Secret Garden: Episode 20 (Final)

633 January 16, 2011January 24, 2016

by girlfriday

It’s the bow-tied, triple-knotted kind of ending for this cast of characters, as we say our final goodbyes to Secret Garden. I’d personally like to say farewell to omo-queen Secretary Kim. Thanks for the laughs. And of course to my new favorite idol-oppa, Oska. Yoon Sang-hyun, I was never on your bus before, but I’m totally on it now. Oska, fighting!

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Joo-won tells Mom that he’s going to live the rest of his life as Ra-im’s husband, despite knowing that it’s going to be near impossible for her to accept. She reels, spitting out that this is nothing but a momentary feeling—it’s something that happens once in everyone’s life. He looks at her curiously.

She means Joo-won’s father, of course, who we’ve never heard mention of until now. She says with bitterness shaking in her voice that “they” are always the ones to grow tired and leave first, while “we” are always the ones left behind. Hm. So she’s lumping Ra-im in with her husband, for a myriad of reasons including class. Well that explains a lot, but did it really require us to wait twenty episodes for that explanation? Is anyone going to be sympathetic for you after all that shrill shouting, for all those episodes?

Joo-won tells her that it doesn’t matter—even if it ends up that way, he’s never going to leave her. He tells Mom that someday he’ll walk her down the aisle with Mom’s blessing. She replies that she’ll roll over in her grave before that happens, and Joo-won takes his leave with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Ra-im heads to the bus stop, trailed behind oh-so-conspicuously by Mom’s secretary. She decides to confront him, and hands him a coffee, saying he must be tired following her around in this cold weather. He looks at her sweetly and says he’s secretly on her side (aw) and offers to drive her where she’s going, since he’s going to follow anyway. Hahaha. Awesome.

She goes to meet Ji-hyun, who’s been going over Ra-im’s charts looking for the reason that she woke up from her brain-dead coma. Ra-im tells her that she’s not going to find the answer in medicine. She adds that the time she visited Ji-hyun wasn’t her; it was Joo-won. Way to advertise to a shrink that you’re batshit crazy.

Ra-im just explains obliquely that it was a miracle, and that she and Joo-won have experienced a miracle that can’t be explained by science and medicine. Or logic. You forgot logic.

At the same time, Joo-won sits down in a café with Jong-soo, who’s called him out for his concession speech. He tells Joo-won that this is normally the kind of conversation they’d have over drinks, but he’s already seen Joo-won’s drinking habits. Heh.

Jong-soo tells Joo-won that he’s always wanted to be a father, an oppa, and a man to Ra-im. But now Joo-won has to be all of those things to her. Joo-won just answers, “What if I don’t wanna?”

Joo-won: “I’m only going to be a man to Ra-im. A father, an oppa…you be those things. Don’t leave her an orphan. That’s MY request.”

AW. Seriously, aw. Can you…hug it out? No? Come on!

The next day Joo-won drives Ra-im somewhere, as he confirms that Oska and Seul have arrived. She wonders if they’re all eating together, but he doesn’t answer. He takes her inside, asking pointedly that if she wants to run away, it’s her last chance.

She halts in her tracks. Are we…? He just smiles, asking if there’s anything she wants to do in her last ten minutes before becoming a married woman. Buh…way to be romantic, dude.

She calls him a jerk for deciding this on his own, without so much as an “I love you,” even if he doesn’t mean it.

Joo-won: Why would I say something like that? You really aren’t very bright, are you? It’s not because I love you. It’s because I love ONLY you. I have no other choice in the matter, you amazing woman.

Pffft. Okay, I know it’s meant to be romantic, but um…it sounds like you’re saying this is your only option in life…which is just not the way you intended it to sound, methinks. He puts out his hand, as he says that there isn’t going to be any flowers, or candles, or even a ring…but will she still become his wife?

She puts her hand in his, and says, “Of course.”

They head inside to register their marriage, with Oska and Seul as witnesses. Joo-won peers over as Ra-im is writing, complaining that she’s writing awfully slowly, when he was totally fast. Heh. They sign with matching heart-signatures, the way Ra-im had signed Joo-won’s name when she was in his body.

Oska and Seul gag at the hearts, and Oska retaliates by signing the document like an autograph. Ha.

They head to Joo-won’s house first, to decorate his room for the newlyweds. Oska tells Seul that he’s learned something by watching Joo-won and Ra-im: that all memories, even bad ones, can be wiped clean with time and love. He promises to remember everything, even the bad stuff, and turn it all into happy memories of how they met, fell in love, broke up, and then got back together.

He gets her to agree to do his music video, and hugs her in delight. Joo-won and Ra-im walk in, asking what they’re doing here. Oska: “We’re here to do all this.” (Pointing to the decorations.) Joo-won: “You were doing OTHER stuff!” Ha.

They thank Seul and Oska, and Joo-won can’t help but take another jab. He turns to Seul: “If we had met when we were 21…” Ra-im and Oska scowl, and they all laugh, as Joo-won kicks them out. “We have…stuff to do…”

Rawr?

He chases her around the bedroom for a while, and then lands on the bed alone. She tells him to freeze, and then climbs on top of him for a kiss. Finally, the Ra-im of yesteryear, pre-wrist-grabs and buckets of tears.

We get a montage of their happy first days as a married couple, taking walks together and staying in together. As they laze around and read (Is it sick that this is the thing I’m most jealous of—that these people have time to laze around and READ?) Joo-won shows her the rewritten ending to The Little Mermaid.

She calls him Secretary Kim (cute) and tells him that his ending sucks, as he chases her around the room in circles. I suppose it works out nicely that they’re both immature in the same ways.

They go to ask Grandpa for his blessings, but he sides with Mom, saying that they’ll have to get her permission first. Easier said than done, Gramps.

Joo-won notifies Mom of the marriage registration, and she ends up in the hospital. Joo-won goes to see her, and she admits defeat. She disowns him as her son, and though she lets him keep his job, she takes back everything else, and tells him to cough up money for the land that his house is on. Well that’s actually way nicer than I thought she’d be. All those dramatics, and you get to keep your job AND your house? What the hell was on the line, then?

Director Park is lamenting his lost job when Joo-won calls, re-hiring him and taking him under his wing. It’s a win-win, as Joo-won earns an ally and loses an enemy, and Director Park gets to keep the job he loves.

Ra-im announces her married status to the action school, and the guys stare agape, some of them even crying (heh). Jong-soo congratulates her and gives her a script to a new project: Sector 7 (another shout-out to a Ha Ji-won vehicle).

Jung-hwan thinks she’s a genius for taking care of the paperwork first (since he’s never been shy about thinking that Joo-won was a catch) and wonders if maybe she’s pregnant. She glares him down, and he decides it’s time to pay Joo-won a little visit…

He shows up at LOEL with backup (and bats! Ha.) to make it clear that Ra-im’s got a bunch of oppas, and that the day Joo-won makes her cry is the day he dies. Aw, this is the cutest thing EVAR.

Joo-won says he already spoke to Jong-soo, but Jung-hwan’s like, I’m the director now! Why are you talking to him!? Hehe. Joo-won accepts the warning this time, but says the next time, he’s gonna tell on them to Ra-im. The guys look around nervously.

Oska handwrites invitations for his concert to his fanclub, and Tae-sun worries that he doesn’t have any time to waste if he’s going to do a decent performance. He makes Oska practice over and over, concerned that his vocal skills aren’t going to top the charts.

Oska tells him that he doesn’t care about those things anymore—now, every moment, all this, is what matters to him. He tells Tae-sun to use this studio from now on and make the music that he wants.

He goes to film his music video, and finds that the story is his first meeting with Seul. Aw. What’s hilarious is that they cast someone to play the younger her, but Oska plays himself. Ha. Oska winks at her as she watches from the monitor, and she smiles.

Joo-won and Ra-im each do well at work, and enjoy the sleepy exhaustion of being newlyweds. Ra-im: “You have to let me sleep sometimes!” Heh…heh. Heh. Heh.

