Little Women: Episodes 11-12 (Final)
by alathe
Our sisters are about to fight their last battle for the truth in this twist-filled, gut-wrenching finale of Little Women. With our heroine in prison, it’s a no-holds-barred fight for who gets to control the story — but, with the 70 billion won having vanished as if in smoke, it’s hard to tell the difference between friend and foe.
EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP
Last week, Jae-sang killed himself before his crimes could catch up with him. This week, we learn that it was the crowning moment of a messed-up marriage, involving more love than by all rights it should. It wasn’t just apple slices Sang-ah passed Jae-sang last episode — it was his orchid. Jae-sang accepts this suicide notice with gentle resignation. There was never any question that he’d die for the woman he really, truly did care for. Even if Sang-ah would never do the same for him. He leaves her with a gentle smile, and jumps without hesitation. Later, Sang-ah receives the fulfillment of In-hye’s promise: a portrait of Sang-ah, her dead brother, and her now-dead husband, together as children. Only then does she let herself cry.
Sang-ah may have been spared, but In-joo is in dire straits — arrested for a crime she never even got the chance to benefit from. To compound matters, she learns that Do-il has disappeared after being caught in a car accident. The only consolation is that he didn’t betray her. Still, it’s cold comfort as she’s paraded to trial, while the media spews vitriol about her motives. Sang-ah has once again taken back control of the story; to assuage the public’s anger, In-joo faces decades in jail.
However, one thing is revealed at In-joo’s trial, quite by accident: the truth. After watching footage from the yoga studio, In-kyung recognizes Hwa-young’s face. They’ve met before. Years ago, when she first pursued the Bobae Savings case, Hwa-young was amongst the victims. Unlike the others, she disdained the idea of recovering the money she lost. That money — indeed, all money — is evil: a means of social control. Losing it resulted in her mother’s death. As such, Hwa-young was the one who gave In-kyung that tip-off about Dal-su.
Hearing this, In-joo connects the dots: she knows where Hwa-young heard about her sister. When Sang-ah insisted Hwa-young go to Singapore, she was forced to miss her mother’s burial. In-joo agreed to mourn on Hwa-young’s behalf. When the Bobae Savings case came up in conversation, she mentioned her journalist sister, a woman with a tenacious sense of justice. Perhaps it wasn’t the 70 billion Hwa-young was really after when she stole from Sang-ah — but rather, revenge. Knowing this, In-joo feels a surge of renewed determination. She’s not going down without a fight. It’s time to take down Sang-ah.
Sang-ah, for her part, is busy consolidating power. Now, it’s time to work on JANG SA-PYEONG (Jang Kwang), Principal of the Jeongran Society’s creepy propaganda-school. Under her new regime, he’ll have some extra responsibility… just a few little things, like overseeing the Park Jae-sang Foundation (gotta indoctrinate those children) — oh, and maybe torturing and killing In-kyung? As the last surviving member of the General’s unit, he’s certainly got the skill set. Sa-pyeong has some qualms. Did Jae-sang really murder the General’s son? Details, details, says Sang-ah. Her brother was insane. After all, he had morals. Who needs those when they’ve an entire world to plunder?
Meanwhile, it’s Ma-ri’s turn to shine: she sets about sabotaging the story In-kyung risked everything to reveal. On the news, armed with footage of Sang-woo brandishing a gun at Jae-sang, she argues that her former patron only bludgeoned the man to death out of self-defense. The Oh sisters are the real masterminds behind this plot! In-kyung, incensed, confronts her former colleague — who is up to her ears in self-righteousness. At the end of the day, though, it comes down to this: Ma-ri told the truth as she sees it. And today, her truth beat In-kyung’s. In-kyung doesn’t have much time to stew in her frustration, though. As Ma-ri leaves, In-kyung’s set upon by attackers and bundled into a waiting car.
It is a lethally smug Sang-ah who comes to visit In-joo in her cell. Beaming, she displays In-kyung’s lip gloss and notebook. She’s not here to negotiate — just to gloat. And, why stop at In-kyung? She’s perfectly willing to take her rage out on In-hye, too. In-joo flips. She screams, long and painful, throwing her chair at the glass. Nothing can wipe out Sang-ah’s smile.
Meanwhile, In-kyung wakes to a dark schoolroom, duct tape at her mouth — and soon, a scalpel at her throat. Sa-pyeong had sworn off torture after he realized destroying so many lives only destroyed his own soul… but, if there’s one thing he won’t forgive, it’s an insult to his precious General.
The next day, In-joo faces court. She also faces Do-il… but, he won’t look at her. He’s testifying for the prosecution. Still, if there’s anything a season of such incidents has taught us, it’s that there’s no use doubting the world’s most trustworthy conman: Do-il always comes through. Now, without a moment’s hesitation, he throws away everything for In-joo. In-joo was a dupe, he testifies. She returned the money to him as soon as she could. He and Sang-ah were the real schemers — and, if you check Sang-ah’s Panama bank records, you’ll find that the 70 billion won isn’t missing at all… it’s right there, under her name.
After thoroughly incriminating Sang-ah — and himself in the bargain — Do-il finally meets with a flabbergasted In-joo. Does he actually think she’s an idiot? It’s testament to Wie Ha-joon’s ability to look lovestruck that what follows has the cadence of a romantic declaration: “Being financially illiterate doesn’t make you an idiot.” (Amen to that, I say — willfully not looking at my own bank account!) Besides, it’s not the first time he tried to contact her; In-joo simply missed his messages. Yet, as ever… her horse jumped the fence.
Do-il’s not the only one who comes through in the end. Just as she’s plotting the best way to trash Do-il’s testimony, Sang-ah is stopped short by the sight of In-kyung on TV. In-kyung’s been meticulously gathering evidence, up to and including the fur coat in which Hwa-young died — a rare edition, owned by only eight other people in Korea, including Sang-ah. But, the final nail in the coffin comes from the unexpected appearance of Sa-pyeong. He confirms that the orchid found next to so many corpses is exclusive to one tree in the entire country… and it resides in the Won household. Turns out, Sa-pyeong really couldn’t let an insult to the General slide — and Sang-woo’s death was simply a step too far.
In the aftermath of these revelations, In-joo is finally given the opportunity to speak in court. She’s learned a lot since the day that two billion won fell into her lap. The moment she saw the money, it felt like a wrong being redressed — like compensation for a life of poverty. In this, she and Hwa-young were alike. But now, she asks for punishment for her greed. Moreover, she wants those responsible for Hwa-young’s death — and for all the hurt that the money has caused — to face consequences.
She is interrupted by the opening of a door. The assertive click of heels. The murmur of the court. Behind her has entered — Hwa-young.
Hwa-young steps up to the stand. She’s bandaged, but immaculately dressed, and shows precisely zero fear as she peels back the lid on the whole deception. In the end, she’d wanted revenge against Sang-ah for using her. Without recourse to the police or media — neither of which she could trust — she sought to bring her employer low. As for why she chose In-joo? She needed to adopt someone else’s identity. If she was going to give anyone the money, she wanted it to be her.
Hwa-young’s testimony does the trick. In-joo is sentenced to only a year and a half, to be served as two years’ probation.
In-joo returns home to find Hwa-young waiting. After a moment’s open anguish, she steps forward — and shoves her. Albeit not very hard. Just enough to make her point: she’s horrified at being taken for a fool. Hwa-young explains as best she can. Back when they visited Singapore, Hwa-young felt almost as dead as her mother. But, witnessing In-joo’s simple relish for the food and the sights made her yearn to experience life like her friend. In-joo chokes on tears. Doesn’t Hwa-young know that she would have traded the money — and her life, to boot — to bring her killer to justice?
No. Hwa-young hadn’t expected that. It was only when Sang-ah visited Singapore that she realized the danger. She did follow In-joo that day — a whisper away from telling her the truth. When In-joo escaped the bank with Sang-ah’s driver, Hwa-young didn’t hesitate to sacrifice herself: she rammed her own car into a truck, saving her from the crash. In-joo’s vision of her friend in hospital wasn’t a dream. Nor were the shoes part of Sang-ah’s stage management. Hwa-young pushed herself beyond endurance to protect her… before collapsing from her own injuries.
Now, all she can do is say thank you. And, I’m sorry. After that, it’s time to risk the truth before the press. Her “death” was meant to be staged, via a woman of her build who wished to kill herself. However, as footage from Hwa-young’s flat proves, her double never had the chance: Sang-ah got there first. Now, Hwa-young demands an investigation into both their crimes. Meanwhile, her app, Bookkeeper from the Future, has been launched. Download it, and you’ll find digital copies of the slush fund ledgers: Sang-ah’s crimes writ large. (At least, someone had the foresight to make those — huh, In-kyung?)
Sang-ah’s not about to let one pesky little murder investigation get in the way of — more murder. Sa-pyeong is next on the hit list. As he lies dying, injected with distilled essence of evil orchid, he reveals why she was never allowed within sniffing distance of Jeongran Society leadership: she’s utterly insane. Good point, well made, but Sang-ah’s just getting started. Next up, it’s In-kyung. You’d think the poor woman would have been kidnapped enough for one lifetime, but Su-im gets the drop on her with ease.
Now, for her former assistants. In-joo abandons Do-il — who has a lead on In-hye’s location — after receiving a text from Sang-ah. Hwa-young is in her clutches. If In-joo arrives quickly, maybe she’ll see her friend before she’s killed.
And where else to hold a hostage party than the family orchid basement? Hwa-young keeps a tight grip on her dignity, even whilst bound to a chair. Icily, she reminisces over how Sang-ah once told her life was for the living — all whilst barring her from her mother’s burial. Yet, Hwa-young knows all too well what it’s like to be dead and still breathing. She had wanted to show Sang-ah just how far she’d go for her mother’s memory.
