bad that the comedic flair we saw at the beginning of the series died down so early, because the drama started to feel repetitive with its pile of misery atop misfortune for our hero, even though he mostly took it like a champ, minus a few outbursts and a late bout of idiocy in risking his life to get a confession out of the baddie. And despite the heavier storylines for Dae-gu, I enjoyed the tone of the series throughout—it never took itself too seriously, and even the biggest conflicts were buoyed by human foibles and everyday character moments that kept it from trying to be self-important. One of my favorite things about the series was the way it didn’t glorify police work, and that a good deal of the cases were solved by poring over countless hours of CCTV footage, chasing after witnesses, and sitting in cars for days at a time. It was grunt work, most of it thankless, and the rookies made their share of mistakes too. I actually wished they made more, because they went from being terrible flunkies to being super cops in pretty rapid time, and I wanted more of the bumbling baby steps and funny lessons from Pan-seok that we saw early on.

I would’ve gladly traded half of the complications in the central murder investigation for more time spent developing our side characters, either of the romances, or just filling the space with more police hijinks. The relationship I wanted to spend much more time on was Dae-gu and Pan-seok’s. They were the heart of the show, and yet had fewer truly meaningful scenes together than Dae-gu did with Soo-sun, for instance, who was great but basically played Dae-gu’s shoulder to cry on for the last quarter of the show. Dae-gu’s salute at the end and Pan-seok’s unspoken reaction was pretty pitch-perfect, but as always with them, it left me wanting more. The two taciturn men leaving so much unspoken was a fantastic way for Dae-gu to send him off, and yet when I look back on the series as a whole, there aren’t enough moments like that between them that stick out for me. The show succeeded in shaping Dae-gu to become a mini Pan-seok, but I feel like I was robbed of the big conversations. They had them with other people, and I know they understood each other by the end, but some things you just want said aloud. And hugged out. Repeatedly.

If the show had cast lesser actors, it might not even have been worth following through to the end. But Cha Seung-won and Lee Seung-gi had such great chemistry with each other and with the cast, that they made me care very much for the characters despite a very obvious plot. Cha Seung-won is truly gifted at turning on a dime from comedy to heartfelt drama, and there’s so much emotion he plays in silent looks that goes beyond what’s written on the page. I don’t know how he does it, but he says nothing, and I can read regret and sorrow and longing and gratitude and pride in his eyes. It’s crazy. And I really enjoyed Seung-gi as a hothead who challenged him at every turn, and I appreciated that he stayed consistent from start to finish.

The rookie foursome was so lovable and great together that I feel like the show sort of lucked into that group chemistry. The standout was Park Jung-min, who played Gookie—he shocked me with his comedic timing, especially since I’d only seen him in the very dark Bleak Night before this drama. He’s so natural that it doesn’t feel like he’s acting, and it makes me want to see him do comedy all the time. Ahn Jae-hyun is still very green and had the least steady performance of the group, but he had a great rapport with Park Jung-min and they had the most endearing bromance of the show. I love the kinds of roles Go Ara is taking on now, and she’s proving herself to be nimble at comedy and drama alike. Soo-sun didn’t get as much development as Dae-gu did, but their relationship was so sweetly giving and supportive. I loved that their relationship grew very naturally out of being partners, and that they were always equals who respected each other.

The writing proved to be the show’s greatest weakness, but there’s something to be said for the cast elevating the material as much as they did. I still enjoyed the series thoroughly, because when it did balance the drama with levity, it was really entertaining and fresh. And no matter how overwrought the mystery became, I cared for the characters, who were written with consistency. They had realistic flaws and interesting layers (save for the villains, but I don’t want to waste more time on them), and I liked the way it always seemed like their lives were going on outside the precinct, even if the camera hadn’t followed them home. A better balance of that home life onscreen would’ve been even better, but I do appreciate that the ending reflects that same feeling—Pan-seok will always be the leader who raised them, life will go on for them as cops and their days will be filled with mundane police work once again, and when they’re called into action they’ll take on every new case with just as much passion as they did on Day One, this time with an ounce of confidence under their belts.

Watching them grow up has been a fun ride, and their journey to becoming detectives remained worthwhile no matter what new plot turn came our way (or stalled on its way, as the case often was), because what we really cared about was the family that had formed at the Gangnam precinct. It wasn’t the smoothest ride, but You’re All Surrounded wins some points for consistency and heart, and for some truly endearing characters that I’ll probably remember long after the story’s been wiped from my brain.

 
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Can’t believe this drama is over. Although the plot wasn’t the most coherent all the time or the depiction of police procedure the most practical and the inconsistency in writing also became quite noticeable, I have absolutely, completely and thoroughly enjoyed it. How could I not when this drama had so much heart in it?

I think even those who didn’t like the drama would agree that this drama introduced some great characters through a stellar cast. I loved our rookie 4 so much that I wouldn’t mind watching them even for 50 episodes (OK I’m exaggerating but you get my heart right?)! Apart from Dae-gu and his three adorable buddies, Pan-seok and Chief Kang were the characters who owned the complexity, depth, energy and magnitude to make them truly memorable. The relation and interaction between these great characters produced some of the epic moments of my drama watching history so far.

The cast was exquisite all along and made me forget all the shortcomings in the story. Especially Lee Seung Gi, Cha Seung-Won and Seo Yi-Sook were so amazing that they made even an average scene look good and a good scene look great. They were the best and I can easily recall the moments that gave me goosebumps due to the intensity these actors conveyed through their emotions, for example, the confrontation between Dae-gu and Pan Seok, Dae-gu arresting Boots while crying and reciting his rights at the same time, the confession of Chief Kang to Dae-gu, the silent moments between Dae-gu and Soo-sun etc. And as girlfriday mentioned, even Park Jung-Min did such a good job as little Ji Kook that I’d even love to watch couple of episodes entirely dedicated to him.

I truly believe this drama should have received more appreciation. Maybe the reason is my blind affection for Lee Seung Gi or maybe the drama actually does deserve it, I don’t know which is, but what I know for sure is I’m going to miss this characters, this cast and this drama. Thank you YAS for 20 entertaining hours of my drama life.