Oska gets ready for his big concert, and everyone watches happily as he sings. Tae-sun is the only one who looks on with a heavy heart, as he sighs wistfully, slings a bag over his shoulder, and walks away.

Seul sees him, and chases him down backstage. She asks if he’s really leaving this way. He answers that it’s because he doesn’t like her (still calling her ajumma). She realizes that he genuinely loved Oska, and asks if he can’t stay and be his friend.

Tae-sun: “You mean you get to be his lover while I have to be his friend?” Well, when you put it that way…

He tells her not to lose Oska to some other girl, and says that the song “Tears” is his gift to her, as he walks away. She tells him that if he ever needs something, to call her. I do really love these two as frenemies fighting over one man. Too bad he has to leave.

On stage, Oska sings his 7th album title track, “Tears.” Seul returns to her seat holds up a sign that says, “Sun said that this song is about me. Do I have that right? With the excuse that I was hurt, I hurt you so much. I’m really sorry. Truthfully, the roasted chestnuts is me. But the cheesecake is some other bitch. I still love you anyway, Choi Woo-young.”

Hahaha. I do love her sassiness. Oska makes a big heart over his head as he sings, signaling to her that he loves her too, and she cries, holding up her sign in the middle of the audience.

As we watch Ra-im do sit-ups while Joo-won holds her legs (an excuse for him to kiss her, of course) he narrates in voiceover that they spend their days finding out just how immature a man and a woman who are in love can be. Heh. Accurate description if I’ve ever heard of one.

They wear MATCHING SPARKLY TRACKSUITS as they play and run around in the snow, and they continue to fight and make up like always. This time he follows her into the elevator for a makeout session, only to be awkwardly interrupted by his entire executive staff. As everyone else gawks and averts their eyes, Secretary Kim takes out his camera….LOL.

Five years later, they have three kids, and Ah-young’s dream comes true, as the couple takes the kids to Grandma’s house for a visit. There, outside the big gate, the kids cry that Mom won’t get them some new toy. Ra-im remembers the dream, and laughs that it really did come true.

Grandma comes out to greet the kids warmly, but coldly ignores Joo-won and Ra-im, making sure the gate shuts firmly behind her. Joo-won says in voiceover that his mother really was true to her word. They expected that time would change her, but she’s remained as firm as ever.

I rather like that her character stayed consistent. No easy answers in life. You know, except for coma-killing-body-swapping miracles. Except for those.

Ra-im becomes an action school director herself, echoing Jong-soo’s lines from the first episode to her team of stuntmen.

Oska proposes to Seul with a chestnut and then the ring he’s kept for all those years, and tells her that fifteen years have gone by since the beginning, and he plans to never grow up, and remain like this with her forever. Well, it’s good that you set realistic goals. She cries, overwhelmed (and probably exhausted, what with fifteen years of dating).

Ah-young and Secretary Kim walk along the river, and happen to find the message in a bottle that he had thrown into the ocean on Jeju Island after they had first met. She takes it as a sign and hugs him in delight.

Jong-soo goes to meet a casting director for a project, only to come face to face with Sohn Ye-jin. Dude, he gets Sohn Ye-jin as a consolation prize? No need to feel sorry for this guy!

She tells him that she happened upon his script that’s been stuck in development hell for the better part of a year, and asks what he thinks of her. He’s like, whaaa? Sohn Ye-jin: “What, were you thinking of casting Angelina Jolie?” He literally OMGs to her face. Haha.

Joo-won and Ra-im put all the kids to sleep and sneak out, thinking they’re home free…only one of them wakes up and announces that he’s going to sleep with mommy tonight. Joo-won: “Who says?” Kid: “Moooommy, I don’t like Daddy.” Ra-im: “I don’t like YOU right now.” Hahaha.

Joo-won puts the kid back to sleep with one finger to the forehead (That’s exactly what MY dad used to do! Why do all Korean dads do that? Where do they learn this stuff?)

They finally get the kids to sleep, and Joo-won carries her out. They go for a walk, as Ra-im says in voiceover:

Ra-im: We still don’t have a single wedding photo. But we live every day, loving and being loved, living a magical life. Maybe being in love is a lot like swapping souls. May your soul have flowers that bloom, a cool breeze, a shining sun, and…once in a while, a magical rain that falls.

It starts to snow as she says those last words, and they snuggle as they watch the snow come down. Still in voiceover, Ra-im asks Joo-won if he’s really not going to tell her…what he meant when he said he tried to deliver her father’s message sooner. Well you sure did ask soon. Five years and three kids later, you finally want to know?

We flashback to thirteen years ago, when Joo-won had gone to the funeral in his hospital gown, and seen Ra-im for the first time. He cried outside and watched over her all day and night, but couldn’t bring himself to go in.

Finally in the middle of the night, when she had fallen asleep on the ground, he came in and repeated, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over to her. He collapsed next to her, and in a stupor, he watched her sleep. She started having a nightmare, and he put his finger on her forehead.

He then fell asleep with his hand over hers. They had met that way, in the wake of her father’s death, only to repeat the same actions over and over again.

GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

What’s fated is fated. That’s pretty much the moral of the story.

As a final episode it didn’t exactly wow me, since including yesterday’s, that’s two full episodes of denouement. All the dramatic payoffs actually happened last week, and this week was mostly a happy send-off for all the characters, one by one. On the upside, it wrapped everything up neatly with bows and all, and we got an entire episode of future bliss for all involved. On the downside, no dramatic tension to be had whatsoever.

On the whole this series was kind of Frankenstein’s monster, what with all the piecing together of disparate genres and picking and choosing elements that don’t really bind together…but it walked and talked like a drama. I think this writer’s strengths are in the moments—her dialogue is crisp and witty, and all the butting of heads crackles with humor and dramatic possibilities. I especially loved the rampant immaturity in all the adult characters. It was aggravating at times, but always entertaining. Her sense of humor is dry and immature, which totally jives with mine. Heh.

What I find lacking (besides a satisfying use of the body swap element, grrr) is a true connection to her characters. I just never fell in love with Joo-won or Ra-im. I know lots of people did, and I’m happy for your beautiful and fulfilling love. I just didn’t, and well, it’s impossible to fall in love with a drama when you’re not in love with the main characters.

I found Joo-won’s character very compelling at first, because he was so damaged and flawed and curiously new…but he ended up being SO socially abrasive that he lost me. Ra-im seemed like she was going to be all spunk, but ended up quite the lackluster heroine, for all the badassery that was initially advertised. That’s not to say that they were wholly unsympathetic, but my heart didn’t expand and contract along with theirs; I didn’t cry when they cried; I didn’t hold my breath when they declared their love….and I really really wanted to. I just didn’t.

I don’t think I’ll ever get past the utter waste that was the body swap plot (oh, the potential, what could have been…I bleed, I cry…) and wielding the fantasy element with such disregard for narrative satisfaction. In the end I think the show courted the audience a lot like Joo-won courted Ra-im: it wore a bunch of shiny things and then expected us to come running, impressed at all the awesome. Hand-stitched in Italy is impressive, yes, but I think I’ll stick to machine-washable: earnest, and full of heart. But that’s just me.

JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

First off, the finale itself. What a weird, uneven cobbling together of epilogue-type scenes. You can really feel the rush job with the awkward cuts between scenes, changing threads without a proper sense of build and flow. I thought it felt like the finale episode of a drama that has been given a last-minute extension—lots of padding to provide fanservice and fill out the time.

I have to admit that the latter half of the episode felt like a copy of My Name Is Kim Sam-soon to me, but without the emotional resonance—I LOVE the finale episode of Sam-soon and felt it was a beautiful fit to the drama, but here, it feels tacked-on. I wish the writer had found a way to make a finale that was more organic to THIS show, that felt like it flowed out of the 19 episodes preceding it, but I think she’d run out of steam (and perhaps more importantly, time).

