Big: Episode 16 (Final)
by girlfriday
Well, it ends. Listen, my mother said that if I don’t have nice things to say… waitaminute, my mother never said that. Let the ragefest begin!
This show is basically a lesson in math. Turns out you can have great parts, but the sum can add up to less than those parts. I know! I didn’t know it worked that way either! But math is wily like that. And apparently, so are dramas.
SONG OF THE DAY
Big OST – Gong Yoo “Because It’s You” [ Download ]
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FINAL EPISODE RECAP
Da-ran makes her big confession (handy to have the whole cast rounded up) that she’s in love with KKJ. She takes off the ring and leaves it on the table. Kyung-joon drags her away, and her parents are left to apologize to the in-laws.
Kyung-joon calls her crazy—he’s going to lose his memory and she’ll be all alone and hurt. Da-ran: “I’m going to remember. Even if it hurts, I can’t pretend you weren’t here.”
He stammers, “You’re not going to pretend it didn’t happen?” Is the question you’re really asking, Then was the last episode all for nothing? Because that sure is MY question.
Da-ran: “No. Because I said that my feelings for you were real. The you that I like is there. He’s there now and will be in the future.” He looks at her, dumbfounded—but he might not remember, and he might call her a crazy person!
She says through her tears that it doesn’t matter. She’s going to remember and protect their love, and she’s going to tell him everything. She’s crazy now, so why not go with it? He agrees that she sure doesn’t appear sane.
She gives him the watch she fished out of the lake, and he decides she’s officially crazy. He cups her face in his hands, sighing that she’s all dirty and smelly. She says it again—that even if he can’t remember her, she’s going to remember for the both of them, and that she won’t let go of him.
A tear falls as he hugs her tight.
Little Kyung-joon’s vitals spike, and his heart rate gets dangerously high. Se-young calls the parents, who run over and stay up with him that night, worried.
Kyung-joon and Da-ran walk down the street hand-in-hand, and he asks if she doesn’t want to go home and shower first. But she says she’s going to have to learn to be seen as a crazy person by the entire world, so she may as well steel herself now.
To that end, she decides to pick some flowers out of a planter on the sidewalk, to make up for the time she threw out the flowers he gave her. She runs across the street to wave them about and sing the Pororo song, and she successfully gets called crazy.
Kyung-joon runs over and sighs that he’d hate to forget this—it’s fodder for a lifetime of mockery. She says in turn that there are so many things she didn’t do for him when she thought he’d remember, and now that he’s going to forget she’s just full of regret.
Mari comes back to the restaurant to retrieve her fake ring and asks Aunt and Uncle to be a witness for her when Kyung-joon wakes up, to say that she’s the one who was by his side the entire time.
They nod that she’s right about that, and she sighs that she’s the only one who has the right to be by his side, and not lying Gil Teacher who goes back on her promises.
The Gil family waits on pins and needles for the fallout, and Choong-shik worries—if Yoon-jae and Da-ran left like that, the air must be frosty between them right about now…
Cut to the happy couple shooting furtive smiles at each other across the kitchen table. Kyung-joon starts in on his interrogation: “When did you first start liking KKJ?!” He slams his hands on the table for emphasis.
She retraces her steps, like the time she felt something when he showed up at the theater, or realized in the park that she was no longer waiting for Yoon-jae, but searching for Kyung-joon.
She argues that they should be going over his half of the story since his is the memory they have to recreate, but he counters that his part is just full of pain, like the time he confessed he liked her and she called him a blood clot, and on and on ad infinitum. Well, when you put it like that, *sadface.*
She wonders why she didn’t find the courage to confess her feelings sooner, and he tells her to just do well from here on out, because he’s going to write it all down from now on. And then they just make moony eyes at each other in an explosion of cuteness.
Mom and Dad sit by Kyung-joon’s bedside all night, and Mom says it feels just like when Yoon-jae was young and sick all the time. She wonders how it feels the same now, watching over Kyung-joon.
Da-ran heads home to face the music, telling Kyung-joon that they can’t exactly see each other out in the open anymore. He asks if they should just run away to the boonies and she vows not to do any more running.
She steps through the door cautiously to find the whole family waiting for her. They send her upstairs right away. Mom comes in brandishing a pair of scissors: “Even when my mom cut off all my hair, I still liked your father.”
She tosses Da-ran a wedding photo, and in it Mom’s hair has been chopped off. She asks now if Da-ran wants to end up the same way. Da-ran says it doesn’t matter, because if she has to pretend her feelings aren’t real, then she’ll never be able to smile like Mom in this photo.
She closes her eyes and braces herself, and even when Mom grabs her hair and puts the scissors to her head, she says nothing in protest. Mom stops when she sees Da-ran’s resolve, sighing, “You’re really crazy, aren’t you?”
Mom sobs in her room, as Dad comes to pat her back. She adorably calls him Teacher, and cries that she just said the same things to her daughter that her mother said to her. She wonders now how much she broke her own mother’s heart. Aw.
Kyung-joon stops by the hospital to check on his coma body, and is alarmed to hear about the near-heart attack. Se-young remembers that he first woke up in the morgue after the accident, after being declared dead.
He confirms it. Oh noes. This is going to an ominous place.
He sits with Teddy, blowing balloons, and tells himself the body swap will be fine—just like inflating a balloon, deflating it, and then inflating it again. But next to him, Teddy over-inflates his, and it pops, jolting them both. Kyung-joon grabs his heart in fear.
Meanwhile Mom happily tells Se-young to wait for Yoon-jae to return to his old self. Mari tells Kyung-joon that she’s going with him to Germany, but he says they’re not going anywhere.
He tells her that Gil Teacher will stay by his side when he wakes up and Mari gapes—you mean by your side, the little brother of the man she just cheated on? She calls Da-ran crazy, and he affirms that she is with a goofy grin.
Kyung-joon spends the entire next day trying to see Da-ran, but the Gil Family is on high alert, taking shifts to watch her every move. He finally has to romeo his way to her window late at night, and puts his arms out to 10:10 for her to jump.
She’s about to when Mom stops her, reminding her not to do something as despicable as keep all her options open (ie. play both Yoon-jae and KKJ), a phrase that means in the literal sense, to “maintain your fishing pond.”
Da-ran grumbles that her pond only has the one fish, and then worries, “What if it dries up and dies?” She decides to jump, to water her fish and save it.
She gives Kyung-joon his watch, newly fixed, and then leaves him with a peck on the cheek. He watches her go with a swoon, muttering that if she was going to water the pond, she should’ve splashed him, not given him one little drop. But then he goes right back to swooning.
The next day Mari stomps into the hospital with a team of bodyguards in tow, and declares that she’s going to take Kyung-joon away. Um… are we adding kidnapping to your ever-growing list of crimes? Because you can’t just steal people’s coma bodies and get away with it!
Kyung-joon goes to see Mom to tell him that he’ll go to Germany with Dad, and they should leave Coma Kyung-joon here. To his surprise, Mom says she’ll stay here with Kyung-joon then.
But they’re quickly interrupted with bad news: Kyung-joon is gone. WUT. She really took him? How does a person just walk away with a coma patient? SIGH. Whatever.