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Thanks for your review and totally concur! I loved the pace of the series and how it never really let the action die down. LSG and CSW were the best, even when the ensemble had their slow or silly moments. I have never seen LSG better and I think he has really matured as an actor. Go Ara was the perfect foil for LSG's pain. Wish there was going to be a Season 2!!!

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Hope that someone will start a petition for season 2 and send it to the writer... All will surely enjoy it:)

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Love all the points you raised in the comments section. Thanks for all the rapid recaps, girlfriday!! =D

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totally agree. girlfriday, thumbsup!

You’re all surrounded - what a great journey.

Definitely the best drama of 2014 for me. Enjoyed every minute of it.
The writer strike such a great balance between comedy, romance and thriller.

The ending sure is cute. Even though it’s such a shame that a righteous and passionate detective has to be demoted….. Indeed passion is not restricted by ranks.
Even if it means to find the missing chicken. Sigh, if only there were cctv to help out. haha. That part was totally hilarious.

By the way…. can anyone explain..? there’s certain details i’m assuming to be open-ended, or did i miss something?
why was the girl murdered 11 years ago
why did the president die?
what’s the link between ji young’s mother being a witness to her death

No conspiracy there right, just a coincidence……?
I’m assuming all these to be up to our own conclusion, since there are other things the drama never explained to us. Such as, Dae Gu finding out about Seo Pan Seok son’s death, much like the scene of gun shot with congressman Yoo wasn’t shown.

what to do about every wednesday and thursday now?………….

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It was actually all explained/shown in the previous episodes. Jiyong's mum died cos BirkinBitch killed her with a vase when she was overwhelmed by anger (she thought Jiyong was the love child of her husband and Jiyong's mum), which was not true because Mdm Yoo/BirkinBitch was misled into thinking that JY was the love child. Assemblyman Yoo needed the funds from his daughter so he forged the DNA test and tricked her into thinking so.

The other 2 points i'm kinda lost wad you're referring to so i can't helo you with that (:

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Mdm Yoo did not technically kill Jiyoung's mum. She hit her over the head in a fit of temper, and thought that she had killed her. It was Boots who finished the job later.

As for the girl who got murdered 11 yrs ago, it's not important why she died. The main thing is that Jiyoung's mother saw her murderers. And no one really cares how the President ( I think you mean the Chairman) died. The fact is that he did, so the badddies could pin the blame on him.

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Hey Jacelyn,

I think you may have misunderstood the question.. :)

Chups' queries are on the case that Ji Yong's mum had to testify for - right from ep 1, Pan Seok had requested Ji Yong's mum to witness to the murder of a lady, and during that period of time the business owner was there as well (who died in midst of the drama).

I wondered too, but never really figured out too.

Another question.. There was a man that Tae-Il was like GO AWAY!!! in one of the previous episodes while he was doing some work in the hospital - I don't even know where it is, but do you guys reckon it's the boyfriend of his late elder brother?

:)

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Yup that's exactly what I'm referring to.

Actually I kinda wished they would explain that. Because that's the root to how the Pan Seok and Ji Yong relationship started.
If that air was cleared, I would expect to see more bromance, as girlfriday mentioned, I too really wanted to spend more time on Pan seok - Ji Yong relationship.

But, despite some of the flaws, i still find myself enjoying the drama very much. Maybe because I watched doctor stranger too, which suck so much, that I learned to show much more appreciation to the other dramas going on. :P

as for the guy tae-il saw, if you didn't mention i also forgot about him. but i guess you're right. since his brother died, it's most likely his gay partner. didn't rewind to confirm though.

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Thanks. Love your review. You are right, the storyline is not perfect but the show managed to make me care so much for them

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So. Many. Feels.

And I am not even (that) disappointed that there was no hug between PS and DG coz that traffic light scene was worth it and more.
Sure, there were some unanswered questions and plotlines, but those beautiful beautiful characters trumped whatever problems the story had. I don't think I have ever had a drama that I would recommend solely for heart, but this is it.
YAAS was definitely not what I wanted and for sure did not deliver on its wacky comic promise, but I still loved it. For its own reasons.

Can I just reiterate the fact that CSW is a legend in his own right?(just like PS :P )

And thanks GF for being so amazing at giving us such superfast quality recaps!

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I think the best thing about this drama was it both started and ended well. We have seen how often dramas fail to do that...specially recently.

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Thanks GF for the recap! You're such a good recapper.

The show was ok. I stayed interested mostly due to the casting. At least they ended the series in a nice way. Not a great show but not a bad one either.

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I see a few things were left unanswered or maybe I missed it:

1. who is Dae Gu's real father?
2. what was Sa Kyung's answer for why she divorced Pan Seok?
3. did Tae Il reconcile with his dad?

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4. when will Dae Gu find out that Pan Seok's son died on the Biggest Date in this drama?
5. why did his fake dad tell him ASAP that he was not his father?

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6. How did Gookie become a hostage before he joined the force? Unfortunately gookie's back story never came fore front.

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He wasn't a hostage before joining the police force. When he mentioned he was a hostage before during the episode at the restaurant, he was referring to the incident at the start of episode 1 when he was taken hostage by the thug and shot down by DaeGu's taser. :p

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7. what happened to Ji Yong's first love noona?

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#4 was the main reason I kept myself updated with the recaps otherwise I would've completely dropped the show after the first 2/3 weeks, but, lo and behold, it goes unanswered?! I don't see how this show warranted 20 episodes (as opposed to the standard 16), but you're given an extra 4+ hours and you don't even bother to tie up some of the loose ends?

This was one of my most anticipated dramas this year - I mean you just can't miss out on CSW and Seung-gi. But this is the second Seung-gi drama in the row now where I've felt completely underwhelmed by the writing, and despite the number of fans that compliment the show for the amount of "heart" it's shown, I just felt those moments were so... contrived. The only saving grace was the (majority of the) cast.