As for the drama as a whole: Secret Garden is like Gourmet to me—the loveliness of the packaging totally obscures the ordinariness of the story and the hackneyed plot. That’s totally not an insult (and I really enjoyed Gourmet), although I know there will be those who take it as one. But let’s take a look at the drama first before jumping that gun—it’s a show built entirely around the premise of two lovers being held apart by social class, fantasy body-switching shenanigans notwithstanding. And with regards to that central conceit of She’s Just Not Good Enough, there’s nothing really new about how it’s addressed: Hero struggles with self, eventually gets over it. Hero’s mom struggles with it, causes a shitstorm of trouble to keep them apart, never gets over it.

Nothing wrong with a simple plot, and certainly, Secret Garden is buoyed by enough other aspects to make it a fun watch. The acting, for sure, and the chemistry between Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin, which I think was fabulous despite never fully warming to either character. The depictions were great—the characters, meh. Ra-im was a shell of a character, never given much development or complexity; the writer chose to pour all her energies into Joo-won, at Ra-im’s expense. (This is not exclusive to Secret Garden, since it happens in a number of dramas, but the prevalence of this particular flaw doesn’t negate its weakness.) Thankfully Ha Ji-won’s performance was enough to gloss over that insufficiency for most viewers, although I wished I could have felt something for her character or connected with her even a little.

The magical element frustrates me the most because one of the biggest issues in the drama’s plot IS the body-swapping, and yet the drama never defines its magical rules, never explains the purpose, and just leaves us hanging. I don’t mean that everything has to be explained in minute detail, but when you create a huge conflict and then resolve it with absolutely no explanation, I’m going to feel cheated. I don’t need a logical explanation about how this works in real-life physics, but hell yeah I’m going to want to know why and how it happened within the context of the show itself. Instead, I’m left wondering, What was the point?

It’s clear that Dad initiated the swap to save Ra-im from a horrible stunt accident, based on his comments at the Mysterious Garden restaurant and after she misses her audition. Joo-won effects his so-called miracle to get her the role anyway, circumventing Dad’s intentions, which I can accept as one of those hand-of-fate motifs that kdramas so love to incorporate. But as we see, after she’s in her coma and pronounced very likely brain-dead, Dad still has the magical wherewithal to restore her body, healthy and whole. So why did he ever initiate the swap in the first place, if his mojo could revive the brain-dead?

I don’t buy that they needed to be swapped for Dad to save Ra-im, or that her body needed Joo-won’s soul to heal, because her own soul was perfectly intact—it awakened fine in Joo-won’s body. The only thing damaged was Ra-im’s body, and it was revived just fine.

The same goes for the amnesia—it happens for no reason, then goes away just as easily at a convenient moment. The 21-year-old Joo-won gave me some of my favorite bits of hilarity so I’m fine with the drama taking us there, if only to provide some bubbly fun. But couldn’t the drama have cobbled together a reason, any reason, no matter how flimsy, to explain it? Instead it just waves its figurative wand o’ hoodoo and makes the inconvenient questions disappear into bubbles with that narrative cure-all, magic.

So I am left to conclude that that magic was utterly pointless, and that makes me feel like Drama jerked me around and toyed with my feelings. And it’s too bad, because it’s such a well-made drama that had they tried just a WEE bit harder to connect its dots, it could have been more than a very prettily wrapped box… of air.

I know I know, people will always tell me to shut up and just enjoy it already. I’ve gotten the emails. But that’s not how it works for me— if a drama simply ceases to make sense, then I can’t enjoy it, because I like stories to not make my brain hurt. Or rather, let’s put it this way: I can fall in love with a crazy, messy ball of contradictions, flaws and all (which I’m sure you already know if you’ve been reading this site for any length of time). But I’m not going to try to convince myself that it’s not actually a crazy, messy ball of contradictions. In fact, I enjoyed Secret Garden despite much of its absurdity, shed a few tears, and laughed out loud at its wackier moments. It was fun, and often entertaining and zippy with the comedy. It didn’t rock my world, but not everything has to.

633

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201 ryuji4657

January 17, 2011 at 4:31 PM

This drama was totally awesome! I was struggling through mary stayed out all night. I stopped watching and just read the recaps on your site. No matter how hot jang geun suk looked and how cute the two geuns looked as a couple the drama was an epic failure. I didn't like not one song. Compared to Your Beautiful and Painter in the Wind. The OST on both kdramas was awesome. So with that said, I only leared of Secret Garden through several commenters. Man! I am soooo glad I came to your site. I was hooked from episode 1. I couldn't wait to see it. Every week I watched it twice. Once in Japanese raw then, I read recaps here, then went back for the eng subs. Will I watch secret garden again? Oh yeah! When I first started watching I had never heard of or seen Hyun Bin in any drama. So I thought Jang geun suk would have been better as lead. However, by the end of the second episode, I fell madly in love with Hyun Bin's acting. He was perfect for the role. I can't wait for the DVD to come out. Hope it is eng subbed. Anyway, thanks for awesome job recapping. Thanks!

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202 ryuji4657

January 17, 2011 at 4:38 PM

Sorry, one more thing. I think the body swapping was good. I thought of it like the prince and pauper. Joo Won born with silver spoon learned what being poor but still keeping a sense of self respect in a low status was like. Raim got a chance to see how the rich live but I liked how when she switched back she didn't long for being reach. She remained true to herself. And mommie dearest remained true to herself till the end by accepting her grand kids, like she said to the couple in an earlier episode, and cutting off her son and raim. The kids were so adorable. I was also happy that all the couples got together made for a happy ending.

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Startulle

January 18, 2011 at 7:12 PM

u read my mind!!!!!!!!!
first time watching these actors too and they were awsome!
Also i loved this fantasy fairy tale so i didnt really care with reality or not....,,they had honest and blunt conversations and didnt hide it!

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203 sogba

January 17, 2011 at 4:41 PM

Loved this drama, at first i didnt but oh my, im really gonna miss it, especially Oska looool he made me laugh so much!!!

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204 Li Lian

January 17, 2011 at 5:07 PM

I accept that I am biased towards SG because of the picturesque landscapes, excellent acting by the cast and witty dialogues. Well spent 2 hours viewing the drama each week.

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205 Jenny H

January 17, 2011 at 5:35 PM

Thank you for the recaps! I enjoyed every bit of it more than the drama itself.

While I love the drama, I'm also not completely sold. The drama is great but it was rather lukewarm in everything it tried to accomplished. The whole body switching theme was so promoted that it felt like a huge back drop when it was actually played out. Even the characters themselves were so watered down. I've read the comments on the physicality of JW and RI's relationship, and it just goes to show that the writer didn't played out their characters enough that the sporadic aggressive acts of force seemed a bit frightening. It would have been great if RI stuck to her stuntwomen character, where she would be physically aggressive given her profession and JW being verbally aggressive given well him... But the drama teased a bit on that and just transformed the two dynamics back to an ordinary female and male dominance. A note on the mother as well, the ending comment was at all not necessary since it was never expaneded on. I would much rather prefere the explanation on how she felt about the notion that love is fleeting and your relationship won't last forever because mine didn't either. The tying of knots where done but someone forgot to curl the ends of the bow. Apart from some flaws, I applaud Hyun Bin for playing a psychologically damaged character so well, he was great in MINKSS with the past hinging on his present, but he took it to new extremes as JW. I also love love love the cinematography of this drama. It's like a painting every time the camera zooms out! Love it and felt "eh" at the same time. Is that possible?

