Producers talk about High Kick’s controversial ending
by javabeans
(Spoiler alert: Don’t read this post if you don’t want to know how the series High Kick Through The Roof ended.)
There have been complaints about the rather dramatic way the series went out last week, and the producers PD has spoken up to explain, if not defend, their choice. To put it mildly, their ending was a pretty unconventional way to wrap up a family sitcom that has enjoyed pretty high popularity for the entirety of its 126-episode run, and a lot of fans were not happy with it.
To put it plainly, the so-called sitcom ended the series with the deaths of two of its main characters, Shin Se-kyung and Daniel Choi, in a tragic car crash. Fans were shocked, then felt betrayed and cheated of the time they invested only to have two of the biggest stars so suddenly killed. Furthermore, the show was supposed to be about family love and hope for the future — in particular relaying a “message of hope” for Se-kyung’s future happiness — and the ending just negated all of that. What happens to the theme that you can be happy without money or strict conditions? On top of that, the ending focused solely on Se-kyung and Ji-hoon, making it a lopsided event that didn’t show enough of the rest of the cast.
In response to the wave of discontent, director Kim Byung-wook explained that they changed the ending two days before its broadcast. Another production source says, “The writer had written a different ending, but couldn’t change PD Kim Byung-wook’s intent. In the end, things suddenly shifted to a sad ending two days before the last episode aired.”
Throughout this process, there was a lot of criticism and differing opinions between the writer, director, and producers. They argued and tried to change PD Kim’s choice, saying that some viewers who were guessing at a sad ending were fiercely opposed. Ultimately PD Kim decided to end on their deaths, which reflected Shin Se-kyung’s own opinion. The source explained that the actress had already discussed a sad ending with producers months in advance.
High Kick Through the Roof, like its predecessor Unstoppable High Kick, was a ratings success (in the 20% range) that propelled a lot of its stars to greater fame, such as Shin Se-kyung, Daniel Choi, Hwang Jung-eum, and Yoon Shi-yoon. The PD has been known as a hitmaker, but I wonder if that reputation will take on a bit of a tarnish now. Or at least a bitter aftertaste.
Personally, I have to say that reading about this ending makes me glad I didn’t watch High Kick Through the Roof. While I’m all for trying unexpected things and breaking the mold, there are a few conventions that you can’t really betray without also betraying your audience, and killing off your main characters in the last scene of a FAMILY SITCOM is one of them. Often last episodes are tinged with melancholy, and I’m perfectly willing to accept that. Unstoppable High Kick had a similar downturn in mood toward its end, but I think it was more successful in wrapping itself up — there was sadness and goodbyes, but also room for imagining that life continues and these characters move on. Here, life DOESN’T actually go on, and that would piss me off if I’d been a fan.
Sure, you can argue a creator has the right to artistic choice and all that, and perhaps the director is perfectly pleased with his ending. But I’ll argue that when you’re working in television and producing entertainment for a loyal, broad audience (as opposed to working on an independent film, for example), there’s a burden of expectation and trust that you build with them. I don’t think the audience should dictate how a story unfolds — we’ve had enough dramas morphed into monsters through that — but I think to screw around with that trust is a pretty big deal, and I’d be much more wary of trusting that director in the future.
Via Hankook Ilbo, Now News
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Tags: Daniel Choi, High Kick Through the Roof, Shin Se-kyung
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51 speechless
June 27, 2010 at 4:06 AM
I like this ending.
I respect and adore the director even more.
High Kick Through The Roof is about reality and humanity. That's it.
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52 Jacob
July 4, 2010 at 1:56 PM
This would've been a decent ending for a drama, nevermind.. actually it would be a typical ending for a drama, but they completely disregarded that this was a family sitcom the last few episodes. It completely made the previous part of the show irrelevant to what the show was about.
All I have to say about the Producer is.. BBANG KKU, DDONG KKU!
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53 kay rye-yu
November 26, 2010 at 4:13 PM
everyone needs to calm down.
"the PD betrayed us" "i hate this" and "i'm never going to trust the PD again or watch any of his releases"
are you DONE, yet?
if this wasn't so ridiculous, i'd be tickled by everyone's mini melodrama.
like everyone, i didn't imagine the ending would be like this either but i could appreciate it and see that it provided a fresh/new ending to the cookie-cutter endings sprinkled with fairy dust that we are all so familiar with and have grown too attached to.