Hwa-young’s composure cracks when In-joo arrives. She’d warned her to stay away. But, In-joo declares she has her own business… involving a handheld grenade, gifted to her by the gun-happy Hee-jae. Sang-ah has a choice: either they all walk out alive, or the whole place goes up in smoke.
Unfortunately, In-joo is forgetting one thing: Sang-ah’s penchant for staging tragedies. This place is already rigged to kill. When Sang-ah presses a button, sprinklers will dispense a highly concentrated form of hydrochloric acid. Hwa-young will burn to death. In-joo’s lungs will melt. Sang-ah will watch them both suffer. What does it matter if she goes with them? She does know what it’s like to already be dead.
In-joo understands. She’s understood ever since she watched the footage of Sang-ah panicking over the fake Hwa-young’s corpse. What has Sang-ah been re-enacting so obsessively? Not the death of her mother — but the last moment she saw her alive. As a child, Sang-ah tried to reason with her mother: why couldn’t she just apologize and hide her husband’s crimes like the rest of them? Things got heated; Sang-ah shoved her. She fell hard against the table, bleeding from the head. In her last moments, she told Sang-ah to leave, and stay silent about having visited. When Sang-ah returned, she found her mother hanging in the closet. Now, Sang-ah wants nothing better than to punish herself — over and over again.
Su-im has been tasked with delivering In-kyung to the bloodbath. Luckily, Do-il proves no fool, and arrives in quick pursuit. As he overpowers Su-im, she taunts him for his recklessness — he’s in love with In-joo, isn’t he? Do-il’s reply is flawless: 50% yes, 50% I-won’t-give-you-the-pleasure, and 100% badass. You shouldn’t have done this, he says, if you thought I loved her.
Back in the basement, the button clicks. Acid falls. Hwa-young screams as her skin begins to sizzle, but In-joo explodes into action. Throwing the grenade, she blows off the top of a vent, using the heavy metal to shield herself and her friend. Seconds later, Do-il bursts in, pulling away Hwa-young. In-joo tries to follow, but she’s seized by Sang-ah. After a fierce tussle, the two women lurch backwards — and Sang-ah falls into the pooling acid. As the orchid tree shrivels in the rain, In-joo turns to leave.
Afterwards, it’s a matter of tying up loose ends. In-kyung receives a bequest from the late Sa-pyeong: the General’s memoir. It documents the story of how the General’s unit, tricked by the CIA and abandoned by their own government, was left to die in Vietnam. Returning to Korea, they pledged to take control of the motherland that abandoned them. In-kyung now reveals their schemes on the national news.
In-joo, meanwhile, says goodbye to the two people who, outside of her family, mattered most to her. Firstly, Do-il. He’s throwing away his phone and retiring to Greece, as planned. He asks In-joo if she really won’t come with him. Her eyes widen, but she plays it off with a laugh. For once, Do-il’s returning smile is utterly open — but, in the end, neither of them say anything beyond wishing each other well. When he turns one last time to say he’ll see her again, it’s a wonder he’s even audible over the sound of a million viewers’ hearts breaking.
Next, Hwa-young — and here, my heart breaks afresh. This time, In-joo’s on the visiting side of the prison bars, but Hwa-young is putting on as brave a face as she can. She’s been reading. Tending flowers. Perhaps it’s not enough to forget the matching scars on both their hands, but — she’ll be fine. Fifteen years will go by in a flash. Once she sells her software, In-joo can have half. Once again, though, In-joo hesitates — Hwa-young should keep her money.
There’s one gift that she’s willing to accept, though: a present from Aunt Oh. It’s the apartment she once fell in love with, the one in which Aunt Oh told her she needn’t be afraid to start afresh. Maybe — just maybe — she’ll become another person after all.
As for In-kyung, she’s been offered a job with a new network. It’s everything she dreamed of when working for CBN… and, abruptly, she realizes it’s not enough. Investigating the Jeongran Society was the most exciting time of her life — but, as she tells Jong-ho later, the most fun she had was with him. So… how about they give America a shot? As they lean towards one another to kiss, In-kyung realizes that her heart might just be racing after all.
As this is Little Women, there’s room for one last twist. Ever wonder how In-hye and Hyo-rin made their way to the airport? Turns out, they had help. Do-il, with characteristic prescience, knew he needed to store the 70 billion for safekeeping; in exchange for helping the teens, he transferred it to Hyo-rin’s account. Now, In-hye has decided to split it fairly. She and Hyo-rin receive a portion, and in doing so purchase their independence: the ability to become who they want to be, without debts. In-kyung gets a share, to fund her studies. Do-il, of course, gets Greece. And, In-joo? She sacrificed everything for In-hye. Now, she receives the most. In-hye instructs her to buy a new life, not just for her family, but for herself. In-hye will be doing the same.
And there it is, folks! Excuse me while I weep into my sleeve. That ending was deliciously open, and it got me on a number of levels. For me, these last two episodes boiled down to a choice between life and death. Do you live life as if you’re dying, or will you start afresh? The Jeongran Society fit their entire ideology around the notion that they were already dead. Wealth and power in this drama can mean stasis: like Sang-ah, you may don and discard costume after costume, and lock up the reality of your trauma in a tiny room. On the other hand, In-joo and In-hye felt as if their poverty trapped them in a kind of living death — the repeating trauma of capitalism itself. Hwa-young, meanwhile, chose a different sort of death, in which she refused to let wrongs lie in the past; instead, she returned like a haunting, in pursuit of justice. However, in the end, she and the Oh sisters chose to begin afresh.
Bring out your pitchforks now, but I’m actually glad In-joo and Do-il didn’t kiss at the airport. That’s not to say I didn’t wish they’d kissed at all! Far from it — they really should. Ideally, for me, it would have happened spontaneously, perhaps after In-joo escaped the orchid room (and maybe cleaned up after all the acid). After all, in the end, In-joo always yearned to make something of herself outside of ending up with a man. Having her final character note be the culmination of a romantic plot — rather than deciding to start a new life — would have felt wrong. Another quibble for me is the way the writers used the Vietnam War as a plot point: it felt glib. I kept expecting them to problematize it the same way they problematized themes of wealth and social hierarchy, but they mostly referred to it uncritically.
Despite this, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this thoughtful, creative, emphatically artistic drama. I love that, in the end, our protagonists were given the option to live for themselves — to become the kind of people they wished to be. The show wasn’t naive about it: it was money that gave them the option. Money, according to Hwa-young, is a form of social control. She’s right. Sadly, it is also a means of bestowing agency. Still, that’s why I’m glad that In-joo wasn’t narratively punished for coveting the luxury that people like Sang-ah take for granted. For me, it’s enough to think of our protagonists on the precipice of a new story: one in which they can be free.
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Tags: Eom Ji-won, Eom Ki-joon, Kang Hoon, Kim Go-eun, Kim Mi-sook, Little Women, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hoo, Park Ji-young, Wie Ha-joon
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1 PYC
October 10, 2022 at 10:17 PM
Thanks for your prompt and incisive recap @alathe, as always.
Just re-hashing my quick thoughts in fan wall:
Little Women Ep 12 Finale – It ends well but leaves such a big hole in me. What am I going to watch next??? Otokke!
Re-watch is a must as there is still so much to unpack. A few immediate thoughts:
– I love how 30 minutes are spared in this episode for closures. Not your usual a neat bow and happy ever after which will be so inconsistent with the whole storytelling. It is the emotional closures, and the sense of seeking calmness after the storm. There’s sufficient coverage of the three sisters though not being together. They are like us as audience experiencing that void but on the recovery journey.
– It’s been said so many times – but the writing, directing, acting, music and cinematography are all a joy to watch. The sense of void is so intensely felt as credits roll because I don’t know when will a drama of this calibre come again.
– While everyone is playing A game but Uhm Ji-won’s portrayal here is seriously performance of the year. The chill she sends down our spine while maintaining that half innocent, half wickedness demeanor is really quite something.
– I love, love the three sisters’ growth. They are essentially the same persons in the final episode but a bit wiser and very importantly, know better now what they’d value most and family remains their bedrock. The then and now flashback in the last 30 minutes is really well done.
– What a pleasant surprise that ‘Jo’ and ‘Laurie’ have a happy ending.
- I also like the relationship between In-Joo and Choi Do-I’ll to be left like that. That ‘more to come and lingering vibe’ is right at this juncture.
“Directed by woman, written by woman with women as protagonists, main villain, and mastermind. I’m so proud as a woman. Thank you, Little Women!!”
This comment at YT is so true. All the men in this drama are in the backseats, compared to the strong women in this story from the main to side characters. We will remember for a long while not just the three sisters, but Haw-young, Sang-ah, Miss Go bodyguard, the Great aunt, and the ladder climber reporter.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:04 PM
I was thinking throughout this finale that one of the things I love is that the men are the supporting characters. So often in supposedly female-lead dramas, the male lead gets the complexity, the back story, the development and all the screen time near the end as his arc takes precedence. But in this, all the men remained supporting characters and all were delightfully supportive of the female leads. There were no problematic romances and no abuse disguised as romance either. It's one thing I truly loved about the drama.
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alathe
October 17, 2022 at 12:16 PM
Thanks, @epyc2010 -- glad you enjoyed the recap! Totally with you on Sang-ah being an incomparably good villain. :D
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2 PYC
October 10, 2022 at 10:36 PM
And I love, love the three seconds of tenderness of Choi Do-il in Ep 11, and nodding my heading with this from @alathe “ It’s testament to Wie Ha-joon’s ability to look lovestruck that what follows has the cadence of a romantic declaration: “Being financially illiterate doesn’t make you an idiot.”