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206 GreenTea

January 17, 2011 at 5:45 PM

Help! I'm having a withdrawal syndrome !!! Ahhhhhh

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Bori

January 18, 2011 at 10:45 AM

Girl, you're not alone. :(

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SG-addict

January 18, 2011 at 1:13 PM

Me too! I miss the show so much! And JW and RI! :(

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207 Balletgoddess

January 17, 2011 at 6:36 PM

Ha Ji Won is crazy but so COOL at the same time!!! I mean the lady literally just finished working on SG and there are still of her new movie Sector 7 on the internet!! I thought she was going at least take a week off to catch up on some zzzzz ( idk how she has energy)

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Balletgoddess

January 17, 2011 at 6:57 PM

Never-mind this already came out = P

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208 Anke

January 17, 2011 at 7:28 PM

Let us for a moment imagine that RI's father's body switch magic was conjured up to save JW (after all, once a fireman, forever a fireman). He mentioned that when he is saving someone, he is not afraid to sacrifice his life (I suppose including his family's well-being and in this case RI's soul), however, he prayed that in the process, God will take care of his family. Well he got what he wanted, he saved JW (from being neurotic and unhappy) and blessed RI with much happiness in the process.

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209 A.

January 17, 2011 at 7:38 PM

Okay. Where to start.

First of all, I have to say, I LOVED this drama in the beginning. But I got busy in the middle and got left behind. And when I tried to catch up again, the "honeymoon phase" was starting to wear off so now I was beginning to see all the ugly gapes and holes and all of its beginning sheen was starting to peel off and I started realizing I was looking at something shabbily put together.

There was so much potential!!!!

In fact, I got so tired of trying to catch up, I ended up just skimming the recaps, episode 14 and on.

What was there to watch? I didn't understand. All of a sudden the pace dramatically slowed down to accommodate the angst, oh! the! drama! The funny quick wit, the initial body switch hijinks, this was all gone. Instead, I was stuck with frustrating "will they won't they" that didn't really go anywhere which then resulted in a sudden conclusion that Ra Im actually did want Joowon... what? I don't get it. I didn't get the characters. All that connection that I felt in the first few episodes, gone. I didn't understand the characters anymore, where they were coming from, anything.

Joowon himself is a character that's hard to like. There was hardly anything redeeming. And, to be honest, I don't think his character really changed much. Raim, well, I thought she would be badass. And what do we get? I don't even know what - I didn't see much character development out of her, other than her feeling conflicted about her feelings, but that's it?

The characters were one-dimensional, I felt. Disappointing.

And the entire conflict of this drama? A class conflict. Okay, I get it. But to have the entire show be based about this for 20 episodes? No. Especially when it takes so long for Joowon to overcome his own class prejudices, blah blah blah, everything was just stretched out. Ugh.

And, like JB said, what was even the point of the body swap??? Was it just some novelty that the writer threw out because it would attract viewers? Yes, I do like novelty, but only when it's designed well, with a purpose, has a part in the storyline, etc. This was just like a novelty piece that was there just for its novelty. Nothing else.

I am REALLY, REALLY disappointed with this. It had so much potential, and what do we get in the end? Bitter feelings? Probably. But Secret Garden, you were so up there, and now you have come crashing down on my list.

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210 samgetang

January 17, 2011 at 7:47 PM

"What I find lacking (besides a satisfying use of the body swap element, grrr) is a true connection to her characters. I just never fell in love with Joo-won or Ra-im....but my heart didn’t expand and contract along with theirs; I didn’t cry when they cried; I didn’t hold my breath when they declared their love….and I really really wanted to. I just didn’t."

"In the end I think the show courted the audience a lot like Joo-won courted Ra-im: it wore a bunch of shiny things and then expected us to come running, impressed at all the awesome. Hand-stitched in Italy is impressive, yes, but I think I’ll stick to machine-washable: earnest, and full of heart. But that’s just me."

GIRLFRIDAY, exactly my thoughts and sentiments! Thanks for all your wonderful energies poured into recapping this kdrama.

"The magical element frustrates me the most because one of the biggest issues in the drama’s plot IS the body-swapping, and yet the drama never defines its magical rules, never explains the purpose, and just leaves us hanging. I don’t mean that everything has to be explained in minute detail, but when you create a huge conflict and then resolve it with absolutely no explanation, I’m going to feel cheated. I don’t need a logical explanation about how this works in real-life physics, but hell yeah I’m going to want to know why and how it happened within the context of the show itself. Instead, I’m left wondering, What was the point?"

"So I am left to conclude that that magic was utterly pointless, and that makes me feel like Drama jerked me around and toyed with my feelings. And it’s too bad, because it’s such a well-made drama that had they tried just a WEE bit harder to connect its dots, it could have been more than a very prettily wrapped box… of air."

JAVABEANS, you couldn't have said it any better! Thanks for all your amazing work and effort for this kdrama recap.

This is not to say that this kdrama is bad; far from it. I think it has done well in giving the viewers what they wanted and more...sparkly tracksuit, coffee foam kiss, etc...all the shiny trimmings and fancy decors. They will be long remembered in kdramaland. But for some who were also looking for the tree, we were lost in all the trimmings. If the group behind this drama can create this much love from so many with so little time, imagine what they can do next? :-)

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izzie

January 18, 2011 at 9:36 AM

"What was the point?"

LOL. samgetang, do you remember us asking this question by episode 3? (Only "was" was "is.") :D I didn't expect that question to stand all through the finale. I thought then that the reason behind the use of the magic would be explained later on, but it wasn't. Every justification that the show gave us for employing magic only spurred more questions about its logic. And I don't subscribe by the idea that fantasy does not require logic. A wizard is different from a madman wielding a magic wand. Not all "why's" have answers, but I was hoping that at least we'd get enough "because" that would bring sense to how the story was curved and twisted. Because a story should make sense.

This is a murder mystery game where we enjoyed the dialogues, the situations, the comedy of it all... we loved playing along, but the puzzle wasn't solved. And the dead man was logic. And the plot was a ghost. But still, we're gleeful, because we had a blast being exposed to the characters, the actors, the witty lines, and even to our fellow viewers. ;)

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samgetang

January 18, 2011 at 6:42 PM

"And I don’t subscribe by the idea that fantasy does not require logic. A wizard is different from a madman wielding a magic wand. Not all “why’s” have answers, but I was hoping that at least we’d get enough “because” that would bring sense to how the story was curved and twisted. Because a story should make sense."

- What can I say, Izzie? We are on the same boat on this! Can't agree more...

"This is a murder mystery game where we enjoyed the dialogues, the situations, the comedy of it all… we loved playing along, but the puzzle wasn’t solved. And the dead man was logic. And the plot was a ghost."

- Izzie girl, love how you phrase it! That was really beautiful - the dead man was logic, the plot a ghost! Brilliant! But poor us! I guess, we just have to remember SG for all the comedy and chemistry. Maybe this hollow feeling is the reason why we can't truly identify and relate with the characters on a much deeper level. It's like meeting an almost perfect guy, tall dark and handsome and all, shiny and sophisticated, only to hear shallow, senseless and inane talk coming from him. ;-)
But he was fun and interesting while it lasted...

Oh well, on to the next drama ;-)

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izzie

January 20, 2011 at 7:28 AM

It’s like meeting an almost perfect guy, tall dark and handsome and all, shiny and sophisticated, only to hear shallow, senseless and inane talk coming from him.

didn't you just describe Joo-Won when he's at his stalker-craziest? :D

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211 seattlebound

January 17, 2011 at 7:48 PM

I just want to say I LOVED secret garden and enjoyed watching Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won's acting so much. Thank you for all the recaps! :)

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seattlebound

January 17, 2011 at 7:50 PM

oh, and my fav scene ever from this drama is the sit-up scene in the beginning of the drama.

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Startulle

January 17, 2011 at 8:26 PM

....lololol! totally agree with u!
sit ups never ever gonna be same for me! i will remember this forever!

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seattlebound

January 20, 2011 at 6:00 PM

here's an article about Hyun Bin's interview in which he mentioned that the sit up scene being one of his most memorable ones too: http://thedramascenes.com/2011/01/07/actor-news-sbs-tv-interview-with-hyun-bin/
:)
yup, sit ups will never be the same...

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212 rose

January 17, 2011 at 7:50 PM

in any drama the best criteria for me is do i like it ? did i enjoy it . if yes i will watch it hehehe, i like sg , becoz of the actor and actress and becoz they have chemistry and the story have a nice plot and flow for me .....