Episode 126 was an interesting final episode that shocked us all but i think if we calmed down for just 2 seconds to think WHY the PD would want such an ending, we might appreciate the full meaning attached to their deaths and see that fate can take a very unpredictable turn.
but i agree that what WAS lacking in the script were scenes showing how the families coped with the loss of two major characters; that would have provided more closure and a cleaner finish.
other than that, HKTTR is one of my favorites of all time. fun, laughter, tears, and intrigue (with a reasonably attractive case--oh heyyy choi daniel and julian kang!), i couldn't have hoped for anything better.
Can't wait for Season 3!
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54 sarah
December 2, 2010 at 7:58 PM
I Hate it
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55 esther
December 15, 2010 at 1:52 AM
i'm up to episode 90 or something now, but i decided to watch the ending first since people told me only the last 15 minutes of the show was bad. so i watched the last 2 eps (and deleted them) because they were too melodramatic...personally i think you don't have to imply that the two of them actually died, so... i prefer to imagine a happy ending to myself :) or maybe a sitcom without an end. yeah, that's better! but i still want to know what the original writer wrote.......is the original script floating around anywhere?
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huh
October 10, 2012 at 10:00 PM
Oh, but why did you delete ep 125? It was watchable since Junhyuk and Sekyung had their first and last kiss together. And if I'm not mistaken, the were each others' first.
Ep 126, on the other hand, was a mess. It could have worked without the death scene. It was great that Sekyung was finally able to share her inner thoughts, but it was silly to follow it up with both of them dying. Just silly.
And to seemed that almost everyone was rooting for the pairings to be JunHyuk+SeKyung and Jihoon+Jungeum.
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56 esther
December 15, 2010 at 1:53 AM
i'm up to episode 90 or something now, but i decided to watch the ending first since people told me only the last 15 minutes of the show was bad. so i watched the last 2 eps (and deleted them) because they were too melodramatic...personally i think you don't have to imply that the two of them actually died, so... i prefer to imagine a happy ending to myself :) or maybe a sitcom without an end. yeah, that's better! but i still want to know what the original writer wrote.......is the original script floating around anywhere??
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57 lisa_marie
December 22, 2010 at 8:40 PM
wth, so it's not in concrete that they died?!?!?!!?!? Then why the hell is almost everyone having a heart attack for then? God, some people suck.
I don't like the drama because I find it kind of stupid, to be honest, and boring. But I'm still tuning or browsing in on it now and then.
Gotta agree that there are a lot of male eye candy in the cast though, maybe that's why I keep tuning in. lol
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58 Flore
December 27, 2010 at 7:15 PM
I was up to episode 102. I am done! Thank you for saving me hours in my life.
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59 yuk3son6yi
January 2, 2011 at 10:12 PM
I think I can see where the PD and Sekyung were coming from. There was one particular quote in the drama that I will never forget and that's "Life up close is a tragedy, life from afar is a comedy." The audience saw both sides of every character. From afar we saw a comedy; the grandfather comstantly picking on his son-in-law, the mother and the VP, the two kids, hwang jung eum with jihoon and joon hyeok. But as we got to know more about each individual we saw pain, love, disappointment, anger. In the ending, all the hidden feelings came out (up close). Shin Sekyung made her last confession along with much regret. I think the last episode brings a very clear message to the audience, that is, (cliche) "make every moment count." In the episode, hwang jung eum also said that she was wondering and asking herself "what if?" Life does go on. The process of recovery seems endless, but we all get to a point where we notice that it is not over yet (HJE making management, joonhyeok going to the army) and the ones we love will never be forgotten.
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60 beem1
January 27, 2011 at 11:33 PM
Horrible ending. This is NOT why I chose to watch this series. If I wanted a sad/deep ending, then I'd watch a sad/deep melodrama. It didn't make sense at all with the general direction of the rest of the series.
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61 yakunamojing
January 31, 2011 at 8:16 PM
There were a lot of funny moments in some episodea although somewhat redundant....after reading these comments, I had better quit watching at episode 100
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62 mai
February 15, 2011 at 3:36 AM
really really love this sitcoms although the ending is too tiring for me because of the tears...
btw, i laugh a lot when watching this series^^
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63 Rehleuci
February 27, 2011 at 1:17 AM
Wow... I hated the ending. I know happy endings suck but when my mother spoiled the ending that someone dies I laughed inside and said no way in a comody sitcom? And then they die... I hate se kyung even more for killing jihoo dood he had a loving gf!!!! The last few eps were laggy and nothing happened...
Man I hate happy endings but when a drama makes me laugh I expect a happy ending.. For the rest of the characters I liked... Se Kyung was a character who was "just there" nothing happened to her except her crush... She seemed selfish to me she could have let the guy live... I would have been happy if she was the only one who died...
