Boys Before Flowers: Episode 25 (Final)

629 March 31, 2009January 24, 2016

by javabeans

Last episode!

I was pretty satisfied with this finale. It didn’t feel rushed, but it wasn’t too dragged out either — it wrapped up everything much as you’d expect, but managed to insert enough details to keep it interesting (because I was fearing that the ending would go down too predictably and therefore be lame). Oh, and you know the part that they kept saying would deviate from the Hana Yori Dango original? I LOVED IT.

(First) SONG OF THE DAY

Toy – “Bon Voyage” with Jo Wan-sun of Roller Coaster. [ Download ]

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Oh my god, this recap is so long. Sorry, guys! You are forewarned.

EPISODE 25 RECAP (FINAL)

Jan-di visits the hospital in the early morning, while Jun-pyo is still sleeping. She makes a joking comment trying to magic back his memory (“abra cadabra, make Gu Jun-pyo remember Geum Jan-di”), then drops off her dosirak lunchbox at his bedside.

Later that morning, Yumi comes by. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt (so far she’s annoying, but not evil), but really, she’s got boundary issues to be slipping into a sleeping patient’s room and applying a skincare device to his face while he sleeps. That wakes him up.

Glancing over at the side table, he wonders what the lunchbox is doing there. Yumi opens the containers, and as she pulls out the Jun-pyo Face Rice tray and the egg roll-up snacks, Jun-pyo furrows his brow, a thought niggling at the back of his mind.

He tries one of the egg rolls, and the taste jogs his memory — it gives him a vague (good) feeling. Jun-pyo asks if she made the food, and for a brief moment Yumi hesitates, as though wondering how to answer, then nods. He says, “I remember. The thing I forgot — it was you, right?”

Although you get the sense she hadn’t intended to lie at first, this is too good for her to pass up, so she goes with it.

F2 arrive at the restaurant for some lunch, while the girls watch in puzzlement, wondering why they’re here. Finally, when they’re done eating, they announce the good news: Jun-pyo’s been released from the hospital.

Jan-di perks up. The guys encourage her to go to him, and she rushes off excitedly.

Yi-jung remains behind, because he has something to say to Ga-eul. They watch clay baking in a kiln as Ga-eul muses, “They look happy, those plates inside. For some reason, rather than thinking they’re hurting in that heat, it feels like they’re happy. They’re full of hope that if they endure this, they can come out and receive love.”

Yi-jung has two things to tell her, and starts with the bad news first, the way she likes it: He’s leaving. He adds, “I guess that may not be bad news to you.” He plans to remain abroad for four or five years.

Ga-eul tries to be optimistic, saying it’s actually good news because he’ll be sure to return an even better potter. She asks for the second part, so he tells her, “When I come back, I’ll come find you first.”

That’s even more startling than the first, but makes her much happier. Perhaps Yi-jung is a little uncomfortable to have opened up, because he adds, “I mean, if you can’t find your soulmate by then.” But that’s enough of a confession for Ga-eul, who breaks into a smile.

Eager to see Jun-pyo, Jan-di rushes into his room, calling out a welcome greeting, then stops short: Yumi is already there. Jun-pyo just tells her that Ji-hoo’s not here, and that she should take care of her boyfriend before rushing to check up on him.

At his ungracious non-welcome, Jan-di figures this was a mistake, and turns to go. Yumi steps in to admonish Jun-pyo for being mean, and urges Jan-di to stay for tea. It’s an odd dynamic, because Yumi has usurped Jan-di’s position as hostess, and I’m not the only one who thinks she’s an upstart: the maids also direct dirty looks at Yumi.

Jun-pyo acts pretty friendly and relaxed with Yumi, which is hard for Jan-di to watch, so she gets up to leave. Jun-pyo tosses out casually, “Don’t come by again.” (He doesn’t say so in a mean tone, but maybe it’s all the more hurtful that he’s so blasé about something that means so much.) He adds, “When I see you, I feel really bad. It bothers me.”

Jan-di retorts, “Fine. I’m sorry! I won’t come by anymore!”

Yumi reads the tension and follows Jan-di outside to ask, “Are you the person Jun-pyo oppa is supposed to remember?” She sees that Jan-di is, and takes a tone of concern as she says, “But as you can tell, I think it’s worse for him to see you. If he sees you, I think his condition will deteriorate. So for now, I think it’ll be better if you don’t drop by. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to bring back his memories of you naturally.”

Yumi’s words are reassuring, but Jan-di is also a little doubtful; after Yumi rejoins Jun-pyo, Jan-di peers inside. Jun-pyo asks Yumi to make the lunchbox again — proof that Yumi had taken credit for her lunch, which probably means she’s lying about the rest, too.

Upset, Jan-di rushes down the stairs on the way out and bumps into Ji-hoo, who tells her firmly, “Don’t run away.”

Jan-di tries to escape, but Ji-hoo says, “You can’t be pushed aside like this.” Pulling Jan-di behind him, he heads for Jun-pyo’s room. Unfortunately, they find Jun-pyo and Yumi napping cozily on the couch together.

That hurts. Jan-di rebuffs Ji-hoo’s attempts to reason with her (and persuade her to fight for Jun-pyo), telling him that it’s over, she’s done: “Even if he lost his memory, even if we started over from the beginning, I had faith he would recognize me. But I was wrong.”

Ji-hoo starts to protest, but Jan-di isn’t swayed:

Jan-di: “No, it may be upsetting and unfair, but I have to acknowledge the truth. The Gu Jun-pyo I loved is gone now.”
Ji-hoo: “I told you that you couldn’t be the little mermaid. I can’t let you two break up over such a ridiculous thing.”
Jan-di: “This isn’t because of Yumi. In the end, Geum Jan-di and Gu Jun-pyo could only make it this far.”

Yumi presents her lunchbox to Jun-pyo, who eats an egg roll with anticipation. However, the moment he registers the taste, he frowns: “This isn’t it. The taste is different from before. Did you really make it that time?”

Yumi stutters, “O-of course! Who else could have made it? That’s just because every time I make it, the taste is a little different. I’ll make it right next time.”

But something’s not right, and the taste of the food just enhances his bad feeling. He says, frustrated, “That girl. That Jan-di weed girl — I can’t forget her expression.”

Yumi: “That’s too mean! How could you say that? I’m the one who was with you, from the hospital up till now, but you feel so bothered by a girl who just dropped by and bugged you a few times? Your friends all treat me badly and take her side, and her boyfriend totally ignores me. But still, I put up with it because of you. If you act like this too, what is Yumi supposed to do?”

For us who know the truth, she’s obviously way over the line with this speech — but if she really WAS Jun-pyo’s girlfriend, I suppose this is how she would react, and she’s acting her part to the hilt. She cries, and makes Jun-pyo feel uncomfortable.

The guilt trip works, because the next thing we know, Yumi and Jun-pyo are jointly hosting a “surprise pool party.” (I’m wondering what the surprise is, if they’re handing out formal invitations.) The setting is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, this entire episode is pretty visually stunning, on the whole.

Yumi wastes some screentime with a harp performance — and seriously, Mr. Jeon PD, do you really have to pay tribute to yourself (again!) by using a My Girl theme song here?

Feeling pretty low, Jan-di steps aside to be alone. Yumi finds her by the pool and keeps up the ruse that she’s been working to “help” Jan-di. She has news to report, but it’s not good: “He doesn’t remember you.”

Yumi speaks obnoxiously about herself in the third person (because we don’t already hate her enough?): “I’m sorry to tell you, but Yumi likes Jun-pyo. I didn’t try to deliberately, but I ended up falling for him, so much that I can’t break up with him. Oppa feels the same as Yumi. But you can understand, can’t you? We can’t control our hearts.”

