Another one has ended. And we wipe some tears as we sing ....
(don't ask me who this Helene Fischer woman is)
King of Dramas. What a great drama you've been! See, we're all in love with you, because you showed us the behind the scenes of our beloved KDramas in such a witty, smart way. And your cast! To die for. Kim Myung-min has become everywoman's favorite ahjussi. Jung Ryu-won? I want to marry her. Siwon is the funniest idol turned actor I've ever seen and I'm so going to make gifs out of the funniest Hyun-min moments when I have the time. Oh Ji-eun is so pretty I could stare at her all day. Good eye make-up. Etc. Etc. Etc... Not a single character out of the extended cast was underused or badly written.
You could have been a A++++ drama, really. If the irony of your existence had not turned you into a victim of the world you were so skillfully portraying. You were much, much loved by drama-watching foreigners like me. But you were far less lucky in Korea: AGB Nielsen says you broke the 10% only once. And then, you even got an extension, most likely because the drama to follow you, Yawang, wasn't quite ready. And in came the stupidity which I may call the blindness arc, around episode 15, and then full steam in episodes 16 and onwards.
Ahhhhhh!!! >.< Bullshit!!!
Just. so. absolutely. unfitting.
Sure, I do understand that melo sells better in Korea. And I get how melo and the worries it induces (theoretically)
makes people watch the dramas as they air, on TV, cause they suffer to much if they have to wait. And I get that
stations would want that. But ... why the hell would you suddenly throw melo at a perfectly fine comedy, which had gone this wonderfully sweet rom-com path (after wasting too much time with evil schemers)?! I cannot make sense even in the heads of these evil drama people we see portrayed in KoD. Why would people not watching the drama suddenly turn in just because the lead character was going blind?!
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
I am eager to just erase and forget the blindness suckery. AND the accident/hospital scene in the last episode. At that point, I was actually laughing. Seriously! Do you think we're stupid, evil drama people? You threaten us with Anthony's death? Why? So that we, out of fear, forgive you for doing something so incredibly stupid like going melo when there is absolutely no reason to do so? You're saying that Anthony had to pay for the sin he committed episode 1? Then you would have had to kill him, though. What kind of message is this? If you only learn how to love a woman and admit to yourself that you're a cuddly teadybear and not a scary crazy dog, and almost die froma car accident delivering the last tape, your sins will be forgiven? No. Let's just forget this ever happened, ok?
But I must say ... the guyliner on Anthony in that scene ... delicious. He yould play Min Tae-yeon's vampire brother in Vampire Prosecutor 3!
Then again, and somewhat surprisingly, your last episode didn't suck half as bad as I was expecting. That shows that it is always good to have low expectations if you want to be happy. I'd even say: Minus the blindness and the accident, the end was ok. There was a lot of funny in your finale, thankfully, and not all that many tears. It was a typical ending, ot the "everything-is-wrapped-up-nicely-and-boring"kind, but ok nonetheless. Not great ok, but mediocre ok. You had a flashback scene (I guess that's a deliberate meta-move, since we all know what having a flashback in the last episode means), and you had the time jump, after which every conflict has gone up in smoke and the world is like Teletubbyland: always sunny and cheerful.
- Lovely couple that used to bicker all the time? Check.
- Forgiving the evil grandfather and mending broken family ties? Check.
- Giving evil Mr. Evil what he deserves? Check.
- Loving each other and living happily ever after, even though the king is now no more than a third-rate producer? Check.
Well then. Anthony, you were cool. I enjoyed this journey with you very much. And I will remember you very fondly. And I will remember you, beautiful, lucious haired Jung Ryu-won very, very fondly - and I will finally watch History of the Salaryman now because of you. And I'm pretending you, King of Dramas, did not misstep - or rather, that nobody messed with the script. That Anthony didn't go blind. That he is just wearing sunglasses because he wants to look a little bit like PSY. That he is, in fact, the unchallenged King of Dramas, forever and ever, making a million and one wonderful dramas for us to watch.