She answers Kyung-joon’s call to announce that she’s going to hide him away till he wakes up, and keep him from ever seeing Gil Teacher again. “You said Gil Teacher was crazy? Well then I’m double double double crazy!” Um… were you waiting for someone to argue?
He tells her that he’ll just stay in this body forever then, and not get treated. She starts to panic that he’ll die that way, and Kyung-joon calls her bluff: he’ll meet her tantrum for tantrum, and he’ll just die in this body if she keeps going. She breaks down and tells him she’ll stop.
Kyung-joon tells her that being with Da-ran is what he wants, and Mari can’t force things to go her way while ignoring his feelings. She counters that he’s doing the same, ignoring her feelings and Yoon-jae’s.
She puts the ring on the table to remind him that when Yoon-jae wakes up and finds Da-ran by Kyung-joon’s side he’ll be as heartbroken as Mari. Yeah, but I doubt he’ll resort to kidnapping to argue the case.
At the same time, Little Kyung-joon’s vitals spike again. Teddy and Rabbit worry that they yanked too hard, and we see that the Miracle picture has been torn in two.
Mari continues on her quest to meddle, and why this character is even still trying to run interference at this point is beyond me. She goes to the mandoo restaurant to lie to Da-ran that she hid the ring in the mandoo filling, just to send her digging for it.
Da-ran bursts all the mandoo to look for the ring and then chases after the delivery guy to steal other people’s mandoo dinners, all the while feeling terrible that she ignored Yoon-jae’s feelings.
At the hospital, Yoon-jae-in-Kyung-joon’s-body cries a tear, and then his heart rate goes shooting up again. But Kyung-joon shows up to hold his hand, and he comes back down to normal. Kyung-joon says he’ll wait until Yoon-jae’s stopped time gets cleared up too.
He finds Da-ran trudging along in the street, looking for something. He guesses right away that it’s the ring and he says he found it. They stand across the street from each other, talking on the phone, and Kyung-joon sighs that it won’t work for them to hold hands right away, will it?
The blinking red light and her silent pause confirms that he’s right.
He wonders how long it’ll be before they can be together, hoping that it won’t take too long. He worries that he won’t remember and they’ll be apart for so long that they’ll miss their opportunity.
But she assures him that she’ll remember. Kyung-joon: “If my heart has grown enough to be able to look back at someone else’s heart, if my heart has grown just a little… then won’t I wake up, not as a child who knows nothing, but someone who can remember Gil Da-ran, just a little?”
She says that her heart will grow too, every day as she remembers him. She promises to keep growing her heart, so that it’ll be impossible to ever let him go.
Kyung-joon finally (FINALLY) spells it out plainly for Mari, that he’s not going to wake up by Da-ran’s side right away, but he’s not going to stay by Mari’s side either. He tells her to stop running after him, because no matter how much she does, he’ll never go to her.
Just think of all the felonies that could’ve been avoided had you done this sooner! He says he ignored her feelings completely in all this and did as he pleased, but now he feels sorry and can’t keep letting her do this.
He says he’ll put up a very clear signal for her, and puts up his hand, “Mari-ya, stop coming.”
She looks up with her puppy dog eyes and cries, and then steps forward, just until her head meets his outstretched hand. Aw, that’s kind of heartbreaking. She goes literally as far as he’ll let her, and stops there, resting her head against his palm. He drums his fingers on her head one last time.
And then Choong-shik sees her off at the airport with a long face, as he watches her approach the gate. He calls after her at the last minute and runs up to write his name on her purse.
Mari: “Gil Choong-shik!” Choong-shik: “That’s right! I’m Gil Choong-shik! This will probably take about ten years to repay via pizza. I will pledge that time to you. You wait, Jang Mari!”
And then he walks away, finally getting his cool exit down just right. She smiles after him.
Kyung-joon meets with Mom to go over travel plans, and finds her studying a notebook. He asks what it is, and she says it’s her Kyung-joon notes, gathered from Da-ran and Mari, so that she can learn as much about him as she can.
She worries that he’s a picky eater and that she isn’t the best cook, but Kyung-joon tells her to do her best, and prepare for a cold response since he’s not the most well-behaved child. He grins to himself, touched at her effort.
Ae-kyung and Na Teacher pass around their wedding invitations, and Ae-kyung asks Da-ran what she’ll do next if Yoon-jae heads off to Germany. She says that he’ll return someday to give her an answer.
She says that she’ll tell him then, that she’s no longer waiting for his answer, but has come to love someone else, even more.
Kyung-joon watches over his body and says that he’ll meet Yoon-jae soon, and by now I’m just screaming, You said that eons ago. Can soon be now?
He runs into Se-young and apologizes to her for acting so immature lately, and says that when she touched his arm after the accident that was kinda sexy. She should do it again, when Seo Yoon-jae returns. He walks away with a smile, leaving her confused.
Da-ran walks through the park and stops to drop some money for a homeless man sleeping on a bench, and is shocked to find her green umbrella sitting right there, still with her name and number on it.
Wait… did you just steal from a homeless man? Er…
She takes it to a shop to get it fixed and finds Kyung-joon watering the lawn. She tells him to make it rain and opens the umbrella, asking if he remembers the day they met.
He remembers, and confesses now that he followed her off the bus, not because she stole his umbrella, but because he swapped them on purpose. Ha.
They ride the bus together now, remembering that day, and he says how funny she was, giving herself away with the radio story. He saw that their umbrellas looked similar so he slid his over to her, and she picked his up without even looking.
They wonder that if he liked her enough to do that, maybe when he wakes up, there’ll still be a little of her in his heart.
They get off the bus and she opens her umbrella, and he puts his hands over hers just like that first day. She hopes that if she remains in his heart, he’ll come after her again. He asks that if he does, for her to hold onto him, no matter what, and tell him about their love.
Kyung-joon: “Then we’ll come back to this time.” She takes his watch and says that the moment she tells him her feelings, Kang Kyung-joon will return to this instant, and says he’s now been hypnotized.
They get ready to part, and she starts to cry but smiles through the tears. He ekes out that he’ll be going, but then stops to say one last thing. “I didn’t want to say this. I wanted to say it to you when I returned, but… Gil Da-ran, I love you.”
A tear trickles down his cheek as he says it, and then he puts the umbrella back in her hands, and walks away.
One year later.
Da-ran is a teacher at a new school, and Mari sends her an email to say that both boys have returned to their rightful places, and that neither remembers anything after the accident. Wait… the big finale body swap happens offscreen? @&*#$T#*#KK!
Kyung-joon hasn’t asked about Gil Teacher, and per her promise to Kyung-joon, Mari won’t tell him.
Da-ran says to herself that per her promise, she’ll continue to remember.
Rabbit gets better and even gets to go home from the hospital, and Teddy gives her a big hug. Ae-kyung and Na Teacher are pregnant and happy. And Da-ran still stops every time she sees sunflowers.
Choong-shik slices and dices as the new chef at the mandoo restaurant, and Mom and Dad say that Da-ran is due for a visit, after stopping by her old school. Choong-shik heads out to send Mari yet another package of mandoo, only to find her standing at his door.
She’s here to accept an award, having turned her stalker photographer skills into an artistic pursuit instead. Well that’s lemonade out of lemons if there ever was. Choong-shik asks hopefully if she’s been eating the mandoo he’s sent, and she says her dog enjoys them.
