Goddess of Marriage - Episode 36 FINAL (KimJiCap)

kakashi: Alright! That's it. Goddess of Marriage is done and over with. I was ready for anything and I got the worst. Of all possible endings, the writer - who is certainly going for the prize of worst script writer ever - went for the most stupid one possible. Bravo! You didn't disappoint!
JoAnne:  I suppose it shouldn't come as any surprise that when I logged in to Blogger and saw the title for this post I read it first as 'Episode 36 FAIL (KimJiCap)
kakashi: On the bright side, there isn't a lot of Kim Ji-hoon in this episode. That is good, because it means a short KimJiCap. Oh, and another plus: the Goddess of Marriage finally appears!
JoAnne: Unfortunately she's not carrying her bowl of mystical powers and no one dies (Yet, writer-nim. There's still tomorrow. You'll never know when, you'll never know how. Sleep well.)

Episode 36 - Final

kakashi: Ji-hye meets with SIL. They chitchat about the Hell House and Ji-hye's escape - SIL will respect her decision. No questions will be asked. At least not many.
JoAnne: Thanks for so graciously agreeing to do the only thing you can do anyway, SIL. But it was nicer than that, really - they do seem to have reached a comfortable respect for each other. I'm just mad.
kakashi: Ah, Nam Sang-mi is at her prettiest today! The divorce is doing wonders, lol :) She has to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep quiet about the Hell House and her experiences in there though. Yeah, right. And ... what? She isn't getting any alimony? Oh well ... It is out of consideration for Tae-wook, who she hurt when she left. Just end already, show. This is stupid.
JoAnne: On the one hand, I respect her decision not to take money from him. She never cared about the money and even if it was his decision in the end, loving Ji Hye broke Tae Wook's heart. On the other, I like to imagine that every won would be torn from the heart of Fish Lips, and that would please me.
kakashi: They part ways, almost sad that this is goodbye. And we get Farewell Handshake No 1 and a wrap on this storyline. BRAVO!
JoAnne: I remember thinking that this was ok, I could live with this. Especially since she and Tae Wook were going to end up back together any way and then we could wonder how the two of them really did as the Shin Young Daughters.

 1 Year Later

kakashi: There is a long queue in a bookstore. All these people are there to get their book signed by ... Ji-hye! (Well, I am married to a writer and I have to say: that was quick! From manuscript to book in 1 year? She must be a genius). But finally, she has appeared ... The Goddess of Marriage!! She is a book!
JoAnne: Seriously where does she get off calling herself a Goddess of Marriage? She was the LEAST goddess-y of all the wives, if you want to frame it in terms of taking something difficult and making the best of it.
kakashi: I don't think she calls herself a Goddess. She is not that crazy. She just called the book that. 
kakashi: And there he is! I get butterflies in my stomach immediately, cause he smiles his sweet and slightly naughty smile. Wow, I am going to miss you, Tae-wook! And look how young he looks with his new hairstyle! (though .... I'm not sure I like it as much as the other hairdo...)
JoAnne: I am not unsure at all. Do not like. But he's still beautiful.
kakashi: You're right, I don't like it either. But it makes parting easier!

kakashi: They go have a drink together. He asks what the book is about and she says it's about 4 women and their marriages. It is about who married the best and who is the Goddess of Marriage. How original... she turned this drama into a book! Ah, so it's quasi a set of interviews? And did she interview herself, too?
JoAnne: How could she?  Non-disclosure agreement. That also lets out SIL, not that she'd EVER participate. So who is it about, exactly?
kakashi: So how did he find out about the signature session? she wants to know. Well, he says matter of fact, he had her followed. So he knows: she doesn't have a new man. He laughs at that, I'm not exactly sure why. She wants to know whether he is seeing anyone, but he isn't. So they are both not seeing anybody... they look at each other for a while after that. Don't tease us, show. You're mean. I know exactly where you're going, because I've seen spoilers.
JoAnne: DO you think he really had her followed? I kinda do.
kakashi: The fact is, he says, that he has to go on a blind date today. By orders of his father and his mother. She says then he should, but he says that he does not want to go. The woman in question plays the flute - and he doesn't want to listen to that (hahaha. I also play the flute)
JoAnne: That's it, you are fated. Tell Mr. Writer goodbye and pack your bags.

