King of Dramas: Episode 18 (Final)
by HeadsNo2
Everything gets tied into a neat bow as our characters go through the wringer trying to prevent a broadcasting accident. What goes around comes around, it seems, and Anthony is made to choose between saving himself or saving his drama. For anyone who knows Anthony, the decision he makes shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Last Ratings Report: The final episode of King of Dramas clocked in at 6.7%. Alas, no big shake-ups.
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FINAL EPISODE: “The End of the King or The Final King”
After the kiss, Anthony questions Go-eun’s resolve going forward only once, in reminding her that his blindness will be hard for her to endure. She’s adamant that it doesn’t matter to her: “Let’s go together.”
They go to see what could be Anthony’s last sunrise, as Go-eun thinks to herself, “Even if you can’t see, I will make you feel it. And I will be there beside you. Even if you can’t see the dramas you made, even if you can’t see my face or my drama, where you’re standing, whether you’re smiling at me or crying, I will see all of it.”
Once that’s over, Anthony asks her if they’ll have time to “sleep.” Go-eun, of course, takes another meaning from the word and stutters that she’s not that easy of a woman, to which he replies that he’d just planned for them to take a short nap in the car before driving back.
“So vulgar,” he teases her. Ha.
Go-eun ends up driving them home, and she’s absolutely terrible at it. Poor Anthony.
He gives a pep talk to the World Boys to prepare them for the live-shooting madness ahead, claiming that their only real problem will be Min-ah’s conflicting schedule since she’ll be doing a film at the same time. Go-eun promises to lessen her scenes and, if she must, to kill her character off. The show must go on.
No one’s happier than Hyun-min that Min-ah has less screen time, although he thinks it’s because his acting talent is finally being recognized by Go-eun, because he’s still keeping score of how many scenes he has compared to Min-ah.
Go-eun figures out a way to write the scenes so that Min-ah’s portions can be filmed all at once in order to save time. Anthony’s there to encourage her, and winks when she asks whether his sight is fine. “The other eye is still fine,” he reminds her.
Anthony surprises her by asking again when she started to like him. She asks him the same but he asked first, so she hesitantly replies that her affection started when he defended her during the plagiarism scandal.
And then, he cheats out of telling her when his affection started, saying he’ll tell her when she finishes the script. A very Anthony-esque reply, though it’s nice to see him not wallowing in depression.
On set, Hyun-min keeps flubbing the takes because he can’t remember all his lines. He’s all offended when Min-ah suggests he use a prompter, insisting that he can memorize it all and act it all perfectly.
After a short break, he still can’t remember… but a look to his right reveals writing on the wall, literally. Aww, cute – Min-ah wrote his lines there to help him out.
Oh, okay – so NOW Anthony’s Doc tells him that there might be hope for his eyesight yet from an experimental study in the States. The rates of success can’t be guaranteed, of course, but at least there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Go-eun’s Mom comes for a visit only to freak out a the sight of two toothbrushes and men’s skincare in Go-eun’s bathroom. She immediately thinks it’s that Kim Bong-dal fellow and vows to give him a piece of her mind, which is right when Anthony comes in to claim that Bong-dal isn’t a bad guy. Ha.
So Mom takes the initiative by calling “Bong-dal” from Go-eun’s phone… and of course, Anthony’s phone rings. He passes it off as his alarm and Mom seems to buy it, maybe because the thought of Anthony and Go-eun as a couple is that absurd to her.
Hyun-min offers Min-ah some coffee with sugary assumptions, acting cool as a cucumber as he begins, “Most women don’t know their own feelings. Fine. If your feelings for me are that deep, I won’t resist them any longer. Not like I did before.”
Hah, the look on Min-ah’s face. He’s sure she’s fallen for him, despite her running off at the first opportunity. “Cute. Lovely. She’s charming, just like coffee,” he remarks to himself with a smile. (Hi there, product placement.)
Min-ah gets an offer to work on Kim Eun-sook’s (Secret Garden, A Gentleman’s Dignity) next drama, and finds out that Anthony rejected the offer from Taesan in the process.
She calls Anthony to ask for the reason, only for him to reply that he’ll tell her once Kyungsung is over. In the meantime, he studies Braille.
Filming continues, and ratings keep climbing up. New Year’s is celebrated both on set and in Go-eun’s studio, since dramaland doesn’t rest even for the holidays.
They’re in live-shoot for sure, since Go-eun is sending over the script scene by scene. But the ratings keep climbing closer and closer to that sacred 30%, and Dong-seok’s love for the Maknae FD keeps going unrequited. Aww.
Finally, Kyungsung’s script is finished, though Anthony gives Go-eun no time to rest as he takes her out to see his Mom. After introducing her, Anthony tells his mother, “I kept my promise.” (To bring the girl that he likes?)
They’re interrupted by a call by Anthony’s doc, who at least has good news when Anthony and Go-eun go to the hospital together: Anthony is eligible for the clinical trial that might just save his eyesight.
The only problem is, he’d have to leave for the States the next day to make it in time.
Go-eun’s more than supportive of his going off to the States as she tells him, “You said before that a miracle is not something you wait for, but something you make.” If there’s even a shred of hope she’s all for it, so that he can achieve that miracle and come back to see her face.
She goes to her rooftop that night when she’s unable to sleep and finds Anthony standing on his. They share a conversation over their cell phones, as he tells her when his flight is and she assures him she’ll notify the team.
“You can’t sleep because you’re thinking about me, right?” she teases. Anthony scoffs that it’s not true, which causes another round of cute bantering. Now the “I’m acting like I hate you when I love you, for no reason” kind, but the “I love you and you know it but I’ll tease you anyway” kind. Which, in my opinion, is the better of the two.
We finally get a moment with Director Nam and Anthony, as the former fondly remembers how he punched Anthony the last time they met on the company roof. “Time flies so fast, right? Already it’s the last episode,” Director Nam remarks. It’s meta, and it’s true.
Director Nam is eager to work with Anthony again, although Anthony encourages him to hold onto Go-eun. “So far, I’ve been thankful to you,” Anthony admits, which has Director Nam curious. His words sound like a farewell.
“I’m thankful to you too,” Director Nam finally admits.
I was wondering when we’d tie up CEO Oh’s very loose end, as he and Anthony run into each other in the hallway. Anthony offers a sincere apology for CEO Oh having missed his father’s funeral, since he was unaware of it at the time.
It’s unclear whether CEO Oh will forgive him, but at least the apology has been made.
Go-eun sees Anthony off at the airport, and the two share a long embrace. Anthony assures her that he’ll be back soon, and both of them are reluctant to let go of each other’s hands.
Anthony makes it just past the gate before he gets an urgent call from Dong-seok that Min-ah’s filming schedule set her back, and she won’t make it to the filming site until seven that night, which means they won’t get her scenes in time for the broadcast that evening.
“It will become an unprecedented broadcasting accident,” Dong-seok says gravely. Anthony vows that he won’t let it happen, but it means giving up on his chance to see again. He’s going to choose the drama, isn’t he?
Go-eun’s ready to push him back on the plane when she sees him, telling him that there’ll be someone else who can take care of the problem. She’s treating it like we’ve seen in every drama before, where one missed flight means the end of everything ever.
However, Anthony subverts that cliche quite nicely by producing a plane ticket for a later flight to the States that evening. Because, as it turns out, later flights do exist in dramaland. Who knew? (Props for this one, seriously.)
Now they have to go into damage control mode, which means Go-eun has to revise the script in order to cut down Min-ah’s scenes in order for there to be enough time to film them. In absence of a laptop, she uses an employee’s desk at the airport. Ha.
Min-ah’s stuck behind an accident on a snowy country road, so Anthony instructs her to stop the first motorcycle that passes in order to take her to the filming site. At least this time he advocates slow, careful driving to avoid any accidents.
She agrees, knowing how grave the situation is.
While Go-eun furiously works on her script revisions, Min-ah bribes a motorcyclist with an autographed picture to be on her way.
Meanwhile, Director Nam and the rest of the crew at SBC gets wind of the delay. Their panic is understandable, but they have no choice but to wait it out when there’s nothing they can do.
Anthony does his part to help Go-eun by instructing the editing room to edit in about five minutes of flashbacks to help fill air time while Min-ah rushes to set on a motorcycle. Everyone on set waits nervously.
They’re cutting it close by sending in tapes to broadcast while they haven’t finished the end of the episode, but Anthony arrives on set to (hopefully) save the day. He suggests they film Hyun-min’s close-ups first, and they have the Maknae FD stand in for Min-ah. I bet this happens on real drama sets when time is of the essence.
Go-eun manages to send in the revised script just as Min-ah arrives on set. Things are looking cautiously optimistic.
Min-ah catches Hyun-min off guard by offering a sincere apology for being late, enough so that he can’t argue the point. They get to filming.
The last of the tapes is given to Anthony to deliver to the broadcaster on time, which is giving me bad vibes considering what happened the first episode. At least he’s not driving the car? And it’s an actual car?
Go-eun scolds Anthony for cutting his flight time so close with his insistence on delivering the tape himself, especially when it’s a job Dong-seok could have done alone. “Do you have to do this to the end?” she asks exasperatingly.
“Because this is the end, I really want to hand it over myself,” Anthony replies. She at least seems to understand, and agrees to wait for him at the airport. Dong-seok overhears the conversation even though he has no idea why Anthony is really headed to the States.
The SBC Execs are notified that Anthony is on the way with the tapes, and can breathe just a little easier.
While waiting, Go-eun finally thinks to check the board of departure times… and doesn’t find Anthony’s red-eye flight time listed. Which means he lied to her, and he really did give his eyesight up for the drama. Sigh.
At least she calls him up straight away to confront him on his lie, which he admits he used because he knew she wouldn’t let him go if he told the truth. Which is true, since she tells him this was the last chance to treat his eyes.
Anthony: “That’s right. It might have been the last, very tiny chance. Maybe I wanted to find that slightest hope, like a piece of thread. But this is my last drama. When I knew that my last drama could be horribly ruined, I couldn’t just leave it behind.”
Go-eun: “Are you saying it was more important than your own eyes?”
Anthony: “Yes. Because this is my last drama, as well as your first drama.”
He apologizes, but there’s nothing Go-eun can do now. Dong-seok asks about the phone conversation again, and Anthony evades the question. Again.
…And then they get in a car accident.
In the airport, the crash of luggage on the floor mirrors the sound of the accident and works to startle Go-eun from her thoughts.
Dong-seok stumbles from the car with a bleeding head, and makes his way over to Anthony’s side. Anthony all but falls out of the car with an even more severe head wound, and the lost look in his eyes has Dong-seok crying in fear.
But when Anthony looks up from the ground, all he sees is the bloodied face of the motorcyclist who died kneeling in Dong-seok’s place.
Despite his wounds, Anthony produces the tape from his jacket with a shaking hand. “Instead of me,” he ekes out, “you should go and hand it over.”
Dong-seok refuses to leave his side, and Anthony has to reassure him that the bystanders have called an ambulance. He all but orders Dong-seok to go lest he face his wrath later, and when Dong-seok finally does break away, Anthony falls unconscious.
Go-eun gets the call from Dong-seok, and her face falls. Anthony seems to be teetering on the edge of consciousness as he’s carted away in an ambulance.
Meanwhile, Dong-seok delivers the tape to the station, bloodied and drenched in tears. He can barely manage to tell them that Anthony was seriously hurt.
Go-eun rushes to the trauma ward as Anthony undergoes defibrillation. He can’t be revived, and terror starts seeping into Go-eun’s expression.
All the while, the show goes on, though when it achieves its goal and surpasses 30%, no one at the station has the heart to cheer when Anthony’s fate is uncertain.
At the hospital, Anthony flatlines. The doctors stand aside as Go-eun cries. This can’t be the end. We’re so being trolled… right? Right?
I don’t know if it’s a bit of meta that we get a series of flashbacks through Go-eun’s perspective, of all the times Anthony opened up to her and trusted her wholeheartedly.
“This person isn’t going to die so easily,” Go-eun assures the doctors as she kneels by Anthony’s side to take his hand. She urges him to wake up and open his eyes.
And then, as if on cue, Anthony comes back from the brink. He’s alive.
Some time later, Hyun-min and Min-ah work together on a photo shoot, with Hyun-min back to his old antics as he tries to push her out of the frame with his butt.
However, the atmosphere is a bit different as they share a few loving touches, only to be confirmed when the photographer notes that they’ve earned the fame of their title, “The best couple in the entertainment world.”
Backstage, Hyun-min talks future CF deals with his “darling” Min-ah, so that they can catch up to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It goes without saying that they’re adorable together, with Min-ah playing into his ego by saying maybe the best thing Hyun-min could ever hear: “You’re smarter than Brad Pitt!”
Haha. He is on cloud NINE with that statement. “Then my honey is like Angelina Jolie,” he replies in a lovey-dovey voice as they prepare to do some smooching.
In voiceover, we hear Go-eun comment: “After one year, those two with a lot of rumors and scandals became a real couple.”
We see Daddy Chairman as Director Nam greets him with his son. In voiceover, Go-eun says that Director Nam was promoted to Chief Director of Production, and that he made up with his father.
In real time, Daddy Chairman gets to greet his grandson and his son happily.
Go-eun: “Now, there is no one who doesn’t know that Director Nam’s father is the Chairman of Empire Production. And Empire Production is still the best drama production company in Korea.”
The doors to Empire open as the new Chairman walks through the hall… and it isn’t Anthony, or CEO Oh, but CEO Oh’s minion. Hah. What goes around comes around, since CEO Oh finds himself in the same position he once put Anthony in.
Go-eun: “CEO Oh, who got kicked out, is trying hard to come back. That’s about it.” Ha. She goes on: “And Anthony Kim, the producer of my debut drama Kyungsung Morning… No, my Kim Bong-dal…”
We cut to Anthony giving a presentation about a possible comeback for radio dramas in Korea, but his eyes keep wavering from one spot to the other. …He’s gone blind, hasn’t he.
He introduces Go-eun to the audience as the top star writer in the drama industry capable of bringing radio back, and the audience cheers. Yep, he’s definitely blind.
She helps him walk out, both of them wearing the couple rings he’d originally bought. He pulls out his I’m Blind Sunglasses, which he claims make him look cool. They talk and laugh over who’s taking a loss if she turns to radio dramas, and walk with each other outside.
Go-eun: “Even though he’s just a third-rate producer now, he’s forever the king of dramas in my mind.”
COMMENTS
Having not been a huge fan of last week’s angst-filled episode, this week’s finale amped up the tension well enough and provided some thrills we’d been missing from the early days. I liked that we brought the drama back to the drama production, which is where the fun is at in this show. Lots of stakes, tension, and all of it riding on avoiding a broadcast accident.
Anthony’s blindness arc was much easier to swallow when he was being active about it, and I found myself hoping for a miracle after last week’s assuredness that all hope was lost. We were given that sliver of hope, Anthony was given that sliver of hope, and then it was taken away. The thing about the airport ticket scene that got me was that the writer was aware of the “If I miss this flight, everything is lost” trope, and had Anthony produce another ticket. I’m pretty sure I cheered.
Except the ticket was a lie, so really we just ended up at square one. Which wasn’t the worst thing ever since he clearly made his choice. It was handled well, his blindness wasn’t treated like the end of the world. He was able to function and pitch a classic idea to a roomful of less-than-enthused directors. He’s not going to be the King of Dramas because Go-eun tells us that he’s just a third-rate producer.