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4. Honestly after the shit Dae Gu went through I kind of don't want him to know anymore. Dae Gu forgave PS naturally by getting to know him and learning the truth behind everything without knowing his sad story. The son's death wasn't Dae Gu's fault in any way and he didn't needed the added guilt. Doubt that was the intent of the writer though.

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1. The writer said : Fan comments "So who's DG's father?" "Just live the rest of your life with curiosity" (what DG told PS long time ago)

2. SK and PS were pretty much dropped so I guess she forgot.

3. I dunno, in the end probably? I'm not sure that has to be answered . Tae-il was going to do what he wanted anyway.

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I was wondering those exact same things - it seemed like there were a lot of loose ends that didn't get tied up.

1 - I'll always wonder if the girl that got raped 27 years ago was Dae-gu's mother. It would explain why Chief Kang wanted to sponsor him and become his mother figure to replace the one she couldn't get justice for.

2 - I think the answer to why Sa Kyung gave Pan Seok the divorce papers was that he WASN'T expected to sign them. I think it was a test to see what he would do, and he failed it. It was a stupid test, which is probably why she is still following him around, because her bluff got called. She never really wanted the divorce from what I could see.

3 - The entire back story of Tae-Il was underdeveloped. I think the note he wrote his dad said it all. If his dad forgives him, it would be great, but I got the impression that his new work family gives him more support than his real one. Just the fact that he was strong enough to write the note says that he has come a long way since his brother died.

And I have my own questions... why was Ki-jae even in this show? He didn't really contribute anything, and it broke my heart that he was another young man who had his mother taken away from him (although in his case, it's probably a good thing!). I don't understand why, if he was going to be a part of the plot, he didn't get to end up with Dae-gu as a "brother" real or otherwise. I really couldn't figure out why Dae-gu was so stand-offish with him, especially since the kid practically idolized his "hyung". Surely Dae-gu could have looked beyond who Ki-jae's parents were to offer him some form of support. But maybe not.

What was Gook's back story?????

Why was the Sa-kyung/Pan-seok relationship left in the dust? It was so cute to watch them start dating again, and then they were abandoned to give more time to goofiness by the idiotic villains.

And last, but most importantly to me, why has the relationship between Dae-gu and Soo-sun not really developed in a year? Are you trying to tell me that they are still just sneaking kisses (hot as they were!) a year later? I didn't get any real sense of growing love - it seemed like they were still just partners with (some) benefits.

In spite of all this, I really enjoyed the show - it was an entertaining 20 hours... thanks very much girlfriday for recapping this for us.

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LOL about Ki Jae..... haha! looks like he is just a wallflower to the show XD

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Yeah, he was cute as a button, but I can't figure out why they introduced him, then quite literally abandoned him! I would love to see him worm his way into the fab 4 "family" in a second season, because he needs a real family and some love...

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#1 During the conversation between Dae Gu and Chief Kang it was revealed that her initial reason for sponsoring him was so that she could use him later if it became necessary. Because she acknowledged that's how it began, when she claimed that she had grown to sincerely care for him, he cried because he couldn't believe her.

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They never really addressed Sa-kyung learning why Pan-seok was late that day 11 years ago and their son dying while he was trying to save one of his future "new kids". She just sorta got over it, I totally expected after he told his partner not to tell her that she finds out and have to come to terms with it again and understand at a deeper level. But nope... not much of Sa-kyung/Pan-seok at all really.

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There really are enough loose ends that they could do a season 2, just need a better writer. I absolutely loved the ensemble cast. Honestly I don't care if they just sit on stakeouts and comb through cctv for all their cases, I could watch another 20 episodes of pan-seok and dae-gu's bickering budding bromance and stolen kisses at work. And their overarching plot could be to take down the dirty prosecutor!

There's just so much more room for these characters and their relationship to develop that I'm left wanting. It's a rare thing in kdrama to not have at least one annoying second lead, and I love that this one steered clear (aside from the evil guys of course). Kudos to the actors for their great chemistry and portrayal that made me fall in love with them. Despite all its flaws, I'll certainly miss this drama.

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Oh yeah, I forgot about that nasty prosecutor. They really do have enough hanging threads to create a second season. As mentioned by a few other people, the new chief could request that Pan-seok be transferred back to Gangnam, and I like the idea of bringing down that prosecutor. And as part of that plot, the bill for more police autonomy (or whatever) that Chief Kang ill-spent 27 years of her life on could get passed. I mean, as it turned out, she did all that awful stuff for nothing and died for it in the end!

Plus the bromances and romances could fully develop - I like it!!! I vote for Season 2.

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8) How did Pan-seok find Dau Gu - with his adorable hat and stun gun?

9) Pan-seok gets suspended, but Dau Gu breaks the computer monitors with a bat, chokes, scream, and curse at the witness with cameras and witnesses and he gets noooooo punishment at all???

10) I hate females being slap, but also males being slap - Sa-kyung slaps ex-hubby on the floor of the police station during normal work hours and - no disciplinary actions, no call to the Team Leader's office...so violence is ok if you are a woman hitting a man?

I agree with the majority of the comments - if these fab and talented guys were not in this show - would have dropped it...and yes, Chief Kang was the breakout performer - maintaining the tensions between the greater good - her convictions- and her love for DG.

On a lighter note - I am loving the Rom-Com "Marriage Not Dating."

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2. The last scene of SK chasing after PS while he's busy chasing after a chicken thief can tell us the reason why she signed their divorce paper. Just because our hero is so busy with his job that he never chases after her. When she left him after their son's death, he didn't reach to keep her back. Just only did she come back to him by she signed in her job at the same police station with him.
In the end, it's her again who has to chase after him. That woman still loves him despite hecticness over his job.

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It's finally over! I can't believe its been more than two months; time really does fly. Firstly, thanks for the awesome recaps throughout the drama's run, GF! It's always such a bonus to read your thoughts because I feel you voice them out better than anyone else.