I'm sorry for the harsh comments but I really hated the ending.. This ending and the cyrano angency ending was crap (IMO).
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64 Jaaey
March 12, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Although I accidentally saw little hint about HK's 2 ending on internet that 'it shouldn't end like it is',
I was still happy while watching 125 episodes while kept imagine how bad the ending would turned out.
But ep 126th ruined everything.
I knew that the series wouldn't end clearly. So, I planned to imagine what will happen next, how the characters' lifes go on, how happy they will be.
But nothing would suck more than 2 characters die.
Why did Ji hoon have to die!!?
How can I go back and enjoy the cute couple Jihoon-Jung Eum's loveable moment while his dead is creeping out!?
Sitcom supposed to make people happy.
If I want to cry over drama I would have chosen other series.
So sad it ended like this..
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65 HaNi!
April 5, 2011 at 7:21 PM
i watched this sitcom up until episode 108, when Jung Eum and Ji Hoon broke up, but i continued watching up until episode 121, and i skipped to the ending. i read about the dissapointing ending, yet i continued watching because i couldn't get enough of Jung Eum and Ji Hoon. but seriously the ending, WTF?! i seriously hate the fucking PD! and Se Kyung. omg the last several episodes focused so damn much on Se Kyung. i want a happy ending for Jung Eum and Ji Hoon so bad! :( i know some people are saying real life are not a bed of roses, but this is a SITCOM, i have the right to expect good ending for it.
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aznboy
April 11, 2011 at 4:41 PM
I had the same initial reaction about hating the PD of the drama for ending the show like it was. I wanted to Jihoon to end up with Jungeum and Junhyuk with Sekyung. But after thinking about it I understood the why it ended the way it did. The main character in the drama was Sekyung, and the main plot was her struggles through life. I felt the happy ending would have been too cliched, specially for Sekyung. Staying for Junhyuk didn't make sense, living happily ever after did not make sense. The only person she could end being happy with was Jihoon. It wouldn't have made sense for a happy ending if Jihoon left Jungeum for Sekyung.
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66 luvjajjangmyun
April 17, 2011 at 9:06 PM
OMG! sooooo disappointed! the show was funny and they suddenly make a twist in the ENDING!!! I feel like I just wasted my time watching this series, I'm very disappointed and SHOCKED....I was expecting a good ending since it's a family sitcom but......they...........DIED );
I'm going to take a break from watching korean dramas just to get over my disappointed on High Kick Through The Roof........
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67 abby
April 23, 2011 at 8:02 AM
I HATED THE ENDING!!!!!
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68 Nedox
April 23, 2011 at 8:05 PM
What's up with those koreans , is that some complexe they have ? It's that difficult to be happy in korea ? i mean i knew that they have been in many wars and they suffered alot but this is indeed a reason to keep believing and at least on tv they can let people have some hopes , this is just so depressing i mean i read somewear that is an artistic end , this is just ridiculous this is a sitcom a light and comic show for family , kill the two main character when u never see that coming just wow .when i watched the last episod i was thinking where is the other end or this is a joke ? coz it's just not fit on the mood .
that ending is just a FAIL if they think that they can boost their fans like that or they can gain some more they are fools , i will never watch any produce of those people and i think im not the only one.what a waste of time . Nonsense at all.
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69 PLOP
April 23, 2011 at 8:22 PM
What the hell is that this is the first ever sitcom i mean i watched alot of american n british produces i never watched something like that . It's not i never see the main character die on the end but it's dosnt make sense . Kill people on a sitcom dosnet make sense , they betrayed the feeling of the fans , i was ok even with a weak ending even if the main character those not have it all good.. it's ok i can understand but that WOW and Why ? what's the matter ? they are some shows other produces when they can put that foolish end on it but that sitcom was so much fun but in the last 5 episode it turn up on a melodrama why ? and even the script dosent make sens anymore .
Well from now on i will check out what kind of end it has before watching it those koreans are just fools it's not the first time i heard of those depressing ending ugh .
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70 hottestjen
May 2, 2011 at 1:14 PM
i don't get why they had to make ji hoon fall for se kyung as well? he was happy with jung eum. they were perfect why'd the writer change the story plot so much? and yes i understand why se kyung died but really? daniel choi? did he really have to leave jung eum? they truly love each other. this makes me mad just like when high kick 1 ended they way i did not like it! i will always love ji-jung couple!!!