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datmangotho
October 12, 2022 at 5:48 AM
okay but one of the things I love most about Do-il is that he comes off as so warm!! Wi Ha-joon manages to be so stoic and calm without being coldly indifferent if that makes sense. I feel like Do-il could have easily become a stiff, boring character if he were played by someone else. Do-il supremacy <33
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3 jerrykuvira
October 10, 2022 at 10:39 PM
Hwa-young keeps a tight grip on her dignity, even whilst bound to a chair
Can I once again praise your lines here, @alathe . Reading this line gave me a power trip - that Hwa-young was truly in control. It's not easy to be serene when death is encroaching in minute in minute out. Still, you captured Hwa-young's serenity succinctly.
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alathe
October 17, 2022 at 12:14 PM
Thank you so much, @jerrykuvira! I was so struck by the way Hwa-young looked there -- glad I could capture it for the recap. :)
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4 DancingEmma
October 10, 2022 at 10:57 PM
Dear @alathe, you might have seen this but just in case: https://www.soompi.com/article/1548697wpp/production-company-of-little-women-responds-to-claims-of-historical-distortion-of-the-vietnam-war
What is quoted here is the vaguest and most useless of acknowledgments. Historical revisionism and war crimes sadly don’t seem to be even a blip on their radar.
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alathe
October 17, 2022 at 12:04 PM
Thanks, @dncingemma -- and thanks for bringing up the issue early on! It's definitely been on my mind as I watched the drama.
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5 wandering spot
October 10, 2022 at 11:12 PM
What a well written recap @alathe !!!! Its been a wonderful ride. I loved the writing, the visuals and the growth of each character. The show had a solid cast who played their parts really well. I loved In Joo for that climax sequence. Despite not being the sharpest tool, she had the presence of mind to blow up the cellar lid and use it as a cover to rescue HY was commendable. SA's change in expression was a vision to watch. Finally SA falling into that pool of HCl was so satisfying to watch. I also liked how they left things between IJ and Do il.
Finally: In face of death Ms Go asked the question that haunted her throughout the series " You are in love with In Joo right?".... Poor lady wants at least someone to agree with her. Who would have thought Ms Go to be the hardcore DoJoo shipper ...LOL
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jerrykuvira
October 10, 2022 at 11:52 PM
In face of death Ms Go asked the question that haunted her throughout the series " You are in love with In Joo right?".... Poor lady wants at least someone to agree with her. Who would have thought Ms Go to be the hardcore DoJoo shipper
Oh! Please😂. Don't put it like this. 'Haunted her...hardcore shipper'. This is a recipe for a chuckle that becomes burst out laughter. Give her her 500won. She was right all along :)
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PYC
October 11, 2022 at 1:32 AM
Losing that 500 won haunts her deeply!
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alathe
October 17, 2022 at 12:02 PM
Thanks, @silpa! I cannot stop laughing at "the question that haunted her throughout the series"... too true!
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6 jerrykuvira
October 10, 2022 at 11:40 PM
What can I say. One thing I am sure of is that I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of art, and I'm glad I picked it up. Well it was on my radar anyway.
In the world of Little Women, Jeongran Society at its inception was never the organization Jae-sang and Sang-ah turned it out to be. True they operated on similar whims but they weren't insane. To me, it was another statement to the school of thought that a wrong person at the top of a good cause can do a lot of damage, and veer them into another territory entirely. It wasn't that Jeongran was any entirely righteous initially even though they seem so to me, but they began to plunge into a dangerous decline about some 20 years ago when Jae-sang took up the helm of affairs, with Sang-ah controlling things from the shadow.
I shed a few tears with Jae-sang and Sang-ah in Jae-sang's last hour alive. While not forgetting he's been a psycho husband and father in episodes 1-8, their love story is strong, pure, and raw, as I saw in episodes 9-11. They were a power couple. And Jae-sang's earnestness towards Sang-ah pulled my heart in several strings. He was willing without question to die for her, even though he knew she'd never do the same for him. I admire his unbending love. Those few minutes just wetted my appetite to see Uhm Ki-joon in a melo romance where he's just a man in love with his family. I can go on and on about the moments before his death but I'll be repeating myself over and over again. One thing that stands out is : his earnestness is and, was profound.
Little Women had me holding out hope in times more than one - Hwa-young and Choi Do-il. And the hope was rewarded. Choi Do-il's horse galloped one more time; and Hwa-young was alive all this while. If Little Women has Do-il at hesitation 100 times, I'm willing to bank on him 101 times. Little Women made sure that Do-il stayed in character throughout. He remained a conman, nor did he lose his dependability in the process. In the end his trust in money came through. If I'm to borrow his lines in earlier episodes, he's willing to gallop to the end with the woman who holds the 70 billion won. Whether or not she had the money, she was of worth as the 70 billion won that brought them together. To put it in Do-il's language, In-joo was money, and Do-il never stopped doing what is needed for 'money'.
In-joo did a whole lot for her sisters, and her growth through the series is not to be without mention. In many ways she and Do-il act alike. Do-il is to her what she proved to be to Hwa-young. The theme of friendship in Little Women has me doing a lot of thinking. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what brought them to this point. And I'm equally made to see what they did going forward when the going went tough. Hwa-young never expected she'd return, so much she lost a bit of her composure. In-joo was a dependable friend all this while in that she staked her life to investigate the circumstances surrounding...
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jerrykuvira
October 10, 2022 at 11:44 PM
...Hwa-young's demise, and when the time arose once again, she rose to the occasion. Let In-joo be seen as gullible from the standpoint of those who are eager to prey on her gullibility, but her earnestness is equally scary to see especially when In-joo is your adversary. Her earnestness made her predictable to Sang-ah, but Sang-ah could never fathom nor experience how true In-joo's pure heart is. Hwa-young experienced it not once or twice, but thrice. Even Sang-ah got a little taste of it but was wrapped in her character play to see it for what it was.
'As long as In-joo's pure heart beats, just know that you are covered.'
In-joo embodied this adjective to the end. It was her way of life. And she never held back on who could receive the warmth of it.
In-joo, In-kyung, In-hye, Hwa-young, Great Aunt Oh, Do-il, Jae-sang, Sang-ah, Hyorin and Jung-ho. Every character and the actor playing brought their A-game, including the ones I didn't mention. This is my first time watching Kim Go-eun and Uhm Ji-Won, the first time I'm sitting through a drama Wie Ha-joon is a prominent character in, and my second time watching Uhm Ki-joon(Penthouse is the first). And the things I've heard proved true for all of them. The flowing recommendations I'd heard about Uhm Ji-Won was freaking facts. She owned Sang-ah, and I was delighted with her character. It was like I have seen everything she has been in before Little Women.
I'm still thinking about the two themes on friendship that stood out here. In-joo and Hwa-young's, In-hye and Hyo-rin's. Does In-joo and Do-il count as friendship or is it a partnership? I hope I can put down a thing or two to take to heart as a reminder.
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jerrykuvira
October 11, 2022 at 12:07 AM
If ever I need a sweet and playful villain, I'll remember Sang-ah. There is something about her voice that makes it all more different. It was motherly and caring and soothing, so much that I'd never expect that she was the villain. And she maintained that tone after she was unveiled as Little Women's villain. And when she was at her wits end, Sang-ah never lost that regal tone nor did she descend into crazy frenzy. Even in her theatrics, she maintained her nobility as the General's daughter.
I like to have this kind of villains most of the time. It doesn't have to be a shouting spree when everything is going down. Going down can be done as graceful as possible, and Sang-ah maintained that grace to the end. Even when the gene of her problem was poked, she maintained her restraint. Such villains make interesting characters and are very nice foils.
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PYC
October 11, 2022 at 1:48 AM
The scene before Jae-sang’s death is deeply affecting. It’s love at absolute and earning my tears as well. The two Uhm’s are simply brilliant. My first Uhm KJ’s drama is Good Job, Good Job in 2009, a weekender family drama where he played a happy go lucky guy. I just wish he won’t be pigeonholed to play villain due to The Penthouse success. Coming from a theatre background, I’d like to see his versatility going forward.
Uhm Ji-won is just phenomenal here - that princessy air as @jerrykuvira said is so spot on.
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abalyn
October 11, 2022 at 2:55 PM
That is a great analogy about In-joo being money to Do-Il. Money to him represented freedom, luxury, escape, being able to realize his dreams, protecting his mom. Since he had experienced people as only fickle he relied on money instead, which got him more reliable results. Yet then he met In Joo. She started as representing a link to those things, but then she also slowly started to have a value of her own, something that was reliable but different than what money brought.
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7 Kurama
October 10, 2022 at 11:40 PM
It was really a drama about women. Even if the General's presence was all along the story, the real protaganists were Won Sang-A as the villain, Jin Hwa-Young and the sisters as victims. I was happy at the end Do-Il and Jong-Ho were just there for them.
I didn't specially liked In-Hye. She was kinda opportunist, it looked she found a rich friend and she just stuck with her until the end. I found her messages to her sisters really weird when it's her sisters who really fought.
In-Joo was really funny. She found herself in her unimaginable situation but always chose people before money. She did what she could with her tools.
It was nice to see In-Kyung accepting Jong-Ho's feelings and starting new with him. She never gave up the truth so now she deserves to be happy.
The production was really beautiful, I really loved the colors palette they chose like the dark green with the flashy red. The different shots were great.
The casting did well. I really liked KGE and NJH.
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Mia
October 11, 2022 at 5:52 AM
In-Hye's letters to her sisters at the end regarding the money just truly irked me. She's was definitely an opportunist already on the path to abandoning her sisters latching on to a rich girl to live a life she didn't have. Do-il and In-joo did all the grunt work to keep that money and In-Hye wouldn't have had a say in the matter being that it was Hyo-rin's bank account Do-il wanted access too. Do-il help whisked those girls a way to safety and it's only Hyo-rin allowing In-Hye to speak for her that let In-Hye have any say in the matter. Do-il should've ignored her and split the money between himself, Hyo-rin, In-joo, leaving In-joo to gift the money to her sisters herself. The nerve of this girl to act like she was gifting her sisters the money. Is she that delusional?