One could argue that the ending was realistic, and I’d agree. But this drama wasn’t peddling straight realism, and in fact mostly gave us a sort of hyper-reality, which I was fine with. But in one episode we went from a literal unexplainable miracle (Anthony returning from the land of the dead) to a scenario where we could use a miracle and didn’t get one, so our hero ends up blind. Again, I’m not sold on it, but would give it a tentative pass if there was some hope there. Sure, his radio idea might take off, but for the moment, he’s a third-rate producer. (I can’t get over that line.)
What’s most important is that Anthony as a character is able to live a fulfilling life, though I do feel sad for the boy who lived his life escaping reality through dramas. But I’ll admit it’s just wish-fulfillment on my part when I admit that I wish he could have achieved his dreams in becoming the best drama producer and the literal king of dramas – this time with a heart, a team of people to support him, the love of an awesome person, and a successful hit under his belt. One that didn’t require anyone to sacrifice their lives.
That aside, King of Dramas wasn’t a disappointment by any means, even though we didn’t end with the same kind of zippiness we started with. (Something that’s becoming like the rare white elk of dramaland, to end a show without any tonal or quality loss in the live-shoot system.) It was filled to the brim with endearing characters, even when the week-to-week story started to lag. When problems were presented and solved before we could blink, our cast was there to ground us and make us laugh. If nothing else, this was an insanely funny show.
Unfortunately it seems like we fell prey to low ratings and the live-shoot system, especially in instances like Min-ah’s fly-by-night makjang side, or CEO Oh’s constantly-changing perspectives on how to deal with Anthony. It sort of felt like the writer was throwing plot thread cupcakes at the ratings wall to see what stuck, introducing things here and there to test the waters. If a thread didn’t work, it was quickly cut. Which I suppose we can be thankful for, rather than seeing things we didn’t want dragged out for ages. But it did make me a little wary of every sudden turn, always curious whether it was going to really impact where we were going or whether it was just a fleeting thing that would disappear in the next week’s episodes.
Again, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, since we got a pretty breezy watch out of it all. This is a show that provided fun, escapist entertainment, and though it lacked any huge messages, the meta commentary was as fun to watch as our cast interactions. I loved everyone from Anthony down to Director Goo, and appreciated that we had a heroine with just the right amount of spunk and naivety. There wasn’t a dud to be found in the entire cast, with a memorable comic performance by Choi Siwon that never failed to have me in stitches every single scene.
I can safely say I’ll miss this ensemble, and I hope the World Boys will see a bright future waiting for them in the world of radio entertainment. I have a feeling that if only one adage survives from this drama, it will be this:
What Would Anthony Do?
RELATED POSTS
- King of Dramas: Episode 17
- King of Dramas: Episode 16
- King of Dramas: Episode 15
- King of Dramas: Episode 14
- King of Dramas: Episode 13
- King of Dramas: Episode 12
- King of Dramas: Episode 11
- King of Dramas: Episode 10
- King of Dramas: Episode 9
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Tags: Choi Siwon, featured, Jung Ryeo-won, Kim Myung-min, King of Dramas
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1 Ruth
January 9, 2013 at 5:19 AM
I think, among the people that watched this drama (why so low, ratings?), there are probably a lot of people like me - people who really enjoyed the drama, but were left a little "hmm...huh...okay...that's how you want to end it?" at the end.
Like was mentioned in the recap, everything (well, nearly) got wrapped up in a nice, neat package. For me, however, it almost seemed too neat...too quick. In the conversation about the extension to this drama, someone mentioned there potentially being plans for 16 and 20 eps. but not 18, and that's what I felt like. Like they added in some stuff because of the extension, but didn't have the time to really treat it well.
Meh. Even so, I just loved the characters and was always pleased to watch this drama. I hope it was as much fun for the cast and crew to make as it was to watch.
As always, thanks to HeadsNo2 for the time and insight put into this recap.
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Koirv
January 9, 2013 at 10:01 AM
DID I MISS SOMETHING OR WHAT?!?! Anthony did NOT answer Go-eun when did HE start liking HER!!!
(Writer Jaaaang this needed a clean finish! I'm curious when he started liking her! Or maybe I'm the only one who didn't see it?)
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liza
January 9, 2013 at 10:31 AM
I think he did not answer because it was at that same time he realized that he liked her. Think about it Anthony trusting someone more than he trusted himself and admitting it to everyone.
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vampyj
January 10, 2013 at 5:51 AM
I think it was when they were stuck in the food truck. The flashback showed Go Eun's answer (when he said he believed her) and after that it showed the scene where they were huddled in the truck and talking about warm things.
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jumbalaya
January 9, 2013 at 12:35 PM
I feel as if all of us liked this drama, but we felt that the ending could have left us with more of a feeling of complete-ness.
Although I agree, maybe we aren't totally loving the ending because it was realistic.
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ilovemandoo
January 9, 2013 at 1:17 PM
I completely agree! I really thought the same way as you did ("Like they added in some stuff because of the extension, but didn’t have the time to really treat it well.)
Another thing that got to me was that they did wrap up the ending, but they didn't even get all of the loose threads. For instance, Anthony never responded to Go-Eun's question about when he first started liking her. And it was never explained whether the World Production boys found out about Anthony's sacrifice. I know that this is a realistic ending and that Anthony is only a "third-rate" producer now, but I feel like they would hear about his going blind and connecting the dots. Not to mention, Dong-seok heard part of the conversation. But alas, this was never addressed either. And it makes me very sad because the bromance was one of the best parts of the drama. It made me happy that Anthony finally had a good team, but that was taken away from him ON TOP of his going blind.
Also, I don't quite understand why exactly Anthony had to become a "third-rate" producer. I know that he isn't capable of things he used to do, but it doesn't change the fact that he has an impressive resume. And just a year ago, he produced one of the most successful dramas in the drama's world anyway.
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ilovemandoo
January 9, 2013 at 1:22 PM
Connect*
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Alex Mottis
January 9, 2013 at 2:28 PM
I didn't like that third-rate producer thing either, I mean, he's no exactly the director, he's still capable of solving problems, I don't like the ending at all, it could have been handled better :/
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Airyn
January 9, 2013 at 6:46 PM
I agree! I know that drama is a visual medium, but that still doesn't mean that he had to shift to radio. He has a great team at World Productions that he can trust to be his eyes, not to mention Go-eun, so there must be a way for him to still produce dramas despite being blind. And what is with the "third rate" label? His last drama was a hit. This is the part that really grated on me more than even the fake plane ticket, which I really didn't like, but I can live with. Oh well.
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 7:44 PM
I agree with Airyn, about Anthony being made to be creative so he can remain a producer of TV dramas. When I was watching this episode, I will admit that I could not come up with some ideas as to what or how Anthony could have continued to be the King of dramas IN SPITE of his blindness. Having read some of the thoughts here however, I am now starting to have some thoughts of my own (and someone on this recap might have mentioned them already, but I will still go ahead and write them).
Anthony did have a great team at WP, people who were loyal to him and would follow him wherever he went. Even Dir. Nam was willing and wanted to continue to work with him and I think he would have done all he could to help him. I am sure that Dir. Goo would have continued to work with him as well. SMA was also willing to continue to work with him, and I am sure that KHM would have follow suit (to be with his honey). Anthony could have taught everything he knew to GE while working with her on future dramas, and train the boys at WP as well. As someone here said, he had a solid resume and many successes under his belt, he could have stayed on top, after his comeback, especially since he was now in the good graces of so many people who saw how much he had changed and liked him now. I think that would have been a better way to handle his "blindness" and to also show that it didn't have to slow him down or kill his career. Additionally, we could have then have "a King and a Queen of Dramas" (Anthony and GE) and that would have been awesome. GE would have become a writer-producer (aided by the WP boys).
What a shame!!! I wish we could sometimes communicate with those writers when they are at an impasse. The melo aspect towards the end of this drama would have been easier to accept if we had ended up on a much happier note :-( It would have been great to see him plan how he would keep on working (producing dramas) while getting used to the idea (and the reality) of going blind. OK, rant over (for now at least).
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Reena
January 9, 2013 at 8:32 PM
You just took the words right out of my mouth! I admit the ending kind of lacked for me. I mean, it was good ending, kinda realistic but it would have been a better ending if they worked together (Anthony and GE) as a team to make World Productions a top company (something that's at par with Empire). I want to see all those boys working together. Oh well...
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 9:59 PM
Right Reena,
I can see it clearly now: AK should have taken the offer with Taesan Group, and maybe wrote the contract in such a way that the boys could be his associate partners or junior partners (something like that). GE would eventually become a writer-producer (and they would hire other writers, down the line).
AK would train the WP boys, and Joo PD would be at the top of that chain, since he had been with AK the longest, even sharing his bedroom at some point (probably when the money was really low). So Joo PD would know about the world of dramas the most. So, the other guys would be trained (to become producers, etc...) and a new batch of boys (and girls) would be hired and trained to do the jobs that the WP boys used to do (because they had more responsibilities and also because now, AK could afford to have a bigger staff).
So, because AK had changed in the course of the dramas (treating people better), people in the drama world now like him more (he had more allies) and those people would be willing to work with him and accommodate him (and his staff). In the end, this would also become another success story, with AK (and GE) becoming (or in this case remaining) the King (and Queen) of dramas, and a blind one at that.
He could also do what he did in episode one: give inspirational speeches, which would resonate more with younger people since he is, you know, blind. I mean, if Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could become icons in the music world (and they are both blind), why couldn't AK, in the fictional world of Kdramas? It is the Kdrama world after all, (almost) anything can happen, right?
Chickletta
January 12, 2013 at 1:33 AM
I finally watched the last two episodes last night after my birthday bash. It was a bday present from me to me. The ending was more or less what I expected except Anthony's switch to radio dramas. Can we not put a positive spin on it? Anthony is blind after all. To me it makes sense that he'd be trying to revive the radio dramas so that the blind can enjoy them. I find it quite an innovative ending - because most of us hoped for what most of us are sayng here - that he'd be the same successful fiirst rate producer with the help of Goeun and his boys, albeit blind. That be sugarcoating it almost on a par with inventing some miraculous recovery. they manage to deal with blindness in a decent manner without leaving us, the viewers, too broken hearted about the ending. Doesn't Goeun say something about his constantly changing his mind about projects? It seems he is exploring possibilities to lead a productive life. In the last scene they both look extremely happy to me. Anthony had had a lifetime of stress with his family, job, a lifetime of being ruthless and in cutthroat competition and animosity with everyone and everything. Like King Lear ,now that he is really blind, he sees what really matters. For the loss of his eyes he gained love, peace, happiness, humanity - I don't think it's a bad deal at all. Oh, and the kiss... that didn't seem like acting at all. Watch the making of it on SBS website. I'd say that clip is even more emotionally charged than the kiss they edited and put in ep17.
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Ivoire
January 12, 2013 at 3:12 PM
Hi Chickletta,
I am working all day today and tomorrow (and part of Monday morning. My hours are long), so I will be back later to answer to your comments, and thank you for your comments, (both of them, or more. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more) by the way.
I don't see what's wrong with putting a positive spin on Anthony going blind (I would just like to understand why you said that). I don't think we were being naive about him going blind, I think we understood what that might entail. I think you gave us a different perspective (and I appreciate that), however I also think that your perspective had a positive spin.
As I mentioned in one of my comments here, I had been sick for a while, and so I didn't respond or comment to some of your comments and Arawn, although I wanted to and had planned on doing so (ep. 14 to 17, I think). I will reread my last comments and I will answer. The reason I would like to do it is because I have some questions for you and I would like a chance to ask them. So I hope that next week, you will still be reading the comments on the recaps (at least on this one).
I really do enjoy reading your insights, you give me food for thought. I hope your weekend is going well.
Ivoire
January 12, 2013 at 3:16 PM
Also Chickletta, could you please give us the web address for the SBS website, please? (I would like to see the BTS of the kiss in ep. 17. (Or maybe the direct link to that BTS kiss). Thanks!
quincy
January 12, 2013 at 6:38 PM
hello Ivoire,
here you go http://wizard2.sbs.co.kr/sw11/template/swtpl_iframetype.jsp?vVodId=V0000370537&vProgId=1000838&vMenuId=1018040
the kiss bts is item 45 (unless they upload more videos ;))...
Chickletta: i know! i watched this like 10 times by now and each time I'm so mesmerized by it
Holly
January 14, 2013 at 8:48 PM
Hi, (happy belated birthday!) I agree completely with your view on how we should see the good of Anthony wanting to do radio since he's blind. I loved your positive spin on everything - with ONE significant exception. Kim Myung Min (Anthony) is a married man. The kiss was acting and I don't think we should try to spark such rumors - he has a wife and son, he and Jung Ryeo-Won are just talented actors. Please be careful with your words. Thanks.
Chickletta
January 15, 2013 at 9:18 AM
@ Holly: God forbid that I would start spreading rumours about anyone let alone two of my fave actors. It was just a compliment to the actors and their ability to get under the skin of their characters. If we the viewers are moved by their kiss, how much more moved must the actors be, so if they are in the moment and enjoyed the kiss, I don't think it's a cause for a divorce. Besides, not only is KMM married but he is very relilgious. In all his acceptance speeches he always first thanks god for his talent 'that is considerable but still lacking so that he still has to practice a lot."
Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 7:52 PM
I am with you, ilovemandoo. I wanted to see the reactions of the people who knew Anthony, once they found out he had gone blind and the sacrifices he had made. And I agree with the other things you have mentioned. It just felt like we were cheated of a few things, imho.
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Chickletta
January 12, 2013 at 10:14 PM
Hello there Ivoire, I am sorry to hear you are sick, and hope you are feeling better. I didn't mean a "positive spin" on the blindness - we were all doing ithat - but I meant a positive spin on his attempts to move to the realm of radio drama rather than staying in the TV drama. I am a big fan of radio and audio books. Also, the idea of success - he is doing fine. Let's be realistic: how many hots shots in any area of life do we know that are blind? In Korea, where the accent is on perfection and strength, it would be even more impossible. So, Anthony is dealing with his situation beautifully.
I am glad there are other people out there who watch the making of the kiss as many times as I did. KMM was so much in his character (or into JRW, hehe) he couldn't get back to reality immediately after the 'cut' call. And he's wiping tears. I am hopelessly in love with Anthony, and have tons of respect for KMM who pulled him off so perfectly. I don't know how often I'll be stopping by dramabeans in the near future. It's so addictive, and I am so busy, but Ivoire, you have my email, you can write to me there.
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xarden
April 2, 2013 at 9:46 AM
"I am hopelessly in love with Anthony, and have tons of respect for KMM who pulled him off so perfectly."
Amen! Just amen!!!
Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:38 AM
Writer Jang oh Writer Jang... What happened with World Productions? This was not addressed. I hope u could show us PD Joo taking over Anthony's place because of his utmost loyalty. (And even the loyalty part was explained clearly why he stuck with Anthony despite the mean attitude)
Nevertheless, the best drama of my life. ♥
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Sungsta
June 2, 2014 at 4:32 PM
I don't think that the "third rate producer" comment was meant to be derogatory. Rather, it seems to be referring back to anthony's quotes in the first episode - "behind a successful drama, there are people who endure a third rate life", and that these "third rate people change the world whilst the first rate people enjoy it". Kim Bong Dal has now become someone who works hard to change the world, thereby satisfying his own definition of "third rate". Now more than before, he deserves the title of the "king of dramas", as he now understands the value and importance of people.
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Thank you Heads so much, for this recap! The King of Dramas has come to an end.