Yumi draws everyone’s attention to make a big announcement: She and Jun-pyo are going to study abroad together to the States. They will leave in one month.

F3 marvel in a sort of disgusted fascination at Yumi’s fast maneuvering. Ji-hoo leads Jan-di away from the crowd to the pool, where he leaves her while for a moment to get her a drink.

Alone, Jan-di takes out her star-moon necklace, just as Jun-pyo walks by. As soon as he sees her, Jun-pyo turns to leave, but Jan-di asks if he remembers the necklace she’s holding, or the names engraved on it. Jun-pyo takes a look at the “JJ” and says irritably, “How would I know that?”

Jan-di holds it out to him: “I’m giving it back. Take it.” None of this makes sense for Jun-pyo, and he retorts, “Why would I take something like this? If you want to get rid of it, do it yourself.”

He hands it back. Jan-di says, almost defiantly, “Fine.” She throws the necklace into the pool, where it settles on the bottom. But she’s not quite done:

Jan-di: “Gu Jun-pyo. I’ll ask just one more thing. Do you know how to swim?”
Jun-pyo: “Swim? I don’t swim.”
Jan-di: “You don’t, or you can’t?”
Jun-pyo: “I have a bad childhood memory, so I don’t swim. I’ve never learned.”
Jan-di: “No. You did know how.”

Jun-pyo bristles at the way Jan-di is talking about him so familiarly, but her words start to unnerve him, particularly as she tells him what kind of person he truly is (including a few of the sayings he’d messed up previously):

Jan-di: “You’re hardly afraid of anything in this world, yet you shake in fear over a bug. You’re an idiot who thinks it’s better to get all your ribs bashed in than see one of your girl’s fingers break. You’re a dummy who can’t tell the difference between the words privacy and pride, who insists like a train that swallowed its heart that the 38th Strategy [of ancient China] is running away [it’s the 36th]. You say you hate kids, but you want to be a devoted father who watches the stars with your son. You’re a lonely person with a lot of love.”

Uneasily, Jun-pyo demands, “What are you really after?”

Jan-di tells him, “Say my name,” then starts to step backward, slowly, purposefully. At the edge of the pool, Jan-di pauses… and then lets herself fall backward into the pool.

It’s an eerily beautiful image as she hits the water, stiff as a board.

In the pool, Jan-di picks up the necklace, but doesn’t come back up to the surface. Clutching the necklace, she remains submerged.

The rest of the party rushes to the water’s edge, alarmed. Jun-pyo stands frozen in shock… and then, memories come flooding back.

In quick succession, he flashes to all the other water-related emergencies earlier in the drama (if I didn’t love this moment so much it would be funny that they have enough of those to compile a montage).

He whispers, “Jan-di.” Then, jolted out of his stupor, Jun-pyo shouts her name again, and dives in.

Memory now back in full force, Jun-pyo pulls her to safety, where he tries to revive her. In a panic, he administers CPR and calls her name repeatedly, until Jan-di sputters awake.

She looks up and asks weakly, “Do you remember now?” He tells her he’s sorry, and she asks him to say her name again.

He clutches her to him and obliges.

(Yumi walks off, petulant. Good riddance!)

And then, it’s back to everyday life, kinda.

Jan-di and her family are back at their old place in Seoul, and she’s about to graduate. She doesn’t intend on going to her graduation party, although her mother urges her to.

Jun-pyo calls her out to congratulate her on her upcoming graduation. He also asks if she’s really serious about medical school, teasing about how she’s not smart enough.

He’s also here to request a date. Echoing an early scene, Jun-pyo traps Jan-di against his car, leans in closely, and says: “Tomorrow, ___.”

Naturally, just as he relays that crucial bit of information, a passing motorcycle drowns out his words. Jun-pyo thinks his message is clear and warns Jan-di that if she’s late this time, she’s really dead.

True to her word, Jan-di doesn’t plan on showing up to her graduation party, but a stretch limo pulls up (presumably from Jun-pyo) to take her — so when she arrives at the formal party, she’s still wearing her school uniform. (Let’s ignore the horrid dancing and the familiar set, shall we?)

F3 greet her warmly, and Woo-bin steps up first to ask her to dance. This allows each person a send-off as each gets his moment with Jan-di. As she dances with Woo-bin, she thinks, “Song Woo-bin, he’s always reliable and caring, as though he was the eldest in F4. I know now that he understands better than anyone how to comfort a person’s feelings, while standing one step behind.”

With Yi-jung, she thinks: “He acts cold and like a bad boy, but in reality he’s warm and innocent. Thanks to Yi-jung sunbae, I think Ga-eul has really become a lovable woman.”

Ji-hoo’s last:

“I was like Alice dropped into Wonderland. Could he know what a huge solace he was to me, that I was able to meet him whenever I went to that emergency door? He’s like a ‘bonus’ given to me from heaven. I won’t ever forget him. My soulmate Ji-hoo sunbae, thank you.”

When Jun-pyo doesn’t make his appearance, the guys wonder what’s keeping him. Jan-di thinks back to his drowned-out words, and now realizes what this reminds her of — and rushes off to Namsan Tower.

Sure enough, Jun-pyo’s waiting for her and asks, “Didn’t I say you were dead if you were late?” But he’s not upset, and with a snap of his fingers, lights fill the courtyard.

Jun-pyo comments, “It’s nothing magical. Stuff like this is really easy — compared to tending to the Jan-di-baht.” (Literally, “maintaining the grass.”)

Since this is a reenactment of their first date (albeit upgraded), Jun-pyo buys her coffee, then leads her to the viewing deck. In a cute moment, Jun-pyo brings her to the cable car, intending on pointing out the graffiti he’d written on their first date, but Jan-di’s embarrassed and blocks his view.

She complains, “Why’d you write this, and make it impossible for me to get married?” (This means that it makes her look promiscuous and would therefore be a stain on her character.)

Jun-pyo doesn’t see the problem: “Then just marry me — who else are you thinking of marrying?” In contrast to her grimace, Jun-pyo looks at the scrawled words proudly, announcing, “Now you can’t get married.” (To anyone else.)

But now it’s time for them to get down to some serious talk. Jan-di tenses nervously when Jun-pyo’s tone turns solemn: “Let’s marry.”

Jan-di doesn’t know whether he’s joking — he isn’t — and is completely taken aback, since she just graduated from high school. Jun-pyo explains, “I have to go to America. This time it’s not because of my mother, or the company. I decided this.”

He’s decided to take his future into his own hands: “I’m going to do my best. If I can save the company, that’s good. If I can’t, I’ll shut it down with my own hands.”

Jan-di’s dismayed when he says that he’ll be back in four years at best, asking, “That long?” Jun-pyo: “So come with me.”

But that’s not the magic solution, and it’s Jan-di’s turn to grow (more) solemn. She can’t go with him: “When you went to Macau, I made a decision too, regarding my dream, my work, what I want to be. Like you, I have something I want to devote myself to, and it’s here.”

It’s not a rejection, it’s reality butting in. Jan-di says with a hint of a smile, “Go, and come back. In four years, if you come back as a really impressive man, I’ll think about it again then.”

At this, the mood lightens. Maybe it’s not an ideal solution, but the compromise will work for them. Jun-pyo asks, half-jokingly, “Do you mean that? If you lose me, you’ll really regret it.” She teases back, “Hey, if you lose me, you’re the one who’ll regret it.”

Jun-pyo has no problems admitting, “I know that if I lose you, I’ll regret it till I die.”

Once again repeating some words she’d formerly told him, Jan-di says, “Gu Jun-pyo. You may not be a complete idiot.”