It's been a fun ride. I didn't find the writing comprehensive by any stretch of imagination, but the characters and their relationships were so endearing, realistic and sincere - they made up for most of it's flaws. They've all been so memorable from Chief Kang to Toad to Team 3. Everyone always seemed to have each other's back and whenever it felt like they'd lose, there's always someone who pull the other back. It's a great ensemble cast; I wish the writer used them to better effect, but they all shined with their own charisma and talents. That's a bigger proof of how talented this cast is.

The finale was stretched for drama, and I was slightly agitated and kept looking at the clock. I wanted the case to end already so we could more time with the characters. In the end, I was pretty upset Pan-seok didn't stay in the Police Station. He worked really hard and put everything in this job, I wish they'd shown us he got another chance. But maybe that's for the best since this drama is all about trying to portray realistic cop life anyway. If he'd gotten away, it would've been too easy. I'll just choose to believe he'll eventually move back. It's only been a year, maybe in the next few, Toad can submit a request.

Dae-gu is definitely Seung-gi's weakest character yet for me. But what I loved most about him was that no matter how crappy his life got, he somehow never gave up. He thought about it, almost did it even, but never followed through. He was stronger than he ever imagined, and even as he matured in this drama, I love that they kept his 15 year-old self intact. It was great to see him so happy in the end. After everything, he deserved it and more.

I loved Soo-sun as the female lead, even if I felt she eventually ended up being a bit of a side-kick/support-pole to Dae-gu. She was idealistic without being pushy and she was imperfect yet someone worth idolizing. I also loved Pan-seok and his softie-ness even when he tried hard to be such a rod. I wish we got to see Dae-gu being a hyung to the kid even if he wasn't related to him at all; I felt that story remained unfinished.

As for the acting, I think everyone did a fantastic job. There were moments where someone stood out more than the other, but the best part about this drama was that at many a times, they all stood out together - as a team. I've pulled my hair a little with this drama, but mostly, it brought a smile to my face. For that, I'm thankful. I'll miss you show, it was a really fun ride!

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"If the show had cast lesser actors, it might not even have been worth following through to the end. But Cha Seung-won and Lee Seung-gi had such great chemistry with each other and with the cast, that they made me care very much for the characters despite a very obvious plot."

Girlfriday, I couldn't agree with you more!

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When my two best Kdrama buddies were swooning over CSW, I rolled my eyes. I didn't quite like his looks. So they told me to watch Cityhall and see if I would go gaga over him. I did watch Cityhall and still didn't didn't understand their appreciation of him. (The drama by the way was good).

Well, it took YAAS to finally convince me to like him. He's acting is really daebak. And I love his character Pan Seok.
So thumbs up to YAAS.

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Exactly! I didn't like him in Greatest Love, but YAAS convinced me.

Maybe there is something to be said about a show that lets actors shine even in a huge ensemble cast? Or maybe he can just portray sorrow and awkward better than arrogant or lovesick? Idk, but I love him anyway!

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Greatest Love (which is still a favorite of mine) was the first K-drama where the 2nd lead broke my heart. (I wanted her to end up with the sweet, socially inept doctor.)

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I saw him in person once....

*swoon*

( I also saw Lee Jun Ki. *Swoon* *swoon* *pass out*)

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Thanks for the recap GirlFriday! I am in total agreement with your summation of You're All Surrounded.

YAS reminds of the old idioms "Beggars can't be choosers." and "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." The pairing of Lee Seung-Gi and Cha Seung-Won in a drama leads to high expectations and excitement for comedy and bromance. Lee Seung-Gi, Cha Seung-Won, and Kang Seok-Soon had the most memorable and emotionally layered characters.

Assemblyman Yoo Man-bae and Yoo Ae-Yeon could care less about the law, law enforcement, or justice, but they sure did take notice when their wealth was transferred by Shin Ji-il.

I really enjoyed Oh Yoon-Ah as Eun Bi-Ryung (and her infamous Oh s**t moments) in Incarnation of Money. It’s a pity that in YAS Oh Yoon-Ah’s talents for balancing comedy and drama were simply squandered. Her character Kim Sa-Kyung was basically under-developed and utilized.

Learning of her casting in YAS and her character’s initial description (as a strong-willed detective focused on paving the way for other female cops), I was looking forward to seeing her in this type of role with the added bonus of playing the love interest for Cha Seung-Won’s character.

Just imagine if Oh Yoon-Ah could have played a character with the reputation of a Closer – like Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson in The Closer. If only the writer Lee Jung-Sun had written and developed the character of Kim Sa-Kyung more for all 20 episodes. Once the P4 solved the cases, she could have been the interrogator obtaining confessions (without intimidation but more so by persuading a suspect to confess) thereby leading to convictions…hence “closing” the case.

Overall, even with the weak writing and missed opportunity by the writer Lee Jung-Sun, You're All Surrounded was so much better than recent kdrama offerings!

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Thank you GF! I have been reading your recaps, haven't watched this yet, just episode 1-2, so thank you so much for my weekly readings!

Just a question though, maybe I missed it, but do we ever find out about the whole Taeil knows but not Panseok about the why did you sign the divorce papers question? It seemed to be a big deal, just wondering. And I am glad Panseok went back to the simple life!

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This will always be the drama that gave me Chief Kang. For her to stand out like that in a drama of super awesome characters is just mindblowing. Except those annoying villains, I loved every character in this show. Won't call it the best show of 2014, far from it. All I can say it you just can't hate this show. Even if you tried. Atleast I couldn't.

PS: Not sure how the whole award system works in Korea and I doubt whether someone not very famous as Chief Kang(see, I don't even know her real name!) will receive one, but I recommend her for best character for the most prestigious Beanie awards 2014 right here at DB. Coz you guys are the voice of us dramapeeps.

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Seo Yi-Sook is the name of the actress playing the character Chief Kang Seok-Soon.

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Thanks GF. I'm always impressed with your writing and opinion. And your comments above are the other evidences that you are such a great writer.