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71 Jodipup
May 12, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Although I have watched lots and lots of kdramas this lighthearted show kept me entertained for all characters throughout so I have to say I don't agree with the ending but what a way to make an impact on your audience and Yes It Really Was A Disappointing ending to over 126 faithful episodes may stayed tuned but be very very easy to turn off at the slightest show of repeat
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72 mj
May 19, 2011 at 5:59 AM
I didnt realize the ending would suck till i was about halfway through...i thought that a sucky ending meant jeung eum and ji hoon wouldnt get back together...but i never imagined DEATH! what the heck!? if anyone died why not the old grandpa and grandma? omg i felt so betrayed. 126 episodes of my time WASTED for a comedy to turn TRAGIC
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73 TekkamanRain
June 21, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Worst ending of any drama, period. I wish I read this article before watching all of the episodes, up to the end. Se Kyung and the PD should be punished in their careers for this.
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74 Notaflowerboy
July 26, 2011 at 10:02 AM
The ending was a triumph of artistic ego over serving the audience. Sure, the PD and the actor, and whoever else was so adamant about this major buzz-kill, got to show off their sophistication and brilliance as the comedy gave way to tragedy and then to surreal horror. But I didn't sign up for that. I know all to well that life is hard, bad things happen to good people, and things often don't turn out OK. I don't watch silly, "family", sit-coms to be beaten over the head with reality. I don't think that most audience members tune in for that reason.
As others have noted, the assassination of the characters by the PD destroys the whole comic effect of the preceding 125 episodes. We knew all along that we were seeing tragic situations within the hijinx of the story - stunted character development, personal failure and foibles, ugly class realities, the struggle for substistance, cultural idiosyncracies, violence, alchoholism, the whole kit-and-kabootle. That tragedy is what made it funny instead of corny. We didn't really need to have that message punctuated with a left-hook to the liver.
In one fell swoop the episode took away the fun of "ppang kku ttong kku". All those hours wasted. I won't do it again. If you want to be "deep", make "films". Don't trample on people's mindless escapism with that nonsense.
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75 reraaa
July 31, 2011 at 8:58 PM
when i first wacth HKTTR, i felt so happy and i think it will be a happy ending, but now i feel so bad because the ending. why ji hoon must died? its so f*ckin ending! i really hate the ending why pd make the ending like that? huh i can feel it baby but i still not understand with ending story. anyone can tell me the ending? so jun hyuk with jung eum?and se kyung with jihoon? tell me tell me pleaseeeeeee
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76 Paul
August 26, 2011 at 8:28 PM
This show was comedy gold and the ending's shock just added to the randomness and genius of what was HKTTR. I praise the PD for going out unconventionally.
Also, if people felt betrayed by the ending b/c they felt the message was of "happiness despite unfortunate circumstances," I'm glad the PD went with an ending that portrayed the realities of life: The world isn't perfect and your life won't be either.
You felt betrayed from the time investment? Guess what? You just watched 126 episodes of a TV show sitting glued to the screen instead of going out and doing something.
GTF over it.
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HMHH
November 14, 2016 at 7:56 AM
Why does almost every single person who liked the drama feel the need to respond with personal attacks?
It seems to me that it says a lot.
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77 me
August 31, 2011 at 2:46 AM
i guess i'm in the rare minority that actually liked the ending. her final wish came true in a melancholic sort of way.
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78 fifi
September 5, 2011 at 1:21 AM
well, i didn't watch this sitcom, but, imo, the fact that this sitcom ended sadly made it more realistic to me. you know, life is all about unpredictable things. there are so much twist in real life. God made it that way. there are a lot of cases in which someone who was always smiling and laughing passes away so suddenly. you can laugh today, but who can guarantee that you will be able to laugh again tomorrow? you can be happy today, but who can guarantee you can also be happy tomorrow?. life is not always about happy ending you know. it is often about sad ending. and death, who can predict death? no one. ever. even the happiest person in this world might be dead tomorrow. i mean, come on.
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79 Cham
September 13, 2011 at 11:13 PM
any chance of finding out what the ACTUAL ending was supposed to be before the PD just SLAUGHTERED the entire drama?! im DYING to know! really need some closure to this drama! :(
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80 Dratstar
October 5, 2011 at 2:15 AM
Just got done watching this after getting into High Kick 3. First off, the reaction to the ending is one of the reasons Korean dramas for the most part are melodramatic crap right along there with American soap operas. It's drivel, but at least those daytime shows don't sway and bend to the gabbing of "fans" whose imagination for what happens to a character is usually restricted to how much they like said character. Yeah, that'll produce originality.