And now, we’re four years later.

Jun-pyo has made significant progress as a managing director with the company, and is being interviewed on television. While it starts with his business successes, the interview segues into personal questions. Naturally, as a rich, young, handsome chaebol, Jun-pyo’s the target of a lot of crushes and romance speculation.

When asked whether there’s anybody in his life to help him through the hard times, Jun-pyo responds, “It would be a lie to say I haven’t had tough times or been lonely. But because of a promise I made with somebody, I drew upon that as support and was able to endure.”

Watching proudly are Jun-pyo’s family — Mama Kang actually shows warmth as she watches alongside her husband, showing him affection that we’d never seen from her. It looks like she’s finally showing the personality that the others have hinted at — the kinder version of herself before she’d become Shinhwa chair.

And maybe the biggest surprise in this epilogue is that Jun-hee has now taken over from her mother’s position — she’s the new Shinhwa chair.

Next up: Yi-jung, who arrives at the airport with dark shades and a swagger. (I’m sorry, Yi-jung being badass just makes me giggle.) True to his word, he heads first to Ga-eul, who is now a teacher. He watches as she leads her young students in a pottery session, then steps in.

It’s adorable how one of the little girls looks at Yi-jung and asks, “Ajusshi, did you come from abroad?” He’s surprised that she guessed right, and she follows up, “Did you come from Sweden?” Is he their teacher’s boyfriend? ‘Cause, y’see, Teacher Lady mentioned something about someone in Sweden… A little embarrassed, Ga-eul moves to shut the girl up, but Yi-jung enjoys this proof that she’s been talking about him to her kids. (SO CUTE.)

Now, for Jan-di. And, somewhat surprisingly, also Ji-hoo.

She is a student at Shinhwa University’s medical school, as is Ji-hoo. As we might expect, Jan-di’s sorta struggling along, klutzy and bumbling as ever, while Ji-hoo is doing very well and about to graduate.

Today, they’re on a sort of medical outreach trip. During a break, Jan-di sighs to Ji-hoo about her tough time, and he teases her about failing.

A sudden disturbance interrupts their conversation — a helicopter hovers above, and a familiar voice comes over the loudspeaker. Just like a prior scene when Jun-pyo crashed Jan-di’s working vacation on the fishing boat, he now announces, “Oy, commoner! Can you hear me? Geum Jan-di!”

He instructs her meet him at the beach and zooms away.

When she arrives at the beach, well, now THIS really is almost paradise! (Yes, I’ll admit it — despite making my ears bleed earlier, I was glad to hear the return of “Almost Paradise” after its extended vacation.)

Jan-di approaches with gladness, but a little disbelief to see Jun-pyo here in the flesh .

Indicating her white coat, he teases that she looks like “an ugly duckling playing at being the white egret” — another callback to a previous Jun-pyo-ism (he means swan). At that, Jan-di laughs, “It really is you.”

Pulling her to him in a hug, Jun-pyo says, “I missed you to death. I’m not letting go again.”

He reminds her that she’d agreed to marry him when he came back. Jan-di returns, “Look here, Dummy Gu Jun-pyo. If you want to get technical, I said when you came back in four years, I’d think about it.”

Jun-pyo drops down to one knee, pulls out a ring box, and makes it official: “Geum Jan-di. Marry me.”

And of course, at that moment a voice calls out:

Ji-hoo: “I have an objection to that proposal!”
Yi-jung: “I do, too!”
Woo-bin: “Me too! You two can’t agree without our approval!”

THE END (finally)

And, okay, another Song of the Day, just because:

Rumble Fish – “사랑해 마지막 그날까지” (I’ll Love You Till My Last Day). If this were a movie, this would be the point halfway through the ending credits where the main song ends and a second song starts up. [ Download ]

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I’m going to start off with the criticism, because ultimately I was happy with the ending and would prefer to end on an upbeat note. So I’ll pull a “Ga-eul” here and start with the bad:

WEAKNESSES (aka, Stuff I Just Let Slide):

(1) Madam Kang’s witchy opposition. Poof, gone now? To be fair, I don’t really think it’s a logic flaw, because after Jun-pyo recovers his memory, I take it we are to assume Mama Kang gave up her opposition. It actually does make sense — there’s nothing like contributing to your son’s near-death to give you a wake-up call. But on the other hand, we didn’t see that explicitly, which might give the impression that the Jun-di reconciliation happened too easily, when goodness knows it came anything but “easily.” Not after all those episodes of separation and angst.

(2) Dr. Ji-hoo. Uh, but what about The Music? Where did his doctorly pursuits come in? I get that this probably has as much to do with his grandfather as Jan-di, but it felt random. Like it was conjured just to prove again that Ji-hoo is Jan-di’s soulmate, only now it emphasizes that they’re platonic soulmates, since they’ve remained friends even though Jun-pyo’s been away.

This leads me to:

(3) Soulmates (not to be confused with Soeulmates). I’ve never been a big fan of the “Ji-hoo is Jan-di’s soulmate” aspect. Maybe we’re all conditioned to think that soulmates are a romantic thing, and maybe I resent how much time was overwhelmingly given to the soulmate and not the actual love interest. I think Kim Hyun-joong has improved a lot over the course of the drama, but I still don’t really feel the chemistry between Ji-hoo and Jan-di. The fact that they had SO many sweet, intimate moments throughout the series and I still never jumped ship indicates just how lacking their pairing was for me.

(Intellectually, I thought Ji-hoo was better for Jan-di, but I never felt their emotional connection on a gut level, and their interactions never got me excited or giddy or otherwise invested.)

On the other hand:

STUFF I LIKED:

(1) Callbacks, yay! I enjoyed all the revisited past moments and bits of dialogue that were injected into the finale. I’ve seen dramas do this in the past, but a lot of times they feel forced in. Boys Before Flowers surprised me by doing a good job of incorporating past lines or interactions to build the action here. It didn’t feel like a mere rehash but a natural use of these characters’ personalities.

For instance, I liked how all of Jun-pyo’s misstated sayings came back and were worked into dialogue — both in really serious scenes (the pool) and lighter, more upbeat scenes (the cable car, the beach). In some dramas, it feels like characters are suddenly altered/forced into making the ending work, but I like that this was an example of continuity done right. Done wrong, we get blatant fanservice, but done right, it’s pretty emotionally satisfying.

(2) The epilogue. The time-skip epilogue is a risky device and is sort of an easy out. Epilogues can be problematic in that they provide a “perfect” wrap-up for characters, kinda like sticking a band-aid over a more serious problem. BUT, in an over-the-top, feel-good romantic comedy like this, I’m all for it. I know there’s no such thing as a true-life Happily Ever After, but this is what I want from a giddy, lovey romance drama. The perfecter the better!

An epilogue gives us a little more time to deal with goodbyes, so we avoid the let-down feeling of a resolution that comes too quickly. I would have been sorely disappointed if we ended after the cable-car kiss — and for a few dreaded seconds, I actually thought they’d ended the drama there — but the “four years later” gave us (okay, me) that needed buffer to let myself down gradually. LOL.

(3) Soeulmates. I expressed my ambivalence about how they would wrap up, but I was pleased with their ending. I don’t think they really needed a huge finish — that would’ve taken time away from the other romance — but I like that we have hope for their future without necessarily seeing it.

The time skip works for them because they, perhaps more than Jan-di and Jun-pyo, needed to grow up and live their lives and mature some more before getting together. As much as it might have been romantic for Yi-jung to have made a big gesture at the age of 20, I wouldn’t have the hope for their future that a time skip sorta automatically takes care of.