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KdramaKdrama
October 14, 2022 at 3:28 PM
Exactly my thoughts, I never liked In Hye ,even when she was seen to be helping her sisters by giving the memory card back , and providing information. How does she get to decide how the money is shared.
The show was absolutely amazing but I still have a few gaps.
What happened to Do il's parents; his mum was in the car crash with him, his father was arrested earlier on.
The only scene that made me cry so HARD was when In Joo was being beaten because that was supposedly the only way to save In Hye' s life
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kdramapedia
October 11, 2022 at 11:42 AM
I actually liked In-Hye the best. She was the smartest sister and got herself safely out of a dangerous situation at the first opportunity. Yes, she was bratty at the beginning, but remember that she is a teenager (and let's be honest, most teenagers are a pain at some point as they test boundaries and learn about themselves). You can tell that she learned a lot by the end based on her voice over and realized that the way her sisters cared for her were actually the best times of her life, which she didn't appreciate in the moment.
I always felt that her friendship with Hyo-Rin was genuine; yes, she wanted to earn money (she felt guilty accepting money her sisters scraped by for) but found a connection through the process. In-Hye felt smothered by love while Hyo-Rin was a character in her mother's play. Both were outcasts at school, and both sought freedom from their circumstances.
I think there's some disconnect with some viewers because they weren't prominent characters, but it's better that the children weren't (completely) subjected to the pain and torture like the adults.
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Kurama
October 11, 2022 at 11:48 AM
She earned money by cheating... She went in their house when she knew they weren't good people. She found herself locked in a creepy room and her sister saved her but then she disapeared without any regard for her sisters... She wasn't more smart, she didn't care as much as her sisters and it made her more free.
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kdramapedia
October 11, 2022 at 12:03 PM
She didn't earn money by cheating. She was paid to paint a portrait and let someone else claim it as their own. It was unethical for the family to take advantage of a young girl, but they did and she agreed to the terms. Her sisters told her that isn't the best way to earn money, but she wasn't in a place where she could hear/understand that yet. She felt happy that she could earn her own money.
Also, that's the youngest sibling issue, especially when there's a significant age gap. I'm the oldest child, so I see stuff my siblings got away with that I couldn't; some things came easier to them than me. She had the privilege to stubbornly forge her own path while her older sisters had to fight for survival. They're the same family, but they grew up in different circumstances. In-Hye had people going out of their way to care for her, while her sisters grew up differently.
Also, we have to realize that everyone doesn't receive or accept love the same. In-Hye hated being doted on and wanted some independence. Her sisters, however, wanted to give her everything they didn't have growing up (studying abroad, fancy schools, money to go on trips). They never asked her if that's what she needed. When In-Hye acted out, they could've helped her find a better job that showcased her talents instead of barging in the mansion and forcefully trying to take away what she (not so ethically) earned.
It's just that everyone sees the same situation from their own perspective, bias, and background, and act accordingly.
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Kurama
October 11, 2022 at 12:24 PM
It was a contest, she helped her friend knowing it was cheating.
I understand she felt like she was a burden for her sisters and wanted to be able to take care of herself. I have no issue with that. But she just went with rich people, she didn't feel bad to live with them, to eat and sleep with strangers and doing shady things. Her sister was wrong to come drunk and humiliated her wasn't the solution, clearly, but she was right in substance.
kdramapedia
October 11, 2022 at 5:11 PM
Which is where I think we agree. Everyone did what they thought was right or best, but didn't always go about it in the right manner. All of the sisters are flawed in some manner. Based on our own life experiences, we identify closer with some characters more than others.
emsel
October 11, 2022 at 10:48 PM
" In-Hye hated being doted on and wanted some independence. "
In Hye did not want freedom, she felt she would be ridden with guilt if she kept making her sisters pay for all that she desires. There was a dialogue in one of the episodes where she bursts out saying, "Would I be happy knowing you wasted your youth working for my needs? How would I feel to watch you break your back trying to pay for my wants?"
This is why I did not like that the monologue was done by In Hye, but it makes more sense for her to do it than Hyo Rin who lost both her parents and wasn't feeling sad.
kdramapedia
October 12, 2022 at 6:17 AM
@emsel "some independence" and complete "freedom" are two separate concepts. A six-year-old wants *some independence* to pick out his own mixed-matched outfit. That doesn't mean *freedom* from his parents.
She wanted some independence from her sisters (eg, earn her own money vs accepting money her sisters suffered to give her). Circumstances had her escape with her friend, but I don't believe that was originally her goal.
8 Emily Hewett
October 11, 2022 at 2:41 AM
Ahh thank you for the recap, it's always worth looking forward to your reviews.
First of all, I'm really glad that 'Little Women ' could hold the magic till the very end. The cinematography was INSANE . You can find yourself sinking into the eerie world it creates through the cinematography, bgm & osts. The acting of the casts were on point ( somene give KGE an award already!!) The plot was well built (except for some plot holes which I can gladly overlook) . The characters & character developments were spectacular. I loved how they didn't deviate from their initial tone. Actually I was a bit worried as in joo started sounding too scrupulous in the trial but it was a good to see her dreams didn't change. She still wanted to live a decent life & the drama showed there's nothing wrong with it - wanting to be rich & living slovenly- it's fine as long as you don't get blinded by greed. As for in Kyung, I'm happy that she is finally going after her dreams this woman deserves a break! & last but not least, in kyung. Tbh, I was ready to be pissed at her character- after all these things her sisters have gone through for her, she was sheerly ungrateful. But the drama stored its magic there. Her monologue - that eventually became the drama's ending monologue- touched a chord deep within me ( is it because I related to her too deeply in one point being the youngest of three sisters? Maybe. But I don't remember crying over a scene like this for a while) I loved how mature she became by the finale , from a torn , hopeless teenager.
I also loved how they wrapped up the drama so delicately without a rush. I was almost panicking when there were still half an hour left after Sang-Ah's death but no, they gave us the time to bask in the happiness & contentment along with the Oh sisters. So , here we are with a contented heart & a clinging feeling ( I can't let go of 'Little women' this quickly! It's not every day you stumble upon five star dramas!) Final shout out to 'Little Women ' for making it into my top 3 dramas of all time. It's been quite a spectacular journey <3
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PYC
October 11, 2022 at 4:05 AM
That last 30 minutes should be seen as a masterclass of how to end a show well in good pace.
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9 Emperor
October 11, 2022 at 3:37 AM
Great writeups that concludes the series thoroughly. There are many great comments here, I'm adding some from my own perspective :
- In Hye and Hyorin's runaway reminds me heavily of The Handmaiden film (2016), and this should come as no surprise, as this drama coming from the same writer. I wonder do they develop some sort of lesbian romantic interest here, or is it purely a sisterhood one?
- Sang-Ah's gruesome demise through acid chemical burns continued this PD's trademark to kill the villain through gruesome death - in Vincenzo, the lead duo villains were burned alive and drilled slowly through the chest.
- I really think the final standoff could be more action-oriented with Do-Il taking more spotlight, but again this is the story of the sisters so he took a backseat here.
- Can we have UKJ not as villain again for his next project please? Yes, he's awesome in antagonists role (a BAaeksang nomination for Penthouse is a testament to that) but it add some degree of predictability to the storyline so when he appear we can point out "ha! He's the villain!"
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john
October 11, 2022 at 7:37 AM
I arrived at In-hye and Hyo-rin are lovers.
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jerrykuvira
October 11, 2022 at 11:37 AM
Uhm Ki-joon's next project is with the writer and PD of Penthouse and the Last Empress. The writer and PD worked on this two dramas together except for Penthouse 3. So expect him as a villain. Truthfully, I prefer his villainy here than in Penthouse's so I'm quite worried what he'll descend into in his next project.
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10 asterell
October 11, 2022 at 6:30 AM
Some thoughts:
-The show dropped breadcrumbs early on that Sang-ah was the one really in charge, but Sa-pyung's 'you're psycho' conclusion, I felt, was quite last minute. To me, strapping Hwa-young to pour acid was decidedly not the Sang-ah we knew - it would have felt more consistent if In-joo and Hwayoung had to act out a twisted death scene or something, since she clearly loves having control. How would Injoo have died? Do-il clearly just walked into the room.
-At no point did I ever think In-kyung was even slightly interested in Dong-ho.... sigh.... if this drama needed a kiss scene, Hyorin and Inhye were better candidates..
Overall, I enjoyed the watch, and this bean was easily earned.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:12 PM
I usually try to restrict my final episode comments to the drama as a whole but I have to say that Sang-a's sudden detour into acid-rain craziness was one decision I didn't like. To say that someone is crazy is a glib, cheap writer's trick, "Oh she's just nuts" especially when the show had gone to great lengths to show us that she was not in fact crazy but traumatised, emotionally stunted and raised like a doll in a controlled environment who saw people as toys. Her speech about being the 1% made much more sense than her crazifying about acid in her ceiling. Also, all her crimes until then had been meticulous and suddenly she was going to explain why she installed acid in her own ceiling's sprinklers? The denouement of this show being a hostage situation with acid and grenades was head scratching for me, in the way that Vincenzo's violence wasn't (especially since the writer had made it known that Vincenzo was not a hero, nor even an anti-hero, but an outright villain and so she wrote the final episodes to emphasise that).
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asterell
October 12, 2022 at 9:20 AM
Agree!!