"...You’re All Surrounded wins some points for consistency and heart, and for some truly endearing characters that I’ll probably remember long after the story’s been wiped from my brain."
I agree with you. It has it flaws and some of my questions weren't answered, but it has heart. After watching ep 20, I realized how much I actually enjoyed this show. And the kiss at the end? Thanks writer-nim, if only you can give me a hug between Dae Gu and Pan Seok. I think I should be grateful with what I got.

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I will miss this drama! Mo more YAAS next week.
No more Daegu daegu! :D
I will miss all the cast! What a ride!

And for GF, a million thanks to you for all the fast recaps!
You are awesome!

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Sorry for so many comments. I've decided to break them up into bite size ones - easier to digest!

I love the last kiss. I was not sold initially into the relationship between DG and SS. With all his leading ladies, I feel that Seunggi had the least chemistry with Go Ara. Moreover, I didn't particularly like her character, Soo Sun at first. Fortunately, she became more bearable and likeable, and soon I found myself actually liking her. But I found their relationship lacking in romantic flavour - I felt that SS was more like a mother to DG than a girlfriend. And that their interactions were like a mother comforting her son. Sweet but lacking the sizzling factor.

So I was pleasantly surprised by the last kiss! The sneak-around-the-office-to-kiss kind of kiss. THIS is what 2 young, hot-blooded and very much in love couple would do! I found myself smiling when SS took the opportunity to try to kiss him when he was asleep. I kept saying, "watchya waitin for? Kiss him!" and groaned when he woke up, held my breathe when he tried to kiss her back. Groaned louder and cursed when they were interrupted, then crossed my fingers that he would kiss her. And squealed when he did! And it was sooooo well done. The way he wordlessly gestured her and turned her face towards him - the way he looked at her and then turned his head to kiss her. AND the way they kissed - no chaste kiss here! This is one of the most natural kissing I've seen in kdramas.

This kiss saved their relationship for me.

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Yes, yes, yes. THE KISS.
Cannot agree with you more about the feeling of the kissing scene. In this finale episode, I've cried at scene our lead kidnapped and joyed over the cloud at the kissing scene. They deserve to have a kiss of a couple out of all busy and hasty cases of their job. Oh sneaking-out-the-office-for-a-kiss is so real of the case.

Ehem, I looooove ESS from her first day.

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Although the OTP romance cannot be considered as sizzling or epic, I really love it for its natural progress and supportive nature. It's so real and believable that it's touching when we see them triumph over all the shit and get a happy ending.

I just came to love all the cast (the good guys, and am also quite impressed with Mdm Yoo - she really does bitch well!)! Besides my original love for Seung Gi, the rest of the cast will forever be in my good books from now on. :)

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Love the finale. Happy fan here but sad there's no YAS next week

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"And all good things must come to an end!"

TBH, I will really miss this show! Despite its flaws (and which show didn't? Even the great shows had their fair share of flaws IMO) I've grown to love each and every character and hated each and every villain, and empathized with everyone in between.

I actually find myself wanting to see what happens next for our detectives now that they are no longer wearing their baby diapers! I would actually love to see another season, but with more amped up action, danger, mystery and of course, more hijinx!!!

I may not share everyone's opinion, but to me, this show had enough of everything that, in the end, I was actually feeling happy and craving for more. There are a lot of dramas that start out okay, but always leave me feeling irritated in the end. This was not the case with You're All Surrounded, so I tip my hat to the cast and crew for giving me a show that I can honestly say I truly appreciated from beginning to the end!

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Welcome back to the Kiss Score

Dae Gu and Soo Sun Kiss Previously Score

Strawberry Kiss
Dae Gu: 0
Soo Sun: 1

Shut Up Kiss
Dae Gu: 1
Soo Sun: 1

Undercover Kiss
Dae Gu: 1
Soo Sun: 2

Let’s-Make-It-Real Kiss
Dae Gu: 99468591
Soo Sun: 99468591

Now the final score! *drum rolls*

Evidence Room Kiss
Dae Gu: !@#$%^&*()(*&@#@(*&%
Soo Sun: !@#$%^&*()(*&@#@(*&%

Sorry, our scorer machine broke down due to the hotness of the kiss!
We apologize!

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LOL!!! Nice one!

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so funny!

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Good thing I didn't follow the drama..had all my expectations up since I wanted to see go ara after 1997 and the older lead..but seung gi annoy me from the beginning and since I never care for him in Gu family book, my girl friend is a nine tail fox and my 2 hearts(mostly my favorite cause of ha ji won) and alwaya playing a douce bag that becomes more human as the show continues did me in after the first episode..

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It ends. The show ENDS. *throws confetti while crying shamelessly* Gomapsumnida, girlfriday, for recapping this beautiful drama flawlessly (weakness aside, I find it hard to find another adjective that could describe the drama well, so beautiful it is, then) Cha Seung Won, Lee Seung Gi oppa, Go Ara and all of the casts except cardboard cut Assemblyman, you all have done a superb job in keeping the story alive and running 'till the end.
Somebody please tell me, is it normal to be this weepy every time a good show ends?

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Dear GF, thank you for making the drama doubly enjoyable through your insightful & witty perspectives and clever words! I'm so glad that you recapped the show! There is no need to be harsh on a show that never wants to present itself too seriously in the first place. At the end of the day, it's the characters we care about and kudos to all the cast who elevated them! I'll really miss them!

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When Pan-seok and Dae-gu saluted each other, I was practically screaming at my screen, 'HUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGG' but well, it didn't happen. Like GF, that scene just made me wish there was more of them TOGETHER because they would've been so adorable together, and it's frankly a waste of both their casting in the show. I mean, why would you cast Cha Seung-won and Lee Seung-gi together without developing their story in parallel?

Dae-gu and Soo-sun are cute together too, and their romance only surfaced during the last episodes. The biggest problem for me is the writing which is so imbalanced, but overall it's got heart, some scenes are adorable and I'll just move on :)

Thanks for the recap! :)

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Thanks GF! The goodbye between Dae Gu and Pan Seok was sad and sooo awesome at the same time. Wished there were a second season just based on the detectives bond handling smaller cases instead of the overarching case just so there would be more cute/funny and less soul crushing of Dae Gu lol.