I have some questions, and the 1st one is this: can someone please explain to me the repercussions of not being able to show an episode of a drama when it is supposed to be aired? Heads and the drama called it "a broadcasting accident," what makes it so important and so bad if that were to happen? What would be wrong with showing that episode the following week, considering the circumstances surrounding the "accident?" I am just trying to understand, so I can fully appreciate the importance of such an incident.
I am still surprised that Anthony didn't seem to realize the quick progression of his illness (loss of his sight in one eye), because I would think that he, of all people would know or notice when he can't see as clearly with one of his eyes. I didn't really understand that.
Ok, this is going to be me nitpicking: was I the only one who wondered, when there is a stand-in in a drama (for whatever reasons) whose face we don't see (so as not to know it is a stand-in) and said stand-in speaks, as did the maknae FD, if anyone in the viewing audience would recognize or see a difference in the voice or does that maybe not matter, since there are bigger problems to deal with? (It was just a thought, and I thought I would mention it). Maybe the stand-in usually does not have enough lines for the viewing audience to pick up on that?
Also, was I the only one who thought of "The Blues Brothers" when I saw Anthony with his sunglasses? :-)
Now, on to my thoughts:
The ending of this drama was bittersweet to me. I was glad to see that loose ends were tied with a nice bow (I had no complaints there), however, like Heads, I was hoping for this: "he could have achieved his dreams in becoming the best drama producer and the literal king of dramas – this time with a heart, a team of people to support him, the love of an awesome person, and a successful hit under his belt. One that didn’t require anyone to sacrifice their lives." I would have liked to have seen an ending like that. Alas, that was not to be and I felt that they decided to go for something more "realistic."
What I did like, was that Anthony remained Anthony till the end. The choices he made were very Anthony-like, and he was willing to bear the consequences. I also liked that he got the girl, at least he was not going to be lonely (like his mother, who did not have a partner to love her and help her raise her child).
I loved so many things about this episode: the cute and tender scenes between Anthony and GE (and their bantering), GE's driving (so funny), KHM self assuredness that SMA liked him, her helping him with his lines, him being worried (I think) and upset because she was late to film their last scenes (even though it wasn't her fault), and their finally dating, a year later. I loved to see their dance throughout the drama and I loved where they ended up. I also loved the "Brad Pitt-e and Angelina Jolie" references till the end, that was cute.
Not everything ended well, and that to me was realistic as well: Joo PD didn't get the girl (her loss, is what I say), CEO OH might never forgive Anthony (and that's OK), however, I did have a hard time with Anthony being "a 3rd rate producer." I still can't believe that this is where he ended up. This is one drama where I really wanted a Happily Ever After, in every sense of the word and in every area for Anthony (I will stop saying that, because I am realizing that I am repeating myself, but I really wanted it).
I thought it was interesting that Anthony asked GE again when she started to like him. That was a question that was important (the answer to the question) and when he asked that question the 1st time, it made me realize that his asking the question also highlighted the fact that her feelings for him might have started to change when he was probably not aware of his own feelings changing for her. It was as if they were working side by side, however they were on different planes (or levels) emotionally. I totally understand why he would ask such a question, and I think that his focus was and is on "when" she started to love him, not so much on the fact that he needed to be loved (that was quite obvious, from the way he was treating people and the way he was treating himself. One could tell he was lonely, deep down inside and his childhood helped explain that as well).
I too, was curious as to when Anthony started to like GE, and I would have liked to have heard his answer. I also wanted to hear Anthony tell GE that "he loved her," at the airport. (At the airport, Anthony keeps looking lovingly at GE and she asks what is going on. His reply, "there is no need to say it," and I was like, "Oh NO, but there is Anthony, there is a need to say it. Please tell her, we want to hear you tell her :-("). I really wanted to hear him say it...
I was sooooo happy to see Dir. Nam one last time, and I do love his bromance with Anthony and with his CP, that always made me smile. It was nice to see that he made up with his dad. I can't help but wonder why CEO OH was fired (all he ever did, was to follow the orders that were given to him. So why fire him?) And I wonder if the new chairman (is he a chairman or the new CEO?) is evil and devious or kind, although from the way he walked and the way he talked to his former boss, he didn't look that kind to me.
I liked how the drama (K Morning) had become popular, and one could tell, because the employee at the airport was more than happy to let GE use one of their computers and be a part of those who made that drama happen and soar. That was creative and cool!
It was so sad (for me), when the last episode reached the 30%, and yet people at the station could not rejoice because of the price paid (by Anthony) to get there. I was glad Dir. Nam got a promotion though.
It was hard to see Anthony blind, but glad that he hadn't lost his spunk. I really wanted him to be "The Kind of Dramas" in the end, ugh... (I would have been happy with an ending with more fanservice here).
And Anthony remained sharply dressed till the very end, and GE, well... she remained GE :-) (clothes and all). The End...
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quincy
January 9, 2013 at 5:50 PM
"it made me realize that his asking the question also highlighted the fact that her feelings for him might have started to change when he was probably not aware of his own feelings changing for her."
i totally agree! AK probably found it hard to pinpoint the turning point.
I kinda understand why Go-eun was clearer about hers because she started off a rather bad note with AK (repeated betrayal, manipulation...) so when he stood up for her, the awakening probably felt stronger.
For AK, he probably felt neutral/ agnostic towards Go-eun at the start and the affection crept up to him, when he least expected. (SMA called his bluff at the first filming celebration, although he denied, it might have surprised him as well...)
I thought there were signs much earlier on (before the plagiarism incident) which suggested the growing affection e.g. fighting to reinstate her as the writer, "saving" her from drowning, the way he looked on at her while she marveled at the production set for the first time, the way he looked at her apt while she renovated her first studio, amnesia speech...
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 9:37 PM
Thank you Quincy, I appreciate your answer. You know, I didn't think of that, but you could be right, it could be that Anthony did not answer because he simply could not pinpoint when he started to like (romantically) GE. I think she grew on him, and things probably went from there.
I can also see your explanation about GE being clearer about when she started to fall for Anthony, because of how poorly things started with him (and she would have many reasons to hate him). She could pinpoint the changes in her feelings better than he could. Also, she is a woman, we tend to think more about those things and maybe therefore see them more clearly. Do you think that counts? (Some of us even spend hours talking to our friends about whether the interactions we have with someone are of a romantic nature or not, dissecting every conversation, gesture, etc... I know I have done it in the past. It is kind of fun too).
I also think that Anthony was someone who had barricaded his heart (protecting it), and as his mother pointed out (in the last episode I think), he didn't have an "eye" for women, not knowing how to let himself be vulnerable, although he did do that a lot with GE, but I don't think he was aware of what he was doing. He was opening up to her, sharing his deepest secrets with her and that said a lot. I now realize that every single time he did that, he was letting her in his heart, and was probably slowly falling in love with her. I think that was also how he came to trust her. You don't share your deepest secrets to someone you don't trust, me thinks.
You know, I had a conversation (here, in past recaps) about the things you mentioned in your last paragraph, and I am probably in the minority about this, but I don't necessarily think that he was falling in love with her then. I thought he liked her, but not romantically (not during those times, not yet). I thought that he was getting to see her for who she really was (her honesty, her heart, her intelligence, etc...) and he was starting to appreciate her as a colleague. I felt that he was starting to appreciate her more and more, but not necessarily seeing her "as a woman" (yet), as they say in Kdramas. I could be wrong (I am willing to be), however, I just felt that what I just said could be argued as well.
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quincy
January 10, 2013 at 12:28 AM
yup the initial signs are probably not romantic in nature but it's hard to be precise with feelings.. and it really hinges on how he and she defines "love", which may differ as well
in any case, i love how they grew on each other from partners who can lean on each other, to become companions who can share secrets as well as insecurities and finally to become lovers...
i hazard a guess that they are more like companions than lovers? I can see how they can grow old together in each other's company (of course, there will be romance and passion as well)... LOL.
Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 2:27 AM
Hello there again, Quincy,
I like what you said in your 1st paragraph. I do think that in the drama, (before AK realizes that he is in love with GE), he defines love as having sex, whereas GE defines love as feeling something for the other person, being moved, crying, being willing to sacrifice for the loved one, and things along those lines.
Remember that they had that conversation when she was revising the script (when he brought her the pads with wings :-) ) and AK was adamant that no one in their right mind would sacrifice their dreams for love. However, after he missed his meeting (because he took GE to the hospital), he told her that yes, the male lead would indeed sacrifice his dreams for love, in essence telling her that she was right (but not telling her that he had just done the same thing). Then, his definition of love changed and became like her definition of love (with feelings and emotions).
I also agree with your 2nd paragraph, I loved the progression of their relationship and I found it to be believable, which I really liked.
RE: your 3rd paragraph, I see them being companions as well as lovers. They were very much so equals in that drama, especially after she made him change the terms of her contract (for writing K. Morning) and in essence showed him that she too was a smart cookie and not one to play with. They do feel love for each other and I can see the passion being there.
quincy
January 10, 2013 at 3:50 AM
there is another theory - Go-eun found in Anthony some "fatherly" love while Anthony found in Go-eun some innocence ;)
their relationship is such a layered one, which makes it even more realistic and close to heart... :)
Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 10:04 AM
Hi Quincy,
You make such good points!!!!! You keep pointing things out that, I don't originally think of (or don't seem to be able to articulate), however, once you point them out, I go, "yes, of course! That makes absolute sense. Now I see it, and it was right under my nose."
I agree with you that AK did find some innocence with GE, and she taught him that innocence doesn't mean that one is naive or retarded or behind (emotionally and intellectually). It is a different way to look at life, not being jaded by life experiences, or not let one be affected to the point of becoming jaded by life experiences. I think AK opened up to that and came to appreciate it.
I can also see how GE did find some "fatherly love" in AK, however, it wasn't the creepy kind, since they were equals in the relationship and their age gap was OK (I picture GE having gone to college, so graduating at 22-23, then being under the other writer for 5 years, I think and then being out of the drama world for 3 years because of AK, which would make her 30-31 in my book and I think AK was 39 when the drama started, and so he would be 42 by the time he runs into GE again). That works for me, because AK had to do some growing up and maturing (and letting his heart come to the surface and instruct some of his decisions as well), and he was probably not ready to do that before, timing was also of the essence.
This:"their relationship is such a layered one, which makes it even more realistic and close to heart…" I totally agree with. I am so glad we got to talk about these things, I am being made to see so many aspects of a drama, when I read comments here and participate in the discussion :-). Thank you for that.
quincy
January 11, 2013 at 11:33 PM
haha he's 38 (b. 1974) and she's 26 (b. 1986), i guess she didn't go to college, prob just a writer school?
anw it's great fun sharing thoughts! it feels like literature classes (which i thoroughly enjoyed back in sch :P)
Ivoire
January 12, 2013 at 3:26 PM
Hello there Quincy!!!!
Where did you get the info about their age (what website)? I thought she might have been in her 20s, but I wanted to think she might have gone to college, but maybe not...
It does feel like discussing literature or philosophy (for me) when we share our perspectives on the dramas, doesn't it? I too, thoroughly enjoyed it when I was in school :-) (both literature and philosophy).
I hope we will be discussing some other drama again. What do you plan on watching next?
Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:42 AM
I rewatched the scene wherein Go-eun was asking him when he started to like her first... His reaction was genuine when he said: I DON'T REMEMBER. It's entirely difficult for him to realize WHEN did it actually REALLY start. Rewatch the scene. :-)
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Ivoire
January 11, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Hello Koirv, I just rewatched that scene twice, and I think I disagree. I think if Anthony thought about it, he could pinpoint when he started to like GE.
He did say that he didn't remember, but he had a smirk on his face the whole time (more so after he said he didn't remember). He also told her that he would tell her after she got done writing the script, which makes it sound like he knew or could figure out when he started liking her. I personally think he knows when he started to like her. He was stringing her along, when he said he couldn't remember.
quincy
January 12, 2013 at 6:27 PM
Hello Ivoire!!
Their Korean ages can be found on the sbs website (http://wizard2.sbs.co.kr/sw11/template/swtpl_iframetype.jsp?vVodId=V0000370537&vProgId=1000838&vMenuId=1018081)
Also, when AK was pulled over by the traffic police in ep 11, the officer recited his social security number 741104.... (the first 6 digits rep his dob.. this is also how GE found out about his bday); as for GE, there was a scene where AK read her CV in ep 16 (her dob is reflected on it as 86-09-15). Anyway, i'm not sure if it was revealed whether GE went to college (i just made the assumption given her age and work experience ;))
***
To be honest, I've not recovered from KoD yet and i'm still relishing it in my mind!
This is the first time in many years I feel so emotionally invested in a drama. In the past, I usually marathoned through dramas and it's pretty much "watch, laugh, forget" kind of experience.
KoD made me reflect so much that I'm not sure if i will ever find a kdrama that engages me at that level and it dawned on me to be more selective in what I choose to watch ;)
Don't think I will pick up a drama so soon (feeling so lackluster!)... I will just keep to my weekly dose of Running Man and wait for Incarnation of Money (helmed by the Salaryman team.. I love Salaryman, btw!)
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Chickletta
January 17, 2013 at 9:36 AM
Just before she 'kidnaps' Hyunmin from his retreat in the woods she visited her 'kyosunim' (professor) at a university. also, her mother asked her if Kim bongdal was one of her professors. So, clearly she went to university.
Airyn
January 9, 2013 at 6:53 PM
Ivoire asked: "can someone please explain to me the repercussions of not being able to show an episode of a drama when it is supposed to be aired?"
The networks/broadcasters have a tight schedule (as we've seen in how intense the jockeying for time slots was here in the drama), and if an episode doesn't air on the day it is scheduled to air, then it will mess up the schedules of all the other shows down the line, especially if it is not authorized for an extension. And if this happens at the last minute, the broadcaster won't have time to find a filler show to put on or to inform the producers of the affected shows about the problem. Basically, it will be a logistical nightmare. Not to mention the inevitable audience backlash.
:)
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Thank you so much Airyn for explaining, it makes sense now, and I just didn't know and I couldn't see/understand the possible consequences due to the "accident."
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sebsob
January 10, 2013 at 4:20 AM
Ivoire! : ) I was waiting for your post with much anticipation! I see that you have read my post below too.
I do understand why people wanted a 'happy ending' because this story was ultimately an underdog story. It's about those people that really struggle in life, obstacle after obstacle and here poignantly so when Anthony was on the brink of a change of life for the better. You just wanted to reward him with what he always wanted. I get that, and even my heart pulls towards that.
However as I wrote below, Anthony's own definition of success changed. He didn't really want or need that title of King of dramas, or rather he didn't need it uttered from the lips of people he no longer held in esteem. That ending plot line with him starting new career in maybe 'radio dramas' was a wonderful touch for me because I always had this inkling that what Anthony enjoyed the most in drama production, aside from the ratings, was the challenge. It's a case of been there, done that with dramaland and taking what life has given him to create new challenges for himself.
The whole title of 'third rate producer' was given to him by whom? By people whose parameters are just ratings and ratings. Is a 'King of drama' a person who gets dramas made on the blood sweat and tears of a production crew who are treated badly, who don't get any of the glory of the success of the drama, who don't see any of its returns in money and just ignored once the drama is over? If so that it would be an insult to be called the king of drama.
Sure they could have had Anthony change the meaning of being the King of Drama, one who creates dramas with integrity. HOWEVER even as this drama shows us, a good drama doesn't mean a high ratings drama. Reel life meets real life!