Good on the director and his ignoring anyone who was telling him to change HIS vision of how the show would end. While I'm sure this show was written on the fly like every other kdrama, I hope more directors and writers develop artistic integrity when they continue and not let these weakass viewers lap on the same tired shit they're used to just for convenience sake.
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81 bluemoon
October 22, 2011 at 8:49 PM
Was watching up to episode 98 and then I check out the last episode. I can't believe that Jihoon and Sekyung both died together. That last expression when Jihoon look at Sekyung with that sad expression of his, I don't know what to make of it. Did he just realized that he's in love with her too? Or is he just feeling sorry that he couldn't return the same feeling back? I do think that he cares for her, but in a different way. All throughout the drama, I truly thought that Jihoon love Jungeum a lot. Even in the last episode, after dropping Sekyung at the airport, he was on his way to Jungeum's hometown to get back with her. Ah! What a sucky ending.
Did Jungeum ever come to know that Sekyung was in love with Jihoon?
My favorite couple is Jihoon and Jungeum...and that's that. I wish the show could have ended differently but it's too bad.
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82 Tania
October 26, 2011 at 8:12 PM
Frankly I have to agree with everyone else that this drama was a serious let down. I watched all the episodes and, although it wasn't as good as Unstoppable High Kick, it was light hearted and fun which makes sense because it is a family sitcom. And where it was going before the last 5 episodes seemed pretty happy and okay, but then EVERYTHING FELL APART! It seemed like they were just ruining the lives of every character, and to top things off they UNEXPECTEDLY, completely out of the blue KILL OF the 2 main characters. So when I finished the series I just sat there stunned. I couldn't believe what I just saw. Makes me want to HIGH KICK the PD in the damn face.
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83 IamLovinKpop
November 26, 2011 at 9:01 AM
So I watched every single episode (all 126) every single day hoping to see Shin Se Kyun and Yoon Shi Yoon's romance progress, for them to be together...
But this is the ending I get?
I sacrificed my grade (didnt do homework) to watch this all in hope of a Happy Ending but this is what I get???
I loved the whole thing overall, waited 125 episodes for Shin Se Kyung and Yoon Shi Yoon to kiss and this happens????
Makes me so angry.
Makes City Hunter's ending seem a whole lot better!
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84 hate sad ending
December 15, 2011 at 7:02 AM
WHY OHHHH WHY!!
Not my Daniel Choi anyone but him!!! cause him and Hwang Jung Eum are such a great couple...
I'm so frustrated, depressed and angry at the same time :'(
Hate the ENDING!!!!!
To the people who made this drama the ending suck....
Seem like you guys couldn't come up with a better ending- lacking skill right there... not happy jane :(
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85 hate sad ending
December 16, 2011 at 3:00 AM
Still ANGRYYYYYYY!!!!!
Hate the ending!!!!!
Just wanna erase the last six episode from my memory!!!
High kick 3 better not be like this!!! otherwise im gonna be super ANGRYYYYYY x3!!!!
Not happy JANE!!!! :(
Does anyone know the other ending?????????????????????????????????? its probably better then this one!!!!
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86 Bubblyeve06
February 11, 2012 at 8:01 PM
Ok so! I just finished all 126 episodes of High Kick Through the Roof and (seen the first franchise) as surprised as I was. I kinda liked the ending. Primarily because for me I felt, it told a very moving and deep love story that had been running concurrent to the happy hopeful family storyline.
It was weird how Daniel Choi and Shin Se-Kyung were suppose to be a couple or.... paired.... at least liked each other but there was never the opportunity or he went with someone else. I think maybe the director wanted to show that in all the hopefulness there was genuine heartbreak and an unfulfilled love. I liked.
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sUn
April 4, 2012 at 9:11 PM
Before watching, I felt the same thing with most of ppl. What?! Tragedic ending for a sitcom?!
But after watching 126 episodes, I didnt feel any resentment, and to be honest I kinda liked it. Unfulfilled love.
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Chandler
November 1, 2013 at 4:06 PM
It just didn't really sit right with me. I didn't feel the connection between Daniel Choi and Shin Se-Kyung at all. Almost all of their interactions were boring. The romance and connection between him and Hwang Jung-Eum was much stronger and they were just so much more endearing together. It was their scenes together that made me love the characters individually. I loved the way he began to enjoy joking around because of her and how she would act so "annoyed" at him when she was clearly smitten. Their romance is the kind of romance I want in my life.