Only thing that left me sad was poor Ki-Jae! Watching him cry as his mom is taken away was heartbreaking. Plus I was really sad that there was no bromance between him and Jjang Jjang Man (BEST nickname EVER).

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I like every one acting except the villain character. i am not getting any scar with this villain like kim bong gu in K2H. I love Lee seung gi in this drama. his acting matured lot. Cha-Seung-Won is amazing actor. Of course we have two beautiful actress like Go-Ara and Oh-Yoon-ah but i can feel romance very little. The story having flaws but all the actors are amazing. Even Gook, Ta-ill, Chief Kang, Chief Toad, Boots, Go-Ara Mom character, Little Eun dae gu and Little Su soon. I dont think writers not used this amazing actors and actress very well. Their chemistry is miracle. I can watch them even another 50 episode without even story :D

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Totally agree with you, GF, on the point that the show felt fresh. I do not remember any other drama that is similar in cast, story or comedy, so that is definitely a plus.

Another Plus is the OST, which always felt so poignant. (Especially "Top Secret" which I have on for like hours on end :D)

I am sad that it ended, because I won't get to read your comments anymore, which are a big enrichment to every show. But I hope another great drama comes along and we can start afresh. Til then! <3

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Oh, and that ending was glorious as a metaphor for the PS/SK relationship! PS chasing the chicken thief (LOL) and SK chasing after him. And lookie-there! She even wore sensible shoes ... This must happen often when she visits him xD

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Haha! I noticed the sensible shoes too. After chasing him chasing crooks, she must have given up on her heels when she visits him now.

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Hijacking the recap thread again (THANKS FOR ALL HARD WORK, GIRLFRIDAY)(this is a duplicate message for sharing purposes):

I was a bit disappointed that the OST was missing a whole bunch of my favourite bgm instrumental pieces. So I was (absolutely not) crazy and went through a bunch of episodes trying to find good uninterrupted stretches of them, and I am here to share. BUT a note: these aren’t nicely polished and properly cut and contain a fair bit of dialogue (some of it is just plain horrible I’M SORRYYYY). They’re very rough, and I might redo them later when I have time (sigh this bothers me because while I am a perfectionist, I am also lazy…I mean busy). But in case anyone else wanted them for now, click on the link in my name for the share folder.

If anyone does a better job, please share!

(also if anyone does this for God’s Gift, I’m interested, because I LOVED its instrumental OST, and they didn’t release that at all that I know of. Also Golden Cross. I’m planning to do GC later, anyhow. When I have time.)

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Thank you GF! I love your comments and agree with most of yours.
To me, there is no need for a hug between PSS and EDG because to these hot-head and hot-hearted men, a silent moment for them to look into their almost teary eyes with feeling of gratitude and admiration is all enough. Bromance doesn't need a hug but romance really needs a kiss. That's why I've been waiting for EDG and ESS's kiss till the end. Thankfully, EDG makes it with their super adorable kiss that I can remember for a long time after the drama.
You know, my heart pounded very fast at the scene of EDG and ESS being kidnapped. I was very scared that EDG once again witnesses his beloved person dead in front of him. I was totally in for him when he tried to get ESS taken out of the danger even if he let himself in at the end of the rope. I cried because the tragedy he's endured for not being able to protect two women of his life, two mothers. He's sacrificing himself at least to prevent that tragedy happen again. That scene took all my tear.
Thank all the cast for making a wonderful show. I will remember them long after the series.

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Go Ara has been acting her BUTT off. Like this episode when she's pleading with Ji Young not to sacrifice himself for her? OMG I was dying from the feels. Props to her for finding emotion and effectively translating it across the small screen. <3 her

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I've been a fan of hers since watching "Who are You? and Heading to the Ground" and she has grown by leaps and bounds on her last two series--Reply 1994 and You're all Surrounded. I hope she continues to get bigger and better roles! I truly admire her heart and dedication she puts on the characters she plays.

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What a feel good perfect finale !

All through 19th episode, I was thinking this should have been a 16 episode drama so that instead of killing time with slowness, it would have been fast paced throughout. On how that would have been better.

But halfway through the finale, I forgave it all. The show didn't do something extraordinary, didn't pull a rabbit out of a hat or didn't present anything novel,it just did what it does. Tell it with subtleness. And I realized, that is something we are not used to in kdramas. We are always swept up in the moment, that we forget the big picture or the character and the closure.
This show gave that. Yes the trope of villain confessing when killing hero is older than dramas, but it bought out the soo un 's confession to Ji Yong. And no kdrama love confession took to my heart, felt real and just teary eyed in a long while. It was not just the danger that made it big, their love felt real.

And the same goes to seo pan suk and Ji Yong's closing scene. Yes, I am sure we all came here for that refrigerator-hug-bromance. But this story of a kid and a detective , trumps hugs and bromance any day for me. The final thank you and that salute *clutces heart* , was just ..... ! My hand automatically went up in a salute too and I didn't bring it down until the car went on and the scene ended. And then I had tears in my eyes.
There are few scenes that make your heart smile, and that was one. That 11 years of baggage, guilt, and feelings, culminating in that one moment, spoke volumes than anything ever would have.

And finally feeling that sense of accomplishment when the baddies are locked up. I don't remember the last drama that did that. You just want to pat everyone's back for a job well done.

Yes, this drama had a lot of flaws. It dropped many storylines in middle , added them very late, not minded many characters, didn't develop them deep enough or fast enough, conniving villains for far too long, mindless murder stories I just didn't give a damn about, yes, I skipped many scenes. This drama made a lot of mistakes.

But I raise my hat to the show and writer for one thing, for staying true to itself. For staying true to the story. Setting up a stage and delivering pay off without big fanfare. And ending it on that sweet note, that makes you smile and be glad you stuck with these characters till end.

Its been a long time since a drama did that to me. And every time I remember this drama, I will remember that dorky little Ji Yong, and Pan suk chasing chickens and soo un calling herself forever your child and that salute.
That is more than enough for me !