kakashi: Truthfully, he says ... he still has hopes that she might be coming back to him. And he still has feelings for her. He seriously doesn't know WHY he divorced her; he thinks about how foolish that was several times a day. But he says it half jokingly (which part exactly was the joke?) ... he does not have it in him to ask her out again.
JoAnne: But now she knows, right, and she'll confess that she thinks about him every day, and she feels stronger now and if they just...at this point I still had faith in the universe, yes.
kakashi: As for other news, he is no longer a prosecutor (ah, that's why the new hair! the other, clearly, was prosecutor hair). He now works under his father, as a Director. That's such a HUUUUUUGE step forward, Tae-wook (NOT)! I don't even know where to start! And it's kinda the opposite of being disinherited, but never mind.
JoAnne: Dad doesn't exactly have a choice - this is the one son he has left with any potential.  But he's moved CLOSER to the center of Hell now. My faith is flagging.
kakashi: (It took ages for the next bit to get subbed. Do you think the subbers in charge hid somewhere, crying? I would have). When he entered his father's company, he thought about her; and how she must not be happy with him for it. Because now, he has really become what she always detested the most: a Chaebol. Just a lousy chaebol.
JoAnne:  I become aware of a certain unsettled feeling in my stomach right about now.
kakashi: But that is not it, she says: She thinks he is one of the coolest men she has ever met. He laughs at that and says good to be praised after being dumped. But of course, she once again gets going about how it is her that is lacking, ladila. The "it was me, not you" excuse is seriously tiring. What she is saying is: you are a great man, I am a not so great woman. I could have tried harder, but then, I did not, because I am lacking. Sorry. We can never be happy together because I didn't try hard enough.
JoAnne: Is she a weaker, more emotional sort of person than some other women? Yes. Did she try hard enough? Framed in the context of her ability, I think she did.  She was not cut out for that life but had enough feist in her to continue to want what she wanted. That's what made her  sick, and unhappy.  She didn't give in, sort of. Which is fine with me because who she was is what he loved.  He needed to change HIS life - and that's fair of her to have asked (except she never did) because she didn't know about his life for a long time.
kakashi: Does she want to come to dinner with him? he asks. He'll see the flute-playing mam'selle another time. It's not possible, says Ji-hye (flustered): she is flying down to Jeju Island tonight. She is going on a small holiday and to celebrate the 1st birthday of the JejuBaby. Yes, Tae-wook: very sorry. You have lost against Jeju once again.
JoAnne: Fuck. We all know what this means.
kakashi: The very final goodbye ... is it near? Yes it is. Tae-wook has prepared a little gift for the Jeju Baby quickly and on the go - cause he's such a good guy. He wants to give her a ride, but she brought her own car. He would like to see her off, but he is late to a meeting ... he has been looking at her face for too long. Nope, this is it. This is really it.
JoAnne: Some idiot thinks I'm going to be fobbed off with FRIENDLINESS? No. NO. FUCK your friendliness.
kakashi: We get Farewell Handshake No 2. It's a wrap! Goodbye TaeJi-couple! Booooooo.
kakashi: He looks at her one last time through the car window ... it is visibly hard on him. He briefly closes his eyes before he tells his driver to go. Bye, bye, Ji-hye! Go get yourself a new wife, Tae-wook! One that loves you like you deserve it. The flute isn't such a bad instrument, by the way.
JoAnne: Strong lips, Tae Wook. Just saying.