She admits she’s tasted at least one, and he asks her how many points she’d give them. She judiciously says, “One.” Choong-shik pumps his fist in the air, to have finally made it out of zeroland.
At this rate it’ll actually take you a hundred years to get your girl. He asks if they can take a picture together and eagerly awaits the day he’ll get to two points. Aw.
Da-ran drops by Kyung-joon’s old house and sees a mother and her son living there now. She says she used to live here and just dropped by, and as she leaves the kid says that the hyung who was just here said the same thing…
It starts to rain, and Da-ran hops on the bus. She hears her letter being read over the radio, wishing the person she loves a happy birthday this June 24. Da-ran whispers on the bus, “Happy birthday, Kyung-joon-ah.”
The radio message continues that she’ll be going next month to see him, and though he won’t remember, she’ll tell him everything that she remembers. She looks down at her watch and it’s 10:10.
The message concludes, “I’m running towards the time right now, 10:10.” She looks down at the aisle, where another green umbrella lies next to hers, and she smiles.
She gets off the bus with her umbrella, and then suddenly a voice calls out to her: “Gil Da-ran!” Wait, that’s still Gong Yoo’s voice. Urg, and though we only see him from above as he runs under her umbrella, it’s still Gong Yoo. WHY. Why Show, why.
It’s supposed to be Kyung-joon back in his own body, but they refuse to show it to us. This is so lame. I waited sixteen episodes for them to reunite like this?
He puts his hand over hers and she looks up. And then the scene is intercut with Kyung-joon’s farewell scene, earlier in the episode. If we were going to do that anyway, would it have killed you to have Shin playing the present-day half of his own character?
Past Kyung-joon tells her to hold onto him if he comes back. Da-ran looks up and smiles at him now, “Hello, Kang Kyung-joon.”
Kyung-joon plays it cool, saying that he just came around because he was curious how she was doing, and she says she knows the real reason (his little crush). He walks off with the umbrella and an, “Uh-oh, you’re overreacting.”
Back to Past Kyung-joon, who asks her to hold on, even if he’s mean and cold and bristly in the future. She runs after him now, returning that gesture and putting her hand over his under the umbrella.
Past Kyung-joon says that when she tells him her feelings, they’ll return to this moment. She smiles up at him now, and his watch reads 10:10.
Back to Past Da-ran: “I love you.” Past Kyung-joon: “The moment I hear those words, my heart will grow, as big as it is now. Like a miracle.”
They beam at each other, and then we end, on Past Kyung-joon and Past Da-ran, under the umbrella on that day they parted.
JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS
What? Huh? What? What? Was that just in her head? What? How did he get his memory back? What? What was the point of the year? Did Yoon-jae get over his sadface? What?
I have no more words for you. Drama, you don’t deserve any more words. Go sit in a corner and think about what you did.
RAGEQUIT.
GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS
*HULKSMASH*
THE FUCK? We don’t even get ONE measly glimpse of Kyung-joon in his own body, even when they meet again? BAH. So. Disappointing. I know it’s jarring, but you’re the one who stuffed the hero in the wrong body for the entire goddamn series; own up to it and let us see the couple who’s supposed to be together, TOGETHER. If that’s the line you’re playing, you have to see it through!
It’s not like Shin has to appear 30 for crying out loud; he’s just 21 so how hard is it to let us see the 21-year old hero in his own body, finally getting the girl? I was so ready to say that despite some unnecessary episodes and senseless prolonging of plot points, that they managed to salvage a satisfactory ending. Until they didn’t show the swap. And then that last scene… where they didn’t give me my ONE moment, of Da-ran with the real Kyung-joon! Aaaaaaaaargh.
That’s just… plain mean.
Siiiigh. So many ways this drama went awry, and sadly, I think it began at the roots. They should’ve stuck with the original Big concept of a boy who rapid-grows into his own 30-year old body, because then at least it would’ve been HIS body. Having him stuck in Yoon-jae’s shell (even till the final moments of the show, dangnabbit) just kept me at arm’s length the whole time, knowing that she was having to look past his shell. Sure, it’s admirable that she can, and I went along because I expected that we’d get the final scene with Kyung-joon in his own body to say yes, Da-ran still loves him completely, as himself. IS THAT SO HARD? Why must you take that away from me? How can a story culminating in a body re-swap… not show the swap??? I. Don’t. Get. It. And did Yoon-jae just never come back to see his fiancée, or did that happen offscreen too? Why do you need a drama if all your most interesting narrative payoffs are going to happen OFFSCREEN?
Okay, calming down now. Truth be told, I might be angry now, but I was pretty checked out emotionally for most of the show’s run. There were definitely things that kept me invested, like Gong Yoo’s fantastic performance. But a showcase for one actor does not a drama make. And despite my love for Gong Yoo as the teenage Kyung-joon, my heart is always with the story first and foremost. That’s why I needed to see Shin playing the character in the end, because to me, telling me that they re-swapped offscreen is not enough. If I’m buying into the idea that he’s one character, no matter whose body he’s in, then you have to trust that I’m going to buy it till the very end. It shows a lack of trust in the audience, and for that, I feel betrayed.
I certainly don’t think that it was all bad, because there was a whole lot of cute and some good coming-of-age stuff in there amidst the confusing. But one thing I constantly asked all series long was: Are we there yet? I feel like somehow every step of the way, the show never got a step ahead, never surprised me. I held out hope that the boys would swap back sooner than the final hour (because honestly, I think the fallout is FAR more interesting than the lead-up), but that didn’t happen, and then to top it off, we didn’t even get to witness the big moment. No heartfelt first official meeting between the brothers, who saved each other’s lives? No my-hand-was-warm-because-you-reached-out-to-save-me-first? No wonder twins, activate? Nuthin’?
It’s really too bad that the whole drama failed in the writing department, because the Hong Sisters have penned some of my favorites over the years. I don’t love all their works before Big, and neither am I going to just write them off because of this one drama. But I’ll call a dud a dud, and this one just sailed right into the crapper. It turns out you can’t shape a whole drama on one big premise and leave things like logic and character motivation and emotional payoffs at the door. We kinda like that stuff. It’s sorta why we live here, in dramaland.
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Tags: Baek Sung-hyun, Big, featured, Gong Yoo, Lee Min-jung, Shin, Suzy
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151 Florentine Lily
July 24, 2012 at 10:31 PM
To Girlfriday and Javabean: Thank You!
To the actors and actress: Thank you...but next time, pick a better project. Preferably, one that is fully written and does not follow the live-shoot "I'm going to ruin your drama experience" system.
To the Hong Sisters:
I would like the sixteen-plus hours of my life spent watching and reading about this drama back.
I was going to give this plot-less drama, where character development (except for KKJ) went to die, a 2.5 because of the acting before I saw this ending. Now I give it a one purely based on the acting. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Rooftop Prince annoyed me but there was closure at the end. Where you going for that kind of ending? Because yours is a failure. Was the guy who played KKJ not a good enough actor for you? (Seriously, you paid an actor to sleep through 98% of the show?) Did you run out of ideas after episode one? Did you decide to out do Dr. Jin in the "who's the drunkest, mushroom/LSD-laced writer" category?