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87 ahjummassi
March 21, 2012 at 12:30 PM
I 'm seeing daggers pointing at me but yeah I like the ending. Everyone is talking about the death of the 2 characters when it wasn't clearly said so in the ending. It was open-ended. For all we know Sekyung and Jihoon lived and ended up together, got married and so on. For some reason I had this feeling that the two were soulmates. They cared for each other beyond friendship, and connected beyond words. Jeung Eum is fun but is too shallow, Jun Hyuk is loving but immature. They're a good pair instead.
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88 angry viewer
March 26, 2012 at 2:26 AM
Please ! Go to hell director Kim Byung-wook. How can you put that shit in a comedy series >.<"
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89 ffixi
June 13, 2012 at 6:29 AM
Im watching this series because I want to watch Shin Se Kyung brighter character (her acting) after I watched Fashion King's terrible ending but after I go through 126 episodes, HKTTR ending make my body shaking even more than Fashion King ending. I dont understand why the producer want to twist the end so much; as a viewer what I really want is to release tension that is why I choose to watch this series; HKTTR, which is in comedy genre, a family sitcom. So if the producer really want to make this series a thriller why label this as family sitcom, comedy; it is not right to ending this way (yeah try imagine watching American Sitcom "Friends" with HKKTR ending). If Im a grandpa I will have died from heart attack watching this sad and shocked ending.
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90 sweetspring
July 20, 2012 at 2:10 PM
I wasn't going to comment but since the last comment was just a month ago after this series finished 1 1/2 years ago, its a testament to how strong this show has been to fans who have embraced it. Which is exactly why there was, & I'm sure still is, so much bitterness over the ending.
My humble 2 cents- there was a quick shot of Jihoon with a red box probably carrying a engagement ring. He was going to Daejeon to propose to Jungeum. I think he sincerely loved her & treated Sehkyung more like a little sister who he grew very fond of. The ending was biased towards Sehkyung's character, it was the only way she could get what she wanted which was Jihoon.
Was that a good way to end? absolutely freaking not! but ah! what can you do??? I've rewritten the ending in my mind to Jungeum proving herself with her new job, marrying Jihoon & Sehkyung coming back to Korea just in time to enroll in the college with Junhyuk & be a CC couple. THE END.
Predictable but at least I don't have that bitterness that taints the rest of the brilliant episodes.
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91 Lin
October 26, 2012 at 8:39 AM
Just wished they could produce an alternate ending!
Why did it have to end the way it did?!!
It left so many unknowns e.g. did the little sister make it overseas (if so, how did she cope in a foreign milieu and without her sister), does the father become CEO of the company, did the mother give birth to a boy or girl, did the bratty sister cope well after the siblings left and how does she deal with no longer being the youngest in the family because of the newborn, how does the brother, who liked SSK, enjoy Uni, does the pop sensation return to her partner etc.
So many things left unfinished!! I hate the ending with a passion!
I prefer a happy ending, even if predictable, rather than a sad unexpected ending T_T
I loved episode 1-125 and admit I got teary in some of the last episodes (surprisingly, I got really emotional during the times when the bratty sister started crying and didn't want Shin Ane to leave). In the final scenes with SSK and the doctor, I was not even one milligram emotional. I just wanted their conversation to hurry up and then BAM it ended (without a bang) leaving me extremely dissatisfied!
I'm annoyed because the last few dramas I've watched have had such BS endings. I thought that since this was a comedy it would at the very least have a happy ending!! Hopefully, unexpected endings won't be the norm otherwise it will just become predictable that no drama will have an expected ending and I will just skip the ending.
Bring back cliche happy endings please, thank you!
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92 meanrice
February 11, 2013 at 12:59 AM
So I just marathoned this over the course of 3 days. I was blindsided by the ending, and I liked it. I agree that tonally, it was disjointed from the rest of the series, but daayyyuummm.
I know I am in the minority, but I felt more chemistry b/t Se-Kyung and Ji Hoon than them with their alternate pairings. Someone else put it best above, Jun Hyuk still had a lot of maturing to do. I can compare him to Jin Rak in Flower Boy Next Door, take your moment. And Se-Kyung knew he liked her and she didn't like him back. And Jung-Eum, I get the becoming a Candy out of necessity, I didn't like that writers. Not one bit.
Jung-Eum lied to Ji Hoon twice. Maybe I am biased because I was rooting for Se-Kyung and Ji Hoon the second he threw her shoe at the closing subway door, which contextually, now looks like a metaphor for their missed love connection from the beginning.