kakashi: MILDragon is (pretending to be) very ill and is transferred to the hospital on sick bail. The first thing she does after talking to her husband is call Ji-hye and insult her. Ji-hye stops on the highway (that one bridge they ALWAYS stop on), gets out, and throws her handupone into the Han river. Finally free! The purpose of this scene? She has now cut ALL ties to the Kang family. The Kangs are evil and will always be. Tae-wook chose his family - and that means he decided against Ji-hye.
JoAnne:  She's been waiting all year to make that phone call.  Because what's important is that she tell off the person who didn't act the way she wanted, not, I don't know, spend time in reflection on her own sins. Ugly person. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
kakashi: Ah, The Snore gets home. Welcome back, I guess... He is going to be the president at a new architect firm. In their library, he looks at a bunch of old newspapers and sees the news on Ji-hye's suicide first. He looks slightly worried (I think that's what the face should be). He then reads the news about the divorce in a newer edition. That gets him all excited (in a quiet way). Of course! He still hasn't forgotten his One True Boring Love - and now, he wants to go get her. Naturally, he goes to Jeju immediately. Ah, no ... before that, he looks for her at the radio station and the bookstore/ publisher, but nobody knows where she is and why she has changed her phone number. Frustrated, he goes outside to stare at the sky.
JoAnne: If I cannot see the face of my Twu Wuv, then blind me! Blind me!
kakashi: Ah, now we're on Jeju. The Rocker is giving a concert in celebration of his daughter. Way to fill the minutes, show! Sing, sing, sing, singadoodldoo.
JoAnne: Cute kid. Good to see SOME babies age appropriately in this show. They could have used this baby for the other baby too, it's not like we'd have noticed.
kakashi: And then, we come full circle, as feared/expected. She hikes the same road as she did two years ago, stares into the hut. Of course, the Snore isn't far behind. He also stares into the hut (there is a lot of high-rise building behind it, I notice!). They read to each other from their favorite book in voice over. As if they were that painter and his wife. Gawd almighty. She goes to stare at the sea, he goes to stare at the sea.
JoAnne: We can see through them because they are DEAD TO ME.
kakashi: They finally meet on a pretty road (but first, he gets to stare into the sky) among a sea of reeds. Perfect way to tell us we have wasted close to 40 hours: She just took a little detour of 35 episodes ... but now, she's right where she always should have been. In front of the most boring man on earth. Well done! They walk on together, silently, as befits the most boring couple on earth. Then, suddenly, The Snore turns and offers Ji-hye his hand. She doesn't take it. But he walks closer ... and takes hers into his. He's always been the pushy one in this relationship.
kakashi: And then, they walk hand in hand into the sunset. Where they will live happily ever after unless one of them realizes that the other isn't that great after all. Stay tuned for Goddess of Marriage Part 2! (Oh wait ... is that maybe the Thrice Married Woman?)
JoAnne: I refuse to acknowledge this with commentary.
The Rest

kakashi: Career Woman goes to New York, thanks to her husband who basically sweet talked everybody into believing she should be sent away. Storyline wrapped! Bravo!
JoAnne: Not sure I'd have gone, but not sure that would have been the right decision either.  Bravo to her for doing it!

kakashi: Greedy Niece is now working behind the counter of one of her husband's restaurant. And is complaining about it. Storyline wrapped! Bravo!
JoAnne: Where's the makeover? WHERE'S THE MAKEOVER? And seriously, if she hates it that much why doesn't she just leave?

kakashi: Hot English Student goes to SanFran. Alone. Before boarding, he dictates the Chubby Son something for his omma. When Dormat gets home from shopping, she reads the note. It is a very sweet lover letter. Doormat cries a little at her stupidity and puts the note into a small box with some of her jewelry. Storyline wrapped! Bravo!
JoAnne:  For the first time, I give serious consideration to the possibility that she returned, not because she wanted to and loved her dick of a husband so much, but because she thought it was the right thing to do.  And sorry, I call bullshit that any man would dictate that note to the child of the woman who left him.
kakashi: Oh yes. What an idiot. But still pretty:  
kakashi: The Annoyance (looking much better there!) is back from Paris. With a new Beau! A really gifted Caucasian actor. (hahahahahaha) Her mother isn't happy about it and beats her up. The End. Storyline wrapped! Bravo!