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11 pliplipli
October 11, 2022 at 7:07 AM
what a stylish makjang
injoo and doil was the saving grace for me, and the whole art of the production - art direction, photography, music, everything is really a work of art. but I couldnt care less for this story. I expected more nuance, more debate about capitalism, about how governments enable this type of financial crisis, where people are left without nothing. what about the bank's victmins? why are they not getting any money???? maybe the drama should have shown the 3 sister in poverty more for me to actually care or be happy about them now. but for most of the drama, we have seen them living around wealth. they always SAY they're poor, but it never looks like it.
I was 100% we would get a injoo and doil moment right at the end, similar to what we got with vicenzo (with him coming back to see her, just like he said). so I will say that I feel extra annoyed with inhye long letter, as if she was not doing gifting her sisters some money that it was never hers to beging with LOL
at the end, the sisters got money that was never meant to be theirs. maybe we can see it as reparation for everything they went through to uncover this secret society, but even this.. it was their choice to get into them. I don't like revenge plots in general, but it would have made more sense if their family, for example, was one of the bank's victims, like hwayoung was.
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12 LaurenSophie
October 11, 2022 at 7:28 AM
I loved this show so much, and reading this recap only deepened that love, because I admit I was confused on several points including the shifting location of the 70 million won.
I agree that In-joo ending up in her own home as she had always dreamed and not dependent on a man or anyone else was a perfect ending for her, but it felt a little . . . incomplete simply because the drama had so slowly yet deliberately appeared to be telling a parallel story of how she and Do-il fell in love. I didn't need them to kiss, but I thought up until the very last moment that she we would see In-joo purchase a ticket to Greece. I mean, it's fine for a woman to be independent, know her self-worth, live on her own, and yet still have a romantic visit with a man she clearly really, really likes who gave up everything for her.
I did very much appreciate, though, that in this version of "Little Women" the Laurie character finally had his feelings returned by Jo. That was a very sweet and believable kiss.
I had a few other questions at the end, namely why didn't the police come immediately to Sang-ah's door if not after the trial then certainly after that video was played showing her murdering Hwang-young's stand-in?
I agree that the positioning of the Vietnam War--and the Americans' role in exploiting foreign soldiers--as the motivation for this secret society's extended murderous revenge seemed a little glib. And what happened to Do-il's parents?
But overall, this was a fantastic show. 12 episodes was the perfect length to tell this story, but I'll miss these characters, the artful and assured storytelling, the female-centered story, the excellent acting, and the stunning sets and direction.
This, along with "My Liberation Notes," will undoubtedly remain my favorite drama of the year.
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MamaWantsDrama
October 11, 2022 at 9:45 AM
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated reading your comment. You helped shed light on why I've been feeling the emotion I have since the show ended.
I truly feel the writers did a disservice by leaving the relationship between Do-il and In-joo the way they did. Yes - this show wasn't in the romance genre, however the relationship between these two characters was truly the heart of the story. They spent more time emphasizing their bond than they did the actual sisters. The majority of the "aha!" moments (where I literally jumped out of my seat from happy surprise) were because of actions that Do-il took. To leave without any kind of resolution has left me feeling not only unsatisfied, but ... kind've annoyed? Like, why?
In-joo went through so much. She literally risked her life several times all with the goal of providing financially for her sisters. But it felt like we left her character even sadder and more alone. Do-il leaving and In-joo staying (when she didn't even have her sisters with her anymore) didn't make sense to me. It didn't feel like the victorious conclusion I was hoping for. It's almost like she wanted to continue being depressed.
I loved this show. LOVED this show. I'm just sad the opportunity for a magnificent ending was missed. For me, at least. .... The only thing that would help would be news of a season two. ;-)
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jerrykuvira
October 11, 2022 at 11:51 AM
we would see In-joo purchase a ticket to Greece...yet still have a romantic visit with a man she clearly really, really likes who gave up everything for her.
I agree with this completely. She and Do-il earned the romance so I was deeply slighted when it didn't happen especially after the chemistry we've seen, and Do-il's (cough). What I told myself was that In-joo still has Hwa-young to worry about. In-joo never leaves those she care about behind, more so alone. And with Hwa-young in jail, I could see In-joo making that sacrifice.
Still I thought ' You can go to Greece and visit Hwa-young every week, or every two weeks or every month. I mean you have the money to do that. And the Do-il I know would gladly oblige to it.' I saw no reason why she couldn't go to Greece when there is a means of transport to visit South Korea at any whim, and she had the money for it still I reluctantly found it in character that In-joo stayed. And since she did, it had better be for Hwa-young. If it's for anything else, it'll really sour.
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Scottie
October 11, 2022 at 12:32 PM
I liked the open ending with Do-il and I don't think that In-joo needs to buy a ticket to Greece.
Maybe I am wrong, but I thought he said that they would see each other again - he will return one day.
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LaurenSophie
October 11, 2022 at 4:03 PM
I'm glad you liked the open ending. I want to stress that I don't think it was a huge mistake on the part of the writers or anything like that, but it did make the ending slightly less than perfect for me. I may have misinterpreted but it did feel like the show was building In-joo and Do-il's relationship slowly but continuously, so to have it end on a vague note--with only the suggestion that they would cross paths one day in the future--felt anticlimactic and unsatisfying.
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Scottie
October 12, 2022 at 2:03 AM
Yes, the drama certainly played the 'is-it-romance-or-not' card very successfully. Do-il's motivations, other than his love for money, were never fully revealed and he remains a mysterious and untamed man to the very end.
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FormAnOrderlyQueue
October 11, 2022 at 9:00 PM
Big thumbs up for the Jo and Laurie ending - that was always a big gripe of mine with the book: Amy was a total second best. But it was beautiful here - Jongho just simply got on with the cooking and the driving, and gave Inkyung 100% background support so she could get on with her shining. So glad she recognised his importance to her by the end.
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13 Melissa
October 11, 2022 at 7:57 AM
Loved this show, with one small exception--that they called it Little Women. I say this as a big fan of the book since childhood. Yes, I know the book is very sentimental, which this show made good fun with, and I appreciated the satire. But Alcott really was trying to write a realistic book about growing up with obstacles, of which the families genteel poverty was only one, NOT the only one, as it is here. (The obsession with money among all 3 of the sisters in this show is the one other thing that bothered me)
What I realized when I read the book again as an adult (I recommended it to my daughter, who read it, thought it was boring, and returned to reading Harry Potter for the umpteenth time, sigh) was that Alcott was actually pretty good about the two marriages she portrayed, even with Marmy and especially the one with Meg. There's a lot more tension with their husbands than I remembered as a kid and the women don't give in but end up compromising. I never liked Jo's marriage at the end which was totally flat, but the lesson Jo learns as a writer at the end--stay true to life, and don't write gothic horror stories with drugs coming from blue orchids and manipulative evil villains,are good ones for her as they were for Alcott--not for this show, of course, which was very entertaining.
What's weird is if they had called the show "3 women" and made the satirical references to Little Women that they did, then I would have laughed along with the writers, and enjoyed it without reservation. As it is, the title nagged me until the very end. I guess the lesson is I don't like my childhood memories being made fun of!
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:26 PM
Viewed through this lens, I understand why you'd take issue with the show. I find it interesting you thought they were making fun of the original source text. To me, it was the other way around. I felt strongly that the writer had taking the source text's themes and constructed a modern, post-Parasite version of it. To me this show (with the possible exception of the conclusion) was absolutely Little Women.
Now i think this fell down a bit in the final episodes for reason I'll try to elucidate later, but I certainly don't think they were making fun of Little women at all. If anything I'd say the show's classic comedic structure and references to Pilgrim's Progress (and to the three leads trying to work out exactly what kind of person they want to be while faced with the temptations of wealth and ease surrounding them) were completely earnest and thematically in line with the original book.
The villain was hoist by their own petard, those who pursued wealth and power for its own sake were punished. They even had In-joo - the Meg character - sit in the apartment she'd always wanted sobbing because attaining it meant nothing without her family in it. The show was strongly underpinned by Protestant values - hard work was rewarded, family was more important than money, the system worked, justice prevailed, the evildoers were punished, the sisters came through their Pilgrim's Progress with a grasp on the kind of people they wanted to be and the opportunity for their own happiness.
This will no doubt end up in 'agree to disagree' territory but I don't see the writer making fun of it at all. To me, the show was Little Women.
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PYC
October 12, 2022 at 6:11 AM
A bold and contemporary take of Little Women is how I see it. At the beginning, I thought it’s an inspired version but as the drama progresses, it’s getting clearer and clearer that this is Little Women indeed - in spirit and character.
A very pleasant surprise that it is a Korean production breathing new life to this classic tale.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 12, 2022 at 11:37 AM
Yes the last two episodes in particular got muddy in terms of this being Little Women (although the ending itself I think worked, in a kind of muted way) but for at least the first six episodes I thought it was genius as a reimagining of the original text.
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14 ladybug22
October 11, 2022 at 7:59 AM
It felt like all the work the sisters did was for nothing.
Hwa-Youngs revenge didnt mean anything because 1. Sang-ah didnt know or care about it and 2. Sang-ah thought she had already won by killing Hwa-Young and keeping the sisters and the money close to her. Did Hwa-Young really think Sang-ah wouldnt come after In-Joo if the money and the apartment was under In-Joo’s name?
Hwa-Young wasnt dead but living ‘happily’ while leaving In-Joo in chaos. The sisters where the ones who actually executed her revenge way better than she had planned by actually exposing them.
The whole Jeongran Society didnt matter in the end because they werent the ‘actual bad guys’ but the typical ‘money and power hungry’ people, Sang-ah and Jae-sang had different morals/vision from the Jeongran Society.
Other than that the acting was amazing!