I feel that Jung-Eum betrayed their love when she lied during their break up as to why they were breaking up. When Ji Hoon was asking for confirmation as to the real reason they were breaking up. It's not me is it? It's not me is it? It's not me is it? Gah. Could she not sense his desperation for validation of "them" and his love then? Right then is when she should have told him about not having the confidence to face him. Not in a note left in the aftermath of a broken promise. He was a pretty kick ass boyfriend otherwise, there was a VERY high possibility that he would have understood. And if he didn't and was pig headed about being the knight in shining armor, then that was your answer wasn't it? I get that Ji Hoon loved Jung-Eum, I saw the red box too. I just feel like Jung-Eum and Ji Hoon would not have worked out, they would have ended up divorced in reality. He was a workaholic who did not know how to say no, and she was aegyotastic which as time wore on would turn her into Ja Ok.
I get that the director chose to assuage either his artistic vision or his ego, depending on who you talk to. I would not have been happy with the cliche happy Ji Hoon + Jung-Eum = love forever ending; but I really wanted to know how Shin Ae was doing "3 years later" though.
Something else, throughout this entire series whenever people were in the car, I was really conscious about how often the driver was not looking at the road. That and near miss car accidents were a running theme. Sigh. We should have seen it coming.
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93 hyemi
April 20, 2013 at 9:24 PM
I think the fact that there are still people leaving comments about this sitcom only shows how powerful it was to so many of us.
I finished watching this sitcom just a little while ago. I read nearly every comment left on this blog post and I found that I still agree with nearly everyone who disagrees with the ending. This ending was flat out stupid, uncreative, unnecessary. I will go ahead and admit that I was very biased towards Hwang Jung Eum and Jeong Ji Hoon. This couple is just so perfect. I have never loved seeing a couple go on dates and being with each other so much. I could see these two getting back together, marrying, and being beside one another through the good and bad times. I only kept watching the last 18 episodes in the hopes that the two would work things out and get back together. When I realized there were only 4 episodes left and the thumbnails were all of Se Kyung and Shin Ae, I knew the odds were slim, especially when they barely even showed Jung Eum and Ji Hoon at all.
Ji Hoon really did love Jung Eum. They were so amazing together. And it made sense to me that Jung Eum lied to him about breaking up. If I had seen this sitcom a few years ago, I would have been upset at her. I would be yelling at her to stop lying and just tell the truth. But after so many years of watching Korean dramas, I have come to understand that she had to lie and she had to overcome this troublesome time herself. Going to her doctor boyfriend for help would be too easy. She had to fight through the tough times. But there was still plenty of screen-time left for the two, and they did still want to get back together. Ji Hoon's actions towards Se Kyung were always a too friendly, but I honestly don't think he liked her. He already had a girl and he was on his way to getting her back. I kept on telling him to please not waste his time on Se Kyung and go to his girl, but the PD didn't let him do that.
I started watching High Kick Through the Roof after finishing Unstoppable High Kick. Although season 1 had a sad-ish ending, it was still hopeful and good. Neither completely sad nor completely happy. I had lots of laughs with it, but did not find season 2 to be very funny. I liked every character in season 1 just like a family. Sometimes I hated them, other times I loved them. Season 2, on the contrary, made it difficult for me to genuinely love anyone besides Ji-Jung couple. But with the development of the characters, I found myself enjoying HKTTR just as much as UHK. The characters in UHK had shown much growth and were fighting for a better life. With this, however, there is no hope. There is no way my all-time favorite couple can get back together. And what about their families? Would Se Kyung's family still leave for Tahiti even after a tragedy occurred? Would they stay in Korea and struggle with moving on and making money? What about Ji Hoon's family? How would they cope? It just doesn't make sense, and as many have already said, this is a family sitcom so it should have an ending similar to the theme of the 125 previous episodes.
Now all I can do is try to forget the ending and think of how I would finish the story. Quite honestly, just because someone is a professional director, does not mean he will always make the right decisions. There is tragedy in life, but there was already plenty of tragedy without the final episode. And after all, people watch TV shows to distract themselves from their life struggles, not to add on the their sadness. I can only hope to see Jung Eum and Daniel act together as characters with the same personalities and actually end up together. And no matter what anyone says, ending a series with death when it was never called for is just cheap.
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Chandler
November 1, 2013 at 3:56 PM
I agree with you completely.
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94 madman999
June 10, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Just finished watching this drama and while I am sad for the ending, after watching a bunch of other dramas like "Fashion King" and "When a Man Loves"(both also starring SSK), I sort of understand why the PD went this route. a sad ending is probably more memorable and talked about more than a happy one.