Final Final Thoughts

kakashi: Oh well, what can I say ... ah, I think don't want to say anything. But I guess I must?
kakashi: Of all the possible endings, this one is the "cheapest". It's the "fate"-card, but poorly played. It turns Ji-hye into a liar, at least partially (because it implies she hasn't forgotten The Snore after all and has been pining after him for years too) and turns us into complete dummies for watching this shitty drama for so long. If this ending was planned for her all along, then the writer should at least have made the love-triangle center-piece and not just let us see the Kang-family conflict and Ji-hye's hard time with them for weeks and weeks. Why did she have to assure us over and over that she accepted her situation and her marriage and is giving her best for it? That the hard time she was having wasn't for Tae-wook (or The Snore) but for his family? And why even try to have the two find each other in the last couple of episodes when, in the end, they were "just not meant to be"? Oh wait, I guess I know the answer to this one: it's because the drama got an extension.
JoAnne: I agree completely. While these two may 'belong together' the fact is that the story spent a LOT of time making us fall for Tae Wook and did nothing to really bring Warm Up Oppa to life. In the time-honored tradition of KDramas, we had a serious case of Second Lead Syndrome, but we had no clue that Tae Wook was the second lead. I do not like to be tricked that way.
 
kakashi: Tae-wook's character didn't always make perfect sense, but at least, this character was complex enough to be intriguing. Always struggling against his fate as a chaebol son, he managed to make this drama bearable (for me). But in the end, he didn't have a chance with this writer. Or his fate. As for you, Kim Ji-hoon: this was your strongest acting performance to date and I guess I am glad I was there to witness it.
JoAnne: Yes, I'm glad I got to see him really stretch himself. And I thought he was great with Nam Sang Mi. But hey, writer? You'll never know where. You'll never know when. You'll never know how. But I'm coming for you, you lazy rat bastard.
kakashi: Ji-hye's character on the other hand ... I don't know where to start. I started off hating her, then, in between, I pitied her. But I could never really like her. She was passive throughout. She never even once took her life into her own hands ... until the very end. She never stood up for herself in the face of the Dragon - she just punished Tae-wook with her sullenness. She doesn't write a book about herself - but about other woman. She doesn't take the Snore's hand ... but follows him after he takes it. She is a sad leaf in the wind. I guess the writer just hates women.
JoAnne: With you on this - she's nice enough, but not someone I'd want to be friends with.
kakashi: And then, finally, The Snore .... so sorry, man. His might be one of the worst written characters I have ever encountered. One-dimensional, saint-like and pure on the one hand, dull and mopey on the other. Character development? I guess you need a character first to be able to develop it. Lee Sang-woo: you poor guy. I hope you get over this drama and your non-performance soon. At least you got the girl. Kinda. 
JoAnne: Truly boring.
kakashi: In the end, I do understand that the writer had to give something to the Lee Sang-woo fans (I'm sure she received death threats) ... and I guess that's the best she could come up with in that sense. But if we take some of what was said in this drama seriously, then we know that love-illusions just ensure you will wake up in Hell. So I am sorry to say that the Jeju-couple doesn't have a bright future. However, the drama also made it pretty clear that there cannot be a future for Tae-wook and Ji-hye either. Ergo, Ji-hye will die alone, all sad and frustrated. 
JoAnne: Right now, I'm ok with that.
Farewell, chingus! Until next time!

@jiraishin99 tweets: "It's a real farewell now ... Wrap-up Party!"
And I am glad to see you're busy already (at Strawberry Bazaar in Seoul)
and now ... your next drama! A Good ONE, hear me?!