More than all of this though, for me, Anthony did change the meaning of the title. He changed his estimation of self worth and definition of success. Ask Anthony if he still thinks he is the 'King of dramas' and seeing him so passionate about trying to create something innovative and positive in radio dramas, with gusto and passion AND I would say, YES, he still thinks he is the King of dramas. AND I second that! To me, to Go Eun he is the King of dramas because our definition, our parameters are so different that the producers who run dramaland. For us being the King of Dramas means putting the production crew before yourself, sharing the glory and money, being an innovator, someone who would fight for you, trust you and give his all just to see the hard efforts of his team bring forth success.
The big question is, what are YOUR parameters for the title, what is your definition of success? Ivoire, is Anthony still the King of dramas in your eyes? That is all that matters! Trust me.
I loved your point about Anthony, "I totally understand why he would ask such a question, and I think that his focus was and is on “when” she started to love him, not so much on the fact that he needed to be loved" It speaks volumes about that change within him. It's about the details now. The ends don't justify the means anymore for him.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really enjoyed reading them. With love Sabah
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Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 2:41 PM
Hello Sabah,
What can I say about you? You always have a way of making me feel taller (than I am, and I am short, I am 5'4) and you always make me feel better about myself. Thank you for that :-)!!!!!
These comments, literally made my day: "Ivoire! : ) I was waiting for your post with much anticipation!" and, "Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really enjoyed reading them. With love Sabah."
As we all do here, I put a lot of thought and time and effort into writing my comments, and I don't pretend to know it all (far from it), however I do pour my heart and mind into what I write. You (and many others who participate in the Beanut Gallery) always seem to see and appreciate that. It makes my time and effort worth well..., the time and effort spent :-), thank you!
I was really sick for the last two weeks, and I missed answering to some of the posts (in past recaps) I said I would answer to :-(. Yours was one of them. You know me, I don't like to let things undone, and I will try to get to them today, even if nobody reads them, just so I can close that arc/circle. So please, check back on those recaps (between ep. 14 to 17) when you have some time. I am sure we can continue these conversations even if the drama has ended.
Now on to my thoughts about your response:
You hit it on the nail, we DID want a HEA in the way stories usually end because this WAS an underdog story, and for once, we didn't want "realistic," we wanted the dream ending. We wanted to see AK ride in the sunset, GE by his side, cool as a cucumber (I would say that he did look cool as a cucumber in the last scene of ep. 18, with his shades, but still...). We wanted the (lonely) child inside him to get the dream he had always wanted, and KEEP IT (the dream, that is), most of all, and you understand all of that.
I like what you say in your 2nd paragraph (all of it) and it totally makes sense. You are one of the people who have a way of pointing things out, and once you do, I go "yeah, you are right! I can see that now," and that always makes me appreciate your comments. I wonder if AK's definition of success changed because he wanted it to change or because it HAD to change, due to his life's circumstances... You know, as human beings, we usually change not because we want to, but because we have to. Well, I guess in the end, AK had to change, whether he liked it or not. (What do you think?)
And I do agree with you, what AK liked, more than (or as much as) the ratings, was the challenge and we saw that throughout the drama. He would spring into action and come up with some creative and cunning solutions. Besides, AK has a wonderful voice, and I could totally see him narrating some radio dramas (and bring in some good ratings in the process :-) ).
Point taken for your 4th and 5th paragraphs, you argued it well, I have nothing to add to those :-).
Sabah, in your 6th paragraph, you mentioned that AK is passionate about creating something in radio (something different) and I agree with you. I would add that reading that paragraph however, I could not help but wonder, "Wow!!! Who is passionate now? Sabah is, LOL :-). Maybe she should go and be a part of Ansony's team :-)." Did you read (or have you reread) your 6th paragraph? With some of the words in caps and everything, you come across as one passionate hot mama :-) (I hope I can talk like that to you, if not, please forgive me, it was too tempting to not do it :-) ).
OK, now on to paragraph 7:
To be honest, I have been humbled in my life A LOT, and that has made me understand and appreciate better what serving others mean, and what putting them first also mean. It has been a long journey (which is continuing) and I have been serving others since I was 6 years old (starting with my own siblings and my family in general) and now, well... let's just say I have a lot of gray hair :-) (that I sometimes color :-) ).
So, my definition of success has changed some (over the years), however I will be honest and say that I still wanted to see AK at the top whether it be in dramaland or in radio. I just wanted him to rule, because you know..., he is Ansony. He has a way of carrying himself that is so Anthony like. I always loved watching when they showed his back when he walked (you can see it again in ep. 18 when he leaves CEO OH and walks away), because he would stand up straight and there was just something that screamed, "Na ("I" in Korean, I think) am Anthony Kim (aka KBD :-) ). And I just LOVED that about him. He is definitely one HOT ahjussi, LOL :-).
I personally like seeing some people of integrity, honor, who respect others and would sacrifice for them and share the wealth and successes equally (or close to that) in high places as well (in the world), because I personally think that we need them there too. If I ever get there, I won't refuse such a position (granted that I would have earned it), and I think that I would do my best to remain humble and serve others. At my age, I have learned at least that. It was hard at times to accept that, so I don't think I would fundamentally change if I am ever put in a different stratosphere socially and economically. "Being successful" in the ways of the world is not the end all and be all in my book, however I think it is nice, if one ever gets there. I think it has a lot to do with what one does with that kind of power and money, as Dir. Nam said, when he came back to the TV station.
Ok, about this: "I loved your point about Anthony, “I totally understand why he would ask such a question, and I think that his focus was and is on “when” she started to love him, not so much on the fact that he needed to be loved” It speaks volumes about that change within him. It’s about the details now. The ends don’t justify the means anymore for him. "
I had to put it here (the whole quote), because I am going to explain why I said what I said, and I needed to be able to look directly at it.
This was in an indirect way a response to Arawn (I think) who wrote a long comment in ep. 16 or 17 recap about AK not really meaning "when" did GE started to like AK, but that the fact that he needed to be loved was the more important point, (if memory serves me right, and I could be wrong, I haven't reread her post). She then went on to argue (I think) among other things, that AK needed to be loved, (I say, we all do).
I see her point and I don't necessarily disagree. Where I kind of disagree with her is that AK really meant "WHEN" did she start to like him, and that was what he really wanted to know. It was very obvious (to me) that AK needed someone (besides his mother) who would love him unconditionally. He did have a wonderful relationship with his mother ( once he was an adult), and having a woman fully devoted to him and loving him (and letting him love her in return) would have been awesome.
I thought it was interesting when he asked that question again (in ep. 18), because it told me that he really wanted to know and that he was focused on the "WHEN" and not as much of the "WHY," though that was actually implied in his question.
Let's remember that this AK, who has said that you have to be willing to forget/ignore/sell/sacrifice your parents to make a successful drama and "win." This is AK, who didn't trust himself, let alone anyone else. This is AK, who in one of the episodes, said (I can't remember to whom, I think it was to GE), that he was "already living in hell" and that he had sold his soul to the devil (and he added later, "and KBD bought it back cheaply). He said it at the hospital, when GE asked him what made him change, after he had saved the old man (the extra).
So, while AK was still somewhat all these things, GE started to like him. She might have seen through his very thick exterior, and maybe the way he defended her moved her, as well as his honesty and trust in her ("I don't even trust myself, but I trust you, unequivocally". Powerful words and feelings said). So, I am trying to put myself in AK's shoes: "I have been rotten and ruthless most of my professional life, I was doing well coming back on top and now I have this illness, and this wonderful, attractive and intelligent woman likes and potentially loves me? WHEN did that start?" (Honestly, I would be asking the same question, if I had had his journey and experiences).
As AK stated, he had not shown GE the extent of his kindness and his heart. Yes, he had done gestures here and there (he reinstated her as a writer, he listened to her when she begged him to take Maknae back on the team of WP boys and when she asked him to work things out with Dir. Goo, etc...), but I don't know that he was that lovable yet, even back then. And she still started to like him, and fell deeper and deeper in love with him. So we know that learning that he was going blind humbled him a lot, and I personally think there was an element of "why do you like ME (seriously, look at me)" as well as an element of "WHEN" did you start to like me. I think he wanted to see it through her eyes, how things evolved for her. I do the same sometimes. It is a comforting thing to find out about those things and so I totally understood AK's question (I think) and the implications of his question. He was able to see that she was already on a different tangent emotionally, when he might still have been in the dark about his own feelings evolving as well.
He was also able to realize that she did not wait to see him act totally better and being gentle with people (he was still gruff), and being like a teddy bear on the exterior (though he kind of was, on the inside) before she started to like him and I think that was a revelation to him. It would have been for me, to find out that someone started to like me when I wasn't that lovable (yet).
I think another point was that he did not expect someone like GE (who had integrity, was innocent some, was not all about the money etc... and maybe might have been "beneath him") to actually like him. SMA yes, they were from the same world, they strove for the same things, so that made sense. But GE, why? Why would such a woman become interested in him, when as he said, "he had been mean to her, destroyed her career, manipulated her, lied to her and used her." Again, his asking "WHEN" she started to like him made sense, and I do think now that there was a "WHY" implied as well. It makes sense to me that there would be a "why?" implied in that question, but the "WHEN" was very important.
I feel that I might have been babbling for a while, and so I hope that what I wrote made sense. With love as well, Ivoire :-)
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sebsob
January 11, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Ivoire, thank you for your kind attention. Your reply left me feeling honoured that you would reply so sincerely. Today has been a difficult day, so I don't want my foul mood to sour our conversation. I would reply tomorrow, a new day and God willing a new mood.
Please don't feel obliged to reply to our past posts. I won't stop you because in truth, I love your diligence in these matters but still, I would say don't push yourself to try to achieve the impossible. Each time we talk I feel honoured and I would strive hard to seek out every opportunity. You leave that to me, and only reply/write when you are able. I would duly read and reply. I would be honoured. : )
Ivoire
January 11, 2013 at 2:14 PM
Hello Sabah,
So sooorry to read that you had a bad day :-(. I know about those. I hope that you will have gotten some rest, hopefully a little bit of a perspective and some healing as to what caused your day to not be good. That is my wish and my prayer for you...
You know, this time, I was the one waiting with anticipation for your response :-). I wanted to know what you thought of mine, and I was looking forward to reading your thoughts. Take your time, I am not going anywhere (I know where to go to read your posts :-)), and I will refresh the page as many times as I need to until I see your response :-).
RE: our past posts, I think you know already what I am going to say right? Of course I will respond, because otherwise the conversation (that arc) won't be complete and that undone/uncomplete feeling won't leave me. I enjoy and appreciate our conversations so much!!!!! You are one of the few people who lets me talk/write to my heart content, and you read every line that I write, AND you are interested in what I have to say!!!!!
The thing is, a lot of the time, what I write and realize comes out as I am writing them. And so writing back actually helps me realize more things about the episodes I have watched and about life in general. And then the responses give me a new perspective and sometimes elicit new questions from me, which I get to ask, get some answers, and on and on we go.
I like to experience a drama fully, and when I participate in the comments, I like to possibly explore every thought about that drama until I have nothing more to say. So I write all my thoughts and I read other people's thoughts. In the process, there are certain things I don't mention, because others have already touched on that and discussed it. I do like to however have a sense of "Completion" about a drama, when it is done (airing). I like knowing that I was fully vested in, I gave it my all (or close to it) in terms of thinking about it, asking questions, clarifications, commenting because to be honest, it has helped me understand Korean culture, its people, the society, school system, etc... It has introduced me to cultural things like their music (modern and traditional and fusion), the language (and I am a linguist, so I pay attention a lot to the language) and just many more things (by extension) that one would get from watching dramas, if one pays attention and if one is interested in such things.
So please, do not feel bad. I answer diligently and thoroughly because 1--that is just how and who I am (as you know), 2--because I enjoy it and 3--because I get more out of the whole experience of watching dramas in participating in the comments the way I do.
It is not for everyone, and I get that. However, I LOVE that you are one of the few people who appreciate that and honor that as well. It makes me feel that it is OK for me to be the way that I am, in this community (and in real life as well, to be honest). I LOVE exploring things and topics thoroughly. You know, it is that inquisitive mind and child like curiosity in me. I think the last thing and important one is that I simply LOVE to WRITE, and so participating in comments also allows me to do that :-).
I SINCERELY hope that you will be feeling and doing better soon :-)...
sebsob
January 13, 2013 at 5:03 AM
Ivoire, : ) Do you know you have the sweetest heart? You do! Your kindness is so touching. You will be glad to know I am feeling much better and brighter! I hope you are feeling much better, I did notice your absence these last few weeks. Please look after yourself because we need our health in order to make those good intentions in our hearts into good deeds.
"I write and realize comes out as I am writing them. And so writing back actually helps me realize more things...I get to ask, get some answers, and on and on we go. " I agree. Each point of discussion is its own entity and has its own lifespan and I think it would be discourteous to cut it short just because the world has moved on.
Oh Ivoire, you're so sincere and a good person. Ultimately it is true what they say, 'you reap what you sow.' A Kdrama can just be a time pass, something pretty to watch OR it can be a life altering experience - even the ones that annoy you- it's all about the way you approach. I think it would be an injustice to ask you to leave things alone because your nature, your diligence just won't allow it. It speaks volumes about your character that this is your style of watching. It makes sense. I see people putting so much time into weddings, celebrations, holidays, life but no time on nurturing themselves which upsets me because your heart and mind, their development, will directly affect the pleasure you would gain from those very things.
My sister makes fun of my habit of reading recaps, she says why would you read something you already know. So many times, I've watched a drama and then read someone's comment and when I re-watch it, it's like I'm watching a whole new drama, as new feelings explode and implode within me. The latest was with Answer me, after reading Girlfriday's post which was like a revelation AND I would have missed out on something really profound. It affected me and not only made me respect the drama more but the potential of human growth. I don't think stories are things that are out of our reach but something to aspire to. It's about making that choice. As you would say, 'What would Jesus do?' isn't some glib aspiration but something that you earnestly put into practice.
Here too, looking at the change in Anthony, it makes you realize that it's never too late to change paths, AND that your heart has extraordinary abilities to heal itself.
"...We wanted the (lonely) child inside him to get the dream he had always wanted," I hadn't thought of it as a underdog story until I read your post. I began to see more clearly why people wanted that happy ending. I think this line of yours sums it up perfectly: we all know the heartache of lost childhood dreams. Even if ours don't find a way into reality, seeing others succeed becomes our own balm. I get that, I really do but my attitude has always been about making the most of things, and above all else, trusting fate, that this was more perfect, if only I would see how. Of course dramas and real life are very different in that sense but I do trust the writers.
I remember there was an outcry in the aftermath of an Asian drama where the lead protagonist was killed off. People protested at the TV station because people fell in love with character and wanted HEA. The writer then made a statement, 'No one loved him more than I. I created him, developed him and nurtured him and gave him an ending that maybe wasn't happy but was most befitting.' After that, I started looking at characters as beloved creations of the writers AND I always trust, for the most part, how they deal with them. That is why I hate fan service and when public interfere because I want to know what the person who loved them most, wanted for them.
KMM voice is soothing as much as it excites me. It's that curious mix of danger and safety. Beautiful! I would say that Anthony wanted to change but never found the motivation to do so until he had too. The difference is that if he had to change without wanting to, then it would have embittered him. He would have felt like a loser, a failure that some people feel the end made him. I don't see that, and I don't think he does either because he's content, happy and more than that he's still looking for challenges. He changed because he wanted to, and he changed to a new definition of what it means to be a King. In this way he won't feel the prick or pinch of what others might deem him.
Hehe, Ivoire, you can call me what you will and say anything to me because I've seen your heart and there's not an iota of malice to be found. : ) Most of the time I'm very easy going, I would hide my feelings just because most people aren't ready to listen BUT whenever I have opportunity to make a case, and that it might be heard, yes you are correct, I am very passionate.