Thank you show, for staying true to yourself. A feat not managed by kdramas !

PS : Every drama should take a leaf out of this show, and should be allowed to mess up the middle or anywhere but give THAT ending people want and yes, that KISS. Instead of having that big kiss and messing up the couple totally later, just end...

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Totally agree that the actors, LSG and CSW especially, saved the drama. They did make me love the characters and want to watch them. That's what I cared about. I feel this could have been shorter to tell the story the writer wanted to tell, but I still don't regret watching 20 episodes of DG, SS and PS. I seriously love the cast and their chemistry together. The end just sealed that and I want to see them again going to visit PS! I want to see them now that they are real detectives and Dae Gu is happy. Can someone else take the characters and write them now? lol..

While the last couple of episodes felt tedious at times, I did really love this episode. Great suspense, satisfying emotional and heartwarming as well. I don't see a hug as fitting PS and DG. I dunno, I think the salute, thank you and teary eyed Dae Gu was just about perfect.

And that was a seriously good kiss. They totally needed that to inject some romance in their relationship. They were always sweet and had a lovely relationship, but it was more of a comforting relationship than a romantic one for me. Giving the story it couldn't really be helped though. I love that it was just one angle with nothing blocking the view. I'd have to say that's probably Seunggi's best drama kiss tbh.

Anyway, I'll miss this drama. It could have been much more than it was, but I don't dislike what it ended up being if that makes any sense.

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Thanks GF for the recaps on this series.

Enjoyed the drama and like u said it was not a great drama but enjoyable nevertheless.

Loved the cast - they did a great job overall!

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I still wish they would have developed the side characters' backstory more. And the way they showed Sa Kyung + Panseok in the first half, it's such a waste that they didn't develop their story / scenes further. I actually find them really cute together. Did we even get an answer as to why Sakyung divorced Panseok?

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I absolutely loved 'You're All Surrounded' and will definitely miss it. I absolutely loved Lee Seunggi in this drama. He seemed to finally take on a a character a little different from his usual, sweeter then cake type and he pulled it off well despite his baby looks (the rock hard abs helped!).
i also loved all the side characters and the four rookies will always have a place in my heart. Who's gonna almost mess up but then eventually solve crimes now? LOL
The bromance for me was the most amazing in this drama, though i can't say it tops Witch's Romance for me (now that was great chemistry LOL) but i found Tei Il and gook really cute and Daegu/Jiyong(GD! Sorry, couldn't help it) in the mix was great too.
As for the romance, i admit that Seunggi didn't have stellar chemistry with Ara like he did with his other leading ladies (Ha Ji Won at the top for sure), but maybe it was partly because of his dark, silent personality or because they just made such good friends. But Seunggi never dissapoints in kisses and the last kiss was great *fan's oneself*
Bye bye 'You're All Surrounded', thanks for the teas, laughs and Seunggi's abs! Oppa, don't go to military, i will cry! If you go now, who can i watch up untl Joonki comes back? *sob*

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Good finale but I was disappointed that they separated Pan-seok from his kids. Yes they would need to learn to stand on their own one day, just not yet. But nice to see the characters stay true to themselves. I will miss this show (especially our resident naughty pet rabbits hehe).

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Aaaawwww... the part when Dae-gu gave his goodbye salute to Pan-seok is really the highlight! *tears*

Though this show is not perfect, the characters are truly the winners for me. Special mention to Cha Seung-won for giving so much life to Seo Pan-seok, can't remember the last time I liked a drama character so much. The ending is kinda bittersweet but I loved it.

On top of that, their slow-mo power walk is just way tooo coool! =D

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Omaigat!!! Those liplock kills me *we want more* *sorry yoona*

I think we should saying goodbye to this show (and welcoming a new one, yay, gong hyo jin onnie!)

I agree with GF that this drama lost its humor too early and too much Yoo-evil. I felt the moment that Seung-gi hurt his eyes, this show lost its soul. Like they're too much careful to making up the plot and its hard for us to watched it without worrying what happened to our hero..

But over all, I love this show, all characters and almost all actors. Even when they're abandoning Pan-seok & Sa-kyung's love story. It was sweet in the beginning, and we got no improvement in the end, just like that. Thye should be better and hotter than Dae-gu & Soo-sun couple.

I love Chief Kang's character here, and the actor too. Please dramaland, give her another great job immediately and pleaseeeee don't cast the Yoo-evil anymore. Is he not going to retire? There's too many dramas for him, give him some rest, a long one. I clearly remember him in "nine" and his acting still the same. I respect him as an actor, but honestly you should take some rest and develop your acting skill sir...

This is my longest comment in DB ^^
Thank you GF for staying with us till the end. Can' t wait for your next project. Fighting!!!

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Ahhhh.. I missed one point.
We were craving for bromance moments between Pan-seok and Dae-gu. And I wasn't satisfied with those moment. You know we want more and more. I always hope it'll end up with father-sone relationship, but it didn't happening.

I'll miss this show. I missed it already....

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One thing this drama did (and I don't know if it was the writing or the acting) but in the beginning I never thought I would feel sympathy for the bag lady/daughter. But in the last episode--I was surprised to find that I did.

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Am I the only one who was not impressed with that kiss? I felt the anticipation building up to it and got really excited, but then the actual kiss itself I felt like the actors were just going through the motions, even if I was happy that the female actually participated in it.

Oh well, judging from the comments, maybe it's just me, and I shouldn't watch finale episodes past my bedtime...

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Sooo ... I guess we'll never know why he signed the divorce papers ... lame.

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My OTP, thanks for the kiss.
GF, thanks for recaps.

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I completely agree with your assessment, girlfriday.