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213 drama-mama

January 17, 2011 at 8:21 PM

Finally an end! I must agree that the show started out with great promise and then taper off. The end seems to be badly hemmed together. I think the writer ran out of ideas or lost steam along the way! Both became so one-dimensional.

But overall, it was a good and enjoyable show. They should have brought Tae Sun and JW together earlier, I love their bickering. Really wit-to-wit.

And what the heck was that during Oska's concert when Seul was raising her placard? Poor on-screen and off-screen team working tirelessly trying to put the show together!

Thanks GF and JB for being such sport in putting up with the nonsense and still persevering with the comments! I will now jump over to My Princess. See you there!

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214 Startulle

January 17, 2011 at 8:24 PM

I had a great time watching and re-watching....lololo!

It was a fabulous fairy tale!...and love that our RI hugged and kissed back our adorable arrogant JW!
and Oska.....u were wonderful!

Im really gonna miss all this chemistry!

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215 Christina

January 17, 2011 at 9:16 PM

Thanks for the recaps.

I really, really loved this drama. It pulled me in so hard, that I'm having withdrawal symptoms from this addiction. But, I did notice that there were some flaws to its logic, as JB and GF have pointed out. But, with these mistakes, I still have great amount of love for this show and their characters. Granted, it could have been much better if there weren't any holes, answering some of the questionable aspects of the show.

Why did they switch bodies? What was the whole purpose to this shenanigan? I loved how they switched though; these scenes were epic and hilarious to watch. I loved them, but I was a bit confused as to why it happened because it seemed a little unnecessary to put them through this if Ra Im's dad could have just fixed her comatose state with his magic.

The only answer I can think of right now is that maybe it was to bring them together. Since Joo Won lost his memory, he couldn't deliver the message, so Ra Im's dad had to use his magic to have them meet again. Even if he could save Ra Im from her that accident, Joo Won would still not have been able to relay that message so I guess it was to have them meet. And I'm going to say that it was destiny that these two would fall in love :)

I'm happy for their happily ever after (and almost everyone else's)! I couldn't have asked for a better ending. I liked how all the kiss scenes in this episode made up for all the ones that Joo Won missed throughout the whole show. For example, the sit up scene, the elevator scene, the one in the snow takes place for the scene when he was on top of her in episode 2, etc.

I'm really going to miss this show. It was amazing! Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won were really great. I loved their great chemistry and how dedicated they were to giving us a spectacular performance. I'm truly going to miss them <3

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216 너구리

January 17, 2011 at 9:22 PM

it s weird. i was soooooo attached to the couple but not so much to the individual characters in the end.

after watching the finale i had a weird but empty feeling. i was happy with the denouement as a big picture; but as a close up; not...i was glad the mum didn t change her mind--at least she s constant--but not: did we then waste 16 episodes of fighting the mother s wrath when in the end it didn t matter whether or not she approved?
i was glad joo won got to be amnesic--it was fun while it lasted, but not: what purpose did it serve?
jong soo s character felt wasted. the mum s, overused. ah young s dream....what purpose did they serve? what connection do they have?

i was utterly addicted : i loved how they mocked drama cliches and used the body swap for comedic purposes--such as joo wonda predicting all of his mum s makjang moves--the useless henchmen and secretaries being their boss' mini-me--but then they used those very cliches in all seriousness themselves. i m not sure what the tone of the drama was: i had read about the triplet ending on naver a while back but i fail to see why they had to take us 5 years in the future: nothing changed: everyone s still together or still single. joo won s sister never got with jong soo and he s still apparently single...ah young is still with sec kim...the mother s still bitter...not to mention, in 18 yrs no one changed their hairdo...well, just 5 yrs for jong soo but 18 yrs for joo won and ra im...

sigh...

my favourite will remain 김비서.
김비서~~~ <3

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217 Aerim

January 17, 2011 at 9:33 PM

it was really weird how Joo Won's claustrophobia just went away....

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Sukispop

January 18, 2011 at 7:11 PM

Hi Aerim,

Not really, actually. The formation of phobias is usually caused by the sufferer bottling up extremely strong emotions in response to an experience. In Joo-won's case, it was his traumatic accident involving the elevator, and the death of the fireman who saved his life and lost his own in the process. His trauma was compounded by witnessing the profound grief that the fireman's daughter was suffering at her father's service. This pushed him over the edge(I believe), and subsequently he suffered amnesia. The amnesia, in this case, was a coping mechanism to protect him from further trauma.

When he (re)discovered the page from The Little Mermaid, still tucked away in his Alice in Wonderland book, it caused all of his memories to come flooding back...including the memories of the accident(and of crossing paths with young Ra-im) as well as all of the emotions he felt during that terrible time. Once those deeply buried emotions were "unbottled", and he was able to endure processing them, his claustrophobia was resolved. ;)

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mimosa

January 19, 2011 at 3:25 AM

Hi Sukispop,

you nailed it ............. couldn't be any clearer ! M-m-m, you seem to have a knack for laying it out ever so logically and reasonably :) KUDOS !

Aside : lucky i came back to look for SoulsRebel addr and saw your this comment.....really appreciate.

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Sukispop

January 19, 2011 at 8:03 PM

Hi mimosa,

You're way too kind, but thank you. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination. I've just watched my share of medical based television shows and documentaries, and have always found phobias, their causes, and their resolutions to be very intriguing.

Since I've been following Dramabeans, I've had the pleasure of reading many of your comments. They're always very well thought out and much fun to read. So, please allow me to thank you for your many wonderful contributions to this awesome blog. :)

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218 Jo

January 17, 2011 at 10:12 PM

I too went back to ep 1 to re-watched this drama till the 20th ep. It took me 2 days to complete.

I downloaded all the OST of this drama esp Hyun Bin song versions.

I also went to read the recaps from dramabeans to find out how about the concert .

I'm looking forward for Hyun Bin comedy/romantic role again soon.

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219 Atsirk

January 17, 2011 at 10:35 PM

Loved this episode. Loved the drama. I totally understand what you mean, JB and girlfriday :D
Very much appreciated :D
Thanks for the ride, fellow Gardeners! It was awesome :D

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220 lala

January 17, 2011 at 10:51 PM

I love this drama so much! Thanks for all the recaps!

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221 SG-addict

January 17, 2011 at 11:06 PM

Did anyone notice the sparkly cushion on the children's bed at the scene where JW and RI were putting the kids to bed? :D

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222 anhoynymous jane

January 17, 2011 at 11:14 PM

enjoyable drama. had it's moments; definitely with the little details and the tie in with coincidence to the bigger picture: fate and so on. I agree with javabeans... as the final episode wrapped... Hyun Bin's character ends the same way as the male character he played in My Lovely Kim Sam Soon a marriage/relationship with no approval from mother even as the years past and love stood the test of time. The switch body idea was good and had potential to make this show beyond funny but fell short because it was kind of pointless... nothing was accomplished while they were in each other's body. They didn't really experience each other's life and it really didn't make their bond any stronger than if they hadn't switched. Gil Ra Im's last words before the eighteen year flashback was beautiful. May your soul too bloom a garden full. That's all the gushing I'll allow myself publicly... :)

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223 bd2

January 17, 2011 at 11:47 PM

As a "rom-com", SG failed in both parts, the romance and comedy - due to the rather poor, cliche filled writing w/ barely any memorable/witty dialogue.

Above anything else, a rom-com should establish the background of the relationship btwn the 2 leads strongly AND develop the relationship (changes) in a realistic manner (such as in MGIAG).

SG failed to do either. Joo-won was basically a stalker who irritated the heck out of Ra-im (and at times basically forced himself on her), but all of a sudden, Ra-im fell in love w/ Joo-won?

The writers in SG failed to show why Ra-im would have all of a sudden, fallen in love w/ Joo-won, and why she lost interest in Jong-soo, much less her fan-girlism for Oska (in contrast, the writers in "My Princess" have done a much better job eatsblishing the early relationship btwn the 2 leads).