I do not doubt that you understand Anthony's selflessness. "my definition of success has changed some (over the years), however I will be honest and say that I still wanted to see AK at the top whether it be in dramaland or in radio." I understand that. It's about reward for effort. It's the hardest thing to good things go unrewarded because modern society has an awful habit of rewarding laziness. Here the effort is not just the success of the drama but Anthony's change in mindset, something not noticeable unless you know him like Go-Eun. He changed his heart for the better and you, we, wanted him to be rewarded for it. However in life too, I find that when you make the decision to be good, to take the high road of integrity, you aren't rewarded at all. However for me it's a test of your conviction. If that road was easy then everyone would do it, the fact that it's hard and you still take it, without reward, means that the change was sincere, pure and true.
There has to be a difference because then what's the point? It might as well be old Anthony making those choices. You get the same results i.e. success, but different means i.e. Cold calculating Anthony vs Considerate Anthony. There has to be a difference, here it was the title of King of Drama, to test his conviction on this new path he has taken. This new path is one where he gains success but by taking people's feelings into consideration too, accepting love (something he gave up last time for the betterment of career, even if hers, but still it was for the sake of dramaland success) giving it as well. He is taking into consideration his own feelings too now, instead of bottling them away, so he doesn't need those pills anymore. His definition of success is based on his feelings, the feelings of others rather than ratings. It's not that ratings don't matter but ratings gained through integrity like Director Nam's style, rather than ratings anyway you can.
"however I think it is nice, if one ever gets there. I think it has a lot to do with what one does with that kind of power and money, as Dir. Nam said, when he came back to the TV station." Of course I see your point here, that he should try to change the system, like Dir Nam. However for me, being the King of Dramas in TV Land, is something he's done. He wants to try something different, as opportunity given to him by life. It might be a step down or three to some BUT the thing is that they are looking at his place and position through old eyes. You are looking at him, thinking 'what can a third rate producer do?' Whereas we know that 'the King of Dramas' can make radio dramas into something successful, something no one could imagine.
The old Anthony would have written off such a challenge thinking that the returns wouldn't be high enough or that there's no future in it. He wouldn't have risked his title of 'King of dramas' in case of failure. This is just arrogance and fear. However the new Anthony takes the challenge, because he's not trying to prove his worth to the world but only to himself. It's not about making a success of something to gain a title but rather to make something a part of history, a legacy. Something good. He has confidence and strength. So you tell me, which is the real King of Dramas? The one who runs away from the challenge because of fear of losing his crown OR the one who takes it on because he wants to make something worthy and worthwhile?
"...but I don’t know that he was that lovable yet, even back then." Ah! When indeed? I agree with you, he needed to know when rather than why. I loved your take on it though, because it's so different from mine. My own thinking was that he needed to know when because he wanted to confirm that she loved the new Anthony rather than the old one but in retrospect that makes little sense if at all because she hated the old Anthony. Hehe. As you say, "she did not wait to see him act totally better and being gentle with people" I LOVED THIS POINT SO MUCH! because it made me think what you said is so true. Anthony isn't perfect now, sure he's changed but really it's about him being in a process of change. So the when is important because if she said, when you did this and this... then it would mean putting up that fake title of 'king of dramas' or rather 'king of hearts' which he just could maintain. It's about not loving Anthony because he is good, honourable and kind BUT rather because he is trying to be good, honourable and kind. That's why as you say, " He was also able to realize that she did not wait to see him act totally better and being gentle with people before she started to like him and I think that was a revelation to him. It would have been for me, to find out that someone started to like me when I wasn’t that lovable" I loved this point so much and it really helped me understand the love element more which I glossed over. I am indebted.
In this way, the why is implied as you say because the answer isn't because you are good but because you are trying to be good. It's so much better than when people ask to be loved because of their faults, unlike here where it is asking for understanding and support as you remove them from yourself. Ah! She really is his queen.
Ivoire, I am honoured and humbled once again. Please look after yourself. I wish you many smiles and success upon success whatever form your definition takes. : )
Ivoire
January 14, 2013 at 12:26 PM
Hello Sabah,
I am working today, and so I will answer when I find the time to properly do so. As I read your (thorough) response (and thank you for that), new thoughts came to me that I would like to share with you.
I am glad to know that you are doing much better :-). I hope that your week started well, and I will be back later :-). Have a wonderful week, I hope!
sebsob
January 14, 2013 at 2:36 PM
Ivoire : ) I'm so sorry it's so long! Really don't reply to all of it, but just the new thoughts that sprang up, though I know you. However please do take your time. This conversation doesn't have an expiry date. With love Sabah
Ivoire
January 15, 2013 at 6:39 AM
Hello Sabah,
And thank you so much for your patience. I appreciate it. Also, are you kidding me? Your "long" and thorough response was the thing I loved the most about your latest response. You have seen my posts on the recaps of this drama and on OT right? So you KNOW I don't mind loooong responses, au contraire!!!!! It means I have something to read waiting for me, new thoughts to be exposed to, new perspectives to ponder. I LOVE it!!!!!!
So please, don't apologize. In fact, "take that back," as they sometimes say in Kdramas :-). Don't worry, I will answer. And this, "This conversation doesn’t have an expiry date" I TOTALLY LOVED and I TOTALLY agree with (I feel the same way, as you know). So thank you for understanding, I had very few hours of sleep between Sunday night and all day Monday (only 2 and 1/2 hours, and I was up at 4:30am on Mond. morning), so I couldn't write a proper answer.
I will be back later :-)...
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sebsob
January 16, 2013 at 4:58 PM
How you even managing on so little sleep? That can't be good for you. Please take some time out to take care of yourself, and I will keep checking back until you find time to reply comfortably, no matter how many days or weeks it takes. : )
Chickletta
January 12, 2013 at 1:53 AM
The stand in only speaks for the benefit of the other actor and time keeping in the dialog. When the real actor films his/her bit, the whole scene is edited and put together so that it looks like everythign was filmed at the same time. The voice of the stand is never heard.
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Tracy
January 9, 2013 at 6:26 PM
I concur! I get really pi**ed off with these writers when they write good drama only to ruin it with the rush at the end, usually the last episode. In my opinion, the finale episode for King of Drama was a complete let down. I felt like a rushed ending to me.
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2 Bandi
January 9, 2013 at 5:28 AM
Why's it over?? TT^TT
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3 kdramafan
January 9, 2013 at 5:29 AM
Thanks Heads for the recap. It was the recaps that got me interested in watching this drama:)
I enjoyed this drama as a whole but felt the writer really dropped the ball in the 2nd half of the final and LGE last words, “Even though he’s just a third-rate producer now, he’s forever the king of dramas in my mind.” actually made me angry.
Luckily there are a lot of other dramas for me to catch up on so am moving on but was sad to leave KOD on this note.
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rynea
January 9, 2013 at 6:24 AM
That made me sad too. I wish they turned him into something like the "King of Grilled Mackerels." That would surely make my day.
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inxomnia
January 9, 2013 at 7:07 AM
Oh I know, that would've somehow been so cute!
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kdramafan
January 9, 2013 at 7:17 AM
?!
I must have missed something good rynea.
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Ruth
January 9, 2013 at 8:48 AM
That would have been an awesome idea!
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liza
January 9, 2013 at 10:35 AM
I think that hit about third rate producer was a snub at the real producers of the show. At least thats what i would have said since this extention really lowered the value of the show and to top it off they cancelled the special without any real notice. I am certain she was pissed,
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Ivoire
January 9, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Hi Liza, they canceled the special, really? Where did you find that out? (I am just curious...)
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altair
January 9, 2013 at 10:44 AM
OMG!!!!! Now that would have been an ending to remember! I like the way you think!
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Totally. When the blindness became a real possibility, I thought only two possible endings would make me happy: 1. Anthony figures out a way to work around his blindness and remain in the k-drama world, be it having Go Eun serve as his eyes or changing his role to become a scenario producer (the way he was with Go Eun's scripts) or something of the sort. That would have been very Anthony. 2. Anthony learns to find happiness and dignity chilling out, somewhere far, far away from the k-drama world. A happiness that he didn't get as a child. King of Grilled Mackerels would have been fantastic.
But a third rate producer? You do not do that to Anthony. At least not the evolved Anthony. This ending is a regression, not a progression.
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Or just end with him going to the United States, an open-ended conclusion for those who want to hold onto hope and think the operation was a success and for those realists who would have found the success of the experimental surgery too much of a challenge to suspend disbelief.
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ilovemandoo
January 9, 2013 at 1:24 PM
I agree with everything you said.
Not to mention, he ISN'T a third-rate producer and he won't ever be one. He has way too impressive of a resume to be third-rate. His going blind doesn't change the fact that just a year ago, he made one of the most successful dramas in the world this drama takes place in.
Mystisith
January 9, 2013 at 1:34 PM
A third rate producer: "What would Anthony do?"
He would get out of the room laughing and would join his woman to decide together what are the best options for them.
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Lord of the Things
January 9, 2013 at 1:39 PM
100% agree, thats what it felt like to me too. Its as if his agency as a character went away with his blindness, which is the worst thing that could happen to the titular character, imo.
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Ace
January 9, 2013 at 6:59 AM
Re: LGE's last words were kinda trite and hokey. Bad enough that the drama's writer made Anthony blind, but he couldn't even make Anthony a first-rate producer till the end? Look what Anthony had to go through to make Kyungsung #1, I bet he would've overcome mere blindness too to continue as King of Drama. With Anthony's skills and determination he could've continued producing dramas with Go-eun and the other World staff by his side.
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kdramafan
January 9, 2013 at 7:14 AM
Totally agree Ace!
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jademwong
January 9, 2013 at 9:02 AM
Couldn't agree more!
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Colors
January 9, 2013 at 9:16 AM
I do agree with you because I'm a bit disappointed by this ending, but actually I'm not disappointed by this particular point.
I enjoyed the idea that Anthony produced something he believed in (and it ended badly for others) then came to understand like the point of making dramas. ("I have finally found the reason why I must produce dramas, and I have also found the person who pointed it out to me." ep. 17)
So now he's "back" at being Kim Bong Dal who's blind, and has a mother who's also blind, it makes sense he would want to produce something suitable for blind people. It made me smile, it makes sense to me and I love this idea.
What I didn't buy was the whole "the drama need me to go on" because he could've phoned the director to tell him to shoot what he could with a fake Min Ah first, he could've asked Joo PD to drive the tape ASAP after the shooting... You know, without being there. And I don't mind he did because it's like him.
What I hated was the ultimatum between the clinical trial in the US (and by the way, there's no plane to "Florida" since it's an American sate... Maybe one to Miami to make us buy it? that wasn't well handled enough for me) and the drama which was resolved by his dying.
Well, fake dying because holding someone's hand is more effective than CPR and all. (I'd have liked it more if she had yelled at him to wake up because he's blind and not deaf, but I don't know, seems fake anyway (I must have watched Grey's Anatomy too much).)
So I understood the need of a neat bow ending but it seemed too artificial to me compared to the whole drama.
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ilovemandoo
January 9, 2013 at 1:29 PM
I actually loved the idea of his venturing into radio, but I still dislike that he was called a third-rate producer after all the drama built him up to me. (How many times has Anthony said: "Who am I? I'm Anthony" in response to someone saying something was impossible?)
The drama didn't need him to go on, but Go-Eun mentions that point as well. I bought that because it's consistent with Anthony's character for him to go anyway.
I also really disliked the scene where he was "dying." How is it that holding someone's hand can be more effective than CPR? The scene made me annoyed because it was unnecessary, and it made me feel as though the writer was trying to deliberate wring out as much emotion out of the audience as possible in KOD's finale. Which I didn't appreciate.
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ilovemandoo
January 9, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Built him up to be* Haha I keep having typos today. Sorry about that!
4 hui ting
January 9, 2013 at 5:30 AM
One of the few bad things about this drama is.. the ratings. Why?! :'(
Anyway, I didn't like the car accident part. I get that the writer wanted the motorcyclist to 'appear' again but I.. Idk. Too many car accidents in this show. :\
Thank you for the wonderful recaps, HeadsNo2. I didn't comment for the past recaps but I have read them all. I have thoroughly enjoyed this show. :)
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inxomnia
January 9, 2013 at 7:08 AM
I guess it's just bad luck and tough competition. This is probably one of those cases (of many possibly) where ratings don't correlate to quality.
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:14 AM
too many accidents in the k-drama world itself, though.
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5 alwaesboo
January 9, 2013 at 5:35 AM
Hmm Yeah, that flashback was definitely meta. Or at least that's all I was thinking about while I was watching the flashbacks. I checked the timer on my video and it was about 2 minutes long... which is pretty close to 3 minutes!
3 min long flashback: mentioned in the show as a way to stall for time whilst the World team were shooting the revised script. hahaha
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ryoko
January 9, 2013 at 6:15 AM
I noticed that too. ^^ I don't think I'll ever be able to watch a flashback sequence in a drama now and not think of Anthony's words.
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inxomnia
January 9, 2013 at 7:09 AM
Same, I was getting emotional, and questioning the ulterior motive of that flashback!
Oh KoD... how you've changed my viewing experience!
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Laurita
January 9, 2013 at 9:25 AM
I noticed that tooooo (and suddenly the hospital situation was not that serious)
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6 CaroleMcDonnell
January 9, 2013 at 5:36 AM
Thanks so much. It's funny how we humans get attached to things but I am so gonna miss this drama a lot. Was nice hanging around with these folks. I think it's good that we see that blindness isn't necessarily a death sentence. I had a coupla issues but they are pretty small. First, I would've liked to see an ending scene between blind Anthony and blind Mom. Heck, i was kinda hoping mom and Anthony would be living in a house with a caretaker and with Go Eun. Normal life and all. Something in my soul needed that.
Second, I kinda frowned at the whole "get to Florida this minute or else the trial is gone" bit. I think the folks involved in any such medical trial would've allowed a day or two or a missed plane trip.
Thirdly, am not sure Representative Oh needed such a comeuppance -- or comedownance... He was vengeful and arrogant but... oh well, I guess we need to see a bad guy punished. But, as i said, that's just me nit-picking. All in all, this was such an excellent drama...and the forgiveness and restoration and redemption for everyone involved was pretty uplifting. Thanks so much for the recap. Happy new year!
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inxomnia
January 9, 2013 at 7:10 AM
Agree wholeheartedly with your comments.
But I'm refraining from too much nitpicking at this moment. Just finished the drama 10 minutes ago haha
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CaroleMcDonnell
January 9, 2013 at 10:45 AM
yeah, it leaves me with a big silly grin on my face and am walking about the house with this weird glow. Really liked this drama a lot. Sad it wasn't greater in the ratings but i'm proud of it for kinda sorta sticking to its guns.
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kdramafan
January 9, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Agree too.
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7 austriandramalover
January 9, 2013 at 5:40 AM
Thanks HeadsNo2 for all the wonderful recaps :)
I will dearly miss this show! I didn't expect anything and just started watching it out of curiosity and what I got was a fun drama with very loveable characters.
Regarding the ending... I am still a bit torn. Everything felt a bit rushed but I can live with it. Extension be damned (maybe 2 more episodes would have done the trick or not...who knows) At least the ending wasn't as disappointing as the on of BIG last year. ^^
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8 Laurel
January 9, 2013 at 5:42 AM
Thanks for the recap!! I felt the ending was a little rushed, but still satisfying. I do wish they had tied together what the world boys were doing- and what happened with PD Joo and the pretty FD?