(4) The amnesia fix. Just as I was pleasantly surprised about how the amnesia plot came about, I was pleased at how it played out.

Example: The taste thing was one part that was well tied in, because Jan-di made those foods for him in the past, and when she did, they had some significance. The first time Jun-pyo asked for those egg rollups, it was after the snowstorm. It also symbolizes something of their class differences — or rather, emphasizes the “Hey, maybe we’re not so far apart” aspect of their statuses, since Jun-pyo loves this commoner food for what it is, even though he has gourmet stuff all around. (Hey, metaphor!)

But I was glad that the taste issue alone wasn’t enough to get Jun-pyo’s memory back. Here’s where the plot diverges from Hanadan, and I was really happy with it — and frankly wished they’d diverged more often. The taste was enough to remind Jun-pyo of his newer, warm-n-fuzzy feelings, but not enough to identify all the details (like, for instance, WHO those warm-n-fuzzies were directed at).

That leads Jun-pyo to be chummy with Yumi (grrr), because he’s correlating his memory of Jan-di’s warmth (evoked by her food) with Yumi. I doubt he feels anything for Yumi specifically; it’s more like his wires got crossed so the affection he feels for Jan-di is being misdirected at Yumi.

(5) The pool. OH, the awesomeness of the pool!

Here’s why I love that Jan-di fell into the water:

(a) It proves that despite what she tells Ji-hoo, she still does have faith in Jun-pyo. At first I thought she would merely fake being in “trouble” underwater till he jumped in to save her, but she committed to her last-ditch effort so much that she was really in danger. Was it foolish? Perhaps. But it’s also evidence of how much she believed that he would come around, because even if his conscious memory can’t recall her, she believed in their other connection — that intangible, indestructible love they feel, that connection that’s so strong that forces much stronger than plain ol’ amnesia weren’t able to sever them. (Namely, Madam Kang.)

(b) I love Jan-di’s speech to Jun-pyo, because it appears that his selective amnesia (as evidenced by his belief that he can’t swim) has blocked out the past year or so. Any feelings that resemble the Newer Jun-pyo (post-Jan-di) are mostly expressed subconsciously; everything he knows and does consciously is from pre-Jan-di times. So in her speech, Jan-di speaks to the Jun-pyo who changed for/because of her. The things she tells him may not even be things he realizes concretely — they’re things he’s forgotten as well — but as she talks, he feels them resonate. He can try to deny that he knows her, but he can’t deny the truth of her insight into his character, and that scares the bejeebus out of him.

(c) And most importantly, Jan-di’s jump into the pool forces Jun-pyo’s subconscious to act. Sure, all throughout the episode, Jan-di (or F3) could have told Jun-pyo the truth of their relationship, but it would’ve done little good to merely announce, “Hey, I’m your girlfriend, you idiot!” Maybe it would have helped, but it wouldn’t have provided the jolt that would return the rest of his memory — not like a good ol’ scare to the subconscious could, anyway.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Was Boys Before Flowers a GOOD drama?

Well, no.

In all honesty, I can’t really call it good — insofar as a “good” drama requires strong acting, masterful directing, tight storytelling, and overall high quality. And it can’t just have one of those elements, but most or all of them, expressed in skillful balance.

On the other hand, it depends on how you define the word “good” for yourself. “Good” might not mean “artistic” to you; it might not mean “eloquent” or “insightful.” Good might mean entertaining, or emotionally provocative. Excitement-inducing. Enjoyable to watch and rewatch and participate in fan culture. And in those measures, I’d say BBF delivered.

Because sure, an Academy Award-winning film deserves its praise, but to be frank, they’re not always entertaining. Or they may be beautiful and meaningful, but not move the heart.

Boys Before Flowers was kind of a glorious mess — the acting was sometimes very good, sometimes horribly bad. The music was decent, but applied carelessly in messy spurts like a five-year-old who’s sneaked her way into mommy’s makeup stash for the first time. The writing had its moments, but more often than not was poorly paced, and as we know you can’t build an entire drama upon random nice moments.

But it also had its weird brand of narcotic magic. If you stuck around till the end, you know what I’m talkin’ about. If you didn’t, well, you may still know what I’m talking about, even if you were never under the influence. A film snob may sniff at “the masses” — and I’ve been that person too — but so what? Let the snob enjoy his lofty solitude while we masses can commune with each other and laugh and cry together.

I was actually reading a book somewhere around the middle of BBF’s run, and a paragraph leapt off the page and just about smacked me in the face with its aptness. And who can argue with the words of the (late, great) awesome David Foster Wallace?

“At root, vulgar just means popular on a mass scale. It is the semantic opposite of pretentious or snobby. It is humility with a comb-over. It is Nielsen ratings and Barnum’s axiom and the real bottom line. It is big, big business.”

Truer words, y’all.

Okay, okay, I’m done! Finally!

I’ve had SO MUCH FUN, you guys! I think the drama has reached its time to go, so I’m not sad that the series is over, but I will miss the insanity of this drama. All the discussion, the fangirling (myself included), the plot dissection, future predictions, kvetching about story insanity, snarking about ridiculosity, and yes, even bitching about everything that drove us crazy.

Honestly, I haven’t been this entertained following a drama in a while. True, in a vacuum, this product itself is far from perfect — but thankfully, I don’t consume my entertainment in a vacuum, but out here in the wilds of the internet as part of an enthusiastic community.

THANKS FOR ALL THE FUN TIMES!

629

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251 Ren

April 1, 2009 at 11:37 AM

Goodnight Sweet Prince ;___;

It was goofy and cheesy but fun and hell and I loved it. Now I'm gonna have to wait like another year or more before we can all squee at the next big thing :(

Wait, wasn't someone planning on turning Bride of the Water God into a drama or is that just a rumour?

Sigh, I miss BBF already :(

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252 jinkzz

April 1, 2009 at 11:47 AM

thanks for the recap javabeans...i had as much fun reading your recaps as i did watching this drama

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253 ju liu **** ^-^

April 1, 2009 at 11:50 AM

BTW.... I DIDNT LIKE THE CPR SCENE AT THE POOL!!!!!! THAT WAS A QUICK CLOSED MOUTH TO MOUTH CPR! LOL!

AM GLAD JIHOO WILL BE A DOCTOR, HE WILL KNOW THE PROPER CPR!!!
(hehe...just me again missing jihoo...)

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254

April 1, 2009 at 11:52 AM

i miss f4 and jandi already.
OH MY BABIES

JUNPYO JANDY JIHOO YIJUNG WOOBIN MADAM KANG MR JUNG

BYEBYE
sigh ; ;
My mondays and tuesdays will now be so empty.
I really enjoyed watching it.

THANKS A LOT

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255 Jasmin

April 1, 2009 at 12:04 PM

Throughout this whole series I never once cried but the pool scene was pretty darn good that I was getting a bit teary eyed. Agree that the part when Jan-di fell in the water was beautifully done. Overall I was satisfied with this ending. For a show that has frustrated me a bit, I was pleased about this final episode. As far the the change of heart of Mama Kang, it would have been nice to see her lose her cold exterior in front of her children and even a moment with Jan-di showing that she was somewhat pleased or finally accepting of her. I think that's what I liked in the Japanese version of this show when Domuji's mother finally made an effort (season 2) to be cordial with Makino at the end even though she barely spoke a word.

Thanks for all the wonderful recaps for this show Javabeans. Now that this show is over I can finally have a normal Monday and Tuesday night without having to be hunched over my computer waiting for the new episodes of BBF to come out.