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15 owl 🦉 🫰
October 11, 2022 at 9:33 AM
“…and Sang-ah falls into the pooling acid. As the orchid tree shrivels in the rain,“ Sang-ah seemingly morphed into the deadly blue orchid herself, and dressed in a perfectly matched blue orchid outfit, the two symbols of death disappear forever.
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16 Zo
October 11, 2022 at 9:57 AM
International viewers and Korean viewers opinions were divided about the ending. International viewers are mostly satisfied, but wanted more romantic development for Injoo and Do il.
Korean viewers didn`t care much about romance but weren`t satisfied how money was divided (why do three sisters have to get most money over hyerin hwayoung and do il and it`s not even their money but victims money), some plot holes (what happened to aunt company), hyerin being too bright when she just became an orphan.
I am more with korean viewers opinion. Drama seemed like it had high ambitions to tell riveting tale but fell shortly in the end. Jeongran society didn`t matter that much in the end, it wasn`t as powerful it described itself. Won Sang Ah`s action to let`s die together felt out of character. I expected her to do something more smarter.
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Scottie
October 11, 2022 at 12:23 PM
Very interesting comment about the different viewers opinion. It also struck me as a little odd how easily Hyo-rin coped with the demise of both her parents, but these parents made her not only mentally, but also physically ill, despite claiming over and over how much they love their child.
All that psychological abuse is gone now and she must be feeling free and happy - and she is financially secure, not alone, but with an extremely loyal and lovable friend.
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Mia
October 12, 2022 at 6:49 AM
I'm more in line with the Korean viewers opinions as well. I also thought Hyo-rin just wasn't behaving like someone who lost two parents in such a short time frame, especially with both parents dying in such a gruesome way. I had issues with the money split too. If not for Do-il, Injoo might not have known that all that money was in her name. If they decided to keep the money, it should have been a split between Injoo, Do-il, Hwa-Young (if she wanted a cut), and Hyo-rin since her bank account was being used. Injoo could split her share with her sisters. I felt Hwa-Young's last minute return, her kidnapping, and the acid sprinklers just felt a bit cartoonish; I expected the writer to come up with a more clever ending. I'm not bothered with the loose ending of Aunt Oh's company. Aunt Oh and In-kyung had a discussion early in the series concerning In-kyung being naturally gifted at trading stock. After being taught by her aunt at the age of 12, In-kyung turned 5 millon Won into 70 million Won in ten years. Aunt Oh wanted In-kyung to be her successor since In-kyung was a child. With all the money In-kyung received, she can increase her own wealth as well as save the company from debt. The other members of the family took their hands off the company because they didn't want to inherit debt, so In-kyung wont have any headache there. I believe she owns the company outright now; she can just hire the necessary people to run it while she lives in the US. Unlike many beanies, I just didn't see the possibility of a romance with Injoo and Do-il in this series (here's hoping Kim Go Eun and Wi Ha-joon have a reunion as romantic leads very soon though). Injoo and Do-il were just on a non stop rollercoaster ride through this entire series with Injoo keeping one eye open the entire time wondering if Do-il was going to stab her in the back. Her trust issues with him lasted almost the length of the series and given her previous relationship, she would be even more concerned about being conned. At most, I expected a little tease at the very end that could allude to the possibility of something happening in the future between them now that she trusts him.
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17 Nefret
October 11, 2022 at 10:48 AM
Overall, I am satisfied with the finale, even though I would have liked to see Jang Ma-ri get her punishment as well. I am vengeful.
I wasn't really surprised that Hwa-young is still alive, because the alleged facial surgery must have been good for something.
Actually, I didn't really expect In-joo and Do-il to get together or at least one of them to confess his feelings, but the hope was high enough that I even looked to see if there was an epilogue with the two of them. But the ending as it is now is probably best.
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18 bunnylita
October 11, 2022 at 12:36 PM
There has been a throughline in the drama that even though I liked it, always bothered me. It seemed like the show was telling us being together was bad for the sisters. In-hye said a lot that she felt smothered by her sisters' love. But I couldn't quite get a hold on what was so bad about them being together. Really out of everything, the relationship between the sisters felt the most unfinished to me.
And what happened to Do-il's parents?
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19 Doppelganger
October 11, 2022 at 12:46 PM
Little Women will likely end up as my best kdrama of 2022 unless we get a dark horse emerging in the last 2.5 months of this year. This show pushed forwards the boundaries of kdramas. That being said, I had mixed feelings about the finale, and was unimpressed with the writing.
I had high expectations from this writer given her resume, but LW's writing just ended up going the way of most other kdramas - full of contrivances, plot holes, and loose ends. The writer has a propensity to use twists in her scripts (see Handmaiden), but when you have 12 episodes full of twists, you quickly lose the shock value.
Issues I had with the finale are:
- How convenient it is that Hwayoung is alive and came in to save the day! And it just so happens she found a girl on a suicide online forum to impersonate her and got murdered in her place
- The Korean Illuminati storyline went nowhere and ended with a whimper instead of a bang. What was the point of the General hanging around in coma till the very end and then passing away? I expected Jeongran to have a more direct involvement in the storyline, rather than tangential
- Hyorin is just okay traipsing all over the world after her entire family dies?
- Injoo stayed naive till the very end. The only reason why the 3 sisters managed to get out of their predicament was because of Do-il and Hwayoung, not because they got smarter. Also, did she spend any time in jail or no?
- A lot of people are complaining about Do-il and In-joo's romance being further explored, but I honestly have trouble seeing how someone as smart and competent as Do-il could romantically go for someone as naive and slow as In-joo
- The police didn't go after the 70B won that was laundered from innocent investors? The sisters just got to keep it all? This is like if the FBI just let Maddoff's family run off with all their ill-gotten gains
I expected Little Women to have a more incisive take on wealth inequality given the initial episodes, but it went full makjang midway through. I'm going to sound like a broken record, but the directing saved this show and made it the greatness that it was. Kim Heewon's directing is ART. She truly understands pacing, mood setting, musical scoring, camera angles, how to wring best performances out of the actors, etc. In less capable hands, the writing would not have stood up to scrutiny, but KHW's directing smoothed over the script's roughness and transformed the show into a jewel. You could turn your brain off and just enjoy the look and feel of the show. Between Vincenzo and Little Women, she must now be the hottest kdrama director in town.
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Doppelganger
October 11, 2022 at 12:53 PM
Correction: A lot of people are complaining about Do-il and In-joo's romance NOT being further explored
I bought into the actors' chemistry, but I didn't buy into the characters' "romance".
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:34 PM
Ditto
And if they were going to capitalise on the chemistry (which I realise this writer never does) they would have done it much earlier in Singapore. A kiss of romance or love wouldn't have worked for me. A kiss of passion earlier would have.
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ladybug22
October 11, 2022 at 1:40 PM
Well said
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jerrykuvira
October 11, 2022 at 3:15 PM
Frankly, after In-kyung inherited Great Aunt Oh's inheritance, I was thinking she'd fight against Jae-sang using her new found power - wealth. And coupled with her proficiency in Economics, she'd have no problem being the 3rd generation money and challenge them with it. Someone totally forgot that or decided to write it off, and Great Aunt Oh tutoring In-kyung to be her successor became all for naught.
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Jingbee
October 11, 2022 at 3:52 PM
Oh, but she did not inherit wealth, she inherited a major debt.
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jerrykuvira
October 11, 2022 at 10:10 PM
A debt that could be cancelled over time. She had what it took to cancel out the debt. Aunt Oh's still had her assets. And Aunt Oh taught her the ropes of money during the time In-kyung lived with her, of which In-kyung acknowledged that she became so good at it but didn't want to be an economist. She became a reporter because that's what she wanted to be, and because she never ever wanted to see do anything that'll entails her working for Aunt Oh.
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PYC
October 12, 2022 at 6:16 AM
Yes, I had that faint anticipation that In-Kyung being an economic wiz kid would bring down the other side on the figure front but it didn’t happen. Kind of a waste of the plot point.
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jerrykuvira
October 12, 2022 at 7:45 AM
Yeah! Why make the fuss about her taking on Aunt Oh's debt and assets and doing practically nothing with it. A total waste I agree. When she said she was going to the US with Jung-ho I was like ' what happens to the inheritance you claimed? Who'll manage the place? '. If there's someone who need not leave the shores of South Korea, it was In-kyung. No preparations were even made to keep the place up and running while she went off reporting, and now going abroad. She's gonna be in debt if she breezes off like that.
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Zo
October 11, 2022 at 6:57 PM
💯 agree with everything you said. Writing did fall apart in the end. To think back now I don’t understand why aunt had to be killed. I thought Park Jae sang ordered her secretary to kill her? In the ending everything suddenly felt too convenient for main leads
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:33 PM
From the minute, Hwa-young turned up alive the show lost its footing for me. It was Makjang in the worst possible way (although the sheer volume of villain monologuing in episode 11 didn't help).
As far as twists go, Hwa-young's bizarre "I was murdered by the bad guy but am somehow still alive" twist didn't work for me because it didn't work thematically (although I appreciate @alathe discussion of death and ghosts and suspect this plays into that since Hwa-young was essentially a ghost in that she was declared dead).
Having a good chunk of episode 12 being from Hwa-young's perspective also didn't work for me. It's like the writer didn't quite know how to wrap all this up and so opted for head-scratching twists (as I said in another comment, the whole denouement being a hostage situation with grenades and acid didn't work for me either).
I agree the direction in this was amazing throughout and she is definitely my favourite director.
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datmangotho
October 12, 2022 at 6:31 AM
I agree with a lot of these points, the writing and plot really fell short in a lot of ways, the ending made the Jeongran Society seem kind of minor and easily brushed aside. However I disagree that Do-il liking In-joo is unbelievable. In-joo (while naive and super gullible) is so genuinely caring and optimistic, she appreciates and longs for the little things in life because she knows how precious they can be. I think Do-il found it refreshing that she had such innocent dreams, like buying herself a frilly pink dress for her birthday because that’s what her childhood self once wanted. I totally think their romance is believable with more time and development!