B/c of this, all the "moments" where Joo-won or Ra-im were supposed to feel for the other (usually the montages where one or the other is sitting somewhere looking pensively) felt artificial/forced and basically were a bit funny b/c one knew one was supposed to feel something, but ...nothing.

As for the romance btwn the secondary leads, the repeatedly gamemanship/fighting btwn the Oska and Seul due to a "misunderstandoing" got old fast.

As bad as the romance part was (where one really didn't feel for either relationship, much less the characters), the "com" part was probably even worse b/c basically there was little humor.

The track suit gag wasn't that funny to begin w/ and got old fast. Yeah, there was some humor w/ the whole body switching thing, but it wasn't nearly as fleshed out/well done as it could have been (a few chuckles, but could have been so much more).

The supporting characters that were supposed to supply the humor (Secretary Kim, the Director to the dept. store and his secretary, etc.) just weren't that funny (Secretary Kim was just whiny).

The problem here as w/ the romance part arises out of the mediocre writing. Is there any memorable/witty/funny lines in SG? I can't recall any.

I can rewatch Coffee Prince, MGIAG and even My Princess (early as that is) b/c they are filled w/ witty/funny dialogue, which contrast nicely against the emotional moments (which actually have substance behind them); SG, otoh, I could barely get thru it even once.

Furthermore, aside from lacking in witty, memorable dialogue, does SG have any memorable characters?

Joo-won was irritating as heck and frankly, Ra-im, wasn't as nearly memorable/loveable as the lead female character in CP, MGIAG, MP or even Coffee House.

Oska and Seul were irritating for much of their screentime as well and Jong-soo was basically a waste of a pretty major character.

Most of the other characters were also irritating as heck, Tae-sun, the Director to the dept. store and his secretary, Oska's manager, Oska's mother, etc.

And most of all, Joo-won's mother was simply a bad charicature of the wealthy, disapproving mother; not only did the actress do a poor job, but the stylist made her look ridiculous w/ those 6-year old, princess hairstyles (in contrast, the disapproving grandmother in "Coffee Prince" was a much better, fully fleshed out character).

It certainly says something when the character that I liked the best was Son Ye jin's character who had like 3-4 minutes of screentime (mostly attributed to SYJ's charisma); followed by the assistant Director to the action school.

Compounding this was the mediocre to OK acting; even HJW was a disappointment here. Kim Tae Hee did a more credible job w/ her emotional/crying scenes than HJW did in SG (her crying just didn't sound/feel real).

In addition, the storyline was just convoluted - the body switching thing felt like a gimmick and the relationships continued much too long in their tiresome, bickering stage to only quickly move to the "love" stage.

And can we talk cliche ridden? I don't mind cliches if they are done well w/ an interesting twist to them, but here, they were the same old, same old, made worse by the poor writing.

Frankly, I'm thinking the reason why this drama has been so popular is due to the pull/star power of Hyun Bin and Ha Ji won, but that's simply not enough for me (need good writing/dialogue and character development).

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lissa

January 18, 2011 at 3:23 AM

omo,,, hater alert,,, pffffffffffffffffffffffff

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bd2

January 18, 2011 at 2:07 PM

No, just an honest assessment.

Praytell what are the memorable moments or characters?

Seriously, if you thought this was good writing/dialogue and development of characters - then you have rather low standards for a TV show.

Even JB and GF thought SG was rather hollow.

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lissa

January 18, 2011 at 5:56 PM

Praytell what are the memorable moments or characters?

wait i'll ask those Q to BoA,, se7en,, Go Hyun Jung,, and some boyband's member...

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DRAMADDICT/4ever

January 18, 2011 at 8:58 PM

Hey don't forget actress Kim Jung Eun, Korean radio hosts, SBS News reporters, tv talk shows, countless magazines. Yeah I think they could "praytell" you the memorable moments or characters better than us. By the way isn't actress Go Hyun Jung the same that recently played Korean's first President? oh,and also was Lady Mishil in QSD, didn't she also acted in one of the most memorable dramas of all times Sandglass?
Hey, if Secret Garden made a fan of so many famous people, something must have gone wrong since apparently they also have "low standards for a tv show"like me. (^^)!.

DRAMADDICT/4ever

January 18, 2011 at 8:15 AM

I am starting to believe that the very very very few people making negative comments about the drama are the same person, they kind of make the same comments.
To me this drama does have one of the best writing/dialogue, best acting, best cinematography, best OST I have seen lately in a drama and has a lot of memorable scene. Was it perfect? NO, as far as I know there is not a single drama that is perfect, Was it bad? HELL NO THIS DRAMA IS ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS OF 2010!!!!

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Bori

January 18, 2011 at 10:44 AM

You're probably right... best to just ignore them. ^^;

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Startulle

January 18, 2011 at 7:15 PM

i agree!!!!!!!

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lissa

January 19, 2011 at 2:39 AM

THIS DRAMA IS ONE OF THE BEST DRAMAS OF 2010!!!!

for me this drama is the best kdrama of all time,,,
yeah,,, i love SG that much ^^

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ContentedOne

January 19, 2011 at 4:43 AM

Agree this is one of the best drama.. I really think some are watching with very critical attitude (or may be just not in the mood for a love story?) To me SG is one story about true love ..what they have overcome to be together.I also find the main difference (compared to others) is they have to deal with their inner obstacles more than the external imposed one !

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Bori

January 18, 2011 at 10:43 AM

*crickets chirping in the background*

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224 mehappy

January 18, 2011 at 12:30 AM

Despite of the flaws on this drama, I really enjoyed it. I have seen so many dramas with the same plot, like a girl disguise herself as a man then fall in love but this drama is different. Instead of disguise, why not body swap which i think it is very smart for a writer to think of( Cross dressing to pretend as a man is getting old) i think the writer thought of something new and different for audience to appreciate. Yes, it's true that the storyline is not perfect but i still think it is well delivered despite of its flaws. Thanks for the great Actors..really, they did a good job. I think this drama is not as fun to watch if other actors play the role(especially HJW AND HB). I appreciate this drama because of the unique aproach and the laughs. By the way, I really love HA JI WON so wanna share an article i read about her.
http://thedramascenes.com/2011/01/11/actor-news-comments-ha-ji-won-an-actress-known-as-a-midfielder/

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225 joongkijunkie&ELF

January 18, 2011 at 12:34 AM

so funny.
i look to kdramas for some humor in this humdrum high school life and it provides.
i agree with JB's statement abt the monet-effect, but hell, i loved it! though it was lacking in quite a few departments, i am amazed with the leads' and second leads' chemistry. kekekekeke i reallly enjoyed this drama but not as much as i could have. i watched MNIKSS in the summer so it was cute to see hyun bin again after wht was 5-6 years. he will be missed. as for ha ji-won, im glad to have found her! never actually watched haeundae or hwang jin-yi or damo but have heard good things. def be watching her upcoming work! she had the coolest name: Gil Ra-Im!! thnks secret garden for making my life a bit more exciting on the weekends for the past 10 weeks. adieu~ :D

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226 dkm

January 18, 2011 at 1:02 AM

Thoroughly enjoyed the drama despite its flaws as so many pointed out :) There hasn't been a perfect drama for me - they always have flaws so ...
Thought that the body swap thing was a test to see if JW is willing to sacrifice his life to save RI and because he did, the dad was able to save RI.
And JW's amnesia was so that he was able to remember the accident without being too traumatised by it. Just my two cents.

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227 secret garden director cut dvd

January 18, 2011 at 2:39 AM

Secret Garden Director's Cut dvd pre order started
Drama ng, makingmovie, spcial pakage so many additional images will siteul
20 days one month next month will receive limited edition pre-order
pre-orde is in English and Chinese pages

- Korea dvd community - http//cafe.daum.net / secretdvd

- English dvd community -
http//secretdvd.wordpress.com /

- 中国语 - http://blog.sina.com.cn/secretgardendvd

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228 lissa

January 18, 2011 at 3:12 AM

i loveeeeeeeeeee this finale....
no wonder so many korean celebrities loveeee this drama,,,,

SG is L.O.V.E

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229 memei

January 18, 2011 at 4:33 AM

Lol. Oooookay?