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256 booboo

April 1, 2009 at 12:06 PM

WHAT WILL I DO NOW? NO MORE BBF !!! MONDAY & TUESDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. I WOULD ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR RECAPS. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

I WANTED TO SEE MORE OF JUNPYO'S DAD & HOW HE WAS RECOVERING. BUT I WONDER WHAT MADE MAMA KANG CHANGE? MAYBE A COMBINATION OF JUNPYO'S ACCIDENT & HER CHILDREN FINDING OUT THAT THEIR FATHER WAS STILL ALIVE?

JIHOO BEING A DOCTOR? WHERE DO I HAVE TO GO TO GET MY CHECKUP? I'M GLAD HE WILL BE A DOCTOR SO HE CAN TAKE OVER HIS GRANDPA'S CLINIC. THE MUSIC PART......I HOPE HE DOESN'T GIVE UP ON THAT. GOOD TO SEE THAT EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS HE AND JANDI WILL NEVER HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP, HE STILL REMAINS A GOOD FRIEND TO HER.

TRUE TO HIS WORD, YIJUNG DID SEEK OUT GAEUL FIRST. I AM GLAD THAT THE TWO OF THEM WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO BE TOGETHER.

I WONDER WHAT WOOBIN WAS UP TO DURING THOSE 4 YEARS????

I DO LOVE THE FACT THAT F3 SHOWS UP AT THE END TO SEE JUNPYO PROPOSING TO JANDI. IT SHOWS THAT THEY ARE ALL STILL BEST FRIENDS EVEN THOUGH 4 YEARS HAVE GONE BY. I GUESS THAT NO MATTER WHAT....GOOD TIMES AND BAD....THEY WILL BE THERE FOR EACH OTHER FOR SUPPORT.

I LOVE THAT PICTURE OF F4 AND JANDI AT THE BEACH LOOKING AT THE OCEAN.

I AM HAPPY WITH THE ENDING BUT SAD AS TO WHAT I WILL WATCH ON MONDAY'S AND TUESDAY'S.

THANKS AGAIN JAVABEANS !!!

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257 yumi-chan

April 1, 2009 at 12:21 PM

The highlight for me was "ALLLLLLMOOOOSSST PARAAAADISEEEEEE!" Cause there ain't nothing to sweeter to know that it's over.
I'll admit i had fun bitching at the TV for allowing BOF to air.
But I'm glad for the eye candy.

Wait but what the hell happened to the Woo Bin epilogue? I want to know if my sexy wanksta ended up with a girl or two, or became like super gangster like they ddi with Akira in HYD. -_-

I'm excited for Triple bby!

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258 ju liu **** ^-^

April 1, 2009 at 12:22 PM

AND "ALMOST PARADISE" SONG CAME BACK TOO.... LMAO!!!
IT WAS ALMOST SAYING, "HELL NO!I WONT BE LEFT FORGOTTEN... YOU WILL HEAR ME NOW!!!"

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259 minniie

April 1, 2009 at 12:23 PM

OH MY GOD... THAT. WAS. AH-MAZING!!!

I'm so saddd that it's over. :'(.... You're so awesome. THANK YOU SOO MUCH.

Ugh. Yumi's behavior annoyed the fuck out of me the entire time. She's.... so clingy! But sweet ending. <3

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260 EUNWHUI

April 1, 2009 at 12:50 PM

thank you so muchhhhh!

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261 Alvina

April 1, 2009 at 1:00 PM

wow... what an end to the drama.

Only complaint (to add to your and the comments): Why does Hyun Joong look like Yon-sama by the end of the drama XD

aigoo! I think this girl on Misuda said it best when she said that people mostly watch the drama for the boys...

...I'm going to miss seeing all of these pretty faces in one place XD

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262 Jane-Jandi

April 1, 2009 at 1:01 PM

THANK YOU!
i lovv this drama and i will miss it
but i wil stil read ur recaps

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263 Angela

April 1, 2009 at 1:08 PM

Thank u for ur faithful posting that had reaally kept me entertained for the past few months!

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264 Louise_SeoulF4

April 1, 2009 at 1:09 PM

I feel sad coz the drama ends.. But No matter what,
No Matter where they may be.. I will Alwaya support the F4..

Ik Ben trots of de F4 en Jan Di..

With all the LoVe from Amsterdam..

Louise..

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265 stee

April 1, 2009 at 1:17 PM

the pool scene totally reminded me of lovers in paris...
haha she falls back into the pool on purpose to see if he'll save her.
XD

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266 Christinaaar

April 1, 2009 at 1:33 PM

beautiful review javabeans!!!

i just wished you would have cursed off that little ungrateful bitchy Yumi or whatever. seriously, i wanted to beat the bitch crap out of her!

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267 C_Janeth

April 1, 2009 at 2:13 PM

OMG!!!!
I was gone for the past week, with no access to my computer. I was going crazy.
But I finally got to see the last few episodes and the final. I loved it.
I love the fact that they didn't go all out and have Jandi and Junpyo in wedding attire. Their promises to each other was enough.
Also, loved the part when Jandi was dancing with F3 and her thoughts on them. Mostly, I adored the part when Jan di & Jun pyo are on the ("elevator"?). I didn't see what the writing on the wall was at first, but the whole scene was cute and charming.
SO SAD that it is over T_T
But happy that they finally got a break, poor actors.
Can't wait till I can get it on DVD.
Thank You for posting the reviews.

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268

April 1, 2009 at 2:13 PM

kim hyun joong was acting wierd on purpose through the course of the drama.
Boys over flowers first filmed scene was actually the macau scenes 0because usually they do abroad scenes first

kim hyun joong was suppose to act stiff at first because he was still recovering from when he was previously *sick* from what happened to his parents and it was suppose to show how geum jandi was helping him get over it finally.

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269 tea

April 1, 2009 at 2:37 PM

I think BOF production team should consider making BOF season two - with story highlighting Ee Jung & Ga Eul, plus Ji Hoo's journey to find love, and more of Woo Bin... There's a lot of potentials for good stories ;)

Thanks for all you've done, Javabeans! love the way you write and present things.

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270 Coco

April 1, 2009 at 2:41 PM

Hmm, I gave up on this drama somewhere around episode 3 and despite the hype surrounding it, never picked it up again BUT I did make sure to come check out your reviews of the episodes and I have to say that this was the best one yet. You really write beautifully and it's funny how you manage to mix eloquence with cute, fangirl-y prose. You choose nice caps too. So good job on recapping everything. It's good to know you enjoyed the series so - and thanks to your comments, I might actually decide to finish the series someday. ^_^

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271 yaeeunnie

April 1, 2009 at 2:46 PM

you are amazing!!!!!!

i agree, this wasnt the best drama ever with a truly original plot and scripts
but it was so much fun anyways! so cute~

i loved all the actors and actresses even though some were bad
everybody just grew on you... like kim joon : )
hope they can all relax now ㅋㅋㅋ

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272 annieeee

April 1, 2009 at 3:05 PM

first, thank you so much for making our viewing experience of bbf so much more enjoyable with your recaps! seriously, i check every mondays and tuesdays, no matter how late it is here on the east coast.
i personally felt the ending was kind of rushed, because everything flashes by so quickly after jp's memory is jolted back to full gear. in addition, mama kang seemed to have agreed to their union too easily. however, i loved how multiple scenes played out, like the pool scene (so friggin touching!), the cable car convo, and jandi's narration as she danced with f3. i was also very satisified with the soeul ending, because it was open-ended, but we knew they were gonna be together. although i was anticipating myself hating the amnesia arc, i was pleasantly surprised like dramabeans. for some reason, it just worked out beautifully. i also lovedddd the final shot. its got such an awesome feel to it.
about the drama overall, i have to agree with dramabean's points. there were significantly more nice moments in the latter episodes, which is good i guess, since we're left with a better impression. but i felt the drama really lacked quality in several fields, including music, pacing/storytelling, and characterization, esp. of jandi. everyone acted well, esp. our mighty junpyo, so im looking forward to seeing more of everyone in other works.
its been such a long journey, and ive had sooooo much fun getting emotionally invested into this drama. the quality isnt there, but i must say it is HELLA entertaining. esp. with the large number of viewers discussing it from all over the world. i seriously am having withdrawal symptoms. i miss all the characters sooo much. its been a helluva emotional rollercoaster, and ill be looking forward to my next batch of kdrama viewing!