Before watching this, I thought "Fashion King" had absolutely the worst ending I had ever seen with the tragic death and unresolved plot lines. But after investing the hours to watch this drama and growing to like the characters, it is sad to have no resolution to their plot lines other than the deaths. I hate ambiguous endings but in the end it probably does keep you thinking about what if rather than filing it away forever. i mean everyone probably loves "You're Beautiful" but even that ending probablywasn;t memorable.
incidentally, the way "When a Man loves" ends, i;d have to say it turned out to be a pretty plain vanilla ending-totally inoffensive and "no animals were hurt in the making of that ending". it;s possible that the writer may have bowed to pressure not to have a bad ending but in the end, it;s debatable whether the ending and the show in general will be memorable or merely a "throwaway" piece....
other than that, I thought the ending to HK2 was disappointing and inappropriate for a feel good family comedy.
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95 alee
June 12, 2013 at 9:05 AM
I liked the ending, actually. the other characters had closures in previous episodes. Plus, the show began with se kyung and it makes sense that it ends with her as well.
The sitcom basically gave us a slice of se kyung's life. Initially, we fell into her story out in the 'middle of nowhere' (somewhat literally, as she lived in the woods) so the abrupt, unfurnished ending suits the intro we received.
In a way, I think the writers gave her a "happy" ending. Had the story continued, she'd move to a foreign country with her dad and struggle further to keep her family on boat. She felt ambivalent about moving, so showing her move wouldn't have been a satisfying ending for her.
Se kyung wanted time to pause to cherish her moment with jihoon. She just wanted that little bit of moment to herself and that's what writers gave her.
I don't think the PD and the writers were looking to satisfy the fans - but they were looking to put the characters to the rest. And that's what did: put their characters before their fans.
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96 kuro
July 1, 2013 at 9:19 PM
I actually just finished this entire sitcom only to be disappointed in it. I don't regret watching it, but what kind of ending what that?! They could have done a separate ending for the viewers.
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97 bjharm
July 4, 2013 at 11:34 PM
An ending like that in a 25 min sitcom? The PD must of had huge clout in the industry to push that through, it smacks of pure ego on his part. I really can not think of anyone who watched the show that approved of the ending, it not as if the watchers would be heavy drama buffs or anything and stand back and go wow what a brave and different ending great film making..lol It like the PD was finished with the show now let burning it all down! I surprised he didnt have the plane Yoo In-na was taking to Japan crash onto the highway so to take out a few more of the cast, heck why not have the plane just crash into the house and be done with it.
The idea of frozen in time, to get past the class thing of doctor and maid [ skipping the point he was two timing] to be happy that split moment, frozen before they both die very bitter sweet very dramatic and so not suited to an ending of a 126 long sitcom.
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98 elle
August 16, 2013 at 10:58 PM
My apologies PD Kim, but if you were feeling dramatic deaths why didn't you produce a friggin MELODRAMA instead?
After getting past the whole idea of a family sitcom and viewers invested in the show...let's remind ourselves that there were young children watching this.
Where does that leave them? Don't hope for anything, b/c who knows a car crash might happen someday!
And the big issue...WHY?
If your going to explain yourself do it thoroughly...what the hell was the point of killing off two main stars? There were no interesting details at the end that were impacted by the two deaths.
utter crap.
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99 Quỳnh
September 2, 2013 at 6:30 PM
I had been living with this sitcom and waiting for a happy ending comes to all the characters, especially Hwang Jung Eum and Jung Ji Hoon.
Like any other films, a happy ending for the character is not unfamiliar BUT it makes viewer feel satisfied, the life is still happy… but the ending of this film make me really really SHOCK, i thought that the last scene is just a dream - a kidding thing of the producer - and try to look for another happy ending. I've never been like this, but after living through 126 episodes, this ridiculous ending make me couldn't sleep, unexpectedly that i cried (why i have to cried because of a ridiculous ending).
Why? Why a really funny sitcom has to have a sad ending???? A happy ending would make the viewers satisfied with all their time, health, mind… for all the prior 125 episodes.
Actually, I hoped for a extremely happy ending of Hwang Jung Eum and Jung Ji Hoon, would be the scene of their kiss and hug, the success of Hwang Jung Eum, the happy end of Shin Se Kyung and Jung Huk.
I HATE THIS >"<
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100 Chandler
November 1, 2013 at 3:50 PM
I personally love this sitcom still only because I was able to do something I usually never do with dramas. I just simply didn't watch that ending. It didn't happen for me. Simple as that. I usually never allow myself to do this, but for this drama I was able to, mostly because I didn't like it as much towards the end anyway and had stopped watching. I ADORED the first 100 episodes so I kind of act as if the series ended off there. I actually didn't even know this series ended like that until I read this post a while back.
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