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230 porninja

January 18, 2011 at 5:34 AM

I think at the end of it all, the only character I completely 100% adore is Seul. She is just the perfect woman. So delightfully spunky - kinda what Ra-im should've been actually.

I'm probably in the minority but my favourite scene in the whole finale was when Seul chased Tae Sun down in the corridor. I loved the whole exchange. Felt very sincere and real.

Done with Secret Garden, it was a hell of a ride! Now I'm ready to dedicate myself wholly to Dream High and My Princess.

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231 Tess

January 18, 2011 at 5:58 AM

What really broke my heart was how you two started off loving the drama and slowly found the flaws - if a drama's failed javabeans and girlfriday, somehow I feel like it's failed me :(
Still - I can't help but love it too :)

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232 Joebs

January 18, 2011 at 6:19 AM

I honestly was taken aback by the triplets. But I'm moar annoyed at how their hairstyles remained the same, after 5 years!

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233 yukinon

January 18, 2011 at 7:11 AM

Um....what happened to joo wons sister?

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DRAMADDICT/4ever

January 18, 2011 at 8:20 AM

Well..... I think she loves her brother and sister in law so much that she decided to sacrifice herself and actually becomes the little mermaid and disapears like bubbles so out OTP can live happily eve after. Heheh(^^)!

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Bori

January 18, 2011 at 10:41 AM

She's in love with another guy now, LOL!

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234 Bori

January 18, 2011 at 10:40 AM

I'm going to miss this drama dearly.
Heck, I already miss it. ;~~;
Withdrawal SUCKS. *sobs*
Can't believe it's over already... *sobs some more*
Even though I got into this drama pretty late, I managed to catch up pretty quickly, which I kind of regret, cause now I don't want it to be over. :( *sigh*

This is the first time I'm ever downloading a whole drama in 720p and keeping it on my hard drive. This drama has made me officially crazy. I even had to download that cute little ringtone: "문자왔숑! 문자왔숑!" GAHH.

I'm probably going to rewatch this again. Teehee.

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Linda165

January 18, 2011 at 11:16 AM

I downloaded the ringtone too :)

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Bori

January 18, 2011 at 12:14 PM

Keke. :3
Too adorable to pass up!

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SG-addict

January 18, 2011 at 1:20 PM

Where can I download this ringtone? :)

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Bori

January 19, 2011 at 11:41 AM

Here! It was on Soompi's 'Secret Garden' topic.

http://www.fileserve.com/file/WGZtFNa

Enjoy~

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SG-addict

January 19, 2011 at 1:20 PM

Thank you very much! :)

Off I go to get the ringtone! :D

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bbstl

January 19, 2011 at 5:00 PM

ooh, thanks! and thanks to Bori for spelling it out in Korean!

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SG-addict

January 19, 2011 at 10:36 PM

Hmmm, does anyone know of another site where I can get the ringtone? I have problems getting it from the above one. :(

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Bori

January 20, 2011 at 2:05 PM

Here, SG-addict.
I uploaded onto MU. :) Hope that works.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WHPV24LN

SG-addict

January 21, 2011 at 3:12 AM

Hi Bori,

Sorry, had to reply here cuz your latest post has no "reply" link.

YES, it worked! I got the ringtone you posted on MU!!!! Finally!!! Thank you so much for the help! :)

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Bori

January 21, 2011 at 10:30 AM

No problemo~ :D

I don't mind helping out a fellow SG lover. Hehe.

235 NY

January 18, 2011 at 11:37 AM

Well, they should have not let Grandma to see the kids, than she would have had second thought about not accepting the couple

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236 ElleWilla

January 18, 2011 at 3:39 PM

This is my first post!

I actually liked this drama...maybe not as much as some others...but I liked the triple-bowtie ending ;). I actually like it when they end it at a wedding because I find by then I've gotten what I've come for. But this one was even sweeter by wrapping up everyone's story rather than just ending it with the main couple in question. I agree that the body swapping stuff was questionably handled but if I think deeply about it (which I try to avoid with these dramas) the supernatural part of it illustrates that you really can't know someone unless you walk in their shoes. On the other hand, they didn't have to swap bodies to illustrate that. Thanks for the reviews! I read them to decide which drama to watch next!

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237 azuretash

January 18, 2011 at 6:44 PM

Does anyone know the song that plays in the MV scene where Oska meets Seul for the first time?

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238 susan

January 18, 2011 at 6:53 PM

your reviews were just as much fun to read as watching secret garden!! i'm kinda sad that the series is over now

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239 gr33nl3af

January 18, 2011 at 7:27 PM

pretty much agree with everything you two have said.. the last 2 eps were kinda pointless and totally a drag..esp the last ep..when i had 2/5 parts left..i kinda just wanted to fast-forward it. the kids part didn't work for me at all.. one kid would have been sufficient..i would have been satisfied with even just ending after showing them and their happy life together because obviously joo won's mom would never accept them as she adamantly expressed in the hospital. they could have simply cleaned it up with just showing the rest of the other characters and their happy endings.. the last scene was especially "wth??!" ..sure it was sweet and obviously they were fated but it just didn't work as an ending scene..it was like just kinda randomly thrown into there.

ra-im's character could definitely have been better developed and i totally expected more spunk while joo-won's continual righteousness did get a little annoying but he was still charming at moments. despite these flaws i actually did tear up along with joo won and oska at those certain moments. the great acting and cute/funny moments really carried the drama. i actually really like yoon sang hyun after watching this too!!...haha.. he's totally funny and a great singer!

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240 Sukispop

January 18, 2011 at 7:47 PM

I just wanted to reiterate how much I've enjoyed Secret Garden(read loved) and how well it still worked for me, regardless of some of the flaws that have already been discussed. As I've said, I'm not a critic at all and I don't approach my drama viewing with the eyes of a critic. For me and my simple ways, if I've watched the entire episode and thoroughly enjoyed it, then for me it's all good. If I start getting a nagging feeling, then I know something's not rubbing me right and then I have to dig deeper to figure out why. I thoroughly enjoyed Secret Garden.

I really loved Joo-won, Ra-im, Oska, and Seul. This is perhaps the first drama that I've seen where the second couple was almost as compelling as the lead couple. And, of all the dramas that I've seen, I've never found myself rooting for the lead couple the way that my heart was yearning for Joo-won and Ra-im to find happiness with each other.

Thanks, JB and girlfriday, for giving us such wonderful recaps, deconstructing these episodes, and injecting them with your perspectives. I may not have agreed with you on some points, but I was glad to see you both call "foul" when you saw fit. Gaining your perspectives shed light on details that I may have missed or misinterpreted, and that makes my viewing experience all the better. So, thank you, guys, very much! ;)

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241 aoun

January 19, 2011 at 1:20 AM

I must be crazy. I have been visiting your page to check how many comments there are now, and I am happy that it is increasing every time I check. I plan to slowly read them all. I guess I try to prolong my goodbye to SG, one of my favorite kdramas. It's not perfect, but it's fun to watch them all: Joo won, Ra Im, Oska, Sunn, Seol, the director and the crew, among all. And I love all the intelligent, thoughtful, and witty comments here. You guys make watching dramas much more fun. Thanks to all.

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ghaylet

January 19, 2011 at 6:22 AM

been doing the same thing.. I must be crazy too.. ^o^

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DRAMADDICT/4ever

January 19, 2011 at 7:02 AM

OMG good to know I am not the only crazy one, LOL!!!!!
I can't seem to let this drama go. Dam! the withdrawal syptoms are kicking really hard this time, Secret Garden what have you done to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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SG-addict

January 19, 2011 at 7:44 AM

Count me in! The withdrawal is killing me!! :(

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aoun

January 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM

Luckily, the comments and exchanges here are plenty!! I am still living in SG world-reading, listening, watching it. Let's see how long it will last, ha ha ha.