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273 Z

April 1, 2009 at 3:19 PM

Wow so I can honestly say I don't have any real complaints about that episode. I think they did a great job of resolving things without once making me think, "Say what?" Nothing too far fetched and a few surprises.

I didn't expect Jun-Hee to take over the company but I can see her and Jun-Pyo teaming up to creat a kinder, gentler Shinwa.

I didn't expect to see Mama Kang retired and taking care of her invalid husband but I like the way they did it. They didn't do a total character shift and turn her into Mrs Butterworth like a lot of dramas do. You just get the feeling that she's rethought her priorities.

I didn't expect Ji-Hoo to be a doctor (when they first showed him on the bus I thought he was just along for the ride) but it makes sense that, now that Jan-Di and Grandpa have drawn him out of his lifelong pity party, he's found a purpose.

I did expect Jan-Di to be a little more put together after 4 years of maturing but I'm glad they didn't make her super sophisticated .

I loved the way they did the amnesia fix. When I heard there was going to be a memory loss (I've never seen any other version) I was not thrilled because I've rarely seen this work well anywhere. But I actually like the way they did it here. It seemed almost plausible.

My only point of criticism would be this: Jun-Pyo get's the girl, Yi-Jung and Ga-Eul get each other, Jan-Di gets the rich boyfriend and fulfills her dreams, Ji-Hoo gets his family back and a purpose in life, Jun-Hee gets the business, Mam kang gets her humanity, and Woo-Bin gets... what, a shoulder bag? The last image we get of our favorite gangsta talking F4-er is him watching the sunset holding a random man purse????? Not cool...

Lastly, I'm really going to miss F4. And not just because they are rich and hot (but, come on, they are rich and hot). Their dynamic when they were all together (or even F2 and F3) was just sooooo awesome that I really fell in love with them.

So long F4... ALMOST PAAAARIDISE... for the road.

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274 robbo4

April 1, 2009 at 3:34 PM

I really enjoyed the insightful and entertaining writing our hostess in regard to this series. Having luckily stumbled upon Dramabeans during the days of Coffee Prince, I consider myself fortunate, in a world where many thing end up being less than satisfactory, to find something that is purely the work of a person's heart that can be expressed so miraculously well, and yet it doesn’t cost me a plug nickel to partake of. So kudos to you and yours, Javabeans!

As for BOF, I originally tuned in (as was the case with Yoon Eun Hye in Coffee Prince) to seeing the sparkly, spunky, infinitely talented 90 pound human bucket of sunshine that is Goo Hye Sun. As I have become accustomed to receiving from her, I was a moved to smiles, tears, laughter, and poignancy in truckloads through the same sort of infectious sincerity that defines constantly both the actress and her character. I'd been down this road with Miss Goo during my original (and instant) infatuation with her character ("Yang Gukwha") and it's player a couple of years back during the heart-warming daily drama Pure in Heart and was only too happy to join her while she won the hearts of a new, uninitiated bevy of fans, many of whom were converted following their own initial ambivalence to both her and her portrayal of Guem Jandi. As with Pure in Heart, the unrelenting pluckiness and resolve of both the actress and her character was eventually fully capable of wearing down all but most obstinate of viewers. Boys Over Flowers was a nightmare of behind the scenes stressors, tragedies, and impossible obstacles, yet it ultimately succeeded because of two reasons; Its fans needed it to, and its players would not allow it not to. Boys Over Flowers is a bit like its main character, herself. No sacrifice was too much to make until the world around it was wearing the same grin that ultimately feels every bit coming as is does going. Happiness, warmth and compassion are gifts that should be initiated and shared with unrelenting enthusiasm. To settle for anything less is to commit treason to mankind itself.

The craze and devotion to this type of life-reaffirming fluff with resonance should never be taken too lightly. It has the same positive effects upon us as it does on the characters that we attach ourselves to. Good fantasy has its place as both and instructor and as a measuring stick which may be used for future and present reference. Belittle not the warmth that comes from losing one's self in these stories and their players. Dance like no one's watching...only those who can't hear the music will think the dancers insane...

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275 yubikiri

April 1, 2009 at 3:35 PM

Thank you very much for the recaps dramabeans!
I really enjoy following them.

As for me, I LOVE this boys before flowers version compared to all the others asian version. I think that the actors were great...even tho sometimes the acting was not to the PRO point...but I really really LOVED it. I'm quite sad that it ended....BUT this ending...personnally...is actually pretty decent. It was REALLY well done. I cannot criticize it. Usually, i would just fast foward the end cause it long lasting recaps or just boring. But THIS ending just made me feel....GOOD!

LOVE IT!

imma gonna buy the DVD!!!!

THANK YOU BBF!!

P.S. I agree...WHY my girl sound?? tsk tsk tsk!

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276 Aye

April 1, 2009 at 4:03 PM

Although they didn't mention anything about Jun-pyo's parents agreeing to their marriage, I really wanted PD Jun Ki-sang to include something about it. I had a different take on it than you. I thought Jun-pyo and Jan-di were able to get married because of Jun-pyo's recovering father. He showed in small gestures (finger movements) to let us know that he could hear and was listening to Jan-di talk to him. From those scenes, we can deduce that Jun-pyo's father got to know Jan-di enough and could believe her to be a kind-hearted person. I thought it logical that if this genuine and good person is the love of your son's life, then wouldn't you agree to their marriage after you've recovered from a coma? And once he gives it the OK, then I don' think there's anything Madamn Kang can do to prevent it. I just wish they'd include this little bit though. You've mentioned a couple times in your recaps about the belief of the makers of BBF that we, devoted viewers, are stupid creatures. However, for once here, they didn't show the actual scene and expected the viewers to be intelligent enough to understand that. But to me, it was an important closure that was needed to be shown on screen.

ANYWAY, the best things about BBF are Lee Min-ho and you, Javabeans! I couldn't let go of a BBF episode without reading your recap on it every Monday and Tuesday nights. Thank you for being a great writer and I look forward to all of us falling in love with another drama and going crazy once again!