If you are going to choose a "controversial" subject as some reviewers claim (C'mom, KKJ was 21), you should have the guts to see it through.
At the end of this episode, I wanted to throw my computer to the ground and stomp on it to vent my frustration. Then crumple into a ball and cry. I didn't think I would get so disappointed after having no expectations for the past six episodes. And don't get me started on Gil "bird-brain" Da-Ran. I spent half of this drama wondering if she was brain dead (the other half was spent wondering about the mental state of the writers). I found her irritating instead of cute.
I have to agree with "Aliiiiiiiice" that something went down backstage. "No wonder the actress who portrayed Daran seemed so confused and timid and lost as to how to deliver her lines. She just had no idea what the hell was going on."
Strangely, I thought it would be "I Do, I Do" that would fail me. But that show exceeded my expectations and delivered a satisfying ending. And IDID is that writer's second project. The Hong Sisters are on their eighth, making them "veterans". Haven't you learned that a premise does not a plot and good drama make?
On that note, this is my fourth Hong Sister's work. So far I have truly, only loved MGIAG, liked You're Beautiful and checked-out 3/4th of the way with Delightful Girl. I don't see this relationship going anywhere. Next time I see their name attached to a project, I'll make sure it's completed, read the recap for the final episode to see if it's worth watching, then, (and only then) maybe, start watching the first episode.
Was I too harsh? That's because I'm pissed! My time would have been better spent watching Gaksital, I Love Lee Tae-Ri and finishing Queen In-Hyun's Man instead.
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152 LOVE
July 24, 2012 at 10:34 PM
I really really hate this ending, even I can't sleep last night. My first time ever I had watch live stream with final episode coz very curious to see when swap back their body. But off screen? For me I still ok if the last scene with Shin, at least one minute! DRAMA!!!WHY?????
Anyway, Thanks for recap.. Javabeans & girlfriday! You two are my favorite <3 <3
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153 bambledd
July 24, 2012 at 10:34 PM
I know why they never showed KKJ's face in the umbrella scene. Two reasons:
1.) It was cheaper to use a nobody from the set than the actor.
2.) If Da-Ran and the viewers were reminded who she said she supposedly "loved", we would all have our mouths dropped open b/c it is a little boy from the Disney Channel. No, wait, Justin Bieber's younger brother. (cradle rocker, gee whiz.)
What a bad, bad drama.
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h311ybean
July 25, 2012 at 12:05 AM
o_O I have no idea what just happened in this show.
Honestly, I checked out midway through because I could not totally buy the Kyung-joon/Da-ran OTP. Yes, they were adorable together and he made a conscious effort to live as an adult when it became obvious that he wasn't getting his real body back anytime soon, but I couldn't stop shake the idea that he was a teenager/very young adult despite being in Gong Yoo's body.*
Further, all this time, I couldn't help wondering "What about Yoon-jae?" I know the focus was on the OTP, but there was no closure on the Yoon-jae/Da-ran pairing. I had no idea whether to be mad at him for being a cheater, or sad because he truly loved Da-ran - there was nothing in canon to help me determine how to feel.
Maybe this is just me not paying attention, which brings me to the point that even though this is a Hong Sisters drama, they didn't reel me in enough to drink in every little detail unlike the other THS dramas I loved.
Still, I acknowledge a point made earlier that this might be THS trying to explore other writing styles and I can respect that. This is really just my personal opinion and I'm glad for those who enjoyed and understood this drama. Thank you also to JB and GF for patiently recapping this for us!
* Speaking of Gong Yoo's body, Episode 2 is my favorite ep of this entire series and I am sad that we didn't get more of that. Other bright spots included everything with Choong-shik, and the Ae-kyung/Teacher Na loveline :) So I didn't hate *everything* about this drama!
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h311ybean
July 25, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Oops, my comment above wasn't meant to be a reply to bambledd's.
But I am wondering about bambledd's point about using a "nobody from the set" as a stand-in/body double for Shin - wasn't that Gong Yoo in the scene, even though his face wasn't shown? If not, why not use a body double with a build closer to Shin's?
Just thinking aloud. :)
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Fall
July 25, 2012 at 1:00 AM
lol @ 'little boy from the Disney Channel'
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154 j
July 24, 2012 at 10:37 PM
I want my 16 hours back. I stuck with this show despite how much it started to suck around the halfway point. I kept thinking that the swap would happen and things would improve. I mean this is the Hong sisters for crying out loud! They're written some of my favorite dramas ever.
But I'm so, so incredibly disappointed by how this turned out. They copped out. They never resolved the questions about Yoon Jae. They didn't show Kyung Joon with his new family. They didn't even show Kyung Joon in his body. This was such a cheap ending.
What a waste. They had all the potential. But they gave up and took the easy way out. WEAK.
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155 Andie
July 24, 2012 at 10:43 PM
I am so disappointed in this drama that I just have to say something even if it has pretty much all been said already...
What makes me the most sad about this drama is the HUGE waste of good actors. I love gong yoo and he's such a great actor. Lee min-Jung I really like also and the pairing was just soooo perfect!!!!! They look so awesome together, have wonderful chemistry and are so pretty to look at. If only this had been a typical -guy meets girl, falls in love, has to woo the girl until she falls in love also, they are temporarily separated and then reunited to live happily ever after- kind of drama. I would have been happy and satisfied with that. No need for all the body swapping twins born to save each other mumbo jumbo. I feel cheated. I want to live in the alternate universe where these two actors star in a drama that I can actually bear to watch.
I stopped watching after ep 5 and just read recaps from that point on hoping it would get better ( I did tune in to see the big kiss scene). To be honest my favorite parts of this drama were the little flash backs showing Gil Daran and yoon-jae being all cute and lovey dovey. I never bought into the whole teacher and student falling in love stuff.
So anyway, thank you jb and gf for your recaps which saved me from the agony of actually watching this drama. If I'm this upset from just reading the recaps, I think the anger at being thus betrayed would have been the poison that killed me had I watched the whole drama.
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156 SYR
July 24, 2012 at 10:48 PM
Omg! What a BIG disappointment! The thing that kept me watching was because I want to see the switch happening. But gosh they didn't even show the switch. It happened offscreen. Like seriously?! & how are we supposed to believe that the switch happened if they still used gong yoo in the end? Urgh. what is so wrong with just showing kyungjoon back in his own body for the last few frames? why didn't they do that? & what happens to yoonjae? so disappointing. this one definitely goes to the list dramas I would not be rewatching.
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157 Ni Ken
July 24, 2012 at 10:48 PM
I HATE THIS ENDING !!!
same feeling when I hate Rooftop Prince's ending...
why why why
what is it? you hang me, hong sisters..
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158 mtoh
July 24, 2012 at 10:48 PM
This ep will never be watched with subs!
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159 phuucil
July 24, 2012 at 10:50 PM
i very much agree with almost of the comments here.
from the first, i watch this just because of the very talented and charming Gong Yoo.
but then i kinda like the story because it has twists.
so when i watched this final ep i was like : WHAT IS THIS?! IS THIS EVEN AN ENDING?!
well, maybe they still have 2 or 4 eps left but they don't have enough money to produce that. whatever.