Loveable characters are really what makes a drama great, and its hard when you feel like there was so much more potential. At any rate, this was such a cute show,despite its flaws, and I don't regret a minute that i spent on it!
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SongHari
January 9, 2013 at 10:55 PM
Thanks HeadsNo2 for all the wonderful recaps.
I was not only looking forward for heads recaps and comments but everyones comments on KOD
I loved and enjoyed reading all of them.. Any of you from Phil.i would like to meet you guys.
@jademwong - i like your comment on this.. the writer threw away his laptop due to the extentions..
what would anthony do? to get what he wants like on the first episode due to the orange
juice he got Go Eun to rewrite the script..
i learned that KOD has 2 writers also .. one veteran -Jang Hang-joon (male) who is an actor
/director/scriptwriter and Lee Ji-hyo (female) King of dramas as her first drama- (googled
them) these two might had been bickering due to the extension..to go with the blindness ...
KOD is one of the best kdrama for 2012.
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9 sebsob
January 9, 2013 at 5:44 AM
"Everything gets tied into a neat bow as our characters go..." is exactly what I was expecting and exactly what we got which wasn't where this drama started.
Few Kdramas ever answer the questions and issues they raise, preferring to just tell stories as it were than present a message of inspiration and hope. However King of Dramas once again takes the better path, not one of ratings (unfortunately) but of integrity. I'm glad they didn't have him back in that high position of power as the 'King of Dramas,' because this whole drama was all along was about Anthony's sense of self worth and his definition of success. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?
If the world doesn't regard him as a 'King' nor its people, does that mean he has become a pauper? Titles, honours and compliments are directly proportional to the lips and hearts of the people from which they spring. Anthony doesn't need the world - dramaland world - to tell him he's a king, he just needs to be treated like one by a beloved, and feel like one for himself.
When everything is said and done, King of Dramas has changed the way I view Kdramas. It's made me more cynical about them where every act feels like a PR stunt BUT it has also made me more passionate about them, because every drama is not only a story being told, but triumph over struggles. It has changed the way I think about Kdramas in a way that no drama has done before AND it has made me love them even more. Impressive and awesome!
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Rachel
January 9, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Nicely put about Anthony being conferred with the title of 'King'!
The show started with arrogant Anthony ruling dramaland and being known for his ruthless, uncaring tactics to get his 30% ratings. At the end, I think we saw a transformation in his perspective when he saw the dead motorcyclist's face (though I really didn't like the car accident - I thought it was a little too obvious) - people matter too. And perhaps even a revelation of why he changed his approach towards Morning in Kyung-song as compared to Elegant Revenge.
That said, I LOVE all the funny and meta moments in this show - especially Siwon - some of my friends found him annoying but dayum he is hot AND funny HAHA. I have a newfound admiration for drama crews and casts who endure and overcome all these obstacles to make moving and exciting dramas!
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sebsob
January 9, 2013 at 11:28 AM
" I think we saw a transformation in his perspective when he saw the dead motorcyclist’s face..." That moment wasn't lost on me either. More than that, he didn't just try to live with his guilt or feelings of remorse but tried to make amends. This was all before he fell so it really spoke to me about his potential.
I too loved how Siwon threw himself into this role. He the put the characterization before any need to maintain a cool image which just made him all the more awesome.
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Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 1:54 AM
Hello Rachel,
why did you think that the car accident was a little too obvious? In what ways did you think AK changed his approach towards Morning in Kyung-sung as compared to Elegant Revenge?
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inxomnia
January 9, 2013 at 7:13 AM
I think this drama speaks to me (and most of us here) because it taps into the analyst in us, the people who love dramas and love to immerse ourselves into the world of dramas. By uncovering so many insights, we can't help but be enthralled by the things that happen. I adore the show, and most so during the bits about dramaland - the meta, the inside jokes, but I can do without the melo.
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sebsob
January 9, 2013 at 11:34 AM
I agree it really did inspire thought and self reflection on my part, and allowed us to evaluate issues of success and life but in the interesting world of 'drama.'
I agree the melo nearer the end seemed more reel-life than the real life melo exaggerations we found in the beginning like Anthony's struggle with depression and Go Eun sadness at her lost dream. Even the whole plagiarism plot was handled well so that it wasn't a simple case of reel-world melo of false accusations but rather real world melo of similarities, money and that struggle for success.
As for the inside jokes, I am sure I missed quite a few even with recaps but hopefully when I re-watch it I would get more.
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Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 2:02 AM
I really liked your perspective Sabah, really well said!!! I hadn't thought of the ending in the way that you wrote about and explained so well. Thank you for exposing us to a different train of thought. This is one of the reasons why the Beanut gallery is a great place to hang out after a drama has been recapped :-).
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10 rainbow
January 9, 2013 at 5:48 AM
Thanks for the recap :)
I really liked "the king of dramas" for being a light, fun ride with awesome characters.....
Also, it ended on a happy note, so no problem with that....
I'm happy that hyun min ended up with min ah :D
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11 Ace
January 9, 2013 at 6:05 AM
I paused the video when I thought that Anthony was gonna die and was cursing the drama when I thought they killed his character off because I so want Lee Go Eun to have a happy ending. On the other hand it was kinda meh when he lived and also got his happily ever after. For some reason it felt incomplete and I wasn't completely satisfied. I think I was happier at the end of ep. 17 when he Anthony kissed Go Eun. Two things I enjoyed about the ending: Hyun-min and Min-ah got together and she was hilariously lying-complimenting him and Director Nam's reconciliation with the chairman (for some reason that kinda looked like it had been done before in a different drama and I felt like I've seen that before but can't place it). Anyway...I love Jung Ryeo-won and I hope she continues to pick up this kind of feisty, offbeat heroine roles in the future. I hated Anthony during the first quarter of the series and thank goodness he became more likable though narratively, his character and the actor's performance was great. Also, if I'm gonna ship Siwon with anyone I'd pick the actress playing Min-ah. I was kinda hoping at the end of their scenes that they'd get a for reals couple CF deal. ;)
Thanks for all the recaps. On one hand, it's sad that this series ended but since FBND premiered, I'm glad I get to watch that and School 2013 only every Mon/Tues. If they extended KoD, it would be on the bottom of my list to watch as it's hard to watch 2 episodes everyday due to time constraints (as I'm getting older I can't handle 4-6 hours of sleep anymore everyday. Need double that.) :)
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shukmeister
January 9, 2013 at 6:34 AM
Ace -
My thought of the three-generation reunion of the Nam family is that it resembled one of the final scenes in SeGa, where the grand kids were accepted but Gil Ra-im and Kim Joo-won were left outside the snowy gates of the family estate.
This was an excellent show, but I didn't agree with the ending. Most of Anthony's decisions were made over the phone and using his brain and expertise, so why couldn't he continue producing dramas? In the final episode, he stayed with Go-eun while others took over set preparation and the actual filming. I would have at least hoped for him producing, say, documentaries or something less live-shooty. [sigh]
I'm still very glad I stuck it out to the end. And, boo to the poor ratings!!
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12 Mommai
January 9, 2013 at 6:11 AM
Just a little shout out to the little scenes I loved, since I'm sure more dialog will come about the other ones. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the scene with Go Eun's mom! I laughed sooo hard :) Also, so many unexpected tears with Director Nam introducing his son to his dad.
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Ruth
January 9, 2013 at 8:50 AM
I agree. Go Eun's mom was definitely a gem throughout the entire drama.
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dfwkimchi
January 9, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Yes! I laughed so much at the LGE's mum scene - it was so cute! LGE's mum character well played as you can see where LGE got her spunk from. When AK's phone rang - I was rolling on the floor! But as usual, AK's quick thinking/answer saved their (AK+LGE) butts for the time being!
I too felt that this last episode was kinda of 'rushed and incomplete' but i'll take it.
Will miss all the lovable characters which were very well played by the actors. World Production boys - u guys are so cute!
Joo PD - if that snooty maknae FD likes that stupid Sung Mo (his greatest flaw is hemorrhoids?) - then u are better off without her! Come to this noona ....
Good show - will have to marathon it after a few months after I have gotten use to the ending.
Heads - your recaps are awesome - Thank u!
Fellow KOD fans - I have as much fun reading your posts/insights/jokes/etc - as much as the drama
I might have to start on FBND to fill my Mon/tue - have to find another good reason to look forward to Mondays now that KoD has ended.
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Ivoire
January 10, 2013 at 9:18 AM
I 3rd (or 4th, whichever number) the comment about GE's mom. She was awesome. Someone said, I don't remember where, that the actress playing LGE really felt like her mom, and I agree. They really did feel like mother and daughter, excellent chemistry. I personally loved ALL the veteran actors and actresses in this show. They usually are so good. They make acting look natural and effortless, which we know it isn't, but that is why they are soooo good, imho.
And I add my shout out to all the little scenes as well in this drama (there are too many of them to mention), however, they are such a part of a drama.
@ dfwkimchi, hi! I said the same thing to Joo PD RE: the maknae FD. It was her loss (not his) if she didn't like or at least gave him a chance. Joo PD is such a darling and such a loyal person. I hope that in the future, he will find someone worthy of his love and attention :-).
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13 rynea
January 9, 2013 at 6:16 AM
Thanks for the wonderful recaps HeadsNo2. I don't know if I'll be there with you in your next recap as I don't really watch dramas that often, but I sure know I'll stick around and wait for your next recapping sessions here, which I know will be just in a few days. :)
King of Dramas sure was fun, well at least during the first 15 or so episodes. I'm glad I stuck around to discover the brilliance of KMM, the innate wackiness of CSW, and the lasting charm of JRW. I won't even delve into the negativity anymore, as this drama deserves to be watched and collected and be shared to people who want a good meta drama. I'll remember the heart-pounding background songs and the sweet Tuesday Song that connected the main pair. And it's strange that now that the drama ended, I realized that I'll miss Kang Hyun Min the most. His craziness just makes him so alive and real, it's a pity that he's not a real person. Oh, I wish Morning of Kyeonsong is a real drama, just so I can watch him more. Wait, maybe I'll just rewatch the whole drama again. That would do it.
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Rachel
January 9, 2013 at 6:52 AM
Ahh same here! Will miss Kang Hyun Min a lot. And I love the Tuesday song. A great English song that is meaningful and is by a Korean artiste!
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Sandy
January 10, 2013 at 2:55 PM
i will miss kang kyung min too!! T.T
and this is entirely slow of me but i realise the show airs on tuesday... do they only play the tuesday song on their tuesday broadcasts?? HAHA
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14 diajoi
January 9, 2013 at 6:17 AM
Thank you King of Dramas for educating me to the difficulties in producing a drama. :-) I appreciate and applaud all the efforts of the people behind every drama that has made me grin, smirk, weep and laugh. And most of all to those dramas that had my heart aching. Here's to watching more of you! Cheers!
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15 observantzani
January 9, 2013 at 6:24 AM
The ending was disappointing to be honest. I didn't like the death card, such a cheap fake-out move. Well I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.
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rynea
January 9, 2013 at 6:30 AM
The only thing missing from that scene was Go Eun's tears dropping on Anthony's skin/face. But then again, if he died, I'm still going to be upset. I'm glad he's alive or else I won't witness KMM's blind eye movements. KMM really amazed me up to the end.
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16 Sue
January 9, 2013 at 6:24 AM
I really hated the "third rate producer" line. I thought that saying that even though he wasn't the king of dramas anymore he was still king of her heart would have made the ending sweeter.
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17 nakai
January 9, 2013 at 6:26 AM
Kim Bong Dal wearing sunglasses made up for everything. lol
I'll miss everyone on the show.
Thanks to HeadsNo2 for your recaps and to everyone here who made this ride more enjoyable.
Taking a break from kdrama. I'm drained.
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kopytko
January 9, 2013 at 7:45 AM
Am I the only one who thought of Roy Orbison upon seeing Anthony in his sunglasses?
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Ruth
January 9, 2013 at 9:22 AM
Haha! No! You weren't the only one :-)
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RockPaperScissors
January 9, 2013 at 10:53 AM
The "shades" were a nice touch, but I noticed that Anthony was still wearing a watch. I know they make watches where someone blind can feel the hands in order to tell time, but I think this was his regular watch that he wore in past episodes. Shooting live does not allow for corrections, one of the many lessons we learned from this drama. Gonna miss it.
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kopytko
January 9, 2013 at 11:26 AM
LOL. I laughed at that watch as well. An exapmle of lousy PPL?
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A-M
January 9, 2013 at 6:57 PM
I'd just assume it was part of his image, like the sunglasses. He may not be able to see anymore, but he very much is aware of how people see him.
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fireal911
January 9, 2013 at 3:47 PM
I about died on this one as I'm listening to a Traveling Wilbury's song as I read it and Roy Orbison is one of the singers.
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18 JoJo
January 9, 2013 at 6:31 AM
Thanks for the recaps...I loved the show, especially Siwon's performance. All the acting was good, and I'm sorry they had to extend and tamper with the original concept. One good thing is that all the actors played their parts like they had a hit on their hands...a real treat for this viewer. I understand the PD/writer trying different options,early on, to bolster ratings. It explains a lot.
We did get our "miracle." Anthony came back to life after the doctors gave up reviving him...too funny! I could watch this again, especially all the scenes with Siwon.
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19 shi suisen
January 9, 2013 at 6:31 AM
Thanks for the recap. I was angrily tearing up when Anthony "died" even though I knew he won't. Seeing as to how this writer actually killed off a character in his previous drama, I was beginning to lose faith. Thank goodness he's alive.
I have mixed feelings about the ending. Not to say it's a bad ending, I'm really glad he's alive since I've spent the one week before tearing my heart out at the prospect that Writer Jang might possibly kill off Anthony in the last episode. It's just a bit bittersweet. It would have been nice to see Anthony's mom and the World Production boys in the time skip.
Overall, it's undeniable that this is still a good drama, despite the sudden melodrama in the last two/three episodes. Even so, the melo didn't drag too much, in fact, it was resolved quite quickly.
Still, I would have love to see how The King of Dramas would actually turned out in the end, just as what the writer initially wanted to, disregarding the ratings and all. Alas, ratings are still a big deal. Bummer.
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:19 AM
"I was angrily tearing up when Anthony “died” even though I knew he won’t. Seeing as to how this writer actually killed off a character in his previous drama, I was beginning to lose faith."
I ranted and raved that "no one kills off Kim Myung Min!", only to realize that they have already. At least twice. So then, I just sulked. I'm glad he lived. Don't love how he came back to life, but glad nonetheless.
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20 Makoto
January 9, 2013 at 6:34 AM
No real kissing scenes from Hyun Min - Min Ah? :(
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kopytko
January 9, 2013 at 7:33 AM
That's why the ratings were so low! Or maybe the producers were afraid of ekhm.. dedicated fans?
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Ace
January 9, 2013 at 7:50 AM
Majority of Siwon's fans are ajummas and we/they're the most respectful fans out there compared to other SJ member fans (believe me, some ELFs are scary-crazy). Siwon kissing scenes with his onscreen partner? Bring it on! I'd love to see that more than him kissing any of his fellow SJ members. Hehe. However, I was not really in favor of a kiss scene with Bit-na, hliarious though it may be. ;)
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kopytko
January 9, 2013 at 7:53 AM
Oh, I must admit I would percieve ELFs as a homogenous group. I had no idea about differences between each member's fandoms. My bad.
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Ace
January 9, 2013 at 7:55 AM
BTW, where did the abs scenes go? I know it's crazy cold in Korea right now, but couldn't Hyun-min have a scene in the sauna? Hot shower? Bathtub? Gym workout? Gym locker room? I bet that would've made the ratings go up a little! ;)
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:21 AM
I think Siwon lost out to Jo Seung Woo, a fully clad Jo Seung Woo.