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20 too_much_tv
October 11, 2022 at 1:41 PM
I really liked this ending. It undoes a lot of the unsatisfying aspects of the original novel. In the original novel, Jo and Laurie love each other but she thinks they should continue to be best friends. Her sister Amy marries Laurie, mostly for the money, and she gives money to her sisters. In this version, In Kyung realizes that the love she has for Jung Ho is the right kind of love for kissing/marriage. Balm for my thwarted heart--I did not like the way the original novel put the brilliant Jo with an older man. It just seemed like the author, who never married, thought marriage was about being tamed. I also like that In-hye finds her happiness with Hyorin. Are they in a romantic relationship? Well, it's a k-drama, so we don't say so. I think so. At any rate they are living for beauty and art and sharing their wealth. In the original novel, Meg is as burdened as In-Joo. She marries a steady guy who isn't very rich and has several children. She's so dull and boring in the book that I barely remember her. Here In-Joo is perhaps more like Jo than Meg--braver, more impulsive, greedier, more passionate in every way. I cared about her as a character. It was partly getting to look at all the lovely expressions that Kim Go-Eun brings to the role. I can't decide whether I like the ending of the story for her. She has a beautiful apartment and a hot rich guy in love with her out there somewhere, but she also doesn't get to relax with her friend or her sisters. She saw a lot of bodies, some real ones, including her murdered great aunt. Her parents are still basically useless. It's not an unambiguously happy ending for her!
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Melissa
October 11, 2022 at 4:32 PM
Since I complained a little bit above, about the show taking the name of the novel in vain, I wanted to say that while I agree with you about Jo's marriage in the book, I think one thing the show does that obviously departs from the book is with the character of In-Kyung (as Jo) making her an alcoholic and a somewhat self-righteous crusader. I had a hard time thinking of her as Jo, in fact, and I think making In-joo the center of the story rather than In-Kyung also made this departure from the book apparent.
Whether the writer made Jo/In Kyung slightly less brilliant in order to spoof the author or the book, or just to add interest I don't know. It worked fine for the show, that's for sure, but it does change the plot. In the book Laurie does seem a little inferior to Jo--not that I bought Jo's marriage with Mr. Bhaer, even though he gave her very good writing advice!
In the book Amy is really shallow and materialistic in the beginning but would never repudiate her sisters like In-Hye did, also I don't think she marries Laurie for money. They seem pretty compatible when they meet in Europe.
Lastly, not that I would urge anyone to actually re-read the book unless you loved it as a child--unlike the show, which was always engrossing, I have to admit, the book at times is really pretty tedious, especially the dying Beth, Meg does become a lot more interesting character if you read the book as an adult--although again, nothing like In Joo.
Still, while I interpret the book through the golden haze of memory--of a time when I desperately wanted a sister despite having two very nice brothers and loved the book's message of sisterly support--I appreciate that the show was making fun of the sentimental conventions of the book. By the same token, as someone who is very sentimental, I would say that billions of won is not necessary for sisterly contentment!
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too_much_tv
October 12, 2022 at 6:09 AM
It wasn't until I was an adult that I understood why Jane Eyre wound up in love with Mr. Rochester. (Speaking of 19th century novels that hit differently in adulthood!) I figured that Louisa May Alcott was looking for that kind of older guy for Jo. I just like better the idea that your best friend is an appropriate person to make your spouse. (The other two sisters also stick with their best friends.) I did buy that In Kyung was like Jo--because she is Korean and it's the 2020s, it makes sense to me that alcohol might be the way she copes with her situation. (Which we find out later was intended to break her!) Anyway it's true that it's almost nothing like the book, but where the comparisons are possible, they are fascinating. Clearly it works as a rereading because we're here talking about the experience of the original book.
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21 Jingbee
October 11, 2022 at 3:46 PM
IMO, this is one of the rare kdrama gems. Aside from the superb combination of directing, writing and acting, what makes it rare is it stuck its landing. The ending is just right to me. And even if they did not show it, I am sure that after a time skip, Do-Il and In-joo met again. The "I'll see you again" was a promise, and the guy has proven all this time that he keeps his promises. On the sisters, they each have their own growth and I also like how In-kyung decided to live her own life now and pursue her studies and be with Jong-ho. In-hye chose independence and love. Sang-ah was beautifully deranged, and her ending was also satisfying. Well done , show!
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22 Hanamana
October 11, 2022 at 3:47 PM
I really enjoyed watching it. However it had so many problems in writing. It had many plots that goes to nowhere.
_Vietnam war
_blue orchid (I was thinking all along that it's so weird)
_Jeong-ran
_Aunt Oh and her connection to general and her dearh and....
Park jae-sang and Sang-ah's relationship became something else in the end and it seemed like that they always were like that. So what was about their fights and
locking up??
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23 Hanamana
October 11, 2022 at 3:52 PM
And I have mixed feelings about the 70b. I was happy that they got it, but it actually was slush funds. So it was dirty money, right?
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24 IndigoRose
October 11, 2022 at 6:23 PM
Thank you for this on point recap of this amazing show. Also, please know that I will purchase any merch you develop with this line printed on it: “50% yes, 50% I-won’t-give-you-the-pleasure, and 100% badass.” Seriously.
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Emily Hewett
October 12, 2022 at 7:21 AM
Lol sign me up too
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25 FormAnOrderlyQueue
October 11, 2022 at 9:10 PM
Also shout out to the ending credits! I remember the PD saying with Vincenzo that her great dream was to have ending credits like those in a movie - still of character with actor's name - and that she was totally pleased with the end product. So good to see her indulge herself again - but with completely in-style character paintings this time. Such a stylishly fitting ending to this drama. I will now watch anything Kim Heewon gets involved with - she has such talent.
I loved the drama overall, despite hiccups, and am already on second sitting, with friend dragged into the re-watching.
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26 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 9:28 PM
All other comments on the show aside, Kim Go-eun's performance was like nails on a chalkboard for me for most of this show. Far less annoying in the Singapore portion but otherwise I found her either wildly overacting or leaning so heavily into this doe-eyed lisping deer in the headlights thing that I felt I was being forced to watch Goblin again and that was quite enough the first time around.
Episode 11 was 95% bad guys monologuing while Kim Go-eun looked stricken so I fast forwarded it for the first time.
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Doppelganger
October 11, 2022 at 9:43 PM
Damn, this is going to be an unpopular opinion since people are clamoring for KGE to get a Baeksang nom for this role.
I am in agreement with you. I didn’t get fully onboard with KGE’s portrayal and was annoyed by her staccato line delivery and perpetual shocked Pikachu expression. I can’t tell if it’s her acting or the In-joo character that is to blame.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 10:02 PM
Oh yeah I'm all about the PMO.
I've felt this way about her last three characters so I'm going to go with it being her. I admit that when I tried to watch Tune In For Love I lasted as long as it took for her to deliver her first line. At the time I put that down to an unfair aversion to her based on her part in Goblin but now I think it's something more fundamental.
To be fair, her lisping, childish doe-eyed portrayal mostly worked for this character who's supposed to be emotionally stunted and not particularly bright. But this is the third character in a row that's lisped her way through a drama. I have the same issue with Suzy (although this comparison is unfair to Kim Go-eun since IMO Suzy can barely deliver a line and I'm certainly not arguing that Kim Go-eun can't act).
She was mostly fine, albeit a bit annoying, until she had to deliver big emotions and then it was jarring how much she overacted.
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Emperor
October 12, 2022 at 2:28 AM
Baeksang noms for KGE is a 50:50 at this point, there's still around 6 months or so for the awards I think? I find her performance great ... like great, but not excellent, KGE has expressive gesture and facial expression but if you notice closer her acting style leans to be similar through her many roles.
I believe KJW in My Liberation Notes and PEB in Extraordinary Attorney Woo are surefire Baeksang noms, though. PEB almost looks like a lock to win Best Actress.
If any Baeksang acting noms coming from LW I think it has to be Uhm Ji Won & Choo Ja Hyun for Supporting category. They are both phenomenal.
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missjb
October 12, 2022 at 6:25 AM
I agree Uhm Ji Won is great here, disagree with Coo Ja Hyun, i find her fine but not outstanding. . I don't like Kim Go Eun super dramatic acting... but she is excelling on the nuance..
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PYC
October 12, 2022 at 6:27 AM
Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one not appreciating Kim Go-eun’s performance. Too much acting and too many micro expressions ruined her In-joo for me. But then I’m always allergic to her - the reason I can’t go pass two episodes of Goblin.
The Baeksang should go to Uhm Ji-won.
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27 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 10:51 PM
You know, on the one hand as I watched this episode I became absolutely gobsmacked at the sheer volume of people who seem to want to give In-joo huge stacks of cash for little reason. And the way it dovetails into one of the show's themes, which is that being rich is a choice. And I wondered how people struggling with poverty might feel at the implication that somehow their poverty was their decision. After all, nobody has followed me around throwing huge wads of cash at me all my life - at least not that I've noticed.
But on the other hand, I realised that what the show is saying by its theme that being rich is a choice is that money is also available if you're willing to just take it. In the end, it's not a choice between being rich and poor but in between being a thief and not a thief. It's the choice between wanting to step on others to get what you want and not wanting (or not being able to do it). So while I was momentarily side-eying the show I think I liked what it did there.
Although, seriously, how many people kept trying to give In-joo fortunes? It was insane.