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160 Sparrow
July 24, 2012 at 10:52 PM
Thank you JB and GF for sticking with this drama the whole long way through. You pretty much encapsulated perfectly what was on my mind about Big.
I really really really wanted to love this drama. So many aspects were RIGHT, but it was really not enough to pull the shambles together.
Still a fan of Hong sisters, although I definitely acknowledge they have flaws. But I think the one thing that could be said about them is that they do a good job in making their viewers invested in the characters in their shows by creating charming, interesting people. They need to work on keeping the story better, as well as conflicts, not to mention character stability and progression.
For the people who love Big as it is, I'm happy for you and I did love parts of it. But I just feel Big fell into a lot of K-drama potholes, using stale routines and cliche plot lines. IMO all the good acting, cuteness, chemistry, and general likeability in the world can't make up for a lack of plot and uneven writing. Honestly, I had a similar problem with Lie to Me, even though the chemistry was sizzling between the leads.
Well, Hong Sisters, you let me down this time, but I would still watch your next drama.
Thank you again for recapping this series, JB and GF. You guys made some of the HUH?WTF? parts clearer to me, and made me feel like I wasn't a complete idiot who didn't understand anything. <3
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161 bd
July 24, 2012 at 10:53 PM
OK - 'Big' has many, many, many flaws - running the gamut from a ridiculous, one note plot (not so much the body-switch thing as everything revolving around it) to cliche-filled scenarios to 1-dimensional stereotypical characters to insipid dialogue to seemingly impt. things that were dropped at the bat w/ no explanation to the endless and poorly handled teasers of the 'big reveal' (which turned out as a bust at the end), etc.
But all these things could have been somewhat alleviated if I had been invested in the lead couple, but sadly, that was a no go.
The heart of a romcom is the relationship btwn the leads and how it changes over time.
Romcoms like 'Coffee Prince', 'My Princess', MGIAG, etc. all do a good job with this, but not 'Big.'
1st off, I simply could not buy into Da-ran getting over Yoon-jae and now being in love w/ Kyung-joon (whom she had dismissed as a kid) after she had spent all that time moping over YJ and his perceived coldness/possible infidelity, esp. after she finds out the truth (also doesn't help that the actor who plays KJ looks like a 14 yr old boy and the fact that KJ is the younger brother to YJ and at one time, possible fraternal twin - double ewww).
But compounding that was how the relationship was handled btwn DR and KJ.
Aside from 2-3 eps where KJ was living it up as a boy in a man's body and the fun bickering btwn KJ and Da-ran, the entire rest of the relationship was either 'noble idiocy' or the two rehashing the same arguments over again, which meant repeated mopings on both sides.
Case in point, at the very start of the body-switch, there was the problem of actually going ahead w/ the marriage - which DR and KJ argued about.
KJ was sent off w/ his overly stereotypical mother and after he came back, they had pretty much the same argument about the marriage - so what was the point?
And the rest after that was constant 'noble idiocy' or misunderstanding about each others' feelings which led to repeated moments of moping/crying which got tiresome.
I expect conflict in the relationship but this was the same thing/fight repeated over and over again.
I, mean really, how many times do they have to state their feelings for each other?
The whole thing about KJ pretending to have lost his memory in ep 15 b/c he wanted to lessen the hurt DR would face in the future made little sense as it did, but everything all of a sudden is A-OK just b/c DR made a confession about her feelings in front of the parents?
How was that going to change anything about the memory loss at the switch?
(I'm figuring there indeed was a memory loss and that KJ learned about his relationship w/ DR from the diary he gave his uncle.)
So - YJ, after awakening, didn't try to contact his fiancee (whom his body ended up getting married to), esp. since his last memory was rushing to see DR to tell her how he felt?
Basically, DR discarded her fiancee/husband's feelings and KJ disregared the feeling of his older brother - what a great basis for a relationship.
If the Hong sisters were really going w/ the whole DR falling in love w/ KJ route, they should have made KJ pass away after the switch.
Sure, it would have been sad, but better than this ickiness.
'Big' was such a mess (not even Gong Yoo's performance could save it) that it joins SG, LTM and RTP in my purgatory of awful, cliche-filled K-romcoms.
Aside from the dim-witted, but earnest brother, there really wasn't a character in all of 'Big' that I enjoyed or would care to remember (in 'My Princess' I really liked Seol, Hae-young and the good professor and in 'Coffee Prince' every character was memorable).
Can't believe that reviewers on Dramafever gave 'Big' 4.5 stars out of 5 (but then again, I can based on what some other bad K-dramas have gotten).
Anyway, thank goodness for 'I Need Romance 2012' to break up the streak of bad K-dramas/romcoms (that actually has eps that I look forward to every week and right now it probably would finish in my top 3 for romcoms).
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162 Sparrow
July 24, 2012 at 10:58 PM
Everyone has been saying such good things about I Need Romance 2012. I think I'll start watching it, bd.
And I agree with what you said about the characters, you said it a lot clearer and better than I did xD
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bd
July 25, 2012 at 1:53 AM
I would also suggest watching 'He/The Man Who Can't Marry' as well.
Another gem of a romcom - great cast, characters and writing.
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163 YMarie
July 24, 2012 at 10:59 PM
LOLOLOLOLOL you two crack me up....
I think we are being a little too harsh on THS though. They definitely wrote this drama in the same condition as I was watching it: drunk. So I'd cut them some slack.
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164 solace
July 24, 2012 at 10:59 PM
Good thing I dropped this drama in the earlier episodes. It's more entertaining to read your recaps. Thank you, BTW. :)
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165 Sui
July 24, 2012 at 11:01 PM
I stopped watching the series at ep2, but continued with reading the recaps just to see how the body-swap actually happened, why and how the thing will end. And I'll admit that I still don't get some parts at all.
Am glad that I stopped watching when I did, seeing that the ending was also not satisfactory for me.
And just my two cents... though I don't like how Fashion King ended as well, at least the ending made sense to me (though the show had some of its logic holes) unlike Big.
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166 YY
July 24, 2012 at 11:01 PM
I wrote this post over at Ockoala's blog on July 20 just before Ep 15 premiered. I'd like to share my ending with you guys.
****
I kind of want an ending that would transform the whole drama and “lift” it, like in 49 Days…*spoiler*… a lot of people hated the ending but I loved it and the drama haunts me still precisely because of that very sad ending, which I felt was so apt. So I want an ending like that….like years and years down the line, Da Ran takes a bus, and as she alights from the bus, it starts to drizzle, just a bit, and she puts up a hand to shield her head, and we see oh, she’s got a ring on her finger, she’s married then, and she stumbles along and suddenly an umbrella materialises above her, and she turns around, breaks into a smile, and the camera pans slowly, slowly up, up to the man holding the umbrella, and – we hold our breaths – it’s not Yoon Jae and it’s not Kyung Joon, but a complete stranger – to us, anyway, but not to her, and as he holds her close, and they both break into a run further and further away from us as the rain starts to fall in sheets, and we hear her words carried by the wind back to us, “I knew you would come, hubby.”