But yeah, more skin would have been nice. But I've new respect for Siwon.
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Miss D
January 9, 2013 at 5:47 PM
After this show I have now joined the Siwon fan base and I promise, I would have appreciated some love from him. Even though there might not have been enough abs, all of his crazy hilarious faces made this show fabulous!
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21 quincy
January 9, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Thank you Heads for the recap!
This is the first time i'm reading recaps/reviews of kdrama "live" - it has been an exhilarating experience anticipating your recaps after each episode!
KoD will definitely go down memory as one the best Kdramas I've watched, not so much the plot/ storytelling method but the relationships and chemistry witnessed both onscreen and off screen. I feel so endeared to the cast that I feel so empty now that there is no new episode to look forward to.
I wish the writer spared more time at the end to allow the audience to say goodbye to the WP boys, Go-eun's mom (she's the most sensible kdrama mom i've ever seen!), Anthony's mom (i still have a nagging dread of her reaction to Anthony's blindness.. which is the most horrible twist of fate for her), Director Goo.... (who else did i miss??)
Can they make a sequel pleaseeee (with the original cast)... okay, in my dreams.
p/s: the whole miss-the-flight trope which really turned out to be the last-flight-possible-before-AK-loses-his-sight is really one big irony, isn't it? maybe cliches do play out in reality... haha.
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Rachel
January 9, 2013 at 6:38 AM
Yeah I was thinking that too! Perhaps the writer really purposely put in that cliche, right after making fun of the cliche, just to show that the drama world can really laugh at itself. Or maybe just recognition that these cliches are what make K-dramaland what it is.
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22 shiku
January 9, 2013 at 6:58 AM
I loved this show even though it got low ratings and it may have lost some of its quality at the beginning. I loved the Anthony-Go Eun OTP. They balanced each other out and they complemented each other. And they didn't have to meet as kids years before and establish how fated to be together they are!
I absolutely loved Kim Myung Min as Anthony. He fully immerses himself to each and every role and I loved his facial expressions as Kim Bong Dal especially when mum rung his phone.
I have always liked Jung Ryu Won since I saw her in Ja Myongo (sp?) although she whispered a lot over there. I haven't seen HoS but I wil see it soon. She is rapidly becoming my fave K-actress.
Siwon was a revelation in this role as I have always thought he was mediocre, I take back my words. I also like the girl who played MinAh and I hope one day I will be able to watch her former show 'I live in Cheodamdong' with subs.
This show trolled us with Anthony during scene. I remember watching it in disbelief like hey can't be seriously thinking about killing him now. If that happened I was preparing to scrub the episode from my memory and forget it ever exist Bad Guy style.
I kinda felt bad for the show as it struggling to get ratings while the show in a show gets all the good ratings. I wish they had stuck to their guns and told their story without Network interference. It would have even be nice to see KM get low ratings and see them scrambling about trying to save it and providing a dilemma for Go Eun should she stick her guns or bow under pressure.
I honestly wish Anthony got on the plane as he could have had PD Joo and the director handle everything. If he had told his world bots the truth they wouldn't have called him and they would have tried to make everything work for Anthony. He could have also called everyone through the phone before getting on the flight. But I forgot the flight was boarding at that time.
Anyway I loved he show and I can't wait to see what is next for KMM and JRW.
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23 topper
January 9, 2013 at 7:20 AM
Likes the story, something refreshing.
Love the cast and their characters. Great drama.
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24 jini kazama
January 9, 2013 at 7:27 AM
First thing first: Thank you HeadsNo2 for making this show even more pleasant with your funny recaps,
That was quit a ride, & I’m , for once, happy that I watched this particular drama on its time, never mind the weekly long wait for the new episodes, it was definitely worth it
However...as much as I LOVED everything about the show from characters, dialogue, to locations, I think the last episodes took the wrong path, for a starter, the drama making process, which was the core of the whole show suddenly took the backseat & the story started dragging about , I understand that there had to be some character development but still, the way I see it, the first 12 episodes were action -driven but from there, it started to slow down & situational-narration took place, the funny thing is that character development was at its best during the first half, I understood better what motivated Anthony & Go Eun, I rooted for them to succeed because I kept in mind what was at stake, unfortunately, I found myself lacking that enthusiasm later on, the rush, the adrenaline, & anticipation, all that wore out
The blindness arc I found it rather random, true, compared to other dramas it was well established, at some point I thought maybe the show is adopting the “ this-is-how-it-should-be-done” attitude, but I found this much less interesting, because what made KOD brilliant was in fact the “this-is-how-you-do-it-folks!” cynical statement
When KOD was mocking itself & the industry it was the highlight, but once it started to play safe, by sticking to the usual clichés: melodrama, incurable illness, noble idiocy, second female syndrome… I lost interest
The ending was a bit abrupt & all over the place, considering how many filler scenes were made instead of the ones viewers were really waiting for:
• Mom knowing about KBD identity
• the proposal
• how the crew & Mom knew about Anthony’s illness
• Their lives after that one year… heak, I’m more interested in what happened to Director Goo & PD Joo than Director Oh who was tossed to oblivion for a long time that I felt totally disconnected when he showed up again!
& why on earth bringing back the car accident? This would have been much more effective earlier during Anthony’s redemption but why now?! The guy got it, he knows he was wrong, he did change, he made up for his mistakes so why bringing that again?
The ending I was hoping for would be faithful to the title & the course of the drama, Anthony would succeed & enjoy the harvest of his hard work (& the crow’s) even for a while, he would be the king of dramas again, his position is gained again, after that, if the writer wanted him to step down, then I want it to be his own choice because he’s a self-fulfilled man, not because some sad circumstances forced to do, he’d worked too hard not to accomplish his dream, he deserved his title so why wasn’t he crowned?! I found that rather absurd
& what’s with Go Eun & the whole radio drama writing? is that what Anthony gave up for? He risked his sight for her first drama to succeed & that is how she is investing the sacrifice?
Honestly.. I feel cheated by the ending, maybe because I loved this drama so much, I found myself hooked from episode one, I was wholeheartedly invested with Anthony & Go Eun’s journey that at the end I think they deserved MUCH more than what they settled for
Having said that, I will always be thankful to KOD because it introduced me to such great actors like KMM & JWR, I’m currently running down KMM’s filmographiy & he never ceases to amaze me with his craft, most notable actors manage to create at most 2 memorable characters, but this guy succeeded in creating at least 4 larger-than-life-characters throughout his career , that’s what I’d call achievement, & I shall keep hoping he would collaborate in the future with some highly acclaimed directors of the weight of Park Chan Wook so he could be world widely recognized for what he is : a truly gifted actor
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25 kopytko
January 9, 2013 at 7:32 AM
I officially welcome King of Dramas to my personal Drama Hall of Fame. It's one of the shows I have enjoyed most EVER. Mostly because of the well written and well acted characters, but also for asking some questions we are bound to encounter in real life, without pathos and with lots of humour.
I adore characters like Anthony for being so... themselves? It's not easy to win me over with looks, but I can't resist a mix of confidence, determination and mischievous charm. Not to mention fur collars (Ha! even my sis is wearing one now. Albeit unknowingly. I will not tell her about this drama until June, when she's graduated. It would be irresponsible of me.) Kim Myung Min did a brilliant job. A round of applause!
As for the last episode, I am a bit sceptical. I don't understand why was it so important for Anthony to hand over the tape personally. I guess it's a culture-bound item. To me health comes first, not work. I mean it is wonderful to be passionate about your job, but unless it's saving lives or making a breaking new discovery, I would't let go of something as precious as eyesight.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think KMM overdid his facial expressions in the part when he was playing blind Anthony. It made him look like a person who either was born blind or lost the eyesight very early on. People who lose vision later seem to be more conscious of their appearance and control their face. If I am wrong, correct me. I am basing this comment on my experience of living next to an institute for blind people and having a blind classmate.
There is also one thing I don't really understand. It's fine for Go Eun to write radio dramas (I love them!) but it doesn't mean she cannot write a TV drama once in a while, especially if she was succesful with her debut.
I did think Anthony would lose his vision, and actually I am very pleased that he opted to conquer the land of radio, but I was thinking of a different ending. I imagined Antony who becomes a Godfather of drama and acts from the backseat through his World Boys. Or through Go Eun? No, that would be like Yeo Chi barged in the wrong drama.
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26 ainigoguma
January 9, 2013 at 7:32 AM
It's one of the best drama in MY life.
Though I have been a drama-addict since I was 12, this is the first time ever I've gone this crazy.
Because of this drama, for the first time ever I sign into an official international fansite,
Because of this drama, for the first time ever I fall in love with an ahjushi-actor,
Because of this drama, for the first time ever I do live streaming,and since my country's internet connection is too slow, I have never ever wanted to do it that much, but I did it, waiting and waiting, buffering and buffering, watching scene by scene, with tears, and then smile like crazy, only for this drama.
Because of this drama, I know how the dramas that I love all this long to be made,
I just.... couldn't thank more.
Of course there is NO perfect drama, but this one is 99.99% perfect in my list.
Everything here, makes me so contented.
I always fear drama-withdrawal-syndrome, but never have this huge syndrome before.
Like I want to turn back the time to the days I watch the blooming love line in previous episodes, I don't want it to end. Yet I realized I have to accept its end.
What could be more beautiful than having someone loving you and accept you for the way you are, and live together with that person forever. I just love Anthony and Go-eun's end. It's so sad yet so beautiful. I know~ I use that infamous Love Letter reference again. But it is the way it is.
I think I would not be able to get over this drama for months ahead. And this drama would always be in my heart forever.
/Sigh, I become so melo/
KING OF DRAMA, thank you so much for such a nice roller coaster and a last minute melodrama ride. :)
Well at least I know that Jung Ryeo-won must be somewhat happy because she wanted IT to be melo, hehehe.
Kim Myung Min and Jung Ryeo-won, Choi Shi-won and Oh Ji-eun, you guys are the best actor and actress ever! You guys have done the best despite how hard it is to film a drama that shoot a drama with a high rating and the fact that your ACTUAL drama is suffering a very unexplainable low rating all the way through in that rating-crazed dramaland.
Oh, one thing I gained here. Next time that I watch drama, I'll make sure to study the lyrics of the main OST again. Yap! Because my biggest worry was the first line of Yesung that I studied 2 months ago.
|Because I’m blind, I only see you|
Yeah, in the end, what was said in the lyrics was just as it is.
Just like Lee Yoonji's First Love in TK2H.
I've learned my lesson.
Whatever it is,
The King of Drama, I'll be missing you so much. NO! I've already missing you now. Gonna rewatch it all over again
:)
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quincy
January 9, 2013 at 7:45 AM
JRW wanted it to be melo? She's doing a brilliant job in offbeat and fun roles like Yeo-chi and Go-eun :P
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ainigoguma
January 9, 2013 at 5:38 PM
Yes, she said "if it's melo it'll be good" on the BTS of Episode 14 "Making After the Fire Scene".
She said it while laughing and teasing KMM :D
I buy her words hehehe :)
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:53 AM
Ha, so meta! Writer Jang used Go-eun's character to let us know that if it's melo, and not romcom, it'll be good. Lol, Writer Jang! :)
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anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Kim Myung Min is a worthy ahjussi actor to fall for. Yay!
I almost signed into the international fan site. Mainly to cheer on KMM and everyone who's a part of KoD. Maybe I still will.
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27 psychera
January 9, 2013 at 8:16 AM
Damnnnn that's a tremendously sucky ending. The whole one-shot-clinical-trial thing was beyond stupid. The Hyun-min/Min-ah pairing was darn cute, though.
Thanks for recapping! Have loved your recaps so far! :)
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28 whatsthescenario
January 9, 2013 at 9:02 AM
I really enjoyed the process of this drama... and the Dramaception concept (Drama within a drama). Which is why the ending really sucked! It was such a rushed, sloppy ending that I was left with my mouth agape at the end. Of course, I was not happy with Anthony becoming blind development, but was able to go along with it knowing that our Spunky newbie writer would be by his side in the end. However, the whole full circle rush to get the last tape to the production office seemed contrived. PD Joo was capable enough to get the tape to the production company. Anthony did not have to deliver it himself, in reality. Plus, Anthony was flying to FLORIDA. C'mon, I live in FL, they would have let you come in 1 week late, as long as you have a good enough excuse (haha). Then the scene with the long glances as Anthony is dying and Go-Eun is watching by his bedside was just very poor writing. Of course, realistically Anthony would end up blind but there was no need for the last minute contrived," gut wrenching" life choice that was required. Sad to see this drama go. I loved Hyun-min's cooky, narcissistic, child like character. He was fun to watch.
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latteholic
January 9, 2013 at 1:10 PM
Why hello there fellow Floridanian! :D I think this is the reason I tuned out from the latter part. I kept questioning the show's blunder of Anthony flying to "Florida". Not Miami, not Orlando, or Tampa. But to "Florida". And I was indifferent and even laughing at the scene where Anthony is dying because of the meta: do they really have to do the flashback because they don't have enough scenes to fill the air time? lol. It was an excellent drama all the way to episode 15. But I was not a fan when the blindness arch was thrown in, and especially when the accident scene happened. I was just glad they didn't drag the whole noble idiocy part. But you're right, I'm gonna miss Hyun-min's zany, vain, and vapid character! :D
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stanncie
January 9, 2013 at 7:45 PM
I'm a floridian too! :) Had no idea there were some many kdrama fans here in the sunshine state lol.
The last two episodes were very disappointing to me as well. I thoroughly enjoyed episodes 1-16. AS many have said the characters were adorable :) I never really bought the romance between the two leads because Go Eun just looked too young and innocent to be with Anthony in my eyes. I loved siwon in this drama and will now pay greater attention to him for sure!
I laughed when they kept saying that the had to fly to Florida errr one does not fly to a state but a city? lol. They even took the time to research about Bascom Palmer which is a real eye institute and it's here in Miami so don't know what was up with that. Maybe they thought Florida was more recognizable than Miami but again that makes no sense to me. I have traveled extensively all over even the middle east and whenever i say I'm from Miami people immediately start singing the Will Smith song or quote Pitbull lyrics haha.
Again it was very enjoyable but not perfect but I have noticed that with many kdramas the ending always leaves me unsatisfied and there are very few exceptions
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29 Ivy
January 9, 2013 at 9:04 AM
Ok end to a wonderful series. The ending was alright, although like many mentioned the only-medical-chance and car accident tropes were annoying, unecesary for Anthony's personal journey and just plain unrealistic... All that angst in the last few episodes was distasteful...
But I will forever remember KOD for the wonderful hilarious funny tit-bits with Hyemin and Min-ah.. :D
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30 JO
January 9, 2013 at 9:04 AM
I thought this show was a breezy watch with no periods of guhhhhtimmeeewastinggggploottts. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and the characters. I'm going to seriously miss them all...:(
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31 Laurita
January 9, 2013 at 9:06 AM
The ending seemed as if chopped at times, I didn't laugh at the supposedly funny scene when "The doors to Empire open as the new Chairman walks through the hall…", the hospital scene was ..um..., I wasn't convinced when Anthony chose drama instead of hope for his eyes (at the end drama-saving didn't bring them anywhere as they chose radio-dramas)...
BUT
I still take it as a good ending since the whole drama was just awesome.
Anthony, Go-eun, the World Boys, Hyun-min, Mom, Directors - so many wonderful personalities, I will miss them.