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277 yogini

April 1, 2009 at 4:08 PM

the community aspect of this drama is what caught me by surprise the most. it was nice to watch a show in a language i did not know with others to help me get a better understanding of culture and language. i will miss that the most.

as for the drama itself, the thing that stands out the most for me is JiHoo. don't know if it my crush on KHJ or if it was the sweetness of the character. although i knew it was impossible for them to be together, i was rooting hard for Jandi and Jihoo, even though i didn't think she deserved him. there was just that pining for a JiHoo in real life when you know you have a geninue character. he had his flaws, but he had his heroism.

maybe it's the standpoint of not fully understanding the popular female lead characters in Kdramas, and being used to American television, that occasionally made me go "huh". honestly if it wasn't for Dramabean's comments and recaps i would have missed how she usually stands up for others but not herself. it still doesn't make much sense to me in how a girl with so much moxie in the beginning will tend to wait for someone to save her. it's like there is an oxymoron within the character herself. this doesn't include the Jandi after GJP dissed her after Macau. you can see a beaten down, tired emotionally and physically Jandi. my point, i just didn't fully understand Jandi. she was more likeable in the beginning.

i guess that only adds to my lack of understanding, for most of the drama, of the love between Jandi and GJP. they came across as mostly adversaries who tolerated each other, than a potential relationship. it wasn't until after the wedding where they spent the night together i really saw a connection. even when Jandi was kidnapped and GJP went after her it felt more like he went after her because it was his duty. the second time i felt that maybe there was something special between these two was at the end of the drama when he regained his memory. maybe part of my lack of understanding of this couple was also put on GJP. after she became his personal maid it was a slightly softer GJP, which was nice to see.

whomever gave the nickname Darth Mama, was right on! she was my favorite female character in the whole series. the woman who played her is amazing. i loved in Episode 24 where you can visually she her changing back to a human with a heart. after her daughter puts her in her place, then the accident GYP makes her see where she was wrong in how she was so cold, and Jandi's warmth in opening the door to know her son's secrets that you can't have a PI find out. it was nice in the end with her sitting with her husband feeding him.

i'm sad that the drama has ended. and i thank those who gave me a lot of good recommendations to check out to continue my Kdrama addiction. i was satisfied with the ending (of course i didn't read the manga and i only saw the ending of HYD and the movie).

it was nice that JiHoo got a happy ending in a way by carrying on Grandpa's practice and remaining close to Jandi. I got a good feeling he wasn't pining after Jandi anymore, but was more of a good best friend.

Gaeul and Yi Jung. at first didn't like how they wrapped them up. but after reading Dramabeans thought that they both needed to grow up, all i could do is agree with that. Yi Jung still had his issues with women and family that he had to work out. and Gaeul had to just grow up and find who she was as a person. seeing Yi Jung come back and visit preschool teacher Gaeul was fitting.

poor Woo Bin. again he gets no love in this drama. he was a character who i seriously felt ashamed of in the beginning. (but i always feel a little embarrassed when i hear anyone speak American street slang/ebonics.) when kick butt WooBin came out it made me take notice. i loved the juxtaposition of the character being this future prince of the mob, yet being the peacemaker of the four. i was not happy with his ending. there was nothing. i know the drama wasn't about WooBin, but it would have been nice to know what happened to him after four years (unless i totally missed something).

the pool scene was epic even if Jandi made herself a willing victim, i think i'll overlook that because it made sense to help pull GJP out of his amnesia. i will admit i had to rewatch that scene several times because it was overshadowed by JiHoo's running. haha. i watched WGM with KHJ and loved watching him run when he did the "Olympics" with Hwanbo (?). this time there was just something so goofy about it, especially when he stops and then holds everyone else back. i laughed. i laughed hard.

on that note. thanks for the nice introduction to Kdrama and Kpop.

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278 rora

April 1, 2009 at 4:10 PM

True, this was one hell of a ride. BoF/BbF will forever be in my heart despite its flaws.

Javabeans, have you read the article (I read it on soompi and a media critic wrote it) on how the PD admitted that they didn't have enough time to make the quality better. And also, he admitted that they made the visuals and settings better because he thinks that the audience will overlook the illogical plot lines as long as they like what they were seeing. Just what the heck is up with that?!

And so, the media critic also said that the production company should have invested more on the quality of the drama, not just the aesthetics part. I'm gonna try to look for the article again in soompi and post the link later so could read it too.

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279 yogini

April 1, 2009 at 4:11 PM

#273 Z
"Woo-Bin gets… what, a shoulder bag? The last image we get of our favorite gangsta talking F4-er is him watching the sunset holding a random man purse????? Not cool…"

LOL i totally agree!!!!

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280 bluelime

April 1, 2009 at 4:26 PM

thanks for the recap!! : )
i really really enjoyed reading all of your bof recaps from episode 1 to episode 25!! : )

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281 Wasabi

April 1, 2009 at 4:50 PM

I'm really glad that the Ga-eul and Yi-Jung ending was changed a little in this drama ^.^ In all of the other works, it's never really hinted that those two characters would end up together :D

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282 Jesika

April 1, 2009 at 4:52 PM

Is it me or were all the pool scenes filmed in a 2 foot deep pool?

I loved your recaps! You said everything I thought & More. Will keep visiting to see what other series your are summarizing.

"Was Boys Before Flowers a GOOD drama?

Well, no" - 'nuff said, I agree 100%.

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283 rora

April 1, 2009 at 4:54 PM

Found it, Javabeans. The link on the article. I just wanted to share this with you because I was really appalled when I read it, that the PDs admitted their own shortcomings.

http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=226918&st=22760&p=12939141&#entry12939141

I'll also post some bits that I found really astounding for telling the truth.

This is the title of the article, TV drama ends amid lingering popularity, controversy (posted by deka_if from Shin Hae_in of Yonhap News in BoF thread in soompi)

"We could do better if we were to make the drama all over again," said Bae Jong-byung, the drama's planning director, in a recent interview. "But we are quite satisfied with what we achieved the first time. We managed to create a brand new type of drama."

The weak story was largely a product of the drama's tight shooting schedule, producers said. "With the actors and actresses becoming so popular and busy, we had a hard time mapping out schedules that work for everyone," the drama's main producer Jun Ki-sang said. "While the plot might not have been dense enough, we did our best to create visually impressive scenes. Being a fantasy, I think audiences were ready to overlook some of the logical flaws as long as they liked what they were seeing."

"I regret the fact we did not have more time to spend on the scenario and the overall story," producer Jun said. "Everything was new to us as it was to viewers and we panicked. We hope we can manage to create something of a better quality next time."

Dubbing the drama "an unexpected jackpot," media critic Kang Myung-suk said producers should learn to be more patient in creating high-quality products. "'Boys...' could pull it off because it was the first of its kind, but viewers may not be so easily fooled next time," he said. "Instead of focusing on short-term profits, producers should really think about spending more time, money and effort in creating something better."

Need I say much?

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284 kimchii

April 1, 2009 at 5:15 PM

I absolutely love the way Jun Pyo regained his memory. When Jan Di was at the pool, I was already predicting her throwing her necklace and falling in herself. But the whole speech.. I LOVED it. So good (: I admit to crying.. But my friend was crying and I can't NOT cry when someone's crying! But yeah. I also agree with the emphasis on Ji Hoo and Jan Di and the whole "soulmate" concept.. Their moments never really connected with me as well. But good wrap up (: Boys Before Flowers, you will be missed.

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285 Arivle

April 1, 2009 at 5:38 PM

Thank u JAvabeans for your hard work through out all the craziness that was BBF every week, I had so much fun reading your recaps every week it was the highlight after watching every episode......THANK YOU.....please tell us what dramas should we watch out for in the future????????????

I loved loved this finale it was great for me they did a great job....eventhough I wanted Jundi wedding....I still love the ending.......hands down the best scene
"the pool" it was wonderfully done and acted by GHS and LMH they did a awsome job here... I got kind of teary when JD was talking to GJP ......and how GJP junp to save her ....totally love it.....I have watch the other versions but BBF did an oustanding job with this part of the plot......
Overall, the drama was great in my opinion it was very different from the other versions and had its unique moments. I would miss the show it was my addiction for the past 3 months....hope we have a BBF Wedding special it would be great.....so long BBF......"PARADISE"....indeed........

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286 Myshal

April 1, 2009 at 5:57 PM

thank you! great job! always love reading your blog!