242 Joebs

January 19, 2011 at 7:16 AM

I had NO idea Son Ye Jin was THAT pretty. When the camera moved sideways to reveal her, I was very surprised. :O

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Bori

January 19, 2011 at 11:42 AM

You've been missing out my friend. :3

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Sukispop

January 19, 2011 at 8:31 PM

I know what you mean. The first work that I saw Sohn Ye-jin in was Personal Taste. There, they intentionally did her up in a not too glamorous image. It wasn't until a bit later, when JB posted up a fashion shoot that Sohn Ye-jin did, that I realized just how very pretty she actually was.

But, yeah...THAT pretty. And a pretty amazing actress, too. ;)

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ghaylet

January 20, 2011 at 1:32 AM

The first work that I saw Sohn Ye Jin in was the movie The Classic. She looked quite plain there too (like in Personal Taste) but the movie was amazing.. highly recommended..

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Sukispop

January 22, 2011 at 9:01 AM

Hi ghaylet,

Thanks for the recommendation. The Classic is now on my short "must see" list. :)

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ghaylet

January 23, 2011 at 1:37 AM

Hi Sukisop,

You're most welcome. And can I just say I'm lovin' all your comments. Very astute and insightful.

243 Babyboomer

January 19, 2011 at 11:51 AM

Lest one forgets to have manners . . .

Thank you DB and GF for your recaps with YOUR views. This site IS INTERESTING because YOU are YOU.

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the drama.
While I definitely saw yours and others points of view,
I could connect to the vulnerability of GRI's character. She has her facade which seemed strong, yes, even physically stronger than most women, but still a woman.
For me, the woman in her started to fall for this "Full of himself of a man" when she was not actively searching for Love. Something stirred for her with him that other men did not even touch. I see some notions of "Pride and Prejudice" here but this was done amidst a shroud of "Magic Dust" going in . . . thus it is k-drama - Secret Garden!

As a character, she exists, being who she is due to circumstances and an inate part of being herself = her sense of justice. From your comments, her character is not one that appeals to yourselves and others as you would have liked her to be a stronger person, but she is who SHE is - with all her contradictions.
There was nothing else for her character to develop. Her character was the same, maybe even lame to you. The PERSON with that same character developed and made a choice to show her inner self to that one person that mattered. When KJW said to her "I did not know you had that in you" on their wedding night, I was NOT surprised.

The KJW's person - for whatever he is, was RIGHT for her and we kind of voyeured into their relationship where they accepted each other for who they are and made the decision to live their lives after a near death experience and MANY "Out of Body Experiences"!

In my eyes, I look at this drama as seeing their relationship playing out, albeit in a "DUH" way wrt to the logic at times but still enjoyed it.

The enjoyment was in a LARGE part due to the acting of the leads and the supporting cast. I have to agree that HB owns and made the character his and at the same time the joy of watching HB play KJW's character would NOT have been the same with another actress other than HJW. Whatever it is, the combination of fate that brought them to work together and get the supporting cast to be that combi - made it a joy to watch. Logic had to be led out the door!

I appreciate it even more because of your comments and realised that inspite of them, for me and I am sure for some others - this one for the moment is at the top of my list as a JOY to watch despite its flaws.

THANK YOU! BE YOURSELVES!
The CONTRARIAN views make VERY INTERESTING READING!

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Sukispop

January 19, 2011 at 8:56 PM

Hi Babyboomer,

Very nicely stated, and I agree with you on virtually all of your points. Your thoughts on Gil Ra-im's character(especially) and on Joo-won were very much the same as mine. And I agree with you that, as superb as Hyun Bin was in portraying Joo-won, it would not have been the same had another actress other than Ha Ji-won played Gil Ra-im.

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LOVE SECRET GARDEN

January 19, 2011 at 10:14 PM

Babyboomer, I have to say I love your comment and agree with it 100%
and you are completely right when you say that
WE HAVE TO BE OURSELVES! this is the best sugestion ever!!!!

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244 elle emme

January 19, 2011 at 1:18 PM

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

no Secret Garden and then my baby just died
my netbook
will not recharge

i guess my kdramadays are limited for real coz i do not see me sitting at my desk

lying in bed is so much more fun

I am playing the songs over and over and over

this might be a good time for me to get ready for work

it was fun watching secret garden it was like a faity tae for grown ups
the cinderstunt woman got her prince

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245 Jenn

January 19, 2011 at 2:43 PM

Even though this drama is not the most logical and the set up is actually pretty ordinary if not for the magical elements, something about it really struck a cord with me. I suspect it may have something to do with the music selection (AWESOME OST) and the way the emotions change so much throughout. You can't really take a simple comedy seriously and melodramas always make me think of how dramatic it is so I never usually connect with them emotionally. While this drama was a rollercoaster of emotions, I think it balanced out pretty nicely.

Even still though, I can't really seem to point out what made me love this drama so much. The ending didn't seem that great at first, but after a while, I ended up loving it. Kind of... melancholic?

I usually make at most three comments in a year and they're all less than four sentences (I think). Yet, I will write three paragraphs for this drama. My mind will definitely be on this drama for a while.

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246 Linh

January 19, 2011 at 6:25 PM

I think my favorite character in this drama is Oska. Yoon Sang Hyun I'm also on your bus now too.

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247 conan

January 19, 2011 at 7:22 PM

Secret Garden was a fun ride for me. I liked it in many bits and parts, but at the end of the day, I didn't really think about it much. I wasn't anticipating each episode like I've done with some other dramas. But, overall the show was fun and airy. But at some point, it reminded me of Boys Over Flowers? But I guess a lot of dramas go through the whole "my mom doesn't like you but we'll get married because we love each other anyways" stuff. Yeah, I'm tired of it.

I agreed with the whole waste of body swapping. It provided with lots of fun when it first started. The awkwardness of being in a body of a stranger. I never really knew why they did it. But my biggest question is how did Mr. Gil do all that voodoo magic when he's already gone? Is his soul still lingering on earth until Raim gets a man a.k.a. Joowon? Did he place his soul in Joowon, like some kind of horcrux? I had to rewind on the part when the lady became Mr. Gil. Man, that was confusing.

I think this whole drama rested on the shoulders of Hyun Bin and Ha Jiwon who did a great job portraying each character. The other actors are good too but these two really did the trick. The ending was nice after all that fuss but yeah, if the middle kinda sucks, it's hard to get a good ending.

And Son Yejin! I think that's what won me over. Out of all things.

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248 lovejoong

January 19, 2011 at 9:57 PM

I think it was LONG AGO that I gave up on a well-rounded last episode for any drama, especially the romantic comedies. i simply accept it as a treat if we get to see what happens a few years down the line.

80%. I was 80% in love with show. 100% in love with My Lovely Sam Soon & Full House. But I haven't enjoyed a romantic comedy show this much since those two. I enjoyed the bromance of the the cousins, the capabilities of the females, the charisma of the lesser but supportive characters. the star cameos were fun. Hyun Bin/Joowon's style creator was ... FABULOUS! The body-switching & magical elements were ... well, if I don't let it, it doesn't really bother me. but i agree with our site hostesses ... they should have utilized it more.

Hyun Bin was pretty darn on it with the acting and I give lots of credit to the actors who play and writers who conceived the Yoon Seul and Oksa characters. Kim Secretary ... my favorite pet. OH! the quasi-love-triangle of oska/seul/ssun kinda piqued my curiosity.

As usual I hate it when the hot third wheel (Lee Phillip) gets let off BUT then again, girlfriday points out that Son Ye Jin as a consolation prize IS NOT pitiable. i guess the writers couldn't squeeze another romance into the plot with joowon's dongseng.

okay. i'm done gushing ... i'm now latching on to Dream High! I have to say I really really star guest appearances.