****
I thought I would like a whimsical kind of ending, which could be interpreted as either she doesn't end up with either of the guys but has instead married someone else, or, she could possibly have ended up with Kyung Joon, who is now unrecognizable because he has become a man and shed his boyish looks. In my ending, my emphasis is on the fact that time has passed, she has aged and moved on, and is now married happily with a man she loves, and who loves her dearly in turn.
So in retrospect, the drama has ended, and is almost like mine, except for the Gong Yoo-under-umbrella part which SUCKS!!!! I guess I'm psychic, eh?
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167 에리까 중
July 24, 2012 at 11:01 PM
it wasn't BIG ending? but it was BIG question.. someone please explain to me what did hong sisters mean to be?
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168 Verah
July 24, 2012 at 11:04 PM
Aren't they twins? Maybe just maybe after a year he's grown to look like Yoon Jae? Or maybe I'm just in denial...
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hmm...
July 24, 2012 at 11:16 PM
Maybe DR became delusional and now thinks KJ looks like YJ.
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flyingbunny
July 24, 2012 at 11:57 PM
LOL!
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oblivious
July 25, 2012 at 12:04 AM
which would prove she could never love Kyung Joon in his own body
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Fall
July 25, 2012 at 1:03 AM
lolol
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169 eslene
July 24, 2012 at 11:05 PM
Agree with all comment
But just curious what is the song played in raining scene in ep 4?.also during drunk scene of daran in ep 5.
Anyone knows?(i need to focus on smthing i like)
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170 Ruthie08
July 24, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Ahhhhh my poor brain...all this time after I watched the final episode, ate dinner, prep my clothes for tomorrow, and took a shower...still my brain cannot process how this ending went. I even went bank and fort after the one year cuts thinking I wasn't paying attention on the subs but man! It didn't make any difference! This ending is one of the worst ending ever! I don't wanna say This since Gong Yoo is such a great actor but he doesn't deserve this and they wasted his talent for this crappy drama! What a waste of time...I want my 16 hours back!!! I was kinda getting worried on ep 15 coz it's not making sense and of course here I am hoping they could wrap up Everythin on ep 16 but ended up getting more confused than ever. At least I still have a gentleman's dignity to be happy about coz they're doing a great job on the storyline.
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171 Gabobobobo
July 24, 2012 at 11:12 PM
Holymoly.. What a big dissapoinment!!
The ending is full of holes! And I totally fill miserable for Yoon Jae!! From the first time I alway root for him.. Poor him. Betrayed by his fiancee whom he's been faithful to..
And why won't they show KKJ in Shin Won Ho? Did they think the acting part is too hard for him (I don't think so..) or they think society can't accept the age gap? If so, they should have chosen older actor for KKJ, or set the KKJ age older, no?
Well.. Whatever.. It has ended anyway.
Of all things, I love Gong Yoo's acting (and his sexiness >v<). He is amazing!
I like the soundtracks, too..
And thanks a bunch for your recaps. You must have had a hard time during the last episodes.
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172 knotescape
July 24, 2012 at 11:13 PM
Gong Yoo was definitely the highlight of the show for me. I love all the cute moments in this show and those moments definitely reflect the Hong's sisters style.
I have to say that I liked Big Love's story a lot more than Big. Hopefully, the next Hong sisters' drama will be better.
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173 annnsow
July 24, 2012 at 11:17 PM
Glad I stopped at episode 1 XD
This kind of plot is always a big fail to me....
I can't wait for Gong Yoo's next project though,hopefully it's a plot that's appealing to me and I'll def watch it.
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174 Ella Zala
July 24, 2012 at 11:18 PM
WOW, This [points finger] IS GARBAGE...
**Imitating GRU from despicable me**
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daniela
July 25, 2012 at 12:24 AM
I love Gru!!!!!!!! my daughter too!hihi!
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175 Mary
July 24, 2012 at 11:19 PM
The ending was a BIG disappointment. Poor actor who played Kyung Joon! He got to sleep through most of it. It's like they didn't trust him to act. I felt that Mari needed lipstick and blush. Da Ran and YJ were kind of boring characters, too mature. I think they tried too hard to be funny and cute, and it just didn't work well. On the other hand, the product placement was effective. I bought Vitamin Water!
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176 Mariamawangja
July 24, 2012 at 11:19 PM
Worst ending ever, why show?why? I still can't believe I waited 16 hours just to see Kkj then nothing. So pissed of right now :(
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177 ajj
July 24, 2012 at 11:19 PM
what a stupid ending..
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178 Sassychef
July 24, 2012 at 11:21 PM
100 hours of my life just went down the drain working on this drama. Even my undying live for Gong Yoo wasn't worth those hours. Going to bed while scratching my head in confusion now. WTF?!?!!!!!
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179 SYR
July 24, 2012 at 11:21 PM
hmm...now that I think about it...The Hong sisters are pretty bad when it comes to writing fantasy stories.
This is what I've noticed so far. I didn't enjoy MGIAG, HGD and definitely this one. & what do they all have in common? they all have fantasy elements.
Hmm mayb fantasy and the Hong sisters don't work well together?
Or maybe I just have a natural rejection to fantasy stories written by them?
I just can't seem to enjoy any of their fantasy stories at all. I'm not sure why either. but maybe they are just not good at writing fantasy. They always tend to be over the top and confusing as hell.
So, the next time the Hong sisters decided to write a fantasy story, I should probably just stay away. lol!
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JD
July 25, 2012 at 12:59 AM
On the contrary, I think HGD is an excellent drama; it's plot strings were nicely tied together in the end, and the OST and casting were appropriate and memorable.
But I agree with you on this one and MGIAG. Even though I loooooove the actors, I hate these dramas with a passion. Bleh. I think the Hong Sisters have lost their charm; I definitely remember enjoying their past dramas way more. Why can't they make something normal like Delightful Girl Choon Hyang?!?!?
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180 Aleesa
July 24, 2012 at 11:22 PM
This couldn't be truer! I mean come on I feel like I'm at a freaking magic show waiting for the "BIG" reveal like an idiot and then BAM! A big puff of smoke blocks the way and we end up with nothing but unsatiscfying results. I was sold a cookie but only got a rice Krispy treat WtH!! =.= this drama's because it's you song had me crying for no real reason jeez....
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181 leahtaro
July 24, 2012 at 11:22 PM
BIG was one of the dramas I waited in jitters. I literally did a countdown to June 4 for the first episode. Who are we to doubt--Gong Yoo on his drama comeback, paired with the ever bubbly Lee Min Jung (LOVED HER IN SMILE, YOU). Penned by Hong Sisters, I am sold even before it aired.
Then it came crashing down. I guessed I put my standards too high for this drama, and so as almost everyone else. I expected, and the show unfortunately did not deliver. Lost interest after episode 4, got better around episode 6, until I dropped the drama at episode 8. Huge, huge disappointment.
I just can't buy the whole "Kyung-Joon-in-Yoon-Jae's body" character. Because I look at Gong Yoo, and I still see Yoon Jae and not the kid he was supposed to be. Granted his acting chops delivers and makes it believable that he's a kid, but I just can't think that it's another person inside of him that is supposed to be the lead character. Rather, I always see him as Yoon Jae acting immature, petulant and child-like. Unfortunately, I am not emotionally attached to BIG.