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287 Mulan

April 1, 2009 at 6:11 PM

Though i already watched Ep. 25..I really have good time reading your comments and i really like it. I too feel that there is a lot of shortcomings in the drama but still it is enjoyable. I guess it really made me hook in this drama is the first 12 episodes, it's fast paced story made you looking forward to the next episode. If only the scriptwriter didn't messed up with the characterization of the leads it would have been the best among the three versions. I feel that Scriptwriter is so conscious about the fans and it did somehow messed it up to please us. Story wise-JP version seems the most logical but Korean version sure is shows the life of rich and famous. The looks of the F4, dress and of course the places is a lot better that the other two. I also think that one big factor that it was successful is that LMH did a very good job in portraying GJP and i think the good working relationship of LMH and GHS somehow shows surprisingly chemistry on the screen. For sure I will miss it. Again..thank you for all your recaps.

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288 origummy

April 1, 2009 at 6:15 PM

Thanks so much for your great recaps!!! you are so incredibly thorough, it's almost as good as rewatching the ep, and for some episodes, your recaps spare me the pain of actually having to watch :)

For such a fluffy, though very entertaining show, i think they did best overall job in the last couple episodes! I love the actress who plays Mama Kang (my hubbie has a cougar-crush on her as well). I think she's like an asian Alexis Carrington-Colby! She also played Yul's mom in "I'm Sorry I love you", starring So Ji-Sub.

The only thing that i really bugged me was when Jun Pyo was giving Jandi mouth-to-mouth----he didn't even plug her nose! At least Jandi had done it correctly on him, on the flashback, which would have been a huge joke if she's trying to be a doctor :)

Anyways, it's always a pleasure reading your recaps. Thanks again!
btw, dramafever.com currently isn't accepting any new registrants--boohoo, I had hoped to watch one of my old faves "Soulmate" again!

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289 kaungmalay

April 1, 2009 at 6:15 PM

BOF has been a blast!

thank you Javabeans! i love reading your recaps that are always awesome and shed alot of light. it made watching BOF all that more special.

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290 flipcity21

April 1, 2009 at 6:19 PM

i truly enjoyed your recap...much to my astounishment that i get to finish my coffee beforehand, darn...sorry for the french.
i totally agree with you on most aspects.
im looking forward for more recaps on other kdramas....
for now, ill be back on my theatre addictions until the next drama unfolds...
toodleloo !!!!

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291

April 1, 2009 at 6:33 PM

in my opinion (sorry for my poor english)

i feel pity for some korean netizens and some website members related to kdrama.
(not yours~i love this website! javabeans~)
of course they coudn't enjoy this show at all.
they already knew everything before airing(because of tons of spoilers)
every important lines, scenes, they knew everything and watched it.
THINK ABOUT IT.
how can it be good? how can it be better than those has beautifully imagined in thier brain. thier anger at PDs and writer was not fair. i felt pity for them, too.
i'm not saying this drama was good enough, but not as bad as netizens insisted. it was fun.

i realized this. in my opinion
if you really want enjoying some famous shows, just avoid famous drama websites.
i recommand you.
i usually enjoyed some websites. but this time for this drama.
i was exhausted with them.seriously. i know they help you a lot with some imfomation. but i think netizens are apt to exaggerate everything. you can be biased by them .
i started enjoying this show after avoiding important spoilers.

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292 wendy.

April 1, 2009 at 6:34 PM

=( But waah.! I SO wanted Yi Jung and Ga Eul to kiss. T^T ~
Ty for your drama recaps. =) You put in so much effort and I commend you for that! -hugs-
So this is the end @_@ Must...find...other...things...to...watch...on...Mondays...and...Tuesdays...

o_o ;;

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293 bspanda

April 1, 2009 at 6:37 PM

Thanks once again for the recaps!

This drama was so addictive it was crazy. Just like I KNOW junk good is not good for me but I still eat it cause it's so yummy. This drama was flawed yet I still came back for more.

It was interesting to read the comment from 'rora' (@283) regarding the PD acknowledging the shortcomings. It is/was crazy to have such tight schedules. While perhaps they did not expect how the huge frenzy that resulted, but c'mon when you are adapting a much beloved Manga such as Hana Yori Dango (which has already had a proven 'hit' track record in the other drama adaptations) were they crazy to be so ignorant? If anything they should have wanted to 'protect' their investment with more appropriate scheduling. Perhaps PD = Perpetually Dumbass?

OK back to this episode. Loved how it was all tied up. Was a bit worried how they were going to cram so much in. Loved also how they deviated slighting from the 'canon' with Soeulmates. That was probably credit to the chemistry between the two actors - which was very sweet and cute.

Major thing that irked me was the JD falling into the pool. Sure it brought about the resolution to the amnesia storyline! Great! But WTF? To me it was indictive of how irritated I found this ver. of JD was at times. One minute she is gutsy, stands up for herself - next she was weak damsel in distress? Hello? Perhaps she needs to get a knock on her head too! Stick with gutsy JD! (OK sorry for rant but when I saw where that scene was leading to I was like ' No...No F......way!')

Overall loved this drama - it was fun, crazy, cute (while it was sometimes annoying). Damn enjoyable. Shame they under utlizised Kim Joon - but looking forward to what the cast does in the future. Esp Lee Min Ho!

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294 reader

April 1, 2009 at 6:43 PM

Thank you so much for your recaps/commentaries for this series!

I was hoping that you would talk about Ji-Hoo in the pool scene and the medical trip. In the pool scene, when Jandi fell into the pool, it looked like Yi-jung and Woo-bin were holding Ji-Hoo back? and that Ji-Hoo wanted to jump into the pool but was waiting for Junpyo to do it..

and the medical trip, when Jihoo and Jandi were talking, he said that his grandpa wasn't the only reason why he was in med school, but they got interrupted by the little girl. I think Jandi was definitely the other reason why he wanted to be a doctor!

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295 Christine Cheng

April 1, 2009 at 6:51 PM

hehe thanks for all the good times :D

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296 nara

April 1, 2009 at 6:56 PM

I LOVE HANA YORI DANGO..I LOVE BOYS BEFORE FLOWER....It's fun for me to watch them both....that two drama have their characteristic...tx for the recap javabeans

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297

April 1, 2009 at 6:57 PM

thank you so much
i missed it already.
i really enjoyed this drama.

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298 Maica

April 1, 2009 at 6:58 PM

Thank you!! =)

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299 ar

April 1, 2009 at 7:06 PM

thank you so much for the recap. This episode looks awesome! Though I won't go through the turmoil of watching the entire series and watch Jandi and Junpyo struggle to the tune of cheesy music, I'm planning to watch this episode. It sounds like a great wrap-up. I like Jandi's thoughts about the other F4 guys as she danced with them-emphasizing that yijung and woobin aren't just wallpaper to the story of jandi x junpyo- but that they were truly cared for and loved by jandi through all this drama.

I also liked how they didn't conclude right after Junpyo and Jandi were together at namsam tower but had them wait out 4 years so that they each can pursue their own dreams. so much more believable this way and a good message to the audience- don't have your entire life revolve around your s.o.- follow your own dreams too.

@rora- i think the PD also faced a lot of trouble when so many loud, obtrusive crazy fans are there to make production really difficult. What would have taken 4 hours when left alone could take up to twice as long with the fan disruption. And if the episode didn't get in on time, then the production could have faced a lot of trouble. a lot of potentially good dramas are ruined by time constraints, but if they filmed it before showing and the whole thing became immensely popular (as it did), then they would have to deal with people posting up illegal copies of future episodes and spoilers. I hope he keeps to his word and produce something in amazing quality next time!

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300 yumi

April 1, 2009 at 7:07 PM

thank u dramabean for the recape,really cant wait to see the final ep. at kbs world..i thought the ending will be jan di married with joo pyo but he only prupose at jan di..hahahaha but i think BOF korea version is more exciting then other,,hahaha go HANGUK BOF

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