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emsel
October 11, 2022 at 11:21 PM
😂😂 It is okay to rob others' money as long as you don't murder them.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
October 11, 2022 at 11:41 PM
I mean show was basically saying throughout that the only way to get money was to steal it, basically everyone with wealth is a thief. From an economic perspective, there's something to be said for this position. The Western world is rich because of colonialism, the wealthy are rich because of structural inequality. Having people literally steal money was a way to portray this metaphorical point. All wealth is already stolen so stealing it again is just redistribution. You can agree or disagree, there's a lot to unpack here. But since the poor are often accused of being thieves, show is saying that it's the rich who are the real thieves. Every single one of them.
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PYC
October 12, 2022 at 6:32 AM
This drama really hit the ‘rich being thief’ concept well - and I don’t disagree with it. A sad ‘fact’ in the world we live in.
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missjb
October 12, 2022 at 7:15 AM
I agree with you. Basically, every writers will bring the ending too preachy and in the end justice is served. I was expecting the money would disappear and i was expecting a dramatic ending for one-two of the three sister. BUT the writers instead bring the message with this ending, but the writers prefer controversial ending like this.. strangely i like it. Somehow, injooo is not exactly happy in the end despite received the most money.
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28 emsel
October 11, 2022 at 11:14 PM
I am in the minority because I did not like the fact that this drama turned full makjang in the last quarter. I guess, it is partly my fault for expecting so much after watching the initial episodes where I happily ignored all the hinted crazy plot elements. The only saving grace was the incredible acting and beautiful directing to an otherwise unimpressive writing that got filled with holes. Unlike others, I was satisfied with the ending and with the lack of romantic closure between In Joo and Do Il because the drama was all about the women at the forefront. I will give this 7.5/10 because it did not frustrate me like other recent kdramas.
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29 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 12, 2022 at 12:18 AM
*FILES UNDER: Dramas Sic will have an apparently unpopular opinion about for the rest of time*
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30 kakakash
October 12, 2022 at 2:55 PM
I been following this drama only via recaps to gauge whether its worth my time. This finale recap might be what leads me to finally binge 😀. thanks alathe
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31 atz
October 12, 2022 at 10:54 PM
Has Wi ha Joon ever played in a drama where he got a GF?
I
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32 dramacrita
October 15, 2022 at 5:24 PM
OKay i'm gonna type my thoughts before i read the comments because I do be getting influenced by everything I see and change my mind lol...
1. what happened to Cho Do Il's father? was that the end of him? arrested and thats it? What happened to CDI mom? where is she after getting her tongue damaged lol
2.WSA died wayy too easy..she deserved a more gruesome death than that. I know its realistic, but I dont want realism in that aspect. I think that most kdramas these days have the villains doing the absolute most and gruesome things but when it comes to actually dealing with and punishing these criminals, they either commit suicide, or get a easy death... writerss you should reward us for having to deal with these wicked people for so much episodes with a satisying revenge ending lmaooo
3. The Oh Hye and Hyo Rim plot is bonkers! how old are they even supposed to be?
4. What happened to the news reporter Mari who was in everybody's business but her own?
5. Did the female body guard of PSJ and WSA die?? if she did, how did Cho Do Il get away with murder? if she survived how will they keep her from talking?
6.What happened to the news chief who was a part of the Jeongran Society?
7. Also I would say the sisters lack of "character" development is astounding, they really stayed true to how they were since episode one lmaoo.. I would say the only one I could stand in the end what Inkyung and thats barely.
nevertheless i would say it was an intense, interesting, thrilling watch that I would recommend to people although there were some plot holes and questionable parts that needed to be discussed more in depth. solid 7/10
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john
October 17, 2022 at 12:17 PM
Ah so many unanswered questions. 🤔
🧶K writers, a bundle of loose ends !
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33 spazmo
October 16, 2022 at 6:16 PM
i think i liked it? it got confusing/convoluted during the last half, i had to rewatch, but it didn't help.... but i think i liked it anyway because of the cast? and i'm still confused, but.......
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34 john
October 17, 2022 at 1:09 PM
Alathe, thanks for the recap!
Whew ! What a show. The story telling wasn’t very smooth, who is to blame , writer or director? Anyways, a mess.
The Acid Sprinkler of Doom was James Bond villain-ish, ridiculously complex, good thing In-Joo had her grenade. 🙄
The acid should have had a ghost orchid blue juice additive, they would have hallucinations while being acid washed ! 🌧
I’d hesitate to recommend it. At least it was not 16 episodes. Platonic In-joo ? Her apt will fill with cats, who ultimately inherit her wealth.
The CIA are evil bastards. I think In-hye and Hyo-rin eventually become lovers. Do-il dies in a boating accident , or does he ?
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35 Charlotte
October 18, 2022 at 10:40 PM
Aargh...likely another unpopular opinion here. I felt like I won 70 billion won myself when I first started watching this drama. The cast, artistic direction, cinematography and sets were incredible. And ohh the mystery promised so much. I was ready to enjoy a buffet of the finest twists and turns a drama could offer...tasty murders, stinging lies, beautiful betrayals and lots of lavish wardrobes. But as we went deeper into the plot, there were way too many dead ends left behind, parents and kids of the major characters were forgotten...and new lead clues popped up that were made to seem so important, but never turned out to be more than tangential...like the repetitious thread of the Orchid and its crazy society. However it did allow the writer a chance to show us the life of the rich and famous in Singapore at the auction. More about that orchid might have added something, like how 'big business' might be trying to weaponize and sell it, or perhaps the biger story of how it was discovered by the soldiers would have been interesting a lot earlier on and made the General on life support far more pivotal and of interest. As it stood, we just got a smattering about the general's lost plattoon story at the end and also never really got to see flashbacks of how he treated his family, which might have connected us to his daughter and grand-daughter's problems and made us care more about them. That's why I think I saw more in Um Ki Joong's character as the evil husband, a man still truly in love with his childhood playmate after doing everything to become rich and live as her husband in that house. His death speech to her had impact.
Little Women had a page-turner plot because of all the red herrings tossed at us, which was fun at the start trying to figure it out; but when all was said and done, I didn't invest in anyone or care much after the wacko makjang ending. Our villainess died but her childhood pain didn't touch me. Same with our sisters, who barely survived all their life-threatening and changing experiences, but without any real deep change in them, except for one to move to another country with her love, while the other sister, who’d made bad choices in men before, chose the independence of an apartment on her own without the guy-- who finally was clearly trustworthy. All in all, the overarching message seemed to be 'Family's that stick together, don't stay together'. It didn't warm the cockles of my heart, nor was it designed too. After the dust settled, I had hoped for a bit of satisfaction. Sang-ah was just wang-jang crazy and her description of how she killed her mother by accident, came much too late for me to empathize.
All in all, it was indeed a K-drama buffet of ups 'n downs, pretty people with ugly hearts, a tepid romance ( In-joo and Do-Il's kiss would have added sweetness though...sigh), rich versus poor and lots and lots of billions to fight over. But sadly, after I feasted on all twelve...
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
October 18, 2022 at 11:43 PM
Hi
You went over the character count so it cut off the last part so you just need to add it in a reply so we can read your conclusion.
I could hear the disappointment and I appreciated the detailed critique of where things were problematic. A brief synopsis of this comment without the spoilers would be great for the review to help someone choose whether to invest their time in this drama.
I hope your next watch is a better fit for you.
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Charlotte
December 1, 2022 at 9:32 PM
(continued).....all twelve yummy episodes, I still felt empty somehow. Not a rewatch for me.
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36 Goyangi
December 23, 2022 at 12:33 AM
I was concerned about this show before watching it. The original Alcott version was a beloved childhood read and a connection to my mom who loved this book so well that she named me for two of its characters! However I was pleasantly surprised. This was different enough to not have been a poor rewrite while staying true to some of the themes, plus it's a nod to Alcott's interest in gothic stories. Well done!
As many have said I also loved the cinematography and music. And I was thrilled with the spotlight shining on women!!
I never did warm up to In Hye though I kind of understood her. And I've never been a big fan of Kim Go Eun's acting, she's just ok for me. But I will say that having seen Wi Ha Joon in several other shows, this was the first where he made my heart flutter (hehe as they always say in Kdramas) - he was sexy in this one!!
I liked the happy ending for the Jo and Laurie pairing. I also liked the open ending, which I interpreted after Do Il's last line, as meaning that they will find their way back to each other. After all, given the exciting life he's led, I imagine a few months on a Greek beach and Do Il will be so bored he'll need to return to Korea!!
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37 Fiendfyre5
January 2, 2023 at 4:27 PM
I don't understand a lot in this show. Can someone help?
Where are all the police when there are people literally shoving evidence of murder and embezzlement of Sang ha on live TV? How come she always gets the space and time to plot something while other characters are thrown in jail on mere suggestion?
So confusing. Is there something I am missing?
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38 noella
January 22, 2023 at 7:29 PM
I think I must be the only one who thought Do-il was romantically linked to Hwa-young, that he was in on the plot for Hwa-young to stage her own death and then disappear, and that his love for Hwa-young was what motivated him to help out the sisters. That makes more sense to me than that he had feelings for In-joo.
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39 Anna Nguyen
September 9, 2023 at 2:46 AM
Dang it, and here I was thinking they had the guts to actually put real tension in the show albeit late in the 11th episode. Then it all went downhill with Hwa Young being actually alive and the acid rain...also the main villain is just insane? That's it? Beautiful drama overall but the last two episodes lost me.
"Jo and Laurie" got a happy ending which I'm okay with. The author of the original novel never intended Jo to be married, but through public pressure she had Jo get married to the older guy. I like that instead we have the older sister is creating her own life with the apartment of her dreams. This is a nice full circle to the start with her taking care of everyone above her needs.
The villains comeuppance was pretty unsatisfactory. They all have gruesome death but never get their punishment. And the person who Hwa Young who started the chain of events to exposed them ends up being the one serving time.
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