I felt that if the writer was given sub-par actors, then she (?) would have gotten away with the story she gave us. It would have just been another typical k-drama with the underdogs going against evil chaebols, not requiring all that much meat to be enjoyable to watch. However, the entire ensemble within the police precinct had maybe too perfect of chemistry that the writer was overwhelmed in being able to write for them to show it off or she thought that she could just get away with whatever because people would watch just to see their interactions. So, we became disappointed with cuts to cookie-cutter characters and lack of development of the characters we were truly invested in. I wish that Pan-Seok and Sa-Kyung had their stories fleshed out instead of suddenly dropped. I wish we would have seen Chief Toad as the good detective earlier than the last couple of episodes. I even wish for some closure for Ki Jae because that actor really brought that small role to life. I would have liked to see him become a detective following after Dae Gu.

I think the solution would have been as easy as to cut all the scenes of Assemblyman Yoo and his daughter. I think if we had stuck to solely the perspective of the detectives the mystery would have been more satisfying and we could have seen the characters grow with each other more.

I did enjoy the show. I bet all the actors learned so much from each other and will positively effect their future projects. If they were all in a drama together again, I would watch it. I wouldn't care if they were circus performers who had to overcome their fear of crowds as long as they were on the same screen. (Okay, this just hit me, they should all be cast in a Korean remake of 12 Angry Men (and Women). That would awesome).

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There are so many comments that I didn't bother reading them all, but I'm surprised you didn't notice that in the slo-mo power walk, Soo sun had the police alarm (whereas in the beginning she accidentally brought a limited edition starbucks cup) and Gi gook the cars keys (I think we all remember him driving and getting kicked out of the car).

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thank you so much for all the recaps!

darn I'm so grateful it didn't feel like I waste 20+ hours of my time on this show coz, even with it's flaws and all, I still totally luved it!!!!

CSW made me adore him more than I enjoyed him in Greatest Love. It's like I wanna marry him!!!

Although I've seen 5 of LSG's drama, I never really liked him, except in K2H and THIS!!

ah Go Ara, you go girl!!! she looks cute with both LSG & with Trash oppa =)

Tae il, Gookie, Chief Toad, Eung-do I'll never forget you guys!!! you should do another season!!

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Anyone else get really bored with this show but somehow stuck with because, Cha Seung Won and Recaps? It started off so well and was quite invested for the first 10 episodes but really lost any interest in the plot, than characters by the end. But CSW cycling with no hands, I shall remember forever.

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The actor who played Assemblyman Yoo was the worst--even the bit characters (store owners, witnesses, etc.) were better. Someone has to tell him that pursing his lips together along with long pauses does not equate to good acting.

I almost stopped watching when Eung-do bowed and apologized to Assemblyman Yoo after Dae-gu choked him. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with that part of Korean culture. Also, how would an attorney that's been shown to be connected to two murders be allowed to sit in on an interrogation?

I'm new to Kdramas and am still greatly amused at how exponentially chaste (comically so) these shows are in comparison to the Korean movies I've seen. That an actress kissing back is actually noteworthy is just...

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That actor is my least favorite in all of K drama land, sad to say but this isnt even his worst performance.
You should watch shows on Korean Cable, where its not as puritanical

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Ah the wasted potential of this drama just kills me. I enjoyed it ... though I confess to a bit of fast forwarding ... but it's just so easy to see all that could have been, which makes it harder to enjoy what's actually there.

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Thank you for great reviews, they hit my thought.

I have also read others' review and questions, could I share mine too?

At least 3 characters in the drama always prioritizes their goal, rather than their personal relationship, which are
1) Pan-Seok(for his detective and his team) over his ex-wife
2) Chief Kang(for the police's detecting right vs. prosecutor) over Daegu and justice
3) Assemblyman Yoo(for his Assembly position) over his daughter and morale

At least 3 characters in the drama looks like an ordinary men who just prioritize their beloved ones which are
1) Daegu:
2) Soo-sun
3) Sa-Kyung, Panseok's ex-wife

Pan-Seok:
It is the legendary policeman and the respectable boss to the team, his priority is always his utmost attempt to detective job.
To his ex-wife, who always love Pan-Seok, even when she visited him on the last scene at the very remote area, his focus is always his detective job.
Actually his wife loves and supports him.
However, when she faced the most sensitive time about her died son, she might challenge his love/care with divorce notice like a wife but he chosen to respond unfavorably.
Sometimes it might be too tired to live as a wife with Pan-Seok's type, a woman can wholly spend life with a man for her only love indeed.
Tae-il chased his wife but she always love her ex-husband only.

Dae-Gu:
He looks like an ordinary person who
- misses mom and try to find out whe she died,
- cares Chief Kang like a lonely child,
- falls in love with his first love&try to hold his love as a man,
- is angry Pan-Seok (whom he understood to make his mom die) while appreciate Pan-Seok's legend.

However, Daegu's stories behind have made him to utilize his superb high IQ to face unusual situations.
For his personal life, it is great to be in love with Soo-Sun who prioritize her beloved one, rather than goal-oriented task as Pan-Seok or Chief Kang type.
Soo-Sun has just done with her hearts peacefully, it would be too tired for Daegu to be with such goal-oriented ones after his sad lifes.

Actually both Pan-Seok and Daegu are very lucky(even facing difficulties) to be in love with the women whom they can trust no matter being chased by other guys because these two women always keep their eyes on their men only.

Pity Gook to like Soo-Sun while the audiences know that she has been fully occupied.
Gook is one of a few guy in drama that I almost cheered up even he tried to chase the lead actor's lover.

This drama script looked no direction at the very beginning but the strong casts and the director's drama editing can win the audiences' heart indeed.

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"It’s too bad that the comedic flair we saw at the beginning of the series died down so early"

Totally agree ! I missed the funny scenes in last 10 episode, maybe!

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Why the straw hat? It completely baffled me to the point where I was taken out of the story being told. Was I the only one that felt that way?

The straw hat that broke the camels back.

I would love to watch a whole series on Cha Seung Won playing country cop chasing chicken thieves.

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Thanks for recapping this series. I kind of lost interest, due to the factors mentioned in the conclusion. However, I have enjoyed the recaps!

On a side note, "off the reservation" has some really terrible, racist connotations/roots.

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