I loved their growth, relationships, feelings (no matter what Anthony does: cries, laughs, kisses or hugs - he is unique), funny situations, the whole drama world - everything. It was fresh and entertaining.
P.S. A huge thanks for interesting recaps and thank you for your comments during the whole drama - it was a treat to read them. :)
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32 jademwong
January 9, 2013 at 9:08 AM
Thank you HeadsNo2 for all your recaps! You've worked hard! ^^
Like everyone already mentioned, this drama felt like it got cheated out of a potentially great ending because of the weird 2 ep extension. I feel like during these last two episodes, the writer just threw his (her?) laptop into the air and went "screw it all! Screw it all to extension hell!" sigh. Still, the cast were fantastic and this was enjoyable whole it lasted :)
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reeen
January 10, 2013 at 3:28 PM
Maybe the producer made the writing trainee mess with the script ;)
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:45 AM
TOO MUCH META HAHAHAHA *super facepalm lol*
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33 Sunshine
January 9, 2013 at 9:20 AM
i have always hated for an illness to take over the drama in the last few episode but this turn out to be a nice fit! i actually like the idea that he went blind...a king of drama now a blind a producer very cool
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34 lynn
January 9, 2013 at 9:34 AM
This was an entretaining story, very well played by all the cast, however I think that somehow the attraction of the drama became solely Hyung-Min. As someone said above, the last episode felt somewhat rushed and calculated.
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35 earthna
January 9, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Ahh, one drama done again. This was a fun ride but I had to admit that the last episode didn't get me that much. Guess it's hard to keep up with everything happening in a drama production and I quite understand that now after watching this.
I've always wanted to be in this industry and this drama somehow scared me, especially in the beginning. Yet, I still want to do it because it's what I love to do and what I imagine myself doing in the future. That's why I understand Anthony picking the drama over his eyes. I think I might be able to do that for my own production. haha.
Anyways, I feel like the ending could've been better if it happened as you said, Anthony still being 'king' with Go Eun by his side and also the World boys. It's not that realistic but hey, this is a drama. Even when people don't believe it to that extent, they feel good seeing hope and dreams being realized.
Thank you for all the recaps since episode 1! I'm so gonna miss this. And I'm not gonna see Siwon in the same light again. ><
Yeah, what would Anthony do? :)
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36 ilikemangos
January 9, 2013 at 10:02 AM
First off, i'd like to say thank you so much Heads.
This ride was amazingly fun.. One of my first experiences with a bunch of meta about the bts of k-drama.
I really liked this show, and I was hoping it wouldn't fall prey to the low ratings.
Or the extension. If i knew she'd make anthony blind with those 2 episodes i honestly would have been fighting against the extension. I was hoping for more meta to fill up these last two episodes. I'll cut this writer some slack though, considering it was realistically written and we knew anthony's mom was blind in the beginning. So it's not like it slapped us across the face or anything.
I don't get why writers feel they might run out of things to write about so they opt for some necessary/out of place conflicts. It doesn't necessarily have to be big, dramatic scopes. I actually look back and prefer the mini-arcs this show was so good at churning out.
I will say however, KOD was an absolute gem from the beginning, and i think shows should follow in its footsteps in the first half.
And if there's one thing i will always remember coming out of this show, (god forbid i forget some of the many k-dramas i watch) it's "What would Anthony do?"
I think that phrase will forever be in our hearts. haha
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37 bugs_bunny
January 9, 2013 at 10:02 AM
thanks headsno2 for the recaps:) started this series on the endtail, don't want to repeat the crazy cycle of am1997, waiting every week. your recaps were golden, truly capture the fun in KoD! would have liked resolution scenes w/ moms and the rest of the crew/staff, but the realism of making the lead character blind in the end was good in my opinion, instead of killing them off.
i had a classmate who was blind in college, smart and capable, so i think anthony will do fine in the future. actually the last scene (hoping i remember this correctly) is a throwback to the first scene, anthony delivering a speech, so his character came full circle...
i'm new to kdrama so the references in KoD on how-a-drama-is-made affirm the articles i've been reading on how precarious drama-making is in SK, really sad... yes, i'm one of those who listens to director commentaries on dvd specials, very insightful at times.
again, thank you headsno2:)
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38 ilikemangos
January 9, 2013 at 10:29 AM
I think i would have slowly accepted him becoming blind if only they made him the first-rate producer. King of dramas. With all the staff from world productions following right behind him.
Sure, anthony was given his love, but i would have wanted him to have his dreams fulfilled after all that hard work to get here, only to end with being a third-rate. :/
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coby
January 9, 2013 at 12:58 PM
indeed! I mean Anthony can produce drama with his eyes closed!
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:49 AM
Sooooo true. In my mind Joo PD can take over alongside Anthony. Don't tell me Joo PD is blind as well?! The solving problem matters can STILL be solved by Anthony. He's Anthony Kim anyway, ISN'T HE?!
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Lord of the Things
January 9, 2013 at 1:34 PM
I know! Way to take away from his abilities - it seems more like he gave up and allowed himself to be forced into this idea that if you are blind you somehow can no longer succeed in the 'normal' world. Because he's blind, he automatically has to change his dreams? Dumb dumb dumb.
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39 mjfan
January 9, 2013 at 10:38 AM
I think Anthony near-to-death moment was meant to make his blindness easier for us to accept , as having him alive and blind is better than not having him at all , and it really worked ....
I really love this show , it has a soft spot in my heart , , KMM is awesome beyond words , (I think am gonna watch white tower after this ) , JRW is so lovely and charming and they have a great chemistry that I want to see them again , I really fell in love with all the cast , especially siwon :)
I just hope that they know how much we , the international fans , are crazy about this show , and I hope they dont give a shit to these stupid ratings , if only they can know ....
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40 jomo143
January 9, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Thanks for the recap!
I will come back for more later, but
THE WINK!! I LOVED THE WINK!
I replayed it a bunch of times before continuing, too.
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41 Koirv
January 9, 2013 at 10:53 AM
The best drama ever
Bar none
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42 Lilian
January 9, 2013 at 11:05 AM
I knew we would get a "happy" ending in a way so the he was dead or is he alive part was totally a waste of time for me. Yes, the scene where he was the injured instead was important, but I wished it could have been used more effectively. Oh well, the drama is still a good watch overall. At least I now can confirm that Jung Ryeo Won really brings spunkiness to her roles and Siwon has good comic sense! XD
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43 Dorotka
January 9, 2013 at 11:07 AM
I was at first also a bit disappointed with the course of the last episode(s)... but then I realized that it probably was meant as meta on the classical K-drama endings/situations - the 1% chance of cure and he gets on the trial and bingo, happyend. Then the big noble idiocy, huge sacrifice, car accident at the last moment, death and bingo, the tragical end... and then, as Go Eun nicely suggests that this is not the right end for Anthony, we finally get a "normal" ending, Anthony does get blind, but life goes on... and they are just ordinarily happy...
So I'm fine with it.
If any critisism, then the pairing of Hyun Min and Min-Ah felt a bit forced. I still find Bitna Hyun Min's perfect match :--) Love Hyun Min, btw ;--)
In any case, I had great fun watching this drama.
Thank you, Heads, for all the recaps.
And yes, "what would Anthony do?" will stay with me forever :--)
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:52 AM
Here's rooting for Hyun-min & Bitna toooo! They're sooo cute together and they trust each other soooo much!!!
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chickletta
January 13, 2013 at 7:33 PM
Really - you are bing ironic, aren't you? "Trust each so much?" Seriously? Didn't she always accuse him of cheating? When Hyunmin threw a party to celebrate the saving of the extra, she threw a fit accusing him of cheating with Minah. And she also thought that an extra is not even a human being. To each its own - but why people like Bitna is truly beyond me. She was more like an extra in this drama, a charicature rathen than a character.
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44 liza
January 9, 2013 at 11:13 AM
THe show was great, But the last two episodes spoiled the entire show, however, I am very happy that writer let the whole world know that she thought the producer was third rate.
Yep, I am one of the sect that feels like somone stole the cherry off my sundae. However, I am going to do a little research into the main actors for KOD, more so the writer (I am forced to forgive her/him as somone cannot go perfect to so-so without outside influence) and check out their movies or dramas because they are beyond talented and that is the best compliment I can give.
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45 anais
January 9, 2013 at 11:26 AM
HeadsNo2, thank you for your recaps, which were wonderful as always! Your recaps doubled the joy of watching this drama. It was always a delight to laugh even louder at your hilarious skewing of a funny moment. Hope the new year brings you even more wonderful dramas to recap!
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46 peaches
January 9, 2013 at 12:24 PM
I adored this drama and of course, the main characters bu the ending was really quite disappointing for me. It was so bittersweet...I really disliked the usage of the term "third-rate producer". If Anthony was going to be blind, I'd have much rather preferred him to have become the "King of Dramas" instead of fading away into the spotlight, and having people be less than enthusiastic about his suggested projects (i.e. the radio drama). I'm not sure whether the writer was throwing us these cliches just to be sarcastic, or if he really meant for us to swallow them.
I'm sad that it ended this way, but that still doesn't change the fact that it was a great drama to watch (up till the last few episodes, anyways).
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47 loveydovey
January 9, 2013 at 12:25 PM
the ending sucked. if you're going to miraculously bring a character back to life, why don't you miraculously give him his sight back? since when was this drama realistic? i mean please - on what planet would anthony have overcome all those obstacles (usually by pure luck)? i feel robbed of a perfect happy ending; it's like dating someone who gives mixed signals or leads me on. shame on the writers.
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RosesML
January 9, 2013 at 3:19 PM
As the last episode progressed, I could feel my heart sinking deeper and deeper. The writer definitely did a number on the viewers here. I feel your pain. :)
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48 Arawn
January 9, 2013 at 12:45 PM
For me this is still The Best Drama of all time. Of all those I've known and/or watched. Yes, it has some flaws especially in the last two episodes, but overall the tone was right again in the episode 18 and ending was a happy one - they were married! And cute together! I so loved their bickering. :D My only problem with the blindness was that I didn't think KMM did very well during the speech scene... He seemed more like a drunk than a blind man. But, of well.
Ending was not as good as I had hoped for considering how awesome first 16 episodes were, but however I am not so disappointed, at least. I can depart this show with a happy note which is a relief after all the scares during the last week. :)
I'm kinda tired of thinking about this drama so I won't analyze it anymore. Besides, you all have probably said almost everything already.
Anthony & Go-Eun, FIGHTING!
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49 coby
January 9, 2013 at 1:05 PM
Thanks for the recap!
I love this drama though the ending is bland but in some way satisfying.
I'll never look on a kdrama the same way again. if I'll see a guy with a suit with a furred collar, I'll call him Anthony!
Totally surprised with Choi Siwon! How do I love thee.. let me count the ways.. abs, dimples, made the funny so fun!
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50 Lord of the Things
January 9, 2013 at 1:26 PM
I wrote these words when the episode aired and waited for this post to post them. That’s how much I needed to vent about this.
OK, Lets Go. I will start by saying that there were things I liked. I liked that Anthony went blind and I like that he went blind because he recognized that his sight wasn’t the most important thing in the world, and that maintaining his life’s work and passion was. I liked that Min-ah and Hyung-min got together and became this uber-cutesy, smarmy CF couple, because that’s just too funny.
BUT. I pretty much scoffed my way through the last episode. For a start, while I defended the blindness development last episode (and I think that episode was a lot stronger on its own than the finale) as a test of Anthony’s character, I had some faith then that the writers had a plan that would tie everything together with this in a satisfying way. In the end, they did show Anthony as having grown and recognizing what’s important, which in theory moves him past his emotional block of crippling loneliness that has been with him since childhood. All the elements were there, I guess, but I just wasn’t sold.
The pacing was shot – they should have set that last-minute live shoot drama up more last episode if that was going to be the key stakes for this episode, because for the first half I just was not invested at all. I didn’t care if Anthony was cured, I was only marginally moved by Go-Eun and Anthony’s couple moments and I should have been way more touched when Anthony brought Go-Eun to meet his mum. When did Go-Eun’s mum finally realize Bong-Dal is Anthony? Where was Go-Eun’s satisfying conclusion, other than ‘my drama was finished and I got my man’? There wasn’t even a scene between her and her mother to wrap it up. It didn’t feel emotional, grand or high-stakes enough; in fact I only realized it was the finale half-way through.
The fact is, they had an extra episode when they could have fitted all this stuff in, but instead they went with the blindness route, which took away from the life/death drama stakes they’d set up for every other episode before it. I would have preferred the writers to actually kill Anthony’s mother, and have that be the angst thing, where he confronts his past and his values. Or fuck angst and give Go-Eun serious writer’s block. Or bring the live-shoot last minute (bullshit) car crash in earlier, to force Nam PD to confront his ethical stance in relation to live shooting. So many possible plot developments, and instead they go with a half-assed Crippling Disease arc and a rushed, half-hearted ending to the drama story we actually cared about.
In short, I take back my arguments from last week, the blindness thing was a plot crutch that in fact crippled one of my favourite shows. Fuck you, Disease-of-the-Month.
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Lord of the Things
January 9, 2013 at 1:29 PM
Oh, but I still loved the drama, and appreciate the awesome recaps every week, sorry if my bitterness obscured that
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Laurita
January 9, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Just a side note: I bet the live-shooting thing was in the script together with the last car accident, but due to the extension, the blindness theme was introduced. So, I'd rather blame the extension :)
I wasn't sold either, but I forgave it since the other series were that good.
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Mystisith
January 9, 2013 at 2:50 PM
Great. Now I don't have to write this for myself. ;)
I had accepted the blindness thing, even if I still believe it was UNNECESSARY. But what bugs me the most is all those things I would have liked to see and couldn't.
And that sudden change of tone in the 2 last eps: I just can't. Don't ask me to accept that. *Brain fried*.
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:48 AM
Yeap. You'll know when it's NECESSARY if it progresses the whole plot out. Blindness can be out of the scene. It can progress well without the blindness thing, and with full satisfaction within their characters and among the viewers.
I really just wished that at the end Anthony is still THE KING OF DRAMAS, not just for Go-eun but for the world to see, thus, World Productions. Ahh, Writer Jang, why mess up with my favorite drama of all-time!
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RosesML
January 9, 2013 at 3:15 PM
Okay, this is pretty strong, but I see why you are upset. There were too many lose ends for me (Joo PD's crush? Anthony's mom? The fact the MA was so adamant that she didn't like HM, and then all of the sudden they are a couple?), and the tone was totally washed away. :( I wouldn't be as sad if I hadn't loved this show as much. Also, I never really believed in the romance between the main characters here. AK is more like a father-figure than a romantic possibility. To the end, their chemistry didn't fit their actions (to me). But I think I wil always enjoy revisiting the show for its truly witty and comical moments.
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eleanor
January 9, 2013 at 10:26 PM
Yup, pretty much. It really is a shame. I think I just want to re-write the ending in my head anyway minus the blindness arc. I think the thing that makes me the angriest though is that the drama started so well...and so disappointed me more because the blah of the finale was such a high fall of expectations. I think his mom dying would have been much better!!! Or something. *sigh*
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Koirv
January 11, 2013 at 4:51 AM
I am dyingggggggg to change the ending too! It's a perfect dramaaaaa, I'm dying of its raw awesomeness and Writer Jang... Writer Jang?? You hear me?
Anyhow, Writer Jang Hang-joon's name is forever engraved in my mind. The writer who killed my Park Shin-yang in SIGN, and the writer who made my Kim Myung-min blind in KING OF DRAMAS. I will remember you, that's for sure, Writer Jang. :)
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