But, I still followed BIG here on DB, giving it a chance that maybe it will redeem itself. But, what a disappointing ending, Show. You tell us they switched back to normal, yet you don't us Shin's face even until the end! It's still Gong Yoo right there, who are you kidding! It feels like Gong Yoo's face is just being used here, it's still Shin's character as the lead. I feel cheated. -.-
But, thank you JB and GF that you have provided us with very awesome recaps! Thank you that you have did stick with this drama until the end, and gave us (me specifically as I am not watching) the recaps to satisfy those viewers who prefer to just read. Saved us hours of time. As always, you guys are incredible! :)
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zeTgi
July 25, 2012 at 4:59 AM
true. kyung joon's character more matured and arrogant. but gong yoo act like chung shik's character, childish but with brainer. WTH! they even not compatible together at their first meeting.
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182 Yu
July 24, 2012 at 11:22 PM
All Hong Sister's dramas are very good, except one thing that the more wonderful the beginning is, the more disappointing the ending we get. Their dramas all described as rom-com but actually all endings make me very upset. First You're Beautiful, now BIG.
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183 neener
July 24, 2012 at 11:30 PM
No wonder I stopped watching and just continued to read the recaps
it was a BIG disappointment!! :( :( :(
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184 jasmin
July 24, 2012 at 11:33 PM
For me a perfect ending would have been: Shin Won closing this drama with his reappearance during the busride... But somehow THS slept and thought it would be confusing for the viewers to see the young KJ again, even though we loved him for his great performance in episode 1. But it was more confusing that Gong Yoo, no matter how brilliant he was, got this part...
So overall a WTF-ending! Which leads me to think that Koreans still have problems to see a older woman with a younger man....
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Ana
July 25, 2012 at 5:23 PM
People all over the world have problems with those relationships. Maybe men just tend to age better but I've seen young girls out with men in their forties and no one seems to care but peope freak out if a girl is two years older than a guy. It's a double standard that won't go away any time soon. However, I *do* wish they had picked someone other than SWH because he looks frighteningly young. Maybe LMJ felt too uncomfortable doing a romantic scene with him?
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185 Kiara
July 24, 2012 at 11:39 PM
I didnt really like the movie Big and I knew that this drama may not be for me but I had little hope cause I like the Hong sisters.
Well, I'm a bit sad that it didnt live up to the fans expectations. Maybe they need a loooong break before doing another drama.
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MariePhils
July 25, 2012 at 12:14 AM
Actually, i love the ending of Hollywood movie BIG...but the K-drama BIG fall short in its entirety. Rubbish Me.
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186 hapacalgirl
July 24, 2012 at 11:45 PM
Gong Yoo is always a win with me but I have probably only liked about 2 maybe 3 of the Hong Sisters dramas in their entire career so its no surprise that in the end they still do not know how to write a good female lead or how to properly end a drama. I honestly do not understand the fanfare with them but I guess its preference really.
The heart and soul of this drama was always Gong Yoo and Lee Min Jung's portrayals and not so much the actual story which I honestly found weak and full of untouched potential.
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187 Ariel
July 24, 2012 at 11:48 PM
Well how about diving into Answer Me 1997 (slyly winking) it's short, it has Eun Jiwon as a highschooler with a library of porn, its set in the 90's where you could wax nostalgic and its a coming of age story. It might even be the successor for Shut Up FBB, your tempted right, right say you are...
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188 Hyumi
July 24, 2012 at 11:49 PM
I was crying like a baby! I loved this drama, it´s a pity it ended like that :(
I think they switched the body back to their own body, maybe the real Yoonjae get information from his parents (but I think, that they just should make them meet again and solve it) and I think he was in his body just to us see she sees him like this, like an adult person, maybe because of that he was at the end in the same body...BUT! I´m really sad and disappointed for not making Shin the last scene :( I mean....he was just laying there in the drama and all the episodes I was waiting for him to stand again and be the Kang KyungJoon like before (of course with the feelings for Daran) and I wanted some more romantic scene like Oh really, I love her, I remember everything and some romantic kiss on the lips?
From this side, this drama lacks :( I don´t how to feel by myself...my feelings are mixed now :(
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189 aimei
July 25, 2012 at 12:05 AM
a big WTF?!! are you serious? that has got to be the WORST ending ever!
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190 anna
July 25, 2012 at 12:06 AM
Dang it! The switch should have happened somewhere in the middle. Poor YJ never stood a chance! And that sucks! He was so innocent in all this, at least gave him a fair chance. Poor guy was in the coma for the entire drama, and his fiancee went and fell in love with a high school kid in his body! Oh ouch, that sucks. Poor guy. I hope he's well and got over his sad.
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191 rainsgirll
July 25, 2012 at 12:06 AM
This show started out strong and I love Gong Yoo. He's such a great actor but I'm just so disappointed on how this show spiraled down to its stupid abyssed ending. *sigh I can't believe I wasted my tears for this and hanged on with the roller coaster adjustments T_T....
My roller coaster moments...
1.The Kyaaaa Moment -
I really liked the chemistry of KKJ & DR from the first episode, ( i thought to myself, wow my heart just skipped-->umbrella scene)kya...
2. The Huh? Moment -
then came episodes 2-5? where I had to digest the KKJ personality of spontaneous, funny, immature kid which is so far off from KKJ of episode 1.
3.The Ahhh ^-^ moment-
Then finally -- my contentment to see the consistency of character when he returned from 1 yr absence and like our main character I was able to see past the GY shell and see KKJ instead.
4. The Depressed T_T moment -
then cry my eyeballs out for the angsty episodes and waves my fist in the air when I was soo excitedly expecting some developments for episode 15 (thinking that the real KKJ and DR are getting some screen time)... I was really depressed last week after watching the angst on those episodes, not to mention my puffy eyes!
4. The WTF! Moment-
then hanged on and be let down of this stupid ending and realized you hanged on to watch this show for this ending! I felt really cheated!? I want my tears back!!
sorry for the rants, but I'm just so disappointed, I really want to have the closure of seeing KKJ in his real body with Da ran.
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192 MariePhils
July 25, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Dear Show:
First, Gong Yoo is the main reason why i decided to consider your drama...
Honestly, i fell in love with you Episode 1...giving high expectations on the character of Gong Yoo (Hj) or even Shin Won Ho (Kj). And I had no worries on GY's chemistry with Lee Minjung (Daran) since it exist!
Then came episode 2 wherein you have started to shed loud heartbeats into mine. I was praying then to dramagods to supersede on whatever negative vibes that would befall,.
But then, i guess, dramagods did'nt hear me at all.
As much as i want to see GY...i decided to temporarily withdrawn from watching you. Butt i have promised to catch you from time to time on the recaps of dramabeans.
Then, at your last breath,SHOW... you solemnly lead me into my grave. You know what? I have not yet forgotten my BIGGEST heartbreak in the drama finale of "What Happened in Bali" and that of "Fashion King" Will you blame me from feeling the same?
You left me with an open-ended finale. Unanswered loopholes. What happened to Hj's soul? Will he be awake? From doing so, i felt that Shin's character is wasted. Or am i interpreting your ending differently, please somebody tell me so.
I guess, i should have not blamed you entirely. Will i turn my nuisances to your writers instead? How about your PD?
Again, the only thing that kept me from wanting you...is Gong Yoo...and now that it will be aired in my country...i have no choice but to watch it again. Who knows, i'll might have a change of heart then...or will have a better understanding of your drama's totality.
But i still seek my appreciation to dramagods for granting my wish this 2012 - and that is Gong Yoo to be back in dramaland, and hoping that his next drama will not have this same vibe like this. And to Hong Sisters, just want to say that inspite of this - I STILL LOVE YOU! Better storyline next time around!
Drama Rating: 6/10
Gong Yoo: 10/10
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193 Mymymai
July 25, 2012 at 12:15 AM
When I can't even root for the kyung joon is his own body through half of the series, I knew they were going to use goo yoo til the end. Either they don't want to deal with the physical age gap or the emotional baggage Daran and Yeon Jae. They just took the easy way out of this drama.
Sooooooo disappointed.
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194 Arcana
July 25, 2012 at 12:15 AM
I definitely agree with many of the commentators here that said that the Hong Sisters bit off more then they could chew in terms of story. I was disappointed that we didn't see Shin act out the reunion scene with Da ran, but I am also in the minority here in that I kind of didn't want to lose Gong Yoo as KKJ. I have to admit, in spite, of the major plot holes the sisters left it warmed my heart to see KKJ (Gong Yoo) reunite with Da Ran under the umbrella. However, like girlfriday pointed out in her commentary stories come first and the Hong Sisters did not uphold their end of the job. As the audience we gave into the conceit that KKJ and YJ were twin brothers who are 12 years apart and who never met. That's fine. Then they create a love triangle between the two brothers and Da Ran also a fine idea, but where was YJ's emotional payoff? I get it, the love triangle was an existential metaphor between body and soul, but that does not mean that YJ's character doesn't deserve some exploration. Especially if he really did like or even loved Gil Da Ran, he deserved better and the Hong Sisters completely ignored his plight (then again when have second leads in their dramas been treated as anything but door mats--I'm looking at you Shin Woo, Adorkable Doc from Best love). Not to mention the mother gets a free pass after she threw away her child? Suddenly everything will be fine because she is going to read some notes on his food habits? I don't think so, emotional pain like that runs deep and I highly doubt that KKJ is going to easily forgive his biological parents (yes I know his dad loved his adoptive mom but he still didn't bother to stick around and raise him). Honestly, they could have made this drama better if they cut down on the amount of characters used (Se Young what was your purpose? Vice Principle? Uncle and Aunt?) and picked a story format that allowed them to tell an effective coming of age story. They could have referenced 13 going on 30 in which KKJ could have instantly grown up and had to deal with the reality adulthood while trying to court Da Ran and then revert back to his young self to change his fate. They could have gone the identical twin route in which KKJ was jealous of YJ's life and a supernatural force caused them to switched bodies/lives. They would be able to experience each other's lives and take away lessons that would enrich their journeys. The love triangle could still be in play but in this case YJ gets a fighting chance. Instead they choose to slap together an ending and forget to tie up loose ends. I commend Gong Yoo on his stellar performance it's the reason I liked the drama as much as I did, Lee Min Jung for doing the best she could with the character of Da Ran (lets face it girl characters aren't the strong suit of the Hong Sisters) and Suzy for pleasantly surprising me in making me feel for a crazed teenager in love. As much as this drama failed I still have hope that the Hong Sisters can rebound and improve their writing. Hopefully they can learn how to make good on their premises without sacrificing believability in their characters, improve their second leads and fix their PACING. My gosh, in every drama, the story reach a resolution in episode 14, episode 15 is cannon fodder and the 16th episode is just regurgitation with some cutesie moments for the romantic pairing. All in all, this ending was not nearly as bad as the one for Bad Guy, that one still hurts. I loved it was it's individual moments and I even liked the culimination of certain arcs, KKJ's maturation and Da ran's realization that she was so blinded by her infatuation that she was sacrificing herself as a result and thus, could never achieve the equal partnership she desired with YJ. However, too many big concepts and too many characters sunk this battleship from completing a successful mission--the narrative.
But thank you JB and GF for your consistent and elaborate recapping.
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195 Fiona
July 25, 2012 at 12:20 AM
I haven't watched this show yet. Think I'll just skip it after reading your comments. It's that bad huh ?
Love Gong Yoo since Princess Hour though.. *sigh*
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196 Kelci
July 25, 2012 at 12:20 AM
I have loved a great deal of the Hong Sister's dramas before and have also hated a good deal of them to.
The only saving grace this show had from episode 8 and onward was the superb acting of Gong Yoo.
However you CAN'T build an entire base off an actor alone as they mentioned above in the recap. This was not just dissapointing but so utterly wasteful that I feel some of my brain cells may have died in the process.
This ending didn't make any sense and there was NO justification for this. I honestly preferred Fashion King's angst filled episodes and ending because AT LEAST you saw something like that coming and while you could hate it, the sense was there.
I feel not only insulted at this but also a lack of love for the writers or the series that has stemmed even further now. It's truly abominable and I don't know what to really say.
They may have been banking on an extension and just couldn't see it with the olympics since a mess had already been made with the episodes thus far and including all the NECESSARY things would have taken to long. So they scrapped it and gave us this filler crap.
Dissapointed.
So very dissapointed.
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197 dingmeiser
July 25, 2012 at 12:24 AM
Watching the last 2 episodes felt like having bad sex--- you endure it hoping to get, by some miracle, to an orgasm that sadly doesn't happen, leaving you angry and resentful. haha....If not for Gong Yoo, I would not have stuck it to the end. Shame on you Hong sisters!
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Mystisith
July 25, 2012 at 5:08 AM
LOL!!! I thought of the same metaphor but hadn't the guts to write it... *Chicken me on that one!* :)
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198 JC
July 25, 2012 at 12:31 AM
I wonder how the drama was received in Korea, and if the audience there was as disappointed as the general consensus here.
Anyways, thanks for the recaps and I hope you guys will do a podcast talking about Big if its tolerable.
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Ana
July 25, 2012 at 5:26 PM
The ratings were pretty poor so I think Koreans didn't like this one either. A pretty bad summer for rom-coms, I think, even though Koreans seem to prefer sageuks anyways.
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199 Fall
July 25, 2012 at 12:32 AM
The only redeeming factor of Big: GY's chocolate abs.
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Fall
July 25, 2012 at 12:52 AM
Oh, and haha I added Ragequit and Hulksmash into my lexicon.
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tarianant
July 25, 2012 at 2:21 AM
Hear! hear! And he's got a great ass. Sorry I just have to say it. The story is a mess so my eyes took me back there all through the entire drama.
btw Girlfriday to answer your question: "How does a person just walk away with a coma patient?" Easy. WiFi catheter.
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Mystisith
July 25, 2012 at 5:11 AM
Wireless catheter. Bwahahaha... OMG! The comments are as epic as the drama was a fail. Thanks!
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200 MintyV
July 25, 2012 at 12:36 AM
why did i even bother checking out this kdrama?... BIG, I AM DISAPPOINT (meme fail LOL)... i could've used that wasted time watching the awesome PSY and BIG BANG hehehe...
raging peeps, maybe you can try to forget the disappointment and laugh out loud with PSY's Gangnam Style mv... it's way more entertaining...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
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